Holiday Shenanigans

Hello! This weekend was chock full of exciting things for my little family.

Saturday morning I woke up early to get our grocery shopping done at 7:30am. I love shopping early! There's no one in the store, I can take my time, and I bring my coffee with since the carts have cup holders. Best thing ever.

I had good reason to go that early though. I was driving out to a group run that started at 10am, and I wanted to hit up a holiday bazaar at a local school before I went. I managed to buy a few cookie trays at the bazaar, plus a new pair of mittens and I ordered a hat to be made. Hopefully to match the new jacket I have on my Christmas list.

Our group run was great. 14 people showed up! The majority ran 10 miles, but since I'm still nursing my dumb foot injury, I ran 6 with one of the slower members of our group. Then I had to race home to change because we were off to Duluth!

Our plan was to see Santa, go out for dinner, and then tour the lights at Bentleyville. It's becoming our annual Christmas tradition.

Emily told Santa that she wants Rudolph for Christmas. Hopefully she means a stuffed one - I don't think Santa can do without his star reindeer!

We invited my in-laws to come since they've never been to Bentleyville before. We had a great evening! Everything took longer than normal because of crowds and holiday shoppers, but it was still a great night. Great weather too!

We didn't get home until pretty late Saturday night, so we ended up going to the later service at our new church. I thought there would be more people, and especially more young people. I was surprised to see that not only was there less people at this service than the early one, but almost no families! Emily likes to keep occupied by drawing or coloring during the service. They have little sheets of paper in the pews for kids to draw on - I think I'm going to have to buy the church a ream of paper. Or two.

Her Snowman has a little...extra...going on.

Our weather has been unseasonably warm - high 30's during the day, 20's at night. Yes, that's warm for us. Also, we've had barely any snow! I kind of love it, because it's better for running, but I know the rest of my Northland friends are unhappy. No ice fishing or snowmobiling like normal. I will say that I hope we have a little more snow by Christmas. That just makes it festive.

I shot this pic while out on my run this morning. You can see how clear the streets are, but we did have a little frost this morning!

You can see grass on the side of the road. Dead grass, but still - that would normally be covered in snow by now!

How was your weekend? Are you having warm weather?

Meatloaf, smeatloaf

"Meatloaf, smeatloaf. I hate meatloaf..."

You know that scene from A Christmas Story? The one where the little kid won't eat his dinner, and the mom gets him to eat like a pig?

Well, his sentiments about meatloaf could not ring more true with me. And yet, I'm sharing a meatloaf recipe with you today.

You see, growing up, my mom was not the most creative cook. My mom can cook, it's just not something she enjoys. I get it. So we had a lot of the "staples". Meatloaf (dry). Spaghetti (with onions! the horror!). Grilled steak or chicken with canned green beans. Ick.

So you'd understand if, when I moved off to college, I never wanted to eat meatloaf again. Spaghetti is easy and cheap, so I came around to liking that. Grilling is fun and we prefer fresh or frozen veggies in my house.

But meatloaf was just one of those things that I couldn't wrap my head around. It never appealed to me, and the thought of the physical prep involved seriously grossed me out.

Until I saw this recipe from Mother Thyme. Hawaiian meatloaf? Hmm. I like pineapple. I actually do like all the ingredients that go into this meatloaf. Plus, the picture on her website was seriously drool-worthy.

I mean, that looks pretty darn tasty. Right?

So I pinned the recipe to try for later. I kept putting it off because while it's supposed to cook in the crock pot, it only goes in there for 6-7 hours. I like recipes that I can throw together in the morning and let sit for a whole day. 10+ hours. But then I thought "why not just make it in the oven?"

So that's what I did:

Obviously my photography skills aren't on the same level as Mother Thyme. Far, far below. But I'm not a food blogger so I get a pass. Seriously though? This meatloaf was great.

Yes. I said that. THIS MEATLOAF WAS GREAT. It was sweet, and yummy, and my daughter ate all of hers without complaining. My daughter is a pretty good eater - far more adventurous than most kids her age. But she still needs some prodding or encouragement for a lot of meals. When there are no qualms about what's on her plate at all - that's a win in my book.

The only changes I made was using a beef & pork mixture, rather than all ground beef. I baked it at 350 for about 50 minutes, then cranked it up to 375 for another 20 min. So next time, I'd probably cook it the whole time at 375 for probably 60 minutes just to get it a little firmer and well done.

Try this and tell me if you like it!

Do you like meatloaf? What is a food from your childhood that you dislike as an adult?

Wednesday Word

I'm linking up again with Deb Runs for her "Wednesday Word". This is a link up for fitness and non-fitness bloggers a like. Just a word to prompt some thoughts and get those creative juices going.

Today, the word is Tradition.

This time of year is full of all kinds of traditions. From hanging ornaments on the tree, to baking Christmas cookies, to lighting the Advent candle at church or in your home. It seems like you can't do anything without a "we always do X" or "that's how we've always done it".

But I'd like to talk about another tradition that my family has been partaking in for a few years now. Adopting an Angel Tree child from the Salvation Army.

From Salvation Army website

You can usually spot these tags on a Christmas Tree in shopping malls, at Wal-mart, or maybe at a local business. I wrote a little bit about our our experience last year, but my family has been doing this since my daughter was born 4 years ago. 

The premise is pretty basic. The tag lists a child in need, their age, clothing sizes, and toys/interests they may have. You buy the child 2 outfits and 2 toys if possible, although 1 and 1 are ok too. The Salvation Army supplements clothing and/or toys for the child from their other gift drives during December, if necessary. 

Typically, we've always chosen a younger kid. They're just easier and cheaper to buy for. This year though, I felt like we should give a little more. The older kid's tags are always left until the last because their clothing and interests are generally more expensive. Sad, but true. So this year, I picked a 16 year old boy who seems to be interested in art and drawing. He asked for a sketch pad and charcoal pencils. And duct tape - odd but easy enough. 

It's been our tradition to go shopping as a family for our Angel Tree Child. As Emily gets older, she is starting to kind of get the whole idea, but I think we're probably still a few years off from her really understanding that we're shopping for a child in need. A child that we'll never meet, but one that will have a smile on their face come Christmas morning. Hopefully, in part, because of us.

My little family is not rich. If my husband or I lost one of our jobs today, we'd really have to do some scrambling for a bit. But we've been so blessed in many ways. We are comfortable. We have a comfortable home. We have food on our table, love in our home, and warmth in our hearts. Why shouldn't we give to someone less fortunate? 

So while we have the fun traditions to embrace this time of year, we'll also take part in the tradition of giving to others. 

What are some of your favorite traditions? Link up and tell us about it! 

Thanksgiving Recap

Falalalalala!

Ok, now that Thanksgiving is over, we can start to enjoy all things Christmas. ALL THINGS CHRISTMAS.

Yes, that deserved capitals.

You know I'm crazy about Christmas, right? But first, here is a cute photo of my daughter all dressed up and ready for our "Thanksgiving Feast". (Her words)

My little turkey! We had a really great Thanksgiving Day. I started it off with an easy 5 mile run, followed by about 30 minutes of pilates. Loving pilates right now.

Then we enjoyed breakfast together, watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and basically lounged around until it was time to go to Grandma's house. It was basically a smorgasbord of food all afternoon/evening/night. I definitely enjoyed my fair share of everything, which led me to feel like this:

All the way until Friday afternoon. Thankfully, both Travis and I had Black Friday off, so we could sleep in and hang out around the house. 

Or, in my case, decorate for Christmas.

This:

magically turned into this:

It really only takes me about 2-3 hours to get all the decorations out and put everything else away (including our Christmas dishes and wine glasses - no stone left unturned when it comes to Christmas decorating). We save the tree for last so that we can decorate it at night with the lights on. Emily loves to help put all the ornaments on, and while I love her enthusiasm, I usually end up having to rearrange an ornament or two after we're done. 4 ornaments on one branch? Totally acceptable to a preschooler. 

She's also really getting into the holiday music, and loves to dance to some of her favorite tunes. Although, since she only knows a couple of songs (not Christmas songs), she'll start singing those to the tune of whatever carol is playing. Too cute! 

Our weather was unseasonably warm this weekend, which was quite nice for a little outside playing and just life in general. However, we're expecting to get our first winter storm starting this afternoon - the weatherman is predicting 4-6" by morning. I guess winter finally decided to show up!

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving with your families!

Do you have an ornament-placement strategy when decorating the Christmas tree?

Happy Thanksgiving!

From my family to yours, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday filled with joy, love, family, peace, and good food!

May your blessings be abundant, your home warm, and your life filled with love!

Tuesdays on the Run - a Link-up

A new one for me! "Tuesdays on the Run" with MCMama, Marcia, and Patty.

Today's topic is the Runner's Gift List. Or, what you all can buy me for Christmas. Please take notes.

1. The first thing on my list may seem boring, but I promise you that I would rave over these if I opened them on Christmas morning:

Smartwool Outdoor socks. Seriously, these are the best socks for winter running. Warm, cushion-y, and no blisters!

2. Columbia Glacial Fleece 1/2 Zip. Another must have for me. I have 2 of these now, and use them from October to May. With a short or long sleeve tee underneath, with a vest on top, under a shell layer - this is a staple for me. I'd love to have a few more!

3. Books on running. Not necessarily "how to" books, but more inspirational stories. I love to read, so I'm always game for a book. But even non-reading runners will likely thank you for one of these titles.

My Year of Running Dangerously: A Dad, A Daughter, and a Ridiculous Plan

Running on Empty: An Ultramarathoner's Story of Love, Loss, and a Record Setting Run Across America

Running Away: A Memoir 

Another item that looks interesting are these shoe laces. A runner-up gift, if you will. I know nothing about them because the link looks awfully spammy, but they would be nice for running in the early, dark mornings:

Safety First! I did find some on Amazon if you're actually interested. Go here.

So, what's on your running wish list? Link up and tell us about it!

Lazy Weekend and Warm Drinks

I don't have a ton of important things to say, except one thing:

I RAN!

Twice!

I went out for an easy 3 miles on Saturday morning, and my foot felt great while I was out there. A little discomfort post-run, but I feel like I'm maybe on the upswing of this injury. I taped it last night with some KT tape, and went out for 4 easy miles this morning. Again, no pain! It feels much better post-run today than Saturday, so again - feeling very hopeful!

The one thing I have to contend with now is the cold and snow. Booooo.

I had to break out my Yaktrax for both runs. I probably didn't need them so much on Saturday, but this morning we had about an inch of snow on the ground so they were definitely necessary. I also need to review my cold weather apparel guidelines. Saturday morning it was about 10 degrees starting out, and I only had on one pair of thin gloves. I'm pretty sure I got a little frostnip on my middle fingers. They were frozen solid and so painful by the end of that 3 miles! This morning was warmer at 25 degrees, and I was quite comfortable with just that same pair of gloves again. 

New rule: Double up on gloves/mittens below 20 degrees.

One nice thing about this time of year though: lots of cuddling up on the couch, drinking yummy warm drinks. This particular mug contains coffee, a bit of creamer, and Kahlua. Yum!

Besides my run on Saturday morning, some hurried errands, and church yesterday morning, this was a pretty low key weekend for us. Lots of couch time, football, and enjoying each other. With the holidays right around the corner, I'm taking all the downtime I can get!

What's your preferred warm beverage on a cold, wintery day?