Nos. 48 and 49

Per my new system, I read one book while listening to another. Such a great way to entertain myself during chores. I also did my last two long runs while listening. I'd never done that before - it's pretty cool!

No. 48 was a real book: Diane Mott Davidson's Prime Cut.

The latest in the culinary mystery series provided easy entertainment before bed each night.

And my audio book was David Baldacci's The Sixth Man: 

I had a little trouble getting in to this one because I had watched the TV version of this story. But once I put that aside and paid close attention to the details, I realized there were big differences, and it was a good one. 

I've already surpassed last year's 40 books. Now I'm approaching 2014's record of 53 :)

Happy December!!

:)

CE2 family Thanksgiving

Before we head to Thanksgiving break, we wanted to have a simple holiday lunch with our CE2 family.

We started with pizza, pop and cookies... then we broke out the games. An hour later, they are still playing!!

THIS is why I do it :)

Holiday preview

Another rewind...

Despite the sunny skies and 60-degree temps, the fam pretended for one evening that it was Christmas time.

Attending Al's Garden Center's holiday preview has become a tradition for Mom, Dad, Eryn and me. Even though it's the first week of November, we take in the wintry sights and get excited for the holidays. We also take advantage of the sales and samples :)

Love the train!

Santa!

Family photo:

:)

Cheesecake Swirl Carrot Bundt Cake

Brad and I got away last month for a couple days of relaxation at Ma and Pa's beach house. The weather was outstanding, and we did our long run on the Bayocean spit - in shorts and T-shirts!

When planning the weekend's meals, I remembered this bundt cake recipe I'd recently seen on Sally's Baking Addiction. I asked Brad, and he said we should totally make it and indulge on our R&R weekend!

It turned out perfectly, and he wanted me to post these photos. It's carrot cake with a layer of cheesecake in the middle!

With icing:

If you're looking for a recipe, MAKE THIS Cheesecake Swirl Carrot Bundt Cake! It's truly excellent! :)

Kickboxing hot dogs

Oh, boy. The poop's really hit the fan in the past couple weeks. Posting fun pictures has seriously dropped off my to-do list. So get ready for some rewinds :)

~~~

We had to pull out the hot dog costumes for more sweaty Halloween fun!

Fierce Fitness offered another spooky Halloween-themed kickboxing class, and we could not refuse:

Man, those hot dog hoods are HOT! I wonder how many more wears and washes they have left in them. That Kmart clearance purchase sure has served us well over the years :)

Look at those kickboxers:

Love it :)

Safe, welcome, supported

On hard days, when the world seems unfair and beyond overwhelming, I have to remember my calling - to work with these kiddos, helping to guide them through the end of their high school career. And to make them feel safe, and welcome, and supported.

We just added some new, beautiful faces this week:

:)