Laundry Love (Part 2) and the Long Runs of Tomorrow

The dryer is still broken, but the weather is still beautiful, so it's time again to play ... Laundry Love!! (theme music)

Look at all the pretty laundry drying in the warm sun! Even though I still (yes, STILL!) have the cold-that-won't-die, I hopped out of bed happily on Saturday morning when I saw the sun. It was such a warm, dry, and breezy day that the laundry that I hung out to dry in the morning was folded and put away by lunch time.

Saturday was also a special day as it was my Annual New Running Shoe Purchase Day. Once a year, usually in February before the start of any spring training, I splurge on a new pair of running shoes for the year. I like to get my running shoes at Nashville Running Company in East Nashville (I get my GUs there too). They are staffed with friendly and knowledgeable sales people who are runners themselves, and who never appear bemused when I tell them that I am training for this or that race, even though I don't look like I could run more than a few yards.

Last year, I was deep into my training for the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile in D.C. when I started have ankle problems, and of all things, shin splints. The folks at Nashville Running Company put me into these babies:

Pearl Izumi E:Motion Road M3

The picture above is of the pair that I just retired, which is why they look so well-loved. I actually had a hard time parting with them at the store. I got a little teary. I'm sure the saleswoman thought I was mental. But those shoes and I went through 500 miles together last year, ran in Washington, D.C. and in Savannah, GA, and had so many wonderful long runs this past summer. Nashville Running Company will recycle my used shoes for me, as they are completely worn out.

I replaced my babies with this new pair of exact the same brand and style, in a new color:

Looking at these shoes, I can already see all the Long Runs of Tomorrow - sunny Saturday afternoon runs, rainy Sunday morning runs, balmy sunset runs, moonlit evening runs with twinkling fireflies in the grass, speed work on the main street of the village, frogs on the sidewalk, deer in the woods, GUs and water and sweat, and that wonderful tiredness at the completion of the run. Sigh ...

ANYWAY, after the running store, we went to lunch. By then, I was exhausted (I AM still sick, after all), so we headed home, stopping at Rite Aid to utilize the handful of coupons that I hand brought along. We needed to stock up on cold medicine and Rite Aid-brand Mucinex, both of which I had seriously depleted over the last few days. We saved over $19, since practically everything in the store was BOGO 50% off.

We finally got home and look who was waiting for me at the top of the stairs:

Little Fifi, my sweet little chocolate kitty. I opened the windows in the house, and Fifi and I had a nice lie-down on the bed. It was a lovely day.

Terrific Tax Return and Super Saturday

I have been sick the last few days. I stayed home from work on Friday because I felt so bad, and will be home again tomorrow because I feel so bad. But Saturday, for some reason, I didn't feel so bad, so I did a couple of things around the house, and ran a few errands, which I will tell you ALL ABOUT in a moment, and consequently made myself sicker.

I am completely unable to take it easy any time I am home, even when I am sick, unless I am so out of it that I can't get out of bed. On Friday, I was running a temperature and miserable, so I sat on the sofa watching "Friends" on Netflix, sniffling and coughing, and knitting on the sleeve of a sweater than I am making. When I got bored with the sweater, I decided to take the opportunity to e-file our taxes. Yes, that is correct, I did our taxes while running a fever. Because Steve is a student, we will be get a very generous return, which we will use to get new glasses and running shoes, a laptop for Steve to use for school, and pay off a bunch of credit cards (yeah!). Once the taxes were done, I decided that since I had the laptop out, I would go ahead and place an order with Bramble Berry for my soap making supplies (I recently decided that I wanted to try my hand at making our own soap). Feeling satisfied with accomplishing so much in spite of all the dripping and moaning, I spent the evening being super-lazy.

On Saturday, Steve and Dharma went to a Girl Scout Father-Daughter bowling event. Girl Scouts paid part of the cost, and a snack was included, so it was a nice, inexpensive way for them to spend the afternoon together. I had the house all to myself, which is very rare. Even though it was partly sunny and would have been a great day to do laundry and hang it on the line, we were out of laundry detergent, so I didn't get to do laundry (waaah). I had also planned to go for a nice long run, but since I am sick, that obviously didn't happened either. Since there is no way we can afford to go to Washington, D.C. again this year for the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run, I was planning on doing my own anniversary 10-miler on the day of this year's race. I had planned to kick off my training this weekend, but ... sick!

Anyway, rather than taking it easy, since I have been sick, which would have been the smart thing to do, I decided to put my canning supplies that I rescued from under the sink into the cabinet above the refrigerator. I only use them about once a year, so this cabinet is a good place for them, since it is hard to get to without getting out the stepladder. When I climbed up the stepladder to get to the cabinet, I saw that the top of the fridge was really super dirty. So I pulled out that industrial-size bottle of Mr. Clean that I found under the sink and started cleaning. I finally opened the cabinet, which I don't think we have opened in years, and found some antique dishes, and old phone with missing parts, and some walkie-talkies (what? why?). I tossed the phone (since it was missing the actual part that you talk into), put the walkie-talkies into a bag to give to some friends, cleaned out the cabinet, and returned the antique dishes to it. Then, I put all my canning jars and supplies into the cabinet. I also located my Christmas cookie cutters and put them in the cabinet as well.

On top of the cabinet, I found these mid-century trays, which I cleaned up, and will hang on the wall:

and a cool wooden fish mobile, which I cleaned up and hung upstairs in the bathroom for the time being.

After the cleaning spree, I heated up some bean soup for lunch. This is the same bean soup that I made last Sunday. It has gotten yummier as the week has gone along. I also used the tortilla chip pieces in the bottom of the bag to make mini-nachos to go along with my bean soup. It was tasty, and perfect for someone who has a cold - warm and soothing.

Then, I spent a little time playing with my kitty Fifi. Bridget, another of our kitties, joined in as well. Last week, Steve did some cleaning in the attic and threw out a cat bed belonging to our kitty Allister who died a few years ago. The bed was dirty from being in the attic, and had a tear in in, but otherwise was in great shape. I pulled it out of the trash, and washed it and hung it on the line to dry. Then, I got out my sewing kit to mend the tear. Before I even finished mending it, Bridget had jumped into the bed, curled up and gone to sleep. I had to sew very carefully to avoid sticking the sleeping kitty! When Steve came downstairs, I pointed to Bridget and said, "And you were going to get rid of this!". This story doesn't really have anything to do with me playing with the kitties on Saturday, except to illustrate how cute they are!

When Dharma and Steve got home, Dharma and I loaded up the car with donations for Goodwill. I had several errands I wanted to run while we were out. First we stopped at Plato's Closet. Dharma had an LL Bean backpack that she wanted to see if they were interested in. As it turns out, they only purchase backpacks around back-to-school time. We looked around the store anyway, and Dharma found a shirt that she liked for $8.

After Plato's Closet, we went over to Goodwill, where we dropped off the donations, including the backpack. Then, we went inside to do a little shopping. I was looking for a Pyrex measuring cup to use for my soap-making adventures. Alas, I did not find one, but I did find a great pale pink J Crew pullover sweater. It was 100% cotton which is my favorite, because it doesn't get too stuffy, and all it needed was some laundering. And the best part was that it was $6. J Crew sweaters that I have seen online start around $60 and go up from there, so the pink sweater came home with me!

After Goodwill, we went across the street to JoAnn Fabrics. I wanted to get some paper for my running scrapbook. (I like to scrapbook all my running bibs along with pictures from the races and events that I do.) They were having a 40% off sale on scrapbook supplies, so I selected the paper that wanted, then headed over to the yarn. I wanted to get three skeins of 100% wool yarn to make wool balls for the dryer. (I also need a pair of pantyhose for this project, which I never buy, but I rescued a Halloween pair that Dharma was donating to Goodwill.) The yarn was not on sale, but I had FOUR 50% off one regular priced item coupons. I was able to use three of the coupons for the yarn, and I gave the last one to Dharma for a necklace that she liked. She used her own money, and learned the lesson of how there is more money left at the end of a transaction when you have a coupon.

After JoAnn, we went to J.C. Penney's. Dharma has a store credit that she got from returning some Christmas presents that didn't fit. She wanted to look for shoes to go with her spring "piano recital" dress. She has learned that when she uses her own money for clothes, I am somewhat more lenient with what styles she can purchase. They didn't really have any spring shoes in yet, but she talked me into wandering down to the juniors area. By this time, I was pretty tired and cranky. After five minutes of aimless browsing, I announced that we needed to go.

The last stop of the day was at Rite Aid. I had a fistful of coupons for body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and hair color. I was particularly jazzed about the hair color coupons. I had a $2 manufacturer's coupon, a $1 off store coupon, and another $2 rewards coupon, so I got $5 off the box of hair color. With the other coupons, I saved a total of $11.27. I also got some isopropyl alcohol ( for first-aid and soap-making purposes), a little spray bottle (to use with the alcohol for soap making), and some brown shoe polish to restore my awesome 14 year old brown shoes.

We finally made it home, and ordered a pizza (I had some coupons). Even though the pizza was more than I would have liked, Steve picked it up so we didn't pay for delivery, and I got 25 points on my deals account, which means I can get a free pizza later this month.

The day did not end on a high note though. I put my new J Crew sweater in the wash, and moved the clean wet clothes that were in the washer to the dryer. I turned the dryer on, and it said, "Click!" and nothing happened. That means that the fuse has blown AGAIN. The last time we replaced it, I was going to order some more, but I forgot, so we have no fuses. This means we have no dryer for at least a week! Of course, the weather has now changed, so I won't be able to hang clothes on the line either! I was able to go to Amazon and immediately order some more fuses, but of course it will take a week for them to get here. I also ordered some A/C filters while I was there (as I can get them in bulk and they are cheaper), and a Pyrex measuring cup, so I guess all wasn't lost.

All in all, it was a very productive Saturday. Of course, I am paying for it today, because I overdid it and now feel horrible! And probably no one cares about all the boring things that I did over the weekend, but decluttering, simplifying, and living and shopping frugally are all new and novel concepts for me!

Zoo Run Run 2015

Saturday was this year's Zoo Run Run 5K at the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere. The whole family signed up this year to run and see the animals, and of course, support the zoo. The weather turned out great, sunny and about 50 degrees, perfect for running and seeing awesome animals.

There seemed to be a lot more people this year that when we ran two years ago. I guess the nice weather brought everyone out. I had my iPhone with me, so I could to take pictures without carrying a separate camera (like I did a couple of years ago - what a pain!).

My first "Ooo, aaahh!" was this handsome white tiger, perched atop his rock.

Not too much farther along were two mountain lions. The male was pacing and posturing, but I liked what I am thinking was the female, peeking over the rocks. Can you find her? Look for the ears!

No? Look closer. She was looking right at me. Probably thinking, "Who is that crazy lady talking kitty talk to a mountain lion? Maybe I should eat her. Sigh. I wish we could chase the runners, that would make the race so much more fun for us."

The flamingos are always a crowd favorite with their splash of tropical color against the dreary winter landscape.

And check out this shy red kangaroo, silhouetted against the setting sun.

These fuzzy pigs? boars? not sure ... were adorable.

The super-happy zoo mascot high-fived me with his hoof as I finished the race.

And here is Dharma, who finished well ahead of me and her father, enjoying the post-race eats!

If you are a runner in the Middle Tennessee area, consider signing up for the Zoo Run Run next year. The race generally starts around three in the afternoon, so you don't have to get up early, and you get to see lots of great animals, since the runners have the zoo all to themselves.

Thank You, 2014

As we count down the final hours of 2014, some will be happy to see the old year end. For me and for my family, however, 2014 was a very good year. So many positive things happened for us during the past year. We began tackling the repairs and renovations to our home. I started this blog. My husband went back to school to finish his degree. My daughter joined the track and field team, and started learning Spanish.

As for me, I won a coveted spot in the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile race in Washington, DC. We had a fabulous week-long trip to our nation's capitol at the height of the cherry blossom season! I trained all summer for the Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon in Savannah, GA. I look fondly back on all those long runs out in the hot summer sun, and in the warm summer evening air, hoping that their memory will sustain me through the dark and cold of the winter ahead. I ran the half marathon in November and set a PR, then spent several days recovering at on the Tybee Island beach.

I also began my journey down the path of minimalism. This path has not only help me begin rid myself of physical clutter, but I have began to evaluate the mental and emotional clutter in my life as well. I rediscovered the things that are important to me, and I let go of the things that were dragging me down. There is still so much more work to be down, but I am wholeheartedly looking forward to it.

Some of my favorite minimalist blogs from 2014 were:
Becoming Minimalistby Joshua Becker
Be More With Lessby Courtney Carver
Rowdy Kittensby Tammy Strobel
Slow Your Homeby Brooke McAlary

So with 2015 only a few hours away, I have been pondering my New Year's Resolutions. I am not sure what resolutions I am going to embrace yet, but for now, I want to say "thank you" to 2014, for all the wonderful memories and much-need enlightenment. Thank you, 2014!

And here of some of my favorite memories from 2014:

New lights in the bathroom!

Sunrise on the National Mall for the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Race

Cherry blossoms

Japanese girls amongst the cherry blossoms

Way out in front in the 1600m

My Blue Heaven - now with added BLUE

No more leaking bathroom pipes above the living room!

New water heater

Simon and the summer roses

RC Cola Moon Pie 10-Miler, in and around Bell Buckle, TN

Beautiful Isabella

Friends on a summer run

A summer evening run in the village

Sunset in the village

Simon!

An early autumn rainstorm brings parking lot canoeing!

Glorious fall!

Fifi, our year-round Halloween kitty

Autumn sunset

Jack-o'-lantern

The Half Marathon

Tybee

Bridget loves the Christmas tree

So Happy New Year, everyone! But as we rush forward to embrace the shiny new year, let's remember 2014 and cherish the memory of a wonderful year.

13.1 Miles Is Not Half Anything

We have done very little renovating or minimizing over the past couple of months. Last spring, I competed in the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run in Washington, D.C. About a week later, in a residual runner's high, I registered for the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in Savannah, Georgia. To that end, I spent most of my summer weekends either completing, or recovering from, long runs. Needless to say, this did not leave a lot of time, or energy, for home projects.

The race was on November 8, and I had an absolute blast!

The course wound through historic Savannah, and was flat as a pancake, except for one bridge at mile 1.

I had a time goal of sub-3 hours. I ran with the local Fleet Feet pace group, led by a wonderful woman named Crystal, and finished in 2:59:19. Hurray!

I have a few races planned over the next few months, but the longest is a 15K in February. I want to get some of the many projects that we have started, or that we have planned, completed, and I can't do this if I am out running 14 miles on the weekends.

Following the half marathon, I renewed my commitment to decluttering, minimizing, and simplifying. This morning, I spent some time going through the pile of papers on the dining room table. Most got tossed or recycled, and now there is a clean space to work on some Christmas gifts that I am making. I am continuing my journey into minimalism, reading everything that I can get my hands on, subscribing to blogs devoted to the subject. My favorite is Joshua Becker's blog Becoming Minimalist. I subscribed a few months ago, but just recently went back to the very beginning of his blog, to follow his journey from the start. It inspired me to document my own journey into minimalism within this blog, in addition to our home renovations and projects.

I also recommend:

Brooke McAlary's Slow Your Home
Leo Babauta's Zen Habits
Tammy Stroebel's Rowdy Kittens
Courtney Carver's Be More With Less

And for anyone looking for a wonderful, minimal Christmas gift, Courtney Carver is offering 31 Gifts That You Deserve, delivered daily to your email box. I have subscribed for my husband and I. We are going to try to give each other experiences rather than things this Christmas, as part of our move away from consumerism.

Somehow, even though I haven't had as much time as I would like to go through everything, just knowing that someday it will be out if our house has allowed me to mentally let go of all the feelings associated with all that junk. It's freeing, or at least the beginning of freeing. I already feel better just having made the decision to get rid of stuff - now, I just have to actually get rid it!