TreasuresInTerraCotta

Climbing... Shooting Rockets... Cruising... Watching rockets land... Enjoying the vista views...

Last year's Halloween costume for Andrew: A Duck Brother and the cousins made up the rest of a barnyard including a horse, a dog and a scarecrow. And the mama's were farmers. I didn't do a very good job guessing the size of two week old, so it was big enough to fit again this year. So today I modified it to be a lion! As in The Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz. As you might guess, this year the kids will be Dorothy, Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man. A little Halloween preview:

Hooray for me! I ran a 5K. Well...it's a little misleading to say I ran because I didn't run the whole thing. But I ran a lot and I completed it (in about 36 minutes) and I'm still alive! Here's what I learned: -Don't register on line. I paid $8.75 in extra fees. -I am more fit for my kids. My fitness goals were motivated initially for personal reasons...I just want to feel better and look better. But I have discovered that it is very motivating to be able to keep up with my kids and to enjoy their active play. -I get bored. After just a few months running in my neighborhood I am bored with the scenery. -I need external motivation, but not a lot. I needed the motivation of having a race to train towards. I did not, however, need a daily running buddy. I needed the Couch-to-5K plan to give me some structure. I did not need to to have a running partner for the race. -There is always someone/something to race even if you're not at the front of the pack. I came in a...

We went away on vacation and when we came back we had new walls....sorta. Demolition is very strange. Yes, that part of the roof is hanging there cantilevered. You can see the saltio tile from the original footprint. Oh, It's looking like a house again.

I was a little misleading in my last post. I did ponder what to put in our foundations and I did miss the first visit of our cement truck. The following day, however, the cement truck returned to pour the porch. I didn't want to let the opportunity totally slip by so I finally gave up my vision of a "perfect" idea, with the perfect wording, printed on elegant paper and gracefully written in calligraphy. I chose two verses. I hand wrote them on lined notebook paper with a ball point pen. I rolled them into a "scroll" and secured them with Scotch tape. I placed one under each threshhold of two of our three doors. And I'm happy with that. Ephesians 5: 1-2 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Deuteronomy 6: 4-9 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and wi...

Not truly a "before" picture, but this was very early in the demolition phase. Ready for concrete. The very cool cement pump truck! Little boy hand prints! I love them! For many days I had pondered placing something in the cement footings. But the concrete truck arrived before I arrived at the perfect idea. What about you? What would you place in the literal foundation of your house if you had the chance?

I got some new running shoes today. Actually, this is my first pair of "running" shoes ever. Aren't they cute? They are New Balance 409. The price was right and they felt good on my feet...for the 3 minutes I had them on in the store. And do you know what? They are "Made In USA" which makes me extra happy. In fact, I'm going to write a letter to the company thanking them for actually offering products that are Made In USA. Maybe tomorrow I'll run in them and let you know how it goes. I am running 5-7 minutes at a time and then walking for 2-3 minutes. I do that cycle 3 times. Great for me...but I don't know if that will get me through a 5K very successfully. In two weeks we'll know.