February 28, 2010

52 weeks are finally over...

i had this insane idea last year to try one of those 52 Week Projects and damn it if it didn't take me all year to do it!! (*giggling at my own humor*) well, it's finally finished, and why you ask in the almost 3rd month of the year? i'm a procrastinator, and didn't start my project last year until the first week of March! not sure what i'm going to do with it now that i'm finished, but here it is, all 52 of them....
(click on the photo to see it all large and spectacular)

someone turned 35...

nope, not me, but hubby turned 35 yesterday! i felt bad that the day was not centered around him, but that's to be expected in our house (of 3 very active boys). the day started out like every saturday will for the next few months (thanks to the marathon training) with me getting up at 5:30 to go for a nice long run, then it was off to 8am soccer, 9:45am basketball, quick stop home for lunch and change of clothes, 1pm soccer game (x2 - both boys had games at the same time), grocery store, and finally home to make a cake at 5pm. pretty much every saturday ends up being like this, but i think my hubby secretly enjoys the hectic schedule.

well, we enjoyed the box made from scratch cake and watched the Olympics with a few beers....NICE....



Happy Birthday BabyCakes!

February 26, 2010

hair be gone....

it seems every year or two i get the crazy idea to cut my hair, and to most people that really isn't crazy, but for me, cutting my hair is a BIG deal. as it is, i only visit my stylist maybe once or twice a year! so, yes my hair is long (like a couple of chipmunks took refuge and made a nest long). it's a hot mess! so....since i've been training for the marathon i've been trying to think of creative ways to raise money for my cause. yes, i know i've been asking everyone i know to just give me money, but how about something a little more interesting? i'm sure everyone has heard of Locks of Love...well, why not donate this mess of hair to someone who really needs it. it may not be raising the money i need to meet my goal, but it's just another way i can help someone who has suffered one of the many side effects of dealing with cancer.

it may not be the best idea, because i don't think i look so hot with short hair, but i'm willing to sacrifice my hair for someone else to have a great hot mess of their own. so, are you wondering how this will involve you? i definitely need encouragement, not only for my training and fundraising, but to actually go through with cutting my hair. what you can do to help...DONATE!! i'm for sure going to post pictures of the great event (whenever it may be) and you don't want to miss it, but i really need your help.

i'm taking this seriously. those who know me well know that i hate to have my haircut; it freaks me out. i've been researching ideas on what to do after the big cut, so i would like some input on this as well....
be honest and let me know what you think, but also i would really like for you to help me along with my fundraising...it's hard work...

UPDATE:
it seems that #2 is by far the majority, which made me get busy and start "trying on" more styles. and this is the other style that caught my eye:
UPDATE #2:
i was really hoping to have met the halfway point on my fundraising before going the distance myself, but i'm not quite there. am i really going to have to start begging? c'mon guys, i need a little more motivation! i had originally set the Big Day for March 31, but without the balls support, it's kind of hard to go through with it...

February 22, 2010

because i can...

for most everyone, today started out like any other monday, but for me it was a little different. not only is it the dreaded monday, but my gastritis decided to flare up, my hubby went out of town, the kids were very late for school, my Aunt FLO came to visit (with her very crampy cousin) with a vengenance, and it was an overly windy 30 degrees out, but even with all of this on my shoulders...i went out and ran my scheduled 2 miles for marathon training (with a smile on my face). why you ask? because i can.

our last inspirational speaker, at our usual saturday morning Team in Training run, was a father who spoke to us about his son and his battle with leukemia. i normally don't get all gushy and weepy, especially that early in the morning, but this day was a little different. i don't know if it was the time of month or that his son was the same age as my kids are now, but his story hit me hard. i'm not saying i cried like a baby, but it's been almost 3 days now and i can't stop thinking about his story. the point is, his 3 year old son fought a battle that no child should ever have to. so, when someone asks me why i'm running a marathon, my answer (my motto) will always be "BECAUSE I CAN!"

i'm hoping that my work with Team in Training will help in any way that it can. so, yes, every penny that i can raise counts toward something. go ahead and ask yourself how horrible your monday was and then think of how horrible it could really be. okay...off the soapbox i jump and out the door i go for another run, with a smile on my face...


please, if you get a chance and feel like being proactive today, visit my Team in Training page:

February 21, 2010

it's quiet and i'm tired...

it's almost the end of February and i am exhausted. i was so sure that the new year would bring a little more peace and quiet to our house...boy was i wrong! the new year meant a new season of sports in the McCool house. not only is our oldest playing soccer (for 3 different teams - not by his choice obviously), the middle punk is also playing soccer, and, of course, i'm in the midst of traing for this marathon. so, if you could see my schedule for the next 3 months....well, let's just say it will give you a headache just trying to comprehend it.

i thought that blowing off steam every Saturday night might help, but that has proven to backfire...all 3 times! you think i would have learned my lesson after the first weekend or even the second, but no, i thought i could take it easy and try again. so far, the month of February blows. i take that back....the Sundays in February BLOW! enough already with made up holidays, birthdays, social functions....i'm tired! (but i did have fun)


well, crapola...there's one more weekend in this month! okay, so maybe next month i'll take it easy...

February 11, 2010

still snowing...

just a few pictures from our crazy snow day, because you know when we do something in Texas, we do it BIG! (i've heard that we completely broke the local record for the amount of snowfall in a single day - almost 10 inches now and still the flakes are falling)





as far as the eye can see...

would you believe that it's February in the Lone Star State? but then again nothing surprises me here with the weather. when my youngest was born 2 years ago, it snowed just like this, and it was MARCH! when most kids are starting spring break, ours are bundling up for snow! yeah, yeah northerners...blah blah blah you see snow 8 months out of the year, but this is TEXAS - it's HOT here most of the time. i even searched for, what seemed hours, historical data on previous record holding snow days in our area. couldn't find much, but i'm going to go on record and say that in the 5 years that we've been here, this has never happened! yes, it may snow for a few hours and stick for a few hours, but today it started snowing in the wee hours of the morning and has not even shown signs of stopping. we're starting to get drifts in the yard and the planters around the house are all now hidden under blankets of snow.

the kids are bugging the crap out of me to go out and play, but i'm such a weenie souther girl, that we're not really equipped to go out in the snow. the kids don't have gloves or water proof shoes, and i don't have any way to protect my camera (we have to document this momentous occasion). i'm really hoping that my hubby decides to call it a day at work and head home early just so i don't have to take all 3 kids out in the snow by myself...

February 9, 2010

small town pleasures...

when i'm asked where i live i usually respond with the closest major city to us (which is pretty darn big), because like my original hometown, it's pretty darn small and no one has a clue where or what you're talking about. it's so small that we do not have a grocery store or major retail chain (but they are close by), we have a gas station and a sonic, and probably one of the most unbelievably oversized high schools in the country. but today, as i was leaving the gym, i was reminded once again how small our little town really is. how many of you can say you saw this when you stepped out of the gym to get in your car...

yes, you saw that correctly...that would be some cows and a buffalo! they are literally in the same parking lot as the gym and donut shop (yes, i thought that a bit ironic too - a gym and donuts, why not?). i guess i should be happy that we have a gym at all, because where else am i going to buff up for my marathon?

and that reminds me...Team in Training has come up with an eStore to help us raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. you can actually purchase running gear and stuff from the eStore and 20% of what  you spend on buying gifts for me goes towards my fundraisng goal. what a great idea! go check it out...

February 8, 2010

going bald...

i was sent an email this morning about another way to participate in my Team in Training Cause. well, i'm not quite sure that i'm brave enough to show my support that much, and this is why...

i have a lot of hair, and this may be an excellent way to show my support...i don't have the balls for going bald! so, it seems you guys are gonna have to step up and start donating...

February 5, 2010

remaking crayons...

i've somehow started a tradition of remaking crayons for valentine's day...actually i got this idea from a friend last year and it worked out pretty well because it's cheap, easy, and sugar free. what a better way to spend your friday nights...

totally random...

i've been asked on occasion "what do you cook for your kids?" well, honestly, i don't cook FOR my kids, i cook for myself and sometimes my hubby. i do enjoy cooking, but i do not enjoy cooking for those who do not appreciate it (aka - my little punks). so, when i actually get a chance to sit down and plan a "menu" for the week, i choose things i am going to enjoy, and if the kids don't like it, well, that's too damn bad. i was taught at a very young age to eat what i was given and eventually you'll learn to like it. so yes, as a kid i ate my veggies, odd worldly concoctions my dad made, and sometimes things my mom made. i'm a better person for it...i'll pretty much eat anything these days!

so, here is an example of what the McCool Gang ate this week:
Sunday - Shrimp Pasta (super easy)
Monday - Shrimp Tacos (yes, 2 nights in a row, because shrimp was on super sale at the grocery)
Tuesday - Breakfast for Dinner (Eggs Benedict, pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon)
Wednesday - Spaghetti & Meatballs (one of the best creations ever invented)
Thursday - Take Out Chinese (i was sick and this is what hubby did for dinner)
Friday - Grilled Chicken & Broccoli (ran out of groceries and that was what was left in the freezer)

now you may think "my kids won't eat that" and they probably won't, but i didn't make dinner for them, i made it for me. if i made dinner FOR my kids every night we would have hot dogs, pizza, chicken nuggets, and macaroni & cheese. don't get me wrong, all of those things are good in moderation, but i need some excitement on my dinner table. and like my dad always said, "try it, you might actually like it."

February 3, 2010

i can't believe it...

this will be short...but i'm so excited!! i've only been fundraising for 2 whole days and i already have 4 fabulous friends who have taken a few minutes to read my blog and actually donate money to my cause! i'm so thankful for having great supportive friends...THANKS DUDES!!

now only if i can get the rest of my 275 FaceBook friends to follow along....*hint hint* i would be done fundraising in a matter of days if that were the case...

February 1, 2010

i should be doing something...

it was 30 degrees this morning when i left the house and do you know what i did anyway...i went running. yes, i suited up with my cold weather gear and went running! it's called determination stubbornness and once i've set my mind to something i'm going to do it, even if it's running 26.2 miles! that's right a marathon. i've signed on to do the San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon in June, but the best part about it is the wonderful people i'm going to be training with. 3 years ago i trained with Team in Training for the Austin Half Marathon and helped raise over $1800 all by myself. well, this time around i thought i could do much better. if i'm going to be running twice as far i should try and raise twice as much money, right? so, if you get the chance, and i know you have the time if you're finding time to read this, check out my Team in Training page:

Team in Training Donation Page

Thanks Dudes!!