When September Ends...

(Disclaimer! I wrote the first two paragraphs of this post back in September! 

Hence the title and time-lapse.)

  September always feels like the other January to me... time for fresh starts, new beginnings, half-year assessments, etc. But when September ends, it feels like the countdown to Christmas begins! And for Danielle it truly has! I think she asks me every day, "How many days til Chris'sus?" (She is already doing this again now in 2020! Sigh. Siri and I are both tired of this question.) I hope the holidays live up to her expectations! She also goes out on the porch most every morning, checking to see if the cold has come, bless her little impatient heart. Anyway, September had me pondering on my "19 for 2019" list of aspirations for the year! And subsequently, my "18 for 2018" that never got blogged about! So just for records sake, I'm gonna list last year's list first and notate what happened and what didn't. Then on to 2019 where we still have some year left, thankfully.
   Last year was my first year doing the "18 for 2018" inspired by one of my favorite authors, Gretchen Rubin. It was fun even though I obviously didn't accomplish everything! But I love to make lists... and there's no penalty for not crossing off every item. I definitely did more things than had I not aspired at all!

18 for 2018

1. Grow roses again. This didn't happen in 2018 but see 2019!

2. Joy Spark entire house. Conquered this one except for a few kitchen cabinets and our bedroom.
3. Take Danielle to the zoo. This one is crossed out, but I can't remember doing it! I know Nana took her once...
4. Be a tourist in my own city. Too vague! Didn't happen. I'm learning that being more specific helps.
5. Get a Lifeproof phone case. Rhonda helped me snag one on Zulily! Didn't love it, it soon tore up, and I wouldn't ever buy one again!
6. Buy black shoes. Did this one double! Scored 2 pair from this shop recommended by my friend Jill. Love the acronym for their brand... B.A.I.T. But Another Innocent Tale... lol, you can't ever have too many shoes!
7. Create office/dressing room chandelier. This room just has an ugly single bulb fixture, so I created this elaborate yet simple spiral design in my mind using effervescent, glass Christmas ornaments. But that's as far as it got!
8. Catch up Danielle's baby book. I'm crossing this one off because I chose not to do it. Whatever I got recorded in it, will be good enough. It just wasn't my style. I am staying very faithful with daily entries in her little 5 year diary though.
9. Visit the Southern Living test kitchens. I still have the dream! But it needs wings.
10. Bathe the dogs monthly.  The results from having this as a priority were awesome!
11. Shoot a buck with points. I have the skull to prove it; it's a small, barely 5 point, but hey! It's bigger than my other buck that was only a cowhorn.
12. Try a food prep service. I LOVED Blue Apron, but sadly, I was the only one in our household with those sentiments.
13. Use my passport before it expires! We flew to Calgary for Isla's first birthday in June! 
14. Bake cinnamon rolls for the neighbors. I think I did this around Christmastime.
15. Get collars and dog tags for Diesel and Leroy. This would be nice so everyone would know which persnickety pet is which when they stay at the doggie hotel! But I guess I didn't shop hard enough to find the perfect getup, because our boys are still collarless.
16. Replace my favorite stove burner. Alas! I tried, but the new burner I purchased also refuses to rise to the challenge of cooking mostly on HIGH! 
17. Memorize Danielle's SSN. But as I type this, I realize that I have since forgotten it!! I'll have to do a refresher.
18. Monthly date nights with Danl. The criteria for what constitutes "date night" are pretty loose...nachos in bed counts!

12 out of 18! I'm happy with that!

Well, this post is long enough, and it's late enough, 

so 19 for 2019 will be saved for my next "write night!"

A Tale of Two Tennis Shoes Continued

Brooks wins! Hands down! There are no words to even explain how much better these shoes are in every way over the Walmart runners. So! Go to brooksrunning.com and take their shoe finder quiz! Order the shoe for you, and become a runner! My results said I need a neutral, energize shoe. I scored these pretty Launch 5s on sale since they were clearancing them out. They fit like they were custom-made for my feet!

Finished the final 5k run today! This is the first exercise program I have ever stuck with to completion, thanks to having a running partner, Heidi Harms! We didn't physically run together, but encouraged each other and kept tabs on each other's progress. Knowing I was accountable to her was the incentive I needed. Now who wants to be my sewing partner?!  

A Tale of Two Tennis Shoes

Well, I bagged these babies at Walmart today, so we shall see how they endure! Danl did a major eye roll accompanied by the "Why would you do that?! sigh when I bragged about my purchase to him! He would definitely go with the feeling that you get what you pay for! But I was standing at the end-cap inspecting them again, when a lady nearby told me that she absolutely loves these sneaks and has 3 pairs! "It's like walking on air! And they last so long! They're super comfy and I'm a diabetic and have problems with my feet!" So into my cart they went! A positive personal review gets me every time! She didn't say she ran in them or anything, but I'm not down much for only $9.98 if they don't hold up for driveway pounding! How can they even make a tennis shoe for only $9.98?! Speaking of minor miracles, I still can hardly believe that I ran for 20 minutes straight today without stopping! Or feeling like I was huffing, puffing, hyperventilating, or side-aching to death! ME! Who used to barely be able to pant through a 90 second jog when I first started C25K. I highly recommend this app/program in case you hadn't noticed by now. And I highly recommend having an accountability partner to goad and cheer you on! #thanksheidiharms

Spoil Alert! I kinda don't want my new shoes to last too long because I want these!



Or these!


Too many options... another time, another tale. For now, time will tell if my bargain blushers pass or fail!

Coffee & Confusion

Awwww....life-giving coffee. Coffee is so hyped up both figuratively and literally, but truly, it’s the best! I love that feeling of the first sip...almost scalding my throat and waking up my face.

Once my coffee is downed, and I’m ready to be a nice human, I’m gonna go out and conquer C25K Week 5 Day 2! Should’ve have done this run yesterday, but life got in the way...

Nevertheless, I shall run! But every run makes the hole in my New Balances grow ever larger... which brings me to the question of my current confusion! Are these Asics runners that received the top accolades of “Best of the Best” on bestreviews.com really far superior to these cheap cuties from Walmart?! They both have 4 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reviews... Please help me conquer this confusion! My YNAB (You Need A Budget) is telling me to either go with WallyWorld now, or keep being “holey” for awhile! So...???

D-Day!

*I actually started this post on Wednesday but life pushed the finishing thereof aside.

Today our darling "baby" Danielle Nicole  

is 1.5 years, 18 months, or 547.5 days old - however you prefer to say it! 

She has been and will continue to be our greatest adventure!

I want to treasure and remember every part of this journey, so decided to compile the following list! I will fill it out monthly from now on! (HOLD ME TO IT!) 

I wish I had thought to do this for all the months past...

Favorite Main Dish  - MEAT!!! Especially shrimp and steak. She's a surf & turf girl!

Favorite Veggie - Green beans! But frozen sweet peas would rate right up there too! And French Fries! Potatoes are vegetables too!

Favorite Fruit - Strawberries!

Favorite Dessert - This one is so hard! Probably ice cream, or donuts, or anything chocolate! Major sweet tooth, this child of mine!

Favorite Toy - Her baby doll from Aunt Glenda. She gives it a paci and bottle and makes extreme sucking noises, also lovingly pats and rocks when not giving "Isla" or "Noah" high speed stroller rides!

Favorite Activity -  JD Gator rides to see Tyson & Levon's cows! She can "moo" incredibly well! I think she will share Daniel's imitating abilities!

Favorite Outfit -  Pink sequined flamingo shirt, rubber boots, Coach purse, fedora, & sunglasses. (She hasn't ever worn all of this together, but these are her go-to items.)

Shoe Size - 7. A few 6s still fit.

Clothing Size - 2T

Height - 35.5 inches! Almost a yard tall! 

Weight - 26.6 # (FYI, that's equivalent to 80 bananas! I'd much rather have my little monkey than all those bananas LOL!)

Teeth - 16 (But judging by how much chewing and slobbering are currently going on, we think 2 year molars are moving in!)

Most Recent Milestone - Peed once in the big pot! And she usually says, "Stinks, stinks!" AFTER she's already gone #2 in her diaper...argh.

Most Common Word(s) - "Nanny" (candy) she says this for EVERYTHING she wants! And "skid steer" is still a favorite word in her increasing extensive vocabulary.

 

Fascinated With - Guns! (Are we surprised?!) She loves to shoot her pink .22 and says "KaKowww!" with great excitement every time she sees a firearm or even bites a tortilla chips into a pistol shape!

Learning How To - Act out the motions while singing Peter, James, and John Had a Little Sailboat. Too cute.