Celebrating 300 Days of Bright Line Eating

Saturday marked 300 days of Bright Line Eating! It sure doesn’t seem like it’s been that long. It seems more like 30 days. I think that goes to show for the ease of the program. It’s not torturous, I’m almost never hungry, and it’s easy to follow.

The last 100 days have encompassed the summer, which is one of the times that I find most difficult to stay on track. There are always plenty of outings to go to that usually include snacks and treats. It hasn’t been perfect, but I’ve done well this summer.

Fabienne’s fall artwork.

I’ve found a simple lunch that is easy to pack and take along with me just about anywhere. Whether it’s a lunch or dinner outing, I take this with me just for simplicity. If I take it along for a dinner outing, then I swap my dinner and lunch. It’s been referred to by others as my “healthy food.” I have some friends that probably think that I eat the same thing every day for every meal. Nothing could be further from the truth.

So, how did I celebrate the 300 day milestone? First I went for a 4-mile run with a friend. The last leg of our run was in a neighborhood that was having a neighborhood garage sale, so we stopped and looked at a few garage sales. I couldn’t buy anything because I didn’t want to carry it two miles back to our start/end point. But, I did have a PR running up the hill next to the cemetery!

After that we visited the farmers’ market. I took my BLE breakfast muffins with me and ate them as we strolled around the market. There were not as many vendors as usual, but I was able to find the cutest gourd; a squash; and some tomatoes and cucumbers to go along with my onions I had at home. They made a nice salad which have been my lunch vegetable so far this week.

My cute, little gourd that I found at the farmers’ market. This is his “best” side.

I was fortunate enough to spend a quiet evening at home and to hit the hay a bit early. All in all, day number 300 went well. I look forward to the next 300 days of Bright Line Eating!

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

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I’m Still a Winner

I mentioned in an earlier post, that the Couch to 5K program that I looked forward to helping coach this summer was canceled due to a lack of participants. Our coach who leads the program offered to go ahead and meet with the rest of us that were going to help with the program during the summer.

After a discussion, we all decided we wanted to be better at what we already do. So, he helped us come up with a training schedule. Monday nights we did hills or speed on a rotating schedule. Wednesday nights was distance. Thursday nights was a slow run. Saturday mornings we met again.

We were fortunate enough to have great weather this summer. None of our runs were canceled due to the weather. We had a few where a storm was chasing us, but we always made it back before getting dumped on. We had lots of warm days, but only a few were extremely hot. Overall, it’s been a nice summer.

All of us signed up for the 5K that was to be the culmination of our efforts. After working all summer, this would be the big finale. It was a date to mark on the calendar with our goal or goals in mind.

Race day came and we were all ready and excited even though it was all familiar to us. We had been meeting on Saturday mornings, so getting up to go to a race on a Saturday morning did not seem out of the norm. Also, this was a race we were familiar with. It had been the finale for the Couch to 5K program the last few years, so we were all familiar with the route. For some, this race had been their first 5K.

Cool, crisp, fall weather would’ve been nice but that is not what we had. It was the coolest day of the week, and 65 degrees at race time but humid. It was a clear, sunny day so the race promised to be a warm one.

The gun went off and the runners leapt ahead. We gave it our best and our all. I checked my Garmin occasionally for my pace. What a surprise! I was always under what I expected and what I had hoped for.

The last part of the race is on a long straight away. I could see the finish line from a half a mile away. It seemed so far. It seemed like I would never get close–that I was never going to cross the finish line. Finally, I got close enough that I could see the clock. I looked at it and said, “What?” out loud. I had never seen numbers like that before! We all did well, and we knew it.

Later that afternoon, I was able to check Strava and see what it had to say about my run. I love Strava because it keeps track of everything for you and lets you know when your pace is improving. Strava gave me five achievements that morning–four PRs and one second best. Garmin clocked the race as 3.09 miles, so it did not count it as a 5K. If it had, it would had also recorded my fastest 5K that morning.

I am still the slowest and worst runner on the planet. I still have the biggest margin of improvement. However, that margin is just a little bit smaller now. It would not have happened without the work I did all summer. I also owe part of my success to the weight I’ve lost with Bright Line Eating and how it has made me feel better than ever. I didn’t receive a first place medal or even place in my age group, but I’m still a winner.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but [only] one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

I Corinthians 9:24

Just Me, My Metronome, and My Staples

Can you believe it’s September already? I keep hearing people say that fall is just around the corner, and my mind instantly says, “Noooooooo!” But, I really do like fall. I love the cool, crisp weather and the colors of the leaves as they change. What I don’t like is the shorter days. Fall also means that winter is just around the corner! That’s one more thing I don’t like about fall. If we could have fall without having winter, I would truly be a happy Camper!

We have had a terrific summer. There have been a few hot days here and there, but we have not had any extended heat waves. We have not had any scheduled runs or races that have been canceled due to the weather. I’ve had a couple of runs in which the weather was chasing me and I was trying to beat the storm, but I still got my run in.

While loading our vehicle last week, someone slammed the back hatch down on my head. This resulted in my having to go to the emergency room and get eight staples put in my head. The ER doctor did not give me a lot of instruction as far as what activities I could or could not do, and at the time I did not think to ask about exercising. The discharge papers I received said as a general rule to take it easy for the next two days, so I did go ahead and do that and did some walking instead of running.

This summer I’ve been running with a couple of groups. One very small, with just a few friends, and another larger group that meets once a week. With all of these scheduled runs, I’ve mostly been running with a group all summer.

This past Saturday I found myself without a running partner, so I decided to run from home and run a route I hadn’t done for quite sometime. Looking back, I think it’s been nearly two years. After my ankle sprain, I think I may have gone up and over the flyover one time. It’s a hot route in the summer because there is no shade, so I usually avoid it unless it’s cool and/or cloudy outside. I had forgotten how hot it can be, so it was a much warmer run than I had expected.

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy! (The last time I ran the flyover.)

Like I said, it has been a while since I’ve ran all alone in my neighborhood, so I had forgotten how nice it is to get out and enjoy the ‘hood. I had forgotten how encouraging people are along the way.

Less than a mile into my run, I met an older gentlemen that was walking. He said something along the lines of, “Way to go,” as I passed him. I went on and went up and over the flyover. It was like visiting an old friend. Somewhere along the flyover, I got a honk and a thumbs up hanging out of the driver’s window. I also met another runner on the flyover and we gave each other kudos.

On top of the world!

On my way back, I met the same gentleman again except this time he had a lady friend with him. They were holding hands and he said to me, “You’re still at it!” I said, “You’re doing better than me; you’ve picked up someone along the way!” The lady friend chuckled as we all continued on our way. (The fact that I’m the slowest runner on earth is what allows these interactions to take place–another advantage of being a back of the pack runner.)

The last mile of this run was rough. I was not as prepared for it as I should’ve been. I had some time off the week before, it was a lot hotter than I had expected, and I had a head injury. But, the encouragement of the people I met along the way kept me going and made the journey a lot more pleasant than it would’ve been otherwise.

Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble.

Isaiah 35:3

State Fair Bound

We had some very unexpected and exciting news earlier this week. Fabienne’s cake which she entered in the county fair through 4-H was selected to go to the State Fair. It was not marked on her entry card when we picked up her cake from the county fair, so it was a surprise to see her name and cake listed as a state fair entry.

We were also asked if she would write a one-page story about her project and include a photo with it in a binder. Evidently, there’s a gift certificate she could win. So, with just a few days notice, here we go! Oh, and the cake had to be repaired too! Yip, she made a unicorn cake with a gold horn and in bringing it home the tip of the horn got knocked off. The horn had been sprayed with gold, edible glitter, so we had to cover everything up except for the tip of the horn and spray it again. The horn isn’t as pointy or as long as it was, but it still looks pretty good.

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  Practice, practice, practice.

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  The finished product.

Fabienne is also fighting an ear infection. So, this morning we got her paper written while she lay in bed with ear drops in her ear. I let her dictate to me what she wanted written, and I helped her by asking some questions and doing the typing. Here’s part of what she wrote:

This is my first year in cake decorating. I wanted to take cake decorating because I wanted to learn how to decorate cakes, and I like to eat cake.

I like unicorns, so I wanted to make a unicorn cake. I found a video on YouTube and I really liked the design, so I went with it. It was a unicorn cake by Rosanna Pansino.

To decorate the cake I first iced the cake with white royal icing. I used a tool to smooth the sides out, but I didn’t make it completely smooth so it would look like fur. Then I chose my icing colors which were purple, pink, blue, and yellow. I used rosettes to make a floral main.

I used fondant to make the horn and ears. I rolled out a long piece of fondant like a snake with one end thicker than the other. I then rolled it around a chopstick. I sprayed gold, edible glitter on the horn. I had to wait a few hours for it to dry before I could insert it into the cake.

For the ears, I cut teardrop shapes out of white fondant—two large and two small. The small ones I sprayed gold with edible glitter. I put the small teardrop on top of the large teardrop and put toothpicks in between the layers. I laid the ears in a bowl to let them dry to the shape I wanted.

I drew eyes using black icing to make my winking unicorn.

I am very pleased with how my cake turned out.

Fourth of July Recap and Beyond

Good Wednesday afternoon! We are starting the day off with thunderstorms, so who knows what today is going to bring. Hopefully they will move on and we can go on with the day.

Here’s hoping you had a great Independence Day. We started the day off with a 4-mile race that benefited a local hospital. It’s a small race in a small town, but always lots of fun. It’s the third time I’ve ran this race, and it was my second best time, so I felt good that I was able to take four minutes off of last year’s time! The race starts off with two pretty steep hills. This was the first time I’ve been able to run up both of them!

This year we were blessed with cloudy skies for the race. Even though it starts at 7:30 in the morning, it’s still always a hot one. The last two years it was hot and humid with the sun shining and the heat was pretty intense. This year we just had hot and humid. It’s amazing what a difference it makes.

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  Nice and fresh before the race!

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  Finished!

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  We all made it!

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  First place in her age group!

As always, we had a great time, and Fabienne got first place in her age group!

Later that evening we had a great time with friends celebrating the Fourth with hamburgers, hot dogs, and the fixin’s including homemade ice cream. The kids were also able to light a few fireworks and best of all, the Blue Angels flew right overhead! The precision these guys fly with is incredible. It looked like their wings were inches apart.

This week, we are getting ready for the county fair, so there are lots of projects going on at our house right now. Of course they all have a deadline, so things get a little intense sometimes. This weekend will be spent getting our things judged and helping with the fair. By Monday, we will be ready for some quiet time!

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

Independence Day 2019

It’s hard to believe that it is July already. Summer just got here, but it seems like it is slipping away so quickly. Before we know it, summer will be gone, it will be fall, and we’ll be slipping into winter. After that comes the new year! Sigh.

Tomorrow is a big day here in the U.S. It is our Independence Day celebration. What are your plans for Independence Day? Growing up it meant a block party! There were five houses on our street. In the evening people would begin to gather. We had all kinds of homemade treats to sample. The most exciting treat was always the homemade ice cream. There was often a strawberry sauce to put over it if desired. There was always homemade hot fudge sauce. Once we had our fill of ice cream, cake, brownies, and fudge sauce it was time for the fireworks. Most of the time the weather cooperated. I can remember times that it was so cold that we were sitting out in the yard in our sleeping bags.

Times have certainly changed. We’re all much older now. Some have passed away, others have moved away. None of us have the metabolism or the stomach to eat pounds of sugar in one sitting.

Tomorrow I’ll start my day with a 4-mile race that goes to benefit a local hospital. This is the third time I’ve done this run. It’s a small race in a small town and lots of fun. Afterwards, I’ll have my BLE muffins for breakfast. They’re really good, but nothing compares to homemade ice cream and Mom’s hot fudge sauce! (Hot fudge sauce on a blueberry muffin? Now you’re talking!)

Later, we’ll get out our copy of the Declaration of Independence and give it a read. It’s a nice reminder once a year. I often do it in the car–it’s easy to hold everyone’s attention there.

Freedom is a valuable thing. We’ve had so much of it, that we often take it for granted. We have reaped a bountiful harvest yet are not cautiously storing up for the famine around the corner. We don’t even recognize when our freedom is slowly being taken away. Our founding fathers understood the value of freedom and what it was like to live without it. They and their families were willing to give up everything to guarantee that you and I would have the luxury of living in freedom. Let’s honor them, as we should, on this carefree day.

Physical freedom is a great thing. Let’s not forget where the most important freedom, spiritual freedom, comes from.

 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.  John 8:36

Lee’s Birdwatching Adventures has a nice Independence Day post. Hop on over there and check it out!

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It’s Summer!

Yes! Summer is here! It’s my favorite time of year. What’s yours?

I feel like summer is a time to be free and enjoy the outdoors. As a school-age child, summer meant no school and lots of time to play outdoors. As a homeschool mom, it’s almost the same feeling! It’s a time to lighten up on the academics and to concentrate on being outdoors and preparing for the next school year. Planning the next school year and seeing what we’re going to be learning is always exciting.

Summer is a time of lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in season. Lately we’ve had blueberries on sale in the grocery store. I love blueberries and have been able to have fresh blueberries instead of frozen with my BLE breakfast every morning.

I love going to our local farmers’ market and loading up on local produce. I take my fold-up wagon and buy what’s available–corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, eggs, fresh made bread, and the list goes on and on.

June 21st is often referred to as the “longest day of the year.” I know it’s not actually the longest day of the year since all days have 24 hours in them. However, it is the day with the most day light. That is the one drawback of summer–the days are going to start getting shorter in terms of daylight.

Our summer started with thunderstorms, a possible gustnado, and torrential downpours this morning. There were 18,000 people without electricity due to high winds and lightening strikes. There were over 25 water rescues due to flash flooding. However, tomorrow is bringing us warm, 90 degree weather. After a morning run, we are planning on being poolside!

What are your summer plans?

He made the moon for the seasons; The sun knows the place of its setting. Psalm 104:19

A Huge Disappointment, Second Quarter Update

April’s race was the Tortoise and Hare. This is a small race in a small town. I was not able to do this one last year due to a conflict, but I did run it with my two daughters in 2017. We had quite the weather change, and it was my first warm race of the year!

Transitioning from winter to summer is always difficult for me. It takes me longer than it should to shed the extra layers, so I often end up too warm. That was the case for this race as well. The forecast was for it to be foggy and cloudy that day, and I was counting on it. We were lined up at the starting line waiting for the gun to go off, when the fog lifted and the sun came out. I could immediately feel the warm sun on me, and my first thought was that this was not good.

I was wearing my running jacket that I really, really like. I quickly looked for a place to ditch it, but didn’t see one where I thought it most likely would still be there when I got back. Instead, I ended up taking it off and running the entire race with my jacket tied around my waist. It was aggravating, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.

May’s race was the Brandon Russell’s Flash Dash 5K. I ran this race last year as well. This race is on a very flat course that zigzags through town. Last year it rained and rained until the race started. This year the rain started right before I got to the finish line. It was warm, so it felt good!

June’s race, the Hero Hustle, was a welcome surprise! I had a friend that had registered for a race but was going to be out of town, so she transferred her race entry over to me. She ended up canceling the trip and registering for the race again so we could run it together.

We have had the wettest May on record–ever. The original location set for the race is now under water and has a bridge washed out making it impossible to hold the race there. The race coordinators were able to find another location for the race. The race was held in a park with a walking trail. It rained and rained the night before the race, making it hot and humid. The shaded trail of the park was very much appreciated. My time for this race was not lightening fast, and I don’t expect it to ever be, but it was the best time I’ve had in a long time!

I mentioned in last week’s post that the Couch to 5K program was going to be kicking off this week and that I had been asked to help coach. We did not have enough people sign up for the program, so it has been canceled for this season. I cannot tell you how disappointed I was to hear this. However, our coach has offered to go ahead and meet with anyone that wants to, so we are still meeting! None of us are new runners, and we’re all training for various races and distances, so we are getting together and working on speed and distance. It’s going to be a great summer with lots of hard work ahead!

The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9

It’s Global Running Day

Today, June 5, is Global Running Day. What is Global Running Day?

Global Running Day is a worldwide celebration of running that encourages everyone to get moving. It doesn’t matter how fast you run or how far you go—what’s important is that you take part, and how you do it is up to you. Run a lap around your block, take your dog for a long walk, or call your friends for a pick-up game in the park. The important thing is that you have fun being active—and you inspire others to join you.

I’m in a group that regularly meets on Wednesday nights, so we’re having extra fun tonight. We have a photographer coming to take pictures along our route and the pizza place we meet at is having specials for us tonight. It’s a time of fun and fellowship!

There are plenty of specials online as well. Discounts on races and drawings for prizes. Fun, fun, fun!

Our local running store is asking people to post pictures of their favorite running buddies which might get you a free race entry. My two daughters are my favorite running buddies.

My two daughters are my favorite running buddies.

The important thing is to get out and have fun with the people that you love.

If we say that we have fellowship with Him and [yet] walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
I John 1:6-7

The Blog Post About Nothing

The last several weeks I’ve had a particular topic that has come to mind that I wanted to write about. This week, I don’t have one.  I guess you could say that this is the blog post about nothing.  (Seinfeld fans will get that one.)

I feel like it’s taken a while, but I’ve gotten into a groove. After all, today is Day 185 in my Bright Line Eating journey. I feel like I’ve finally gotten to the point where I can ignore the Indulger and the Saboteur. This doesn’t mean that I have it all figured out and that I can let my guard down. I know I can’t. I know I’m just one step away from where I was a few years ago.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m loving running again. I know I’m never going to be fast or a superstar, but I’m getting better every time. I’m able to go further at a little bit faster pace each time I go out. I am working at it but still enjoying it and not feeling like I’m going to collapse when I’m done.

I’m feeling solemn, yet grateful today as we spent part of last night in the basement due to tornado warnings. We were fortunate that it doesn’t appear that we have any damage. But, not far away, there are people whose homes were leveled. Reports are that there were a few minor injuries—nothing major and no deaths. Absolutely amazing.

And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”  And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.  And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”  They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”  Mark 4:37-41