NEED A VACATION!!!

33 DAYS 'TIL HILTON HEAD
(enough said.)

THOSE DELICIOUS BLUEBERRIES....

Obsessed much??? I love blueberries, and I especially love them now! They are in season and wonderful. Here are some recipes I have stumbled across. I have used the syrup/sauce one twice. There are also some recipes on the Berry Patch site: www.berrypatchfarms.net and then I found these in my Parents magazine....

Berry Yogurt Pops
1 can (8 1/4oz.) pear halves in heavy syrup
1 cup blueberries
2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt
1. Drain the pears, reserving 2 Tbs. syrup. Place the pears, blueberries, and reserved syrup in blender or food processor. Cover and mix until it is smooth.
2. Add the yogurt to the blueberry mixture and blend again. Divide the mixture among 12 ice-pop molds; insert wooden sticks if your molds don't come with sticks or built-in handles. Freeze until firm, 4-6 hours. Makes 12 pop.

Blueberry Sauce/Syrup
3 cups blueberries
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
Stir together all ingredients in a saucepan and bring them to a boil. Lower the heat and boil gently for 8 minutes, or until mixture gets thick. Be sure to stir the sauce often during cooking. Serve warm or chilled. Makes 2 cups.

Super-Easy Jam
3 cups blueberries
3 cups sugar
1/2 package (6oz.) liquid fruit pectin
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1. Coarsely crush blueberries in a 4-quart pot using a potato masher. Stir in the sugar. Bring mixture to a rolling boil, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Stir in pectin and return to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
2. Remove from heat. Stir in the lemon juice and transfer jam to glass jelly jars. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or as long as 1 month. Stir before serving. Makes about 4 half-pints.

THE BIG 3-0

Holy cow - I've entered a new decade.

Time to break out the anti-wrinkle cream - I've already spotted many!

Happy Birthday to me! It has been a great 30 years and I hope to have 60 more...

AWESOME QUOTES

Here are some great quotes my encouraging husband just emailed me (per P'tree headquarters):

"Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I give myself reasons why I can."
~ Unknown

"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. "
~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Fall seven times, stand up eight."
~ Japanese Proverb

"If you're going through hell, keep going. "
~ Winston Churchill

"A bend in the road is not the end of the road... unless you fail to make the turn. "
~ Unknown

"A champion is someone who gets up, even when he can't."
~ Jack Dempsey

"It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up."
~ Vince Lombardi

And finally remember:
"Second place is just the first loser."

SO MUCH FOR TRAINING

Well, the P'tree Road Race is tomorrow, so I guess it is too late to become a runner. No matter what, I am looking forward to the experience (#3 for me) and festivities. It is such an amazing event. I recommend you try it at least once, if not go as a spectator. If you go to watch tomorrow, throw me an energy bar!!!
I'll be running and walking (even crawling) side-by-side with Colleen and Dan. I can't wait!

So much for a good night's sleep last night. Mallory was up with tummy issues. (What did I eat the other day??) So, no walk this morning. I've been working on Lily Pad and trying so hard to get my son to the toilet in time. Not so much. AGH!!!!!

NOT AS GOOD AS I THOUGHT...

Well, my intentions were to post on this thing quite frequently - everyday, even. Obviously, I have gotten off to a slow start!

We had quite a busy weekend potty training Tyler (which proves to be a "almost" success) and doing odds and ends around the house. Then, I've had to work yesterday and today. I am thankful to have only two days a week to devote to my job, but WHEW! it is exhausting at times! I am helpless when I come home from work. I am at a slow part of my day at work, so I thought now would be a great opportunity to sneak in a posting and get caught up.

My wish for tonight (and tomorrow morning) is to get a really good nights sleep and wake up and WALK!!!! I have been trying to do this on a regular basis and haven't been as successful as I would have liked. It is hard to get up and exercise when you are so darn pooped! Peachtree Road Race is two days away....