Horse stable construction

Kyra flew to Colorado on 12/26 and returned to Georgia last night. I picked her up from her step-mom at 11:30 this morning. She had a lot of fun in Colorado, riding horses, visiting with relatives, and skiing, but was glad to be back home. She started working on putting together the barn/stable that Santa brought. I was quite happy that she took on this initiative! However, that didn't last long. I heard loud grunts of frustration becoming more frequent. After lunch, when I heard her crying, I went in to help her. Then I got frustrated. Why didn't Santa put this thing together before bringing it to our house? A few hours later, we had it all screwed together, but some parts didn't fit perfectly together. Kyra said it was okay, that she could barely notice. She then had fun opening the packages of Breyer horse accessories and placing them in the stable. Later I returned to find that she had it all set up. Plus, she had fun writing on her new chalk wall.

It's Complicated; crickets for Olivia

This afternoon I went with Terri and her mom (Frankie) to see the movie "It's Complicated" at Northlake Movie Tavern. The movie was sold out, but we peeked in anyway and saw three seats open in the front row. They weren't the best seats, but better than watching some other movie instead. This movie was HILARIOUS!!!  I haven't laughed that hard in eons. GREAT MOVIE!

Afterwards, Terri had to rush home to pick up Katie from a birthday party. I went to Pet's Mart to buy crickets for Olivia. I wonder what she's eaten during the past month to survive? Did that potato in the aquarium have enough nutrients? Hope she likes these tasty treats! I put one into the aquarium and stayed in Kyra's room to watch her eat it. She didn't touch it for the 20 minutes while I was there. But when I returned a few hours later, the cricket was gone. Glad she's eating!

clean up

I woke Kyra up at 6:35 a.m. We left the house at 7 to drive to meet her dad, step-mom and sister. They are flying to Colorado this morning. She was SO TIRED. She ate peanut butter and an apple in the car. I appologized for keeping her up so late; she said it wasn't my fault... it's their fault for booking a morning flight! I LOVE YOU!!!

I returned home intending to go back to bed. But I was wide awake so I opted to begin cleaning up the Christmas mess. I spent most of the day throwing away trash, putting new toys in Kyra's room, doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen, paying bills, and clearing out clutter. I filled 5 trash bags. There is still a lot of de-cluttering that needs to be done, but I've accomplished much today. I also spent time thinking about my New Year's Resolutions. I've got a few ideas, I just hope I have the will-power to follow-through. I'll finalize/post them on December 31st.

RILEY!!! tore the hall carpet

When I bought our house, over 5 years ago, I knew I wanted to replace the carpet. I've talked about it ever since. I guess Riley is tired of it too, because this morning I noticed that he ripped the carpet in the hallway! Here's hoping for a large income tax return so I can afford new flooring!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The positive side of being a divorced mom, is that I had extra time to wrap presents this year! I was too tired last night to wrap, so I didn't since Kyra is with her dad... I wrapped her gifts this morning. We had plans to spend our 3rd annual Christmas at the Thornhill's this afternoon/evening. I went to their house mid-afternoon, and then took Colleen with me to pick up Kyra at her dad's house at 4 p.m. We then returned directly to the Thornhill's home. We had lots of fun hanging out with our friends. As usual, the food was delicious! And I was pleased that everyone loved my berry/walnut/coconut/spinach salad. I made it last year and they requested it again for this year. Easy. In addition to grilling the perfect prime rib, Jim also made the most amazing gingerbread man martini's! The girls performed a spectacular magician show after dinner. Fun times!!!

We left the Thornhill's house around 10 p.m. and came home to open presents. Kyra had only asked for two things for Christmas: Breyer horse accessories and a dip-n-dot maker. Thankfully she received the dip-n-dot machine at her dad's house! Santa's gifts to her at our house were all Breyer horse items, plus one game (Last Word). As you can tell from this first picture, she was quite thrilled to receive the Breyer horse barn! She's wanted it for years! Santa also gave her a traditional size Breyer horse, a woman English rider, a male farrier, a stable cleaning kit, English riding accessories (saddle, bridle, etc.), Western riding accessories, horse blankets, and more.

Tiger (our cat) gave her a Littlest Pet Shop pumpkin kitty. Riley (our golden retriever) gave her a Go Fish card game set (pictured). {Click here to see the blog post about when they played Go Fish in November.} I gave her an Equestrian Land Conservation Resourse Breyer horse which she named "Amigo" and she said it is her FAVORITE horse, a Lego kit for the Sears Tower {Click here to read the blog post about our visit to the Sears Tower in Chicago}, nail polish, socks, and a penguin stuffed animal. I owe her a Vera Bradley purse and wallet, which I bought a month ago and hid so well that I can't find it!

Kyra gave me a Georgia Tech snuggie, a Sigg water bottle with my name on it, and two amphipod waist packs (different sizes) to store items in while running (phone, keys, gel packs, etc.). Because it was so late and we have to get up early in the morning, we didn't have time to play with presents. I tucked Kyra into bed around 11:30 p.m. in her freshly painted room (which she loves!). Then I climbed into bed also, after setting my alarm clock for 6:15 a.m. Wish we had more time, but am greatful to spend this afternoon/evening with friends.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!

Christmas Eve

I feel bad... I forgot to make sure that Kyra took Elf Kendall to her dad's house yesterday. So I sprinkled her with magical snowflakes and found her and Elf Edward under our live Christmas tree this morning, popping out of gift boxes!

I finished Christmas shopping this morning, and enjoyed an evening of watching movies on TV. I hope Kyra has a wonderful Christmas eve with her dad, step-mom and sister!

room painted; elves spy Olivia; Alvin the Squeakquel

We finished painting Kyra's room, re-installing the outlet covers, moving furniture, removing junk, etc. last night. All that's left is putting up curtains, hanging her new 2010 horse calendar from Aunt Laura, buying chalk, and possibly purchasing a desk. Kyra enjoyed sleeping in her new room. The dogs are confused, but enjoyed cuddling with her this morning.

She woke to find the elves watching Olivia. Of course the elves were in shock that the toad is still alive and were spying in amazement! Kyra spent the entire morning in her room; a rare occassion. I enjoyed listening to the music blaring from her iPod clock-radio, but missed seeing my girl.

We went to Northlake Movie Tavern this morning to watch Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Squeakquel. It was such a cute movie! We laughed hard! Afterwards, we went furniture shopping. We didn't buy anything, but looked for a desk for Kyra's new room. She found a computer desk that she liked at By Design. I like it too. We had a late lunch at Cracker Barrel and then I took her to her dad's family. They are going to Callaway Gardens for the evening. I hope they have fun!

So now here I sit, updating/posting blog entries, picking the scab off my right knee and feeling bad about forgetting to pack Elf Kendall to go with Kyra. Hope she forgives me...

elf village dougnuts; room painting; Olivia

The elves love doughnuts! We found them this morning observing Kyra's Snow Village house and munching on a left-over Krispy Kreme doughnut. Looks like Moki (the reindeer) wants to be a part of the scene! We've been so busy this year that we haven't had time to truly decorate for Christmas. Plus, I've been hesitant to decorate because of Riley. I was glad that Kyra wired her Snow Village house for power lighting and set it up on the end table. At least now we have some holiday decor! Plus we bought two small live trees at Home Depot yesterday and set them on the mantle. Now we just need to decorate them...

Yesterday afternoon we purchased paint and painting supplies for Kyra's room. We started painting her room as well. She painted one wall chalk-board-black, while I painted the rest of the walls "spring green". The colors were her choice. We did the first coat today. I think it looks pretty cool, but the green will need a second coat tomorrow. While the paint was drying, we went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to buy new sheets and curtains (and a Christmas gift for her dad). We took her arm as a color sample since she had green paint splattered on it. We matched it up to a bedding set and curtains. I think it's going to look awesome once we finish!

Back at home, I tossed the new sheets into the washer, gave her tasks to conduct (pick up clutter in her room, clean out closet, etc.) and went for my run. When I returned, she had accomplished the tasks, plus ecstatically informed me that Oliver is still alive and is now to be called Olivia! In case you don't remember, in early September, Kyra and our neighber Zoe found a frog and put him in a terrarium. They named him Oliver and shared him for a while but he ended up staying at our house. He's been in Kyra's room over since. I haven't seen him for a while and had assumed that he was dead, and had actually planned to empty the terrarium into the back yard while Kyra's away after Christmas. But, she discovered today that he was still alive, burrowed in the dirt in the terrarium. She emptied the terrarium, and created a new habitat. She researched toads on the internet and informed me that Oliver was really a girl toad, not a boy frog, so it's name is now Olivia! How does she know this? Girl toads have more lumps than boys, and don't make noise when their throat moves. Since this toad is silent and has lots of lumps, it must be a girl. Welcome to your new habitat Olivia! Hope you enjoy those long dead crickets... I promise to buy you fresh ones soon. Can't believe you're still alive!

elves driving; ice skating; happy birthday Reid & Katie

I'm taking Monday through Wednesday as vacation days from work to minimize the time that Kyra will have to spend in Day Care. Kyra woke up this morning and couldn't find the elves. She searched the house and asked if I'd seen them, no. She repeated this cycle several times resulting in no elves to be found.

I needed to go to the grocery store this morning. In the state that we live in, legally it is okay to leave a child of her age alone for up to two hours. I gave her the option of going with me to the grocery store or staying home with the pups. She wanted to stay home. She had her cell phone, I had mine, she knew where I was going, how to contact me and when I would return. As I walked out into the garage, I saw the elves and called her to see what they were up to. She asked if there were Krispy Kreme donoughts in the car, since Colleen's elf had brought home Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Unfortunately, no... But of course I couldn't resist buying Krispy Kreme doughnuts when I saw them in the grocery store.

After grocery shopping we went ice skating. We used to go a lot when Kyra was younger. I love ice skating! My most prominent memory was from a business trip to Kentucky (or was it Tennessee?) years before Kyra was born. I had one day off work a week during that business trip and it was too cold to go running, so I went to an ice skating rink and skated for hours instead. It was so pleasurable!!! Oddly, I can remember that day as if it were yesterday. As soon as Kyra was old enough to skate, I started taking her. We even bought ice skates. But then I tore my ACL... I haven't skated since I had knee surgery. I was too afraid for years. But today that fear didn't even pop into my mind until I was telling Kyra about how we used to go often when she was younger... She immediately glided out onto the ice as if she's been ice skating for years... She said it was just like roller-blading which she does regularly at Day Care during the summer. I was wobbly at first and was jealous of her finesse. I tightened my skates, then traded them in for another pair. At last I was able to glide as fast as she. We had fun skating together around the rink. No longer holding hands, as I once-upon-a-time held her up as a 5-ish-year-old, but skated along together, racing occassionally as the crowd thinned. She loved it! I loved it! We should do this more often!!!

Today is my nephew & neice's 7th birthday. This evening I called to wish them happy birthday; Reid was happy to talk to me and seemed to have had a great day. Katie wasn't feeling well, though. Happy birthday!!!

Elf corral

Last night Kyra protested against going to church this morning. I knew she was over-tired. So I told her that if she slept late, I wouldn't wake her and we'd skip church. I woke up early (thanks to Riley) and couldn't go back to sleep, so I got up and started ironing. Occassionally, I returned to the back of the house to take ironed clothes to my bedroom, and peeked in on Kyra who seemed to be still asleep. She finally wandered into the living room around 10:15 a.m. She claims she was asleep until now. I don't really care whether she was or not as long as I know that she was at least resting in bed. So we skipped church since our church starts at 10 a.m.

When Kyra came into the living room, she found the elves and reindeer in the horse corral. Elf Kendall was riding 'Dr. Seuss' (pictured right), and Elf Edward was riding Reindeer Moki. Another horse was also in the corral (I can't remember it's name). But not long afterwards, Tiger (our cat) decided to play in the corral. Tiger knocked all the horses over and opened the corral gate for the all to escape. Hilarious!!!

After brunch, I ran an easy 2 miles around the neighborhood, showered, and we got ready to go to Kyra's basketball game. Sadly, it was another major loss, 0 to 26. They were shut out, but did better than the last time we played this team (0 to 42). Kyra's tired of losing. But she was surprised and happy to see that her dad, step-mom, and sister came to watch her!

piano elves, another loss, horse play

The Elves decided to play the piano and sing Christmas Carols this morning. Unfortunately, they were silent carols and it took Kyra a while to find them.

Kyra's basketball team lost again today, 6 to 21. Bummer... After the game, we went to the mall for lunch and to buy her new shoes as well as a few Christmas presents. We found gifts for Claudette (her step-mom) and Delaney (her half-sister), but struggled with what to buy for her dad. Claudette suggested a painted pottery popcorn bowl. The pottery painting store said if we painted a piece today, it would be ready for pick-up in a week. So that option is out. She also suggested a movie, but we got him one for his birthday and want to do something different. Kyra suggested a gift card to REI, but I prefer to give real gifts if possible. Men are so hard to buy for! We'll think on it...

When we returned home, I went for a "long run" on the treadmill in our basement. Kyra entertained herself while I was running. She watched TV for a while and then ventured into the basement and retrieved horses and corrals. She took her new shoe box and turned it into stables. Why should I buy new Christmas gifts when she's happy to re-discover existing toys and create new ones out of boxes?

Elves are jammin

This morning we woke to find the elves jamming out on Kyra's iPod while lying in her school binder! The music was pretty loud, so I'm guessing that Moki could hear it easily even though he was in the middle.

As Kyra was packing up her stuff to go to school, I overheard her telling the elves that she was sorry, but they couldn't go with her. How cute!

Pew-eee!!! Septic tank stinks!

For the last few weeks we've noticed a strong poopie odor in our backyard and water in the puddles of the holes that the dogs had dug. It finally got so bad that I looked on kudzu, found a local septic tank company with high ratings, and called them for service. Action Septic Pro said they could come out this afternoon. All of the ratings on kudzu were 5 out of 5 stars. As promised, they arrived mid-afternoon. They found the tank, excavated the dirt covering it, removed the lid, and called me back outside. Roots had grown into the tank and it was filled to the brim with solids. They suspect it had never been pumped before. They cut the roots and pumped it out. The tee-valve no longer existed. They installed a new one, made sure the system worked by having me flush a few times, and then recovered the tank. They recommend pumping once every 5 years for our small family. The dogs had been inside the house all afternoon. As soon as Action Septic Pro left, I let the dogs out into the back yard to go potty. I didn't realize poopie dirt was lying around. When Riley came back in the house, he was filthy and STUNK! I immediately grabbed him and took him into the bathroom for a bath. I spent a half-hour bathing him and still don't think I got it all, but at least he's mostly clean. Pew-eee!!!

Elves play with kleenex and flash light

Last night Kyra was working on her Autobiography for school. One chapter is supposed to be about her "early years". We talked at bedtime about the different crazy things she did as a toddler. One story was about how she loved to pull toilet paper off the roll and tissues out of the kleenex box. Guess the elves heard the stories and decided to have fun with kleenex. Not sure what Elf Kendall is doing with the flash light, though. And why is she hugging the rottweiler?

Elves in the oven

So now the elves talk in comic bubbles? We first spotted Moki half in/out of the oven. His comic bubble said, "Sssshhhhhh!!!! Maybe she won't notice". Hmmm.... What is he trying to hide?

Then we opened the oven door to find Elf Edward and Elf Kendall inside the oven. They were drinking hot cocoa and eating Kyra's reindeer kibble. Elf Edward's comic bubble said, "Uh oh... We're busted". Elf Kendall's comic bubble said, "Who me? I didn't do anything". Too funny!

Elves TP the bathroom!

Those crazy elves! They toilet-papered the bathroom during the night! Toilet paper was strewn all across the room. Moki was caught red-handed with the end of the roll tucked into his chest-strap. Kendall and Edward were hanging from the clock on the wall with paper strewn around them. Silly elves!

Elf/Rebecca slumber party

Each day is an adventure with these magical elves! We woke up this morning to find them dressed in doll clothes and having a slumber party with Kyra's newest American Girl Doll, Rebecca (that we purchased in Chicago in October). Even the horses were gathered around listening to the story that was being read. Wonder where all of those chewing gum wrappers came from? I didn't know that elves chew gum! And why is Rebecca holding a hand warmer?

Happy Birthday Aunt Cathy!

Today was the day that my Aunt Cathy was born. I called her tonight and she said she's had a great day. So glad to hear! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! (this photo was taken five years ago, but is one of my favorites of Aunt Cathy and Kyra)

elves, cousins, basketball

My sister's house is completely decorated for Christmas, unlike mine. Kyra brought the magical elves with us, set them on Katie's dresser, and sprinkled them with magical snowflakes before we went to bed. We woke up this morning to find the elves and reindeer with Santa on the light fixture above the kitchen table. Guess they missed Santa! Moki was carrying spaghetti as well. Funny!!!

Laura made eggs, bacon, cinamon rolls, and toast for breakfast. With so many people, we had to carefully ration. The kids played well together. After breakfast, we had to get dressed and leave. It was a short visit, but I promised we'd return in the future, once basketball is over, where we could stay longer. They said Riley was welcome to return. I was grateful that he didn't destroy anything. I think he was too scared. Next time, he just might be comfortable enough to be destructive. I hope not...

Kyra and I left around 9:45 a.m. and took Riley home. We had about 30 minutes at home before we had to go to her basketball game. Her team lost again, 5 to 20, against Dacula. Kyra scored 3 of the 5 points. She was hit pretty hard by another player and fell hard to the ground in the last quarter. She got up crying and limped off the court. I worried about her, but decided to stay put. I tried to balance keeping an eye on the game for statistics tracking versus keeping an eye on her on the bench. I knew if I went over there she would break down in tears harder. I rationalized that since she could walk off the court, it couldn't be horribly serious. I was a bit surprised, but at the same time glad, when Coach put her back in the game a few minutes later. She limped at first but then broke into her usual stride. I knew this was the best thing for her if nothing was broken. After the game she said her hip really hurt badly. We went home and iced it. She had landed hard on the floor, so I fore-warned her that it might bruise and would probably hurt for a few days. Ouch. Poor baby. But I'm proud of her for getting back in the game (and scoring the most points on her team).

Bloody knee, basketball loss, Christmas with family

Since Kyra spent last night with Colleen, I had more options for my 8 mile long run. My original plan was to run on the treadmill, thinking she would be here. Now I could run outside if I wanted to. It was 32 degrees when I got up this morning. Thought I would run on the treadmill. But then looked at Twitter and saw that Dirtdawg50k ran outside in 18 degrees with a wind chill. Threw out the question of indoor vs outside and he responded with get your butt out the door (or something like that). So I put on tights, thermal top, long-sleeved cotton shirt, hat and gloves and began my run. I left home, turned left on Cole, left on Five Forks, left on Lake Lucerne to almost Hwy 78, then turned around when my Garmin 405 said I had gone 4 miles. I've run this route before, when the weather was much warmer (80s). It was much easier today in the low 30s. I really enjoyed the run until about 7 miles, when I tripped over thin air. Why am I so clumsy? I can't even blame the sidewalk. Thankfully, my gloves and tights covered any damage, so I took a few seconds, dusted myself off, thought that I've done this before, and kept running home. At home I realized that my right knee was scraped through my tights, I have a small scratch on my left hand, and my right elbow is probably going to bruise from landing on it as well. Was surprised at how well I felt (energy wise) after the run, but the shower STUNG.

I didn't have much time before I had to pick up Kyra. After my quick shower I debated about what to wear. I opted for long shorts (to the top of the knee) and tall socks. I looked like an elf. That wasn't really my goal, but it worked. Nothing touched my scraped knee. I picked up Kyra from Colleen's house and she said I looked goofy. Oh well… Off we went to her basketball game. They played against Buford and lost miserably, 1 to 26. Kyra scored the one point.

Next we went home, packed, took Tasha to Funny Bones and then drove to my sister's house. My sister's dog, Frank, immediately welcomed Riley. Her newest dog, Maddie, wasn't as pleased. A little growling happened, but eventually, she accepted him. The kids had fun playing together. My niece, Katie, adores Kyra. I felt bad for my other niece, Brianna, because all of a sudden Katie's focused attention shifted immediately from her to Kyra. Katie will be 7 in a few days. Kids are kids. After dinner, we opened Christmas presents. I'm grateful for the many candles received, as well as the water bottle and Georgia Tech hat. All will be used and is appreciated. Kyra and Riley slept with Katie in her bed. I slept on the couch with Maddie at my feet. She kept me warm.

Crazy Friday

After deciding to take on the Blue Ridge marathon challenge, I knew it was time to find a running coach. Who am I trying to kid? I can follow a cookie-cutter marathon training plan, but this isn't just an average marathon. And I also want to run the Wrightsville Beach marathon five weeks before that one. I've been thinking about hiring a running coach for months. I've researched several coaches and one keeps popping to the forefront, Coach Speedy Sasquatch. I sent him an inquiry and he responded positively. He quickly sent me a form to complete and I filled in the information on goals, training, best race times, etc. and returned it to him.

I took the afternoon off of work to go Christmas shopping. I planned to pick up Kyra afterwards and then we'd wrap presents together while eating pizza, watching a movie and enjoying a fire in the fireplace. Didn't happen... As I was getting out of my car at the post office, last stop before picking Kyra up from day care, my phone rang. Colleen wanted to know if Kyra could come over and spend the night. At first I said that she could go to her house for a few hours but that she couldn't spend the night. She has a basketball game tomorrow. Then I said that maybe she could spend the night, I'd call her back after picking up Kyra. So I asked Kyra if she'd like to spend the night with Colleen, and immediately she responded with "YES!!!" I made them promise not to stay up all night; Kyra needs to be fresh for her game. So we went home, Kyra packed a bag, and then we drove to Colleen's house. Terri invited me in. I chatted with Terri and Jim while the kids played. Next thing I know, they invite me to stay for dinner. Teriyaki steak and fried rice sounded much better than pizza alone, so I said yes. It was great to catch up with them; it's been a while. After dinner, I kissed Kyra goodnight and went home to wrap Christmas presents. Kyra took her Elf Kendall with her. I wonder what mischief the elves will get into tonight?

Blue Ridge marathon? I think so...

I normally only post on my running blog once a week, but felt compelled to do a special edition today. During my lunch break, I looked at Twitter and saw a re-tweet about free Head Sweat hats to early registrants for the Blue Ridge marathon. I wasn't considering running that marathon, had actually never even heard of it, but clicked on the sender to follow their tweets. Next thing I know, I get a message from BRM26pt2 asking if a "free entry" would sway my decision for a spring marathon. I've had a poll on this blog trying to decide which of four marathons I should run this spring, none of which included the Blue Ridge marathon since today was the first time I'd even heard of it. I looked at the marathon's website, checked out the distance from home in mapquest (7.5 hours), and replied that free entry would definitely sway my decision. A few minutes later I was sent a comped entry form to the race. Wow! What started out as a simple new person/group to follow in hopes of learning more about running, turned into a free spring marathon! The downside? The race is hilly/mountainous. The upside? It's free and scenic. I wrestled with the ups and downs the rest of the afternoon. But then came home to find that Riley (golden retriever) chewed the buttons and part of the collar off Kyra's GAP sweater as well as shredded a re-useable shopping bag. He also pulled off a seat cushion, but no damage was done to it. I was furious! Now I'm thinking that free and hard (which means harder training/more stress reduction) may be just what I need. The other good thing is that it is 5 weeks after the Wrightsville Beach marathon, which means I have more time to train and/or I may be able to do both marathons if I get serious about running and treat Wrightsville Beach as a long training run. I'd also like to run the Pine Mountain 40-mile trail ultra marathon in December 2010. Training for/completing a hilly marathon in April will certainly help in preparation for that race. Thanks for helping me decide on at least one spring marathon!

Elves play basketball; feeding frenzy; snow village

We woke up this morning to find the elves in Kyra's bathroom. Kendall was in one of Kyra's basketball shoes and Edward was in the other one. The basketball was between them. Kendall had some of Kyra's hair clips in her hair and a headband on. Moki was tied up with the jumprope. (Kyra's basketball coach had tied the girls right arms to their sides on Thursday to force them to practice with their left/weaker hand.) The elves put a sand timer on the counter as well. Kyra noticed that they were playing left-handed as her coach had told her to practice continuously! Cute! I hadn't noticed that!

I worked from home today. I picked up lunch from Moe's, Kyra's request, and took it into the school. The last time I brought in Moe's, many kids wanted chips and cheese dip. I typically just get the "side" size for each of us, which isn't enough to share. But this time, I decided to get the largest bowl of cheese deep so we could share with her classmates. This photo doesn't really do the feeding frenzy justice, but... Kyra refused to share in the beginning except with her friend Allyson that sat beside her. Allyson reached around Kyra to grab a chip and insert into dip. After I had my fill of cheese dip and Kyra had as well, and lunch period was nearing the end, I convinced Kyra to share the rest with her friends. They went beserk. I bet there were a dozen hands attempting to scoop into the cheese dip at once. It was truly a feeding frenzy. Afterwards, several kids had cheese all over their hands. FUN!

After lunch, I went into the Media Center to view the 5th Grade Snow Village. I forgot to bring my camera, but took a few pics with my iPhone. Kyra's first grade teacher was in the media center with her current class when I arrived. She helped me find Kyra's house. She easily picked it out, remembering Kyra's obsession with horses. WOW! After the first grade class left, Kyra's class came in. I was totally surprised! I had no idea they would be coming to view the display at the same time that I was there. Her classmates showed me which ones they had made. Bryce made a Georgia Tech (GT) book store, which is located above Kyra's horse ranch. David made an amazing baseball display (not pictured). Others made gingerbread houses, Justice store, veterinarian offices, etc. So many amazing houses; what creativity!

Elf art and snacks; worried about a B

Woke up this morning to find the elves coloring and snacking on tortilla chips and coke. Edward had a pencil in his arms and was eating a chip, Kendall had a crayon in one hand and her arm around a coke bottle, and Moki was the designated crayon holder. They must miss Santa Claus because they set a picture of him beside where they were sitting.

Kyra was worried that she might make her first B ever on her upcoming report card. She forgot to ask her teacher for her grades yesterday so I sent her teacher an email this morning. At the moment, she has all A's and one B (89.29). An A is 90-100. Her teacher said she could read another Accelerated Reader book and if she scored 90-100 on the test, it would bring her average up to an A. Whew! Kyra was relieved to hear this. Some of her other grades are barely an A (91, 92). I hope she performs well enough in the next two weeks to keep them as A's. She has incentive. She recently heard that if you make all A's from kindergarten through 5th grade, you get a trophy at graduation. She wants that!

If Riley were a dog, he'd be a Golden Retriever

Gumballs in Christmas spirit - I had lunch today at Schlotsky's deli and couldn't resist a gumball afterwards. I inserted a quarter into the machine and out came two gumballs, one red and the other one green. Even the gumballs are in Christmas Spirit! Wish I could find the time to get there myself!

I came home this evening to find that Riley had pulled the top sheet and quilt off of my bed and shredded my favorite ice pack that must have been accidentally left in bed. ARGH!!!

I had planned to change the sheets tonight anyway... But am not too pleased with my favorite ice pack being destroyed... At bed time, I told Kyra to pick a book to read. She picked up her dog breed book. Then she said, "If Riley were a dog, he'd be a Golden Retriever." I LAUGHED!!! We discussed how he's more of a toddler than a dog... He's destructive, yet cuddles like a human. It's funny/amazing how he stretches out long-ways and wraps his arm around you just like a human would cuddle.

So close!

Kyra's team ALMOST won their basketball game today! Lost by one point, 9 to 10. Kyra and Hannah T each scored 3 points, Hannah W scored 2 points, and Taylor scored 1 point. Since they haven't won a game yet, they were ecstatic afterwards about ONLY losing by one point! Great job girls! Glad to see you so happy over another loss!

After the game, Kyra went home with her dad and I went for a run on the Suwannee Greenway Trail. Check out my running blog if you'd like to read about this particular run.

Sam's taxi service

Kyra's with her dad this weekend, but I agreed to take one of her friends to the basketball game this morning because her parents had prior commitments. Allyson's mom was a participant in the local Christmas parade and her dad had a Boy Scout activity he was involved with. I gladly agreed to take Allyson to the game. Her mom dropped her off at our house at 8:45 a.m. Shortly afterwards, the basketball coach called. He said his car is in the shop and he asked if we could give him a ride to the game. Sure, no problem! We picked him up at 9:15 a.m. and drove to Suwanee Sports Acadamy for team photos and their game.

The game was a disaster. We lost 5 to 27. Our girls tried their best, but their team was just much better. Allyson's mom arrived in the middle of the game and took her home afterwards. The Coach also coaches a 7th grade team and said he'd get a ride home from someone on their team after their game was over.

So... I went to Discovery Mills to do a little Christmas shopping. I was happy to see that it wasn't very crowded when I arrived. I ate lunch at Thai Diner, YUM. Then went to the Nike outlet store to buy gifts for Laura as well as some more long tights for me and a pair of pants for Kyra. And guess who was in the store at the same time.?.?. Allyson and her mom and brother! Next I went to the Lego store. It didn't take me long to find what I wanted, but unfortunately there was a LONG line to check-out and only two registers open. My stress level rose the longer I stood in line. Next I wandered the mall in search of other gifts. I found one item for Claudette (Kyra's step mom) and some stocking stuffers. The mall was getting very crowded so I called it quits for the day.

The photo in this post is of our cat, Tiger, lounging in my running gear bag in the laundry room. The life of a kitty...

Elf Kendall is MAD, but loves Kyra anyway

Kyra forgot to sprinkle the elves with magical snowflakes last night so they stayed where they had been left. Then Kyra forgot to pack Elf Kendall in her backpack to take to her dad's house. Elf Kendall wasn't too happy about this. She wrote Kyra and e-mail saying she was SO MAD at her, but she LOVES her anyway. In her e-mail, Kendall said that she convinced "Fido" to bring her the magical snowflakes and sprinkle them on her. Then she packed her sleeping bag and tucked herself into Kyra's basketball shoes to make sure she'd get to Kyra this weekend. Elf Edward took a picture of her since he didn't want to disappoint me by missing a photo opportunity. Fun!

Elves nudging us into Christmas spirit

The elves and reindeer changed the photo above the fireplace from an October/November theme to a Christmas theme. Moki is standing on our "fortune box" (where we keep fortunes from Chinese fortune cookies). Elf Edward is in rolls of Kyra's duct tape, and Elf Kendall is standing on his shoulders. The photo was taken a few years ago of me, Kyra, Tasha and Tiger. Guess they're giving me a hint to start decorating... Now if I can only find the time... Too much to do and not nearly enough time to complete it in...

Cinamon toast; one fewer sock

Kyra forgot to sprinkle the elves with magical snowflakes last night so they stayed where they were left. She was sooooooo disappointed this morning! As we were finishing breakfast, Kyra asked for cinamon toast. I told her it was too late; we needed to leave for school soon. Kyra decided to sprinkle the elves with magical snowflakes before leaving to go to school. She said that it works anytime that the people are away, not only at night. And she was right! We came home after school/work to find the elves making cinamon toast, just for her!

Sadly, I also found a sock in Riley's mouth too. ARGH! If you want to see a photo of the chewed sock, click on this link to look at my running blog entry for the week.

Edward and Moki miss Kyra and Kendall

Kyra and Elf Kendall spent last night with Kyra's dad. Elf Edward and Moki missed them. I found Edward and Moki staring out the kitchen door window into the garage this morning waiting on them to return home. Awwww...

Kyra was happy to see them when we drove into the garage this evening. Yay! LOVE that SMILE!!!

Elves want to help build snow village

Yesterday we purchased supplies for Kyra's school project, Snow Village. She purchased lights for the ranch house and wanted to put the electrical boxes into a wooden box to hide them. But in order to do so, we had to drill a hole in the wooden box for the cords to run through. The elves must have been jealous of all the fun we were having designing Kyra's snow village yard (horse ranch theme). We woke up this morning to find them playing with the drill and Christmas colored duct tape!

Elves cheer for GA Tech

The Elves have SPIRIT, yes they do! We woke to find the magical elves on the mantle in Georgia Tech spirit-wear. Too bad it was too late... UGA beat GT last night. My Georgia Tech football was on the mantle. Next to it was Elf Kendall sitting in our Georgia Tech helmet that is autographed by the current coach. Elf Edward was in the GT birdhouse and Moki-the-reindeer was on top of the birdhouse, as he should be!

elves; horse riding; UGA vs GT game

We woke up this morning to find the magical elves climbing the light fixture in the bathroom (of our room (General Lee) at Southern Cross Guest Ranch) while stringing toilet paper. Toilet paper was all over the bathroom floor! Elf Kendall and Moki, the reindeer, were hanging from the light fixture. Elf Edward was still climbing up the mirror. Too funny!

I decided to try a different horse this morning since Tiffy was so slow. They suggested Luna. Kyra rode Sioux again. Luna's walk and trot were bouncy and she refused to go through the mud. I prefer Tiffy's slowness over Luna's bounciness and fear of mud.

After our ride this morning we walked back to the stables through the pasture. We saw Freckles in the pasture near the guest house. Kyra and Madi enjoyed giving her "get well quick" rubs.

This afternoon I went back to riding Tiffy. Kyra chose Macy instead of Sioux. Tiffy was even more slow this afternoon. At times I struggled to get her to move. We made the mistake of going back to near the gate before our time was up and Tiffy refused to follow the others back into the pasture. I gave up fighting her and let her go back to the barn. Kyra continued on with the group into the pasture. I was hurting quite badly at this point, so I didn't really mind stopping early. Wonder if Tiffy sensed it?

We ate dinner with our new friends, exchaged contact information, and then Kyra and I left to return home. We arrived at 8:05 p.m. The Georgia/Georgia Tech football game was just beginning. We watched the football game together. Kyra fell asleep on the couch in my lap just before half-time, with Tiger cuddled on top of her. How cute! I hated to do it, but woke her and walked her to bed. I stayed up and finished watching the game while washing clothes. What a bummer that GT lost! I thought this was going to be a sure win!