Cheap Dress Alert

 Click on the pic to go to the site

So EShakti is having an amazing sale today-35% of everything site wide.  If you click "superfast track" you get an addition $15 off.  If it's your first purchase than you can also get an additional $30 off.  I just ordered a dress for my daughter that was originally $89.95.  I had $35 gift card as a thank-you from my last purchase, 35 % off for Valentines, and a $15 off for fast track. With all my discounts my grand total was (drum roll please...) 

$20.42

Finding a dress for the Varsity Sports Banquet:

Priceless!

What I am Reading: Regency Romance, A Modern Latina Classic, and a Book about Ebolla

My kids had their final basketball games and swim meet last week, so no more guilt free reading time during practices for a few months. Here's what I've been reading:

The Hot Zone:  A Terrifying True Story by Richard Preston

My daughter had to read this for English (the same teacher that picked Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother), and while I personally find her book choices odd and not very literary,  I could not put this one down.  It is non-fiction about the Ebola Virus and how in the mid 1990's, the military and scientists mobilized to contain a monkey outbreak in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.  It is a surprisingly fast read for non-fiction, but it made me seriously question my life long dream of going on an African Safari.  The idea of seeing lions and giraffes in the wild is now tempered by the idea of catching a virus that will make me bleed from every orifice of my body. 4 1/2 stars

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
This 110 page classic has been on my reading list for years, and I finally got around to reading it.  It is a series of vignettes about growing up as a young Latina girl in Chicago.  It is beautifully poetic; sometimes funny and other times heartbreakingly sad.
4 1/2 stars

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall-Julie Klassen
A few of my daughters friends loved this, so we gave it a read.  It is a squeaky clean Regency Romance about a wealthy and spoiled young women who runs away to avoid a marrying a horrible man who only wants her for her inheritance. She disguises her self as a maid and seeks employment in the mansion of a former suitor she rejected. She's certainly no Jane Austen, but it is a fun escape that you can safely recommend to your daughter or your mother.
4 stars

Up next on my reading list:
Blythewood, The Aviators Wife, and Before Ever After, and The Mind's Eye.

What have you read lately?

A Lump ?!?!?!

Last week I went in for my annual exam at the girl doctor.  

Good times.  

The nurse practitioner detected a lump in my breast and suggested I go in for mammogram.  I wasn't overly worried, but there was the lingering possibility of my life taking a difficult turn. We had one of our most perfect lazy weekends in a long time, and I hoped it wasn't our last.

Yesterday was the big day of my mammogram. My allergies have been bad lately and I was fairly confident they were going to tell me it was just a swollen lymph node.

 Unlike last time, there was a screen where I could see all my images, and I could clearly see two white spots in the area of my lump and my confidence started to waver a bit.  When the nurse needed to take some more images from the side, it hurt way more than normal, and she commented that it was probably the lump (not the best bedside manner), my confidence shook violently. When I asked her if the images looked normal, she hesitated and said that I would need to go back to the waiting room, while the doctor looked at the images and decided if they needed to take an ultrasound. She also said that my last mammogram was in May so they probably caught it early enough. All my confidence faded away.

Here are the thoughts that ran through my mind as I sat in the room watching CNN and reading the poster said, "One in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer":

Please, please, please don't be cancer.

Am I going to loose my hair? Maybe I'll get a blonde wig for fun. Charming Charlie had some cute hats.

Please, please, please don't be cancer.

Booking that non-refundable trip to Harry Potter World, wasn't so smart.  Is there a make-a-wish for moms?

Please, please, please don't be cancer.

I saw on Facebook that today is World Cancer Day-coincidence?

Please, please, please don't be cancer.

We are putting the house on the market in 2 weeks.  What does a bald sick lady in the master bedroom do to the market value of your home?

Please, please, please don't be cancer.

My husband just signed separation papers for the military, I wonder if they'd take him back, if I can't find civilian insurance.

Please, please, please don't be cancer.

If I am sick, what is my family going to eat. My kids lovingly called my last attempt at freezer meals "Crap in a Bag".

Please, please, please don't be cancer.

If I am not going to be able to clean my own house soon, I need to scrub it from top to bottom, so the cleaning lady won't judge me.

Please, please, please don't be cancer.

If I have cancer, I am totally ditching the diet I started yesterday and eating whatever I want.

Please, please, please don't be cancer.

My kids are amazing and could survive without me, but I really, really, really want to be their mom and really want to be a grandmother.

Please, please, please don't be cancer.

After a very long half and hour, the nurse told me I would need an ultrasound. I lost it just a little.

When the doctor came in and saw I was upset, he explained that my mammogram was completely normal and hadn't changed at all from my last one and that the ultra-sound is merely standard procedure any time a doctor refers you.  (This information would have been helpful at the beginning).  He said I just have really dense breast tissue and showed me on the screen how normal and non-cancery my lumpy boobs were.

 I have never been so grateful to not have cancer in my life and I completely lost it.

Mom's Mac-N-Cheese

I used to be a little chubby.  (I'm not saying it's my mom's fault, but I dropped a good 20-30 pounds when I moved out).

My mom is especially famous for her Old-Fashioned Mac-N-Cheese.  Growing up, many of my friends had only ever eaten the orange stuff that came in the blue box, so we'd have to invite them over so they could try the real stuff for themselves. 

My mom loves to cook for people, but unless you are not planning a trip to the Greater San Antonio Area, here's the recipe so you can make some for yourself.


2 Cups elbow macaroni (6-7 oz)
2 Tbl grated onion (I always use an entire onion)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 cups cheese
2 cups thin sauce
1 Tbl Butter

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook macaroni as directed.  Place half the macaroni in an ungreased 2 quart casserole dish.  Sprinkle with half the onion, salt, pepper and cheese.  Repeat.  Pour white sauce over casserole.  Dot with butter.  Cover bake 30 minutes. Uncover bake 15 minutes. 

Thin white sauce:
Melt 2 Tbl. butter on low in a sauce pan.  Remove from heat and slowly add 1 1/2-2 Tbl. flour.  Stir and mix and slowly add 2 cups of milk (you can use a whisk).  Cook over medium heat until mixture becomes thick and starts to boil, stirring constantly.  Use immediately.

FYI: It is best served with frozen peas.

What I've Been Reading: Invisible Women, Dystopian Teen Romance Series, and Non-fiction True Crime

My book tastes are a little eclectic.  Here's what I've been reading.

I will start with my favorite. My friend Suzanne picked, Calling Invisible Women by Jeanne Ray for book club. It is about a 54 year-old woman who wakes up one morning to discover that she's invisible.  The worse part is that her husband and children are so caught up in their own lives that they don't even notice. I loved it-it is smart, funny, poignant, and well written, but mostly I loved it because I can so relate. 

I spent the first 23 years of my life as the star-it was all about me and what I could achieve.  When I became a wife and mother, I stopped adding notches to my resume and settled into the supporting actress roll to my husband and children.  If I continue this metaphor to my current state, I think lately my name would most often only show up in the credits under crew (if the janitorial staff or Kraft Services even gets mentioned in the credits). I spend the majority of my time doing a laundry lists of mundane tasks-including way more actually laundry than I'd like. This is the life I chose and I wouldn't trade my life for the spotlight of a high powered career woman, but now and then I have felt a little invisible.  If you sometimes feel like this too, you'll love Calling Invisible Women. I can't wait for book club to hear what everyone else thought.
5 stars

In Devil in the White City, Erik Lawson weaves together the stories of the architect of the 1892 Chicago World's Fair and the serial killer Henry H. Holmes. Reading about the details of planning the fair was tedious for me and I would have appreciated more pictures. The idea that Holmes could kill somewhere between 28-200 people without being caught was disturbingly fascinating. He was the ultimate con-man and psychopath, but unfortunately, no one knows a lot of details about his crimes and there just wasn't much to write about.  I found about as much information on his Wikipedia page, then in reading the almost 400 page book. 
3 stars

Before, I tell you about my next two reads, I would just like to say to all the authors out there: Just because series are all the trend, doesn't mean that you have to write a series. I would prefer a really great book, to a mediocre series.  You can not all be J.K. Rowling.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

 In post-apocalyptic Chicago, people divide themselves into the factions based on the value they feel is most important: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent).  They live in peace for a few generations until human nature creeps in and sparks an all-out war.

 I loved the first one and liked the second slightly less.  The third one really started to drag for me and the ending made me plain mad.  Read the first two and then I will just tell you what should have happened in the third and save you all the time and frustration. I'd give the books, 4 1/2 stars, 4 stars, and 2 1/2 stars.

Legend Trilogy -Marie Lu

Set in the future when global warming has led to mass climate change and about half of the US under Water.  It is the love story of June, a privileged military prodigy and Day, the governments most wanted criminal.  

Better than most dystopian series. I'd give the entire series 4 stars, but the last book only a 3.

What's the best book you've read lately?

Cute, Cheap, Custom Dressed in sizes 0-36W (and they even have pockets!)

How often have you found a great dress, except for:
-it was the wrong length
-you hated the embellishments
-you hated the sleeves
-the neckline showed too much cleavage-or not enough :)
-it didn't come in your size
-too expensive
-it was cheaply made

Then you are going to love eShakti.

They sell fresh vintage inspired dressed from sizes 0-36.  The best part is that you give them your measurements and they make each dress especially for you. You can even customized length, sleeve length and neckline. Life changing.

When it is not freezing outside and my daughter isn't in finals, we will do a little photo shoot of us wearing our new dresses, but here are the dresses we ordered:

Vintage Bicycle

My daughter wanted this cute black dress with old fashioned bicycles embroidered along the bottom.  Until our fashion shoot, you will just have to take my word for it, but it is even cuter on.

Retro Shirt Dress

I bought this navy shirt dress for myself. Despite the fact that I haven't turned down a cookie since Thanksgiving, it was very flattering. I wore it on Sunday to church, and felt a little like Doris Day or Marilyn Monroe.  It had that clean, classic look that made feel pretty and feminine and if I dare say, even a little sexy. 

Both are made of high quality fabric and have details of more expensive clothing like top stitching and hidden zippers. The grand total for both dresses, including shipping was only $82.95 and they arrived in about 2 weeks time.  I couldn't have done better if I would have sewn them myself.

I don't know if it's standard, but I also received coupons for $35 to use on my next purchase.

Red Shawl-Collar Dress

Red-Hot Color Block Dress

I need a dress for an upcoming job interview for my husband: one that says "Please hire my husband", and am trying to decide between the above ( I like the bottom, but my daughter likes the top-feel free to vote in the comments). I am going to add cap sleeves, but I could order it w/ any of these sleeves options:

I actually like the original necklines, but I also have the option of changing it to any these:

You tell them how tall you are and then how long you'd like the hem to be:

They are always running great promotions and so it isn't hard to get a fabulous dress for well under $50.  If you are a first time customer and shop in the clearance, you can even find quite a few things under $20!

Buy 2 get 1 free (or get 25% of one)

 

And  $25 $30 Gift coupon w/ your first purchase:

 

So check them out and tell them I sent you (I'll get a commission and then I can buy more dresses).

UPDATE:  My husband liked the color-block one better, so I just ordered it.I had $35 thank-you credits from my first purchase, and I got %25 off for the current promotion, I could add sleeves for free b/c it was the first time, so my grand total including shipping was $19.92!!!I think that is less than my husband's tie!

22 Marathon Running Tips-From a Frumpy Non-Runner

Last year about this time, I decided to run a marathon. (Read all about it here) There's a lot of great expert advice out there.  Here's some non-expert advice from a frumpy 40-year old mom that HATES all matters of exercise and has never experienced a "runner's high" in her entire life.

1. Check out Hal Higdon's Website-better yet read some of his books.

2. Treat your long runs as dress rehearsals for the marathon.  Drink, eat, and wear what you will during the race.

3. Have a good partner. I would not pick someone that I was trying to attract.  Running long distances makes your body do really gross things and none of it was pretty. 

4. Recorded books.  I listened to music for the first few months, but running for endless hours is boring. I always ran slower when I listened to books on tape, but it helped w/ the boredom on days I had to run alone.  I highly recommend teenage romance novels involving the paranormal or the end of the world. BTW My husband never listened to anything when he trained for his-he says it helped him focus.

5.  Tell everyone you know that you are running a marathon-people will want to support and encourage you.

6. Cotton bras, socks, and panties are not your friends.  Buy the stuff that is designed to pull the moisture away from your body. I wanted to avoid TMI, so I will try to put this as delicately as possible: sweaty panties and dehydrated women tend to cause all manner of feminine problems. 

7. Seams are your mortal enemies. Under 10 miles they are fine, but especially on any runs longer than 15 miles each little seam will start to act and feel like a tiny razor blade-especially in the more delicate places on your body.

8. Bring a good support staff-they can bring your chopstick, sunglasses, hats, towels, etc. Our husbands stood on the sidelines at several points in the race and it helped me pick up my pace and ignore the pain.

8.  Eat some good fiber the day before so you can go to the bathroom before the race-it is so much better than during the race.

9.  Don't sprint at the beginning.  (It harder than you'd think).  

10.  Buy a Garmin GPS  watch-I was too lazy to chart out distances.  I loved that it kept track of my time and pace.  My favorite feature is that it told me how many calories I burned. Toward the end, I had some pretty impressive numbers.

11. Dedicate each mile to someone.  I picked people that were going through hard times-chemo, sick kids, custody battles, divorce, and those people that have to suffer having me as an immediate family member.

12. Pick a battle cry.  Mine started as "I can do hard things", then evolved from "I will do hard things" to "I do hard things." When it got tough (basically any time I was running), I would repeat over and over "I do hard things."  

19. Have someone on call to come and pick you up in case of emergency on your long runs.

14. Map out your training schedule and be realistic about other time commitments. I did a 30 week plan and from week 22-27, running became all consuming.  I was either preparing to run, running, or recovering from running.  I was exhausted and took lots of naps.

15.  Pick a nice flat race on a day that works best for you.  My husband ran in Fargo, ND and I drove 4 hours to Abilene and it was better than running a tougher course close to home at a time that wouldn't work as well with our training.

16. Take it Glucosamine and Chondroitin (guess you should ask your doctor).  I don't know if it is just a placebo effect, but it really seems to help my knees.  It does take a week or so for you to notice a difference

17.  So normally a pair of shoes may last you a few years-but if you log this many miles, you are going to need to replace them every few hundred miles.  About week 22, I thought that I might not be able to keep going I was so sore, but I bought new shoes and I wasn't as sore. I normally wear a 7 1/2.  On shorter  faster, runs, I wear an 8 and on long runs an 81/2. 

18.  We noticed the first part of our bodies that got in shape were our lungs.  Pretty quickly, we got to the point where we weren't breathing hard and could talk normally.  Next our muscles got in shape.  I wasn't any more sore after the first time I ran 18 than when I ran 7. (After 20 it was another story-but even then I was fine after about 24 hours).  Finally our skeletal systems were strong enough to be able to run 26.2 miles.  People that don't train end up actually breaking bones.

Me in all my post-marathon glory

19 . Accept the fact that running a marathon is going to be grueling and awful.  It's not like learning a new skill where it's really hard in the beginning and gets easier until it's no big deal.  I never got the "runners-high" and it never got any easier.  If you hate running 1 mile, you're going to hate running 26.2 miles.  Also understand that it is just as much mental as physical.  It will be awful-but you can do it and when it is finally over you will feel amazing.

20. Drink.  Under 5 miles, I wouldn't carry anything.  Over 5, I had a fanny pack with attached water bottles.  Over 10, I used a Camelback.  Over 15,  I would do stash more water at my house and loop back to catch it up.  In retrospect, I should have trained more with Gatorade, since that's what they had during the race.  (I didn't want to deal with getting sticky or stained.)

21. I never really got the food thing figure out. The entire idea of gel packs grossed me out and they give several of my friends heartburn and gas.  I trained w/ gummy bears and pretzels, but I think the race might have gone better if I would have found some sort of gel that worked for me.

22. Finally don't set a time goal.  Your only goal should be to complete it and you don't want to feel like you failed because you ran it a little slower.   Set a time goal for your next one.



There you have it-there's all my advice. Good Luck!