October Recap...Where does the time go???

November?  Already!?  Where did October go?  I know I felt pretty busy in October, but it wasn't until November arrived that I realized just how busy we'd all been.  The weather changed, cars got repairs (heck, a car got stolen and found - Valiant's girlfriend's car, to be specific!), a room got painted, I made it to book club for the first time in months(!), dogs got sick, dogs got better, sprinklers got blown out in anticipation of the freeze, I even covered for a friend at her work so she could get some much needed time off.  Obviously, I didn't take pictures of it all, but I did take some random photos:


I put up a few of my favorite Halloween decorations, but with no little kids at home, I didn't feel like going all out.  I have three of these wrought iron spiders in various sizes and just love them...this is the smallest one:

I also put up our ping pong ball bats...they just make me smile whenever I see them.

Not bad for a ping pong ball and googly eyes!!

I got some awesome bird feeders to replace the generic plastic ones I've had forever...and, as you can see by the picture I just took, the birds are fans and empty them quickly as they prepare for winter. 

 

So pretty when they're being swarmed by birds...

I even managed to get a new barbecue cover on Superman's barbecue before the three weeks of rain came...the leaves?  They have to wait until tomorrow...I did the front yard today.

Ready for winter!!

I did a lot of sewing.  Some of it was sewing for my friend Cassi at Piping and Pleats...and a c couple of the projects were incredibly large cushions.  Seriously large.  I had my sister in stitches on Skype watching me stuff the cushion below into its slipcover...to say it was stiff would be an understatement.  I was wrestling the sucker into submission!  Check out this before and after:

Just to give you an idea of how large this is:  That cushion is lying across a couch and each of the
 floor tiles visible in the before picture are 13x13" tiles.  The cushion was large!!

I finally pulled the trigger and bought some embroidery software to enable me to do more with the embroidery functions on the Brother SE400 my family bought me four years ago.  I went with Sew What Pro for $65 because I don't even know what I don't know, so I couldn't see a reason to spend more on Embrilliance.  At some point, I might switch over, but for now, I'll see how it goes.

I love binding PDF documents - software instructions, pattern instructions...binding
makes them so easy to use.  They lay flat when they're open for reference during a project.

After quite a bit of trial and error, I decided to go for it and embellished a couple of toddler sized Halloween t-shirts for Aunt S's baby boys...my first time embroidering something other than names on anything and my first time embroidering on clothing.  It wasn't easy, but I was pretty pleased with the results.  (Plus, toddlers aren't perfectionists!!)

Ruined Cash's first shirt, otherwise both would have been grey...live and learn...

In the middle of it all, I had a birthday and Superman and Charming got together to get me these:

Who doesn't love red Vans?

Oh, and my sister requested some Halloween pillowcases made from some of the most fabulous fabric...the pictures she sent me didn't do it justice...as soon as the fabric arrived, I was itching to get the pillowcases made and shipped off to her.  They were such a fun project!  (And it's really awesome when your family likes what you sew enough to ask for more!)

Best fabric ever!!  (It reminds me of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland.)

And, as October wound down, Buttercup and I helped close down our beloved CrossFit 509.  It has been our gym home for five and a half years and I was heartbroken when the owner had to make the difficult decision to close it down.  Still, when you're lucky enough to have your gym become part of your family, you help with even the sad stuff.  When all the equipment is gone, you're just left with just a sad shell of a building...very sad and weird and all of that...even Honey was bummed...

I had to chuckle at the scuff marks above the blue stripe...wall ball marks!  Bahaha!

We finished off October by going to dinner on Halloween...as the kids got too old for trick or treating, we started a new tradition...this is our 6th year doing it...PF Changs was pretty tasty.


There you go...some of the stuff that went on in the Nagle5 world in October.  Now I'm ready...let November roll on in!!

An Old Standby Gets An Athletic Update

I've been using this backpack pattern for more than a year now and I just love it.  When I found out our gym was having a gift exchange as part of the Christmas party, I immediately thought of this backpack.  The real problem?  Finding the perfect fabric.  I logged on to Spoonflower, where I sourced this Doctor Who fabric, and found this amazing kettlebell fabric!  Perfect for Crossfitters, wouldn't you say?

Then I headed to Hancock Fabrics, got some coordinating fabric (solid grey, in this case) and made two of these bags...one for someone at our gym and one for my sister!

I love the way this turned out (both times!)

Isn't it cute?  I love it!



Nice big pocket which zips shut.

It is the perfect combination of looks and function, with a zipper pocket on the outside, and it is washable.

See, not nearly as bright as the image would have you think!

Drawstring opening at the top forms the black straps so the straps won't show dirt.  The perfect little backpack!

Back to Blogging after a Four-Month Hiatus!

It has been four months plus since my last blog post.  You know how people always say things like, "Oh, I can't believe how much time has passed?"  Um, I am not going to say that!  I can completely believe it.  We've had a crazy busy past four months and I'm actually glad that things have finally calmed down enough that I have the time to blog again. 

Let me catch you up:

Superman is home for good!  Woot!  Yes, indeed!  After almost three years (!) of contracting overseas, Superman came home.  Best of all, we managed to "sneak" him home a month earlier than the kids expected!  We pulled off the last, best suprise of the journey.  The kids thought their dad was coming home on December 1, so imagine the surprise when the two younger kids registered the sound of my car pulling into the garage, registered the sound of the door opening, didn't even look up when someone walked up the stairs, and then caught sight of their dad!  It was amazing.  We kept the surprises going by inviting Charming to meet up with us for dinner and got to see the look on his face when he walked into the restaurant and saw his father!  Seriously, being able to surprise your adult and almost adult children is NOT easy and oh-so fun...

The spider knew my secret!

The next night we had dinner at the house and the boys decided to play around with Nagle family deadlifts.  (Seriously, Crossfit families are just weird!)

Boys will be boys...the hardest part?  Holding on to the bar!

Charming deadlifted Superman...

"I've got you, Dad!"

Then Valiant stepped up to deadlift Superman...

Valiant was up next...

Then Superman deadlifted little Buttercup.  With...

Buttercup had no problem holding on!

...and without the bar!

But she found it a little more difficult to be the bar!

Then life began to settle back into normal-for-us Nagle5 craziness.  Man, it is good to have Superman home!

I hope you'll enjoy the ride as I fast forward you through the holidays and the projects and the other good stuff that makes up a normal life...I'll give you a few hints of what is coming up:  Scrabble, stairs, bed, hearts, and frames!

My sister is fabulous!!

Look at what my sister sent me...

How can I slack off if I am wearing this???  (Dirty, sweaty, post-workout!)

A perfect reminder of why I do Crossfit.  Did I tell you that she joined her local Crossfit gym and loves it?  I am so happy for her.  After all, misery loves company!

Thanks so much, Love Aphid, you're the best!!

I have to wonder...

if the designers at Inov-8, used this little tree frog...

This little tree frog has beautiful coloring...definitely the muse for shoe
designers at Inov-8. 

 ...as their inspiration for my son's new shoes.

The shoes have the same "beautiful" coloring...on size 14 (!) shoes.

Let's review:

Colorful frog ...


The Frog

...leads to colorful shoes.







The Shoes--oh so impressive in person.

I'm convinced that is how it happened.  Are you with me?

Days 8 & 9 - 30 Paleo Challenge - A New Driver's License, A Climber, and Some Egg Salad!

My computer has been having issues the past few days and with my IT guy still a little more than a month from being home on leave, it is making me crazy.  That doesn't mean we haven't been doing the 30 Day Paleo Challenge, though...some of us are still going strong.  (Some of us, not so much!)

So, let's get going!  First things first...my second child now has his driver's license...what a mixed bag for Mom, right?  Seriously.  I gave Valiant his last stern warning the day before he tested, as he was giving me a bit of attitude (your 16-year old son doesn't give you a bit of attitude?  really? hmmm...I'm not sure I believe you).  I finally looked at him and said, "Look...you are asking me to give you the power to kill yourself and/or others and the tool to do it with, so you're just going to have to deal with me being concerned.  This is the biggest act of faith your parents have had to go forward with, so cut me some slack."  I'm happy to report that gave him pause.  The next morning, he passed his driving test and became the proud possessor of a driver's license.  He's pretty darned tickled and I confess to being really happy to have another driver in the house.  Let the next parenting challenge begin!

In the meantime, while my Valiant is keeping me on the edge of my seat with visions of automobile disasters, my beloved little Buttercup (not so little, but still little to me) decided to jump in the fray with Women's Climb Night at REI.  Now, you need to understand something.  I've never thought of myself as afraid of heights and I don't really think I am.  However, I've never been one of those people who sees a rock wall and thinks to herself, "Man, I'd love to climb to the top of that...just to see if I can."  Seriously.  That is not who I am.  Ask me if I can lift something heavy and I'll be intrigued with the possibility...climbing, not so much.  But, because God has a sense of humor, that is exactly who Buttercup is.  Off to the rock wall we headed...

Making it look easy!

...and look who climbed all the way up her first try!  You guessed it:  my little Buttercup.  Sigh.

Listening to the belayer at the bottom...how can she hear her way up there?

She wasn't content to do it once, either.  Nope.  When her turn came around the second time, she scrambled right up.  She was frustrated we couldn't stay for her third run, but Valiant still needed a ride home from work, as this was BDL (Before Driver's License)...she really was itching to go again.  (I wonder if there is mountain goat is Superman's side of the family?)  Honestly, she was amazing.  I was in awe of her confidence and her mad skills.  Crossfit has been so good for her...I am so thankful we found it and a box opened near enough to our home to make it worthwhile.

 I didn't want to let her down, so I tried my hand at it.  Honestly, I didn't love it.  I'm not sure I'll ever love it.  Maybe it is just not my thing.

This was far enough for me...my arms were shaking...this is hard!

Still, I made it two-thirds of the way up before I was done.  Not bad for 48-years old...maybe next time I'll make it up to the top.  Oh, please, you know I'll have to go back and try again...now that I've failed, I have to make it up to the top at least once.  Sheesh...

Now on to the food!  Remember a few days ago, I made homemade mayonnaise?  Well, on Day 8 I used some of that wonderful mayonnaise to make some egg salad  (using my pressure cooker hard-boiled eggs) and it was phenomenal.  After sitting all night in the refrigerator, the mayonnaise was just, well, mayo.  I was worried that I'd taste the lemon and I didn't.   It really was better than "Best Foods"...who knew?

Dinner Day 8 was CORN: Clean Out Refrigerator Night.  We used up all the little bits and pieces left from the previous week and had a Paleo feast.  Dinner Day 9?  We had dinner with friends who did their very best not to undermine our challenge:  Steak, Salad, and Fruit Salad for dessert.  (They had potatoes available, but we declined.  Pretty cool, right?

Oh, and I made it to the gym both days...had pretty decent performance, too.  Got a new PR (personal record) for my 3x Deadlift on Monday and had a not-embarassing time on the scaled Diane (which was also a PR, but when it is scaled, I don't really count it much...I can't do a handstand, let alone a handstand push up, but, hey, they're on my CF to-do list!).    Rowed 2000 meters in under 9 minutes on Tuesday...pretty cool, right?

Day 4 - 30 Day Paleo Challenge

Sorry for the late posting...Superman gave me grief because I didn't get this post up last night.  Don't worry, though, we haven't quit!

It is still early days and I'm trying to make this all work.  Day 4 proved to be our most challenging day so far. I am having trouble sleeping and 6.75 hours is just not enough (not to mention that it is costing me points!). 

Doesn't this look fabulous?

Lunch was a fabulous smoothie:  Spinach, coconut milk, 100% whey protein, strawberries, and frozen mixed berries.  Even the kids enjoyed it. 

There go the strawberries!

I really don't know why I'm not sleeping, but I'm not and it really showed at the gym.  I never got energized...I felt like my entire body was so heavy and, of course, it was a killer WOD.  I was surprised  how hard the whole thing felt...I never got in the zone where I got a rhythm and was just plugging away.  It has been a long time since I've contemplated accepting a DNF ("Did Not Finish"), but I felt terrible through the entire thing and was oh so tempted to throw in the towel.  I scaled the weight on the kettle bell swings (from 53 to 35) and had to back up a band (from red to blue) on my pull-ups...making that decision was really discouraging, but in the end, I was glad I did because I wouldn't have finished otherwise.  My results reflected my low energy, as I finished in 52:11 and, man, was I spent.  It was one of those days when I really feel like I didn't accomplish anything.  Still, I showed up and I didn't phone it in.  My all just wasn't much.

Need some water...it is too thick!

Valiant joined me at the gym and he pushed through, choosing not to scale and it nearly killed him.  I was so proud of him for plugging away at this workout.  Despite a not-so-great time, he can really be proud of himself for sticking to it and for keeping it at that level.  He was definitely my hero yesterday.

Now look at it churning!

Anyway, the workout had us at the gym an hour and 15 minutes later than I thought we'd be.  So much for my Dutch Oven Chicken...it was 5:30 when we got home and we were starved!  Combined with the serendipity of  hungry friends showing up at the gym to drop something off with me saw us headed to Carl's Jr. for dinner.  Buttercup and Valiant are really not happy with our challenge (Valiant more than Buttercup, but she's a close second in dissent!) and you would have thought I gave them each a $1000 when I said, "Fine.  We'll me The Friends for dinner."  Still, I tried hard to keep my goals in mind and just had two  hamburger patties and a Diet Coke.  (Yeah, look, I'm human and I'd been beaten to death by the workout!)  That meal cost me 2 points...grrr.

Terrific lunch for two!

Finished off the night with my homemade almond butter and a Granny Smith apple.  Perfect snack!

Day 4 is in the books! 

On to Day 5...

Day 3 - 30 Day Paleo Challenge

Well, we've finished Day 3 of our 30 Day Paleo Challenge.  It wasn't a perfect day...I confess that I caved and had a Diet Coke from my local Target food court.  I further confess that it was sooo good and I really should feel guilty, but I don't.  Not enough sleep, too much stress, and a killer headache weakened my resolve.  Other than that it was a terrific day for me.   I stayed Paleo in my eating, even resisting the temptation I'll tell you about below, and I hit the gym for my workout which went well.  Got a knew PR on my Front Squat, even with my messed up wrist.  I really can't complain.

For the kids?  The day wasn't so terrific, but we knew this day was coming and, as I explained to them before we started this journey, eating this way would be a lifestyle, not a life sentence.   They would need to allow for detours along the way and not beat themselves up over them.  Buttercup was tasked with bringing cookies to her youth group tonight and,while her cold/flu thing is too bad for her to to, she still wanted to make the cookies and get them to the other kids.  Part of her planning was pretty wise...she knew if she baked them, she want to try them.  So, she allowed for that.  She was willing to take the points hit and, as she told me, the cookies were fabulous.  If you're interested in a fabulous recipe for amazing chocolate chip cookies, you need to make Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Cookies.  You won't be disappointed.  According to the kids, they're as good as I remember them!

I tried something newish today.  Tonight we had our first-ever grass-fed beef steaks for dinner.  They were amazing.  Seriously amazing. Valiant barbecued it for us and did a fabulous job.  Even Buttercup, the girl who always says "no, thank you" to steak, was disappointed we didn't have more.  (And that was after I gave her a third of mine!)   The steak was accompanied by yellow squash and zucchini sauteed in ghee and seasoned with a little no-salt seasoning mix.  I finished off my plate with sauteed mushrooms and spinach, but the kids weren't interested in trying that.

Doesn't this all look good?  My mushrooms and spinach.

The sauteed squash.

And the plated meal. 

Look at the steam wafting off the squash!

 As you can see, we're not a bit deprived.

Oh, I saw a terrific interview with Bob Harper of the Biggest Loser discussing his conversion to the CrossFit way of life and how anyone of any fitness level and join in on the fun. 

Day 3 is put to bed...only 27 more to go!

Day 2 - 30 Day Paleo Challenge

Day 2 of our 30 Day Paleo Challenge!  You know what that means?  Only 28 more days to go!  Yes, it is like that...we're already counting down. Valiant is having trouble with this challenge...he broke on Day One and had a cupcake! A cupcake!!   On the flip side, Buttercup held firm, even in the face of spaghetti and garlic bread!  I was so proud of her.  To add to our commitment, Superman has let me know that he's giving up coffee for 30 days in solidarity.  Isn't that the sweetest? 

This morning was tough.   We had a hectic day that started really early and all anyone could think about was how limited they're feeling.   Throw in some serious stress and I really, really wanted some comfort food or, at the least, a Diet Coke.  I drove by my dealer, um, I mean, the gas station, where I normally get my Diet Coke fix and I just kept driving.   Valiant really, really wanted me to pull in, but I held firm. 

I even managed to make it to the gym to get my point for doing the WOD.  I didn't do really well, but there were aspects of my workout that thrilled me.  I am getting so close to being able to do a real pull-up.  I don't know if I'll make it before our one year anniversary at the gym (May 13), but I'll sure be close.

Dinner tonight was an experiement that turned out pretty well.  The kids prepared themselves for gross and were pleasantly surprised.  I used Superman's new wok (it was great, Honey!) to throw together some chicken stir-fry using coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.  (Soy sauce has soy and wheat...both are paleo no-nos.)  Next time I make it, I think I'll add some beef broth for some depth of flavor, but I was really pleased with how it all came together.

Quick Chicken Stir-Fry

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken breasts - cut up into small pieces
2 Zucchinis - cut into chunks
2 Yellow Squash - cut into chunks
a bunch of Broccoli florets
a cup of Baby Carrots - cut into chunks
Baby Bok Choy - chopped
4 Mushrooms - sliced
1/2 yellow onion - sliced into large chunks (so my daughter can pick them out!)
Sesame Oil
Chinese Five Spice seasoning
Coconut Aminos
Minced Garlic
Salt *  (I think that beef broth would make this unnecessary)
Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
(Beef Broth)* - next time, I'll be adding this!

Get your pan (wok!) onto the stove and add the sesame oil.  Throw in the chicken, the onion, garlic, and a generous bit of coconut aminos and begin to cook the chicken.  As the chicken absorbs some of the liquid, add the beef broth, the five spice, and pepper until the chicken is done.  Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. 

Using the same pan, add in all the vegetables, a little of the coconut aminos (a tablespoon), and some beef broth and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.  Cook until the vegetables are done and then add back in the meat.

That is it...once everything is cooked, you just serve it up.  As I said, this wasn't perfect, but it was pretty darned good and I'm inspired to try it again soon.

Growing like a weed...

Sometimes it is difficult for Superman to understand just how quickly our kids are growing...this picture taken at our gym really illustrated it for him.

This is Valiant with one of the other CF509 members:

Photo credit:  Crossfit509

Isn't it a fabulous picture?  They were both getting ready for pull-ups.  Guess he didn't need the box to reach the bar...

Did I mention he just turned 16 in February and that is the highest bar the gym has?   I don't know which bar he'll be using next!

Hard Work...

Hard work isn't always pretty...

 Hard work isn't always fun...

Hard work isn't always cool...

Hard work is sometimes awkward...

Photo credit:  Crossfit509

Hard work isn't always hard...

Hard work is isn't always lonely...

Photo credit:  Crossfit509

Worst of all?  Hard work almost never yields immediate results.  But let's be real here.  Hard work teaches us perserverance and dedication.  We fall down and get up again.  And, finally,

Hard work helps us reach new heights...

and they are all the sweeter because of the effort that went into reaching them.

Some things never change...

Nine years might have passed, but some things haven't changed as much as you'd think.

Buttercup, circa March 2003 -Sitting in Mom & Dad's bed with a broken left wrist.

Buttercup, circal January 2012 - Sitting in Mom & Dad's bed with a broken left wrist.  (This time, she threw in a broken right wrist for good measure.)

Nine years ago, she amused herself by opening birthday presents her Auntie Eveline dropped by for her 4th birthday.  (Yes, this was her birthday.)

This time around, she amused herself with Beans, who really didn't seem amused.

Nine years ago, she didn't let a little thing like a cast get in the way of rocking her new two-piece.

 
This time around, she didn't let a little thing like a cast (and a rigid brace) get in the way of some serious gym-time as she rocked her Vibram Five Fingers.  (And, for those of you who worry, please know she had a trained professional guiding her entire workout...she's in good hands, I promise!)

No, my little Buttercup doesn't let much get her down...she even flashed me a bit of attitude.

It really does seem that some things never change.