I could go on and on

I always feel sentimental this time of year. My oldest child recently celebrated his birthday, and this occasion always leads me to remember how magical our first weeks together were. I was one of those lucky moms who was blessed with a baby who was content from the moment he entered the world. I felt like I was playing house...the best house ever.

He's twelve now, and I am running a high risk of embarrassing him just by writing this. But this blog is about reflecting on the lovely things in my life, and my children are among the absolute loveliest, so how can I resist? 

A few months ago, on one of my favorite TV shows, The Middle, mom Frankie was telling her husband how she just wanted everyone to know how wonderful their daughter was. (This was to explain why she created a fake Facebook persona to increase her daughter's social status. It was funny, I swear.) When actress Patricia Heaton delivered those words, I instantly thought, "I know! I know exactly how you feel, Frankie!" And . . . the next day at work, it was pointed out to me that I have, in fact, said those very words about my son in years past.

Oh, how I used to worry about him. I'd worry that people didn't understand him or his unique way of looking at the world. I just wanted everyone to know how wonderful he is. But then I realized, that he knew how wonderful he is. He understood himself. He knew what made him happy, and he pursued those things. He knew what made him special, and he celebrated those things. And you know what? People appreciate that sort of confidence. I could go on and on, but I'll just say that he's a happy, proud twelve-year-old with interesting, kind friends.

He'll face the challenging middle school years soon, and I just pray he can stay true to himself and really shine as he's exposed to more classes and activities. And while I miss those early days of infancy, I'm mostly just excited for him. He is going to love his future. I just know it!

A lovely moment from my day: Goodness, my day was busy! I'm having a hard time feeling really lovely about something from the day. I suppose that is a sign that I need a nice cocktail and some Game of Thrones to finish off my day. :-)

Puppy Love

Benton, our handsome boy

It is a week full of celebrations here this week. Father's Day was on Sunday. Noah's birthday is on Wednesday, and today marks the first birthday of our big rottie, Benton. He was just eleven pounds when we brought him home in August. Now, I would guess he is closer to ninety. The only thing that has grown more than him is his place in our hearts and lives.

What a difference a year makes!

How do I explain what Benton has come to mean to me personally? He is truly a symbol of me becoming a little bit better as a person, a little bit less selfish, a little bit more tender.

Dogs and I. We have not really gotten along too well. For the better part of my life, I avoided dogs. There was a story of a black lab jumping on me and shoving me down when I was preschool age, and I held a grudge against all dogs after that. They smelled funny, they got too close, they didn't respect my personal space. And sometimes they still jumped.

But my husband loves dogs...loves them! And our daughters love dogs, too. At age two, the little one could spot a dog a half mile away. During second grade, older one made multiple presentations on why should get a dog and what breed would fit our family best. But our son felt indifferent about dogs. I sometimes think it was his indifference that swayed me more than the others' intense love. In my head, a boy should love dogs. And I realized that my discomfort with dogs was not something I wanted to pass on to my children.

Benton wasn't the first pup we welcomed into our family. Last July, we brought home another rottie that we named Bates. Having never had a puppy, I couldn't believe how much he was like a baby. He cried when he was sad. He had accidents. He had to learn how to eat and sleep in his new home. And he made my husband glow in the same way he glows when he holds a newborn.

Bates

Sadly, we experienced a very sad accident with Bates and an older, sick dog who mistook him for a threat. We lost him after just six days, and our hearts were broken. I could not believe the pain I felt for him, but I also felt pain for my children and my husband. They were beyond happy with their Bates, and he was gone so quickly and unexpectedly.

We quickly decided that our family was clearly ready to share our hearts with an animal. Any doubt we had felt was swept away by our loss. We located a breeder with a litter that would be ready in a few weeks, and we decided to go for it.

The first day we had our Benton home. What a little guy!

Sky was able to help chose Benton, and I couldn't believe the little butterball they brought home. We all loved him at first sight, and while it hasn't been all roses and sunshine, he is very dear to our hearts.

One of my favorite Benton photos. 

Saying yes to a dog was one of the less selfish things I've done for my family. I would have been content never owning a pet, but others in my family were not. Luckily, the benefits of pet ownership reached me even though I didn't realize that I needed them. He makes my life more lovely. I like having the big boy around. I like how he looks at me with his soulful eyes. I like how he sits on my feet. I like that he needs me and that he's happy to see me. And more than anything, I like how much he loves my family. Who knew that I could have so much in common with a dog?

Simply put, he's good for the soul.

A lovely moment from my day: My nine-year-old daughter is wonderful at adding her special touch to celebrations. Today, she decorated for Benton's big day — streamers and of course, a Scooby Doo birthday banner.

Why I run

Today is National Running Day, and I'm proud to say that means something to me. It has not always been that way. Six years ago, the idea of running a mile was absurd to me. I had never done it without walking part of it. Never.

There are a lot of small reasons why I started running, but no big moment. On July 2, 2007, I woke up and I was ready for a change. I had carried extra weight since my son was born six years earlier in June of 2001. I started walking and biking regularly. And I became much more conscious about calories and quality of food. On July 4, I even avoided the fair-quality onion rings and cheese curds that are sold at the local Old-Fashioned 4th of July celebration. I was truly ready.

After several weeks and a few pounds lost, walking no longer gave the feeling that I was working my body. And I knew I wanted that feeling. I also knew running would give me that feeling, if I could do it. A few google searches later, and I had the Couch to 5K program printed and ready for me. I read testimonials and when I couldn't think of a reason why it wouldn't work, I began the program.

The C25K was immensely rewarding for me. I began to see my body as a type of machine: give it what it needs, it will give you what you need. The first time I ran twenty minutes straight gave me a rush: I knew that I was capable, that my body was capable. The only times I had ever felt proud of my body's performance was in childbirth. At that point, I had given birth twice. Two times in 29 years isn't that great, but now I had a way to get that feeling multiple times a week!

I gave up running when I became pregnant a third time after I spotted on and off for a few weeks. And running effected my milk supply when I was nursing. And then I was parenting three children, and I just couldn't find my running rhythm for a couple years. Was my romance with running over?

I believe that all runners either run away from something or toward something. The ones who run toward something will run with joy in their hearts. The daily run becomes a blessing for them, rather than a burden. When I first started running, I was running away from my extra weight, but soon started running toward the rush. Those years after my third child was born...I was just running away. Running away from a bit of weight, and running away from the demands of mothering for a few minutes. I was no longer feeling the love for running I once did.

But then last year, I heard about the Color Run, and I knew I had to participate. The idea of running through people throwing colored powder at me? Holy crap...that sounded amazing! Finally, I had something to run toward again. And along the way, during my third time doing the C25K, I found that love of running again.

I ran through most of my winter this year, and this year on National Running Day, I'm running further than I've ever ran before. Every run, I think, "What am I running toward today?" Sometimes it is story ideas, sometimes its a chat with God. Lately, it is usually the pure pleasure of listening to my favorite NPR shows without interruptions.

A while back, I read a piece by a local blogger where she complained that every runner she knew feels compelled to encourage everyone they know to take up running. I am totally one of those annoying runners. I'll try to push the C25K on anyone who will listen and I'm often looking for recruits to join me on the latest crazy run to roll through town. I just want everyone to feel what I feel during and, especially, after a run. When my skin is red and my hair is wet with sweat...well, that is when I feel my loveliest.

I'm not sure I will alway run, or even if I'll still be running at age 40. And I'm okay with that. What I do know is that I will run for as long as I have something to run toward.

Ignore the watermark. I just never got around to ordering this photo, but I wish I had. I had no idea anyone was taking a photo here, but they caught me smiling to myself. This is how a great run makes me feel! Now don't you want to try?

Summer is a lovely time to cook: My favorite summer cooking tools

My blogging has been a bit more sporadic than I would like it to be lately. I have plenty of lovely moments, but wrapping up May has proved to be a busy — but fun — time! There was Memorial Day, where I made (and burnt) two racks of ribs. Then there was my love's birthday:

Someone was not thrilled about posing. Still a cute pic...

Present time!

Is that Mr. T? Nope...It's Nathan with his rain chains.

And then there was the last day of school, when the kids brought home these:

Certificates from student council and school crossing guard.

And this is a big one: the President's Award for Educational Excellence!

And these:

The National Physical Fitness Award

And one for student council to match her big brother's...

Then I helped out with a fund-raiser for a local organization. (Volunteering has been proving to bring a wonderful bit of lovely to my life that I had been missing. Definitely a future blog post...) We had awesome weather for the outdoor event, and it was a perfectly lovely day!

I love all these special days, but they leave me without a lot of time to write! That is why for tonight's post, I've chosen a topic that I'm highly passionate about, knowing that the words will poor out fiercely.

The topic? Cooking tools! (I'll give you a moment to collect yourself after that burst of the excitement.) Summer is my favorite time to cook. I know many homecooks love the foods of fall: soups, casseroles, breads, etc., but fresh produce and grilling bring pure flavors to the forefront. The season is truly a celebration of all my favorites: tomatoes, peaches, herbs, steaks and burgers!

At the risk of being dramatic, I will tell you that there are a few kitchen tools that have changed my life. Changed my life! I still get a little rush each time I use them because they are things that were totally worth the money. They make the tasks at hand easier and sometimes even more fun. 

First up, the grill basket. This thing makes grilled veggies so easy: just chop and toss, placing the basket on the grill. The process makes this favorite recipe for warm pasta salad a breeze. I also make my chicken for my Thai chicken tacos in this basket during the warm months. 

This basket is available at Crate & Barrel for about $8!

Next, I refuse to make a salad without my beloved salad spinner. Getting the water off your lettuce leaves can be the difference between Eh? and AWESOME! We are on our second spinner, and you definitely want to spring for the OXO brand. It has already lasted longer than a less expensive version. 

I love this spinner! $30 at Target...

I've already written about my love of cocktails, many of which highlight freshly-squeezed juices. A hand-held citrus press makes this task easy and helps you get all the juice out of your fruit. Plus kids love to use it! I have this fancy red one from Martha Stewart:

Macy's sells my press for around $13.

Summer is a time for my last pair of tools to really shine. The microplane and garlic press can really shine with fresh marinades and salad dressings. (When you start making your own dressings, your salads are taken to a whole new level. Try it...but be warned. You may ruin yourself for bottled dressings all together. 

This microplane is about $15 at Target.

This garlic press, which is not like mine, but looks great is from Amazon,  $20.

I'll be honest: I've never met a kitchen tool I haven't loved, but these five bring a certain about of lovely to my meal prep time. I love them, I love them, I love them! If you try one, or are already a believer, let me know what you think. And if you don't love them like I do, I'll offer you a half dozen new reasons why you should.