365-5 | Peaches Prattlings

{October 13, 2017} I really enjoyed this challenge.

Thank you CWB, so much fun.

I really enjoyed the challenge: Seven days. Seven black and white photos of life. No people. No explanation. Challenge someone new each day.

I took up the challenge, took a bunch of black and white photos and challenged others. I really enjoyed taking the photos, I took a bunch, then decided what to post.

I’ve also really enjoyed looking at all the folks who have been challenged and what they’ve posted. There is something pleasant and soothing and thought provoking to black and white, no matter the subject.

Here are some of the photos I’ve taken over the last week.

And tonight’s post.

{October 12, 2017} Happy FIRST birthday CDL!

My baby had a baby.. and now he’s one! What?! I remember when I became a mom, a little different than “the normal channels” so to speak. The wasband had two kids, a girl, TYL, ne TYH, and a boy, WCH, we called him by CH, which is what he’s known as. She was seven and he had just turned eight. I remember when they started spending the night, I had new mom syndrome and loved it! By that I mean when I couldn’t sleep, and at the time, I could sleep! I was constantly checking on them, watching them sleep, and when I did sleep, it was a very light sleep because I would hear them turn over in their sleep! Forgot about hearing them cough or sniffle! The time we weren’t in each other’s lives was the hardest for me, but when we reconnected, wow! Ok, I could talk about them for days, but I need to tell you why we’re here! My baby, TYL, is a mom of a ONE year old! What! One minute he’s there, growing inside her and the next minute…a wonder! I met him when he was a few weeks old and like all my grandbabies, the second we met, I was in love! Well, from the sonogram, but seeing him, holding him, the sweet new baby smell, wrapping his little fingers around my hand and my heart. He didn’t do much at that stage, they don’t, except capture your heart and mind, watching him look at everything with wonder and curiosity. Seeing TYL as cool and collected mom, thinking she was a mess, but she was beautiful, that day and everyday, but this is a new kind of beauty. She is the mother of an amazing little person! CDL is a smart, precocious, precious, funny, silly, goofy, smart, curious, inquisitive, cautious, fearless, fabulous, little person. He embodies the best of his parents, I even see his uncle, CH, in there. He loves his mommy and daddy, he loves to laugh, play, snuggle, explore, learn, try. He’s a wonder and today, October 11th, he’s one! Happy, happy first birthday CDL, I love you and I can’t wait to watch you grow and smile and celebrate so many birthdays together!

{October 11, 2017} Three new vegan meals in two days? Yum!

I’ll take it!

One of my favorite vegan restaurants in Chicago, Native Foods has launched its new menu and I have tried a few things between yesterday and today.

I couldn’t believe it, vegan bagels, lox and cream cheese? What?! Yup! A bagel, unfortunately plain, but wait! The cream cheese was made from cashews, it was creamy and light and tasty. The lox was thin sliced carrots, but it’s the way they marinated it smells and tastes like lox, wow! They offer it just like a ‘real’ lox platter with capers, lemon and onions. Doesn’t it look fabulous?!

Last night, I ordered from True Foods, we’ve talked about it before, I hope you remember! I ordered a pizza with butternut squash, onions, spinach, cranberries and almond ricotta! Wow!

I also ordered guacamole with chips and Winter Squash toast, this had brussel sprouts and toasted hazelnuts. Yum! Think I was able to come close to finishing? Not a chance, guess what was for lunch!

Tonight, I went back to Native Foods, with LJ this time. I ordered plantains with two different dipping sauces and for dinner, chicken and waffles! The syrup was maple siracha, a little too spicy for me, but the ‘chicken’ and waffles, tasty!

Dessert was our favorite oatmeal cream cookie, which we shared, so rich!

Don’t the pictures make you hungry!

Day 5 of 7 Challenge!

{October 10, 2017} O M G…La la la love!!

My friends and family so know me!!

Look at what SDL and Miss A gave me for my birthday! Anyone who knows me knows my favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz! I love everything about it, I even have my “Dorothy Converse”! Converse/Chuck Taylors that are covered in red sparkles!

The way my Monopoly connection started was when LGR gave me a Wizard of Oz version and it kind of took off from there, people gave me a bunch of different versions. Love it!

I got a bag with Dorothy’s Ruby Red Slippers, “There’s no place like home” so true! It feels like I’m coming home when I’m with my friends. There was a Wizard of Oz Mad Libs book, can’t wait! A coloring book and colored pens, love! Great for my travels, I can’t wait to use it on my next long flight home!

The last, possibly best, gift of all! A t-shirt from Miss A…BAE Best Auntie Ever! O M G! A title I wear with pride! And she helps make me a BAE!!!

Thank you so much SDL and Miss A, you made my big day extra special! I love you both!

Day 4 of 7 Challenge:

{October 8, 2017} OMG! I am such a lucky JJ!!!

Today I got the best text!

I get some awesome texts quite often, but today… extra special.

As you know, I have a fabulous add important responsibility this time of year. Halloween costumes for my nieces and grandbabies. I’ve been getting them ordered and delivered over the past few weeks and they have been arriving over the past few days.

For me, the absolute best part about all of it, hearing how much they love their costumes and seeing their faces in their costumes. As soon as they are all in, I’ll tell you what each one wanted and got.

Well, the reason I’m telling you all of this is that today, Baby A got his costume and he loves it. Along with a photo of him in his costume, adorable! I got the picture below with the text message attached.

He painted a picture in school of his house next to my house!!! And he painted it for me!!! Think I was excited? Speechless? Teary? Think I’m turning into my mother? You bet your bippy!!!

I am such a lucky auntie and JJ! Thank you!!!

My day 3 of 7 photo. I like this challenge!

{October 7, 2017} Go away cough…

I’ve had enough…Of this tickle. Make a decision, are you a tickle, half-cough, half- cough? Or are you a full blown cough, hack, hack, hack! Apparently I cannot make a decision, but I would really like to! This is driving me crazy! I have cough drops, they seem to help, but do I take medicine or ride it out? I feel fine, just now the proud owner of a scratchy throat! Oh yeah… and I sound like a drag queen! Photo challenge day two! Any guesses?

{October 7, 2017} Challenge accepted.

I was challenged yesterday and I accepted.

The challenge was this:

Seven days. Seven black and white photos of life. No people. No explanation. Challenge someone new each day.

I thought it was interesting and decided to give it a go. I was challenged by CWB and then I challenged GES’ sister- in- law, AS. She’s a great artist, I think it will be fun to see what she posts. And…I get to challenge a new person each day.

Here’s my entry for today, day 1. Remember, black and white, no people and no explanation. I wonder what I’ll photograph tomorrow and who I’ll challenge! Whatever it is, I can’t wait to see what they do!

Look out, it could be you!

{October 6, 2017} We need some happy. Now

My heart hurts. My eyes are red.

My eyes are puffy from crying, my nose is red and stuffed from running and crying.

First, Mother Nature sends a hurricane to hurt Texas. Then, that wasn’t enough, she sent another to Florida and she really wasn’t done, Puerto Rico.

We’ve lost people, just recently, that were influential and pioneers in their own mediums, Hugh Hefner last week and Tom Petty on Monday. There were false reports early in the day and later, he lost his battle. Did you know that Marilyn Manson was injured at his concert Saturday?

Then we wake up Monday to hear about a shooting in Las Vegas. I actually thought it was about Marilyn Manson, since I didn’t know what had happened at his show. But it wasn’t. It was a mad man, a mass murderer opening fire on a crowd of concert goers, innocent people enjoying music and each other. With no explanations, reasons or why.

Today, there was a bomb threat at one of the local high schools near where I am teaching. They evacuated all the local high schools and some of the middle schools. The perpetrators, two twelve year olds. What?!

The late night talk show hosts, like Jimmy Kimmel, their hearts hurting, having trouble talking to their audience and daytime hosts like Ellen Degeneres wanting to show us that there is still good in the world, thank you, we need to see that!

There is so much I want to say. Can we start with…

When is enough enough?

Please be good to each other. I will start…I love, like and appreciate you all.

{October 3, 2017} It really pays to say something

I’m a legacy! Wow!

Ok, let me explain what a legacy is and then how I am and why it pays to say something.

As you know, this weekend I did the Hot Chocolate 15k in Denver. This was my fifth Hot Chocolate race, two 15k’s, the rest 5k’s. The majority were in Atlanta and some in Denver.

A few months ago Ram Racing, who sponsors and puts on the Hot Chocolate Race, among others, sent out an email to all participants about their new Legacy Program. You would get an a medal, pin, beanie, picture frame and a special bib to wear, in addition to your race bib showing that you’re a legacy.

The legacy categories are three, five and ten years. Three is bronze, five is silver and ten is gold.

I got the email and rushed to check, yup, I have five! You know me and my bling!

Then… they send an email changing the policy… you have to participate for those years… in the same city.. what?! Now I’m just annoyed…

So… Have you met me? You guessed it, I went to guest services and said my peace. The woman I talked to, Serena, was very nice and understanding. She looked up my name and saw that I had participated in at least five Hot Chocolate races.

And… ready… She told me that the organizers are going to honor those that received the original letters that said three, five or ten years in a row. What? Really?! I wasn’t trying to get something, I wanted to voice a concern. But… yrs, they are going to honor my five years!

So…I got a five year silver medal, in the shape of a mug, a silver five year pin, a picture frame and my legacy bib! There is also a beanie, which they are mailing to me. I got it!

Now, if I decide to do this race again, which I have a feeling I will continue to do, I participated in the inaugural race in Atlanta in 2013! I will be sure to do the race in the same city.. if I want the legacy to continue.

Thank you to Ram Racing and The Hot Chocolate Race for honoring what you said and recognizing those of us who made it.

It really does pay to say something!

{October 2, 2017} Hot Chocolate 15k!

What a day!

So, you know my goals when I participate in a race: Start the race…check! Finish the race… check! Have people behind you… check!

That last one was touch and go! I totally admit, I had not trained, totally on me and I don’t know if it has anything to do with it, but fasting the day before, probably not the best thing for a race. As we’ve talked about before, I’ve done all different race lengths, from 5k to half marathon and only once, when everyone else was a runner did I come in last and didn’t like it.

So… along the route, I kept with people and then I was behind and then more behind and more behind. But I was doing it. I was tired by mile 7, ok, by mile 6, but that was a 10k, I’m doing this. Mile 7, I can’t quit now! It’s on my 2.3 miles left!

But… just before mile 7, the sweeper van was right there! The cop behind me, the end of the race, I ignored, he can’t do anything, but the sweeper van! I’ve told you about getting swept before, not a great feeling! I heard that door open and I ran for it! Just beat him!!!

Then I was with the other 6-10 stragglers. We were all motivating each other! It’s only 2 miles to go! Do you see the 8 mile? The 9 mile marker? One girl, this was her first and she said she was going to cry! I said go for it! My first 5k, I cried! And the first one I ran the whole thing, you bet your bippy!

We were so close! I was not giving up! I put my sweatshirt back on so they could see my bib number when I crossed the finish. Here are some of the advantages of finishing towards the end. Serious cheering! They can look up your bib number and say your name and where you’re from!

Now, when you look at my stats, feel free to laugh, I couldn’t stop! Overall, out of 2831 participants, I was 2827! Out of 2140 females, I was 2136! Now, in my age group, saved the best for last! I saw that and could not stop laughing!

So… Start… check. Finish.. check. People behind me… check! Get medal… check!

I’m a happy girl!

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