Run to Rapid City Update #11

I can’t believe another month has gone by!

At the start of 2020 I was lost as to what my running goal would be for the year. I had done speed, distance, etc. Then the amazing Kathy suggested that I run to visit her. So off I went to Rapid City. You can tell I don’t run as much as many people out there as it’s a new year and I am still working on this goal of visiting Kathy.

Unfortunately, January hasn’t been a great month for running because I fell on the first Sunday long run of the year and my body is taking it’s sweet time healing. The only good thing I can say is that I just managed to squeak out 81.22km this month to beat last January’s 77km. With this 81km I have made it to Maier Lane in Billings, Montana.

Billings, Montana is definitely the biggest place I have stopped so far with 109,000 people and is the largest city in Montana. Billings, Montana is located on the Yellowstone River and has been around since 1872. Billings was named after the president of the Northern Pacific Railway, Frederick Billings.

Billings has the nickname Magic City because of its fast growth and it is continuing to grow very quickly to this day.

There are many attractions and events in Billings and one is the Pictograph caves which are just five miles from downtown Billings.

One cool thing is that Billings was covered by an inch of ash from the 1980s eruption of Mt. St. Helens. I remember my mom talking about my dad coming home with ash on him as he was trucking in the area of Mt. St. Helens at the time.

Well, I think I will cool my heels here for a day as there seems to be a lot of new shopping area in Billings. 😀

Have fun!

AJ

Happy Friday Eve!

I can’t believe it’s already Thursday again! My kids have been getting crazier and crazier each day so it all made sense when I saw it was a full moon today.

Teaching:

We had a pretty productive day though I hear my kids got yelled at by other teachers at lunch when they were yelling in the bathroom:(

We got through printing m, music, adding practice, silent reading and our monthly stem challenge.

The kids were super engaged in the stem challenge where they had to create a sledding ramp and see how far their “sled” would go. They got a piece of card stock, a piece of tape and thirty pieces of tape. The sled was the top of my tea container. I think the best was twelve centimeters, but I loved how they just kept going. One little girl cried at the end and one of her classmates gave her an idea to solve the problem. It was great to see!

I finished prep after school, but was super happy to get out of there!

Reading:

I finally finished the third book in the Confectionary series I was reading by Sydney Jane Bailey. I had a bit of trouble getting through the third book, but only because I could see the trouble coming and I’m finding it tough to read angsty books right now. The whole series was fun and well written.

Knitting:

I actually finished my new mitts yesterday, but will share them now. They are the TinCanKnits pattern World’s Simplest Mittens which is free in Ravelry. This is the second time I have made this pattern and I still love it! This time they are made out of Tumble Mountain Fingering held doubled. They are soft and a gorgeous blue colour, though I’m sorry you can’t see that with the bad night photo.

Exercise;

I got to start a new exercise class tonight. A couple of years ago I took athletic yoga and really enjoyed it as it was a challenge. My friend and I wanted to go back but of course it wasn’t happening. It was finally offered again and while it is different, it was still a good class. It is much less aerobic and there are only eight people and it’s only allowed to be 45 minutes, but boy did I feel like I worked hard in those forty five minutes. You get into a yoga pose and then have to do weights or body weight movements. I think I’m going to feel my abs tomorrow!

Well I think that’s all my excitement today.

Have fun!

AJ

Trivia Tuesday

It was an okay day, but I’ve been tired all day even after going to bed a half hour early last night.

Teaching:

I now have seven kids who have changed levels in the reading program and I am super happy about that, so happy that we started the day with two prizes for kids who had changed. We then proceeded to work on the long o sound in phonics. One of my little girls finally got tested by the SLP and it’s a bigger problem than expected:(

We started a tiny bit of addition and the kids then had library. I spent my prep walking home for lunch as somehow I went to school with just grapes for lunch. I guess it got me to run my car🤷🏼‍♀️

This afternoon we had silent reading and I took my lowest reading group. The two girls now have all of their sounds and the boy is only missing one- so at least there has been some improvement!

We also worked further on our hibernation work. I love science Asian ways learn things too.

The best part of my day was when my students begged me to read books to them rather than showing a magic school bus video. I love that they love books!❤️❤️❤️

Exercise:

My run was supposed to be later,but Sarah texted to just go ahead without her. Dennis and I ran to the mill and back, but once again it felt tough. I also got my 1:30 plank done. I read during my plank today and that really helped!

Trivia:

I really wanted a nap,but had to pick up milk so did that instead.

It was our regular five for trivia tonight. In the first round:

What animal is Hedwig in Harry Potter?

Owl

What did the main character of Castaway do before he became stranded?

Fed-Ex

Name the first four words in Jessie’s Girl by Rick Springfield.

Jessie is a friend

What Ed Sheerhan song debuted at #2 in 2017?

Castle on the Hill

Who wrote the Scarlet Letter?

Nathaniel Hawthorne

In the music round the categories were :

P Bands, Single Girl Names, Songs about Pot, Prince and Hits of 2013

We came in second in Kahoot.

What were the initials of the agents in Men in Black?

J&k

What was the name of the princess in 1959 Sleeping Beauty?

Aurora

What was the name of Roy Rogers horse?

Trigger

What does C&H stand for in the sugar world?

California & Hawaii

Which two countries in South America are landlocked?

Bolivia and Paraguay

What is a blow to the back in boxing called?

Rabbit Punch

We didn’t win any drink tonight and ended the night still tied for fourth place overall.

Have fun!

AJ

Monday

I had absolutely no ambition today, really wanted to just stay in bed with my book!

Teaching:

We got through a journal, music class, gym class of What Time is it Mr. Wolf?, an assessment of place value, and a lesson on hibernation.

The kids were best during the assessment and I actually got the entire class done in one go- unheard of!

At the end of the day we went outside as it was sunny when we went. It started hailing, but the kids didn’t appear to even notice. I was a frozen popsicle by the end though!

I headed out quickly after school as I had a massage.

Reading:

I finished the book The Toffee Heiress by Sydney Jane Bailey. This is the second in the series and I enjoyed it as much as the first and have started on the third book now. It is complete fluff, but happy and enjoyable!

Knitting:

I had started a toque out of the yarn I bought in Burn’s Lake last year, but it just wasn’t right, so I’ve ripped it out and have started on a pair of mitts for myself. For a long time I had a grey pair of the Simplest Mittens in the World by TinCanKnits that I loved, but they got holes in them, so now I am replacing them. I really need to get going as it’s cold outside right now!

Netflix:

I have finished the Canadian Baking Show and Emily in Paris so far and am almost done Virgin River. If anyone knows of any other good chick flick things on Netflix, please let me know.

Well that’s it for my Monday.

Have fun!

AJ

Weekend Wrap Up

It was the same quarantine version of a weekend as always.

Exercise:

I ran on Saturday afternoon as there was snow called for on Sunday. I combined my run with getting my car out for a drive and went out to the nearest dyke. It was a gorgeous afternoon and while the first trail was quiet, I ended up having to run the road into a local park because the dykes were so incredibly busy with the gorgeous sunshine.

Then wouldn’t you know it… I woke up to rain, not snow and ended up running again this morning. We only got 3km in this morning because the regular path was like a skating rink and the long path was flooded, so we ran the road and back and called it a day.

This afternoon I did the latest NourishMoveLove 15 minute and, butt and thighs workout and then ten minutes of yoga, as well as my 1:30 plank. I am feeling quite accomplished.

Knitting:

I spent much of the weekend knitting and made myself a new tank for the summer. This was previously another tank I never wore and when I frogged it, I didn’t re-enter the yarn into my stash count so felt as though I needed to get it knit up quickly.

Not the best picture, but you get the idea. I then went back to my October hat, but I may have to restart that as I may not have enough yarn with holding it double. It may be better to use a single strand as then I would have enough for mitts too:)

Baking:

Today I made coconut flour bagels that are supposedly very easy, but I found them quite greasy as they have a lot of cheese in them. I used vegan cheese of course, but still not something I would make again.

On Saturday morning I made everything but the bagel crackers with my sourdough discard and they were quite yummy, but needed more cooking. The story of my life lately!

I also tried the sourdough again. I covered the bread for the first half hour with tin foil and then uncovered it. I baked it for 1hr20 minutes and it was still raw. I ended up putting it back in for almost another hour so we shall see how it is in the morning.

Well I think that’s pretty well it for my weekend, other than a lot of Netflix and reading.

Have fun!

AJ

Happy Friday Eve

At least I’ve said it on the right day this week!

Teaching:

It was a crazy day at work today! On my walk up the hill I passed the BC Hydro trucks and sure enough I got to school to find a partial power outage. My class thankfully had lights, but no heat. All day long the power came and went. The kids loved doing everything old school, but it did give more stress to the day.

We managed to get through printing n, music, practice of place value, and an art project as well as playing outside in the sunshine at the end of the day.

Exercise:

I came home and got right to it. I did my 1:25 plank, a ten minute Fat Burner workout from the lean machine and fourteen minutes of yoga. The fat burning workout should have been called the jumping jack workout as it seemed like that’s what made up 80% of it!

This is the first day that my knee hadn’t hurt, and I just hope I didn’t overdo it with the workout!

Shopping:

I stopped and grabbed my first ice cream of the year tonight as they had new flavors to try. I am trying to just have ice cream once a month so I won’t go back until they have new flavors I want to try. I had their banana fudge caramel walnut which was amazing and a pumpkin brittle chocolate ganache which had amazing brittle, but they still need to work on the base as it was a little grainy for my taste. It was satisfying and seems very sweet after not eating sugar lately.

I met up with my friend Liane from work to hit Costco tonight. We have been doing this once a month and it’s fun to go with a friend, though somewhat expensive so far!

Tonight was better! I picked up several items of clothing, but ended up putting them all back. I also picked up an instant pot for $70, but ended up leaving it too. I mostly just bought things that were actually on my list or were regular good things for me. The only new thing I bought were these potatoes that my friend says are good and quick to make. It would’ve nice to have something a little more instant in the house.

Now it’s time for bed!

Have fun!

AJ

TriviaTuesday

It’s been a busy day!

Reading:

Just before I forget.. I finished a good book last night and started the second in the series this morning. The first was called The Chocolate Duchess by Sidney Jane Bailey. This is complete fluff, but it was fun.

Teaching:

The kids were fine. We got through long I in phonics, a little bit of place value practice, library and a science experiment on why birds fly in a v when migrating.

I really noticed today that some of the kids are noticeably better at things now than they were before Christmas break. It’s great to see.

I was also super happy to see that four children have already moved onto the next level in home reading. Yay! I had a feeling this group would move fast if I could just get the program for them.

I spent my prep and some time after school making an inventory list of our guided reading books. I’m going to use mine to keep track of what books I use with what groups.

Exercise:

I drove over to a nearby River and ran there with Dennis and Sarah. This got my car moving (I had to jumpstart it again yesterday) and got my run in:). It was actually quite a quick run as we were racing the daylight.

House:

My gas fireplace turned itself off again yesterday and wouldn’t come back on so my cousin came again tonight to fix it. I wish I had been more organized and had something on hand to clean the glass. I tried vinegar, but I don’t feel like it did anything:(

Trivia:

There were just four of us for the first round.

What we knew in the first round:

Who are the goalies for the Canucks this year?

Dipieteo, Holtby, Demko

Which province produces the most milk in Canada?

Quebec

Where was the Dodo bird from?

Africa

When was the penny discontinued in canada?

2012

The second round was all music. It went from the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s.

The Kahoot round was tough!

In the final round we knew:

What movie won best picture in 2020 Oscars?

Parasite

Who played the son on Happy Days?

Ron Howard

What is the official language of Egypt?

Arabic

What is the previous name of Mumbai?

Bombay

What element used to be called quicksilver?

Mercury

Spell commitment

In the song Beer for my horses, what do the men drink?

Whiskey

What are the first six words of Dancing Queen by Abba?

You can dance, you can jive

We are sitting in third place overall right now. It’s really bugging me that one of the guys on the team in first always has his phone out though. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but it’s bugging me!!

Have fun!

AJ

Weekend Wrap Up

It was a very quiet weekend for me.

Knitting:

I spent a lot of the weekend knitting and got two toques finished and a sweater started. I made the first toque but then decided it would be too small for my trivia mate so I did the same toque pattern again in a heavier weight of yarn. Now it seems too big. I will take it on Tuesday and see if she likes it or not. The pattern is free on Ravelry and is called the Slouchy Beehive Hat. The yarn was recycled from one of my grandma’s sweaters. If nothing else, I have a new toque and it took seven skeins out of the stash.

The sweater I have started is a cotton one. I had made the Largo racerback, but never wore it so I frogged it. I hadn’t entered the yarn back into my stash so feel like I have to get it knitted up.

I just wanted a simple short sleeved, crew neck shirt and so am using the directions in my Top Down Sweaters book by Anne Budd since I couldn’t find anything in ravelry that was quite right. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Exercise:

On Saturday I did another Nourish Move Live workout for the glutes. I also did a Fit On workout. My friend at work suggested this app, but I have to admit I’m not super impressed yet.

This morning I ran 7km. I’m still not back to ten kilometer Sundays but my knee is also not back to normal yet, so I guess that’s a good thing.

Baking:

My sourdough starter smelled of acetone Friday when I took it out of the fridge so I did some extra feeding and felt like it was in a good place today. I let it rise for four hours this time and it still came out raw in the middle. I feel like I need to get one of those thermometers you can stick into it, as it always sounds hollow to me. It has not stopped me from eating way too much of it!

I’ve been watching the Canadian baking show as I knit this weekend and that is obviously dangerous!

Well that’s my weekend in a nutshell.

Have fun!

AJ

SAL Update

When I was a teenager I loved the work of Paula Vaughn and my grandma very kindly bought me the Paula Vaughn cross stitch book “A Quilt for All Seasons”. I immediately started on the January one. I’m not sure when exactly this was, but the project then languished on a shelf in my spare room for twelve years after I moved into my condo. Last year I heard about this SAL and decided it may help me actually get this project finished.

I don’t ever feel like I’ve gotten much done, but in December I posted all the pictures from the year and could actually see that I have made progress this year. I’m a firm believer that every stitch is a step towards completion.

Last month, I had gotten to here:

This month it has still been difficult to get enough light to stitch by, but I managed to work a solid two hours on it. It’s also tough to find time along with teaching, running, reading and knitting, though every nice day, I tried to grab at least a few minutes!

This month, the project looks like this:

I’m still off by a couple of stitches here and there, but hopefully I’ll keep that edge perfect and the next page will go better. I have definitely learned not to hop around so I don’t have to change colours. It’s better to change colours!!!

Make sure you check out all the other members of this SAL as the projects are truly spectacular!!!

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

Finally Finished

Another normal day. If my knee didn’t still hurt, it’d be great!

Teaching:

We had a good day. All but one of my students is doing their home reading🎉🎊. We got through a lesson in printing the letter r, our first lesson on place value, and worked again on our line art, though we unfortunately didn’t get that finished😞 We still celebrated by going outside to play in the sunshine.

When looking at the home reading program I saw that one of the girls in my class recorded her reading at 11:31 last night. Doesn’t that seem a little late for a six year old to be up? She said she was washing her hair when I asked her about it. Hmmm, I so couldn’t do that!

After school I stayed to finish prep for next week.

I couldn’t believe I got to walk home in daylight! No rain really helps the light situation!

Exercise:

While my hand really only complains during my daily plank, my knee is still talking:(. I tried to take it easy again today by doing only upper body and abs for my workout, and an easy round of yoga. It’s better than nothing, I keep telling myself. It is bugging me though that I’m not anywhere near what I usually am for mileage:(

Knitting:

For a project that I thought would take one day, my sweater sleeves instead took five days. I finally finished them today and I will probably wear the sweater tomorrow to test them out. I have moved onto a slouchy toque for one of the ladies at trivia. My plan is to use two charcoal remnants and hope it looks good!

Well I need sleep!

Have fun!

AJ