1st 5k Race!

Today I participated in my first 5k race. I took part in the Are U Able? 5k race. It is a race put on by UAB's Physical Therapy department. They have the race every year to race money for physical therapy research.

I started the Couch to 5k program in April. I finished the program the early part of July. I am surprised how much I am enjoying running. I was so excited that I finally got to run in my first race.

I ran the 5k in 32.38 minutes. I know it's not the best time but it is my time & I am proud of it. I hope to get faster and run in another race soon.

Honey Pizza Dough

Today Justin had the day off. We took the kids swimming at the YMCA & then ran some errands. Fun!

Justin wanted to have a "Guys Night" with David so the two of them went to the Birmingham Barron's baseball game. Justin & David had a "Guys Night" last year & David just loved it. He talked about their night for months. I am excited to hear all about the game in the morning. Grace & I had a "Girls Night In". She didn't have much of a nap today so she was pretty lazy and tired this evening. She had a bubble bath (all to herself) & then we snuggled on the couch watching Tinker Bell (her favorite movie right now).

For dinner, I made homemade pizzas. I found a recipe for Honey Pizza Dough. David LOVES honey right now! He is constantly asking me for honey sandwiches. When I found this recipe I knew it was David's kind of pizza!

Honey Pizza Dough
**I found this recipe at simplebites.com. The recipe makes 4 portions...it is meant for freezing. I split the recipe in half (since I had never made it before) & we ate one pizza & I put the other dough in the freezer for another day.**

1/2 cup warm water
2 T dry yeast
5 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups cool water
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T honey

1. In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, stir the yeast into the warm water until dissolved. Let stand.
2. Add the flour, the cool water, salt, olive oil, and honey into the yeast mixture. Knead with a dough hook for about 5 minutes or by hand for 7 minutes.
3. Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise for 30 minutes.
4. Punch down dough and divide into 16 portions (for individual pizzas) or 4 portions (for 16-inch pizzas). Coat each ball of dough in olive oil, wrap in plastic wrap or place in resealable bag and freeze.

To Use: Remove from freezer 8-12 hours before using. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator. Let rise until doubled in size, then punch down and make your pizza.

It's Friday For the Wagners!

Today is our Friday! Justin is off work Friday & Saturday. Yay!

We spent the morning at the YMCA. After Justin & I worked on our fitness, we took David swimming. We were going to take both kids in the pool but we forgot Grace's pacifier at home. It seems like lately she get fussy in the pool without her pacifier. She loves the pool & loves to swim but she seems to need that pacifier to be happy. Oh well, she stayed in the nursery & David got his Mommy & Daddy all to himself for an hour & a half. :)

Two happy boys to be in the pool!

My Water Baby!

This afternoon I had an eye appointment at 2:30pm for my yearly check up. I wasn't very smart when I made this appointment because it is right in the middle of nap time. I don't know what I was thinking. Luckily, Grace fell asleep on the living room floor after lunch (see picture below). Both kids were so well behaved at the doctor's office & were in good spirits this evening.

Bread Machine Buttery Rolls

The day started out with a bang! I got a root canal done back in April for one of my molars. It had been bothering me for almost a year when I got the root canal done. Well, I have still been in pain since the root canal. Boo! I was sent to an endodontist. I went a couple of time already & he adjusted my bite. We thought a month ago, this had fixed the problem but no, it can't be that easy! I have another root canal scheduled for August 31st. Hopefully, this time & with a specialist, the problem will finally be solved (I haven't been able to chew on the left side of my mouth for over a year)!

After my appointment this morning, the kids & I met up with some friends we haven't seen in a while. It was fun to play for a bit & catch up. We had to leave early because David had "an accident" and Mommy forgot to pack extra clothes. I'm still waiting for my boy to get over the fact we are no longer at the beach or Grandpa & Nanny's house. :(

David sliding

David swinging

Playing tag

Peek A Boo! Grace

Strike a pose...

Snack Break

For dinner, I made pork chops with milk gravy. I had some milk gravy in the freezer from the last time I made it. I found a new roll recipe online so I gave that a try.

Bread Machine Buttery Rolls

**I found this recipe on Moneysavingmom.com. They turned out really yummy! I put the honey butter spread on the rolls & it came out really good.**

1 cup warm milk (70-80 degrees)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
4 cups bread flour
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1. Add ingredients in the order listed into your bread machine. Run on dough cycle.
2. when dough is complete, divide into 20-24 portions and shape into balls.
3. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 13-16 minutes or until golden brown.

Option: Brush the rolls with a honey/butter mixture as soon as they come out of the oven.

The Perfect Bed (Almost)

Right before we went on our beach trip I started to get the decorating bug. We have been in our house over 5 years now & most of the rooms still have the same paint color on the wall as the day we moved into the home. I have been wanting to give our living room a face lift (since we are in that room the most) for a while. I have just been unsure what to do. I do not in any way consider myself a decorator! I wish I had someone that could come into my house & say "this is what you will love" and have it be stylish & homey.

So, I was hoping by being away from the house for a week I would loose this bug to change things. Nope! If anything, it is worse! I have been writing down ideas & searching the web all week (and it's only Tuesday). I really need to get out to the stores (without the kids) & look at curtains & try to get an idea in my head of what I would like to do. We will see.

In looking around the web, I found a really fun blog called Home by Heidi. She has some really neat ideas that don't cost an arm and a leg. She gives a tutorial on how to make "The Perfect Bed". Today was sheet washing day so I decided to give her idea a try. I have an old comforter that has some rips in it so when I replace it (hopefully soon) I plan to buy with her bed making skills in mind.

Here is what her bed looks like...

Here is how my bed turned out...


I know, it's not perfect or looks like something out of a magazine, but it looks nicer than how I was making the bed before.

Here is a link to Heidi's website & the tutorial for making the bed.
Home By Heidi: The Perfect Bed

Trying to get back in the swing of things...

Today was a pretty lazy day for us. We are back home from our WONDERFUL beach vacation. We came home yesterday & I was able to get everything unpacked and put away (Yay!!). Today I picked up around the house & started the standard chore list. I took the kids to the YMCA to give them something to do. I worry about them acting out since we went from having so much to do everyday to "normal" life. The kids and I like to stay busy but it doesn't compare to the beach! :)

Grace is doing fine since being home but David is acting out a little. He keeps asking me if we can go back to the beach. When I tell him no, he asks if we can go back to Nanny & Grandpa's house. This breaks my heart. :( David has been having accidents in his pants since we arrived home. I am hoping that after a couple days, he will settle down & things will go back to normal in the Wagner home.

For dinner, I tried a new recipe: Sweet Ham Steak. It turned out really yummy! The kids were real into it, which I was surprised because they both LOVE ham! I think they were both tired & not into eating. I love to get ham steaks. Winn-Dixie often has them BOGO free. They normally run around $5-6 so they are cheap to begin with so when I can get them BOGO free, I always stock up! I also like them because it isn't a lot of ham. The four of us can usually eat the whole thing at dinner.

Sweet Ham Steak

**I found this recipe on the Taste of Home website. It turned out really good & I look forward to making it again soon!**

1 Bone-in fully cooked ham steak (2lb)
5 T butter, cubed
5 T brown sugar

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown ham steak on both sides; drain. Remove ham.
2. In the same skillet, melt the butter; stir in brown sugar. Return ham to the skillet; cook until heated through, turning often.

Beach Day 4

We spent the morning hanging out on the beach & playing in the swimming pool. The guys had a 12:00pm tee time. While they guys played golf, the kids took a 4 hour nap (yes, 4 hour nap)!! The kids are playing so hard & getting worn out!!

David burried in the sand

Pretty Grace!

Kisses for Mommy!


For dinner, we went out for seafood at Mikee's Seafood Restaurant.


David & Nanny

Hugging on Mommy

Grandpa, Nanny & David

Jim & Meagan

Jim & Katie

After dinner, we went to play mini golf at Pirate Adventure.


Ready to play!

Go David!

Go Grace!

Pirate Fun!




Getting ready for bed & being silly!