Home

Within these booger-stain walls our humble home, we embrace life and suck the nectar out of it, which may explain all the teeth marks on the furniture.

But all those bite marks, scratches and hammered dents in the furniture add character.  Some would pay good money for a weathered look whereas my children offer their handiwork for free.

The walls may be lacking color or needing another coat of paint, but the fingerprints and artworks on the walls display signs of real masterpieces: my beautiful, creative and spirited children.

What appears as piles of clutter to guests are my pride possessions and cherished memories.

Our yard may not be the most manicured, but it looks well traveled.

My home is an honest reflection of my life.

It may not be perfect.

Occasionally it looks tired and shows signs of wear, but I do my best to maintain it.

And I love every inch of it.

PhotoStory Fridaythe hollie rogue

Music Monday iTunes Gift Card Winner!

Before announcing the winner, I would like to once again thank everyone for all your support over the past year.  By hosting Music Monday, I’ve crossed paths with so many wonderful bloggers via a music blog hop and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.  So keep sharing your favorite tunes, linking up and hopping along with me.

Thanks for keeping the Run DMT Music Monday party going strong!

And now for the winner!  With the help of random.org, the winner is…

 

I swear!  It was completely random!  Um…well, at least I’ll save on postage.   Congratulations to Karen of If I Could Escape! :-)

A Beautiful Thing

PhotobucketI’ve expressed my love for all things Italian on this blog many times before so it should come as no surprise that hubby took me for an Italian meal for my birthday.

At Bella’s Italian Café, we enjoyed a delicious three course meal starting with Bella’s Famous Chopped Salad, a finely chopped chicken breast, crumbled bacon, diced tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, red cabbage, gorgonzola, ditalini pasta and romaine all tossed in a dijon vinaigrette.

Although we should have split our entree, we each ordered the Salciccia Al Forno , Italian sausage tossed with penne pasta, mushrooms and ricotta in a creamy tomato sauce, then topped with mozzarella and baked.

 

Of course, we made sure to leave room for dessert and selected Tiramisu (a classic Italian dessert with layers of lady fingers, zabaglione – Marsala flavored custard, espresso whipped cream and mascarpone topped with whipped cream and warmed chocolate sauce) to top it off.  Much like restaurant’s name, our meal was simply beautiful.

 

Whereas others would be tired of eating Italian food, this past week we’ve been piling on the cheesy pasta dishes.  Per my request, Iron Chef Allan concocted a baked penne casserole and it was better than I hoped for!  This stringy cheesy layered mess really satisfied my craving.

Iron Chef Allan’s Baked Penne

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 cartons of Pomi chopped tomatoes

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 cup fresh basil , finely chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

1 lb pasta

1 lb shredded part skim mozzarella

3 cups whole milk ricotta

1/4 cup grated parmesean

1 egg

Directions

Prepare penne according to al dente directions on box.

In a saucepan, soften onions in olive oil for about 10 minutes.  Add garlic to onions and cook for about 1 minute.  Add tomatoes, 1 Tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, red pepper flakes, basil and oregano.  Simmer for about ten minutes or until warmed through.

In a large bowl, mix ricotta, mozzarella, egg, parmesean, 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper with half the tomato sauce.  Pour mixture into a 9 x 11 baking pan.  Top with remaining sauce, mozzerella and parmesean cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown at 350 degrees.

 

Now link up and see what If I Could Escape and Gone Bananas are serving for this week’s Friday Food Fight.


*Also submitted at*

PhotoStory FridayI am a Food RENEGADE!friday potluck guest host girlichef

Music Monday at Run DMT

Over a year ago, I began participating in Diane’s Musical Monday meme.  I loved hopping from blog to blog viewing each person’s pick.  I enjoyed listening to the variety of music, discovering new songs or revisiting forgotten favorites but ultimately adding some great tunes to my running playlist while making friends.

 

Then earlier this summer, Diane passed along the Musical Monday torch to Amanda and we all continued to play along. Thanks to Amanda, we never missed a beat.

 

Along the way, I also discovered Tara’s and Shelley’s Music Mondays and played along there too.

 

However, these days the Music Monday blog hops seem to be slowing down and I wanted to help get things moving again.  Starting this today, I will try my turn at hosting a Music Monday blog hop and to kick it all off, I’m giving away a $15 iTunes gift card to one lucky participant.

 

***To win this card, simply link up here at Run DMT with your Music Monday post and visit at least two other Music Monday links listed on Mr. Linky.  Leave a comment on their blogs saying that you’re visiting from Run DMT.  Then come back here and leave a comment to share which blogs you visited.***

 

Plus, if grab you my jazzy new Music Monday button (created by the ever-so-talented Running Betty) and add it to your Music Monday post, leave a comment here letting me and you can earn one extra entry.  It’s like music to your ears, isn’t it?

 

Mr. Linky and the comments section will remain open until Friday, September 10 at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern time) and a one lucky winner will be selected the following Monday (9/13).

 

Now, to get everyone moving and starting off on the right foot, I’m sharing one of my favorite running songs.  This week, I become a mom on the run again and this song always keeps me moving. What moves you?

 

 

An Honest Toot

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve received two amazing recognitions which I feel entitles me to toot my own horn.

 

First, Run DMT was featured as one of the Best Running Blogs in the Blogosphere by Broken Hearted Runner (@Jake Rosen).  With big ol’  preggo belly popping daily, my running or the more accurate term wogging (walking + jogging)  days are few and far between.  Unfortunately, that leaves little to write about it.  But yes, I am in deed still attempting to wog even though it’s getting harder and harder every day.  It’s just nice to know that others still appreciate the content here at Run DMT whether I’m blogging about my wogging or my family life.

 

Secondly, Alex of Ma, What’s 4 Dinner slapped me with the Honest Scrap Award.  Boy, if only she knew how appropriate this title is for me!  I am way too honest and scrappy for my own good and sometimes the honesty borders on the side of TMI.  But if this award refers to scrapbooking, then Lord help us because the only sort of embellishment I know is exaggerating which is a rare occurrence for an honest mama like me.

 

I stumbled upon Alex through SITS Saturday Sharefest which epitomizes the idea of blogging support.  Thanks to this comment fest every Saturday hosted by Secret in the Sauce (SITS) , Alex and I began regularly visiting each other’s blogs.  I just love her simple, tasty recipes for busy moms.

 

Now, according to the “rules” of this award, I must list ten honest things about myself.  Hmmmm….This could be a little tricky since I already listed 100 things about myself.  But here it goes nothing ten totally new things about me!

 

 

1.  In case you didn’t know, I’m pregnant with Run DMT Baby #3 and it’s a boy, our first boy.  We have a first named picked, but we’re still working on his middle name.  All will be revealed when little Run DMT #3 arrives this July.

2.  I have been craving sushi for months but I won’t chance eating any, not even a Mexican roll which isn’t even real sushi.

3.  I worry every day about all the weight I have gained this pregnancy (26 lbs so far) even though I know when I start really running hard again, it will all melt away again and hopefully not take two years to come off like it did with babies #1 and #2.

4.  I am not a crier, but my hormones have been RIDICULOUS throughout this pregnancy.  I cried when I accidentally shrunk my favorite maternity shorts last week.  (See #3 to understand my pain.)

5.  I turn the big 4-0 next year and I’m planning a couple’s trip to New Orleans to commemorate the milestone.

6.  I have been watching Parenthood and love it.  I find all the characters so endearing.  Every week, I laugh and cry which could be a result of #4.  I secretly wish they existed in real life so I could hang out with them and have a beer with them.

7.  I am a reformed pack rat.  The FlyLady saved my life.  Over the past few years, I have discovered decluttering to be so liberating.

8.  For my next marathon, I am considering running in the Space Coast Marathon in November 2011.

9.  I often make pop culture references and quote lines from TV shows and movies even though others may not get the reference.  I think I’m pretty dang funny.

10.  I honestly and truly love my life and every person who plays a role in it (my husband, my children, my extended family, my friends, etc.).  I feel so blessed.

 

And now I must pass this award along to ten others.

 

1.  Following in My Own Shoes

2.  N*aked on the Roof

3.  My Chaos, My Bliss

4.  Mommy Drinks Because You Cry

5.  Luke, I am Your Father

6.  Live and Love…Out Loud

7.  Really, Are You Serious?

8.  Buckeroo Mama

9.  Little Writer Momma

10.  Momisodes

 

Proudly submitted at

I Heart Faces: Dramatic Black & White Photo Challenge

Ever since the day Emmalynn was born, Allana has been the best big sister a little sister could ever ask for. When Emmalynn was a baby, she would want to hold her and cuddle her constantly. Five years later, she still loves to hold and cuddle her little sister. Allana enjoys playing Mother Hen and taking care of Emmalynn in such a tender way that would warm any mama’s heart.

 

 

When I see the expression of love caught in this old photo, it comforts me like a cozy blanket. With a new baby brother on the way, I know Allana will gaze at her baby brother with this same loving look and once again, she will want to hold and cuddle our new baby every moment she can. I just hope Emmalynn will share that same feeling towards her baby brother.

 

I hope I can capture a photo of two big sisters gazing lovingly at their baby brother.

 

Proudly submitted at

the long road

TOOT for Being a Featured Blogger!

I recently became acquainted with a new “running partner”, Lisa of Little Writer Momma, and we’ve become fast bloggie friends.  After visiting each other blogs and corresponding via e-mail, we learned that we share similar running stories.  Lisa appreciated my encouraging comments, novice knowledge and mommy runner support and then she asked if I would be willing to write a guest post to help other moms hurdle over some struggles they may be experiencing as a beginner runner.  Of course, I was happy to oblige.

 

On Monday, my guest post, Run Like a Mother, was featured on Lisa’s blog.  I would love for you visit Little Writer Momma to read my post and please leave a comment letting Lisa know I sent you.

 

Thanks in advance for your love and support! :-)