Random thoughts, Running, Teaching

Morning off

Ah, a well-deserved morning off!  I got to sleep in a bit and have a leisurely breakfast.  I had hot oatmeal and decided to try a container of the Chobani Yogurt people have been raving about.  I had peach flavor…um…it was nothing special.  Sorry!

Tuesdays right now I teach one student.  In January I’ll be teaching at the St Louis School of Music on Tuesdays (or when they need me…).  Unfortunately I don’t know where I’ll move my Tuesday home student to…right now I am only able to teach at home on Monday and Thursday (which two months ago seemed like MORE than enough!).  I can’t believe my home studio is actually officially full.  (I will have a waiting list, for anyone interested.  There is always turnover).  I have picked up about five new students in the past couple of weeks and I am really excited about them.  I also have a new student at the Ballet School, starting tomorrow.  So many people to teach!  It’s wonderful how (from my point of view) private music education is alive, well, and thriving!

What else is going on this week?  Well, I am probably doing another race (5k) on Saturday.  I say probably because I registered, but it might rain, and we’ll have to see how am I feeling about that.  Honestly, I’m sure I’ll run it.  I seem to have the race bug right now, and I think I can beat my last time.  Plus this will be my first alone race, and I want to see how well I can pace myself on my own.  (I am looking at this as a positive thing, as my running is something I do alone, and I want to feel confident enough to do a race alone as well!)

I feel a bit stressed lately…I don’t actually have that much to do, but with the impending holidays, time is running out on concert prep and that sort of thing.  I’ve got about four different performances at my two schools to deal with in addition to my own gigs.  I also get stressed about house cleaning–ideally I’d like to live in a clean house, but have trouble picking up after myself, and I hate dusting…so I just stress about it rather than say, spending a morning off cleaning.  Then I take it out on Chris later 😉  I just need to keep up on my to-do list so I don’t forget things.

Off to the gym!

 

Random thoughts

Pumpkin Bread!

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Today I am thankful for my delicious and no-fail pumpkin bread!  I make this bread every year at least once (if not more) once we get into pumpkin season (a.k.a. Autumn).  It is easy to take to potlucks and always turns out really moist, freezes well, and is just basically really good.

I made my famous pumpkin bread yesterday for a baby shower.  I decided to be fancier this year and add chocolate chips.  What a brilliant idea!!  I can’t believe I’ve been making this stuff for years and just now thought of that.

Also healthy! You can see the oats peeking out.
See the chocolate chips? Yum!

Okay, I searched the internet high and low, but could not find a link to the recipe.  It’s your lucky day:  I’m going to type it out.  I’m assuming it came from a Libby’s pumpkin can as Libby’s pumpkin is mentioned in the recipe by name.  My sister Leslie copied it for me (by hand!) several years ago.

 

 

Pumpkin Bread:

Ingredients

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup quick or old-fashioned oats

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 3/4 cups Libby’s pumpkin (15 or 16 oz can)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 packed brown sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 cup chopped walnuts (note:  I never use these!  Here’s where I would recommend adding chocolate chips instead!)

Directions:

(Preheat oven to 350 degrees F)

1.  Combine flour, oats, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, salt in large bowl.

2.  Beat eggs, pumpkin, sugars, water, oil and evaporated milk in large mixer bowl on medium speed until combined.

3.  Beat flour mixture into pumpkin mixture on low speed until blended; stir in nuts (remember, CHOCOLATE chips).

4.  Spoon into 2 greased 9 by 5 inch loaf pans.

5.  Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 65 to 70 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean.

6.  Cool in pans for 10 minutes, remove to wire racks to cool completely.

* for mini loaves, prepare the same, but use 6 greased 5 5/8 by 3 1/4 inch pans.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes.

I am so thankful for my pumpkin bread recipe!

Random thoughts

Pumpkin Party (recap)

My friend Julia hosted a “Pumpkin Party” a few weeks ago.  She recently posted some pictures from it, and I wanted to share a few here for you (hopefully Julia won’t mind!).  Basically the party was a pumpkin carving party with lots of pumpkin foods, treats, and beer involved.  I’ve never been one for pumpkin carving (I think I’ve tried three times, and it’s just a lot of work 🙁 ) but I’m always really impressed by people who are good at it!

 

My favorite!

 

Scary!!

 

I can’t believe how creative/talented with a knife some people are.

 

If I have a baby, remind me to have it shortly before Halloween so I can dress it in a pumpkin costume! Baby Max 🙂

 

 

I am very serious about Pumpkin Beer. Evidently. This is Julia (and me).

 

Most recommended:  Schlafly Pumpkin Ale (have a six-pack in the fridge, as it was on sale.  However, it will probably end up sitting there for months as I really only drink socially.  I will have to take it somewhere, I guess!)

 

Everybody in the picture is named Chris

 

And last but not least, this is my friend Jon.  He’s missing.  If you see him, please let us know.

 

Running

Week One of Thanks

To recap what I’ve been thankful for so far:

1) My cat

2) No more election campaigning

3) Being able to afford to buy food

4) Gorgeous fall weather

5) Processed cheese

6) Good friends

That’s an interesting assortment of ideas/stuff I’m thankful for (or grateful, depending).  So what about today?  I wanted to say fall weather again, because the weather is just gorgeous today.  But that’s already been done!

I’m thankful for my LEGS which took me on a long run around Tower Grove Park.  I ran for about 1 hour ten minutes with one small break in the middle.  I ran nice and slow, but I RAN the whole time.  It was over 5 miles.

Beautiful!

 

 

Love this!

 

I was so proud of myself for running so much.  Seriously, it’s been a big struggle to just keep running, and I know last week’s race with Jen was a big turning point for me (we ran the whole 5k).  Today I knew I could do it, plus I planned to take a break about 45 minutes in to try a GU, which is a food thingy.

 

 

This little packet tasted pretty good! It's to keep your energy levels up for longer runs.

 

I bought a sampler pack from that company (today’s was a free sample from the Lewis and Clark half marathon) so I’ll have some sampling to do.  I feel like a real runner!!  Thank you LEGS for carrying me through today!!

Weddings

Happy Friend Day!

The church for yesterday’s wedding

Happy Friend Day!  This cracked me up–calling one another “friend” is a long-standing joke for Chris and I.  It stems from several sources.  One source is those ridiculous emails from places like Nigeria, where the greeting is often “Good day, friend.”  The other source is from awkward introductions by people who aren’t sure how to introduce us (I guess after a decade together, they think boyfriend or girlfriend is funny!).  In any case, I love this picture!

Quick recap of yesterday then:  wedding at Grace Baptist went well.  The church was in Granite City, Illinois.  We drove by a steel plant (or more than one) on our way.  I didn’t get any other pictures of the outside of the church, just one of the altar.

 

Next on the docket was the STL Symphony concert at Powell Hall.  The program was Stravinsky’s “The Fairy’s Kiss” and Brahms Piano Concerto no. 1 with Emmanuel Ax.  It was a great program, and the orchestra played well.  Emmanuel Ax played wonderfully!  He is one of the greatest pianists in the world for sure.  We had seats on the left side so we were able to watch his hands the whole time.

View from the Met Bar in Powell Hall

 

The ceiling inside the hall

 

View looking backwards and sideways from my seat

 

Today’s plan:  Run, bake, baby shower.  Also some prep for classes tomorrow.

 

 

 

Running

Good run through Tower Grove Park

I am trying to get more accustomed to running outside.  I live about five minutes walk from Tower Grove Park, which is just perfect for running!  I can warm up on the walk there (involves lots of street crossings) and then once I hit the park I can do a (I think?) 4 mile or so loop.  Hypothetically.  In fact, today was the first time I ran all the way to the end of the park and then back.  I will need to get one of those fancy Garmin watches, I think?  (Christmas present?)  Anyway, I was back home in about 50 minutes.  I felt great!  It was just shy of 40 degrees outside so I wore my Lewis and Clark long sleeve “tech” shirt over a tank with capri leggings.  I thought I might be too cold, but it ended up being perfect.  I also wore my water belt.

This is actually post-run, hence the super shiny face!

Yes, there’s a cat in the far left corner of the picture.  Fancy that!

Anyways, the run was really beautiful.  I listened to Car Talk on my ipod shuffle, but also enjoyed the trees.  I snapped a couple of pictures during a short water break.

 

The red roofed structure is the Music Stand, built in 1872

 

Self-Portrait 🙂

 

So, am I becoming an outdoors type of person if I enjoyed my run outdoors?  Hmm….  I will say this was my easiest run through the park yet.  I think the cool weather made it much easier!

thoughts about violin, teaching, running, life.