Hey, is that . . . .

could it be?



Pudding? Home made chocolate pudding? Why, yes, yes, it is. Made from the recipe in Jane and Michael Stern's Square Meals : America's Favorite Comfort Cookbook. This is the world's best pudding recipe. Try it, you'll love it!

Everyone needs something to work towards and this was my reward for today's triathlon. Today's race was almost eight minutes faster than the last time I did this course. I'm thinking it was the pudding . . .

Ready for the storm

Well, not a real storm! It's just that I have my last triathlon of the season and its been really hard to work in training - what with getting ready to drive Middle Daughter to college next week. I'm thinking she will have to learn how to catch the bus if she wants to come home!

Anyway, I've been feeling over-stressed and undertrained. It makes me very crabby - although I try to keep it to myself - and that makes me mad because I actually really like doing triathlons. I like everything about them - except the competitive part. I know that I will be in the middle of the pack but I still worry if I've done enough.

And I already told Mr. Daisy that I'm making a big bowl of chocolate pudding tomorrow afternoon!

I looked through my own "out of season" box for this week's Saturday Seven.



Have you ever noticed that when you are on holiday, you make some unfortunate purchases? I bought these scottie-dog pajamas while travelling when I forgot to pack a pair. The tee-shirts - from the State Fair and vacation spots - and the hat came from a trip to Mexico. The white turtleneck was the only thing that was worn a lot.

MIddle Daughter's college is where my husband and I did our undergraduate degrees and it's quite near where we visited relatives for our vacation this summer. I was clearing photos off my camera and I found one that seemed appropriate.



This is what I'd like to be doing Sunday afternoon after my race! Right after that big bowl of chocolate pudding . . .

Save the world - save the shoes.

Okay, I've misplaced my Saturday Seven photo. Six pairs of shoes and one shirt from Youngest Child!

The six pairs of shoes came from Youngest Daughter's closet when we cleaned them out - basically, she kept collecting cast off pairs of shoes from her sisters. Trouble is, she has oddly shaped feet so they never fit her. Despite that, she saves them. The shirt - well, YB just outgrew it.

So, just imagine this:







Don't forget the shirt -



A shirt just like the one Little Guy is wearing here!

Not much else going on today. We've been cleaning up after the party (According to the gang, meatballs are good for breakfast and for lunch!) and getting ready for my triathlon tomorrow morning. A little knitting on another face cloth as well.

Send some good wishes my way and I'll fill you in on Monday.

From a dark and stormy night . . .

- although a lovely moon to light it by! -



to a bright and sunny day at Lake Independence. That's me in the blue and white swim suit right up at the front of my wave in the YWCA of Minneapolis' Women's Tri today in Maple Plain. It was a lovely race with a great swim but a very hilly bike course and run route. It was all up hill, if that's humanly possible! I recommend it - try it next year!



Yesterday's Saturday Seven had four small parts - books - and three large parts that I forgot to take a photo of: a television, a crib and a crib mattress. Thank goodness for Freecycle!



Finally, I've started my Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Sweater. I started it once with the Pagewood Farms bamboo yarn but I went back and used Plymouth Yarn's Happy Feet instead. Hopefully, I can use my rest time this week working on finishing it up. Back to the Rav Olympics!

Yesterday, I witnessed a drive by . . .

playing of the National Anthem. Three guys pulled up in a little sedan, parked in the lot of my local grocery store, pulled out their brass instruments and then played the Star Spangled Banner. After we clapped, they played it again, this time for one lady to record it on her phone.

Then, they got off scott free - off to play the National Anthem anywhere they chose!

Luckily, I spent a little time on line this week and realized by Wednesday that my race, the Minniman Triathlon, was TODAY and not on Sunday like I thought. So, I spent this morning swimming, biking and running and had a lovely time! Two minutes off my time from last year and ahead of my friend. That's a lovely morning for me.



I did have time to stop by All About Yarn in Coon Rapids last week - it was on my way to the packet pickup - and bought a little more sock yarn. I think this will be a birthday pair of socks for Mr. Daisy.

Today's Saturday Seven will be a Sunday Seven. Sometimes the photos just take a while! Off to work on my baby blanket! Enjoy your holiday weekend . . .

Ready for a break - Really!

More college visiting - more getting ready for guest and now, more bike rides. The last week before a triathlon is usually a good time to de-stress but this one wasn't so easy to get out of. I might not be blogging very much until after the sixth . . .



Cleaning out Youngest Daughter's drawers netted six tee shirts and Youngest Child gave up some jeans. I love cleaning!

Apres Moi - the deluge!

Yep, it is now pouring rain in Saint Paul. It was rainy yesterday and misty this morning but now - The Rain! The Wind!

I notice this because this morning I had my last triathlon of the year, the Saint Paul Triathlon at Lake Phalen. I've never had to worry about being too cold during a race but there's always something new. Usually, the water is the coldest part but today, it was the warmest! No attractive photos to follow - poor Andy had to find a sheltered spot or he would have looked like a drowned rat.

There were several of us from the YWCA of Saint Paul participating and I can't wait to find out how they're all feeling. I didn't linger in the rain to find out any of our race times.

So, now, after a hot bath, a grilled cheese sandwich and one viewing of "84 Charing Cross Road" later , I'm ready to reveal the contents of the Saturday Seven. Gold? Jewels? Household furniture? No. Just an odd assortment of hand-me-downs: four pairs of pants from Youngest Daughter, a paperback book "accidentally" left by a friend of Middle Daughter (she had to read it before throwing it out!) and two pairs of socks from Youngest Child. Off to the fall sale at Saint John the Evangelist.



Things will hopefully settle down this week - Monday is the first day of school for my teenagers (Youngest Child goes to school after Labor Day) and I am looking forward to some decent knitting time. Now, if I could only do it on my bike trainer!

What's on my needles? The Ever Increasing Pumpkin Effect (almost done), the pink Miss Violet sock (turned the heel) and my blue Flower Basket Shawl (another repeat) as well as a line or two of Andy's Brown Sweater. Someone should just lock me in my room with just ONE project and make me finish. But not right now, it's time for a nap.