My Thanksgiving: How Grandma almost got run over by a [rein]deer!

So what was your Thanksgiving like?
Mine started out with our annual family fun run. You know, as usual I spent the night before making all of the shirts for the big event:



On the morning of the race, we all gathered around for a pre-run photo:


Then I attempted to line everyone up and get an "at the starting line" photo. Here is last year's champ, Nathan, getting ready to race:

During this time, Tim decides not to wait for the official start and takes off running:

Causing a bunch of mass hysteria as everyone races to follow:

For various medical reasons, Tim, Grandma and I are walking the course:

We got a late start and en route soon encountered the other walk/joggers (returning from their 1/2 distance course) as we approach the 1 mile marker:


A few moments later (at the mile mark) Nathan jogs past effortlessly (returning from the 2.15 mile mark) en route to his 3rd consecutive first place finish:


**cue danger music!**
Then the plot thickens! Grandma and I continue walking along the course, past the halfway mark and up the perilous, hilly, sidewalk-free 2 lane road. As we approach the top of the tallest hill, we see a deer darting in and out of the trees.

editors note: these next 2 photos are re-enactments, because I was in too much shock to photograph live.
The deer began to cross the road. A white car comes up and over the hill.

The deer is about to get hit, and instead jumps super high in an attempt to jump over the car.

The deer doesn'tmake it over the car (after all, the car is driving into the deer) and instead brushes the side of the vehicle, sorta sliding down the side of the car, unhurt. The driver, most likely shocked, drives off. The deer now, having just richocheted off the side of the car, is now facing Grandma and me and still moving very fast in our general direction. I was standing right behind Grandma bracing myself to catch her as I imagined the deer charging both of us. Grandma stood still, shocked:
And luckily the deer grazed past us on the side and continued, terrified, down the road.
Moments later, Tim causually ran up the hill and passed us, oblivious. He mentioned when he finished seeing a deer as he ran on home.
Everyone managed to finish safely, eventually.
And then we took this sweaty faced post-race family picture. (Sorry Grandma the one with you in it is in mom's camera!)
And thus ends the story of how Grandma almost got run over by a reindeer at the 3rd annual family fun run.

Hope your day was eventful as well!

Excessive Grocery Supplies

Dear Self,
Please stop buying powdered sugar. You have an excessive amount of powdered sugar in your kitchen cabinet. You do not, however, have any brown sugar and are running low on flour. If you absolutely must brave the baking section of the grocery store and must make a purchase, please select one of the items you actually need. If you ever decide to make more fondant, then you can use your powdered sugar and maybe even buy more.
Sincerely,
Your kitchen cupboard

Lower fat pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Hey gang! I enjoyed making these delicious cookies yesterday so much that I posted the recipe and picture online at allrecipes.com, my most-used online recipe source. I called them "lower fat" because I modified an existing recipe to replace half the butter with applesauce, half the white sugar with brown sugar, and half the flour with whole wheat flour. They were super soft and chewy and not dry at all. DELICIOUS! No one could even tell they were (slightly) healthier than the normal kind. And by cutting out some of the overall sugar content (doubling the vanilla as a replacement for flavor) they aren't as sweet as normal cookies.

YUM. Go check out the reciple!
http://allrecipes.com/PersonalRecipe/62181101/Lower-Fat-Pumpkin-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies/Detail.aspx

2009 Office Knock-off Fun Run!

Ok Folks...the 2009 fun run details ARE HERE!!! This is my preliminary logo idea for:

2009 GHIORSO-MIFFLIN SACRAMENTO THANKSGIVING DAY CELEBRITY HOLIDAY PET HAZARD AWARENESS FUN RUN TO PREVENT ANIMAL PANCREATIS

Do not feed your pet fatty foods, bones, or chocolate! Fatty foods (gravy, butter, fatty meats can cause a potentially fatal inflamed pancreas. Also, turkey bones can cause intestinal perforation and chocolate causes an increased heart rate. Protect your pet by protecting your plate!

Don't know what I am talking about? Check out last year's race (pre and post posts) or the original Office "Fun Run" episode.

PS: If you are running this year (doubtful many readers are) I need to know your t-shirt size!

Pinesol is the best cleaner ever

I am head over heels. For Pinesol. Starting last week. Let me explain why.

Last wednesday night I got all sugard up (Chex Muddy Buddy late night binge) and begun SCRUBBING my kitchen floor. It was beyond saving with just the mop, so I purchased a scrubber brush to do the trick. I looked under the sink at our trove of random cleaners and found a bottle of lysol and a bottle of pinesol. I randomly selected the Pinesol, added it to my bucket, added warm water (zero regard for dilution factor, but, there was a good amount of water in there) and got to scrubbing.

Man oh man, did my floor look great! However, since it was late at night and I actually used up all the Pinesol, I did about 1/3rd of the floor and went to bed. The next morning, the floor still looked great! Especially side by side the unclean portion. I got back to work (on my lunch break this time) and since I ran out of pinesol I used the Lysol multi surface cleaner (note: the lime green color of this cleaner reminds me of cancer in a bottle. Just a terrible color.) I added about the same ratio of cleaner/water to my bucket and continued my attack on the kitchen floor.

Much to my dismay...the lyson did NOT even come close to the pinesol cleaning quality. So I scrubbed harder. Still not a big improvement. However, at this point, I was pretty committed to finishing the floor and in no condition to run to the store for Pinesol so I rationalized to myself that it was bad lighting (and absence of Muddy Buddies) and that I should just finish.

Well...I got the rest of the floor clean, but it is still obvious (if you look for the line) which section of the floor is nicer. I haven't had the energy yet to re-scrub with Pinesol.

Do you have any cleaning tips? Discoveries?