Paper Piecing

So an awesome lady in my church has been teaching several of us to sew.  Last spring she showed us paper piecing.  I always wondered how people got interesting designs in their quilts and pillow.  Now I know the secret.  It's time consuming but actually really fun.  I went through my stash and put some fun fabric together:

So here's the start of my square.  I've actually finished the square and now I just have to decide what to do with it because I'm not making 12 more... :)

Defying Gravity

So several months ago I was really noticing the sun damage on my skin and some brand new wrinkles.  arghh!  My mom and sisters have great skin. Even my mother-in-law does.  So I thought I just would too.  But it wasn't happening.  I started looking around at skin care products, bought a few, kept using them even though they were nothing special.  I have been worried for awhile b/c I am in the sun all the time with the kids, but almost every kind of sunscreen makes me break out so I rarely wear it on my face. 

Anyway, my good friend here told me about some products made by the docs who created  Proactive.  They started a new company called Rodan &Fields and are targeting the anti-age industry.  The products are amazeballs!  I noticed a difference almost immediately.  My skin looks brighter and more even.  A huge bonus is that the daily cream (with spf) doesn't bother my skin AT ALL!!  yea! And it's so light- I seriously look forward to putting it on.  The little daily regimen feels awesome!!  And everyone knows that I'm super low maintenance... so that's sayin' somthin'!

So why didn't I just become a happy customer and leave it at that?  I mean between homeschool, regular school for the other boys and trying to make sure Lucy isn't raised by Dora... I'm pretty swamped.  Being a Cub Den Leader and running several times a week and that part about eating and laundry- there's more but you all know the drill.  Life is busy!!

But when I heard that this company just went direct (it was the #1 clinical skincare @ Nordstroms) in 2009- right after the worst economic times our country has seen in decades and that they are now doing more business in a month than in a year at Nordstrom.... I was interested.  And they haven't even hit their business momentum yet.  And then when I heard that there were only 15-20K reps in the USA as opposed to 2 million Mary Kay or 1 million Arbonne... well then I was really interested because I have read that with direct marketing timing is critical.  I mean as long as you have a good product with good financial backing (Hello? Proactive- $8 billion company!!) then getting into the biz early is an incredible opportunity.

I was still not sold though- because I'm not a salesy person.  At. All.  Although I do admit to selling pest control for a summer during college.  But seriously here was my door approach: "Hi, we have  deal going on for our service.  If you're interested I could send someone by.  If not (already off the porch) have a good one."  I was the suckiest suck that ever sucked.  But I actually didn't do badly.  Because it was a product that many people wanted.  And I'm seeing the same for this company.  People are interested b/c the biz model works and the products are awesome


When I heard that all the Rodan &Fields products are backed with a 60 day empty bottle guarantee and the same goes for consulting I thought, what the heck?  I'll give it a go for 60 days and if I hate it I'll get my $$ back.  So I jumped in.  My two months is almost up.  And I've earned back my inital investment (bought one of each product just to have them to loan out and show) and I won an ipad.  sa-weet!  The ipad incentive goes on through the end of this year.

Anyway, now that I have the biz basics down, the time for doing the job is very reasonable.  And all the women I'm working with are having the same success, some lots more!  It's not just these super lucky people way above me that are doing well- it's my peeps!  They're paying off student loans, covering the grocery bill and even the mortgage.  In part time from home with hours they choose.  Oh and it's not a party company (you do one launch at the beginning to get the word out- this event is actually super fun) but really you rely on word of mouth.  And that's what's working for people.  And you don't stock inventory so you'll never be stuck with a bunch of stuff you don't want. 

I mean, really I think these docs just took direct marketing and tried to remove everything people hate about it.  And the products rock: anti-age, sun damage, adult acne and soothe (for irritated skin).  So there it is.  That's why I haven't sewed anything new in 2 months, it's why my blog has been neglected and it's why I can't tell you about any recent celebrity gossip!!!  I don't know if K-Stew and R-Patz have worked things out but I can tell you that this month the anti age serum comes free with the purchase of the anti-age regimen.  And that serum is like butta.  :)  If you read to the end of this post- thanks for listening to me go on and on!  I'm just pretty dang excited about it all! 

                                           (Don't I look all serious and professional??)

My new favorite Salsa

We were having fajitas the other night and had no salsa so I thought I would make some.  I've been using Pioneer Woman's recipe for awhile and like it pretty well.  I had some red pepper and onions cooking on the stove for the fajitas and didn't feel like chopping up more onion so I just added some of the sauteed onion/pepper to the salsa.  Okay. Yum. 

Here's the recipe:  You may want to just drink it with a straw

1 can rotel (tomoatoes & green chilis- I had never heard of this before moving to TX)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1/2 jalapano (wait till it's a bit red b/c I'm wimpy)
Juice from 1 lime

1/2 large onion
1/2 red pepper
saute in 2 tsp oil for 20 minutes

1/2 bunch cilantro
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste

I just throw all ingredients in a food processor or blender.  So yummy on fajitas, or as dip for corn tacos with beans & cheese or with eggs and chopped tortillas.  I could live on Mexican. Oh.... and... we have lemons!! 

Happy Halloween!!

HBDC

 

We celebrated Curt's 44th Birthday last month with a cake reminiscent of one of Homer's donuts.  yumm!  Can't believe how quickly time flies!  Doesn't it just feel like you were 25 a few minutes ago?  My 20 year high school reunion is coming up next summer and just cannot believe it!  I know it's all been said before but I just think people who are going to their 20th reunion are older than me...

I've been looking back through some old photos and getting all nostalgic.  I have so many great memories of growing up in Michigan: beautiful fall weather and trips to the apple orchards, sledding and ice skating in the winter, playing jailbreak with my neighborhood friends, being a lacrosse groupie, playing soccer and participating in so many plays and choirs. 

When I had to move to a new school my junior year of high school I thought my life had ended.  It was the worst to leave all of my best friends.  I really loved growing up in Union Lake and was very happy at Walled Lake Central.  Being the new girl in Birmingham was not fun.  Especially the part where I had to take gym with all the freshman and a few other classes where I was the oldest one.  arghh!  Torture.  But the good news is that I probably learned empathy and humility.  But I also  met some amazing people there and made so many great memories and now I have two groups of friends I am looking forward to seeing next summer.  :)


So here's to one more year with my bff. We spoiled him a lot on his special day. Yep- the boys are giving him a massage and you bet- that's a picachu pinata in the background. We also had a kid-free party with some good friends. Curtis requested his favorite english dinner: Ribeye Roast, Yorkshire Pudding, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans. Then we did all of Curt's favorite things: played cards, played guitars and played games in the pool. Love that guy...

Echino Panel Quilt

Still loving Echino Fabrics.  Can't resist those colors!  I made this quilt in the spring for my sister-in-law as a little lap blanket.  It actually went really fast.  I don't know if it's the fact that it's fall or the kiddos are back in school but I am in the MOOD to sew!  I also went to a Matilda Jane party the other day.  Wow- some of it is a bit fluffy for me but some of it is a.dorable.  It made me wanna dip into my fabric stash and make some fun stuff for Lucy.

Blankets, skirts, dresses... wish I knew how to make little under knickers for Lucy to wear with her dresses and skirts.  I'll look into that.  Several of my sewing buddies have moved away :( but I know there are lots more friends here to sew with. 

I'm so thankful to my mom for teaching me to sew.  I used to make these awful little skirts out of random fabric she had.  They weren't very fashionable but they did teach me how to hem and do an elastic band and once you know that you can do so many things. 

I keep wanting to make those cute crayon holders or maybe a little bag for Lucy.  I saw this cutest horse-shaped purse at Katy Budget Books today!  I'm not pregnant so I think it must be the fact that school is back in session.  Let the sewing begin!:)

School

So since before we even had children Curtis and I often talked about homeschool.  We've always been attracted to the idea that our kids could have a better education, less exposure to bad behavior/words/etc, more exercise and extracurriculars... 

But as each of the boys has entered kindergarten we felt great about sending them.  And for the most part, our public school experience has been wonderful.  (Texas attendance laws notwithstanding!)  The boys like the structure and have fun seeing their friends.  We are pretty fortunate here in Katy to have a strong school disctrict.  But we've always told our kids that we are open to the idea of homeschool and if they are interested to let us know. 

So Jonah entered Junior High last year and overall had a great year.  His grades were good and he worked hard.  But I could tell that Junior High was definitely not as enjoyable for him as elementary.  If there were any year of school that I would seriously consider homeschool it would be junior high.  I think of all the years of a person's life these are often the most difficult and confusing.  And I am amazed at the number of adults who seem to still define themselves by the way they were perceived in Junior High.  As everyone who has attended knows, it can be brutal...

Anway he has been asking for several months now if I would homeschool him for a year of two.  I kept saying no because frankly I was really excited about having some mommy time this year.  Lucy is doing preschool two days a week which would mean temple trips, shopping and lunch with girlfriends and long days to get LOTS done around the house.  Glorious.  Then I thought that maybe he was just hoping for some extra video game time.  But I made it clear vids would be off limits during the day and still he persisted.  arghh!  It was then that I started to realize this could really be an amazing opportunity.  We could just enjoy some one-on-one time together- which is such a gift b/c I know that once he's in high school I'll barely get to see him.  I was also looking forward to scripture study and service together.  We're also planning to be exercise buddies. 

So I finally agreed and was planning to do K12 because I just wanted to something easy and online.  But at the last minute I've decided to do my own curriculum. I am so excited about it. Nothing too revolutionary.  Saxon for math, Apologiea for science and the one I'm really stoked about: Sonlight for History/Geography & Literature.  Sonlight is so up Jonah's alley. We will be reading 45 books this year!!  (He read 4 last year for school :O)  This curriculum uses historical fiction and non-fiction to teach these subjects.  Here's an excerpt from the overview:

This study answers real-life questions such as: Where did the Greeks come from? How did Western history progress during the so-called Dark Ages? How did the Renaissance pave the way for the Protestant Reformation? How was Asia growing and changing during this time? Why did Colonial powers conquer so much of the world? What tensions led to the explosion of two world wars?

I am SO excited!! 

I remember detesting history when I was in school.  But then as I got older I realized how facinating and relevant it all was.  How did my school teachers manage to take such a great subject and turn it into torture?  I'm hopeful this curriculum can make Jonah's experience better.

I sort of hate talking homeschool with most people because everyone has an opinion.  If they do it they want you to do it and if they don't, you are weird for considering it.  Several people have asked about socialization.  Dude- I am not concerned about that at all. I mean how many awkward anti-social people do you know who went through 13 years of public schools? I think parents are a much better indicator of socialization than where they child is schooled. 

So we will see how it all goes.  I'd love it if somehow I could have a year or two with each of my kids.  One-on-one time is so precious.  Curtis and I always comment on how much we love to be with just one of the kids. It's when they're together that they drive us crazy! :O

Wish us luck.

Morning Glory

I hope I don't regret planting this.  I know it can be so invasive but I am trying to get some privacy from our neighbors and thought an arbor would work well. Then I just couldn't resist the beauiful Heavenly Blue variety of Morning Glory.  It grows like 10 inches/day and I love the leaves.  Hopefully it will bloom in the fall or spring.  I love plants.  The back yard is my escape when the kids get too noisy.  :)

 

I can't believe school starts next week.  The end of summer had flown.  Overall it's been good.  I still can't decide if my "summer school" efforts are worth all the contention they bring.  But seriously I don't think that an hour or two of work each day is too much to ask.  Here's what we tried to do:

 

 

One Math Worksheet

Write in a journal (this was usually only one sentence btw!)

Practice Geography with the globe

Practice piano for 15 minutes

Play the typing game on the computre

Read one Scripture

Do a Chore

Read (this one is easy)

Exercise (We usually swim everyday so this is a no brainer)

Do one Good Deed

 

We really only did it for probably 7 weeks of the summer and we are taking this week off.  I know the boys actually enjoy doing most of the things on that list. Really only one of my kiddos gave me trouble with it so I guess I shouldn't judge the whole experience on one person.  But isn't that so easy to do?!  Just talked to my mom recently and she reminded me of great advice for mothers.  Don't tie your happiness to your children's happiness.  Especially if you have several kids.  I mean someone is always going to be down about something and you cannot take all the negativity in the whole household and claim it.  But dang it's easy to do. 

 

Anyway school will bring some postive changes.  Both Isaac and Daniel are excited about their teachers next year and looking forward to seeing their friends again.  Lucy will be in preschool 2 days/week and we are doing a fun playgroup one other day of the week.  I'm homeschooling Jonah with the K12 program.  Pretty nervous about it but it feels right and I am looking forward to lots of quality time with him. 

 

Okay Lucy needs some attention.  :)

 

 

 

South Dakota Road Trip

Well we survived the big summer road trip.  22 hours each way to Custer National Park.  We have always wanted to visit and finally made it happen.  It was such a beautiful place!  We saw buffalo, prairie dogs, elk, deer and of course Mount Rushmore.  I think the kids enjoyed it although Lucy pretty much asked to go "back to Texas" everday.  :)  The boys had a lot of fun playing on all the huge rocks in the area and even took a swim in icy Sylvan Lake. 

One night we drove to Keystone and did all the touristy stuff we never do.  Watched an old west gunfight, had old fashioned family pics taken, bought pointless souveniers and ate lots of ice cream.  It was actually a lot of fun. 

At our campside one night we went on a wagon ride, singing songs the whole way and had dinner and dancing in a valley.  We had all been a little grumpy with eachother and it was just what we needed.  Of course I will never forget this night because at some point the gentleman in charge asked any man with a lovely wife to come up front.  No one did and then... up jumps Curtis.  A bunch of other guys followed and they all did their best Elvis impressions.  That would NOT have happened 5 years ago.  Yes it's on film.  No I can't post it because he'd pretty much kill me.  :O

These kinds of family trips are not cheap, exhausting and sometimes I wonder if it's worth the trouble.  But I'm realizing that even if the boys are having full on fist fights in the back of the car, they're also creating memories.  Hopefully as times goes by they'll just remember the good stuff.  :) 

We took 3 days to drive up and had planned to do the same on the way back but we were just sick of driving, staying in cramped hotels and eating junky food so we did the last 18 hours straight.  zowie!  The tools that helped us to survive were: sunflower seeds, Coke, Mike N Ikes, puffy Cheetoes and oh that 5 hour energy totally worked for me.  :)  We also listened to the first two Artemis Fowl books and thoroughly enjoyed them. 

I was surprised to realize as we rode into Texas that I really was happy to be back.  I complain about how ugly it is but it's downright beauiful when compared to Kansas & Nebraska.  We were worried about our trees dying while we were gone but it actually poured the whole time so everything looked so green and vibrant.  We crashed the next day and are finally back into a nice summer routine.  It's good to be home.

Love from Michigan

We've had some great family time this summer with the Goddards.  Can't believe how grown up everyone is getting.  I have such clear memories of rocking Josh to sleep, putting up with Sam's foot fettish, listening to them play super hero games and lots and lots of laughing.  Two of the cutest, funniest boys ever!!  It was also great for our boys to get to know Abby & Noah better and Lucy mostly tormented Josie but I see a future for those two! 

Had a fun date night with Lisa & Paul at Taste of Texas and Cavenders.  I cannot remember the joke here but it was really funny!  (Aren't I a uesless blogger?)

More NYC, blah blah blah

I have to record a little more of New York, for posterity's sake and all. :) We flew in on Thursday afternoon, dropped off our luggage at our man-pee-smelling-hotel-room (we complained but to no avail- good thing we're all used to living with boys) and headed straight for Times Square. What a spectacle. I've seen it in so many movies but it was really amazing to be there. We saw Captain Underpants in cowboy boots with a guitar. We took a pic with Spidy and laughed at the shameless signs some panhandlers were holding (I'll just be honest- I need money for weed)! We couldn't decide what show to see so we asked a guy on the street. He said he had just seen "Memphis" and it was awesome. So we bought the tickets and had just enough time for Margharita pizza and caesar salad before the show. I didn't realize the theaters were so small and it was amazing to be so close. Somehow I ended up sitting behind a woman with the biggest head in the world- good thing my girlfriends didn't mind me snuggling up to them so I could see over that cranium!

Oh wait and I forgot to say that when we landed at the airport and were waiting for our luggage (because I brought the biggest suitcase known to man!) a random guy asked if we needed a ride. I was in the process of saying yes when my girlfriends said, "um no." So we probably wouldn't have ended up in a ditch but he may have charged us an obscene amount. My girlfriends showed me the line where people wait for respectable cabs. phew! Then I left my wallet in the cab- luckily Karen saw it there and grabbed it! I had to text Curtis right away and tell him to rest assured. I had almost had us kidnapped and lost my wallet within the first hour! I'm such country folk!

The next day we saw the Statue of Liberty, visited Ellis Island, the 9/11 Memorial, ate at Little Italy and checked out the Empire State Building. The weather was perfect! Ellis Island was my favorite. The only thing I knew about it was from that scene in "Hitch." :) The murals with pictures of immigrants, their stories and clothing, musical instruments, poetry made it all come to life. I found myself teary eyed through most of it. I didn't realize that the place had been abandoned for many years before it was turned into a museum. I would definitely recommend fitting a trip in if you are in NYC. Oh and we had this super long wait to get back on the ferry. There was a beautiful field right there so Jen and I played a game of smash ball. We felt like a bit of a spectacle b/c all the bored line people where just watching but mostly we didn't care because it was just so fun to play. (Did I tell you that I love playing games and one of the lamest things about being an adult is how little you still get to play games?!?) Later on the ferry some guy came up and asked me who won. :)

Friday was such a long day that I was a little nervous about Saturday's race. We did drink like maniacs to keep hydrated (hence a visit to almost every bathroom in the city!!). We survived the race and afterwards this awesome band was singing some Stevie Wonder. There were robot people and drag queens dancing and we had to join in. It took a long time for us to figure out how to get home but we finally took the subway and ended up right at "The Shake Shack." Excellent burgers and fries!! I was toast by this time and we soon headed home for long naps and showers. ahhh!

Saturday night we ventured out for some shopping (they have H&M in NYC!) and ate at "Serendipity." We also headed back to Little Italy to get dessert at "Ferraros." I think I loved it more than any of the other girls. I got a Lobster Tail which is basically a pastry filled with cream. aw yeah.

Sunday we packed up and headed to midtown for church. Okay so I only ever look at a couple of blogs of people I don't know. One of them is "natthefatrat." I just think she's cute and love her writing style. Actually she reminds me of my old pal from Michigan, Mary. :O Anyway, we were on the elevator up to the chapel (it's actually above the temple in NYC), the doors opened and she was the first person I saw. I couldn't help staring for a minute and then I just told her as I walked by that I knew her from her blog. See- I'm not a real New Yorker. Can't be cool even with a blogger! We only stayed at church for the sacrament and the headed off to Central Park, walked through Rockefeller Square, met a crime Lord, froze to death while eating lunch (weather took a turn for the worse and these Texans were not prepared), and finally headed back to our hotel to catch a cab.

One thing that I really liked about New York was how friendly everyone was. Many people offered to take pictures of us and we chatted with dozens of people (usually asking directions). We met this cute New Jersey couple outside of "Memphis" and then we were saying "sqy-rirrel" with an NJ accent and they loved it. We took pics for them and them of us and then we talked about the city. Another guy was helping buy our subway passes and somehow it came out that we were Mormon. Jen made sure to clarify that we are Christians too. Love hanging out with that girl! One time on the subway this cute group on teenage boys saw us taking pics and asked us to take one of them. They told us they were a basketball team and were gonna be famous someday. As we were leaving the Empire State Building a guy said good-bye and I smiled. He said "You have a beautiful smile!" That just doesn't happen to me often in Katy. :) We had a long talk with a vendor on the street who is a Russin Jew. We saw some gay guys hit on a straight guy and watched him get really angry about it. We ran into a friend from Texas- in our own hotel no less!! weird. Once a car drove by and the driver was yelling at the top of his lungs in this awesome east coast accent! The cab driver who took us to the race kept asking me to GPS it on my phone. He did not know how to get there and my phone is just a lame flip phone. We were a little worried about that but he did get us there on time. On the ride to the airport I sat in front with the cab driver. He seemed sort of down on life and so I mostly listened. He told me he hated the hectic life in New York and that he was disgusted with the leaders in the country. He also said he believes that anyone who has made a million dollars has done something wrong. Interesting :O

So many seriously colorful characters. Oh and it was also interesting that on the streets half the people were speaking a language besides English- such a melting pot! I loved noticing everyone's clothes: lots of ankle boots and thick tights and scarves (stuff we don't get to use much in TX). I really would love to go back. It's an awesome girls trip!

Tackle?

So I am surrounded by tackle football fans here in Texas.  Not that there's anything wrong with that- it's just not my favorite sport.  All of our boys have played a little flag football and that is a lot of fun. But now the playground peer pressure has kicked in Daniel and Isaac think flag is for babies!  arghh!!  They both really want to play tackle in the fall. 

I can talk Isaac out of it because he has a few friends whose parents aren't tackle fans and that will make the pill easier to swallow.  But in Daniel's grade, everyone plays tackle.   Serioulsy.  And they are all together on a few teams and Daniel wants to be a part of it SO badly.  The problem is that 1) he's not a strong player and I worry that it's going to be an overall negative experience for him and 2) it's a dangerous sport and I don't WANT HIM to be a football player!!  I mean does anyone notice that half of the pro players have alzheimers in their 40's?!?  Not to mention the thug culture that surrounds the sport? 

I've been sweating it for months and am out of time.  Football starts in August and I've already missed early registration.  The truth is that I know my answer.  It's no.  Deal with it.  But I also know that the fallout from that answer will be ugly.  And long.  And my boys already complain constantly about the fact that we're the only ones who a) don't do sleepovers, b) go to church every Sunday and c) don't go to birthday parties and other fun events on Sundays.  Do I really need to give them another reason to think they're parents are ruining their lives?!

Sometimes I just want to return to the days when my biggest problem was deciding what to wear to school. 

Stay Green

I found something useful on pinterest!  Mostly it just makes me want to diet while eating brownies and dying my hair.  But this green smoothie recipe rocks.  It has peanut butter in it which sounded awful to me but even Curtis likes it (and he is not a PB guy).  The boys hate it.  Isaac said it tastes "...like bread."  whatever.  I've tweaked it a bit and it's an awesome way to start the day and get your greens!

My buddy here kept talking about green smoothies and I thought they just sounded wrong.  She finally had to come over and make me drink one.  I really do like them.  The kids are on and off.  If I make them yummy with lots of pineapple/orange and banana then they'll drink it.  Anyway, here's the PB recipe if you're feeling brave. 

1 banana

1 scoop yogurt (I like greek plain)

1 Tbsp peanut butter (more or less as you like it)

1 tsp honey or agave (you need to sweeten the plain yogurt taste)

2 tsp flax, maybe more- I just sprinkle it in

1 scoop protein powder

4-5 cups greens (spinach, kale and chard)

2 cups ice

1/2 cup water

I don't like it too thick so sometimes I add a little more water.  Curtis likes it thick.  The end.

A little help?

I know this is nothing new but I am realizing that I have to find a way to get through this life without getting upset/angry when other people behave badly.  Too often I find myself going over conversations in my head and slamming my cupboard doors over negative exchanges and guess what?  Nothing is accomplished.  I just feel bad.

I went to a women's scripture study last week.  We were discussing Mosiah 26 and at one point we talked about this scripture:

"30 Yea, and as often as my people  repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.

31 And ye shall also forgive one another your trespasses; for verily I say unto you, he that forgiveth not his neighbor's trespasses when he says that he repents, the same hath brought himself under condemnation."

This is a familiar concept.  Jesus talked about it a lot but that doesn't mean it's easy to practice.  First of all, I let the everyday petty interchanges bring me down way too often.  And then of course there are other experiences we all have- those that are serious and deeply painful- where forgiveness is the answer but it is so hard to give. 

We spent quite a while talking about this and agreed that often we can't conjure up feelings of love and forgiveness on our own.  We need Christ's help and He can literally take it from us.  He can even make us forget the pain we've felt.  

As I left that meeting I felt so peaceful and optimistic.  But within 24 hours I had interactions with several people (including my progeny!!) that left me feeling pretty angry.  No sign of patience or forgiveness anywhere.  Commence cupboard slamming!  arghh!  I think I need to employ some behavior modification tactics.  Deep breathing, a quick prayer, maybe a yoga pose.  I dunno... wish I could find a way to turn this weakness into a strength- tired of blaming it on PMS.   

A little sewing

I haven't had much time for sewing lately but here are a few things I've been working on. I've wanted to learn how to make Ohio Star and Wonky Star quilts. Youtube tutorials are the best for that! Here's one I made for a friend's baby. I forgot to take a pic of the finished quilt but you get the idea:

Here's one of the stars on the quilt I'm finishing up right now. These quilts have been great b/c I'm using up my stash- didn't buy anything new for it. Sewing is so theraputic but I HAVE to be in the mood. And that last one is just some echino fabric that I could bear to cut. Hoping it turns out okay. :)

8 is great!

We had a wonderful Easter weekend, made all the more special by Daniel's baptism. I didn't do my cool Easter week activities at all this year! I'm gonna blame that on New York, Dan's baptism, parents coming into town and a cold that will not go away! We'll try again next year... :O

We were so happy that my parents were able to make the trip down from St. Louis and be there for such a special weekend. The baptism itself was lovely and I even had the presense of mind to write down a few notes from the Bishop's talk and Daniel's confirmation. Daniel was so excited all day but did a great job of containing that excitement.

On Easter my awesome Uncle Bill, Aunt Robin and cousin Jeff came for dinner. We had such a great time talking to them and just enjoying eachother. Family has always been a big deal to me but means even more as I get older.

Color

Sometimes I think I'm still 10. I love to color and I love good games. My fav Christmas giftst this year were:

Colorku: Everytime I have a little free time or when I'm just feeling grumpy I play this (alone or with a couple of kids) and I feel better!

Color Me Your Way: Found this awesome coloring book at Costco. I only wish I had bought a bunch. Now I can only seem to find them online for twice the price. arghh! We passed these out to the cousins on Christmas Day and everyone was working on them over the break. I finished another one this week- loved working on it.

Oh and I got a speed Rubick's cube. Not that I'm speedy, my best time is just over 2 minutes, a far cry from Curt's record of 30 seconds (when he was a studly 7th grader). But this cube is so smooth and fun to play with. I'll keep working on that time. Oh and a friend recommended kenken puzzles to me and they are really cool. I'm not very good at them but they're fun to work on with a kid.

So yeah, I'm 10, maybe 12.

NYC Race

Just got back from NYC late last night. Wow- it was an amazing trip! I cannot believe how much we crammed into 4 days. The race was tough. My ankle has really been bothering me and I really hadn't trained well, especially the last month. My running buddy developed a bad chest cold and was having trouble getting oxygen. But dangit we crossed that finish line. A bit slower than our last race but we lived!!

The course wasn't as pretty as the Dallas run but the weather was absolutely perfect. The whole time I was running I kept thinking about how I was going to take a huge break from running and focus more on spinning (I've really been loving the RPM class at the YMCA). But believe it or not, today my ankle is feeling good, really good. (Maybe all that walking in NYC was all I needed.) And the time I get with girlfriends running is just gold. It's like friendship and therapy and exercise all rolled into an hour or so early in the am so it doesn't even mess with my schedule. Running buddies- you rule!

Chair re-do

We have been looking for a chair for the corner of our living room for about 4 years. Stupid right? But I didn't want to spend ridiculous money and I refused to busy something affordable that I didn't love. Then when we were in Canada last summer I came across a picture of a reupholstered couch in a magazine. I was instantly in love with the fabric. I tried searching for it online but came up empty handed. A few days later I pulled out the magazine again and realized that the fabric name was included in the article!!! ya-hoo.

So I found a super creepy chair on Craigslist for $35, stripped it down to the bone, scrubbed it with bleach and vinegar AND let it sit in the sun for several days, refinished the wood (with Curt's help) and recushioned/covered the chair. The stripping was fun, everything else was pretty much torture.



I think recovering is a lot easier when you can keep the orignal padding. Making it all fit and look smooth proved to be pretty much impossible. I still havne't finished the nail heads that are supposed to line the borders. I'll get around to it.

I still adore the fabric and mostly I'm glad I did it but just don't look too closely. :)