Me and my 'Brother'...

So, on last Wednesday, if I remember correctly, I was online browsing through Pinterest, and found a link to a cool quilting tutorial blog. It showed step by step instructions for beginning quilters, and had a lot of neat information/ideas on it (diaryofaquilter.com) 

I've been wanting to get back into sewing/quilting for a while, but every time I looked at the price of machines, I got discouraged and let it go. But after seeing this blog last week, I was determined to get a machine and do this!

I got on Facebook, asking advice about where I should try to look for a machine. I didn't need new, and I didn't need fancy. Just something that worked and was reliable. A few (professional sewing) friends suggested stores for me, and I was thankful that I'd been set in the right direction, though not looking forward to spending the money on it. Then, another friend told me she'd been cleaning out her shed and was going to be giving her machine away to Goodwill, and would I like to have it? She did mention she'd always had trouble getting it to work just right, but I figured since it was free, I could try to work on it, and if it was broken, well at least I didn't spend any money on it (save the price of the coffee that I bought in exchange)

So the next day, I went and picked it up and was really excited about starting to use it. I even stopped at this awesome quilting supply store on my way (with all three boys!) to pick out some fabric. I found some super cute Moda charm packs "Just Wing It" and was all set to go. Side note: charm packs are the best invention ever. I didn't have to worry about trying to find coordinating fabrics and measuring yardage with the three kids with me. It feels a little cheater-y, but some day I'll pick them out by hand and whatnot.

Here's my free* machine:

 I got right to work trying to figure out how to work the thing, and turns out it's pretty similar to the one I used growing up, but I could not for the life of me get the bobbin thread to come up the way it should, even after consulting the manufacturer's website and some YouTube videos. 


Posting my frustration on Facebook, a friend of the friend who gave me her machine came to my rescue. She services machines and gave me her phone number and walked me through some trouble shooting scenarios. Within about three minutes, I had the machine working! (she had me change the needle.) 

That evening, I laid out my squares decided what I wanted to do with them: 

 
 Friday morning, the kids went over to the neighbor's house for a couple hours and I got the rows all pieced:

Not sure why the photo is all wonky, but you get the idea.

 Then, using material I had left from a project in high school, I added a border since the blanket was still a little smaller than I wanted:

Then I got batting and piping and backing and worked on it in between the cake I had an order for that was due on Sunday. I finished it around 4:45 Sunday morning, having wanted to finish it before we went to church that morning since the person I was giving it to is going in to have her C-Section this Friday. I'm pretty happy with the finished result even though it got a pretty lack-luster reception from the mother-to-be (which about made me want to cry, though I'm sure some of that could be blamed on the lack of sleep.)

Finished product. Super cozy!

Another slightly wonky picture, but I stitched my name in a small corner.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to my next project; maybe something a little more daring than a basic "squares" quilt, we will see....

Summer Wrap-Up

Yes, yes, I know I"m terrible at upkeeping this blog!
Lots has happened since I last posted, but I've been too lazy or busy to write and post pictures.

So Oliver and Oakley have started school and they love it! Oakley cried a little the first day, but on the second day when I explained more clearly that I wouldn't be staying with him but would be coming back in a couple hours to pick him up, he did great!
  

Not much else happening on the kid front. Elliot and I have been doing parts runs fro work while the  other boys are are school, or running errands of our own. I did buy a jogging stroller at a consignment store last week and I plan on trying to run with Elliot during school hours. We'll see how that goes. he loves the stroller so far, so I hope this works out for us.


Speaking of running, here's an update of the races I've done since the half marathon:


Leashes and Laces 5K 03/25/11 28:48
Mt.Si 59 mile Relay (with the Sole Sisters) 04/11/11 8:48:45 (not sure on the date..)

Run for the Son 5K 05/??/11 Not sure on my time.

Fairfield 5K 06/11/11 26:24

The first time I got a medal for placing in my age division. #2 in the 20-29 category!

Hot Summer Nights 5K Series #1 08/10/11 26:39
Spokane to Sandpoint (Team Happy Feet) )8/12-13/11 30:42

Hot Summer Nights 5K Series #2 08/17/11 28:07
Dirty Dash 10K & Obstacle Course 08/20/11 1:40:00

Hot Summer Nights 5K Series #3 08/27/11 27:24
Sundae Sunday 10 Miler 09/11/11 1:42:30


The races I'm most proud of are the Spokane to Sandpoint, (since I got to finish this year! I almost cried when we got our medals) the Dirty Dash, (since it was so awesome!) and the Sundae Sunday race (since it was sort of like a half marathon..)
I've been having a great time running these races and training for them, but am also kind of excited to start taking it a little slower through the winter. I still plan on running with the Winter Warriors again. I was originally going to give a re-cap of my three favourite races, but kids are up from naps and acting cranky, and it seems like an awful lot of work....


I'll try to do a better job of keeping everyone informed with the highlights of our lives, so 'til next time!

Furniture Remodel!

For quite some time, Phil and I have been wanting to redo our bedroom furniture. He never super loved the colour to begin with (though he didn't tell me until after it had been purchased) and it was just kind of a weird colour to match other things to. Plus, it had been beat up a little when we had it squeezed into a tiny room at my parents' house, and then moving into our house.


All in all, it was just time for a change.

The original night stand. Sorry I can't seem to flip it the right way.

So we picked up a few cans of spray paint, figuring it would be the fastest way, and it it didn't turn out, we could always sand it back down and it would have at least given us an idea of what it would like when done.

The sanding took the longest time, but the kids helped out.

Then we added a coat or two of flat black paint, followed by a coat or two of black satin paint:

And we sprayed the hardware with an ivory paint:

Here is the finished product:

Nightstand.

Phil's dresser (I didn't take a picture of mine, but it got done as well.)

We love the new look of our furniture! And I don't think we spent more than $50 getting all the paint.

Catching UP...

I've been ignoring my blog lately... Sorry to anyone to was actually reading it before.

A few things to catch up on: Oliver is registered for pre-school in the fall! A huge burden off my shoulders. He doesn't do very well focusing on activities like writing, colouring, etc... Pretty much anything that doesn't involve trains, really, so I'm excited that he is excited about going to school and will hopefully be taught the skills he'll need in kindergarden to focus there. Oakley is first up on the waiting list. I kind of hope he is able to get in this fall too. I don't think he needs it like Oliver does, but I think he'd really enjoy it. (And, the "evil Mother" side of me is looking forward to the half day with just one boy at home... I could go running! Get house work done! Nap? Who knows the possibilities?!)

I'm trying to think of what else there was to update on...

Hmmm...

I gave Elliot his first "haircut." Really, I just trimmed his bangs since they were in his eyes 24/7, but he looks so mischievious now. I love it. I do not love the new screeching thing he picked up. It's like the noise I imagine a baby pterodactyl making. At first I was attributing it to his first molar that's coming in, but it looks like it's mostly through the gum, and he still does it. A lot. And waking up super early. (5:30 this morning) Not being a morning person, I'm also not the hugest fan of that. Something else I'm not a fan of, not that I'm trying to rag on my kids, because really, generally they're amazing and great and wonderful, but I'm saying it anyways. Oakley keeps having accidents. I'm hoping it will resolve itself soon since I think it might have started when my MIL was with us for a week and she was babying Oakley a little and helping him go to the bathroom when he would normally go by himself.

I haven't done much running since my Half Marathon.. I've been lazy. I did do a relay race in Seattle that was a blast though! Good weekend with my Sole Sisters :) That race was at the beginning of April, and until last night I had only run about 4 miles total. And those were on a treadmill. Last night I went running with a friend and we did four miles, but they felt so hard! I'm always amazed at how quickly I can fall out of shape! We did pretty well for not having run in about a month though; we finished our four miles in 36 minutes.

In other completely random news, I'm slowly going through my house and getting rid of stuff for a yard sale I'm doing in a couple of weeks. It's slow going, but it feels good to be getting rid of things I'm not using anyways and hopefully I'll make some spending money for my trip to Banff which is mid-June. That is the real reason for having the yard sale. I'm not going to lie. I probably wouldn't have the motivation otherwise. Thankfully my dear friend and neighbour who is also going on the trip is a super organized person and thought of doing this. Bonus: we get to hang out all that day (Pray for sunshine on June 4th!)

Lastly, the cake business has picked up a bit! Hooray! I really don't make any money on it at all since I only charge about the cost of ingredients (I feel bad charging my friends [who are my only clients so far] more than that) but just in May I have made a Baby Shower cake, a birthday cake, I have another Baby Shower and birthday coming up. It's been fun. :) Maybe someday I'll actually make money at it, which would be nice, but until then, I'm happy to be involved in friends' celebrations in an extra way. It's also a fun thing to swap services with friends. My friend Monica is trading me family pictures for me to do her daughter's birthday cake.

I feel like I've been rambling, so I'm going to stop while I might still possibly be ahead.... Off to relax!

I DID IT!

I finished.


It wasn't the prettiest finish ever (my ankles and hips started hurting around mile 9) but I did it. I even have a medal to prove it. I'm fighting the urge to just wear it wherever I go.

My medal :) 

I even had a semi-respectable finishing time of 2:31:52 (that averages out to 11:36/mile, but really when I was running it was closer to 9:29 and then closer to the end I walked on and off for about two miles)


Here's the low-down on my first half-marathon:
Friday afternoon, I drove to Hector's house, left my Jeep there, and we drove his van down to Colfax to stay at Mark & Lori's. Lori, who also ran (and kicked my butt!) knew some other ladies that were going to be in the race, so she invited everyone over for some carb-loading pizza. It was great to meet some more people to have a few friendly faces at the race. 


Rachel, Lori's daughter, was nice enough to give me her room for the night, and I went to bed around ten thirty I think. The furniture in her room used to be mine when I was little, so it was weird to sleep on my old bed.... I had set my alarm for six, but to do the pre-race jitters, I was up a bit before my alarm went off. It would seem I was the only one with this problem since everyone else got up after six thirty. We left by eight to try and get a decent parking spot at the race site, and so that we could register and pick up our stuff before the race started at ten.


On the short drive down to the race site, which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, I kept worrying I hadn't brought clothes that would be warm enough for the run. The hills were covered in deep snow and it was COLD outside, but thankfully, once we descended to the river's elevation, it warmed up a lot and there wasn't any snow around. It was actually pretty warm for early March. We got our race shirts, bibs, and a little bit of free stuff they were giving away and bought our pint glasses with the race's logo on it (I use mine for milk, not ale) and I'm glad we picked up our glasses so early because they sold out quickly. I ran in to several people I knew from Winter Warriors and a Sole Sister was even there (but not running. She was there to cheer her husband on and work the massage table afterwards) which was really neat. It was almost time for the race to start.

Me, Lori, & Hector

The view. Basically what the course looked like.

Sorry, I can't flip the picture. Weather clearing up.

Lori, Hector, Kelly, Brenda, Audrey, and me. (I think I got those names right.)

They were running a couple minutes behind on setting things up, but we got started without a hitch. Lori, Hector and I stuck together for a little bit in an effort to try and pace ourselves and not start out too quickly. We saw a dead, bloated elk in the river within our first mile. It was pretty gross, but proved to be a good landmark for me on my way back. The three of us stayed together for about the first mile, and then perhaps stupidly (in hindsight) I started inching forward. I did my first mile in 9:29, which wasn't too bad for pacing my self. I then I got cocky and competitive, and wasn't watching myself. I pulled quite a ways ahead of them, and kept thinking, "I got this! I sooo going to finish before them. I'm so much younger, etc, etc..." Well, right before the turn around around mile six, Lori and Hector come up behind me, say hi, and then pass me. Serves me right. (I'd forgotten to factor in that since their kids are older, they have more time to get out and run, and that they'd been pacing themselves much better...) 


The farthest I'd ever run at once was nine miles before this race. This was mile six, and I was starting to get really tired. Not a good sign. I thought to myself that I'd slow down, walk for a teeny, teeny bit, and then run and catch up with them. (It's happened before.) I did not catch up to them. And, after the turn around, it was very depressing how far ahead you could see. It wasn't like that on the way out. Now, I could see everyone that was ahead of me, and for a couple miles ahead. The scenery was starting to get old. There weren't many landmarks or signs or anything. Just the river, and hills, the road and a railroad track that ran alongside.


By mile nine, my ankles were starting to hurt, and from that point on, what was already a tough race became even harder. It's no fun to see people thirty-forty years older than you, or people that look like they have absolutely no place in a half-marathon passing you. It was a very humbling experience. So much for all my cockiness at the beginning. Mile ten or so, my hip starting hurting and I so badly wanted to quit. Every once in a while, though the road was closed, there would a pickup going from water station to water station refilling supplies, and I so badly wanted to hitch a ride. But I finished. From my estimates, which are very rough, I think all together, I walked somewhere between two-two and a half miles on the way back. 


I'm glad I did it though. It's something I can cross off my bucket list, I accomplished something big before my birthday, and completed one of my new year's resolutions. I also decided that while I think someday I'd like to do another one, I'll probably wait until the kids are a little older and I can train better for it. In the meantime, I have a few more races this spring, a fundraiser run for the local PD, a three mile fun run (for Girl Scout Cookies!) beginning of April, a 60 mile relay mid-April, and Phil and I are thinking about doing a duet-thalon in May.

A Quick Jot.

A quick jot to say thanks to the moms that gave feedback on schooling and chores for kids. (And the great links I was provided with! I'll be printing off a bunch of chore charts [for me and for the boys] today and see which ones work best for our house)


I also wanted to give a quick update on the pre-half-marathon week. The race is four days away! Man, that went by SO quickly. It seems like just a week or two ago that it was forty days. I haven't been able to run much since I did the nine miles a couple weeks ago. I think I've only gone twice, a four mile and two mile run. Not the best for training to run a thirteen mile course. But, with Elliot and Oakley's birthdays and a couple of their friends' birthdays and other obligations, I either haven't had the time or been to tired to start running at ten at night.


I was planning on running last night, but after I did the payroll for work, I laid down on my bed and fell asleep. So that didn't happen. I set my alarm for 4 a.m. (and 4:30 thinking it would be unlikely that I would heed the earlier one) but went right back to sleep after turning them off. Hopefully I can get off my half-lazy behind tonight and get on my treadmill.


Please pray for decent weather for Saturday, and a safe drive down to Colfax and Lewiston. I don't want to run in super windy or slushy weather....

Chores.

Yes, I still need to get my dishes done. Don't judge.
I was reading a friend's blog which had a link to another blog, and then I was reading another friend's blog which had another link to a blog... The connective thread among all of these was chores, specifically cleaning. I kept finding more information about how much your children should be helping out at home. Due in part to these blogs, and I promise NOT my laziness, I've come to the realization that I haven't been encouraging my kids to help out enough around the house. 


I usually save up a lot of the cleaning to do while the kids nap (it's nearly impossible to get the dishwasher loaded/unloaded while Elliot grabs stuff out of it or tries to climb in!) or after they go to bed for the night. Big surprise! Mommy doesn't get much sleep or quiet time in that way, and is exhausted all the time.


So, starting tomorrow, I'll print off one of the chore charts I found online (well, talk to Phil about it first to see how he feels, and then proceed accordingly) and the boys can start helping out around the house doing things they should probably be doing anyways and possibly earning a teeny bit of allowance while they're at it. 


I in no way consider myself a clean freak or maybe not even a neat person, but when I do clean, I like things done in a particular way, so it will also be an exercise for me to let go, and just let things get done.


What are your thoughts on chores and the division of labour?

Senior Year Deja-Vu.

Here's the thing: I'm feeling like I'm behind in my parenting. It's very much like Senior year of high school, in my experience. If anyone was like me, that was the time of my life where it seemed all of my friends knew exactly when to have senior pictures done by, send in college applications, fill out financial aid forms, submit essays to get scholarships, and I was always five steps behind. It's not that I didn't care about doing any of those things, I just could never seem to know about things before deadlines and opportunities passed me by.
Fast forward six years or so, (really, it's been almost six years since graduation? That seems crazy!) and I'm in the same boat, but this time, my children are suffering.


There needs to be a class or something, maybe around the time your oldest child is two, that tells you when you need to start looking at pre-schools and regular schools and all that stuff. When to start teaching reading, writing, or even the basics like colours, shapes, numbers and the alphabet. 


 My children are by no means stupid, I'm not trying to imply that at all. And they do pretty well on the basics despite the fact I probably didn't start as early as I should have teaching them those things. But it only recently occurred to me (Oliver's fourth birthday) that I've done nothing to really plan ahead for their education, only figuring that the summer before they turn five, we'd look into the local schools.
It seems most of the other kids around their age are already in preschool or will be starting next fall, some of them younger than Oliver. I'm feeling like a slacker. For a kid like Oakley, who loves sitting down and colouring and doing puzzles and reading books, I'm not quite as worried about it, but Oliver doesn't sit still very long to do things like that. He likes to build things and put things together. He's very mechanical about everything he does. I'm worried that he won't do very well in a school-type setting, but I also don't think homeschooling would be a good idea for him either.


I would appreciate any suggestions/tips from experienced moms (and dads.) I've tried, not very hard, but a few times, to sit down with Oliver with some pre-school books but he gets so bored and gets distracted....
Also, any tips about when to look at schools and what to look for. 

Makes Me Smile.

Sometimes children say odd things, mean things, sweet things. I've been lucky enough to avoid most of the "mean" things for now (aside from kids telling each other it's THEIR toy or that I'm playing with a certain train wrong, etc...) but our life has been rife with curious sayings and changing of words (As very young toddlers, Oliver and Oakley called noodles "noo-noos" and waffles "waff-waffs" and so we still call them that today.) Every once in a while though, they will say something that will just melt my heart or make me laugh...


One of my all time favourites is from about a year ago now, I think. I was heading out with the kids to do errands on a particularly windy day, Oliver was wearing a foam-type construction hat (why not?) and opened the door just as a huge gust of wind went by. His hat started flying off, and amazingly he caught it and said, "Come on hat! Don't be scared!" This is my go-to for cheering myself up.


My favourite thing Oakley has probably ever said, was actually on two separate occasions, the first about a month ago now, and the second a couple weeks ago. The first was when I was curling my hair (very rare!) and Oakley came into the bathroom and told me I was "fancy" and "pretty." Phil has been pretty good about teaching the boys that ladies like it when you compliment them, and so most Sundays as I'm getting ready for Meeting, Phil will ask the boys, "Doesn't Mommy look pretty today?" or something to that effect. The second time Oakley decided to pay me a compliment was when I was getting ready a couple of Sundays ago (it's really the only day of the week I get dressed that early and bother with make-up) and Phil asked Oakley as usual "Doesn't Mommy look pretty?" and Oakley said, "No," long pause, "Mommy's beautiful." (*sigh*) What a sweet boy! He will be trouble with the girls later on, I think. Besides the fact that he already knows how to one-up his daddy in the compliments department, he's got the hair that everyone wants to touch... Oakley spells trouble :)


Elliot doesn't really say much yet, he's fully able of communicating, just not with actual words, but one thing that cracked me up, happened just yesterday: Oliver was petting the cat (a rare time that she came out during the day) and she was enjoying it and making meowing sounds and Elliot was meowing back at her. It was very cute (probably had to be there.)

Run, run, run...

Today the countdown was at twenty days until my half-marathon.


Training has not been going well, or really, at all. I've still been going to Winter Warriors, but only averaging three to four miles. Still a long way from where I started last year, when five miles seemed like the longest distance EVER, but not good enough to get me ready for thirteen miles.


When we got home from Meeting today, Phil knew I needed to run, so I grabbed a granola bar and changed. I drove out to the Centennial Trail, since it has mile markers and that way I can track my mileage a little more accurately. 


On a side note, before I continue with the real story, there's this watch I've really been wanting for a while, and I told myself that if I ran over eight miles, I'd let myself get it. (Thanks to the Thanks for Sharing dollars I'd earned from Macy's.)


So, the first two miles, go okay. A little slow feeling, until I check my time and see I've been running about nine-minute miles, which isn't too bad for me. I did forget my water bottle at home though, and had forgotten to take a piece of gum with me to help keep hydrated, so I was feeling a little dry. The first couple of miles always seem the hardest to me for whatever reason. Once I hit three, I feel like I can run just about anywhere.


About where the three mile marker would be, the trail splits off and to keep going on the Centennial Trail, you have to turn, but there seemed to be a lot of bike traffic that way (and more hills, honestly) so I kept going straight. Little did I know that the trail this way turns into Liberty Lake Trails, which are just as nice, all paved, but do not have mile markers. (Hence, the estimation on my distance based on driving as close to the trail route as possible afterwards.)


I kept waiting and waiting for a mile marker, thinking surely I should've passed one by now! But they never came. I was almost in Liberty Lake at this point, and remembered that a bit onward, there's an overpass for the trail that connects it to the other one on the other side of the freeway and it runs along the river. I thought, I must be close, I'll just run to that, and cross and that'll be my way of turning back around to my car. It was a lot farther than it seems while driving on the freeway, and the trail was starting to turn sharply towards the hills and I realized (after calling Phil) that it would be many more miles before I reached that overpass not counting all the miles I still had to run back. So, I just turned around there, since it seemed a good a spot as any, and as best as I can figure, that was pretty close to the four and a half mile mark for me. (A tip: I do not suggest immediately driving your running route. What took an hour and a half for me to run, took about five minutes to drive...) 


Before today, I think the farthest I had run was six and a half miles, so I was pretty proud that today I hardly walked at all, kept a steady pace, and still felt pretty good at the end of my run. I walked about a (broken) half mile, but I still count it into my distance, since I needed that to get back to my car. My pre-half-marathon goal was to be able to run about ten miles "comfortably" so I'm really close! I figure if I can run ten, the last three of the race shouldn't be too hard to finish. I'll let you know how that works out ;)


As for my watch, I went to get it after my run, and neither Macy's in my area had it. Big bummer! I did get Phil some cologne he's been wanting for Valentine's day instead, and will start re-saving up for my watch....

Three Things: Shoe Websites.

So, it's probably not a shocker to you that I love to shop for shoes. Unless you're a stranger that stumbled upon my blog, and then it might be, I suppose. If you care nothing about shoes, I suggest you just skip this one...


People often ask me where I buy my shoes, since I seem to have a never-ending supply, and I almost always recommend the following three:


1. Heels.com
I can rarely afford all the shoes I want here, but they have an amazing selection! It's a great website, it the way it's displayed, ease of use, and how you can narrow down what you're looking for. As the name implies, they have pretty much only heels (also some boots, flats, and sandals, but you won't find, say, athletic shoes...) A bonus though: (if I'm not mistaken) 2nd day free shipping.


2. Zappos.com
I've only recently made my first purchase from them, but again, a GREAT selection. Unlike Heels.com, they have a wider variety of types of shoes, and the pair I just bought there was a pair of Nike light weight racing shoes and the prices are a little more competitive. They have free shipping both ways (always!) and you can return them up to 365 days after you've bought them. Amazing! I know I'll be using this website a lot more in times to come.


3. DSW.com
Most of their shoes are actually in my price range, which is nice, and you can accumulate points towards discounts, too. Their selection isn't as big as the first two, but they have everything from women's formal to men's casual. The best deal I ever got was from this website, when last year on St.Patrick's day, I got to have 50% taken off everything I bought that day (6 pairs of shoes later....) which was just in time for my birthday :)


4. (a bonus...) Macys.com
I love Macy's in general. Being a card holder I get a lot of discounts and coupons, so I can usually get what I want for a minimum of 25% off, which is always enjoyable. Their site is great for reviews, and you can always return things to the store if it doesn't work out for whatever reason.


Now, the place I buy most of my shoes is split pretty evenly between Macy's and Nordstrom Rack, but unfortunately, NR doesn't have a website, but you can get things there for SO CHEAP! Or, at least, a lot cheaper than they were originally.


Anyways, in case you cared, these are my favourite places to shop, even it's only window-shopping.

*Something witty, upbeat, and humorous*

I couldn't think of a good title for this update. That's pretty much all this is: an update.


Re-started Oakley on his potty training this morning. We learned the reason he didn't want to do it before is because he thinks the undies belong to Oliver and the toilet belongs to Oliver. So I went out and found him some teeny boxers (the cutest thing ever, by the way) and brought the little potty back upstairs out of storage. It's been going okay for far this morning...Of course, it's only 9:24 right now, but I'm calling it a success that he even was happy to sit on the potty and read books for fifteen minutes this morning.
He had an accident already, but it was literally three minutes before I planned to put him back in the bathroom to try again, so...


The downside of all this? Elliot is being so clingy and fussy this morning! I don't know what his deal is. I put him back in his bed hoping he would go back to sleep for a bit, and from the sounds of it, he finally gave into his exhaustion. He is very curious about what Oakley is doing in the bathroom.
Oliver was too, and decided that since we were already in there, it would be a good time for him to go as well. I almost got peed on and some books needed wiped down. Gross. The first few weeks of potty training are not my favourite in the world.


Just took a quick break to clean up a poop mess. *Sigh*


I for sure need to go buy Oakley more boxers. I only got one pack of three not knowing if he'd go for them or not... Two are already dirty, and there's bit of time before the first pair is done washing and can be put in the dryer. I guess it's kind of a good thing we caught up a bit on laundry this weekend.


I'm feeling a little the opposite of the "title" of this entry.


For other news, I started working on my dollhouse this weekend. Phil had gotten me this really beautiful dollhouse kit in October (I asked for it) but I hadn't really had the time to do anything with it with all the holidays and whatnot. So Friday night I (with Phil, and then unexpectedly his dad) stained all the shingles, which is a lot more work than one might think, and yesterday afternoon/evening, I painted the pieces for the porch/railing and put those together. Also A LOT more work than it seems. I knew this wouldn't be an easy project and it wouldn't be a fast project, both things I appreciate about it, but I didn't think it was going to be this time consuming. I will for sure be needing Phil's help to put the actual walls and roof together since when I was reading the instructions last night, I had no idea what they were talking about. The writer of the manual assumes you do this for a living and uses all the builder lingo and, well, some of the terms I think I know or could figure out, but I think it will be fun to work on it with Phil and thereby increase the possibility of it actually looking like a house when we're done.


I'll be posting pictures of the finished product at some point, and maybe some along the way if I remember...


I worked some more on my quilt leading up to Christmas, and was taking pictures along the steps, so at some other point, I'll also be posting a blog to have a very rough demonstration of how to do it if anyone is interested.


Happy Monday!

Half way there!

For those keeping up with my running and training for the half-marathon, you will be happy to know that I got off my butt tonight and ran on my treadmill!

I had tried to run a little on Saturday, but only had time to run a little over three before I had to shower and get ready for a birthday party. I was feeling pretty discouraged that that was as far as I had gotten when I need to be able to whip out 13.1 miles. I was totally wiped after that three and a quarter mile run.

At Winter Warriors on Tuesday, we ran just under four, but it was about ten degrees out, so it was a tough run (I thought anyways. Some of the crazies still run about fifteen miles in this weather) I needed a motivational boost.

So, tonight, I decided that I would hit up my treadmill after the kids had gone to bed. Oakley didn't fall asleep for quite some time, so I didn't get started until ten, but my goal had been to run at least four miles. At about two and three quarters, I decided I should up it to five miles since I was feeling pretty good. At about four miles, I decided I should up it to six and run basically half of the half-marathon. Then, about five miles, I decided, "Well, that's dumb. I should just run the extra half mile and then really have done half..." 

So I did! One hour and thirteen minutes (and fifty one seconds) it took me, but I burned 1069 calories, so I'd say it's worth it.

My pre-race goal is to be able to comfortably run ten miles, and let the adrenaline of the race make up the last three miles. If I make it to more than that, great, but that's my goal.

If you're wondering why I'm writing in this ridiculous colour, it's because it's the closest to the colour of my new light-weight running shoes :) Sometimes I need to get myself some bribes to keep going, and if you know me, I'm a total gear junkie, and you already know of my shoe weakness...

I hate Fondant.

I think I really, truly hate it. Which is unfortunate since I'm trying to get a cake decorating company off the ground for myself.


Fondant is fickle.


The first wedding cake I made, I had a two day notice of the wedding, and I had volunteered to make the couple's wedding cake thinking I had a few months to buy my supplies and practice and whatnot. They felt a week was long enough for an engagement (they're Bhutanese refugees, so maybe that's normal for them?) Anyways, my mom gave me money to go out and buy my supplies a day and a half before the wedding, and I just had a go at it. Leah, my sister-in-law who does cakes, gave me a lot of advice via e-mail and gave me recipes and answered my questions. This cake turned out fairly near perfection. I'm really not trying to brag, really. I think God was guiding my hands in that project and it came together pretty well.

I mean, come on! That's pretty good for a first try, right. 


My second wedding cake I was hired for, the bride wanted a LOT of colour and being so cocky and over confident of my skills in the cake arena, I agreed to do it for her. The lucky streak DID NOT last. I made, I think, three practice cakes for her wedding and each involved a lot of *choice* words and throwing of my large roller or whatever happened to be in my hand. At one point, it was fondant. In the end it turned out pretty well, not as well as I would have liked, but...

So, I haven't done much with Fondant since then... I usually end up throwing things. (for those of you wondering, don't worry: it's very late at night when I get to work on cakes, and the kids are asleep. I try not to have my own tantrums in front of them) I did Oliver's birthday cake this year with some Fondant accents, and I thought maybe Fondant and I were making some progress in our relationship. I didn't throw anything at all, and only had to redo one piece...

Each piece I cut fit just about perfectly, and I was super pleased with the results. My friend was at the party, and our kids' birthdays are three days apart, but we were doing our parties on separate weekends, so I asked her if she wanted me to make her son's cake. Big mistake on my part!
The idea seemed simple enough. She wanted a cake with Andy's bed (Andy as in Toy Story) and have the toys on and around the bed. I found some good ideas/samples on Google, and thought, "Oh, this won't take any time at all!"


It's currently 1:35 a.m.


I've been at this since about 9:30 when the cakes were done chilling.


What was the point of this? Oh yes! So, I made a sheet cake for the floor of Andy's room, and cut out individual floor boards and painted them by hand, which took forever, but it looks pretty good, and I am happy with the results. Although, again, Fondant is tricksy. It went pretty well for those, but come time to make the blanket for the bed, I tried for about 30-45 minutes (though it felt longer!) to roll out the stuff, cut it, and transfer it to the bed. I have now tried in every way I can think, but the biggest problems are:
1. It keeps stretching as I transfer it.
2. It keeps sticking to itself as I transfer it. 
3. I could swear it changes sizes between getting rolled and getting on the cake.


Very annoying. 


Well, this was mostly to vent while I cooled off from the last fiasco, but I should probably get back to it since the party is in 15 hours and I haven't slept yet. Not to mention, I only got four hours last night, so tonight is being especially rough. I will post pictures of this cake once I finish it, unless I throw it. :)

Three Things: Shoes.

Since the age of three, I've known I love shoes. When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I answered that I wanted to work in a shoe store. Though, to be fair, I thought I'd then get the shoes for free. My dream at the time was to work at a store called Yellows in my hometown.
While I neither own or work in a shoe store now, I still love, love, love shoes. I thankfully married a man who supports my habit, and likes me in heels. Also luckily, I married a man almost a foot taller than me, so even if I wear 5.5" heels, we're good to go :) We often talk about what we would do if we won the lottery (and only buy tickets about once a year) but part of our dream is to open up our own shoe store and carry my favourite brands plus have a small section of shoes for men's large sizes (15+) since my Phil has a hard time finding shoes that fit him.
On to the point, I've been asked to pick out my favourite three shoes, and it was not an easy decision to make. I narrowed it down to heels, and maybe someday will go on to do separate blogs about running shoes, flats, wedges, etc... I have a lot of shoes, so there will be no shortage of what I could do.


1. Steve Madden Caryssa heels in red suede.

I also have these in a few other colours, but there's just something about the red heels. I highly recommend them to anyone who's comfortable in tall heels, as they're a little over 5". My favourite outfit to wear these with is a purple (about the colour of my wall) sheath dress by Halo that has a funky neckline and a red leather skinny belt. It really brings out the belt, and is kind of an unexpected colour combination.




2. Eva and Zoe glittery heels.

I just bought these in Denver last month, but for only $40, how could I resist? I'd been eyeing a very similar pair that was priced at $130, and just hadn't been able to justify it. Now I know why :) I haven't worn them out yet, but I feel they'll be more versatile than they seem at first. I also feel compliments abound. The glitter is multi-coloured at a closer look, so I think I'll be able to wear them with just about any colour dress or jeans/shirt combo and have them really pop!


3. Sam Edelman rhinestone and spike heels in ivory snakeskin.

To be sure, these are the least practical shoes I own. However, they could easily be used as a self-defense tool, which I like. This picture does not do them justice. These are also some of the most expensive shoes I own, so I'm not sure what role logic was playing the day I bought these, all I knew is that they were awesome. They look amazing with an LBD (Little Black Dress) or this ivory sheath dress with skinny black belt I have.


Maybe I'll do a blog about my three favourite dresses next....

Two months and counting...

So, I went to Winter Warriors last night. The first time in almost a month, and I'd been too lazy to run on my own in the meantime. Since the half-marathon I registered for is two months from today, I had vowed to myself that I'd do two laps no matter what loop we were doing that night.
I ran four miles! A small step considering I have to make it to 13.1 comfortably before March 5th, but still... I was pretty proud of myself. Made it in 45 minutes, which normally wouldn't be so great, but there was a lot of snow and ice out and it was around 20F. 
I felt a little bad for the guy I was using as my competition/pacer though. I always pick someone in a race or when running with others to try and beat, and I do not like being passed, so this guy who was relatively new to the group would inch up behind me and finally be able to pass me, and then my competitive side would just take over and I'd zoom out in front of him for another mile or so... It wasn't pretty and I should probably explain to him and it wasn't anything personal. 
My knees starting hurting after my run though, which is bad news. I had to have physical therapy last summer while training for the Spokane to Sandpoint race, but thought my problems had been taken care of since I now know that the problem is/was. (I'm a pronator) But I'm thinking/hoping that it was just because of the snow/ice/slush combo that made it hard on my knees. We'll see. I need to get down on my treadmill and see if that makes a difference.

*sigh*

So, today I'm starting Oakley on potty training again. 
We'd tried this summer, but he just wasn't getting it, and so we took a break. Until now.


I've tried to ease him into it a little by telling him the last few days that we're going to be starting and that they'll be no more diapers and he'll have to use the potty like a big boy.
It must have not sunk in because this morning he's screaming bloody murder about wearing undies and trying to sit on the toilet.
Awesome.


Prayers and suggestions are being accepted at this time.