Some updates!

A few updates:

1. I am so excited that y'all want to see some good cookie recipes! A few people also asked about how I coordinate my baking and freezing. My next post will be about baking tips and techniques and then I will bring on the recipes!

2. I have run twice in my new shoes and LOVE them. I got Pearl Izumi Syncro Pace III at Road Runner and am in love, completely in love. They fit like a glove. Not cheap, but well worth it.

3. I finished this cute wall hanging just in time to put him up for the fall. He is now hanging in my foyer. :)

4. We got a piano!!!! I played for years when I was younger and have really missed it. I found a good used one and it was delivered last week. I am loving it! I have picked up playing again much quicker than I thought. I got a book with some Christmas tunes and have been playing them everyday. MissyMiss is also VERY interested in the piano, so I got her a beginner book and started giving her lessons. She is doing well and very enthusiastic about learning.






That is all for now. Next up....COOKIES!!!!

My Girl in The Girly Skirt

I recently finished an adorable twirly skirt for MissyMiss. The pattern is called "The Girly Skirt" and it is by Pink Fig Patterns.

I don't do much in the way of garments, but was able to easily follow the pattern and the skirt turned out really cute. I matched it up with a red tee from Wal-Mart and it made for one cute outfit.

Here she is modeling it. Bubby insisted on being in the pictures too. The funniest part is that I later noticed that he was wearing my mom's fuzzy blue slippers! I can't wait to pull out these pictures when he is 16. Between this one and the one of him wearing one of MissyMiss's nightgowns, tap shoes and an Easter bonnet...I am all set. :)

Some updates...

First of all, thank you so much to everyone for all of the kind thoughts and good suggestions regarding the death of my daughter's hamster. Hampy was buried in our backyard. My daughter wanted a stone to mark the grave, so she chose an angel garden statue. She was really sad for a few days, but is doing much better now. Thanks again to everyone for your sweet comments.





I had another 5K today and I will get to posting a race report at some point. Things are crazy here for the next few days. A few things I shall mention now:


- I saw a girl at the starting line wearing teeny, tiny white see-through shorts and a thong underneath. I was determined that, if nothing else, I must beat "thong girl"...I did.

- Running in the heat and humidity just downright stinks.

- I came close to a PR, but missed by about 10 seconds. But...I placed first in my age group. Here is the proof:

I have no idea why MissyMiss isn't smiling in this pic. She was thrilled for me. She even made me a pretend cake and sang "Happy Medal Day" to me. :)

We have been busy! The kids and I went blueberry picking this week and had a great time! The blueberries were great this year! As soon as we got home we made Blueberry cobbler. It is such an easy and healthy recipe...I promise I will post it as soon as things settle down.

Lastly, I had a FUN trip to the quilt shop last weekend and have LOTS of projects planned. I just finished a twirly skirt for MissyMiss and will post a pic as soon as I get one of her wearing it. Next on my list is a wall hanging for the dining room and then starting some Christmas stuff.

Definitely lastly, I was in Home Goods (my fav!) the other day and they are already starting to put out fall decor....my heart skipped a beat when I saw it! Fall is my favorite season! But...even better....my favorite holiday is Christmas and my local radio station did Christmas in July this weeked. So...they played Christmas songs all weekend! Any other Christmas freaks out there?

Small Projects

This blog started out being about all of my hobbies...but has quickly turned into a running blog since running is where I am spending my free time. :)

But...I have finished some small projects lately and thought I would share them.

Here are the cutest crayon rolls! Rachel over at P.S. I Quilt posted a tutorial for it and it sewed up quickly. I made one for each kiddo. They look like this when they are rolled up.



Once you unroll it, there is a spot for each crayon. My kids love these and they are perfect while waiting for food in a restaurant.


I intended this little bag to be for my sister, but since I made a few mistakes I gave it to MissyMiss instead. She never notices the mistakes and is currently using it for her jewelry.



I just finished this tote bag last night and am so happy with how it turn out. Amanda over at Crazy Mom quilts did the tutorial and the directions were a breeze to follow. I used a Moda Shangri-La charm pack.




I made this place mat and a matching one, for two tables in our playroom. The tables have gotten fairly abused, so I thought they would be cute to cover all of the scratches and dents.

I made this wall hanging for the entryway of my house. My plan is to make some seasonal wall hangings that are the same size so that I can switch them out according to the season/holiday.

Friday Favs

So...I am starting something new today! Every Friday I will be doing a "Friday Favs" post. I will highlight one of my favorite things. I always love it when people say things like "This is my favorite recipe!", or "These are my favorite socks!". To be deemed a favorite, something must be pretty darn good.

So, here is my first Friday Fav...........

My Janome Sewing Machine! Here is a pic of it in all its sewing machine glory:



My wonderful husband surprised me with it this past fall! MissyMiss was in on the surprise and was so excited to give it to me. About 3 years ago, I decided that I wanted to learn to sew/quilt. I bought an inexpensive Brother machine from Wal-Mart and taught myself. Once I got really into it, I thought about an upgrade....and then my wonderful husband surprised me with one.

See the table the machine is sitting in...also a surprise from Hubby...for Mother's Day. He is so thoughtful...sometimes. :)



Below is a pic of my cutting table. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.


This awesome cabinet I got at a garage sale for $20! It is from Pier 1...it was marked $35, but they were starting to close up and I offered $20 and got it! It works great for organizing all of my little stuff and my scraps.


This is my fabric cabinet. It is a reproduction icebox that I got at a local furniture store...I LOVE it!






This is the cabinet opened up. Look at all that fabric!!! Sometimes I just open it and stare at it all. If I am having a bad day, it makes me happy just to look at all of my fabric...seriously.



This little shelf has all of my sewing/quilting books. Nothing fancy either...


Well...that is it for today. Tune in next week for my next Friday Fav!