2011 Challenge #2

In keeping with challenging myself, I promised myself that I would try new things. I'm not great at sewing, by any means, but I try. I've just realized that I'm not a patient person when it comes to sewing, but I'm working on improving that.

I've made some blankets, and some things for the boys and even a few things for myself, but I wanted to try and make a quilt for a good friend of ours who works with AJ and who just recently had their first baby, a little girl. Only having boys so far, I was in love with all the pinks that I got to work with to make this quilt. It's a really simple pattern, and I just did a straight-line quilting on it (no stippling or any other pattern for me just yet), but I love the final result. Hopefully the recipients were just as happy with it.

It went together fairly quickly, and I only had to unpick a few rows toward the end when my impatience got the best of me (lesson learned, seriously). My fingers have never been so numb as they were after hand sewing the binding on, but I'm pretty proud of what I accomplished and think that it looks pretty decent (not that I'm trying to toot my own horn...I just want to make sure I remember how I felt about the whole process years down the road).

Now I just need to get working on quilt #2 so I don't lose my momentum...maybe, someday I'll get good enough that I can sell them and turn it into a little bit of a side business. :)

Bring It On 2011

So, I know that January is halfway over, and I realize that I'm a little late with posting about resolutions, but better late than never, right?

I've decided that 2011 is going to be the year for stepping outside of my comfort zone. I'm trying to find that balance in life of who I am as a wife and a mother and as me. Sometimes I feel like the "me" part gets lost in all of the other stuff. That's not to say that I don't love being a wife and a mom, because I do. I LOVE this time in my life right now, but I don't want to wake up in 20 years and wonder who is staring back at me in the mirror, you know?

I didn't really make a lot of resolutions for the new year...I really just sort of made one really big one. I've resolved to challenge myself daily, whether it's to try new things, to not be afraid or to stop making excuses.

With that being said, my first challenge of the year came from my sister, Val. A while ago, last year, we had talked about running a 5K together. No big deal...just 3.1 miles. Easy, peasy, right? Except that we never managed to sign up for one and do it together and life got in the way and just kept right on going. And then came the challenge for this year...forget the 5K and let's go for a 1/2 marathon. That's right...13.1 miles. Further than I have ever run in my life at one time (and sometimes further than I have ever run in a week, and sometimes a month). I'm not a runner...I don't love it. It's hard to do and it's brutal to me and my body (and to be honest, my mind at times because it really gives me too much time to think and that's not always a good thing). For whatever inexplicable reason, I said "OK" and she held me to it...and we signed up for the SLC 1/2 Marathon on April 16th. And then we got Cynthia to sign up and run it with us and hang out with us in our insanity. Why? Because this is the year of no excuses. Of challenging myself every day (and trying to stick to any sort of training program with 3 kids is a daily challenge).

So, to those 13.1 miles, I say "bring it on". I will conquer you, and I will survive it (and maybe even run another one depending on how this one goes). Why not, right?