Valentine's 2011

I did a little sewing last week, but I will have to wait to show you. Today is my mother in law's birthday. (Happy Birthday Grammie!!!) I don't want to ruin any surprises, you know?

So instead I will show you what I did this year for the kid's valentines. It really isn't that crafty, but it's all I have to show. It was cheap, easy, and I thought they turned out cute.

I found the design on Eighteen 25. They have such cute ideas.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day. My Valentine surprised me with a date night Saturday night. We went to a swanky wine bar and then a very nice restaurant. It was the perfect way to celebrate Valentine's day.

52 Weeks of Me- Week 7

This week we are tackling profiles. Today it is 60 degrees and sunny. So I embraced the awesome weather and took this shot while the sun was beating down on my face and wind blowing my hair. The background seemed distracting so I decided to get rid of it for a more dramatic effect. It sure would be nice if this weather stayed around for awhile, but I am not getting my hopes up.

A Day in the Life- February 8, 2011 {lunch break}

This week I decided to document my lunch break at work. I try to go for a run a couple of days a week on my lunch break. Yes, it means I am kind of nasty the rest of the day, but I have come to terms with it. I will probably start running in the evenings again once it gets warmer and isn't dark so early.

I officially start my half marathon training this week. I have been training for my training the last month or so. I was having some foot issues so I went to a specialty running store and bought some shoes. I desperately needed new shoes. The new shoes felt great and my foot issues seemed to be better. I ran my longest run- 5.8 miles. Then my hip started killing me. Man, oh man. I really feel old. I took about a week off from running. It started feeling better, but after today's run it is very sore again. Ughhh.

Anyway back to my lunch break. At 11:30 I changed clothes, stretched, and got all ready for my run.

I felt pretty good during my run. My hip was hurting, but not too bad. I ran 3 miles in just under 30 minutes. I headed back to the office, drank some water, and cooled off a bit. I took a couple of calls. Then changed back into my work clothes.

I grabbed some homemade gatorade, some ice for my hip, and my lunch.

I ate my lunch while I worked. Exciting stuff, huh?

Bit of Whimsy Doll and Quilt

After last week's shoe fail, I knew I had to redeem myself. So I decided I would make my friend who just had a baby a doll and doll quilt. I used this pattern from Bit of Whimsy Dolls. It was on sale last week, but doesn't look like it is any longer. I had all of the materials on hand so I was able to use up some of my stash. I used a pattern from the Wee Wonderful book for the doll quilt. This was my first attempt at quilting so I pretty much winged it.

I also used this tutorial to create a pretend binding. It worked perfectly.

Now I just have to mail the gift, which seems to be harder than all of the sewing.

Happy Crafty Tuesday.

52 Weeks of Me- Week 6

This week we are doing at arm's length. I really need to figure out how to look happier. Even though I look a little angry, I was pretty happy with this shot. Miller told me I looked like Michael Jackson. Hmmmm. Maybe it's the curly hair.

It's never too late to join in on the fun.

A Day in the Life- February 1, 2011 {evening}

I want to preface this by saying this is not a typical evening at our house, but as the kids get involved in more activities it will probably become the norm. I also will apologize in advance for the photo quality. I had to snap the photos fast and there are iphone photos mixed in there too.

Miller had his first swim lesson tonight. He was so excited. I couldn't get a photo of him that wasn't blurry because he was moving around so much. This is a huge step for him. He is terrified of the water. We finally convinced him that he really needs to know how to swim. Mitch took him because I am a softie and Miller knows it.

While the boys were at swim lessons, Harper did some homework and I made some soup.

Then I ate some of this yummy soup (Red Lentil Potato Soup with Kale). Harper was not impressed. She opted for a banana. In my defense she ate some rotisserie chicken earlier.

After dinner and homework, I picked out some fabric for a baby gift I am planning. Harper decided to write the answer to every one of her math flash cards. She answered every single one correctly.

Miller and Mitch arrived home. Lessons started out a little shaky, but he did it. He was very proud of himself. I told him if he did what the teacher asked him to do he could play Wii Mario Kart when he got home. That motivated him. That is all he cares about these days. Mitch showed us some photos and videos of Miller in action.

The boys ate some dinner. Harper and I loaded up for basketball practice. Miller took a shower.

I did a little reading and basketball practice watching. Then we headed home. Harper brushed her teeth. Miller was already in bed.

Harper lost a tooth at school today. Well, actually the nurse pulled it for her. It was just hanging there. Harper kept visiting the nurse about her tooth, so I am sure the nurse was happy it finally came out. She made sure the tooth was tucked into her tooth fairy pillow. Then we read a book.

Time for bed.

Did anyone play along this week?

Shoe Fail

I am not sure how it happened, but I became obsessed with making my own shoes. I saw the patterns from Shoeology and could not stop thinking about them. Finally I broke down and bought the pattern. The first pair were in process for a couple of weeks. Then I finished one shoe. The other sat there for another week or so before I decided to actually finish it. They were too big so I kept trying to make adjustments. It just ended up all wrong. So I cut out another pair and tried again. I found this extra large wool skirt at Goodwill so I still had plenty of fabric. The first shoe looked ok, but the second shoe just never looked right. I tried adding some insoles from an old pair of tennis shoes, which helped but they are still not right. I may give it one more go, but I think I need to do something else first. I am tired of shoes.

I hope everyone else has a happier Crafty Tuesday.