February is here. I am happy to say I’ve finally put away all our Christmas decor and while it isn’t completely conquered, I have tamed the laundry beast and gotten somewhat of a grip on the house chores and school work.
For now
So, with this new month, I’ve set some goals for some things I’d like to get done around the house. And thanks to two different blogging friends, I have some accountability and inspiration. Thanks Andrea and Becky!!
Andrea is hosting a sew along. She’s been posting some adorable dresses and pants with pockets and all sorts of cute things she whips up in her “spare time.” I typically look at them, drool, and think, “if only” and “perhaps I should forward the link to my SIL or my mom, people who actually use their sewing machines!” But, then she introduced this concept of a sew along and I was intrigued.
This is her plan:
Week 1: Know your machine- This is for absolute beginners and for those who haven’t sewed in a while. This will require that you have a machine (yours or borrowed), the manual, some scrap fabric, scissors, a seam ripper, and thread.
Week 2: Gather your supplies- We’ll discuss pattern selection, notions, fabric, and tools. I’ll have suggestions for a few different patterns (adult and child) but you are free to use whatever pattern you want. Don’t be afraid to make something for yourself! I’ll be teaching using a basic dress pattern with a zipper.
Week 3: Cutting out your fabric- Learn about measuring and selecting the correct size as well as nap and grain and other fabric terms. You’ll also learn what all the symbols on a pattern are, how to prep your fabric, and how to cut out the pattern. I have a few tricks up my sleeve to show you.
Week 4: Begin sewing! We’ll take the plunge together and begin sewing. We’ll discuss the seam ripper and how to follow the pattern directions. We’ll learn about the different ways to finish seams as well as how to understitch, overstitch and other necessary garment sewing stitches.
Week 5: Finish it up! We’ll talk about zippers, buttons and hemming. The fun stuff! That’s right you’ll have a finished garment by the first week of March!
I know she talks about garments, but I have been wanting new curtains in our master bathroom for 6 years now, so I am starting there. (plus, no zippers are involved in the making of curtains)! 
And now that my husband is almost finished fixing the plumbing in our bathroom, we’ve made a goal to have our bathroom fully usable and even nicely decorated by the end of the month!
These were here when we moved and I have never liked them. Nor have I liked the fact that the rod sticks out inches beyond the window… that too shall be fixed by months end.
As if tackling a sewing project isn’t a big enough goal, I’ve also decided to join in Becky’s WOW Carnival. I’ve done this before…. remember when I finally got to weeding my flower beds last spring?… I owe it all to Becky. Basically, you set a goal for a project you’ve been wanting to get to, but keep putting on the back burner, and you tackle it within one week. This week I’d like to tackle our 2009 Family Scrapbook. (because truthfully, I want to get to our 2007 and 2008 books as well before baby number 4 arrives to the circus in a few months). I plan to make it digitally using shutterfly.com I am not sure if doing the whole book in one week is too lofty of a goal, perhaps I should say this week I’d like to organize all the pictures for our 2009 scrapbook. But, I am going to aim for getting a good chunk of the book done this week, and I’ll check in with you later this week to fill you in on the progress. Here’s hoping I make such great progress that I keep on scrapping 2 yrs more of memories!!
Feeling inspired? Feel free to join me in either or both endeavors. Becky is even offering a Starbucks gift card to one lucky WOW participant this week. Non bloggers are still welcome to participate, just leave her a comment letting her know your joining in the fun! And for those of you who have more talent and comfort than I do with a sewing machine, you may want to consider checking out Andrea’s other carnival.
I’d definitely appreciate the encouragement and support as I take on these two tasks. I promise to post updates on the progress.
Last week I survived the Annapolis 10 Mile Run. I’d like to say that I raced it or ran it, but in actuality I just survived it.
While one might wonder why I am not more excited and proud of such an accomplishment, it is because the year prior, I ran it well. I trained for it all summer and come race day I did my best. Now my best is only about 15 min faster than my survival pace, but the feeling I had when crossing the finish line was worlds different. (It’s quite telling to read both accounts of the run).
This year, I let busyness, laziness, and a lack of determination get in the way of my training. So, come race day, I was really banking on the training from last summer. And a summer’s worth of running can only carry a girl so far.
It got me thinking about the other race I’m running. Ya now the race of life.
Hebrews 12: 1-2 states,
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
As we go through this life, I want to run the race God has marked for me with perseverance. I don’t want to merely survive. I don’t want to reach my finished line and say, “Well God, I made it.” Instead I want to finish strong and have my heavenly father say to me, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”
In order for this to happen, I need to be disciplined, and intentional. I need to tap into the strength God provides through his Word and his Holy Spirit. I also need to continue in doing his work. I can’t become complacent and let others to the work of his kingdom. I need to actively serve my King, all the days of my life. Keep in mind, I am not doing these things so that I can earn my way to heaven. I know right now where I am going when I die and it has nothing to do with anything I’ve done. I will spend eternity in heaven b/c Jesus endured the cross on my behalf. Nothing I do or don’t do can change that. But, like I said, I don’t want to just live my life and then die. I want to run the race. I want to serve the Lord actively with my life.
As I mentioned yesterday, I’m trying to play more with my kids. I want to actively engage them and savor up these moments I have with them while they are young. This fall, the kids and I will be attending BSF on Thursdays. I am looking forward to the accountability that Bible Study provides for me to get in the word daily. And now that we’re home schooling, we’re in a new phase of life here at the circus. One where mom can’t wait till the kids wake up for the day to get started. I gotta set my alarm and get up first to ensure we start the day on the right foot. One thing I hope to incorporate with that is some time spent alone in His word in the quiet of the morning. I’d also like to squeeze a run in there as well.
I am not a morning person though, so I now this shift change is going to be difficult for me. I’m great at coming up with new ideals for how I’m going to change, but not so good on the follow through. I’m so thankful that as I run this race, I have someone running along side me the entire way. God doesn’t leave us here alone. He’s with us, encouraging us, pushing us forward, and even picking us up when we fall on our face.
I learned a valuable lesson last week. One I hope to take with me as I run this much more important race.
1 Corinthians 9:24
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
What are you thinking about this week? Why not use your last post of the week to highlight something a bit "deeper" then the average “Momblog” fair? I’d love to read your thoughts. Please feel free to write and link up a “thoughtful” post below. You can write a new post or link up one you wrote earlier in the week. Please include a link back to here in your post.
Well, January came and went and I exercised one day in 2009. This is why I have to set goals for myself. Without a race in my future, I lack the discipline to get off my butt.
So, I’ve set my sights on a Half Marathon in May in one of my favorite cities…Pittsburgh. I am really excited. I checked out the route online and it looks great…we cross two bridges, run downtown a bit, run along the river overlooking the city and my highlight, we run by Heinz Field (home of the Superbowl Champs)!
I went here and found a training routine. It’s the same one I used last summer to prep for the Annapolis 10 Mile. Although last summer I pretty much skipped the cross training, stretching, and strength training days and just ran 3 days a week. I did ok, but I’d really like to try to follow the schedule this time and see if I can improve my race.
Monday was day one and it called for strength and stretch. So, I got out a DVD and did some yoga and ballet. This of course looked like a ton of fun to the kiddos, so they joined me. It was the most fun I have had stretching, ever!
Hmm, it appears none of us are keeping up with the video, myself included.
This week I tackled day one of my new training schedule. From past experience day one is the hardest in that you have to get out of the rut and get started again. I hope to stick with the plan and run the half marathon this May in a faster time than I did it last October. To see what others are tackling this week, check out 5 Minutes for Mom.
Sorry for not posting a post race synopsis yesterday, in the words of my dear sister in law, I was “too tired.”
The race was a blast! The weather was gorgeous and the views were beautiful. My favorite was running down Main Street in Annapolis looking down at the harbor. It was incredible! The first 5 miles I felt great. I kept up a steady conversation with Karen and at each mile marker would scream out with glee.
I was really impressed with the support from the people of Annapolis. People would stand at their driveways with hoses to mist you, music blaring to inspire you, and some even offered drinks, and high fives. Our favorite was the people that handed out orange slices. These people were so gracious and kind to offer such encouragement to 5000 strangers, it blew me away. Of course the best sight I saw on the run was my dear family cheering us on! They were there at the start, shortly after mile 1 and 3, and were there at the finish as well. They totally brought a smile to my face.
I will tell you that from mile 5-7 I was struggling. I ran, but there was much less enthusiasm. However, after mile 8, I felt like I got a second wind. I was exhilarated as I was running farther than I had ever run before and I was also super psyched because I knew we were going to do it. The race regulations said that at mile 8 they would have you stop if you were running at slower than a 12 minute mile pace. I was nervous about this as I did not train all summer to not be able to complete the race. Plus, I wanted to get the jacket which was the finisher’s premium, and you didn’t get it unless you finished the race. Once we passed mile 8 and knew we were at a fast enough pace, I got goose bumps. We were doing it!! We were going to finish the race. I told Karen, “This is literally a dream come true.” I was thrilled!!
As we came to the finish, which was at the top of a hill (not so nice race committee) I saw the clock at just under 2 hours. I so wanted to finish in under two hours, we pushed each other along and Karen, my Dad in law, and I finished in just under the 2 hour mark. My good friends J&J finished about 10 minutes ahead of us. They were at the finish line cheering us over! It was so fun to run with a group, spurring each other on with encouragement and support!
After we finished I remembered that technically we didn’t cross the starting line until 6 minutes after the start (there were 5000 people there so when the horn blasted it still took awhile before we all got across the line) so actually our finishing time was 1 hour and 53 minutes and 44 seconds! We did it!!!!
This morning, I am quite sore, but really, very excited. When the summer began the farthest I had ever run was a 5K and that was in October of 2006. I hadn’t done any running since then. Now, I have plans of running with a local running club on week day mornings as a regular part of my schedule and I’ve already registered for a 1/2 Marathon in Baltimore this fall. I am incredibly thankful for my wonderfully supportive hubby and children without whom this would not even be possible. They give me cool drinks and loud cheers each time I return from a run. Scott willingly adjusts his work schedule to accommodate my running and happily takes care of the children so I can train. I honestly couldn’t have done this without them.
We had a big “carbolicious” dinner tonight to get ready for the Annapolis 10 Mile Run tomorrow morning…. my sis in law, my father in law, my two good friends, and I are all running 10 miles tomorrow at 7:45am.
Wish us luck!!!
Thanks to all of you that wrote with song suggestions last weekend to help me Pump it Up as I ran 7 miles on Sunday. Some of you asked me to let you know which songs I picked so here goes…
- Bootylicious-Destiny’s Child (b/c when I run I think about looking good for my hubby )
- Can’t Get Next to You… Temptations (b/c KP you were right I love the oldies so I went with some Temptations, picked the song b/c I liked to imagine I was running soooo fast no one could get next to me… ha ha)
- Unbelievable-EMF (You were right StellaG this song totally brought me back to middle school)
- Getting Jiggy Wit It– Will Smith ( b/c I really like Will Smith and it is just so fun)
- MMMBop-Hanson Bros (again thanks to Stella for a trip down memory lane)
- Straight Up- Paula Abdul (took KP’s advice and went for an 80s–maybe it is early 90s not sure… tune I remember singing out loud in the old days… ya know before American Idol)
This wasn’t the only music I download on my MP3 player though… my friend Megh had made me a mix CD for Christmas of fun, upbeat Christian songs… I took them and combined them with my 6 new tunes for a fabulous running soundtrack.
For anyone who cares, here’s the lowdown on the run…
I left the house listening to Shine by Newsboys… so pumped… ready to run farther than I’ve ever gone before.. loving my music…. this was followed by Gettin Jiggy Wit It. It was all I could do to keep from raising my hands in the air and dancing while I was running. I am sure I looked like an idiot be bopping down the road. Next up was "Tell the World that Jesus Lives" (not sure what the title is really or who sings it but it was great) then a little DC Talk… Lean on Me… man I was having a really hard time not dancing to this blast from the past. Anyway, I was loving life dancing and praising and running along until…
The Day The Music Died
No, "Bye, Bye Miss American Pie" was not one of my downloaded songs… my batteries died on my MP3 Player at about mile 3. I was so bummed. But like Forest, I kept on running. Much less enthusiastically though. Every now and then I’d try again incase miraculously my batteries started to work.
At around 4 miles I spotted my minivan and heard my husband and kiddos screaming, "Go Mama" Scott handed me some water out the window and said to just throw the cup in the grass, he’d get it. He then passed me a few minutes later and said to look for water at the school. Sure enough when I got to the school they were there again. I was so thrilled. I grabbed some water, threw him my MP3 player and my map (I had printed off a map of my route so I’d know where to go, but by this point I was back in familiar territory with less than 2 miles left to go)
I figured this was it, but as I made it to my 6th mile they were there waiting again with water and a little note of encouragement attached to it. (He totally scored points for speaking in both my and his love language)!
As they passed me on their way back to the car hubby yelled out the window, "You’ve now gone farther than you’ve ever gone before!" (see Stella G’s birthday gift from her hubby here to get the meaning behind this)
As if all this wasn’t enough… as I walked on my cool down portion at the end there was a glass of cold water on the side of the road with a sign that said, "For Crystal… please don’t touch if not Crystal" so I drank ice water on my cool down lap as I came home. When I walked in the door Scott and my older two kids were cheering and Unbelievable was blaring on the stereo.
So I am asking, "Do I have the greatest fan club in the world, or what?" Seriously, I couldn’t even begin to tackle this goal of mine if it weren’t for my incredibly sweet and supportive hubby. I felt like I was on cloud nine after that run.
Course when I tried to snuggle up with my sweetie after the run to say thanks he told me, "You reek! You have gotta take a shower!"
Even still… I think he’s the best. I’ve got 3 miles left to go…. August 24th is when I run the Annapolis 10 Mile. I think I can, I think I can….
