Reaching the finish line . . . of a different sort

It took six months, but I did it - this afternoon I finished the quilt for my daughter! Her second birthday is a little over a week from now, so I may even be able to call myself an overachiever. No, not really. The darn thing should have been finished months ago!

It is hard to tell in a photo, but there are about 80 different fabrics (I lost count) in this puppy. Some are scraps from quilts I made for other people, others I purchased just for this project. And still others are from my mom's unbelievable stash. The quilt pattern was inspired by a quilt I saw in the Sundance catalog (my FAVORITE catalog). The difference is that the Sundance quilt is more vintage Americana in nature and this one requires sunglasses for viewing, which I believe is more appropriate for a firecracker of a little girl.

It is too early to make the final call, but I may like the back even more than the front. All of these solid batiks are included in the front, but they really stand out nicely as 12 inch blocks. I'm pleased with how well the quilting stitches are highlighted on this side.

Yesterday I pinned on the binding and today I could just FEEL that it was the day for my big finish. While some runners I know were reaching their half-marathon goals in Arizona and the Cardinals and Eagles duked it out for the playoffs, I reached the finish line for the quilt. Maybe the motivation was the sun that finally showed its face after WEEKS of hiding behind clouds and several days of our valley being blanketed in fog from sun up to sun down.

To celebrate my quilting finish I put on my new shoes for a test walk on the treadmill (today's my off day, but a 20 minute walk did me good). My hubby warmed up the treadmill belt for me as he took his new shoes for a run. Even at my walking pace, I could tell that these new shoes were WAY overdue - why is it we runners wait so long before the great shoe swap? I look forward to running in them tomorrow!

This photo shows you the quilting I did - it is the same wandering pattern across the whole thing. It dawned on me that this stitch design likely comes naturally to me because I used to doodle it in the margins of my Geometry notes in high school. Quilts are geometry in a practical form, so the doodling wasn't really time wasted!

What a big week this is (MLK Day & The BIG Inauguration, for starters). Hold onto those hats, folks . . . and be sure to make time for a good run (and preferably more than one)!

Aiming for Balance in 2009

Here's a quick line of silliness I couldn't resist before sharing my goals for next year.

"I'm going to build a magic tree house and go back in time! I'll go back FIFTEEN years to the time of the dinosaurs!!" Mr. Music exclaimed while planning an adventure.

I have to admit that my high school years fifteen years ago did have their scary points, but I don't recall seeing any T-Rexes roaming the halls. I think we need to sit down and take a look at a timeline!

As you know, my focus in life is on finding (and trying to keep!) a sense of proverbial balance. I've never really been one for making a New Year's resolution, but this year I feel compelled to focus my energy in new ways by setting some important goals (not really resolutions, per se):

1. Before starting any new sewing projects, I'm going to finish the ones that I've started. This includes the quilt I started months ago for my daughter. Her birthday is at the end of January, so the clock is ticking on this one! I'm also going to finish up the curtains I'm 70% done with for our sliding door in the basement and a Christmas table runner I started for my mother-in-law a number of years ago (so long ago, I've lost count of the years, actually). It will feel refreshing to have those projects done and a clear sewing table! (The photo is of a finished quilt, but it is one I forgot I made!)

2. I'm going to limit my blogging to three posts/week. This will keep my posts more focused and uplifting. My prime goals will be posts about thankfulness, finding the silver lining in difficult/unbalanced life experiences, and fitness/youth-oriented book reviews. Other things are bound to creep up, of course, but it is nice to get my brain hooked on the very important idea of quality, not necessarily quantity. This will also free up time for me to READ and maybe even spend some extra time with my handsome husband.

3. I've already told my husband that as a family I'd like us to have more fun this year. 2009 shall be our Year o' Fun! Our camper will get more use, we'll crank up the tunes and dance around the house, and just generally enjoy one another more and the silliness that comes with having 2 small kiddos. That's my plan. Life is too short to be as serious as I feel I've become. Lately I've been feeling like I'm 100 instead of a new 30. It is time to change that! (This is a photo of where our camper has been parked for a year now - it is longing for an adventure!)

4. I'm picking out at least 4 races to run this year. Two are easy because they're right here in the Snoqualmie Valley where I live and I'm dedicated to supporting our little running community, but the other two can be someplace new and exciting. I'd like to do the 10K option for both races (one in June, the other in November). My running has been stronger as of late, so I may even get a wild hair and plan for a Half Marathon. Since I did a Full Marathon for my 25th birthday, I think it would be nice to do some sort of distance for this age milestone, too, even if it is well after my actual birthday. (In this photo my husband and I - and some other random runners - are about to reach the top of an amazingly steep hill for the Duvall Days 10K in June 2008).

5. I'm dedicated to getting my book out in the world more. 1,000 copies are out there in homes, schools, public libraries and the like, but this year I'll work to forge some new business relationships to get We Are Girls Who Love to Run into even more hands! My mom and I also set a goal for 2 big author visits this calendar year. As a former teacher, my passion is definitely in talking and working with children, so I'm looking forward to getting more visits lined-up. These visits always leave the kids smiling and feeling confident and ME feeling more energized and passionate about running and setting goals - so they're good for EVERYONE involved.

From the looks of my goals, 2009 will be a busy one (but FUN!). I wish you and your family love, good health and positive energy as you get a fresh start in the New Year!

Anything Goes - A quickie

I was pleased to get in a 3 miler with Little Sister in the jogger on Thursday morning while Mr. Music was enjoying his time at pre-school. They start school off slowly with just 1.5 hours the first week, 2 hours the second week and then the full 3 hours the third week. While this leaves the "experienced" students a bit sad (they're ready to go!), it is a great way to ease in the newbies. After a few gloomy weeks the kids were treated to a sunny start and I was able to enjoy a well-lit and uplifting run - we even had to dodge a sprinkler, which totally had Little Sister captivated!

If we get back from pizza at my parents' house tonight in time (boy, the sun is setting earlier and earlier!) I'm going to see about squeezing in a run. We went for bagels this morning and then ran errands until about lunch time. I'm enjoying a low-key afternoon of some sewing (the quilt just doesn't want to finish itself!) while my husband works on getting the new bubbler bucket ready for hydroponic tomatoes and the kids nap. True, this would have been a great opportunity to run . . . but there's something to be said for working on OTHER goals, too. I just love the steady whirrrrrr of my sewing machine - and the immediate results of seeing the progress!

We had some photos taken yesterday - some new headshots for our Balanced Steps website and a great bunch of photos of the kids (and of the kids with me). When I get them back I'll be sure to post a few of my favorites. I'm getting antsy waiting to see how they look, even though it has only been a day and a half. I've seen the photos my friends had taken by the photographer and they are amazing, which is probably why I'm so impatient!

So, the quilt calls . . . I'm off to get another block quilted before the kids wake up and we're out chasing them in the yard.

Happy weekend, happy running and happy times!

Saturday: Anything Goes!

I was so glad to see that my theme for today is Anything Goes. I can leave the thinking behind for today and plow through with some easy updates. It also gives me an opportunity to show my son with the 100 piece Melissa & Doug puzzle we completed the other day. He was SO proud of the accomplishment! And, yes, that is a mini piano in the background - and yes, it DOES get played daily.

On the kid front: Tuesday is the 1st day of school for Mr. Music - look for a fun event here on that day to celebrate the start of the school year (and get ready to tell your friends - because this is BIG)! Unfortunately Little Sister is a bit off kilter with a snotty nose and a bit of a cough, but maybe this low-key weekend will get her back on track.

On the home front: I'm feeling inspired to get back to work on Little Sister's big girl quilt. Here are photos of it, as I've been promising. I'm not sure if you can tell, but half of it is quilted, the other half of what is there needs quilting - and then another big row will be added. The quilt is reversible, with 60+ fabrics making up the scrappy front and 7 composing the back.

On the work front: More balance is needed here. We're working on it!

On the running front: More balance is needed here, too. I'm working on that, too. Something tells me that if I can get THIS in order, other things will fall into place, too. Baby steps.

I know I didn't keep up with my promise for the book review on Thursday or Friday . . . so it will have to wait until this next Wednesday. I'm frustrated with myself for letting this ball drop, but I don't like to do important things like book reviews in a hurried fashion - and everything this week seemed to be done in a hurried and stressful fashion. That wouldn't be fair to the book, its author, OR its readers. Important things deserve true focus and concentration.

Well, the sun is shining and the weeds are calling. Have a great Labor Day weekend, everyone! Wishing you a happy balance in your life (I'm wishing that for myself, too, today)!

Tuesday - Trials & Achievements (A healthy mix of both)

I'm pretty sure I've never posted at 6PM before, though I'm now 125 posts into this little blogging experience (how'd THAT happen?!), so maybe one or two of them were post-dinner ramblings. I'm writing now because my husband and dad took the kids to Lowe's so I could have some time to myself. I even passed up the opportunity to join my mom and her sister for a trip to Ben Franklin to look at quilt fabric and then a viewing of Mama Mia. Yup, sometimes it is just nice to be able to sit back and breathe once and awhile.

Can you hear that? What, you don't hear anything? Me neither!!!! That's because there is nothing to hear but the sound of the click-clacking of the keys as I type. I can even take a break from this to make myself a cappuchino because I'm not trying to get it all in while one kid is napping and the other is listening to the shortest book on tape in the world!

This is me leaving to make myself that yummy coffee treat (I'll of course follow it up with a tall glass of water, because if I play my cards right, I'll get a run in this evening after the kids go to bed - could happen!). And there's no danger of little fingers typing their own little message while I'm gone!

OK, the machine is warming up. I love our espresso machine - and to think I thought my husband was crazy for wanting something a bit more "splurgy" (if that isn't already a word, it is now) like our Magnifica!

So, here are my current trials:

- There's a business event I SHOULD go to on Thursday night (and I want to go, too). BUT, that same night would also be great to get back to yoga or even attend a Design Your Own Annabelle Handbag Party (here's a sample from the Spring line. The fall fabrics aren't on the site yet - they're being unveiled on Thursday!). Know how I can be in three places at once? Me neither. POM - I see how you feel with wanting to ditch the "special stuff" to just have down time!

- summer is nearly over and I'm trying to cram the remaining items of our "Summer Wish List" into these last 2 weeks, which seems silly because . . . the onset of school doesn't mean that we can't have adventures and, as recorded history shows us - summer shall return!

- I have 2 newspaper articles to write in the next few weeks (I'd never make it as a staff writer, it just takes me too long to get things the way I want them)

- a stack of press releases need my attention if I'm going to keep book sales going like they are (and they're going well!) without forking out too much of our budget on advertising

- I've verbally committed myself to run the Seattle Half Marathon the weekend of Thanksgiving (sort of a 2 week late 30th birthday gift to myself) but haven't picked a plan

- I'm not sure that there are any training plans that allow you to run while sleeping - know of one?

- My daughter's quilt sits half finished. If I can get it done in the next 2 weeks it can go in our town's annual quilt show.

That being said, there ARE some achievements to celebrate:

- the laundry from our CA trip is DONE!

- After a week of eating out and simple oven-warmed dinners, I made a lasagna from scratch tonight - and the dishes are already in the dishwasher!

- My newspaper article about our quilt shop, The Quilter's Garden, will be in tomorrow's paper

- I have some promising nibbles on some big opportunities for the book

But, enough about me . . . what about YOU? Anything pressing going on this week? Anything you feel like celebrating?

I'm off to find a spoon to get the last of the foam from the bottom of my cup. Yum!

Tuesday - Trials & Achievements (Achievements - hooray!)

Last time I was focused on some trials, but today I'm feeling rather cheery (must be the sunshine instead of fog outside today!), so I'll celebrate some achievements (big and small!):

- Over 50 copies of my book, We Are Girls Who Love to Run were ordered yesterday by wholesalers across the country
- I'll have an article about our local quilt shop in a local newspaper next week (part of year-long weekly series to highlight the local businesses in our little town)
- I'm in the process of writing an article for our OTHER (and my favorite) local paper about a fellow writer (our graphic artist and an amazing illustrator) and his series of children's books about fly fishing that will go to press later this month or early September (the article, not his books - 2 of them are already out!)
- I fell asleep before 11 without taking melatonin and got up around 6:15 without trouble!
- Our master bath now has a fresh coat of warm yellow (what other color would you expect?!) paint, courtesy of my husband (though I DID take the kids to the park for distraction and DID roll half of 2 walls . . . and our son "helped" a bit, too)
- I'm already drinking water this morning. Increased hydration is one of my new goals.
- I have 4 of the 7 rows sewn together for my daughter's quilt (2 are quilted, 2 await my time on the machine!)

Hopefully since the last time I've done a Tuesday post, MizFit was able to finish her article in time for deadline . . . which reminds me that I need to send in my article today.

Nitmos might feel better knowing that today's early morning achievements aren't as grandiose as yesterday's, but I am on the right track: 30 minute stretching/strength training session and a start at blogging by 7:05. Somehow the kids are still sleeping (though now that I've mentioned it, they're bound to wake-up - Murphy's Law).

Have any exciting achievements to report from your daily grind? Have any new goals or trials that are on your plate? Any new knitting projects, Running Knitter?

Ah, and I hear Little Sister stirring now . . . have a great Tuesday!