Half marathon race day...we finished!

Race day the weather was a perfect fall day!  The sun was shinning and there was a coolness to the air.  We were there on time and ready with no problems holding us up.  I had on my really cool socks that my niece bought me! Our feet were ready to take us on this venture we had waited for, prepared for, and anticipated for so long.  The challenge was to finish the race in less than 6 hours and we passed the finish line in a little less than 5 hours. We were the last walkers in!  But, we finished the race with an hour to spare...who cares we were last....better to be famous for winning or last.  This year we choose last, who know what next year will bring...first place?   We are so proud of ourselves for accomplishing this goal...me and my sister!

The lower picture is of the view off the back deck at the log cabin we stayed in for the race.  What a view it was too!  The house had about 5 bed rooms and we had it filled to the max with sisters, brothers, cousins, Mom's and Dad's, and good friends as well!  It was a super place to stay, a fantastic family gathering, perfect fall weekend I will remember forever!

On being a home bug...

Today I am going to work. I have my lunch ready, got a good nights sleep, and am dressed to go.  I was going down the hall to the kitchen and glanced into my sewing room when I saw it.  The longing in my sewing room for me and my creativity.  The sun across the floor seemed to pull me inside my haven of peace.  I love being at home and taking care of our little house.  We have lived here almost 25 years, and though there are things I would love to change about this house, it is home.  We have raised 5 children here and the laughter in the walls keeps me company. 

I sit down at my sewing machine for just a few minutes, and turn the iron on.  I sew a few chain pieces and press them nice and flat stacking one on top of the other.  I would love to stay home today and sew this top together but I also long to go to work and see my friends.  I also enjoy the surroundings of all the beautiful fabrics and dream of buying a little of each and all of them, and spend another sunny cool fall day in my little creative space....

Debt woe's...

Something has not gotten done was my morning first thoughts...you know the feeling...a thought in the back of your head screaming, "Hey, you forgot to do something!"  So, I am sitting in bed drinking my green tea (so I will live longer) and watching the news trying to wake up. 

The nagging notion of incompleteness is not leaving me, so I decided it was not a bad dream I can't remember circling in my head.  Maybe when I get up and walk around the house it will come to me.  All I see is house work that needs to be done as I ponder around in my pink fuzzies.  Then I open the guest room door and look at my pc...that is it!  I still need to check on the status of the Dr. bill that insurance denied for no good reason.  When I called and found out it had been taken care of and the Dr. paid I sat back and felt that must have been it.

The, your not finished yet, of something undone was still bugging me.

 I walked around the house again this time lighting some Yankee Candles (my sister got me into candles) for some good morning atmosphere, still trying to remember what needs to be done.  Again, I pass the guest room and I noticed I am not finished with my paper work and filing.  As I put the papers away that is when I notice the Tax bill and that it is due Nov. 15th!  Oh, rats...that is it!  Time to pay the wopping thing that has doubled this year!
Next year I need to post payment due information on the big kitchen calendar to myself so I won't almost forget. 

The nagging feeling of forgetting something is gone... but now I am feeling a little overwhelmed by all the debt that it cost just to live and how much we pay for Auto Insurance, House Insurance, Life Insurance, Property Taxes, Power Bill, Water Bill, and the list goes on and on.  I am rethinking my idea of living longer and making myself drink the green tea....but the house smells great!

The bag Lady???

These are my burst of creative energy bags I finished!

The bag on the lower left is the fabric that came with the kit I bought at a Quilt Expo recently. A beautiful fabric from South Africa of jeans blues..I found a cool wooden peace symbol for the zipper pull.

  The bag on the lower right was from scraps of a flopped outfit I tried to make years ago...good to see that two 7"  x 14" are being used from that yardage waste. 

The upper left bag  fabric is from a line at the local quilt shop that I would love to make a quilt from but I have put myself on a fabric diet till I loose some WIP'S weight....(Works...In... Progress)

The bag in the upper right is a black and while strip pieced bag again from fabric at the quilt store that I would LOVE to make a quilt from...so how many bags can I make using this excuse???

I love a rainy fall day...this weather is so perfect!

This weather is so perfect for hot chocolate and a good book about a fictional character in a far away land....

This weather is so perfect for a sewing project with my favorite music on the radio...and a cup of hot chocolate....

This weather is so perfect for a new quilting book, a cup of hot chocolate in my favorite chair with my dog Gracie in my lap...

This weather is too perfect to spend it cleaning the house....

This weather is just soooo perfect for me!!!

Walking almost 15 miles...in one Saturday!

Yep, I can not believe I did it...I walked 5 times around our local park!  I did not start out to accomplish this goal on Saturday it just happened due to the desire to just see if I could....

 My sister and I are signed up to walk a half marathon the middle of this month.  We trained a little this summer but neither of us is a fan of sweating so needless to say we did not train as much as we should have.  But, since the weather has cooled a bit this fall we have been meeting at the local park to walk in the wee morning hours in the cooler air.  We have a ball walking around the park and just catching up on life events and solving the world's problems, and breathing the cool fall air while we take in the beauty!

This Saturday we met at 10:00am and accomplished the second trip around pretty quick, about 6 miles, but she had to go due to the weekend plans she had.  I on the other hand had no plans except to work a few hours on Sunday.  The whole day was mine and I decided to spend it doing what ever I wanted.  Usually this meant sewing....but not today, not with all the beauty of fall around me.  Not with live squirrels darting across the path in front of me hiding their winters food.  Not, with the crunch of freshly fallen leaves under my feet...it was just too perfect a day!  I felt like I had too much energy left in me to just go home and sew.

  We said our good bye's and I made plans to go around just one more time to make it 9 miles.  But, when I got to my nine mile point I still felt pretty good..a little feet pain...leg burn but not bad.   It was about 1:30 pm and I decided to go around again for a fourth trip for a total of about 12 miles. 

 I was beginning to really feel the burn in my legs as I neared the end of the fourth lap and pain in my feet at this point..but I kept on walking, only I avoided my car this pass around and turned to go back the other way where the shadow meets the sun.  I knew if I passed my car I would get in it and go home.  But, I was in a mood of accomplishment like the "Little Engine That Could"...I think I can...I think I can...I CAN do this...over and over with he goal of 13 miles in my mind keeping me moving forward.

As I turned around and got nearly half way back to my car I was really feeling the miles.   I figured I had gone at least the 13 miles and I knew at this point my sister and I could finish the walk in less than 6 hours two weeks from now.  My goal accomplished and wishing it was only steps to my car....it was more like almost 2 miles to my car.  This is when I felt every bit my 55 years of age!! I just kept telling myself I COULD do it and to keep going forward.  Only in my mind I was ready to shed the shoes and take my chances with bare feet.  Oh, this has to be the worst shoes in the world!!!  I promised myself to go back to my OLD shoes!  My old shoes are worn and comfortable. 

I was dragging by the time I got back to my car at about 3:30 pm but I was feeling victorious and happy.  My feet and legs were in some serious pain but I didn't care.  I had just walked almost 15 miles by shear will power and I knew something I didn't know this moring...I could do it!  I could finish the half marathon too.

Something else I learned is the power of thinking positive!  I think I can...I know I can...I will do this!  What else can I try this on???  I feel like walking and thinking...