Shabby Apple Queensland Swimsuit Giveaway

Shabby Apple Queensland Swimsuit Giveaway

Vintage Doll

This originally started out as a shirt for me.  But I really didn't like how it fit (no shape!). 

So I stitched a couple pieces of elastic at the neckline and turned it into a dress for Girly- girl.

It looks much better on her =)

Princess Girly- Girl

With it being Girly- Girl's birthday last week, I took some time to sew her a dress.  And of course it had princesses on it =)

The pattern I used actually called for a zipper in the back.  But, I *loath* zippers.  Especially in Girly- girl's dresses.  So, I completely ignored the instructions and made the dress into a wrap dress.  There's a slit in the side seam on the right hand side to thread the tie through.  And I made the center band longer to work as ties.  The front edge and the arm holes are finished with bias tape.

Write It Out Project

I finished the journals I pledged for the Write It Out Project.  I haven't closed up the box yet though.  I have a couple hours left tonight and one or two more might make it into the box =)

Some pictures of the journals.

I really enjoyed sewing these, especially knowing who they will eventually go to.  I want to thank We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ for sponsoring this service project and I Make Stuff for starting the project.  A lot of families will be touched by the generosity of these two women =)

And Sarge is very happy to know that I cleared out a few pieces of fabric from my stash.

Running away with the circus...

Well, not really. But Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey did sponsor the DFW Red Nose Run. They had clowns entertaining the crowd before the start and then before the awards they had a 30 minute mini show with the clowns and performers from the Lonestar Circus school. Which was really cool to watch. On a side note, they offer fitness classes for all ages =)

For the first time this year, I had a great night sleep the night before a race. I only woke up once and that was to go to the bathroom- I was trying to hydrate really well.  I got up a little earlier than I have been, but still had plenty of time to walk the dog. The race didn't start until 8:30 and it was only a 20 minute drive to get to the start.

By race time, it was about 75* and 95% humidity. Thankfully there was a nice breeze that kept us from swimming lol!

Got to the race, had plenty of time to pick up my bag (there was even a red rubber nose in the bag ) go back to the car to drop everything off and get a bit of a warm- up run in. I wasn't really feeling it during the warm- up, so I was a bit worries that the race wasn't going to go well.

Standing around waiting for the start, I had a few people comment on my shoes (VFF's). Now that I think about it, it was only the men who were asking me about them... I'm really enjoying talking to people about the benefits of barefoot/ minimalist shoe running. It's even sweeter when I whup their butts in the race =P

My plan for the race was to set a nice quick pace in the first mile, hold on in the second and push to the end. Not exactly what I had hoped for, but I'm very happy with the results.

Mile 1 AP: 6:50: Seriously? I felt so relaxed!

Mile 2 AP: 7:03: Slowed down a little more than I wanted, but there was a hairpin turnaround shortly after the 1 mile mark and we were running back into the wind.

Mile 3 AP: 7:00: Another hairpin turnaround and fewer people to focus on. I did see the 2nd place female in front of me (couldn't miss her in her orange and black striped running tights!) and was trying to catch her.

Last 0.1: 45 seconds, AP 5:47: By this point I could see the finish clock and was really kicking it to try and catch tiger legs in front of me and to beat my dad's last 5k time. Finished in 21:41, 5 seconds better than my dad's race last week. Tiger legs finished less than 2 seconds in front of me =(

Results:

overall: 19/ 638 finishers

Females: 3/ 412

Age Group: 1/ 67 the lady who was listed as first was over a minute behind me.

TT: 21:41

AP: 6:57



Here's a picture of the medal:

And the shirt:

Depending on what size shirt you got, you were either an astounding acrobat, a highwire hero or a cannonball daredevil.

Happy Birthday Girly- Girl!

Yesterday my Girly- Girl turned 4.  I would say she's getting so big, but she's still so tiny =)

She is completely enthralled with princesses and asked for a princess cake.  I bargained with her and got her to agree to a castle.

This is what she wanted:

And this is what she ended up with:

With it being a very small party, I didn't make the cake as big as the instructions called for, only 2 layers instead of 4.

Girly- girl is very happy with the results.  I'm so glad 4 yr olds are so easy to please =)

This was my first attempt at using fondant and I can say it was easier than I thought it would be.  I still need to perfect building the cake- this one turned out a little uneven.  But, having the right tools would make that a lot easier.

Two strawberry cakes and a few extra cupcakes that we ate last night.

The butter cream layer.  A special cake spatula would have made this a lot easier.  And freezing the cakes would have been nice too.

Fondant hides a lot of mistakes.  And you can see that my top layer wasn't quite even.

Coloring your own pre- made fondant isn't very easy.  I still have purple hands from kneading it.  But, I do like the swirled affect.

I *heart* premade sugar decorations.

I will eventually learn how to make royal frosting decorations.  Heck, I might even take some cake decorating classes someday =)

Junior- junior decided he wanted to wear the princess headband.

Juliet

I came across this pattern at a local quilt shop and thought I should try it out.

You can't really see the gathered bust line in the picture (mostly because of the pattern on the fabric). 

I cut the pattern for the above the knee length and then realized that it needed a bit more length to be modest enough =)  So, I added the ruffle on the bottom.

I had originally planned on this being my Easter dress, but didn't get it finished in time.  So, it became my Mother's Day dress.  Wore it with a cute fitted blazer because it wasn't quite warm enough to go sleeveless. 

I plan on making this again.  Might even play around with mixing different fabrics.

Ramblings...

It's amazing what you find on your camera after the kids get a hold of it...

Today we had Wheels Day at MOP's.

But not to ride our bikes.  Just to push them around =)

He's getting so big.

"I wanna slide"

Prepared for rain.  Too bad he didn't have it with when we went grocery shopping afterwards.

It started raining while we were in the grocery store.  I debated standing in the entryway until it stopped, but the kids were getting antsy.  So, I had them hold onto the cart and we sprinted across the parking lot (because the closest spot was out in no- man's- land).  By the time we got to the truck, everyone was soaked and the boxes were getting soggy.  Lucky for the kids, they got to get in the truck.  But I had the fun job of unloading the cart and returning it to the cart corral.  And then I had to unload the truck at home... 

I did manage to get a nice longish run in this morning- a little over 8 miles.  I'm not really training for anything, just trying to build up my monthly mileage again.  I'm looking at either this marathon or this ultra in the fall.  I'm leaning more towards the ultra because it's closer to home- wouldn't require a hotel.  But, an old high school friend said she would be willing to run the marathon with me...  Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Picture wasn't taken today, but this is my newest running skirt.  Next one I make is going to be just a tad bit longer.

Apparently the blinds make a perfect parking garage.

Girly- girl smashed her fingers in a door.  Thankfully after an hour in the splint and some snuggle time she was all better.

Service Bootcamp: Write It Out Journals

I came across this project and knew I had to share and join in.

I've thankfully never had to experience what these women have, but I know all too well the fear of not knowing what is happening with your loved one.  Sarge has been to Afghanistan and Iraq and has thankfully made it home safely both times.

I'm pledging to make 5 journals, but I do hope to make more if time allows.  Hopefully in the next couple weeks I will be sharing photos of the journals =)

Running Away

Yup, I'm running away =)  Okay, not really.  I was just going out for a run.  I asked Sarge to snap a quick picture before I got all icky lol!

I love running in running skirts, but have a hard time paying $40 and up for cute ones.  So, taking a pair of compression shorts I bought for $7 and $2 for a yard of Lycra stretch fabric (which I used less than a yard), I came up with this, in less than an hour.

The only modifications I need to make on the next one is to make it a bit longer and to add some pockets to hold a cell phone and some Cliff Shots.

Farewell

No, I'm not shutting the blog down.  In the next couple weeks, I'm going to have to say farewell to two friends I've only know a short time.  But, in that short time, they've made a huge impact on my life.

When I first moved to the DFW area, I joined a MOP's group to get to know other moms in my area.  One of the first to greet me and make me feel like I had known her forever was Miss April and the other was Miss Mai.  Both of these ladies made me feel welcome and a tad less homesick. 

Miss April has a heart to serve those she meets.  I pray that someone in her new home welcomes her and makes her feel like an old friend, just like she did for me.  Miss Mai has a heart for missions.  She's been a great example of how to follow God's will in my life.  I pray that the people who have been placed on her heart see Christ shining through her.

To thank these two wonderful women for what they've done and for what they will do, I wanted to give them something to look at and remember their old friends.

Two cute little stationary notebooks.  With a few extra surprises.

The green one has a cute little frog button on the front.

A place to hold your pen, four cards/ ID's and notecards and a notebook.

The purple one has an antiqued silver button closure.

Places for 8 cards/ ID's, a pen, notecards and a notebook.

The purple one is slightly smaller than the green one.  The green one measures 13x9.5 inches when open and the purple one measures 13x7 inches when open.

I haven't decided who gets one color.  Maybe I'll let them figure it out when I see them next...

To Miss April and Miss Mai: I feel like I've just gotten to know you, but know that even distance won't stop the seed of friendship that has been planted.  Thank you for making me feel welcome =)

Home Again, home again...

Two weeks on the road is about two weeks too many =)  I completely enjoyed seeing all our old friends again though.  It's amazing how much changes yet still seems the same.

This is us, all loaded up and ready to hit the road.  The only other thing in the car was the dog =)

This is where we stayed the first night...  Or would it be the second night since we drove through the first night?

My superhero =)

This was Junior- junior's fort at the hotel...  Don't worry, we didn't close it up.

Yup, we found trains.  This was actually at a train and doll museum.  I thought it was an odd combination, but it had something for everyone.

The kids decided to decorate the driveway for Papa's birthday.

A rocking cow, yes, a cow, not a horse.

Bubbles on the back deck.

Junior got to work in the workshop with Papa.  They made this train.  And Junior can name almost all the different types of wood they used.

And of course you need to build a fort.

Hmm...  Don't ask...