Thursday, December 31, 2015

Red Letter Day...in shades of Tula

I started my Red Letter Day quilt blocks way back in August of last year.  I finished all 9 of the blocks 3 months ago (according to instagram at least) and blogged them briefly here.  Yesterday I finally turned them into a quilt top:


I've got backing fabric for this quilt already, and I plan to get this one basted and ready for quilting in the next day or so.  But then I plan on doing some hand quilting with these:



so who knows when it will actually be finished.  (I will do some machine quilting to anchor the quilt and make it more sturdy and long lasting).  Looking forward to having a slow stitching project...of course it would be better if the weather cooperated with being covered up with a quilt...but supposedly some chilly weather is on the way.  I'll believe it when I see it.

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Double Slice Times Two

I finished up the last two Christmas gifts over the past two days.  I used this tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Company to make a pink and a blue version of the Double Slice quilt.  Here's the pink:


and here's the blue:


These quilts are headed to two sisters, my lovely youngest nieces.  I hope they enjoy them.


I love this quilt pattern and plan on using it again!  That will pretty much wrap up my finishes for this year.  I have at least one other quilt top I want to get finished before the ball drops tomorrow night, but I plan on doing some hand quilting on it, so it won't be a final finish for a long while.

Details:
Fabric: Top - Kona Cotton 10 inch squares in Fragrant Fuchsia (pink) and Sky Gazer, backing is a print purchased from Hancock in both blue and pink
Batting: Pellon
Thread: piecing - Aurifil, quilting - Pink: superior threads; blue: Aurifil


Friday, December 25, 2015

3 years running...and Merry Christmas

For 3 years in a row I have managed to make a quilt to gift to my baby girl for Christmas.  (first year, second year).  I have been able to do last year's and this year's in secret.  It makes my day to see the smile on her face when she opens up that particular present.  This year's quilt is:


I was able to get the blocks pieced over a period of a few weeks, and then with hubby's help (getting her out of the house on Monday) I was able to get the top assembled, and then on Tuesday got it basted.  I used my last remnant of Britten Nummer as the backing (it was exactly the perfect size!) And then quilted as much as possible as she slept the past few days.  (I wake up very early, even on "vacation").



Details :
Pattern - Allie Owl by Elizabeth Hartman
Fabric - Top: Kona cotton and Essex Linen; Backing - Britten Nummer
Batting - Soft n'Crafty
Thread - piecing and quilting: Aurifil

I was also able to surprise the hubby this year:


with the Fancy Fox quilt I've been working on.


Details:
Pattern - Fancy Fox II by Elizabeth Hartman
Fabric - Top: Kona cotton, and scraps of Lucky Penny, Hometown, some Robert Kaufman tiles and a bit of Juliana Horner print (and I'm sure I forgot something).  Backing: madras cotton from hancock
Batting - Soft n'Crafty (the last bit off a roll I bought over a year ago)
Thread - piecing: Aurifil, Quilting: Metrosene


I hope you are all having a very Merry Christmas!

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

might be crazy...

Just in case I wasn't scrambling enough to get my holiday sewing finished...I decided to add more on to the pile...and managed to at least turnout a quilt top this afternoon.  My Fancy Fox quilt may be my new most favorite:

The individual fox faces took almost no time to put together, and because I configured the large blocks into a 9 block layout, I was expecting a much more prolonged process. I went with this layout because I intended to put together the giant blocks but started cutting my background fabric into the large block sizes...so I made do.  Now to finish quilting the other surprise quilt...and then get this one quilted...and then I can take a break until the weekend...unless I'm just feeling froggy and jump into quilting two others.  I'm only so crazy though...

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Just keep stitching...

I'm still here plugging away at Christmas gifts...like this Hazel Hedgehog pillow for one of my daughters dear friends:

and then started ANOTHER quilt (Fancy Fox) I would like to gift in a few days:

and then got my super secret quilt backed and basted early this morning:

so now to get it quilted, and another quilt pieced and at some point (by next week) get two other quilts basted and quilted.  Just keep stitching...

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Pink Escapade

I finally sat down and finished up the binding on this quilt this morning, and am very happy to show you my Pink Escapade:

The weather is so crazy here, middle of December and the grass has started growing again!  Of course today it's cold, but it's supposed to be in the 80s on Christmas Day!  Loving the sunshine though!
Well that finishes off 2 of the 5 quilts I need done for Christmas.  Thankfully I've got a few days past Christmas for a few of them, so now I really only have one that must be done by Friday.  Guess I should get to working on it!

Details:
Pattern - Escapade by Rachel Griffith
Fabric - Kona Cotton (10 inch squares in Fragrant Fuchsia and then some additional yardage in Pink); backing - unknown (purchased from Hancock fabrics)
Thread - piecing: Aurifil, quilting: Coats&Clark

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Christmas came a little early...

I can't begin to tell you how amazing my husband is...he supports all of my crazy ideas and this crazy hobby called sewing.  He has put up with the pins everywhere, thousands of "hey can we run by the fabric store really quick" and has learned how to baste a quilt like a champ.  And then he calls me at work today to tell me he had gotten me a Christmas present...


and now I have no idea where to even start...but I can't wait to try her out!!!

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Close to the finish...

One more share from the mad sewing spree of this past weekend.  I took the first pink quilt top and
got it basted and quilted:






(I'm in love with that backing fabric, the pic does not do it justice) and now it sits...waiting on me to get the binding done.  I intended to do so yesterday and call it a finish.  Didn't make it that far.  And then last night found out that I actually have more time to get this one done that I previously thought.  However, if I slack off too long (i.e. more than a day or so) I won't get the other quilts done in time.  So hopefully tonight...I'll get it finished.

Monday, December 14, 2015

Previously on Quilt-a-Daisy...

I was so excited to show my finished quilt yesterday, that I completely forgot that I had another quilt top finished!  On Saturday morning I showed the progress pics for the next top, and left off with a pile of squares on my ironing board.  Well, by Saturday evening I had worked through this stage:


and this stage:


and made it to full on quilt top:


So now...just one more quilt to get the top finished (the secret one), one for the back of the couch that needs just a few seams to get the top finished, one quilted in need of binding, and now two quilt tops in need of backing, basting and so on.  Happy sewing!

Sunday, December 13, 2015

At last...

a finish!  The first of 2015!  Got up this morning and got to work on the quilting:

really like the print backing on this one:

and then got it bound, and just like that, a finish:

Quilt details:
Fabric: Top - Kona cotton, Back - unknown, purchased at Hancock Fabrics
Pattern: Easy as Pie Layer Cake Quilt by Sherri McConnell
Batting: Soft n' Crafty
Thread: Piecing - Aurifil; Quilting - Mettler

Saturday, December 12, 2015

the Blues...

One more 10 square, one more quilt top (hopefully soon)...still using this tutorial, this time with the Sky Gazer Palette of Kona cottons:

and quick work of cutting and getting to stitching:

and now here is where I start this morning:

today's goal...get this quilt top done, and start basting all of the tops and get to quilting on at least one of them.  I may check in again later today...all depends on how much progress I actually make.  The clock is ticking!

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Speed sewing...

Wow!  Did a bit of stitching yesterday and then again this morning...and bing bang boom...I've got a finished quilt top!

Started with another Kona Ten-Square and this tutorial and got to cutting:

and then stitching, and then pressing:

and then getting the rows assembled:

and then a top:

Woohoo!  Now I have 3 finished quilt tops...on getting pretty close...one in progress...and one I need to start...and 19 days until Christmas!!!

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Time to kick it in to high gear...

After telling myself several times last weekend that I really needed to get two quilts basted and ready for quilting...I finally actually got the second one to the flimsy stage this morning

and NOW...I really need to get that one and this one

basted and start quilting!  I also still have two more quilts to get started...and a third that's a bit of a secret (and so I can't work on it during normal times).  Thankfully the secret quilt already has two of the four big blocks done.  Really need to get my tail moving...I still can't believe it's December and we are now less than three weeks from Christmas!

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving...and a few updates

Happy Thanksgiving all!  We celebrated our family Thanksgiving yesterday, and later today we will head over to a very dear friends house to continue the celebration.  Until then...I guess i could do some sewing...

so a few updates since my last post, I've made quite a bit more progress on some things than I expected.  I've also made zero progress on others...so I guess it all works out in the end.  I now have this flimsy ready to go:

and so close to reaching flimsy stage here:

and then pulled out the holiday quilt I'm making for the back of my own couch:

So...like I said, more progress than expected on some, not enough on others.  I've also got a little bit of secret sewing going on, but can't share any of that here.  That will have to wait until Christmas.

For the quilts above I already have backing picked out (had to purchase for the blue and pink, using the rest of a fat quarter bundle for the Christmas one), just need to get to work and get them ready for quilting.

Friday, November 13, 2015

plenty of color...and a dash of sparkle

making fairly decent progress on a few things...took my blue HSTs and made them QSTs...and have them all trimmed and ready to be pieced into a top...the pile of trimmings was quite pretty...


so then I took the next set:

and took about 5 minutes to turn them into this:

and now working on this:

the pink blocks are quite fun to put together, coming together pretty quickly too.  Had to take a break from the blues and pinks to add in a bit of purple and some sparkle and work on this:


a table runner for a friend of mine.  Last year I made her 12 stockings (seen here) and had fabric leftover, so this year, she gets a matching table runner.  Now just to get it basted, quilted and bound.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

love the smell of new fabric in the morning...

It's been a long while since I ordered or purchased new fabric...and then last weekend I picked up a few pieces at my LQS (just a few 1/4 yard cuts of Gooseberry, of course I have zero plan for them, just liked them).  And then the other day I placed an order with Fat Quarter Shop and these goodies (all Kona cotton 10" squares) arrived:

and then yesterday I placed ANOTHER order (this one is a bit larger, adds up to 14 yards of fabric)...and hopefully it won't be long before that package arrives...


but I took one of the sets from above (the Julie Herman coordinates set) and got started turning it into HSTs:


and by the end of the week, hopefully this becomes a quilt top.  This is one of 5-6 quilts (and all solids...which is exciting as I've never done an all solids quilt before, and now I'm trying to do several in a short period of time) I'm trying to get done before December 25th. 

I don't know what it is about this time of year...but I must sew all of the things!  So that I can gift all of the things!

I love the madness of Christmas sewing!!!

Saturday, November 7, 2015

well darn...

I had posted in September that I wanted to post more, and then just like that I disappeared again for over a month.  What can I say...October was a busy month.  Oh well.

I have been sewing...a lot actually...I finally finished up all the blocks for my Red Letter Day quilt, and pieced together a quilt top from the leftover blocks of a previous quilt:

and then promptly found more HSTs that need to be turned into blocks...so the quilt top isn't quite done yet.

I've also got a few other projects that have been started (and in one case finished) or work continued on:

The top two images are for Christmas sewing projects...and both need to be done by Thanksgiving.  And then there is the Trail Tote that I made my daughter (and I'm secretly jealous of and want one for me).  And last there are my postage stamp blocks that will be a work in progress for a good long while.

I don't know what it is about this time of year, but as soon as November rolls around...all I can think of is all of the gifts I would like to make and give for Christmas.  So I've ordered some fabric and have about 4 other quilts on my to do list this year.  Here's hoping I actually get it all done.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

well...

Took a long break from this space.  Wasn't intentional, just a lot of things going on and a complete lack of motivation for sewing.  As the weather starts to cool, my urge to stitch has returned.  Of course all of my previously unfinished projects still sit unfinished...as I've started some new ones.  No idea how far I'll go with them, but it feels good to be doing some kind of sewing.



So that's that for now...hope to return again soon!

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Wellness Wednesday...ep. 17

I kicked up the running a bit  (woohoo...did 10 miles!) this past week.  Long run of 6.17 miles over the weekend had me feeling pretty good.  I did miss a regular weekday run because I was mowing our horribly overgrown yard, so I'll just call that cross training.  Beyond that I did a bit of foam rolling and not much else.  I'm aiming to add in a bit more cross training over the next week, and at some point get my rear end back to yoga.  I started my run yesterday on the treadmill...but barely made it a mile before I had to take it outside...the weather was gorgeous, and lately me and the treadmill haven't been getting along.

April miles: 20.6

Miles YTD: 136.3

Saturday, April 25, 2015

in the pink

It's a rainy Saturday...and time for me to kick my sewing mojo in gear! Last weekend I started working on a baby quilt for a good friend:


and my goal today is to actually turn it into a quilt top! Fabric is Joel Dewberry Notting Hill, the tangerine (I call it the pinks) color palette.  I've used these fabrics before, and had plenty left in my stash for this quilt.  I'm using the Fat Quarter Shop Charm Box quilt pattern.

Funny...as I was deciding on the pattern and fabric...I fell in love with quite a few things from my stash...and I think I have quite a few more quilts planned in my head.  I'll be happy to just get back to sewing!

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Wellness Wednesday...ep. 13-16

Wow...really really didn't mean to go so long between posts (again).  It's been a little crazy in my life.  Some things that have been in progress for the past 2 years are FINALLY coming to a close, we had Spring Break in there somewhere, and finally the weather is actually feeling like Spring (lots of yardwork)!  Not to mention...I've actually done some sewing...and I will get a post up about that this week!

On to the Wellness part of this post...after the two races in March...I pretty much took a month off.  It wasn't intentional...one thing led to another (see my paragraph above) and I didn't get any running in...didn't go to yoga.  Was pretty much a lazy lump.  And you know what...oh well.  It was needed, my legs were dead, my heart wasn't in it, and so I just didn't.  Then last week...it really was time to get started, my mojo was up, I was getting the itch to get going, and I signed up for another race.  This time it's the Asheville Half Marathon taking place on June 6th.  Figured I have enough time to get back to half marathon distance.  This will be half number 6, and I'm doing this one again with my mom!  I'm very excited, and the running is feeling pretty good I feel better now that I'm back to running.  I'm really slow, and the distances have been fairly short, but I'm moving!

April miles: 10.5
2015 miles: 126.2

Friday, March 27, 2015

Wellness Wednesday...ep. 9-12 (March)

Happy Thursday Friday (so long since I blogged I forgot to actually post this yesterday)!  It's been a long while.  Life in the month of March has been more than a bit hectic in my house...so I figured I'd just throw out a March recap on the health and wellness side and then hopefully by the end of the weekend have some sewing to report.  Please sit back and enjoy this slightly lengthy post.

At the end of February, my Mom and I flew out to Dallas to run the Cowtown Half Marathon.  What we could have never planned for was all the lovely snow that was falling when we landed in Dallas.  Had a great time having snow ball fights with my nieces and nephew and my sisters and brother-in-law.  We had a blast!  Unfortunately that night over in Ft. Worth, they got hit with ice.  So we started the day before the race not knowing if we would even be able to run a race, or how we were going to get from Frisco to Ft. Worth when the road conditions weren't looking too good.  We eventually were able to get a train from Dallas to Ft. Worth (it was fun!).  When we arrived in Ft. Worth we could barely walk out of the station to the sidewalk, everything was covered in ice.  My Mom actually spent most of her time sliding around.  Unfortunately there was a bit of a freezing mist/fog that was still coming down and the temps were around 30 degrees.  We eventually were able to get a cab to take us to our hotel.  And then we finally made it to the the expo.  While at the expo they announced the cancellation of the Full and Ultra Marathons.  The roads and course were just too risky, but they were going to be able to get the Half course cleared/sanded/salted enough for us to run the next morning.  Mom and I ran the next morning, it was a great race, great course.  It was about 30-32 degrees the entire time...so we ran out of energy over the last few miles, but we finished!  Right now the plan is for me, my Mom and both of my sisters to run it next year!!!

After the trip to Texas, I had 20 days to get ready for half marathon #5.  Which resulted in one run of a distance of 4.9 miles.  I had a bit of a cold before I left for Texas, and by the time I got home from Texas...I had a bit more of a cold.  So all the running plans I had to keep my legs ready for the next half went out the window as I concentrated on just trying to get healthy.  A few days before the race I was actually able to start going back to yoga, so between that one run and a few yoga classes...I made it to the start line of the Newberry Half Marathon this past Saturday.  And for the most part...had a great run.  It ended up being a bit warmer than expected, so the last 4 miles or so of the race I had the sun beating down on me...but again...hung in there and finished.  I was really not happy with my time...slowest one yet...but given how worn out I was going into the race...I'm just happy to have finished.

So that brings me to this week...where a few interesting things have happened.  After the Newberry half, I planned on taking the month of April off, focus on yoga, maybe get back on the exercise bike...but to give my feet and legs a break from running.  Well...plans have changed.  Monday starts Full Marathon training...because I was one of the lucky runners whose number came up for the Marine Corps Marathon in October!!!!!!!  I was orignally planning on running a Full in December.  But last Monday...I decided that I was going to try putting my name in the lottery to see if I could maybe get in the race.  Something was just telling me that the MCM was the race I needed to at least try for...and I was thrilled yesterday morning when I got the email telling me I was in!  So then I started mapping out my training plan (my plan is based on the Galloway Marathon Training plan) and it worked out perfectly to start next week.  I'll get into more of my actual training plan next week.

So there you have it! 

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Wellness Wednesday 2015...ep. 7 and 8

The past two weeks have been really weird.  I've been struggling to get my workouts in:

Wk. 7
Wednesday: 3.57 mile run
Thursday: 1:00 yoga class
Friday: rest
Saturday: 1:00 yoga class
Sunday: 10 mile run (2.5 on the treadmill, 7.5 outside)
Monday: rest
Tuesday: rest

Miles for week: 13.57
Miles for year: 76.3

Wk. 8
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: rest
Friday: rest
Saturday: 2:00 yoga class
Sunday: 8 mile run
Monday: rest
Tuesday: rest

Miles for week: 8
Miles for year: 84.3

I leave tomorrow for Texas (SO EXCITED!), and half marathon number 4 is on Sunday!  Wow...just hoping to hang in there as I'm currently fighting a cold.  Ick.  March is projected to be one of my busiest months running wise (until I start marathon training this summer/fall), as I have the race this weekend, and then another half on the 21st.  Here's hoping I can get over this current cold pretty quickly, and stay injury free for the month!

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Wellness Wednesday 2015...ep. 5 and 6 -- the injured edition

So here we are...a few weeks later, on a Thursday...it's been an interesting few weeks.  Minor injury scare (actually a little more than minor).  I had a great week going, then all of a sudden, BAM...after my long run on Sunday and a great yoga class, my knee gave up. 

Wednesday: 3.74 mile run
Thursday: rest
Friday: 1:15 yoga class
Saturday: 1:00 yoga class
Sunday: 9.25 mile run, 1:15 yoga class (deep stretch) -- and somewhere during this day I over did my knee
Monday: rest
Tuesday: rest

I actually had to take that Monday off from work because my knee was really uncomfortable.  I went back on Tuesday, but it still wasn't 100%.  It wasn't until that weekend I really got back into doing anything.

Wednesday:  rest
Thursday: rest
Friday: rest
Saturday: 2:00 partner yoga class (this was AWESOME!)
Sunday: 4.57 mile run (felt pretty good, but really slow and a bit stiff afterwards)
Monday: rest
Tuesday: rest

I am finally feeling back to 100% (sort of).  Missing a week of running wasn't too bad, needed a cut back week anyways, but it still can be a bit iffy this close to a race.  I've got one more long run I'm planning before I start a bit of a taper going into race weekend.  Two weeks from today I will be in Texas!  And only 16 more days until Half Marathon #4!  (and only 37 more day until Half Marathon #5!)

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Wellness Wednesday...2015 Ep. 4

Wednesday: 3.75 mile run
Thursday: rest
Friday: rest
Saturday: 1:00 yoga class (fun yoga - an all levels mixed class)
Sunday: 8.3 mile run, 1:15 yoga (deep stretch)
Monday: 1:15 yoga class (yin yoga)
Tuesday: rest

Miles for week: 12.05
YTD miles: 45.5

Had to take a few rest days this week.  I didn't run on Friday because I was just plain tired.  I have found when I get that way, it's best to not push myself to run or do anything but rest.  I also rested Thursday and Tuesday for the same reason.  I tried some different yoga classes this week.  I may go back to yin yoga next Monday, I'm not 100% sure if it's for me, but I want to give it a few weeks to see.  The fun yoga on Saturday is kind of "teachers choice,"  it's intended to be for all levels, there are all kinds of modifications, and the teacher rotates each week.  I enjoyed the class, but not sure if the teacher is for me...she was great, but her style is different, and that works for some but not all.  I'll probably keep fun yoga on the list of classes I go to, but only when I don't have other things planned.  Like next Saturday is a partner yoga workshop that I'm going to with my hubby....so I won't go to class that morning. 

Long run felt great.  My legs have felt pretty good the past few weeks.  We'll see how it all goes when I move to double digits in another week or so.

I have stitched...

a tiny bit.  This month has been pretty non-existent in the sewing area.  My ALYoF project hasn't been touched, so not planning on meeting that goal.  This past weekend I finally sat down and spent a few minutes getting all of the corner pieces sewn, cut and pressed on my Jellybean quilt. (since it was what was laid out on my table).  So now I have a stack like this:

And now it will be set aside.  Hopefully I'll get back to it a bit more in February.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Wellness Wednesday...2015...Ep. 3

Happy Wednesday!  Love having a short week of work this week.  I won't dilly dally too much here, let's just jump in to the past week's fitness results:

Wednesday: 4.1 miles run and 20 min yoga for runners sequence
Thursday: 1:00 yoga class
Friday: 4.05 mile run
Saturday: 1:00 yoga class
Sunday: 7.5 mile run, 1:15 yoga class
Monday: rest
Tuesday: 1:00 yoga class

Miles for week: 15.65
YTD miles: 33.4

Well, I didn't make a full 7 days of yoga.  And that's ok.  I was just plain tired by Friday evening, and so I took a break.  My mileage is much better this week.  I can say that I've felt the difference yoga has made in my running.  It's not a huge difference, but it's enough that my legs are much more comfortable even after a long run.  I hope to see continued improvement in this area. 

That's it for today.  It is a short week, so I've got lots of stuff to get done in just a few days!   Off to work I go!

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Wellness Wednesday...2015 Ep. 2

Happy Wednesday!  So here was what I did the past week:

Wednesday: rest
Thursday: 1:15 yoga class
Friday: rest
Saturday: 1:15 yoga class
Sunday: 6.4 miles and 1:15 yoga class (deep stretching!)
Monday: rest, 15 mins light yoga (video)
Tuesday: 1:00 yoga class (core flow)

Miles for week: 6.4
Miles for year: 17.7


Not as much mileage as I would like, but I'm ok with that for now.  It was a bit of a random week, lots of stuff going on, so running didn't necessarily happen.  What did happen was yoga, lots of yoga!  I'm so excited to be taking classes again.  I'm hoping that it will be the difference that helps improve my overall time.  Not to mention that the mental health benefits are out of this world!

Now, last week I said my goal was to cross train AND have yoga.  Well...for some reason I was thinking that yoga wasn't enough for cross training.  It turns out it is.  I fell in love with yoga last year, but reached a point where it wasn't working for me with the class schedule, location, etc.  So I stopped going.  Well, my teachers have opened a new studio, the class schedule is fabulous, plus they offer classes on the weekend!  AND...they are offering classes that really work as cross training for runners in particular.  The core flow class I took last night...WOW...definitely helped work some of the areas of my body that are somewhat neglected or weak due to running.  So my new plan is to just keep up with yoga.  Right now I've practiced yoga for 4 days in a row, hoping to make that 7 (at least 10 minutes a day), and then go from there.  There is such a thing as too much yoga, don't want to risk injury or problems by over doing it.

So there it is.  Plans for this week:  get my mileage back up a little bit, continue yoga at least 10 minutes a day, eat well!

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Wellness Wednesday...2015 Ep. 1

Happy Wednesday!  This Wellness Wednesday started on Thursday, January 1...so it's not a full week, but it's a great start to the year!

First my 2015 goals:

  1. Run 600 miles this year
  2. Run a full marathon (already signed up for this, it's in December, lots of time to prepare!)
  3. Finish 2 half marathons in March, injury free
  4. CROSS TRAIN!!! (what's going to help me attain goal #2 and #3)
  5. YOGA (in addition to cross training, not in place of)
  6. Nutrition
To accomplish the mileage goal, I need to average 50 miles/month, which I think is very doable considering the last 3-4 months of the year I'll be marathon training.  Yeah, I signed up to run a full marathon...only mild panic happening with that.  The two half marathons in March will be the only races that length for the year (maybe), but I will be doing lots of 5k races as well. As for cross training and yoga, I've got to get it back in gear!  I was able to run a faster half in March last year than I was in November last year because I was cross training, and the yoga helped keep me injury free for the most part.  Last...nutrition.  My eating habits have gotten out of control, and I really need to be back to fueling my body properly, get my weight back down, and feeling healthier.
So there ya go!  


and now, how it went this week:

Thursday: 3.54
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 4.55
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 3.25

Weekly Mileage: 11.3
YTD Mileage:11.3

Nutrition has been pretty decent the last few days.  I'm back to counting my calories and balancing my carbs/protein/fats/etc.  It's all about developing the habits (or more accurately, re-developing the habits) that got me to where I wanted to be 18 months ago. 

So there ya have it!  Have a happy and healthy Wednesday!

Friday, January 2, 2015

ALYoF---January Goal

I'm giving A Lovely Year of Finishes another go this year.  While I didn't always participate last year (unfortunately) and I didn't always complete my goal (insert sad face), it did help me focus a little bit of my sewing each month.  Sometimes it's the only sewing I did in a month!

My January ALYoF goal is to finish my Red Letter Day blocks.  I've got 6 done



and three to go!  I've got all of the fabric for the prints cut out for 2 more blocks, just need to get the background cut.  And I'm still working on what I want to do for the final block.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

2015 goals

Well, here we go, another New Year, another set of goals!  I'll just go ahead and dive in:

  1. Finish 10 quilts
  2. Use my stash
  3. Handquilt more
  4. Make at least one scrap quilt
Really short and simple this year, and I'm really happy with that.  My "theme" for 2015 will be to keep it simple.  I don't want to feel so bogged down by something I said I was going to do on January 1st, when by February 1st I could going in a completely different direction!  More "go with the flow," less "stick with the script."  


On a different note, Wellness Wednesday will be back next week.  I have some 2015 fitness goals, so it's time to get that post back and regular!

I'm so looking forward to seeing what 2015 has in store...Happy New Year!