Curtain Project

I am working on curtains for my dining room. I bought two curtains that match but were different lengths from the thrift store a while ago and a lace table cloth to be put together to cover a large window. I got started on it today. So far, sewn the two panels together, measured the window to assure I make them the right length, and hemmed the bottom. Then, I stretched it out on the living room floor to plan how to place the table cloth on top. Unfortunately, I don't have the right color of thread to sew it on, but I will go to the fabric store on Monday to get it. The only other thing that I want to do is create a lining so the sun won't completely damage it. I got a sheet to try it, but it is the wrong shade of red. I will have to go back to the thrift store to find one a more suitable color. If it matches well enough and has enough material, I would also like to use it to make a curtain for the window on the front door. I hope that this will help cool down the house since it will create more shade inside. 

Once this project is done, I will be looking for something to make curtains that match well enough to go in the living room.

We All Lose

I watched the last 30 or 40 minutes of the presidential debate last night along with some of the analysts on News Nation afterward. We are in trouble as a nation. How are these men our best candidates? Neither of them have done much that they should be proud of for this country, and they didn’t have any real answers as to how they could get us back on track. Why do many of us say that the two party system is broken? This is why! We need better candidates so that our votes can make a difference. 

Yoga

People often say that they like, or even love, yoga. I couldn’t figure out why for a long time. I tried many different times. When my kids were little, I had an AM/PM in bed yoga CD and didn’t get the point. I figured it just wasn’t for me. Several years later, I bought a set of yoga CDs after a friend talked me into trying it again. I liked it for a bit, but couldn’t get into it completely because I didn’t like to stretch. Then, when I was starting to run, I heard of a YouTube channel that had yoga for runners. I liked it ok, but still wasn’t big on the long stretches. I just figured I would not never like it. 

When I started the Miracle Morning, I needed a form of exercise that would help me wake up in the morning and didn’t want to need to put on a bra. I settled on trying yoga again using Apple Fitness+. Since then, I have been doing yoga most mornings. I like the variety I have found through this app, and doing it for only 10 minutes is good for me. It is a good way to wake up, and I can feel myself getting stronger. Knowing that I can just take a walk around the block instead if I choose seems to help, too. I love knowing that I am in control of this aspect of my life. 

Exhausting Day

After an already long day, my cousin called today with a health update. She has been having heart problems for a while and was waiting to find out just how bad it is. Today, she called me with an update. She not only has a valve leaking, she has blockages and is going to have to have open heart surgery very soon. This means that she can't go to our cousin meet up in Michigan this summer because she will need to take the time to recover. 

I am both sad and scared. I'm sad that she won't be able to meet up with us at the beach. I love this cousin. She and I were glued together every time we visited our grandparents. Having a cousin reunion without this one cousin seems a bit wrong. I'm scared because I don't want her to die. I know I don't see her very often, but I still love her a lot. I'm also a bit mad because it just doesn't feel fair for someone who does so much good in the world to be facing this. 

She has been calling family members to ask for prayers, and I am more than happy to do this for her. I explained to the what the temple prayer roll is asked her if it was ok for me to place her name on it. She excitedly told me she could appreciate that. I think I will also fast for her this Sunday. This is all I can do from halfway across the country. I just hope it works. 

Cookie Fail

With only window air conditioners, I try not to bake more than needed because it is hard to cool down the house afterwards. We are still baking bread each week, but we have scaled back on things like cookies. 

The last few days have been a bit cooler. In fact, we have been able to to just open the windows and run fans without the air conditioners. So, I decided to make cookies after work. When looking through Chad's cookie cookbook, I found a ginger cookie recipe that I made in the past that everyone seemed to like. I was excited to make them and was sure we had everything in the cupboards I needed. I was more than halfway through the recipe when I realized I didn't have enough molasses and decided to make up for what I lacked with light corn syrup thinking the molasses would have a strong enough flavor that it wouldn't make that big of a difference. I was wrong. The cookies are quite bland. (Chad and Noel said that they are good, so it could be imagining that they are bland.) To me that are more sweet than flavorful. I was quite disappointed!

Cabled Sweater

 

I finished the beautiful sweater a couple of weeks ago, but I waited to take pictures because it has been too hot to put more than a few seconds. 

I have been wanting to make a cabled sweater for a long time. When I saw pictures of this one done for daughters and granddaughters in a knitting Facebook group, I fell in love immediately and was excited to see that the Lion Brand yarn website was selling kit for it and the yarn was on sale  I was able to get all of the yarn I needed plus some die about $40! It’s really hard to buy enough yarn that isn’t scratchy for this price. I order it right away and eagerly awaited its arrival.

I started the project I called my “Taylor Swift” sweater because the pattern was inspired by the “Cardigan” video in April and finished it in late May. It was such a fun project, and I had a hard time putting it down. The only thing I would have liked better would have been it if was knit as one piece rather than having to stitch it together. Overall, I loved knitting this and would not be opposed to knitting it again.

Needles Needed

I planned to start my next sweater today. I had it all planned out. It is a pattern inspired by Hermione’s time turner from Harry Potter. The original pattern calls for a red sweater with gold details, but I decided on gray with red details. The yarn was delivered last week, but I wanted to finish the baby sweater first. 

This afternoon when I was done working, I sat down with the pattern book and yarn and looked at the needle size recommendations to make sure I pulled the right ones out of the bag. I don’t have the needles I need. I need size 2 circulars to do the ribbing at the beginning. Such a bummer! I’ll have to wait until I get paid on Friday and make a trip to Hobby Lobby. Maybe I can finish my poncho while I wait. 

Our Girls

 

When going through the pictures on my phone, I came across these pictures right next to each other. The top picture is my niece, Samantha. The bottom picture is my Noel. Samantha was 6, and Noel was 5 or 6. The pictures were taken several years apart, so it is a bit odd that they were positioned so close. 

My daughter has been telling me since our trip last summer that she looks a lot like her cousin. I believed her and knew she had many characteristics of my dad’s family. However, it wasn’t until I saw these pictures together that I understood exactly how much they look alike. 

As a person who was always told how much her kids look like their father, it is SO fun to see how much they look like my family, too. 

Construction Woes

There is a bit of construction going on near my house. Behind my house, there will be a new gas station aa well as a few other business still to be determined. They are currently in the process clearing the land including what was apparently a go-cart track at some point. (I wish they would have revived that business at some point.) They had town hall meetings for about 2 or 3 years about the gas station before they finally started doing something rather than just talking about it. I don't know how long this stuff usually takes, but that seems like a long time. 

Across the street from that, they are building a Starbucks. This week they have been placing and welding the steal beams. It's a bit loud. A few days ago, I heard what sounded like elephants coming from that direction. I know it wasn't elephants, but the only other times I could remember hearing that sound were at the zoo or circus. I'm assuming the beams make the same sound when being moved around or placed, but I don't know. 

You may be thinking that there are a lot of Starbucks around, or if you know the street they are building on, you may think that there is no need for one more gas station. You would be right either way. I don't know why these are some of the few businesses this town can attract, but I hope having some real commerce in this town will be a good thing even if it is loud as they build. 

Baby Sweater

 

My best friend’s daughter is having a baby. I can’t let this occasion go by without making something for the baby. I have leftover yarn from my sweater (finished picture will be posted later) that was perfect for this special person’s baby. I looked through several patterns before deciding to make this cute cap sleeved sweater that I was going to make my niece 7 years ago but couldn’t figure out how to follow the pattern. This was the perfect time to figure it out. Thankfully, it was very easy to follow this time because I have grown a lot in this craft. I would have to say I am ver pleased with the results. All I have left to do is sew on the buttons and ship it out. I hope the parents like it as much as I do. 

Miracle Morning Started

Yesterday, I was finally able to start reading the Miracle Morning because I finished the book I had been reading the night before. I am loving this book. I read about 50 pages the first day. Those that know me know that I don't do this very often, but I was sucked into the pages of this book from the start. When Chad got home from work, I told him what I had learned so far and that I wanted to start doing it in the morning. I figured that even if I don't do it completely correct, at least I am setting the habit and doing something good for myself. He agreed to do it as well because he could tell how excited I was, and he has been looking for something to replace another challenge he had to stop for the time being. 

This morning I got up early and followed each step as I understood them. When I was done, I tried to assess in my head if I thought it worked for me. Did I really need to visualize for 10 minutes? How are these affirmations going to help? Within a few hours, I could tell that all of the steps were worth it! I feel better than I have in a long time. I feel like getting things done. During the downtime for work, I have done some laundry, homework, and cooked a lunch that is more substantial than a sandwich or soup. I have plans to get more done, too. I hope this happens each day. I want this feeling as much as possible. 

Recreation Photos

I love pictures that recreate past pictures. When Eric was a senior, I really wanted to recreate a kindergarten graduation picture with his best friend from that time period. We talked about it for months, and I worried we wouldn’t be able to do it because of COVID. Thankfully, his school was able to figure out how to do graduation at a drive-in and we were able to do it. 

For Sean, we were able to recreate his eight grade graduation picture with is favorite teacher. 

When it came to Noel, only one picture came to mind when I thought of doing this. It doesn’t include anyone else which is good because she changed schools in high school. She fought me a bit on it but agreed that it looked great when she saw the result. 

I love that even when they think my plans are weird or stupid, my kids indulge me in things like this. And in case you’re wondering, they are in frames with their senior pictures. 

Light Hearted Media

I have been watching, reading, and listening to a lot of heavy material lately. Even most of my fiction is based on heavy topics. (I fall asleep to Friends, but that’s different.) Today, I decided to watch something different as I clean. I’m watching Barbie! 

Does this movie have some heaviness to it? Yes. There is no getting past that. However, I love this movie it make me laugh more than it makes me cry. I need to just watch something that is fun more often. 

Me Reading

 

I used to hate reading. I wanted to like reading, but I just didn’t. I was a slow reader, and I always had to read books that were boring. Were there books that I liked? Yes. I loved Judy Blume books, 1984 (I know I’m one of the few), and a few others here and there, but I didn’t have the time to read these books very often because there was so much that I HAD to read for school. Therefore, I saw reading as something I had to do. 

In my early 20s, I finally was able to discover the joy of reading whatever I wanted to read without a deadline. I rode the express bus to work and wanted something to do while riding. (This was in the late 1990s, so I didn’t have a cellphone/smartphone to play games.) The person I was married to at the time suggested that I read and even had a few books that he thought I would like, so I tried it. Guess what? I like it! For the rest of our marriage, he often bought me books. 

Now, I find myself with reading mostly nonfiction with a bit of fiction sprinkled in. I am grateful to the person who help me find the joy of reading. I thankful that Chad indulges me in this hobby even when it means that I have a stack of books next to my bed waiting to be read. Mostly, I’m so thankful for the authors that write in a way that draw me in and keep me reading  

Miracle Morning Ready?

I have decided that I want to work on the Level 10 Life again. I tried and blogged about it in the past, but I stopped doing it when I struggled with keeping the bullet journals going for a while. I have realized that I have let a lot of things in my life slip and missed my goals because of this, and I need goals to feel like I am moving forward in life. 

To get ready, I found a bullet journal I bought a few months ago that had been barely used and pulled up Pinterest to remind me how it was done. As I as reading through the articles I found, I was reminded that the Level 10 Life came from Hal Elrod's book, The Miracle Morning, so I bought the book. While I read it, I will do as the blog posts I found on Pinterest suggest. My hope is that I will get back on track in the various things in my life I feel are lacking and better my mental health. 

BOLDERBoulder 2024

 Yesterday, Chad and I did the BOLDERBoulder (an 10K race), again. We have been doing it since 2018 with only 2020 and 2021 looking a bit different. Last year, we were both under trained. This year, I was far worse off than him but better than last year. I am using this race as the kick off to the marathon we are doing in October. 

This was the first time we have ran completely separate, and I think I actually liked it that way. I love doing these kind of events with Chad, but I think I pushed myself harder than I would have otherwise knowing he would be waiting for me at the finish line. I was also able to take progress pictures along the way without worrying about how it would affect his times. 

We started off excited and ready to go:

He left me behind right away as we had discussed in advance. When I got to the first mile, I was still feeling pretty good:

Then, it started getting hot, and there was no cloud coverage. I was feeling the heat by mile 2:

By the third mile, I had drank some water and Gatorade and was feeling a bit better. I was also excited to have basically be at the halfway point:

Getting to mile 4 was a bit of a struggle. There was a lot of uphill running and the Gatorade was not doing well in my stomach. I was happy to pass another mile, though:

The next mile was the hardest. I didn’t eat enough before the race, and it was starting to affect me. I had also had Gatorade twice by this point. This meant my stomach was upset and I was getting light headed. For the first time in the course, I felt like giving up. I was sure Chad was done and almost called him to help thinking I was going to pass out. Then, a nice, cool breeze hit me and I saw the 5 mile marker:

That gave me enough umph to finish. I still had to walk most of the remaining course, but I knew I could finish. All I had left was 1.2 miles. At the 6 mile mark, I could almost see the stadium and knew Chad would be there waiting for me:

Finally, I got to the stadium and was ready to do the run around the track. To my surprise and delight, Chad was in the stands in front hanging over the wall looking for me as I entered. He cheered me on as I gave him a high five and finished:

Was this my best time? No. Was it a good finishing time? Also, no. I had fun, though. I will continue to do this race until I can’t anymore. I love it that much. Next up is a 5k at the end of June. Then, the marathon in October. Wish me luck!

Replacing Grass

I have wanted to replace the grass in the front yard with xeriscaping for a while. In 2020, I started the process of killing grass which in hindsight was dumb because it just left more space for the weeds to grow. last year, we bought weed barrier and a small amount of rocks thinking that we could get rid of the weeds and grass and slowly buy enough rocks to fill in the areas where we didn't want plants. This idea didn't get very far because rocks are expensive and we got distracted by other things. This spring, as Chad and I talked about homesteading, we considered the state of the front yard again and knew things had to change. 

We are working on gardening in spots in the front yard (the garden boxes next to the driveway, the former flower garden in front of the front porch, the corner by gate, etc.). However, we still need to beautify the rest of it. (Thankfully, I have a small front yard.) A few months ago, there was a link in the town newsletter for xeriscaping plants to replace grass and lower water needs. I looked through the options and found one that covered a decent space that we could afford. Chad agreed that this was a good idea and aligned with our plans. I ordered a package that was created to attract butterflies and should cover about 60 square feet when full grown. They were ready for pick up last week and have been sitting in my house since Noel and I got them. 

Yesterday, I had a grad plan of clearing enough of the yard to plant the flowers and grasses, put down a weed barrier, and plant everything before we had to leave for Noel's graduation. This was a foolish plan. The weeds have taken over the front yard and have big roots. Chad and I worked for a few hours on it. We were able to clear it for the most part after marking off the area. This morning, I finished pulling the weeds, mixed in some gardening soil, and placed the weed barrier. Then, I pulled out the planting guide they provided and a measuring tape and carefully planned out where each plant would go. I was able to get about half the plants planted before it got too hot. After dinner, I planted the rest. Tomorrow, I will spread out the mulch. Next week, I will place some stepping stones around it to finish it off. I am excited to see this plan come to fruition. 

My plan is to continue doing this each year until the grass is completely replaced with each section separated with stepping stones to make it easier to pull weeds and water when needed. I can't wait to see what it looks like when I'm done creating my dream!

She Did It!

 

My baby girl graduated high school today. I am so proud of her! She had to overcome a lot of challenges to get to this point, and I had the privilege of watching her every step of the way. She had to work extra hard this last year, and she stepped up and accomplished more than I would have been able to in that time period. I could gush over her for days. She is just that amazing! 

Happy graduation day, Princess! I know you will accomplish all of your dreams. 

Not Bad

 

Dr. Pepper has a new, limited edition flavor: creamy coconut. I love Dr. Pepper and the flavors they have come out with haven’t been too bad (Coke should take notes). I made one mention to my husband, and he picked up a 12 pack last time his went grocery shopping. 

Yesterday, I had my first can. It isn’t too bad. It’s actually just like one might imagine it would be. It tastes like coconut waster and Dr. Pepper. I don’t know if will get it again since we have stopped buying 12 packs of soda, for the most part. However, if I happen to see it at a gas station before they stop selling it, I might grab it. 

Middle School Closing

 

I went to Moore Middle School for half of 7th grade and all of 8th grade. I have some good memories of doing so. The friends I made those years distracted me from the unsettling home life I was face with at the time. Now, it is closing due to low enrollment, and they are making my old high school a jr/sr high. (How weird is that in such a highly populated area?) in a way, it feels like one more part of my childhood dying. It kinda sucks, but I know things like this happen. Eventually, everything I loved as a kid or teenager will be gone. That’s just a fact of life.