Heart Mini

There is this race called the Heart Mini Marathon that I've done a few times. It is not one of my favorites. This year, I decided to do the 15K because I have had to work a lot recently, and didn't feel like I could get away to do a marathon or to go to my step-sister's baby shower. I thought I was going to have to work yesterday, but, thankfully, I didn't!! Amazing.

Anyway, this race is sponsored by my company, and a lot of folks either walk or run one of the races they put on this day. They have a 5K run, 15K run, 5K and 10K walks and a 2K kiddie fun run. Chase didn't come to do this with me this weekend, 'cause we kept him pretty busy yesterday... I was bummed, but maybe next year.

So, I decided to try the 15K and the 5K runs. The 5K starts before the 15K and there is enough time to do them both. I got some donations from work, in addition to what I contributed and that was great, 'cause this is for a good cause - the American Heart Association. I did run both the 5K and the 15K. I did fine at the 5K and not as good at the 15K. Mainly 'cause they had to change the course and there is one BIG A$$ hill on the way back that just sucks. Sorry, but it does! After these two races, my friend's wife was doing the 5K walk, so we all did that too (I kind of goofed off and ran back and forth and sang to the silly songs they were playing, so I went more than the 3.1 miles there). Kat said I was fun to "walk" with. LOL). And, man she walks fast! We were seriously cruising!

All in all I did 3 races there and went almost 16 miles, total, not including running to the start for each race 'cause they were further away than normal (due to construction at the downtown fountain), so maybe 18 miles total. So, all in all, it was a pretty good effort and I needed it. One more cool thing was, even though the website says no strollers, there were people at ALL the races that I did who were running with them! Yeah.

Oh! And yesterday I picked up some new trail running shoes for $30! OMG, what a bargain! I am so totally wanting them to work out well. :)

Ladybugs...

New purse this week. Got a couple lady bug fabrics and this is just cute. :) Definitely *spring* and Easter-ish. Not to mention, just our good friendly China adoption mascot the Ladybug! :D

Spring and Snow

So, it is spring. Did someone mention that to God? LOL. It snowed last night and is still flurrying a bit this morning. Supposed to get more today, yet. Crazy!

I am working from home today. Been online since 6:30am. That is insanity in and of itself. yawn.

Might get to sew later. I need to run, too.

So, I have checked out other blogs, recently, as I'm prone to do. :) Some folks are talking about some crazy stuff, too! Getting picked up at Jack in the Box by swingers and such. Too funny (sick, actually). I didn't realize it was so hard to be married these days with people on the lurk for swingers! LOL. I thought it was just us singles at risk of the nut-jobs. (See Eva Las Vegas blog.)

Monday, Monday

Well, it was another long day, but not nearly as long as Friday was. Thank heavens. I even got out of work when it was light out still! Woohoo!

I told a lady at work I'd make her and her daughter matching purses... so, that's what I did tonight.



I hope she likes it! I made a 'baby' one to match, for her daughter, but I didn't take a pic. Maybe I will before I head to bed. 7am meeting tomorrow. UGH.

edited to add: I added the pic of both of them Tuesday morning.

What a week!

Let's see, where to begin... it's been a long week. My first thoughts this morning are about the baby and my mom. I was laying here at my sister's looking up at a picture of my mom she has up. It is reminding me of what I don't have. You see, my mom doesn't really talk to us, as in, the whole family. It is a dreadfully long story. But the main point for me this morning is she's missing out on what I'm going through. She's seen my nephew one time in his life, and he is 5 years old. Makes me sad. Makes my sister sad. Ok, it makes us all sad. I wonder how the baby will feel when she realizes she only has one set of grandparents to see regularly? Will she ask about my mom as often as Chase used to? Will my mom be upset when she finds out I adopted? (She and I talked about 10 years ago about the fact that I could possibly adopt one day... she said I would be taking on someone else's problem. I wonder if she still feels that way.)

So, this all makes me want to write her a letter and tell her all about what is going on. Tell her how much I miss her. That not having her in our lives is very tough. What was like it when she was 34? We were almost grown. What kinds of aches and pains did she have? You see, I don't remember her saying anything back then about that sort of thing. (later she has...) Ok, except I know she hates(d) certain doctor's visits and such.

Ok, what does this have to do with my long week? Nothing, I suppose. Except that I wish my daughter could have a relationship with her. I do. And that is what I'm thinking about now.

The rest of the week was long because of work. I worked a ton of hours this week. I can't believe how tired I've been. We had this install/backout... repeat, repeat, repeat... several times, all over a 2 day period. And after all that, we have to do more on Monday because the final backout required a lot of manual intervention and it isn't a solid backout. Ugh. (if none of this makes sense to you, I test software...)

I also ran a little St. Patrick's 5K yesterday. I got 3rd place in my age group, that was a shocker. lol. I got a cool little wooden guy sitting on a rock who was fishing in all his green garb. Now, I've gotten awards before... and it is always cool when I get one, especially when I'm not one of only 3 in it! LOL. (there were 4 of us this time.) The funny part is, that beause this is a small race and my friend and I got there late (we started almost 6 minutes late), they let us self-time ourselves. And they counted it. Of course, I didn't lie. Why would I? But it was very cool. I also ran one mile in 9:51. I was very excited about that. :)

My sister bought me a few little girl outfit patterns this week. When I looked at her in horror, lol, (I don't make clothes) she informed me that if I can quilt and make purses and such that I can in fact make clothes. ha. So, we'll see. They are pretty cute. On the purse/tote/bag front, I did manage to get some more fabric cut out this week and got two very simple (but cute) bags sewn. I do know when to stop, though, like last night, when I make the simplest mistakes. I'd like to sew some today, but I need to run and work a little. So, we'll see. Of course, I'll post pics. :)

latest and greatest

I worked almost 12 hours today and am just pooped (2nd day this week, so far). I wonder what will happen when the baby comes? I'll just have to do more of it at home. But it is something to think about.

I cut out 6 larger purse/bag/totes last night. My sister suggested that I make some bigger 'cause lots of people like bigger purses. These next ones will definitely be big enough to carry as diaper bags or totes.

Ok, I just think these are so fun! They are a couple of the ones I made last week.

Diapers and Purses

Work is very busy this week, as I mentioned it was going to be. I hope to get some good runs in this week and more purses/bags made.

Rumors are coming in about referrals... not sure when the next batch is going to be or up to what date. I'm still expecting to have an August or later referral (would like it to be late Sept or later, even... I have SO much to do still).

Oh, and I've also been looking into cloth vs. disposable diapers. There are some really cute cloth diapers and I'm sure I could make some myself, but I'm not sure if I'll find it to be yucky to handle them or not. Or if they will be more messy (leaks and such). Some people seem to be very into cloth diapering, but that's not the majority. Making diapers does go toward my love of fabric and quilting/sewing.

Ok, so I just had to post that one of the red toile purses I made last week is selling on eBay!!! WOOHOO!! I'm SO excited! Thank you, Alyson! You made my day!

I made 12 purses last week. I've been working my butt off and am just very thankful someone is buying one! lol :D The red toile is definitely pretty (striking). In addition to the red toile, I've made green purses, a pink girly purse and a butter yellow Asian print purse. It isn't much, but it is a start!! :) They are all on eBay and you can see them here:

Purse listings

Oh, and I got my FIRST donation (using the Make a Donation button on the side)!! THANK YOU!! :) As I said before, nothing is too small!

Off to the sewing room I go... haha, heehee.

The good, the bad and the fun!

(the good) I have made a total of 9 purses this week. I gave one to my sister and her friend, so I have 7 to sell. The latest design is just too girly and cute.

(the bad) So, I was supposed to go run a marathon this weekend. As my family and friends know, I try not to back out of such events unless I'm sick or something happens beyond my control (like when i sprained my ankle last year). Well, I got news yesterday afternoon (Friday) that I am going to be taking on more responsibilities over the next 3 weeks while a co-worker is out of town (ok, they mentioned it before, but i got the *full* scoop yesterday). All well and good, except this requires a LOT of over-time and early morning meetings, as it isn't supposed to affect the big project I'm involved in right now. This all starts Monday. And this means I have to do a little prep work this weekend and get some things set up for my work connection that I should have done, but didn't 'cause I didn't need it at the time. With a 6 hour drive each way, plus the marathon, I just couldn't see how I could get this other stuff done, too. Ugh. Not good. Oh well. I have a lot going on running-wise in April and May, so, hopefully that will make me feel better about this.

(the fun) So, I hit the clearance racks again this weekend, lol. I got a lot of things to embellish the purses (beads, buttons, ribbon, you name it). I even thought I'd try my hand at adding some elastic to some things... I also got some cute gifts for friends/family, and a couple books! I got a running book and an adoption book that I'm very excited about. OH, and I got a little purple pillow that says "Forever" on it for baby girl! I was very excited about that. I also got her a couple of board books. (this is a pretty big deal, as I haven't bought hardly anything for her yet.)

I didn't buy any fabric - I know, hold the phone!! ;-) I tried to behave (ha), but I did still get a bit more than planned (of course).

**Now, I know I've done some shopping this past week, and some of you might be wondering why, if I'm so worried about money. Well, I have a weakness for fabric (perhaps you've noticed by now, and if you know me, you know that is a given). And I can't pass up a store closing sale. (in this case, they are just closing and making a bigger store.) Mostly, though, I've figured that I could take some of this fabric and embellishments and create things that might help me to put some extra money toward the adoption while doing something I really enjoy - quilting (sewing). I realize I probably don't need to explain any of this to anyone, but in case you were wondering how that all worked, I thought I'd try to explain the method to my madness. :) Some say, you have to spend money to make money. Well, I hope that theory works!!! LOL.

(the rest, haha) I still need to get a long run in tomorrow, for my upcoming marathon. No slacking there. I'm just bummed I didn't get to see my friends and my step-sister MB, who is way preggo right now! :) She wasn't going to be able to make it, anyway, because it was 4 hours or more from her house, and she is too uncomfortable to drive. I don't blame her.

Introspective

For some reason, today, I'm a bit *thoughtful*. Just wondering when things are going to happen, how long 'til referral, how much my life will change in a few months, how single-parenthood-by-choice is a daunting thought sometimes...

I have so much to do still. The baby's room isn't started. Her keepsake quilt isn't started. The house hasn't been gone through to get it organized (read: go through my clothes and stuff to see what I need to clean out before she gets here).

I wonder if she is born yet. Or is she is OK. I wonder if she is in an orphanage or in foster care. I wonder if she is loved or scared or maybe even both. What will she look like? How old will she be? Will she love the cats and my sister's dog? Should I get a dog? Will she love shoes or purses? How about hats? Stuffed animals or baby dolls?

I've been sewing like crazy this week, and I wonder if it will even help. I want to buy her stuff now, but I am already freaking about how I will come up with the rest of the money for the adoption and trip. How much time should I take off when she gets here? What will my boss and co-workers say? Will this hurt my career?

I did call a couple of daycare places this week, too. I need to go do some visits. Will I be sad to have to take her to daycare?

So many thoughts and questions today. Probably 'cause I'm so tired from staying up too late this week. oops.

Are you tired?

Boy, I am tired!!! I've been a sewing mad-woman for 3 days now. Are you tired of me posting purse pics? I just get so excited and want to share. I hope that is ok.

This one is an great Asian print fabric!! I LOVE IT. Good thing I bought a lot of it, huh? LOL. This purse is a little bigger than the others. A little too big for me, or I'd be changing over to use it right now. haha. My sis already wants one (and has convinced me to give her the other one I made tonight, with cats all over it. haha. she's a sneaky one! of course, it didn't hurt that i cut out the fabric for the inside of the purse upside down! lol but she liked it anyway, and you can hardly see that, i think. haha)

The Asian one is for sale. The cat one is not. Here they are... ready or not. (i'm such the poet when i'm tired. lol)





Off to beddy-by. Have a good night y'all. Oh, and I've decided to use the cutouts from all these purses to make a keepsake quilt or wallhanging for the little one. :) Ahh, more sewing.

2nd creation - on a purse mission

2nd style of the week (just needs a button, perhaps):



This happens to be made in a green/tan Civil War Reproduction fabric I picked up a while back. I really liked how this sewed up. I might make some bigger bags out of this fabric, too. This purse has 4 pockets and velcro closure. (It is also listed on eBay in the HobbyHungry store. :) in case you are interested.)

I'm really happy with myself for getting some things made this week. All in all, I've finished 4 purses, so far. My sister bought one for her friend, which was awesome. I got so much great fabric this past weekend, I'm just dying to make more stuff. I will probably make myself a baby bag (I've already got one, thanks again to my sis, which is just too cute), and I need to get started on a baby blanket. I wonder if my daughter will like this type of stuff like I do? Wouldn't that be cool!

I also added a 'Make a Donation' button to my blog. I still need to come up with a lot of money between now and the time I travel to China. If you are so inclined, please feel free to make a donation to this effort. Anything, and I mean anything, is appreciated!!! :)

New creation

I made a new purse tonight. No, it wasn't quilted. That was a first. But it was taken from the same style (except a little smaller) as the quilted ones. It is this great cream with red toille. Pic below. :) I was very pleased. (of course, i took two pics, but only one was small enough to post here. i couldn't seem to get the other resized right tonight, and it is too late to do that now.)

I also found some neat stuff today about making some other fun stuff... cloth diapers and wash clothes and such. I tried and tried to get my serger to work tonight (never have before) and just couldn't get the darn thing threaded right or something. Ugh. So, I guess I'll work on that some more this week.



Oh, and shameless plug, if you would like me to make you one of these (it has pockets and a velcro closure), I can do that. I have enough of this very fabric to make a few. The lining is the same pattern, currently. My sister went ahead and listed this purse on eBay. Please check it out if you want! :) (see HobbyHungry logo)

Never have I...

I have never bought so much fabric at one time! WOW. It was big fun and I got a HUGE discount on almost all of the fabric I bought today. Let's just say... my sister and I had not one, but 2 carts full of fabric by the time we finished!!! Purses, pillow cases, curtains, a couch cover, baby blanket(s)...you name it, and I have enough fabric to make it! Amazing. :D

I bought some amazing Asian print fabric. I will make at least one bag out of it. It is a heavier weight fabric, and wouldn't be good for quilts, but good for purses and bags and the like. :) I also bought some adorable pink fabric with yellow moons and stars to make one baby blanket. It won't be her 'keep sake' blanket, but it will be a fun woo she can carry around, hopefully.

I also got some fantastic fabric with flip-flops on it. Too Fun!! I will likely put it with some other whimsical fabric I have to make something out of. I love lap blankets.

My sister and I picked out some great fabric to hopefully cover her couch with. We found a coordinating fabric to make some panel curtains. We also found some neat fabric that will make great tableclothes and hand towels. ;)

Guess I better get washing, pressing and sewing soon!! Pictures to come, hopefully.

Oh, and one more thing (ha!), we got some flannel fabric to make some comfy pants with. Although, I think that might require learning how to put elastic in. Not sure. And I got some other great Pink Asian print that will make great change-purses and maybe even some fancy little purses.

I'm way excited! (not that you can tell, I'm sure! lol)

Shop 'til we drop!

So, my sis and I are hanging out this weekend. And, boy, do we have plans! Plans to shop, that is!! LOL. We are planning to go to the fabric store, the book store, the thrift store(s), the grocery, walmart, sam's, and then to two stores to return items! wow.

Then, I am going to *try* to get a couple of purses made. It is going to be a long day! LOL. And, I imagine, a lot of fun! :)

The Jo Ann store near me is closing so they can get a new one built. I'm anxious to get there first. haha. Mindy, on the other hand, is dying to get to the half price books store!! Which, thankfully, is right next door! :D

This is great!

I stole this pic from another blog. I just love this!!! Isn't it grand?! :)

Ash Wednesday

On another note... today is not only the first day of March, but it is Ash Wednesday. I am not Catholic, but often I have given something up for Lent. I am not sure what to give up this year. A friend of mine suggested giving up slacking on my runs. lol. We'll see. That is definitely a toughy! lol

May your next 40 days be introspective ones.

Dark Ages?

Ok, so, if you have any issues with gay people, stop reading now. I want no flames or mean responses. This is my opinion and my opinion alone.

My rant has to do with GLBT rights and how ridiculous I think people can be.

First of all, let me say that I know many GLBT folks who are upstanding citizens and who have wonderful familes. I do not think that they should be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. I think they have as much right to build a family as I do... or married heterosexual couples do.

From an adoption standpoint, where I am adopting from (China) does not allow GLBT folks adopt. It is their choice as a country to make that decision. With that decision, comes scrutiny of us Single Straight folks who want to adopt. Ok. I accept that. I even had to sign an afidavit saying I wasn't gay. Not a problem. I'm not gay.

As of last year, several states added a law that GLBT folks could not marry a person from the same sex. That marriage is between a man and a woman. OK. Well, I voted against that law, but it passed anyway (well, in my state, anyhow). NOW (according a newspaper I read last week), these same people (idiots) want to keep GLBT folks from adopting here in the United States!!!!! OH MY GOD. That is just ludicrous. You take away their rights to get married. Then you tell them they can't have a child either???

What next? Is the government going to make sure when a woman bears a child that she has a HUSBAND??? Is this going to infringe on our single rights eventually, too? Uh, yeah, Miss X you cannot have this baby because you aren't married and that is against the law! I don't think so! Is there only one acceptable way to live here in the US - as a married couple? Have we regressed to the dark ages? I mean, seriously. This isn't biblical, either (and I am quite familiar with the Bible), which was their argument banning gay marriage. Why should the government have a say in such personal matters?

There are so many people out there who want children. There are so many children out there who need families. It just makes me fuming mad!

So, this is my opinion. If we choose to adopt from other countries and they say that GLBT folks aren't allowed, so be it. I respect their wishes and I would hope that others would, too. But, in our own country- THE LAND OF THE FREE - we ought not discriminate!!

If you feel differently, more power to you. But this is how I feel, and I just can't stand my friends being discriminated against.