Where has the time gone?

Anyone still out there wondering when I will update my blog again? Well...here it is!

So much has gone on since my last post in March! Let me start with "business is booming at Beauty-Crete."  We are right in the midst of our busiest season since I started working here in 2008!  Our crews are already booked through the middle of August (provided we don't lose any time due to weather).  I am blessed beyond words that I found this job a few years ago! 

April flew by with my final weeks of Half-marathon training and a quick trip to Houston to visit my nephews!  My time in Houston was limited, but I was able to help Josh celebrate his 2nd birthday and spend some time hanging out with the Wiggins family!
Half-marathon training went very well as my friend Amber Herndon & I added on the miles to our long runs and we culminated our 4 months of training with my first Half-Marathon in Oklahoma City on May 1st!  The 2 weeks leading up to the "big race" we had several days of rain/storms and the closer we determined there was going to be a good chance it would rain during the official race.  We decided that no matter what, rain or shine, we would keep our running schedule so we could adjust as needed for the weather.  Everyday we thought we were going to be running in the rain the rain would stop just prior to our meeting time and it didn't rain on us once, until race day that is!  The race was in Oklahoma City so we drove down the afternoon before to pick-up our packets and be ready for the 6:30am start time.  I woke up at 4am to get dressed and eat some breakfast before we headed to the start line.  Amber's boyfriend, Jacob, and my dad graciously offered to drive us downtown to the start line (we left the hotel at 5:30am!!).  At the time it was not raining, but we packed our ponchos just in case.  About 6am the storms started rolling in and the race officials decided to delay the start time 30 minutes to see what the storms were going to do.  We found an empty parking garage along with several other runners to take shelter and stay dry while we waited.  Even though it was still raining the race officials determined it would be safe for the race to start.  Amber & I dug out the ponchos and prepared for a "race to remember" (just so happens that is what the race was called...it was a race honoring/remembering those effected by the OKC bombing, April 1995).  Our feet were soaked before we found our place in the starting corral, but we were excited to get started.  We ran through some not so pleasant weather conditions such as rain, high winds, cold temperatures, lightning/thunder, and bits of small hail.  Despite the conditions we had an AWESOME run!  We crossed the finish line in 2:45:25!!!  Just a year ago I said I have no desire to run a half-marathon and now I am already training for my 2nd half-marathon!!!

Staying dry in the parking garage.

Me & Amber H. crossing the finish line!

Finisher medals

We did it!

Still sore from the half-marathon, 3 days later I had my wisdom teeth pulled.  We were taking the week off from running so why not have a few teeth pulled? LOL  I had some minor set backs with that adventure, but all in all it went very well (just sore for several days). 

Enough with the boring stuff...on to my sewing projects!!!  Memorial day weekend provided me with some extra time at home alone while Dad took a trip to Houston.  For several months I had been looking to do something different with the curtains in our dining room/bay window.  I happened to be in JoAnn Fabric and came across the perfect fabric!  It was the same colors as what we currently have above our patio door.  Below is a before & after. 

Next project...my cousin Kalie contacted me to see if I could make bow ties for her wedding next month.  She sent a picture of one online that she liked, but they need 4 for the groomsmen.  She sent me fabric and I got to work.  Since I didn't have a pattern I had to figure out the measurements and how to make things look right.  In the end I made ties for 4 groomsmen, 2 ring bearers, and Sam (the groom).  I can't wait to see how they look on everyone in the wedding! 

Last but not least...I decided my bedroom needed to be brightened up a bit.  For the past few years I have had dark red and black bedding of which I loved, but it was really making my room very dark. So, I began looking for new bedding.  Here is a small problem I have...my mattress is EXTRA THICK so Queen sized comforters don't cover all of the mattress.  Solution? Buy a King sized comforter!  I found a new set that I just loved!  It was a set so you know what that means...King sized sheets, bed skirt, & pillow shams.  Sheets...not a problem, bed skirt...using safety pins not a problem, but have you tried to fit King pillow shams on a Queen bed???  Doesn't work so well.  The hunt was on for Standard pillow shams that would coordinate and Target had just the right ones!  Now I have extra pillow shams that won't ever be used?!?!  Not quite...while looking around I realized the shams would be the perfect size for a window valance and with a little creative thinking I have a valance and just need some brown sheers to complete the look.

I'm still not crazy about the accent pillow, but it is growing on me. 

What's New?

I know it has been a while since I have posted anything on here so I thought I would post another update.  I am loving the Spring and warmer weather for many reasons...more daylight hours, warmer temperatures for running, and work has finally picked up at the office.  My days at the office are now filled with phone calls, paperwork, scheduling crews and maintaining Wes' & Scott's schedules (some days that is the hardest part).  When you work for a business that is somewhat seasonal things tend to go from 0 to 60 when the sun comes out!  Needless to say I don't have much time to dream of my next sewing project, but I am still trying to get a few things completed here and there.

The Half-Marathon is just 5 weeks away!  I have officially registered for the race and booked a hotel for the night before since the race begins at 6:30am in Oklahoma City.  I am starting to get nervous, but I know these next few weeks will fly by and it will be race day the next time I turn around.  My friend and "running buddy," Amber H., has been so supportive during this journey.  We have even considered taking on another half-marathon this Fall, but outside of Oklahoma!
**Just a side note...on March 12, 2011, I ran the St. Patrick's Day 5k with my best time EVER...drumroll please...30:07!!!!!!**

Me & Amber H. before the race

On to more exciting things than running...my dad and I just returned from a wonderful trip to Paradise Island, Bahamas.  The water was beautiful, weather was beautiful, and the company was great (we went with the company he works for, ECAD, inc.).  Here are a few pictures from the trip.

Ferry boat to Nassau, Bahamas

Our resort is just beyond the palm trees if you look close.

Waiting on the ferry boat to head back to Paradise Island, Bahamas.

The ocean was BEAUTIFUL!

How about some new sewing projects???  I have always taken my lunch to work, but recently have been taking things other than a frozen dinner and have been using lots of ziploc bags which I know is not good for the environment or the wallet.  As I was searching through Facebook, Etsy.com, and other blogs I saw several ideas for making reusable sandwich bags.  I have now made a few for myself and will post a few for sale in my DoubleRDesigns Etsy Shop in the near future.  They are cotton fabric on the outside and lined with washable nylon with a velcro closure.  These are great for kids snacks or sandwiches or whatever you need to take with you.

2 sizes available...snack & sandwich size

snack size

I also started making a few aprons again in preparation for Spring Cleaning, Cooking, Gardening, Mother's Day, etc.  I had a request from a good friend, Shannon, to make her a red & black apron. After making her apron I decided to make one very similar with orange ribbon.  They both turned out really cute and I have more aprons and ribbon to complete in the near future.   

Half Marathon Update

This post has NOTHING to do with my sewing, but I thought I would give you all an update on my half-marathon training.  Warning: there aren't any pictures and it is a bit long.
As stated in my last post the weather in Oklahoma can be a bit crazy to say the least.  We started the month of February with a record setting Blizzard followed and record low temperatures.  Jenks set a record low at -14 degrees (not including the windchill) on Thursday February 10th while other nearby cities were at -20+ degrees...that is COLD!!!  Needless to say with so much snow on the ground and below zero temperatures there was not much running going on for me.  Here is where it gets even crazier...one week later the temperature was 80 degrees!!  That my friends is a 94 degree difference! 

Just before the blizzard and snow hit I had set a personal record for a long run...7 miles!  After the snow began melting, my running partner, Amber, and I hit the trails again to try to catch back up after almost 2 weeks without running.  The trails along the river had been plowed for the most part and things were beginning to melt.  8 miles later we returned to our cars with cold/wet socks and shoes and had removed a few layers of clothing...later that night I realized I actually got a little sunburn while I was out (nothing major...just a little pink).  Note to self: Sunshine = Sunburn!  The following week the temperatures stayed warm so we were able to get back into our regular running routine.  **We normally run 2 nights each week, 3 mile minimum and longer runs on Saturday with the RunnersWorld Tulsa training group**

All of this to say on Saturday, February 19th, I put on my running shorts & t-shirt to set another personal distance record...9 miles (which included 2 very steep hills).  This training run was set to go through my hometown of Jenks, OK...for those of you who are familiar with Jenks and where my house is, I must tell you that one of the hills went straight up to my house (hill??? it is more like a MOUNTAIN when you are on foot).  We were about halfway up the hill and slowing down, so we had decided to walk the rest when another lady in our training group behind us explained she was watching our feet move in step and we were pulling her up the hill so we couldn't quit!  We picked it back up and made it all the way to the top and then back down through the neighborhood onto the next hill.  We finished our route through the town of Jenks and down Mainstreet along all the antique shops back to the starting point at the Riverwalk.  We finished the training run in just under 2 hours which has us right on track for completing the half-marathon with a good finishing time.  

Upcoming Training Runs...
This weekend...5 miles
March 5th...10 miles
March 12th...St. Patrick's Day 5k to support Special Olympics in Tulsa, OK
March 17-21st...Dad and I will be joining his company in the Bahamas (can't honestly say I will be running 11 miles like the training group will be back home in Tulsa, OK, but I will try to get a few miles completed)
March 26th...at least 5 miles, but probably try to make-up for lost time on the 11 mile
April 2nd...12 miles
April 9th...6 miles
April 16th...13 miles
April 23rd...5 miles
Sunday, MAY 1st...OKC Memorial Half-Marathon!!!!

Oklahoma Blizzard 2011

Have you ever heard the saying "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute it will change."? This statement was so true for us last week.  On Saturday, January 29th, I was wearing shorts and a tank top for my afternoon run considering it was 75 degrees and by Monday evening, January 31st a BLIZZARD WARNING was issued for most of Oklahoma with temperatures struggling to stay in the double digits.  This storm included sleet, snow, and thundersnow.  If you have never experienced "thundersnow" it was...interesting.  It was a record breaking storm for Oklahoma...the most snowfall in one day, one storm, one month, EVER!  The official totals were recorded at 14"!  If you are reading this and you live in the Northern United States I know that is not much snow, but for Oklahoma it is a record!  Since this was a blizzard visibility was very limited and the windchill was extremely dangerous.  We had snow drifts that were waist deep in places.  The snow was deep enough that you could not tell where the street or curb was located.  This was enough to pretty much shut down the city.  The Oklahoma Govenor announced a "State of Emergency" for all Oklahoma counties because of this storm and the funding it would require to clean-up.  We were very fortunate to not have power outages that could have occurred with a storm like this.  Emergency vehicles were stuck all over town as well as 18-wheelers and other vehicles.  Once the snow stopped on Tuesday afternoon I began "digging out".  It took 2 full days to shovel the driveway enough to get out of the garage.  Once the driveway was clear we did venture out for a short trip to Reasor's to get evaporated milk for snow ice cream and some cappuccino (mostly just to get out of the house).  It was a good thing we didn't need more from the store because the shelves were EMPTY...no bread, no eggs, no milk and that is still the case when you go to the store 1 week after the initial storm hit.  On Thursday I drove dad to work since the snow was so deep along our neighborhood street and my Highlander sits higher than his Camry.  A plow did manage to get down the street once to get some of the snow packed down for easier travel.  We have not had trash service since the storm came through and finally got a little mail delivered on Saturday for the first time!  The city crews are working very hard to improve road conditions and everyday services such as bus routes, mail delivery, trash pick-up, etc.

Here are a few pictures from the house and around town.  Enjoy!  

 View from the front door.  The arm of the wooden bench is about 3 feet (that's a lot of snow)

View of the street...you can't see the curb the snow is so deep. 

One of the many snow drifts in the driveway. 

Snowpacked streets

Even the Casino closed. 

Area schools have now been closed since last Tuesday and remain closed due to neighborhood roads still being very slick.  Several businesses were closed most of last week and some had altered business hours.  As if 14"+ was not enough we had another snow storm come through on Friday that left behind another 3-4" and guess what...another storm is headed this way tomorrow with predictions of 6-10".  People/companies that own bobcats and large plows are in high demand around the city right now.  My office was closed last week and if the storm comes through like they are predicting we will likely be closed more this week. 

With all the time off I decided to use it to my advantage to get some sewing projects completed.

Day #1...I put together a new bag to carry my workout clothes/shoes to and from Curves.  I must say it turned out pretty nice.  I even included a couple inside pockets for my cell phone and jewlery.  I was able to use fabric I had left over from another project which means this bag was FREE!

Day #2...I made bags for my nephews.  I had found some material at Joann's a few weeks ago that I wanted to use to make something for the boys for their birthdays coming up, but wasn't sure what to make.  Before the storm hit I was talking on the phone with my sister brainstorming ideas and it came up that they each needed a bag that was not too big, but big enough for an overnight visit to see Gigi & Grandpa Randy or just to carry things around.  I added a magnetic snap to each bag, but didn't make pockets...instead I made a smaller drawstring bag that would be great for a toothbrush, comb, etc. 

Drew's Animal Bag

Josh's Puppy Bag

(sorry it is rather blurry)

Day #3...I made new curtains for my sewing room/office!  I had purchased the material a few weeks ago and was just waiting to find the time to get them made.  I guess it took a blizzard for me to get it done, but they are finished and hung!  My sewing room/office was my bedroom growing up so it hadn't changed much over the years.  The room is painted yellow with dark blue trim to go with my love of sunflowers.  Instead of repainting the entire room (ceiling and ceiling fan included) I found a fabric that would go with the existing colors yet give the room a little change.  The curtains are simple, but I like how they look and it also adds some new colors to the room.  There is still some rearranging and more decorating to happen to this room, which will happen later (maybe during the next snow storm?).  For now, here are the before/after pictures of the window. 

Before

After

Day #4...I began working on some knitting projects, but haven't finished those just yet. 

Day #5 and Day #6...no sewing projects and the driveway was finally clear.  I did get out on Saturday evening to go to dinner and a movie with some friends.  It was nice to spend time with others and start to get back to a normal life again. 

Today, I am back at work, although not much is happening around here...it is hard to pour concrete when there is snow on the ground.  Until this all clears I will just enjoy the quiet days at the office, because Spring is just around the corner and business will be crazy!

I am also sharing this post with a few link parties...CraftoManiac Monday, Look What I Made, Get Your Craft On, and Sew Cute Tuesday

A New Year!!

January is a time when people get many new ideas and set new goals for themselves. Here are a few of the things I hope to accomplish this year...

1. New "Curves" Bag (I have been using one of the "resuable bags" from Wal-Mart for my workout clothes & shoes)
It is time to make something for myself! I went through some of my extra fabric and found just enough material! All I need is some interfacing to make it sturdy (and I happen to have a coupon for 40% off at Hobby Lobby since that stuff is never on sale when I need it).

2. Reorganize the "Yellow Room"
This room has become a shared space for my computer/office, sewing, and Dad's computer rebuilding. We call it the "Yellow Room" because it was painted several years ago bright yellow (even the ceiling is yellow) and the trim was painted blue to coordinate with my sunflower decor. Instead of repainting I have found some fabric that will give everything a fresh/new look and still go with the colors already there. When I arranged things last year I moved my sewing table into the far corner thinking it would be perfect in that location, but after sewing all my bags, towels, & aprons with my machine turned at an angle I realized rearranging is necessary. I will try to post "before & after" pictures when all is completed.

3. Red Rover Designs Logo
In all my blog reading I came across the blog Say it on the Wall. She has some great ideas for using vinyl lettering. She even does custom orders!! I have ordered my logo so I can post it on my wall and make my work space "official". Right now she is offering 30% off orders that involve Resolutions...use the code NEWYEAR30 at checkout. I can't wait to check the mail and put it on the wall!!!

4. Offer new items in my Etsy Store
If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them.

And last, but not least (probably the biggest goal of all)...

5. Half Marathon
As most of you know in the past year I began running. I started running with a friend and our goal was to run a 5k (3.1 miles) by using the "couch to 5k" plan. After the first race I decided I wanted to keep going and worked on improving my time and then decided to take on a 10k (6.2 miles) so I asked another friend to would join me on this part of my running adventures. We took on the challenge of training together and finished yet another race. After the 10k we kept running a few nights each week and began saying "now what?" We had run a 5k and 10k...half marathon? (My friend ran her first half marathon last April) I always said I had "no desire to ever run a half marathon", but I am reminded of the saying "never say never". New running shoes were purchased last weekend and training began for the May 1st OKC Memorial Half Marathon! This weekend we will be joining Runner's World for another training run...6 miles and over the next few months add mileage to the 13.1 miles on race day!!!
**Yes, it is WINTER in Oklahoma and yes, we are CRAZY!! Monday night it was wet and snowing as I bundled up for a quick run around the neighborhood and last night it was a FRIGID 18 degrees for our run! Hopefully we won't have too many runs like that, but thanks to all the Christmas presents of fleece jackets, pants, ear warmers, & coats cold runs are possible!!!!

Sorry, there aren't any pictures to go along with this...check back for progress and "before & after" posts!