Glorious weekend at the farm; Fun with Bricks complete; saddened by Olympic Marathon...

I was able to put the last stitches on my Fun with Bricks (pattern from Bonnie Hunter @ Quiltville) Thursday before leaving for the farm. It is yet another fun scrappy quilt with many pieces that bring back memories from completing other projects leading to these scraps. The quilting is a simple stipple/meander in the colored "bow-ties" while there is almost an hour-glass-loop created in the white "hearts." So----for the time being, it is my snuggler until I get my OC back from Julie. I needed to loan it to Julie since she had to give hers up to me for a couple of weeks while I put some final quilting touches on it.

The weekend was fun and relaxing. I packed up the Bernina and fabric to start my next quilt for a friend's daughter (for Christmas). I figured it was time to start tackling Christmas presents because I figure time is going to start to be limited, and my "gift-list" is growing and growing.
So far on the list:

• Masha (friend's adopted Russian daughter)
  
• Andre (friend's adopted Russian son)
  
• Isaac (friend's adopted son---he's American)
  
• Jan (the friend ;0) )
  
• Scot (DH's boss)
  
• Derek (Brother in law)
  
• Ron (brother)
  
• Anita (friend of in-laws)
  

so..ummmmmm..yeah....it might not be a bad idea to get those projects rolling, eh??? In fact, I might even give the Fun with Bricks to my brother as last resort if time gets to be limited.

The weekend wasn't all quilting, though. Friday was ABSOLUTELY beautiful outside! We spent a few hours picking TONS of beans and cucumbers, and then pickling and canning the bounty! I cannot buh-lieve how many blossoms are still on the cucumber plants!!! They (in-laws) are going to have another ton-n-a-half next weekend when they go up!!!!

Running definitely was on my weekend agenda, too. Friday night, I only ran an easy 4 miles, and then Saturday morning I ran about 11 miles, give-or-take. Oh, that reminds me!! I can't WAIT until the post-man brings me my next goodie!!! The goodie has nothing to do with quilting, either! I broke down and ordered a Garmin Forerunner 305, which is a glorified (many bells-n-whistles) watch; complete with heart-rate monitor and GPS capabilities. I have a hard time not knowing the exact distances I run on my training runs----it downright bugs me!!!!! I can estimate them based on my time and effort; I can plot them out on some WWW sites and know distances, but still.... I want to know as exact as possible AT THE MOMENT!! Besides, this watch also has a few neat features that give you a competitor; be it competing against a previous run of yours OR competing against a goal that you program in. Ohhhh...I can't wait!!!! It should be arriving sometime this week, but I don't know the exact date.

Finally, I was so happy to find out that the Women's Olympic Marathon was going to televised LIVE Saturday evening (7:30 ET). I was pumped; got all the girls bathed and fed before then to be sure I could devote 2 hours of uninterrupted time in front of the tube to watch every step!!!! And then..... the gun goes off....things are going well....can't really see Deena Kastor in the pack anywhere, and then.........................personal heartbreak!!!----Deena Kastor pulled out at mile 3. *cry...slump....disbelief* I was so hoping for her to have a beautiful race; was planning to pull for her all the way. I am quite amazed at myself for how disappointed and heart-broken I was when I saw her pull out due to injury..........It was SO disappointing that I almost turned the TV off since I really no longer had any heart to watch it. But then, the camera panned back to the leaders; and there was Paula Radcliffe, who (although British), is yet another running role model for me. So, for the next two hours, I was glued to the screen, footage being shared between the marathon and swimming events (as if the USA would NOT show LIVE coverage of Phelp's race.....tscha, right!!!) *wink*
My heart was now pulling for Radcliffe, hoping against hope, she would finish the race this time and not needing to pull out herself. So, imagine my heartbreak AGAIN when I saw Radcliffe STOP in the last part of the race. I was so bummed thinking she'd be pulling out too, but she stretched and fought through it to finish 23rd. What inspiration!!!!!!! I know she wasn't the top Briton (is that correct Amanda---I read it in an article online, but have never seen that spelling before) , but she's yet another idol of mine.

I am looking forward to the week; quilting; planning for school; cleaning house; gardening; the whole lot is on the agenda. And, of course, I can't forget to add running to that list!!!

Happy Sunday!

Another Running post (Post #94)

MORNING EVERYONE!
I researched the Fall-50 rather intensively before making an executive decision for myself and Julie last night......


and the verdict is......


NOT THIS YEAR.


She and I talked and have made a pact for the year 2010 (our 5th year of running together). 2010 will be the 5th time we have run the Paavo Nurmi Relay and the 5th year we have run the Full Ashland Whistlestop Marathon in October. So, our pact is to give ourselves one more year (next year) to try to reach new PR's in our races before upping to the next level. The next level will then include running the FULL Paavo Nurmi Marathon course (YIKES!) AND to pick up the Fall-50 in October after our Whistlestop marathon. I can live with that!

So, now my goal is to increase my level of training intensity to cross the finish line at Whistlestop in 4 hours 45 minutes (I was 4:59 last year). Also, I have found two back-to-back Half-marathon weekends (9/20/08 & 9/27/08), each being only about 30 minutes away. NICE! Julie is checking out her work schedule to see if she has one of the weekends off to run at least one with me. The 9/20/08 is on the Birkebeiner trail (a HUGE international cross-country ski race in February), so it is quite challenging with hills too. The elevation map has a different scale than the Paavo race, so (being the math teacher) I have intentions of plotting both races out on graph paper with the same scale so I can compare them better.

Oh, Oh, OH!! That reminds me!!! I went to Runner's World last night to go to my Training Log. I haven't updated it in IONS, nor did I update it last night, but I remember there is an option to create running routes via GPS (satellite) WITH elevation plots! I created a route for the 3.2 loop I run constantly. Come to find out it's actually nearer to 3.5 miles!!! But the elevation mapping is SO COOL! So, I played with another "course" that is crazyily-hilly over by the high school, so I'm going to plot that elevation on the same graph as the others, too, just so I can see if my training is going to prepare me for the hills.

Anyway----yada, yada, yada. Clearly, my running motivation is still in max-drive. I just hope it remains this way!

It's now 8:30, BEAUTIFULLY overcast day, mid-60's. I almost wish DH would be home so I could utilize these temps with a nice-n-easy long run. Oh well, I'm actually in the mood to dust off the Smith-machine downstairs (Yep---it hasn't been used all summer---*sigh*) and whip out a strength-training workout. Nothing beats a nice pair of shapely legs, which my body hasn't found yet this year. *chuckle*


On the quilting front: I made some serious progress on Fun with Bricks yesterday by piecing the entire top together and sandwiching into two-pieces for quilting in sections. I left off with the first piece before the Olympics started last night, so that's where I need to pick it up from. If I really pushed today, I could get it finished, but I'm not going to force myself to get that far (unless it just happens to happen without much effort.) ;0)

Happy quilting
-Amy

Birthday wishes to me; Quilting photos update; school hierarchy

Today I turn triple-11; my DH already wished me a Happy Birthday at 5:45 am as he was strolling out the door. (Better than what I did for him----I had forgotten until AFTER I had left the house last Tuesday--he turned 37; I was in the car listening to the 6:00am news on my way to my class when the newscaster said the date---I called him straight away). No big plans---for us, our birthdays are just another day. We try to have a little something for the girls' birthdays, but not ours.

It appears that Blogger will allow me to upload my pics now, sooo.....
This is a tablecloth (~48"x48") that DH's grandmother has stitched for a wedding coming up this weekend. She asked her daughter (DH's mother, my MIL) to put it together, but then she (MIL) asked ME to quilt it up since I seem to be "better at it than she is." Oh dear-----I was nervous!!! This is one of those already-marked-whole-cloth pieces, so the quilting didn't take all that long once I started. However, the markings don't appear to be the wash-away kind, so a person can see the blue dots (sigh). But, I guess you could say that I'm pleased with the results. It's hitting the mail today to get to my MIL so she can sew the lace binding on before this Saturday's wedding. I hope it arrives in time (by Thursday??) for her to accomplish her part.


Next, this is a shot of the Fun with Bricks that has come together quite quick.







And here is a birds-eye-view of the Wafer Cookies possible layout (left) and Oklahoma Backroads (right). Upon seeing the Wafter Cookies laid out, I've been playing the mind-visual-game and am picturing some plain white (light) blocks in with the smaller rail-fence blocks. Anyone care to share any other ideas???


Finally, Amanda has asked about our school hierarchy.....
Superintendent is the "head-honcho." He runs the entire District, and being a smaller city (about 1000 people), our District is rather small. One K-2 school and one 3-12 school. Our School Board (consisting of about 10 members comprised of Community members) and the Sup kinda are on the same level. New policies, etc, can't be passed without the SB's vote.
Next in line would be our Principals----we have one Elementary (K-6) Principal and one High school (7-12) Principal. Then, naturally, we have the staff of teachers, custodians, cooks, aides, etc.

I am anxious, yet excited, about the changes we have in administration this year. Brian (our Sup) is VERY MUCH a people person; loves children (he was a 7-12 Guidance counselor when I first started teaching 10 years ago, then became the K-6 Principal about 6 years ago); and WANTS the school to be run from the "bottom up." And I Quote........"I'm tired of this top-down business! It doesn't work." Hence, this is why he has asked some staff to sit in on the 7-12 Principal interviews. This is a new procedure, and the School Board hasn't given him too much of a hard time with it.

Now, our school board....well, THAT's a whole different story! (watch out---here comes my humble opinion)...... Our SB has almost the same unrealistic goals as President Bush with his NCLB and that 100% of all students will be Proficient or Advanced in all areas come 2014 (or some year coming up soon.) Our SB is pushing for all of our students to be college-bound material, but that just is unrealistic!!! NOT ALL STUDENTS NEED TO BE COLLEGE BOUND! Truthfully, if my passion wasn't for teaching, I would have taken a 2-year Technical route for Computer Science and be making $100,000+! But still, our nation can't function without our farmers, mechanics, NURSES!!!, etc; and all of these jobs DO NOT require a college degree!

Whew....well folks, it's 7:30; I haven't had my morning coffee yet; only Candace (#3) is awake. Within the hour, I am predicting that I'll head downstairs for awhile since the sun is going to be pouring through the windows soon. It's going to be a scorcher today! Our AC can't keep up with the heat of the sun coming through our big windows, so being downstairs is very nice.

First week of August update...

Well, we have our whole family in-tact again. We picked up the girls yesterday by meeting up with my parents at a zoo about an hour away, which is smack-dab between my parent's house and mine. Oh my goodness, has #3 (Candace) picked up some words! She's clearly saying "wait", "I a pretty girl", "stop mamma, look!" (when crossing a road or driveway). And she seems to have grown about a full inch!!!

Well.....ummm...I wanted to upload some pics of my recent quilting work, but it appears that Blogger is having "internal issues."

I've been making progress on Oklahoma Backroads, I've laid out a possibility for the Wafter Cookies Quilt, and have begun (and almost finished) piecing Fun with Bricks. FwB has come together FAST! Very quick!!! (It's one of Bonnie's patterns---(see it here).

My two weeks of classes are through, and I still have a bit of work to do since I ended up taking the 4-credit option (the credits were offered free since I'm the Coordinator---I couldn't pass up that deal!!!)

Ummmm......let' see.......
Oh yes, I had a very active Saturday!!! It started with a 5-mile race, which was NOT what my body had in mind!!! As I came to the first mile, I basically said "Okay, body, you win!" I was NOT "feeling" the race at all.....and backed off my pace to cross the finish line at 53:01. Definitely no where NEAR my PR, but I really wasn't going to push it since I had a full day of volleyball yet to come. The temps were already pushing upper 80's at the finish line (9:23 am). I originally intended on literally running from the finish line to the volleyball courts 1.5 miles away, but.......uh-uh! I called up DH and had him pick me up-----JUST in time to make our first game at 9:30 am. So.....from 9:30 - 1:00, we played 4 matches (8 games to 11 points) with very few breaks. From 1:00 - 2:30, we sat (and got STIFF and TIRED). Our game at 2:30, we lost, which put us in to the "losers bracket," (grrrrrrrrr), which meant we were now in the position to play, play, play non-stop until we lost again. Afternoon match #2 we won in three games, Match #3 we also won in three LENGTHY games, and Match #4 we won the first game, but ran out of gas and lost the next two to end up losing that match and finishing the day in 4th place out of 10 teams. (sigh) Disappointment for sure! Other teams were also a bit surprised because we were expected to finish third minimum, but....well......the cards just didn't want to be played that way. It was 5:30 when we finally lost, so we spent the next couple of hours watching three more matches leading to the Championship match. There was some GREAT volleyball to watch!!!

Anyway, I wanted to run Sunday morning, but my body sarcastically said "are you completely out of your mind?!?!?" I was just a weeeeeeeee bit sore....*chuckle* At 7:30 am, DH and I headed out to get some grocery shopping done instead. I then putzed with some sewing before leaving to get the girls a bit after noon.

I haven't run yet today either. I will give myself until tomorrow, but then I MUST run! I have a half-marathon coming up this Saturday. This typically is a fun day since I run it with Julie (running buddy that graduated college this year). It's a Marathon-relay; I run the first half and she runs the second. It's such a fun day with LOTS of spectators; besides Julie and I meet up with each other every couple of miles to cheer each other on; supply each other with nutrition or ice; and LOTS OF photo ops!
My half is the "hill-half" and her half is typically the "hot-half." I'll have to get a pic of the elevation levels of the race so can see just HOW hilly this bad-boy is!!! Seriously, from mile 5 to mile 9 it is just ONE LONG UPHILL!!!! Mile 12 is the BEST though----imagine all the elevation that is climbed from miles 5 to 9---THAT is the elevation that is "lost" in mile 12! A GREAT coast coming into the 13.1 mile "hand-off." Julie and I have both run each half at least once; we both are running our "favorite" parts this year. I wanted to go for a PR this year on my first half (I ran 2:11:30 last year), but I realllllly don't think that's going to happen this year! I just have not been "into" my training this year....*sigh*. But I spoke with her last night and she's backed off her training too, so we're just going to "kick back and enjoy" this year----smile a lot for the camera, get a t-shirt, and enjoy the scenery.

Okay, let's see....is that about it???
Well...not quite. I spent three hours at school this morning talking with our somewhat new Superintendent (he's the old K-6 Principal----AWESOME leader!!!) Our 7-12 Principal just resigned three weeks ago, so Brian (our Sup) has been getting in applications for the position. He's asked me to sit in on the interview process----I guess it pays to be the person at school who can never say "no" to anything----at least all my extra-curricular events are getting noticed. Anyway, I met with him and some others who will be sitting on the panel to go over the questions we want to ask the interviewees. We have 6 coming in; 4 on Wednesday (5:00pm, 6:00, 7:00, 8:00pm) Could you IMAGINE having an interview at 8:00 at night!?!?!?!?! Yikes!!!! But, Brian wanted to be sure to have our School Board members at the interviews, so they needed to be in the evening.

I at least have two more whole weeks off yet before our inservice. Summer is ticking away.....I'm still holding on for awhile yet, though.

Well folks, sorry for no pics.........It's a lot of text, but hopefully it wasn't too boring.

Amazingly NOT tired today!

Whew---Once again I made a bad choice last night. Sure, I packed up the quilting area by 10:00, BUT...then, of course, I had to update the blog, check emails, look at Bonnie's site to be sure I agreed on the "Fun with Bricks" pattern, look at the next clue for CC.......

you get my drift......

by the time I finally hit they hay, it was midnight ONCE again! I thought I'd be the typical "evil-teacher-from-the-night-of-the-living-dead" today. However, a good cup of nicely sugared and Vanilla-creamed coffee this morning MUSt have done the trick, because I was raring to go all day, and, *looking at clock,* STILL am going at 10:25 pm!!! BUT, I'm going to wrap this up tonight--no new pics.

However, I DID complete CC #3 tonight---all 80 9-blocks are set. I will start tackling #4 tomorrow night.
I also started ironing a FEW more pieces from the stack, cut some 2" strips, and stuffed them into a bag from my Dad's quilt.

Goodnight-----HAVE to get sleep tonight.