Trying to Craft and Other News

Finding time to craft seems harder and harder all the time ... I want to work on things, but it seems I spend a lot of time cleaning and picking up, etc ... typical mom stuff.  AND, my craft area seems to attract a lot of junk that isn't mine, so by the time I clear it off, I sometimes no longer have the motivation to actually do any crafting.  But I did manage to make myself avoid housework a bit this week and get a few things done.  Mainly I finished piecing the quilt top on my "camper quilt".  (Huge thanks to my mom who is patiently teaching me and helping me through the process).  The hope is that this quilt will be used as a "throw blanket" in our camper.  I'm quite pleased with how it turned it out. I know it's not perfect, but it was my first go at doing a quilt, so I feel like for a beginner ... it's not half bad!!  Next step, deciding if I want to pay someone to quilt it, or attempt to quilt it myself.

I was also able to get a couple of squares for another quilt I'm picking away at put together.  I really like the top one ... I just think it's a cool design (the fact that it only has one corner to match up is very nice as well, LOL).

 Another great week on the Cross Country course.  David PR'd again, shaving another 3 seconds off his time.  He's really working hard to break the 18 minute mark.  If he can shave a few more seconds off, he has a good chance of qualifying for the state meet at Regionals on October 30.  Jonathan also ran at the meet yesterday and did well.  He ran his 1.5 mile race in 13:29, this was a PR for him as well.

David had chairing in band this week and got 1st chair (YAY!!).  Both boys are doing pretty well in school, all A's and B's with one C+ each, which they will be working to improve this coming week!! Chris has been busy doing homework for his two college classes and aside from doing some crafting I've been trying to make sure everything is in order before my big trip.  I will be leaving for Charleston, SC Sunday for a conference.  I'm excited, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I'm a little nervous about flying.  It's been a LONG time (25+ years?) since I've been on an airplane.

Coming in for a strong finish!

Have a great week everyone ... maybe I'll be able to share some pictures of historic Charleston in a couple of days!

~Kati

David PR's -- TWICE

What a great week this kid had ... he pr'd at the meet on Wednesday with a time of 18:29 and then he did it again today at the Portage meet with a time of 18:13.  The Portage Invitational is a HUGE race with kids from all over the state.  I'd venture a guess it's almost as big as the state meet.  Very well run event and plenty of opportunities to see the runners throughout the course!

Near the beginning of the race.
Kinda surprised I was able to pick him out!

Teammate John nipping at David's heels!

The finish line is in sight!!

This week was also homecoming!

The band did the usual parade and even got to do a halftime show this year.  I did videotape the halftime show and will try to get it edited and posted online soon, but quite frankly I'm whipped.  It's been a long day, so this girl is headed in to veg in front of the tv and call it a night!

~Kati

Runner of the Week!!

Coach Kauffman chooses a team member (sometimes 2) to be recognized as "Runner of the Week".  David was co-runner-of-the-week this week, along with teammate Kimmy Buskirk (bottom left).  Coach as also been doing a "by the numbers" thing this year, and David was featured as one of the "by the numbers" posts this week (right).

New Content, New Name

You'll notice some changes to the blog .... 

I actually have had two blogs for a couple of years.  I had the DCG News/JAG's Journal which of course was the spin-off of the boys' newsletter I did when they were younger, but I also had another blog called Kati's Book Blog ... I know, not very original.  I kept track of reading challenges there as well as posted some of my crafting creations.  I decided to make things easier for myself and merge the two blogs.

Merging the two blogs made me feel like it wasn't just about the boys anymore and so I decided it was time for a new name.  I'm not the most creative person in the world, but I was trying to come up with something catchy, yet relevant to our family, so I've come up with "Red House Ramblings".  I hope everyone will enjoy reading about what's going on with us here in the red house!

Some tips ... if you enjoy reading the blog, but don't care about certain things I post, you can always filter the posts by using the "Labels" links on the right hand side.  I will try to use the following labels on each post to make it easier for those who only want to read certain posts:  Crafting Creations, Reading Challenges, Boys/Family, Reviews (book reviews).

Still working on making sure the email subscription thing works, so if you're out there reading and you've subscribed but it doesn't seem to be sending you the email, please let me know (katrinagormley ATgmail.com)

~Kati

2015 Historical Fiction Christmas Reading Challenge (from CreativeMadness Mama) #ChristianHistorical

How the Christmas Reading Challenge Works:

• This is a design it yourself challenge. I want you to choose your own reading goals. This is a low pressure challenge meant to be fun.
• The books should be Christmas or winter holiday themed. They must be historical, the historical/contemporary mix books will count.
• When you have reviewed a book, you are encouraged to come back to the group and add the link to your review in the comments.
• This challenge begins November 1, 2015 and ends January 7, 2016 so you can keep on reading through the holidays.
• You may sign up anytime during the challenge.
• You may include books of any format including traditional books, ebooks, or audiobooks.
• Books may be YA, adult, nonfiction, mystery, romance, etc.
• You may reread books.
• Books may count towards other reading challenges.
• Use the hashtag #ChristianHistorical

My books:

• Christmas Bells (Chiaverini) -- November 12
• Christmas Roses (Cabot) -- November 14
• A Wreath of Snow (Higgs) --

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