5 for 5!!

Saturday was HOT!!

But this kid still ran a great race and so did the rest of the team.  David came in 9th place, and the team took first place overall!  Way to go Mustangs!!

We were supposed to go camping in Central Lake (where the meet was), but decided at the last minute to not go, which was disappointing ... but since we didn't go camping I was able to get a little more crafting in this weekend than I probably would have.  I finished the last of the squares I needed to sew together for my Cubbyhole Quilt. Hopefully next weekend I'll be able to start laying it out and sewing it all together!
 

 It's Homecoming week in Mustang Territory ... the boys have a 1/2 day of school today (Tuesday) and another 1/2 day tomorrow ... seems weird, but that's the way the schedule rolls.  Friday will be a busy day with the parade, and ball game, etc.  David was voted onto the Homecoming Court and has his tux all ordered ... I will be sure to share pictures of him all dressed up later this week.

Hope everyone has a great week.

More later,
~Kati

Lions and tigers and .... Penguins!!

Hello all!

David & Jonathan 2016

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything.  The last month or so has been rather calm around the Red House (something I for one am extremely thankful for!).  We've been doing some swimming and lots of running, walking and bike riding.  We've been using the Fred Meijer Heartland trail quite a bit this summer -- sure wish it was closer to our house so we didn't have to drive to get to it, but at least it's not a long drive.  I've biked over 70 miles since June 17 -- my friend Julie and I did 17 miles one day riding from Edmore to Stanton and back!!

David & Jonathan -- 2006

Today we took a little trip to the Detroit Zoo.  It's been quite a while since we've been there .... as best as I can figure, the last time we were there was 2006.    The boys have changed just a little bit, LOL

The zoo is still much the same, though of course the new Penguin exhibit was open.  It's a pretty neat building ... I kind of wish you could go in whenever you wanted and not just right off the bat.

It's been nice to have more down time, I've been able to sew quite a few blocks for my current quilt project, I have 120 blocks done ... I need 165, so I'm almost there.  Another week or two and I should be able to start putting the blocks together!

I've also been working on my cross stitch ... still quite a ways to go, but I'm definitely making progress.  This is the first "full coverage" piece I've ever done (meaning there are no spaces where there aren't stitches) ... that's a lot of fabric to cover!!

Well, we hope you all are enjoying this beautiful weather we've been having -- the weather man says it's going to get really hot over the next few days .... stay cool!  Talk to you soon!

~Kati

If only I could work one day a week all the time ...

The last couple of days have been really nice ... with a combination of holiday days, vacation days and personal time, I was able to make it so I only have to work Wednesday this week and Wednesday next week.  It sure is nice, I could get used to this :-)  The house is clean, the laundry is under control, I've done some baking, Christmas preparations are basically done, I've had time to read, Chris and I have run a couple of times and I'm even finding time to craft.  Today I started a new quilting project.  I think I'm going to really like this quilt when it's finished.  It's called "Cubbyholes" and is made up of bunches of blocks like these.  All of the blocks won't be made up of the same fabrics, but will be made up of various combinations of blues and creams.  I was able to get 10 squares cut and sewed today and I'm looking forward to getting several more done over the course of the next week and a half!

~Kati

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

WIP Wednesday - 9/30/15

I've been working on this cross stitch for a while now.  Slow but steady progress.  It's a Thomas Kinkade scene.  It's probably one of the biggest cross stitch patterns I've ever tackled.  I would love to think I'd be able to finish it by Christmas, but I'm pretty sure that won't happen, especially since I ordered some things today to try to make for teacher gifts.