St. Paddy's Day is Coming - Monday, March 17, 2014

Are you getting ready? Planning on celebrating? Maybe going to mix in a little green food coloring into the mashed potatoes, or drop a dribble of coloring into your seltzer? There are so many ways to celebrate but this weekend I'll be running in the Shamrock Run in Portland along with 35,000 other runners.

There are all levels of runs: a 5k, 8k and 15k. And it should be fun because the runners dress for the event.

So, I hope you too will be having a wonderful weekend filled with food, festivities and maybe even a fun...run.

Tulle Cute Christmas Tree

I made one tabletop tree out of left over scraps of material I had used to make some tutus for the Shamrock Run. See the tutus below from our fun run.

 But there's always leftover scraps (because I'm not the best seamstress and I always buy a little bit extra in case of mistakes...which I usually make) - and I HATE to throw anything away, that comes from growing up in a family with nine kids and a Dad who worked in a plywood mill to support us all. I'm cheeeeeap.

Anyway, I have to find a way to use the leftovers. So, green tree...wah-lah!


Then a gfriend said she'd like a pink one and that got me thinking about a friend over in France who probably won't want to run out and buy a tree, stand, skirt, lights and ornaments. So, I thought why not send her a tabletop tree? Here's how I made it:

I laid out the tulle on a cutting board and then cut strips of material. 

I took a dowel and a piece of wood and painted them pink. Then I drilled (okay, actually my hubby drilled) a hole in the base and glued the dowel in place. Then I took the tulle strips and started making holes in the center of the strips.

Then I put the strip on the dowel and pulled it apart - repositioning it to form a fluffy base (this is kind of like making a bow).

Then I alternated colors (light pink - dark pink) and just keep adding volume to the tree.

You can shape the tree any way you want. Longer pieces at the bottom and shorter at the top.

You simply pull the ribbon/strips to make the tree look the way you want it to look.

I took a light-weight Christmas tree ornament (a snowflake) and put it at the top like a star. Then I still wanted to do more. So I plugged in my handy-dandy glue gun.

While it was heating up, I found some old beads and rhinestones and laid out a few.

Then I glued them on the tree.

I left one side unembellished, in case McKenzie thinks it's just too much. :D

Now I have to think of a way to mail it. Hummmmm.....

Running for Our Lives

My sis and I have been Moms for the past two decades...or to be honest...a little more. And along the way we put on a little weight baking, cooking and (of course) eating. But one of my favorite mottos is "It's never to late to be what you might have been." So, my sis and I have taken up running. It's free, you can do it as a team or all alone, and there's never any equipment that puts the sport out of reach. In fact Sunday I saw someone running in the Shamrock run barefooted. Seriously! And, it was snowing up by the Chart House when my sis and I finally crested the course. No kidding.

Our time wasn't the best. But, we finished and we ran all the way...no walking. And, it was a lot of fun. I bumped into friends I hadn't seen in a long time. And, what are the odds of that? In a crowd of 30,000 people...

I learned a couple things too. Don't go out for a run two days before a big race wearing new shoes and sprint like you're running for your life...especially if you're not used to it. I actually hurt my foot. My right foot was bruised and sore and I was worried about a small stress fracture. Of course it was just crazy me...stressing out needlessly - no fracture. So, my sis and I took it super-dee-duper easy and jogged at our slowest pace but we finished the course and that was all we were hoping for ... given my crazy antics. I didn't want to get seriously injured and not be able to run in the Pacific Crest marathon in June. I've already signed up and I don't want an excuse not to make it.

Anyway, it was a lot of fun - what a way to spend a day - with friends in the snow running like crazy. And I'm just going to think of it as a training run not a race.

Happy St. Paddy's Day - Shamrock Run

Me and the girls all ran the race and finished the 9.3 miles. This Shamrock Run was a hard run for me. I don't know why but I finished! And I'm glad I did it. Here we are dressed in our tutus and tiaras.

The photos don't show our tutus too well but that's to bad ;) because it was early when our photographer was snapping the photos - before he even had any coffee. But, I had fun sewing them. Here's a couple pics.

TU-TU HOW BOUT YOU

My sis and I are going to be running in the Shamrock run on St. Paddy's weekend - March 13th. We're hoping to do the 15k or 9.3 miles. It will be the longest run I've ever ran--if I make it. And, I've been training hard for this. But, I also want it to be fun. Sew...I've been making some real running gear...

what I'm talking about is tu-tu(s) for us to wear, along with green tights and who knows what else. I'm not implying that we're going to be as graceful as ballerinas. Of course there's no hope of any mix-ups on that level.

So, how'd I do it? I went to the fabric store and bought some green mesh and ribbon, then I sewed the netting to the ribbon, and wah-lah, tu-tus for me and Tammy :)


If you want to see how they turned out, and see how we look in them, you'll have to come back around March 13...and keep your fingers X'd that I make it the entire way.

Tuesday - Pet Time

My sister got a new dog: a 2-year old Collie. So, we had to get the girls (Sasha and Lacie) together to become friends. We took them down to the Esplanade and went for a WOG-that's a cross between a walk and a jog. I'm still getting reading for the Shamrock Run and feeling sorely out of shape. But it was too beautiful to stay inside this weekend. I think it was around 60 degrees. Not bad for a February weekend.

How did you spend your weekend?