Author: Faith

Tomorrow’s the big day!

I just picked up my race packet for my 5k. The race is tomorrow morning and I’m excited (and nervous!)

Since I’ve been training by running on the indoor track at the rec center last week Linnie and I ran 3.3 miles around our neighborhood so I could practice running outside. It was cold and windy (and hilly!) and I was slower than I am on the track but I finished without walking any of it–phew.

Knowing that I already have a 3-mile outside run under my belt helps me feel a bit less nervous about tomorrow. (But I’m still totally nervous.)

Wish me luck 🙂

Friendship is Magic


We’re lucky to have a few wonderful babysitters that we use regularly.  This is Adara, one of our favorites, in a My Little Pony costume that she created all by herself. Isn’t she amazing?!!

Below is the dress Adara based her costume on–it turned out spot on. She entered her outfit in a regional sewing competition which she won and then last week she won again at state! We’re so proud of her.

Image by Felix-KoT

I think My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is one of the best kids’ shows out right now. Mimi and E both like it and I like watching it with them. The show has actually attracted legions of sincere adult fans who call themselves bronies and have an active community, including conventions. I think it’s awesome.

There’s a documentary out about the whole phenomenon.

Anna Kendrick + Kpop

What a horrendous week. I’ve been praying for those affected in Boston and Texas but feel helpless to aid in any substantial way. And while I try not to get political here, I found the Senate vote on gun reform disappointing and depressing.

This video brought me a much-needed laugh. (If you haven’t seen Pitch Perfect the cup thing they’re referring to in the video is this song that Kendrick performs in the movie.)

I hope you have a nice weekend with your loved ones. Hug them close.

Lovely Saturday

On Saturday, N and I took the kids to an artists’ studio sale Linnie was participating in. The artists at the sale were cleaning out their studios and selling pieces at a big discounts.

I have a serious weakness when it comes to art (and let’s be honest–crafting books, cook books, and fabric) and enjoy collecting things that I like. We’ve run out of wall space in our house but I tell myself that when we eventually move it will be nice to already have pieces that means something to us to decorate the house with. (That makes sense, right? Or do I just sound like an unwell person on Hoarders?)

Linnie was selling mostly older pieces and I snagged this original on paper that I liked for $25.  The photo I took of it isn’t very clear but the painting’s colors and texture are nice and it reminds me of a Bodhisattva so, score.

We were the only people at the art sale with small children which was a bit nerve-wracking. E and Mimi were both really good though so after the sale we stopped by two bakeries (one vegan for E, one not) and picked up a few treats.

We had been wanting to visit Les Madeleines so we picked up a few macaroons and tried the  specialty, their Kouing Aman pastries which they’re well-known for. 

IT WAS SO GOOD.

The top was crisp and caramelized and the inside was soft and pillowy. It was buttery and sweet with just the right touch of salt. It’s a good thing the bakery is over 30 minutes away from our house because my fitness plans might be seriously derailed if it was more convenient.

If you’re local and you haven’t been to Les Madeleines, go! (Except not today because they’re closed on Mondays 🙂

Slim-to-Win Update 2

I’m still chugging along with my weight loss program.

In March I lost 4.1 lbs which brings my 3-month total to 12.2 lbs.  My body fat percentage didn’t drop this month like the other two months, probably because I ate less protein and more Girl Scout cookies and mini Cadbury eggs than I was supposed it–oops.

But I still lost a bit from my hips and waist and 1.75″ from each thigh (woo-hoo) which I think comes from training for my upcoming 5k which has been the main highlight of this last month.

As someone who has never enjoyed running (ok, downright hated it) it’s been gratifying to see improvement. Every month we’ve been “running” a mile to track our progress.

When I did it in January it took me 12 min 30 sec and I had to walk several laps.

In February I ran a bit more and walked less and did it in 11 min 45 sec.

But at the end of March I ran the whole thing and did it in 9 min 23 sec! 

I felt quite proud of myself (and very sore for a few days afterwards).

The 5k is in two weeks and I’m still training. Yesterday I ran with my friend Linnie and we did 2.5 miles. We took it kind of slow since I was still a bit under the weather but we jogged the whole thing.  It was the first time in my life that I had run that far at once and it made me feel like I can probably actually do the 5k (which is 3.1 miles).

I guess that’s one good thing about starting out at a low level of fitness–there are plenty of little milestones to pass and each is exciting and new 🙂

A Quilt for Sweet Naomi

It’s finished! This plus quilt is the latest baby quilt I’ve made. It’s for my friend Carol’s sweet baby girl, adorably named Naomi like our Mimi.

I first met Carol on a university study abroad trip (the same one where N and I started falling in loooove) and a few years ago her and her family settled in my home town.  We usually get together when the kids and I visit my folks in the summer and it’s always a highlight for me. (It doesn’t hurt that our get together usually involve all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ and foot massages.) When I heard Carol was adding a baby girl to her family of gorgeous boys I wanted to making something for her.

For the quilt top I followed this pattern by Jeni from In Color Order. Cutting out the pieces is my least favorite stage of making a quilt and it was nice to have all the planning and and dimensions worked out for me. Referring to Jeni’s pattern made it easy to change the size of my blocks from 4.5″ to 4″ which worked better for my cuts of fabric.

After I pieced the top I decided to stretch myself (and save some $$$) and machine quilt it myself. I’ve always had my quilts machine-quilted by a professional but last summer I lost my great  work-from-home job and I’m trying to spend less money in general. And since I’m having trouble cutting back on fabric, something else had to give 🙂

I picked a very simple pattern–quilting in a straight line .25″ away from each seam. While there might have been a few (okay, several) curses muttered under my breath during the process in the end I was happy with how it turned out. My lines aren’t incredibly straight, but N said it makes it “charming.”

I decided to personalize the quilt by hand embroidering the baby’s name on the front.  

And I attached one of these personalized labels I ordered online with the most amateur-looking stitching ever (also file under charming?)

And that’s it!  My next project is going to be a baby quilt for my friend Kristin’s sweet baby boy but I have yet to start cutting yet. Once I start making some progress I’ll keep you posted. 

And now since both E and Mimi are taking naps/having quiet time in their rooms so I’m going to sneak up to my own bed for a quick nap so I can hopefully finally get over a bout of food poisioning that has laid me low since this weekend. 

Sentimental

For Valentine’s day N gave me tickets to see Jeff Mangum in concert.  The reclusive singer/songwriter was touring again after more than a decade of inactivity and I was thrilled.

The evening finally came so last night we got a sitter and drove downtown.  We ate at Dojo and had the pork belly ramen (their specialty), a tuna/apple/goat cheese salad, and a sashimi plate. It was all tasty.

Then we headed over to the venue and got inside few minutes before Mangum took the stage.When Mangum walked on stage the crowd went wild. I thought he looked like a thin, shipwrecked version of Fidel Castro.  He had a green military cap on with a long gray beard and hair.

And then he opened his mouth and sang and I felt the years float off my shoulders and I was 19 again falling in love with new music and with a certain dreamy boy. And last night I stood next to him again with his arm around my waist and I felt happy and wistful.

After the concert we walked back to the parking lot and got into our sedan and drove to our house in the suburbs. And I snuck into our kids’ rooms and kissed them goodnight, with fondness in my heart for that girl of 19 and gratitude for where life has taken her.

Our Easter

We had a nice, low-key Easter with the kids and N’s cousin Catie who came up from BYU to stay with us for the weekend. The kids wore their new spring duds to church and then after church we had a simple dinner.

I made this ham and this asparagus and liked how both turned out. And the kids loved this cute (vegan) bunny cake that Catie made.  It was a hit!

Things have been a little stressful around here lately: the kids have been taking turns coming down with various ailments for the last week and a half and consequently I haven’t been sleeping well. But it was nice to take some time to focus on Christ and his message of hope and love.

Favorite blogs: Cluck Cluck Sew

I finally finished the baby quilt I’ve been working on for the past couple of months. Now I just need to take a few photos and get it boxed up and to the post office. I’m already planning out my next quilting project

Cluck Cluck Sew is one of the bigger quilting blogs so you might already know about it, but it’s one of my favorites. It’s always fun to see what Allison is working on and I really like the patterns she  creates and sells. She has also created a great collection of free tutorials (I used this one to make this baby quilt).

I’m not sure yet, but I’m leaning towards using Allison’s Pow-Wow pattern for my next project. It’s a bit more complicated than the straight squares or half-square-triangles I usually gravitate towards but still seems very manageable.

And I don’t know when or for who it will be for, but I really want to make one of her Suburbs quilts. Those little houses just slay me.

If you’re interested in quilting and don’t do so already, Cluck Cluck Sew is a great blog to follow.