Race Day

Well this was the day that I had been training for.  My 2nd 5K at Sparrow Hospital.  Thank goodness the temperatures were cooler.  It was nice in that Susie Merchant and the MSU Women's Basketball team were there as supporters.  There was a 5K and 8K so it was nice that I wasn't the very last one across the finish line.  I improved my first 5K time by 2 minutes, 1:0d.  Not much but at least it was better.  Has a picture taken with Sparty.  Now to shower and rest a bit.

Scraps... of all sorts

I home everyone has a great holiday weekend!  I woke up Saturday morning to find my battery had died in my truck.  But brother Mike to the rescue and by the end of the day I was up and running the roads again.

Yesterday I was at my mom's sorting through 4 boxes of fabric that a friends daughters brought over for her.  Betty Smith used to be a member of my mom's quilting circle, "What you see is what you get!".  The piecing gene seems to have passed my mother.  She will quilt and embroider but doesn't like piecing, and doesn't believe in having a stash@#!?  She has always bought just what she needed for a quilt  and then can't stand what's left over. 

So yesterday we sorted through the boxes.   We found enought pink and/or blue for at least 1 girl and 1 boy baby quilt.  Enough red and green christmas prints to make something with and also enough patriotic.  Then there were the "others", feed sacks, 60's or 70's prints, some much older that must have belong to Betty's mother or grandmother or mother-in-law.  Here are what I brought home.




Even some funky cheaters cloth.

I have been enjoying Bonnie Hunter's blog lately, http://quiltville.blogspot.com/.  A friend is using Bonnie's pattern, Scappy Trips Around the World for her block exchange.  And I had noticed it a while ago as well.  So yesterday we began cutting strips to just see what happens.  I brought them home to sew them and see what comes out.  Whatever comes out we will probably donate the items to the VFW for their holiday craft show/sale in November.  I will post as things move along.

 

Something else my friend Carol has been doing was "deboning mens shirts", which Bonnie also has a video on.  Carol has does a demo on cutting a man's plaid shirt up into usable yardage for scrap quilts.  Well, I did pretty well at the flea market with my designer fabric samples, so why not try this.  I might want some of the yardage but I really don't need it all.  So I bought 5 shirts this past weekend and took them apart.  I plan on ironing the fabric and then putting it in bags at the flea market for sewers/quilters to buy.  I will probably label it "deboned shirts" and sell them for about $3 with pieces from several shirts so they get a good selection.  These are the shirts I got this weekend.

 

Now for the final scraps.  Yesterday I took lunch with me to my mom's.  I did chicken on a skewer and separate skewers of vegetables (green peppers and cherry tomatoes off my plants, summer squash, zucchini, sweet onion and mushrooms.). Tonight I'm taking the left over veggies roasting them in the oven with sweet corn added and a little olive oil and salt and pepper.  It smells soo good right now I can hardly wait to tuck in.

 

 

 

Well, smells like it is just about ready so I have to go.  Have a good evening.







Progress toward 5K

Wednesday night I went to 5K training.  Walked 3 miles in 1:06:06.  Not too bad.  I was going to go to training again today, Saturday.  But when I went to start my truck it wouldn't start.  First time it's let me down in 7 years.  Oh, well, placed call to handy brother and he seemed to think it is just the battery.  So he has taken pity on my and may be over later today to have a look.

But that's good.  Since I would go anywhere it means I'm force to stay home and get something done. I mowed the front lawn about 8 am. Then decided if I was going to have to take the truck into the dealer I should unload my "merch" from the fleamarket into the garage.  So emptied truck, loaded the dishwasher, did laundry.  Now the big task, cleaning off the kitchen table.  Oh, so much fun on the last holiday of the summer.  But that's ok.  Hope you all have a safe holiday.

Yours in stitches
Jackie

Sad Note

Tonight was our variable star meeting.  I rode out with Carole and we got back to Lansing about 9:18 pm.  I wondered what was going on at the neighbor across the roads home.  There were lots of lights and several large trucks in the yard.  After parking I took my trash out which gave me an opportunity to figure out what was going on.  What has gone on was a house fire!  The trucks were there to board up the house.  Cover holes in the roof, windows that were knocked out.

It is really sad.  I think this woman has been in the house about a year.  It was on the south side of the street where about a year ago Ingham/McClaren tore down the five houses immediately adjacent to this to the west.  Hope I hear what caused the fire.

Tomorrow I may blog about the AQS show in Grand Rapids.  Great show, well attended.  So much for the bah humbug sponsors who backed out because they didn't think Michigan could support a national show, guess we showed them.

Sunday we went to the Antique Show at the Allegan Fair Grounds.  Beautiful day, saw some cool stuff and bought some cool stuff.  Show and tell coming up.

Jackie

More Walking

Went to the 50+ training again today.  Today I added one-half mile to make it 2.5 miles.  My time was 48 min 25 sec.  By my figures I added a half mile and cut my time by by 2 min 38 sec.  Guess carrying a water bottle was slowing me down.  I figure if I hydrate well enough before, I don't need to carry that encumberance.

Jackie

Walking

Walking with the 50+ walkers from Playmakers has been kind of hit or miss.  My sciatic problem is getting better after having a manipulation done.  But the left knee will always be a problem.  Training is on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings.  On the session I have made I try to improve my distance more each time.  Last night I was shooting for 2 miles.  And made it in 43 min. 37 seconds.  I really don't worry about the time, just as long as I keep moving and finish.

I'm having a new furnace put in today.  I forgot to take a picture of the old one before they got it all out. But did get a pic of the empty space.  It's amazing how small the new furnace is.  Will post a pic tomorrow.  Thanks for checking in.  Jackie

Tailgate treasurers

I have been reading on some blogs lately about recycling canvasses.  At the cost of new canvas people are buying used ones, and painting over them.  So last weekend I have the opportunity to pick up these 4 canvases. I may keep the ship one but the others may get sold at the flea market or painted over.  Have a look.