American Dreamer 2019 På Engelska -1080p-FLA
6 years ago
Monday, October 31, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
my first 10k...almost
Gratuitous bragging and self-aggrandizement ahead; be warned!
OK, it was actually a 9k. But who runs a 9k? Now I feel slightly guilty, though, as if I need to run a REAL 10k in order to validate myself saying I ran one. But I doubt I feel guilty enough to actually sign up for one, since it's getting colder and mornings are almost too dark for running. Wait, will going off Daylight Savings Time help there, or not...think think think...fall BACK...so yes, that means I will have more morning daylight! Bummer. It was a good excuse.
For the race planners, I note: it's discouraging to be told that there will be pace markers set up to get us organized at the start line, and then to discover that the markers are for 6, 8, and 10 minute mile pace, and anyone slower than 10 minutes per miles is relegated to the baby jogger section. Couldn't you have stuck in an 11 or 12 minute pace marker, just to make me feel like a real runner?
On the plus side: our race times came out today, and while I am definitely in the slower 50% of the "racers", only ONE woman over age 70 finished before me! Actually, I am wondering if their timer was a bit off, because it says I ran, on average, a 10:38 mile. People, for me, that's FAST; compare that to the previous weekend's 5k where I ran about a 11:20 mile (which actually was fast for me, too; I tend to estimate a 12:00 mile). And I didn't feel fast; I felt like I could barely shuffle my Sudafed-and-Mucinex-laden body along. So my theory is that their timer is off, rather like my iPod pedometer which insists that I actually ran 8 miles or so. I know there's a way to calibrate the darn thing, but I followed the instructions and ended up with it still thinking I'm running 6-7 minute miles. Heh.
The best part of this race? I actually remembered to bring a wad of Kleenex with me. Being able to blow my nose every kilometer or so was pure heaven, compared to just trying to sniff and dab ineffectually at the corners of my nose with my race T-shirt.
OK, it was actually a 9k. But who runs a 9k? Now I feel slightly guilty, though, as if I need to run a REAL 10k in order to validate myself saying I ran one. But I doubt I feel guilty enough to actually sign up for one, since it's getting colder and mornings are almost too dark for running. Wait, will going off Daylight Savings Time help there, or not...think think think...fall BACK...so yes, that means I will have more morning daylight! Bummer. It was a good excuse.
For the race planners, I note: it's discouraging to be told that there will be pace markers set up to get us organized at the start line, and then to discover that the markers are for 6, 8, and 10 minute mile pace, and anyone slower than 10 minutes per miles is relegated to the baby jogger section. Couldn't you have stuck in an 11 or 12 minute pace marker, just to make me feel like a real runner?
On the plus side: our race times came out today, and while I am definitely in the slower 50% of the "racers", only ONE woman over age 70 finished before me! Actually, I am wondering if their timer was a bit off, because it says I ran, on average, a 10:38 mile. People, for me, that's FAST; compare that to the previous weekend's 5k where I ran about a 11:20 mile (which actually was fast for me, too; I tend to estimate a 12:00 mile). And I didn't feel fast; I felt like I could barely shuffle my Sudafed-and-Mucinex-laden body along. So my theory is that their timer is off, rather like my iPod pedometer which insists that I actually ran 8 miles or so. I know there's a way to calibrate the darn thing, but I followed the instructions and ended up with it still thinking I'm running 6-7 minute miles. Heh.
The best part of this race? I actually remembered to bring a wad of Kleenex with me. Being able to blow my nose every kilometer or so was pure heaven, compared to just trying to sniff and dab ineffectually at the corners of my nose with my race T-shirt.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
things I might want to remember someday
my kids, sitting around the dinner table, loudly singing, "I love rock-n-roll; put another dime in the JUICEBOX baby!"
Classic example of American overconfidence: I'm explaining to the kids why I would not be a good gymnastics teacher. For one thing, I can't even do a cartwheel! In perfect unison, both kids chime in with an, "I CAN!!" And no, they can't. Aunt Cammie spent a few minutes over Labor Day showing them the general concept, but their version is not even close yet.
Miles, talking about his tap class: "It was all commotion-ful!"
Juliet's first almost-laugh!
Eleanor, cheerfully: "Mommy, if our new baby dies, I can scoot my bed back in that room!"
Classic example of American overconfidence: I'm explaining to the kids why I would not be a good gymnastics teacher. For one thing, I can't even do a cartwheel! In perfect unison, both kids chime in with an, "I CAN!!" And no, they can't. Aunt Cammie spent a few minutes over Labor Day showing them the general concept, but their version is not even close yet.
Miles, talking about his tap class: "It was all commotion-ful!"
Juliet's first almost-laugh!
Eleanor, cheerfully: "Mommy, if our new baby dies, I can scoot my bed back in that room!"
Monday, September 26, 2011
My new pet
After 12 years of sewing with the machine my dear husband bought me for our first anniversary (or was it my birthday? Anyway, it was early in our marriage) I have finally upgraded. Technology has come a long way, and I feel like I've been driving my whole life in a 1985 Dodge Colt and have suddenly been plopped in a...well, OK, perhaps not a Bentley, but at least a Honda Accord?
In short, I am really enjoying my new sewing machine. Yes, I spent about four months of my monthly cash allowance on it, but normally I would just put that in my "Ski Fund" and then not actually get to go skiing more than once each winter anyway.
Why, you ask, do I not go skiing when I do indeed love it so much, I do actually own my own gear, and it is one of the few sports I'm actually pretty good at? Well, several reasons, most of them having to do with my inner cheapskate. First, the skiing near Chicago is pretty bad, AND a long drive, AND still costs at least $50/day. Second, I don't always have someone to go with; Scott doesn't really enjoy skiing or snowboarding and my few friends who ski don't necessarily want to take an entire weekend away from their families to ski on hills with only a 400 foot drop. Third, the three dwarfish humans living in my house don't like being left behind, and yet I am FAR too cheap to shell out an additional $45 per child for ski "daycare." Yes, I have had dreams of teaching my children to ski and all of us happily inhabiting the slopes in our winter free time. And then I notice my budget and my snow-hating husband and realize there are better ways to spend family bonding time. So skiing really is a "me" thing, and any of you who are married or moms know that "me" things often need to take a back seat to "us" things.
But back to my sewing. Anyway, I am not a brilliant, extremely skilled, or terribly creative seamstress, but my mom did teach me the basics as a kid, and I'm trying to learn a bit more off the internet where I can. I have a backlog of about 12 projects, and I've worked my way through six of them in the last week or two. Now, unfortunately, I've done all the quick, easy, and interesting projects and am left with the painful, the tedious, or the dauntingly difficult. But here's what we've got so far:
A red satin brocade dress for Nora. The mandarin collar was a total pain, but the rest of it was pretty straightforward. Sadly for me, I didn't realize that satin MELTS, so the dress has a couple scorched spots from a too-high iron setting. Since I had put a lot of work into it already before I cooked it, I figured I'd go ahead and finish it and make her wear it anyway; maybe no one will notice those strange splotches on the side seam...
A pleated pink corduroy skirt, also for Nora (Juliet got a matching one, not pictured, which has to be the fastest thing I've ever made; it took about 11 minutes to sew a tiny, elastic-topped skirt for her.) I'm not thrilled with this; the corduroy is actually too lightweight for what I had envisioned, and I need to add some sort of trim because it's a bit boring looking. Maybe a contrasting fabric rosette? Ideas, anyone? Also, even though I took in 2 1/2 inches on the skirt, it is still baggy on my skinny daughter. OK, when her waist size is 18", why does a 3T pattern come in a 22" waist size? Guess I should've gone with my instincts and shrunk it even more.
This was inspired by an adorable dress I saw at Janie and Jack. I fell in love with it, but seriously, $49.99 for a knit T-shirt dress with some ribbon? I can do that. And I did. This was way easy, and almost identical to the one at J&J, except that I made it 2 inches skinnier and an inch longer. It fits Eleanor like a dream, and looks really cute over black leggings (which I bought; why sew something you can buy for $5 at Target?) Cost: about $7. HA!
Finally (and I'm most proud of these) cute plaid jumpers for both girls. This is Juliet's. I sort of went out on a limb and tried some ideas out. Here, I added black velveteen seam binding to the arm and neck holes. This was also my first experience trying to match plaids, and I must admit, it turned out great! (Although, I ask you, since when is a "wool blend" actually 95% polyester? Hmm? Oh well, at least maybe they won't shrink terribly if I accidentally dry them.)
The trim on the bottom is kind of spiffy; it's black jumbo rickrack holding the band to the main part of the dress, so you can actually see through the gaps. Cool.
And here's the one for Eleanor. It's actually not lopsided; that's just how it's hanging on the hanger. I think I overdid the ruffles a bit - they're puffier than I would have liked - but it's pretty cute on her. I still need to make a black velveteen bow to stick on the drop-waist there, so it's not quite done.
Remaining projects: two gifts, one owl Halloween costume, and two "fancy" taffeta Christmas dresses with, of all things, hand-embroidery on them (well, the pattern says they're SUPPOSED to have embroidery; I am not sure that's within my grasp). Oh, and one pile of material intended, in a moment of supreme foolishness, to produce a skirt for myself. No pattern; I just saw fabric I liked and thought, oh, I bet I can design a skirt. Um, hello? Know thyself, right? Wrong.
In short, I am really enjoying my new sewing machine. Yes, I spent about four months of my monthly cash allowance on it, but normally I would just put that in my "Ski Fund" and then not actually get to go skiing more than once each winter anyway.
Why, you ask, do I not go skiing when I do indeed love it so much, I do actually own my own gear, and it is one of the few sports I'm actually pretty good at? Well, several reasons, most of them having to do with my inner cheapskate. First, the skiing near Chicago is pretty bad, AND a long drive, AND still costs at least $50/day. Second, I don't always have someone to go with; Scott doesn't really enjoy skiing or snowboarding and my few friends who ski don't necessarily want to take an entire weekend away from their families to ski on hills with only a 400 foot drop. Third, the three dwarfish humans living in my house don't like being left behind, and yet I am FAR too cheap to shell out an additional $45 per child for ski "daycare." Yes, I have had dreams of teaching my children to ski and all of us happily inhabiting the slopes in our winter free time. And then I notice my budget and my snow-hating husband and realize there are better ways to spend family bonding time. So skiing really is a "me" thing, and any of you who are married or moms know that "me" things often need to take a back seat to "us" things.
But back to my sewing. Anyway, I am not a brilliant, extremely skilled, or terribly creative seamstress, but my mom did teach me the basics as a kid, and I'm trying to learn a bit more off the internet where I can. I have a backlog of about 12 projects, and I've worked my way through six of them in the last week or two. Now, unfortunately, I've done all the quick, easy, and interesting projects and am left with the painful, the tedious, or the dauntingly difficult. But here's what we've got so far:
A red satin brocade dress for Nora. The mandarin collar was a total pain, but the rest of it was pretty straightforward. Sadly for me, I didn't realize that satin MELTS, so the dress has a couple scorched spots from a too-high iron setting. Since I had put a lot of work into it already before I cooked it, I figured I'd go ahead and finish it and make her wear it anyway; maybe no one will notice those strange splotches on the side seam...
A pleated pink corduroy skirt, also for Nora (Juliet got a matching one, not pictured, which has to be the fastest thing I've ever made; it took about 11 minutes to sew a tiny, elastic-topped skirt for her.) I'm not thrilled with this; the corduroy is actually too lightweight for what I had envisioned, and I need to add some sort of trim because it's a bit boring looking. Maybe a contrasting fabric rosette? Ideas, anyone? Also, even though I took in 2 1/2 inches on the skirt, it is still baggy on my skinny daughter. OK, when her waist size is 18", why does a 3T pattern come in a 22" waist size? Guess I should've gone with my instincts and shrunk it even more.
This was inspired by an adorable dress I saw at Janie and Jack. I fell in love with it, but seriously, $49.99 for a knit T-shirt dress with some ribbon? I can do that. And I did. This was way easy, and almost identical to the one at J&J, except that I made it 2 inches skinnier and an inch longer. It fits Eleanor like a dream, and looks really cute over black leggings (which I bought; why sew something you can buy for $5 at Target?) Cost: about $7. HA!
Finally (and I'm most proud of these) cute plaid jumpers for both girls. This is Juliet's. I sort of went out on a limb and tried some ideas out. Here, I added black velveteen seam binding to the arm and neck holes. This was also my first experience trying to match plaids, and I must admit, it turned out great! (Although, I ask you, since when is a "wool blend" actually 95% polyester? Hmm? Oh well, at least maybe they won't shrink terribly if I accidentally dry them.)
The trim on the bottom is kind of spiffy; it's black jumbo rickrack holding the band to the main part of the dress, so you can actually see through the gaps. Cool.
And here's the one for Eleanor. It's actually not lopsided; that's just how it's hanging on the hanger. I think I overdid the ruffles a bit - they're puffier than I would have liked - but it's pretty cute on her. I still need to make a black velveteen bow to stick on the drop-waist there, so it's not quite done.
Remaining projects: two gifts, one owl Halloween costume, and two "fancy" taffeta Christmas dresses with, of all things, hand-embroidery on them (well, the pattern says they're SUPPOSED to have embroidery; I am not sure that's within my grasp). Oh, and one pile of material intended, in a moment of supreme foolishness, to produce a skirt for myself. No pattern; I just saw fabric I liked and thought, oh, I bet I can design a skirt. Um, hello? Know thyself, right? Wrong.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
just a few photos
Mommy is finally getting better at Eleanor's hair - we got a pretty good braided hairstyle in less than two hours! Yippee!
Eleanor, however, did NOT want her photo taken. Grouchy girl.
from a recent playground trip: my handsome son
Daddy and Nora swinging
Miles can finally make it across the monkey bars! Now if he'll just let us take the training wheels off his bike...
So the weather's getting cooler, and we REALLY need to buy Juliet some socks. She's borrowing Eleanor's right now:
And finally, an almost-decent photo of all three children (Juliet is truly more attractive than this, but she was on the brink of a meltdown and NOT smiling). Thanks to my friend Kris for sewing Eleanor, yes, a dress that matches the one she made for Juliet! The girls looked pretty cute, and Miles his usual dapper self.
Eleanor, however, did NOT want her photo taken. Grouchy girl.
from a recent playground trip: my handsome son
Daddy and Nora swinging
Miles can finally make it across the monkey bars! Now if he'll just let us take the training wheels off his bike...
So the weather's getting cooler, and we REALLY need to buy Juliet some socks. She's borrowing Eleanor's right now:
And finally, an almost-decent photo of all three children (Juliet is truly more attractive than this, but she was on the brink of a meltdown and NOT smiling). Thanks to my friend Kris for sewing Eleanor, yes, a dress that matches the one she made for Juliet! The girls looked pretty cute, and Miles his usual dapper self.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
bedtime stories with Daddy
OK, so this went on for an hour before someone noticed and said, "Hey, I thought Scott was reading TO Miles?"
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Bringing home Juliet
So a lot has been happening, but I do owe it to our new arrival to put up some photos!
Juliet Thalia Lee, born August 2, adopted August 4, home from Utah August 14. Here she is, wearing a gorgeous hand-sewn dress from our dear friend Kris. How she sewed this and mailed it in time to reach us a few days after we got home ourselves, I have no idea. It's also the only thing we own tiny enough to fit Juliet.
Both big brother and sister are enamored.
Of course, their enthusiastic "helping" has to be carefully monitored; Eleanor in particular thinks she herself is much stronger and wiser in baby lore than she actually is. ("But mommy, baby Juliet WANTS a pruntzel (pretzel)!" "OK, mommy, I will carry Juliet downstairs and hold her on my lap for you." "Mommy, the baby is CRYING!" (while we are driving home from church, stating the painfully obvious))
But they are pretty sweet together...
And of course, the obligatory bathtub photo (with gracefully draped washcloth). She really loves her bath!
Juliet had her first doctor's appointment today, and apparently is pretty healthy and normal, by the way. But ridiculously short (3rd percentile for height)! At this rate she'll never be able to wear Eleanor's clothes, which would be a tragedy to make me weep...
Juliet Thalia Lee, born August 2, adopted August 4, home from Utah August 14. Here she is, wearing a gorgeous hand-sewn dress from our dear friend Kris. How she sewed this and mailed it in time to reach us a few days after we got home ourselves, I have no idea. It's also the only thing we own tiny enough to fit Juliet.
Both big brother and sister are enamored.
Of course, their enthusiastic "helping" has to be carefully monitored; Eleanor in particular thinks she herself is much stronger and wiser in baby lore than she actually is. ("But mommy, baby Juliet WANTS a pruntzel (pretzel)!" "OK, mommy, I will carry Juliet downstairs and hold her on my lap for you." "Mommy, the baby is CRYING!" (while we are driving home from church, stating the painfully obvious))
But they are pretty sweet together...
And of course, the obligatory bathtub photo (with gracefully draped washcloth). She really loves her bath!
Juliet had her first doctor's appointment today, and apparently is pretty healthy and normal, by the way. But ridiculously short (3rd percentile for height)! At this rate she'll never be able to wear Eleanor's clothes, which would be a tragedy to make me weep...
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