Running for a great cause

I love to run! I didn't realize this until about 4 years when I did my very first 1/2 marathon. It's hard to explain unless you are a runner but some how it's relaxing, it gives me a peace & makes me see that "I" can do it. Sat I had the pleasure of running my 2nd 15K for a wonderful cause Special Kids, it's a good flat easy run & works out perfect for training for the 1/2 in April.

I got up early and was ready to head out the door so I woke Michael up to let him know that I was leaving when he let me know that he was going with me but wanted to surprise me so I told him I had time to wait on him.

He got up started getting ready & decided that we would ride the bike so then I'm scrambling around trying to put warmer clothes on top of my running clothes. We jumped on the bike left 20 mins later than I anticipated but arrived safely.

When we got there it was right at 7:00 am exactly when the race started so I jumped off the bike started stripping down to my running gear when the cannon went off. I ran as fast as I could to the starting line but everyone had already left. So I jumped the fence & took off running to catch up with the walkers. I was a little out of breath so I walked to catch my breath, put my ear buds in & attach my shuffle.

It was the craziest start to a run that I've ever had but I made it. I was 6 mins behind my pace from last year but I'm not stressing over that because I did it & that's what matters.

Here are a few pics some Michael took & some that I found on the website this morning.

 

 

 

I was happy to get my actual time sent via email.

 

 

 

Finger Puppets-updated Feb service project

I've really enjoyed working on these & it's for such a great cause Craft Hope. I've got such a big stash of all sorts of crafty items that the only felt I had to buy was the pink. They are addicting to make & I know they will make lots of little ones smile.

Hoping I can get several more done before we actually take them to the PO.

                                                               Updated 2/24
I have been able to complete 118 with 18 more cut out ready to sew, going to start on those tonight. Here's new pics of what's been done so far.

When I started making these I didn't really have a goal per se but I wanted to get as many done as possible. My daddy passed away Feb 1st, he was in constant prayer for little kids so I decided I would attempt to get at least 100 complete, thankfully I've surpassed that total so now my new goal is 150 (thanks to my special friend Michelle).

Updated 3/3

Happy to say between Michelle, Chloe, Casey & I we were able to mail 236 assorted puppets. These were so much fun to make & now I'm wishing I had more time.

Patterns came from Pinterest, I hope I've not left out anyone.

Fox, Bird & Mouse

Dragons

Owls

Frog, Monkey, Cheetah & Pig

Chicken, Duck & Cow

 Dog, Bear, Peacock

Penguins

Butterfly

Elephant

Bunny

Alien

Jan Community Service Project

I'm super excited to be able to look & feel all my craft items again, after most of it being packed away for the last 2 years. I decided that I would attempt to do at least one service project per month so when Martha posted this one

**Community Service Project**
If anyone would like to help me out with this, I'm making/collecting crochet/knitted beanies and/or scarves for Room In The Inn of Jackson County
Adults size I know for sure, I've asked if they need kids size too. Will update once I hear something back.
if you don't crochet/knit and want to help, you can donate supplies (yarn, hooks, needles, etc....) Just msg me

I was on it. I used leftover yarn that Lana had given me from her past projects. One was made with grey, pink & white yarn & was a little thinner for a lady, the other was red, white & blue. I hope that someone is able to get some use out of them.

Refinished Sofa Table

I've always wanted to paint & refinish something so when I found this little guy all scratched up I knew it would be the perfect thing for me to try. I went ahead & added more dings & scratches to give it the look I wanted.

 

After I put in some scratches but before I started painting.

 

Originally I thought I wanted it painted off white & red, so I painted it off white first. I then decided that wasn't the look I wanted so I painted it again.

You can see some reddish color beneath the black, I thought I found the perfect red color but when I started painting it, the color was actually bright pink. I think the girl that mixed up the paint didn't get the right color made because it was more pink than red. I ended up going to the paint store & got exactly what I wanted.

I put wax all over the cracks so when I painted it red the black would show through the dings & scratches.

 

Here is the first coat of red.

 

Here is the last coat of red.

 

It turned out better than I imagined it would, Michael even liked it so much he brought it in the house this morning when he got home. I was a little shocked by that gesture :) Pics with it decorated in the foyer will follow.

 

 

 

 

Tears of sadness & tears of joy

Last weekend we took our yearly mountain bike ride, one of our stops was Maggie Valley, NC, which is a gorgeous area. When we were packing up the bike to head home there was a little older gentleman named Clint cleaning off his windshield on his suv. I noticed his tag said he was a Veteran so I went & thanked him for his service. He informed me that he had been retired for 40 years but spent 20 years in the military. He was a very humble little man.

I walked back to the bike & told Michael that he was a Veteran so Michael then walked over to the man & thanked him. He started telling us that he & his soul mate of 54 years used to come to the mountains every year but she passed away 7 years ago. He was from FL & decided to retrace their steps. Talking to him just broke my heart, the thought of him going that far by himself to retrace steps & relive past memories just made my heart ache for him.

We talked with him for a quite a while & he said he owned a bike but his wife was always too scared to ride. He told me that he was proud of me for riding with Michael because there was nothing like getting that time together that you could never do enough together & we should always enjoy each & every moment together.

I'm so thankful that God has given me such a wonderful husband but standing there talking to Clint just made me feel thankful even more. Michael was standing there telling Clint what a wonderful wife he had & how we enjoy riding because it's "our" time. There are no phones, no tv just us. If everyone loved their wife as much as Michael loves me there wouldn't be a need for divorce lawyers. I hear it all the time when Michael is talking about me & sometimes he doesn't even know I can hear him.

We notice that Clint was sitting in the rocking chairs while we were getting on the bike & once we pulled out of the parking lot he went into the hotel. As we pulled out tears just streamed down my face, sadness for Clint but joyful for Michael & myself.  I pray that I will never lose sight of the times we have whether good or bad & I'm so blessed that God gave me Michael to share my life with.

Showing Love

You can show people you love in lots of ways, some ways are really big & some ways are really small.

I've been praying that God would show me someone who needed a little "pick me up" & a few days later a friend's name popped into my head. I couldn't get her off my mind so I text her just to let her know I'm praying for her & she informed me that her husband kicked her & the kids out of the house 3 weeks ago. She was left to find somewhere to live & start all over again. This is a very sweet lady who can't seem to catch a break. So I decided to send her a thinking of you card with a gc. When she received the card she sent me this sweet little text thanking me for thinking about her. My immediate reply was this is all God, I even told her not to let anyone know that I did that because to me, it's not about getting glory, it's about knowing that it's pleasing to God.

Later during the week I decided to send another little gesture, this one being on a much smaller scale but got the same "thank you" results. Just goes to show that sometimes it can be the smallest thing in life but in return it can show someone that you love them & care for them that will make them smile.

Take time out in life to show someone that you care, you can be a huge blessing to someone whether you realize it or not.

 

 

My front door

Just because I love my front door, please ignore the blue tape lol