best compliment ever

I wore this dress to school today:

I got compliments on it in the copy room and was told it looked very Anthropologie. Is that where I got it? *Grin!*

Biking instead of driving

I added 12.59 lbs of CO2 that I saved this month. I also logged that into the number of miles I have biked. I only counted the number of miles riden instead of driving. If I had included all the miles I biked that number would be...drum roll please, I'm quite proud....106.14.

Here's to more miles in June!

quilt

First (successful) quilt without Grandma's help!

I made this for EJ and Rachel's wedding gift. I hope they liked it! It's only lap sized, abou 50"x70 maybe? I can't remember now. It was hard to give it away.

Ouchie rhymes with...something I'm sure

Hopped on the Burke-Gilman today and road about 24 miles.  Took a side trip to the Union Bay Natural Area to check out my old restoration site from college.  I couldn't find it.   Everything's over grown, but I think that's what was supposed to happen.  Here are a few pics....with just one of my poor knee.

I'd say they're doing pretty well

Lettuce looks all wilty but really I just watered it and so it got matted down.

Crikey! rhymes with Bikey!

I did it!  I went on a 17 mile bike ride with a silly group and stopped at 7 bars around Seattle.  I think I only drank at four of them so I wasn't feeling too bad until we left the Elysian and had to bike back to Belltown.  Thank goodness for bike paths and a place to crash!

I want to go with this group again, but today it looks like their route was 65 miles and hilly.  Silly boys.  I was pretty tired after a flat 17.  Not sore today, but tired.  

But now I want to ride more more more!

Sarcoma Fun Run

There's nothing like going on vacation and running a 5k! Ran the Beat Sarcoma Fun Run and beat my goal by 8 seconds! AND I ran the whole thing!! hooray!

31:52

crop in ground...or um, planters

I planted potatoes, garlic and lettuce today!  I wanted to plant more but my patio and wallet have their limits.

For the potatoes I am using the cage method.  Instead of the wooden box on this site, I took a big blue rubbermaid tub, drilled holes in the bottom for drainage and placed my potatoes in there.  Here they are before they were covered with soil.

 

After I covered them with about 4" of soil.  When they sprout, I will periodically cover them with more soil, leaving 2/3rds of the vines sticking out until I am out of room for soil.  Then in Fall, POTATOES!  Can't even wait!

St Patrick's Day Dash 09

The most important thing about today was that it was snowing.  The flakes were big.  The air was cold.  The ground was wet.  But the most important thing about today was that it was snowing.

The most important thing about running a race is sharing the experience.  My friend Jason ran with me.  We were wet and cold and huddled under a tree for a while.  We were happy to run the race.  But the most important thing about running a race is sharing the experience.

The most important thing about a race in the cold and wet is finishing.  You can take off your wet shoes and jacket.  You can put on dry clothes. But the most important thing about a race in the cold and wet is finishing.

The most important thing about running a race is eating some good food afterwards.  And that is the most important thing.

I should have mentioned this blog was brought to you by The Important Book By Margaret Wise Brown.  Also, so that i have a record of it my time was 42:05 for the 3.75 mile race.  A pace of 11:14. meh

run run run run runaway

The St. Patrick's Day Dash is in a mere six days.  I still haven't practiced running outside.  Yesterday, I doubled my endurance on the treadmill so I"m feeling like I might be ok.  This weather has really been keeping me from running around the lake, though.  And next Sunday it's supposed to rain.  Hope I can survive!

new favorite skirt

I made this this weekend!  I LOVE it! So comfortable and it has pockets.  You can tell I wore it all day student teaching...a little wrinkly in front.  The sides by the placket (plaquet?) that covers the zipper and the pockets are rouched which make a lovely detail.  It's supposed to be high waisted but I altered and altered and altered that waist band and still can't get it quite right.  

And check out my new tights.  On sale at Fred Meyer!  They're bamboo and super soft.

March snow

SWEARS!

I either want to 1. start this week over or 2. finish it quick!  I am cranky and everything just seems to be going wrong.  

For example, today, an 1.5" of snow on the ground.  All the districts in the area are cancelled or late arrival due to it except the district I'm going to.  Yay, I need the money...Boo, I can already tell today is going to suck.

But I left early because I know Pacific Northwesterners cannot drive in weather.  I get to the school.  I lug all my stuff around the maze of buildings avoiding stairs.  I slide and slip up the ramps to the portables.  My portable, locked.  Where the F is the teacher?  Thank goodness the custodian was there sanding the ramps and could let me in.  But of course, portables don't have water.  So I have to run down to the main buildings, sneak in a classroom and fill up my water bottles for my program.

I get back, students are settled.  I have everything sorted and set up and in place for my program.  I start talking, the students make the connection that I"m there to talk about water because Mrs. Bell talked about water too....wait, Mrs. Bell?  What did she say?  That means I brought in all the wrong equipment.  I'm supposed to do the OTHER program.  F*ck!  (no, I didn't say f*ck in front of the students).  

I start throwing things back into the bins and telling the students what we're REALLY going to talk about.  Teacher gives me two students to run down to my car with me.  I left the other equipment so as not to slow us down more.  We come back...the model drags snow all into the classroom.  I reset up.  

The teacher acted flexible, but I could tell she was NOT amused.

Second program.  This portable was jammed packed. I could barely get in there.  And was there a table for me to set up?  Noooo.  And there was a sub.  A sub with whom I used to work at the zoo.  Very difficult person to work with.  ANDDD...she applied for the job I had there and I got it instead of her.  Ran into her the other day at my student teaching school too.  She didn't remember me then..and she didn't remember me today.  She asked me how it was doing the same thing over and over again and I said, "not much different than doing [my old zoo job]," and there was no recognition.

Third and fourth programs went better but good lord I just want to curl up in bed.  I should go to class.  I skipped math last night....science is even more boring than math though.

baked ziti

I made a baked ziti last night that is to die for!  I cooked up some zuchini and yellow pepper in a roasted garlic spaghetti sauce that had whole garlic cloves in it.  Then I layered whole wheat penne with more sauce, the veggies, ricotta, provolone and mozarella cheese.  I used low fat cheese but I'm pretty sure this isn't a low fat dish.  At least I used whole wheat noodles!

neighbors

The neighbor girls are running up and down the street.  They're making that screeching scream thing girls do when they're not really scared but still have that adrenaline pumping.  I LOVE it!

These particular girls live in the apartment building right next to mine.  In fact, I think our bedroom windows exactly face each other. Our apartments are not large, and I cannot imagine raising a family in them.  At night, in the summer when the windows are open, I can hear the family rattling on in Spanish.  They laugh so hard I wish I could understand them.

It makes me happy to know that the girls are running around outside and taking advantage of such a beautiful day.  

Pants

I made another pair of pants this weekend.  These turned out better.  This particular pattern needs some slimming of the legs, I think.

This is the pattern while I"m in the middle of taping together the sheets printed off my computer.  Printed on the back side of pre-used paper.

Darn plaid doesn't match up in the front!  I'm not sure how I could have done it differently though.  My brain just doesn't wrap around it.

Legs are loose fitting which is comfy but might look funny.  I'll decide after I wear them today.  And I know they are long but think how great they'll work with heels!

salmon-broccoli casserole

In my attempt to stop eating chicken sandwiches from jack in the box, I cracked open my copy of The Living Heart Diet that I bought when I learned I had high cholesterol.  Today I made a scrumptuous salmon-broccoli casserole.  My roommate takes pictures of all the delicious meals he makes so I decided to follow suit.

beach day!

Some pictures from Discovery Park today.  I haven't monkeyed with these at all, but I probably could/should.

Did you know barnacles make noise?  It's kind of crazy...

new camera

These are not fancy pictures. The first two are of the same plant with and without zoom sitting in the exact same spot.

 This one is obviously of my keyboard using my amazing macro!  The lens was practically TOUCHING the keyboard!  Look at that piece of fuzz you can see!

I'm off to take more pictures that I'm sure will be posted here soon.

accidentally western shirt

I went downtown last weekend to Border's just to buy a magazine.  Oh, but it's not just any magazine, no, this was/is Burda World of Fashion.  The subscription is $80/year so I wanted to make sure I liked it before I ordered.

The magazine is German, thankfully translated.  Inside each issue is 40-70 patterns!  I've made two from the issue I bought and I am in LOVE!  They are stylish and do not need any altering.  When I make clothes from the big 4 (McCall's, Simplicity, Vogue and Butterick) things never turn out right.  The two shirts I've made turned out great!

I do not have pictures of the first shirt I made, since i've worn it so many times this week it's now drying after a wash.  But here is the second shirt I made.  The fabric turned out to be a little more flashy than I was hoping for so I threw on some pearl snaps and made it a western shirt!