Hibler House

SkiDiving!

2011-10-27T21:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, not really sky diving, but close! We went to iFly Seattle last weekend! Thanks Ben for having a birthday, and such an awesome wife to plan this night out!

Dale and I looking fabulous in our jump suits and goggles. We worked it.

My first flying attempt. We are in a wind tunnel with the air going like 100 mph! I'm floating in the air!

Check it out!

I had a really hard time breathing so I can't imagine what it will be like during the real thing. (Yes, Dale and I have a life long wish to go ski diving, which we WILL do, eventually...)

Dale was making the BEST faces while in there.

Our instructor giving Dale a hand signal.

My second flight!

I started spinning circles around that tube. I don't know what I was doing, but I just went with it.

I'm totally floating all by myself!

It's crazy because you don't look down so you never really know how high up you're floating or if the instructor is holding onto you- you can't even feel it with all the wind.

Dale taking off!

See? Great faces.

He kept crashing into the walls.

Spinning around and around.

Dale was able to get the right position to float really high- lucky guy.

Some of the best (and longest) 2 minutes of my life! So fun, you need to check it out!

Donuts

2011-10-27T20:57:00.000-07:00

If Dale has an errand to run on Saturday morning, sometimes he'll stop by the donut shop and grab some for us. They're a fun little treat every now and then.

B's not really one for food, but she can tear through a donut like there's no tomorrow.

Why is this donut the size of Mason's head!?

They started eating at the same time...

Mason was trying to open his mouth wide enough to get around that donut!

It really is the simple things in life, huh?

Jones Creek Farm Harvest Festival cont'd

2011-10-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

The Hay Ride, a Pumpkin Patch must!

And then the see-saw! I haven't been on one of these in ages. Dale and I sat with the kids and then they kicked us off.

Mason was REALLY excited. He'd never been on one before.

I told B to smile for the picture and she made this face. No sound- it was purely for the picture that she pretended to be screaming.

More tractor bikes!

And a red one!

And a pink one!

Thanks, Krystle, for turning us in the direction of this little gem. We had such a fun time eating and picking apples, trudging through the pumpkin patch, going for a hay ride, petting chickens and farm dogs, and getting piping hot kettle corn and caramel corn- the best!

Jones Creek Farm Harvest Festival

2011-10-27T20:12:00.000-07:00

We went to the Jones Creek Farm Harvest Festival a few weekends ago and had a blast! It was a nice day, and we enjoyed the typical farm activities.

Driving tractor bikes!

Checking out apples on the trees!

Stomping in the mud!

Running away from mom and dad!

And Mason, too!

Me, B and Mason looking fabulous- check out their hands in their pockets (that's the new trick for Mason).

Searching for some good apples to pick!

Instead, I'm going to whack you with this stick!

Oh, Miss B found a little tiny one!

Testing to see how it tastes.

Then the kids found a hairy caterpillar.

And took turns holding it.

Poor little guy, I feel bad for him. These kids are crazy!

Oh, now Mase found one to try!

And he's so great at sharing!

Running around and dancing.

Then it was off to the pumpkin patch! Brighton found a cute little one.

And a ladybug came to say hello!

Mason wandered off the path to find his own pumpkin.

Look at that! What a fabulous pumpkin!

To be cont'd...

Brighton's 4th Birthday Party cont'd

2011-10-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

More silly string at the Super Range.

Then the kids all got to practice their punching skills with their very own punching balloons!

The floating stars in the dining room made great targets, apparently. By the end of the party they'd all been punched down.

All the kids having tons of fun!

Mason with his orange balloon.

While the kids punched, I set up the food.

Then all the kids were given a reversible cape.

Then it was chow time! Perfectly balanced for those budding super heroes.

And finally, what they were all waiting for- cake!

Happy 4th Birthday Miss B! You're SUPER!

Brighton's 4th Birthday Party

2011-10-27T18:58:00.000-07:00

Our little Brighton turned 4 at the beginning of this month. Crazy. We went with a generic Super Hero theme since she's really not the fairies and Barbie kind of girl... yet.

Our Super Four-Year-Old!

A shot of the stuff before the party actually started. We had to keep all this out of reach of 10 young children. Yes, 10. We did a drop off party this year and each of Brighton's closest friends was able to make it. Dale and I survived! It actually went REALLY well.

Party Decor- painted boxes to look like buildings! Complete with Super Heroes and villains.

Brighton and Mason getting excited for guests to arrive. As the kids came in we had them color for a little while a the table.

Comic book pages turned into a garland.

The treats, away from the kids, up high on the counter : )

I made a mini cake for B to blow out the candles but gave the kids some cupcakes. Dale and I ate this one on our own later.

Supermom!

Superboy! Flexing those amazing biceps.

As more kids arrived, we moved them over to the table to decorate some cookies.

They could either eat them or save them. Of course, B ate both of hers.

Then back to the table!

B was very happy to have all her friends there. She'd been telling everyone about her party for several months and it was finally here!

First activity- leaping over tall buildings in a single bound! These kids can jump so high!

Look at her! She's floating!

And J was moving so fast we barely managed to catch it on film!

Next activity- Stomp Out Crime! or rather, balloons...

Followed by- Shooting Practice at the Super Range.

to be cont'd...

Hiking Mount Pilchuck

2011-10-09T11:49:00.000-07:00

Dale and I hiked Mt. Pilchuck on what we thought may be the last good weather Saturday this year. It was a gorgeous day!

We got up early and made it to the mountain about 8 am, so as to beat the heat. Still a little too chilly for me!

I thought I was up high then, king of the world, but not even close.

I feel like this is a Where's Waldo picture- where's Dale?

My mountain man!

Seriously, I couldn't believe how beautiful it was once we started getting higher than everything around us.

Being silly and diva-esque.

Gorgeous views! I actually appreciated all the trees and how green it is here while on this hike.

Almost there!

Gorgeous view! (Mountains or Dale, take your pick!)

We really liked these rocks with all the dried, gross, mossy stuff. So much so that I had to take a picture with them.

Finally at the top, at the look out.

Walking out on the edge! I actually was really scared on that little rickety step.

And there is still snow up here. Crazy.

I couldn't believe how great the view was- complete 360 of the entire area.

It really was amazingly beautiful to be up that high with nothing in your way to just see everything. The hike was worth it!

Dale and I at the lookout still. We hung out here for a little while, talking to people, eating, drinking and taking pictures.

And that's where we live! Way down and out there...

The lookout. We had to climb up all those rocks to get up there. And there's even a ladder to FINALLY get into the lookout.

Seriously, this rock almost fell.

Thanks Dale for taking me out on a fun hike, enjoying the scenery and spending the morning with me! It was really a lot of fun.

Baby Shower Gifts and Decorations

2011-09-25T19:34:00.000-07:00

This was FOREVER ago, but I still wanted to share it with you, and my mom and sisters have asked me about the diaper cakes so enjoy!

I made this crib quilt from this book that I have, Denise Schmidt Quilts. I really like the quilts in this book because they look a little more modern in their design- and she uses some pretty funky fabrics and colors in her stuff. It gets you thinking about how you can make something look just by the fabrics you pick. For this one, I just used scraps and fabrics that I already had in my stash- make what I had on hand work for me.

And here's the back.

I sewed some ric rac along the seam on the back.

I also dyed a onesie brown and added some butt ruffles. And I also added some yo-yos to the front. It's hard to tell, but they're just stitched randomly on there.

Of course, one of Kim's famous tag blankets needed to be given as well!

So I made all this for a girl I used to work with, and I was also in charge of decorating and putting together a prize for a diaper raffle at her shower. I decided on a cupcake theme for the prize and then just went from there.

These are some cupcake toppers that I made:

I used modge podge to glue some tissue paper to card stock and some paper doilies to card stock as well. After that dried, I used a small circle punch and then glued one of each together with a toothpick in the middle.

But it just wasn't enough! So I brushed modge podge on the doily side and sprinkled with glitter. I let that dry and then glued a rhinestone to each one on the flower side.

I also embellished a kitchen towel.

Then put it all together with some cupcake-y things I found and a cake stand.

And here are the diaper cakes! I prefer to roll mine all together, rather than each individual diaper, as you can kinda see here. Then I decorated each with some scraps of whatever I could find.

I wrapped a very large rubber band around all the diapers in one tier and that's it! I used pins to secure the tiers together. I've also seen people use chopsticks or straws to keep the levels from shifting. Super easy and a fun way of giving someone a pack of diapers at their shower.

Artist or Scientist?

2011-09-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

Brighton was coloring the other day on her doodle pad. She came to show me her drawing and I asked her what it was. She then told me, "it's my DNA." Really? I think she did a great job. And who says Spiderman isn't educational?

Airport Run For Hope

2011-09-25T15:25:00.000-07:00

I ran the Airport Run For Hope again this year on September 17th, put on by the Arlington Runner's Club. They have a 5k and 10k race- I did the 10k race again : ) Really, it's longer, but there's less people who do the 10k so there's a greater chance of me placing well in this small of a race (really, that's my selfish reason for doing this race that's supposed to be for charity!)

There were 121 runners this year- the goal of the club was to break 100 this year- so yay! for ARC. Only 36 of those were 10k racers. (See? Smaller group, higher chance of winning!) Here we all are getting a course description (follow the trail, chalk arrows and the people pointing you in the right direction). I'm at the front- the only race where I feel confident being up at the front and not the middle of the pack. : )

It's not a bad trail around the airport. There's some "nature" to run through but there are a few spots where you come out and run next to the road. Here's where Dale could finally come and see me. He missed me coming at mile 4 so he had to speed ahead to take a picture.

Another spot where we go off the trail and run on the road/parking lot. Brighton was really sad that morning, even crying, that she wasn't running this race with me. I'm thinking I've got to find her a little fun run, like 1 mile or something because she wants to run in a race so badly. She was a great cheerleader though!

There I go! I was all by myself almost the entire run. I kept up with all the men until they hit mile 2 and everyone took the fork in the trail because they were doing the 5k. There were 2 more men I could see way ahead of me who were doing the 10k, but I wasn't really sure how many people were ahead of me.

Sprinting to the finish (the runner behind me in the white shirt is a 5k racer).

Finished! I finished in 46:08. My goal was to beat my time from last year which was 50:59, so almost 5 minutes better.

Race Stats:

36 10k runners

18 men and 18 women

I took 6th place overall

I won FIRST PLACE for the WOMEN!

Yes, I just won my very first trophy. Brighton kept telling me how she was so proud of me. Man, I love my children.

A picture with my kids. I'm so glad that they get excited about going to my races and cheering me on. Mason gets in the car and says, "Run... Race... Run... Race..." And I love how B is getting excited and asks me if she can be in a race, too.

Then, I was tired, so we fell over. What a great way to start my day!

Brighton's First Day of Preschool

2011-09-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

Brighton started preschool two weeks ago. We're doing it with some moms around here, so we all take turns teaching and bringing snacks and being a helper, but it's free! And we all go to one house where a mom does daycare, so she has everything set up already! Pretty awesome.

Here's B all ready to go!

Mason is pretty sad each day that he doesn't get to go to school with Brighton, but we have fun at home babysitting a little 4 month old.

My two little ones are getting so big!

I stayed the first day just to see how it went, the structure and everything, so I could get an idea of how to do it when it was my turn to teach. Brighton kept telling me, "Go hide mom, go hide." The next day she told me she just wanted me to drop her off and go home. I guess I should be happy there's no separation anxiety, but she doesn't need me? At 4?

Labor Day 1/2 Marathon

2011-09-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

I ran the Labor Day 1/2 Marathon again this year. I'd been sick for the two weeks before with a wonderful cold- runny nose, lost my voice, and coughed all day and night. I decided to give up running for those two weeks so I could just let me body rest. My one goal was to beat my time from last year: 1:50:49. I wasn't going to worry about anything else, just had to come in under that time.

This is at mile 11. I'd had a good start, but went out way too fast. I kept trying to tell myself to slow the heck down! I was feeling pretty crappy by mile 6, where they handed out some Goo and I snagged one to give it a try. I've never tried any of that stuff- I usually just eat and drink before and after a run, never during, so this was going to be interesting!

I got a really disgusting orange flavored goo, washed it down with some water and then felt a rock in my stomach for the next 20 minutes. But then! I felt a wonderful burst of energy! It was awesome. So I decided that the stomachache is definitely worth it in the end. : )

Dale hung out with the kids at the park at mile 11 until I cam running by. And then he BARELY made it to see me finish.

Here I am running across the finish!

The clock says 1:46:04, my watch said 1:46:11 and the results page says I got 1:45:49. I think I like that last one better, so I'm going to stick with that one. : )

Race Stats:

860 runners total

421 Females/439 Males

average race time 2:00:30

I got 219th place overall

Of the 421 females, I was #58

In my division of 25-29 year-olds, I was 11th out of 59

My average pace was 8:05/mile

Even with being sick, I still managed to get exactly 5 minutes better than last year! Yay!

Clothes for Mason

2011-09-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

There really aren't too many things out there that you can make for boys. I hate that! But I do love MADE and she has a bunch of boy tutorials.

Looking at her stuff inspired me to find some solid tees for M and get painting! (made with freezer paper stencils)

I also copied her George Washington t-shirt, and made an argyle tee.

I saw a tutorial forever ago on doing this, but I don't remember where at. Luckily I filed it away in my brain! I just cut some diamond shapes from black knit, used steam-a-seam to glue it down and stitched around, and then used blue embroidery floss to stitch the accent diamonds. Easy!

But here's the sad thing: I bought this blue shirt to make it for Mason before he was even born. Cleaning out my sewing room, I found it again and saw that it was 12 month size. So, he won't be wearing it at all. Maybe it'll be gifted to someone having a boy soon? Who knows!

I also went through my scraps and found some that were big enough to use my tie pattern to make some big boys ties for my little man. He loves them and always asks for one on Sundays when he knows we're going to church.

You crafty moms with boys, what are some of your favorite things to make for them? Or what blogs have you found have cute boy stuff? Share with me please!

Face Lift for a Couch

2011-09-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

I realized I never shared this with you! Man, I am such a slacker when it comes to the blog this year!

Dale and I found this little couch at a garage sale last year for $20. I wish I'd gotten it cheaper but I'm really OK with it now.

I know, hideous right? But I just loved all the wood detail. I feel like I never see wood trimmed furniture anymore, so I have to scoop it up where ever I can.

Way back in February I started to take it apart and the kids were my great little helpers.

Again, this was back in February, so the kids look SO extremely little!

They're really just happy to be using dad's tools!

And here's the after! I found this fabric and trim in AZ at a fabric outlet.

We bought so much fabric because we were just guessing and I didn't want to not have enough, so now I have enough to probably make curtains with at some point.

Dale did a really great job stripping the wood and repainting it. I'm just so glad he likes to do this stuff with me! This is now sitting at the foot of our bed. The Master Bedroom is my work in progress- I want it to be pretty and decorated like every other room. Once I finally settle on things and we do it, I'll let you see it!

Extreme Makeover- Wardrobe Edition

2011-09-25T13:51:00.000-07:00

My goal this year was to go through my closet and get rid of stuff I didn't wear anymore, to try to not wear the same thing twice and to try and use what I had on hand. I've tried to breathe new life into my "oldies but goodies." Anyway, here's just some of the good stuff I've made over the past several months.

I bought this collar at an antique store in AZ over Christmas. I had a vision for it, but it took me a really long time to find just the right shirt for it.

And then there it was! I found this it the thrift store (originally from Walmart, I think). I sewed the collar to the neckline...

And then cut the fabric away so that the collar was now the new neckline. And since it's knit, I didn't have to worry about finishing the edge- yay for easy!

I really love this shirt! The sleeves were a little too baggy for me, so I made a little pleat and added a button.

I really liked this shirt from Anthropologie:

Simple, yet different. But I was NOT about to spend $60 on it.

Dug through my lace to see what I had and found these!

Dug through the closet to see what I had: a shirt I bought at the thrift store (from J. Crew!) several years ago and hadn't worn for a VERY long time.

Add a little fabric glue, and done! Now I have a shirt that I will actually wear.

(Note about the fabric glue- I love LOVE using it for quick things that seem too difficult or shaped funny to sew on. I've washed things inside out just to be safe, but haven't had any problems with lace or embellishments coming off.)

Another oldie from the closet that I hadn't worn in well over 2 years. I held onto this shirt because it's my only plain red one- but I guess it was just too plain because I never wore it!

I found these lace collars at Value Village for $1 and glued them on with the fabric glue. I added a chain and some buttons just for a little more of a punch.

Up close view.

I've really enjoyed trying to make things work in my closet and seeing how creative I can get with both embellishing stuff I don't wear any more as well as my actual outfits. I've hit up the thrift stores and consignments, as well as department stores' clearance racks, so I haven't been on my best behavior but I'm proud to say that so far this year, I've worn several things more than once, but haven't worn the same outfit twice.

Men's Shirt Make-Over

2011-09-10T08:21:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to do this for a long time, I see it everywhere, but every time I've tried, it was a disaster. This time it was going to be different! I was inspired to jump back on the horse when I read this. Seriously love this woman's blog.

I found this shirt for $1 at Goodwill. I really liked the manliness of the print, but the soft (I'd could say feminine) buttery color.

Go at it with some scissors (and a sewing machine) and VOILA!

I also made some pins to wear with it (I did not make the brown one- still love wearing that one Jill, thanks again!)

I used the long sleeves to make a tie that wraps around my waist twice.

I've been on an "Extreme Makeover- Wardrobe Edition" kick lately- Julie Spitwad, I blame you entirely! She sent me a link to another blog which led me to another and another and another.

A few months ago I decided my motto was going to be "Start Nothing, Finish Something." These blogs just make me want to do new things. Plus, the hunt for the perfect shirt/skirt to refashion is all part of the fun, too. Ok, stay tuned, I have a few more projects from this past week to share with you- sometimes it's nice being sick and having an excuse to not clean and just sit.

Mason's Massive Goose Egg

2011-09-06T22:25:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when I leave Dale in charge. He goes upstairs, hears Mason crying, and thinks, oh he'll be ok.

He then goes downstairs where Mason is no longer crying and a few minutes later finally notices this GIANT LUMP on my little boy's forehead. I guess we're lucky it wasn't worse, huh?

At least he doesn't seem bothered by it. Everyone at the grocery store, craft store, park, etc. is concerned though. One tough little stud.

Another Belt

2011-09-06T22:21:00.000-07:00

Wore this hot little number to church on Sunday. Belt tutorial can be found here. I was a little self- concious leaving the house, but after wearing it, I really do like it. The flower may be a tad on the larger side, but I really don't want it too much smaller, so I'm happy with it as is. I really enjoy this blog- she's so fun!

Mason's 2nd Birthday

2011-09-06T21:28:00.000-07:00

Dale's parents came to visit us on Mason's birthday weekend, so we got to actually have a real party!
We started the afternoon of fun at Jungle Playland. I haven't taken the kids there for well over a year, and Mason's now at the age where he can actually appreciate it.

They had fun climbing in all the tunnels, going down the slides, and playing in the ball pit. Also, this giant monkey head.

Mason found the cars, of course.

And the lion.

Then Brighton and Dale played Whack the Alien.

Mason had a turn, too.

Grandma Trudy and Grandpa John! We're so glad you could celebrate with us!

We finished the evening off with a trip to Chuck E. Cheese. We ate and spent lots of tokens and got a few tickets- enough for some prizes. We got home too late to do cake and presents, so we saved that for the next day. Lucky Mason- two days of Birthday fun!

Alright, birthday continued: Money! Dale wants to get him a wagon. I'm not sold on the idea...

And then he got a new Mater tow truck and Lightning McQueen. He loves cars- especially their tires. He just says tires, over and over again.

And a whole bunch of army guys!

There's Mater and McQueen again. (He sleeps with them at night. He loves them.)

Mason was all funned (is that a word?) out, so Brighton stepped in like any good big sister and finished opening presents. He got more cars, clothes, and a giant bag full of balls in all sizes.

There was one last gift, hiding outside. Now for the back story: I've been telling Dale for about 2 months that I want to get Mason a little basketball hoop for his birthday. Mason would love it! When we drive around and he sees them, he screams "HOOP! HOOP! HOOP!" I knew he'd love one. Finally, I tell Dale the week of Mason's birthday, "Ok, I want you to go and buy it so it can be a surprise." Dale looks at me and says, "Oh, you were serious? You really want to get him that for his birthday? I thought you were just suggesting. I don't think he'll even play with it." So I found one on CraigsList for $10 Monday morning (Mason's birthday is Friday) and called Dale and told him I've made arrangements, so pick it up.

Let's just say, it was a big hit. And Dale will never live it down. : )

Mason and Brighton shot baskets for a few hours. The neighbor girls came over to play too.

"Thank you so much, Mommy. You're the best!"

Then it was time for cake!!! The signature "mom pose with the cake." Love you, mom! ; )

Mason helped me light the candle.

And we all sang happy birthday, Brighton, the best of us all. Then we ate cake! Such a fun day. I can't believe my little man is getting so big. And he is ALL boy, that's for sure.

Here are the stats from his 2nd year doctor's appointment:

29 pounds, 60th percentile

35 inches, 70th percentile (I actually think he's a little taller than that- they measured him standing next to the wall and he was a little wiggly and sort of hunching. He seems really big to me for his age.)

The doctor asked me if he was using 30-40 words. Now, Mason's only been actually speaking words for maybe 6 weeks, but I'm thinking it's less than that. He used to just say "eh" to everything. So I told her, "I don't think it's quite 30, but he's talking a lot more." I've actually been worried about him for a few months. He really didn't talk!

So a few days later I decided to start writing down the words he DID say and just through breakfast time and a little bit of playing with Brighton, he said well over 45 words. Sorry I didn't give you enough credit little buddy. : ) Now, only Mommy can understand, but that's the only one that matters anyway.

He's enjoying books now and likes to point to letters and then he'll say a random letter, I'll correct him, and he'll repeat it.

And he can count! He says, "one, one, one" and points to each different item.

He loves Dora and Diego, Spiderman, and Cars, of course. Mostly, it's the tires.

Like any other boy, he loves to wrestle, growl, get messy, and eat. He loves food. We can get him to go on a walk by leading him around with blackberries that we pick along the way.

He's sleeping in a twin bed now which is good. He was sleeping in his crib, converted into a toddler bed, but he wasn't sleeping in it. We'd find him on the floor or under the bed every morning. So, with the twin, he actually stays in bed.

And we're inconsistently working on potty training. He'll go in the morning and at night, and then sometimes he'll tell me during the day. We've had a few "underwear only" days, and he's getting a lot better. Mostly it's me- if I was better about it, I'm sure he'd be totally potty trained by now.

Those are the highlights! I love this little boy. I'm so glad that I was blessed to bring him into this world. He's my cuddle bug and he's always making silly faces at me, which he knows make me laugh. He loves to have me hold him like a baby still, and squeezes me so hard when he hugs me that I choke. Mason, your family loves you so very much! Happy birthday little man!

Cute New Belt

2011-08-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to make this belt ever since I stumbled upon it a few months ago, and finally got around to it this past week. Oh, and I got a massive haircut : )

I followed this tutorial and used some stash fabric and vinyl scraps leftover from a re-upholstery job. Check out her whole site- she's absolutely amazing. Why are there so many crafty and talented people? They just keep adding stuff to my "to-copy/do" list.

So cute! And the belt's not too bad either (totally kidding ;) ) Now go and make yourself one in every color!

Bib Necklace Knock-Off

2011-08-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

This has been a project on my "To-Do" list for like 2 years, no joke. I'd been collecting the pieces for it once I saw this picture from Anthropologie:

Of course, I would never buy the necklace as it was well over $100 (I honestly can't remember how much it was, but I'm pretty sure it was in the vicinity of $200, which is just crazy!)

I wanted something to keep my hands busy while I sat- yes, I needed to just SIT- and I pulled this out and started to finally put it together.

I used leftover linen from other projects, and collected jewelry from the thrift store, and actually broke down and bought beads and rhinestones to match. I think this was definitely worth the wait, and it didn't cost me anywhere near $100!

I'm Not Dead...

2011-08-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

I've been absent from the blog for FOREVER, I know. When I actually have a moment, I'm either trying to fit in some sewing or fitting in a run, or fitting in some food, or fitting in some shopping, or fitting in a visit to the park because there's FINALLY a sunny day and not really fitting in any computer time. Eventually we'll get back on track, but for now, it's gonna stay pretty sporadic, sorry to disappoint you all : )

I've started a fashion blog with some friends (not a public one, sorry, it's just for us) but wanted to share one of my latest refashions with you. This is the FIRST time I've even worn orange so it's kind of a big deal.

Story behind the shirt: I bought it white from Target a few years ago. I've gotten sick of all the white in my closet, so I decided to dye it. It wasn't supposed to be THIS orange- it's like a freakin' pumpkin! I was hoping it would have come out more of a burnt orange, but no such luck.

Once the dye job was over, I noticed the neckline was coming undone. It's kind of a sweater material, so it was starting to unravel! I bought orange thread to try and fix it and while it held together, it didn't look so nice. I was about to toss it when I was going through my fabric scraps and came across this long strip of fabric (I don't know my fabrics, how sad, and strange, is that?!) that's kinda silky and flowy... : ) I draped and sewed it down and was pretty dang proud of myself.

I miss you all, checking out your blogs, posting and reading comments. I love this little world we all share, where we can keep in touch and support one another. Thanks for checking in and I'll try to check in with you, too!

Kay's Visit

2011-05-22T20:48:00.000-07:00

My li'l sister Kaylee came to visit at the end of March. Dale took some pictures at the park one of the days, and I just like these ones.

It's like GQ for babies... Seriously love this one.

Mason and Kay doing the scrunch face.

Mason giving hugs, with Brighton. And notice the couch- it's been sitting in my dining room for months! So glad it's done.

Brighton (with a cape today), Kay and Mason.

Kaylee cut my hair and colored it for me. She's so awesome.

I mean, yes, we're awesome.

Kay, I miss you! I had so much fun with you here- thrift store rummaging just isn't the same without you! I mean, it's still fun, and I'll go, but a little more fun with you around.

Yakima Marathon

2011-05-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

**I saw that I never actually hit "publish post" for this way back when I first wrote it- oops!**

I ran my very first marathon in Yakima, WA on 02 April 2011. Here are the highlights:

It was a gorgeous sunny day, a chilly 50 degrees, and a little windy (thanks, Yakima) but felt like great running weather. I was just glad that I'd sacrificed fashion and had invested in a nice pair of running sunglasses a few months ago. We stayed the night in Ellensburg, right by the starting line, and Dale woke up early to walk me to the start. That's me- right there in the black capris and jacket with the white hat. I was getting so nervous!

Walking...

And waiting...

Getting fired up with a little Brittany Spears.

My race number!

And we're off!

Getting lost in the pack.

Rounding the first turn, and then we were on a completely closed course following the river.

I felt awesome. I got to mile 14, took a bathroom break and tried to eat something. Looking back, I should have eaten a little earlier to get me through those middle miles. The theory behind my training plan (article read here, more info here) was training for the second half of the race and to teach me how to run on tired legs. I felt great and totally prepared, so if you're looking for a plan, I really REALLY liked this one and will probably stick with it for the rest of my life. I just had to keep telling myself, "You've trained for this. You're stronger than you think you are. You can do hard things." That mantra, and my music, are what got me through.

I felt really good and strong until about mile 22 when it started to go uphill and my body literally felt like it was shutting down. My goal was to not walk at all, but I could not will my legs to run. They felt so heavy! So I alternated- ran 1 minute and walked 30 seconds- until I got to the top of that hill (3 miles uphill, thank you very much) and once I got to the top, it was downhill to the end.

My awesome family waiting for me- little Mason.

Brighton and my sister, Kaylee. They made me some fabulous signs! I wonder if Chuck Norris has ever run a marathon? Maybe I've got him beat : )

Mason running up the hill.

Brighton, I don't know what she's doing.

Kaylee and Brighton with signage and cow bell.

Dale and Brighton.

There I am coming up the final mini hill, in the blue.

Do you know how much energy it takes to wave at the end of a marathon? I probably should have saved it to keep running...

Oh no! Double wave? What was I thinking? Oh yeah- I'm freakin' awesome!

Trying to focus and finish strong.

Final wave, and across the finish!

I got a pink rose, a medal, a space blanket and several glasses of water after that...

Dale asks me at this moment, "Are you ever going to run a marathon again?" to which I reply, "Well, not anytime soon..."

My goal was to finish under 4 hours, and I'd trained to keep about a 9 minute/mile average, and I finished in 3:53:18. That's an 8:55 average pace! I'm pretty proud of myself for maintaining that same speed over the entire race.

It was a smaller race with only 485 people- 301 of them being men, 184 women. I got 128th place overall, 28th place in the women, and 8th place in my division- 25-30 year old females. Oh, and I passed a whole bunch of men! (Not gonna lie, that made me feel really good.)

It was totally awesome and I'm so glad that I did it. I'd wanted to do one since I was in high school, so it felt really good to check it off my list- but don't worry, there will be plenty more marathons in my future!

Earth Day

2011-05-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

I think it was Earth Day, I could be confused, but either way, Dale and Brighton came home with some trees and planted them together.

Brighton helped pack the dirt around.

And then she started talking to the tree, telling it how cute it was, and so little.

Now for the second tree.

Quite the little gardener we have.

Time to water!

"I can do it by myself, dad."

All done!

B and M's Fashion Corner

2011-05-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

Mason looks so handsome here, in a shirt my dad wore when he was little. So cute.

Every now and then, Mason will dress up, or allow Brighton to dress him. She went with a fireman hat, cat neck pillow and two scarves. Excellent choice.

Brighton just went with a tutu today, but the tape measure and dinosaur were the accessory choices for the day.

Oh, and her ballet slippers, how could I forget!?

On A Walk

2011-05-19T21:24:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed some of the random sunshine of April with a walk down to the park. Brighton was in serious mode and wouldn't kiss me.

But she did pretend to be flying.

Higher and higher!

Then we helped her climb a tree.

The kids and I ran back and forth across this field until Brighton said she "needed to rest."

Easter

2011-05-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

It was another cold and wet Easter (surprise, surprise) and the kids were kinda sick so daddy stayed home with them from church. Mommy went in her fabulous red dress (I love LOVE this dress, I wish I could wear it everyday) and gave a talk and enjoyed church all by herself. But the Easter Bunny still came! Rain or shine, I love that rabbit. He actually called Dale while I was upstairs with the kids and told him that he just came, hid the eggs and left a surprise on the back porch.

The kids were so excited! Brighton got a big smile and was like, "what!? the Bunny was here, and I missed it?!" and ran downstairs. He left us some baskets full of fun stuff!

There were recorders (you blow in the other end, Brighton),

And darts (not for your ear, mister).

And some yummy treats.

That bunny was so silly! He hid eggs in the house! In the kitchen,

Behind the chairs,

And even in the pantry.

Some of the eggs were filled with candy (that was probably too big for baby mouths. Think about that next year, bunny.)

And some had raisins and homemade chocolates!

We found all the eggs!

Time to play with our cool new toys!

These dart guns were such a huge hit,

Even dad wanted to play.

Hope you all had a fun Easter too! Family, we missed you!

Strike A Pose

2011-05-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

Brighton has become quite the little model lately, asking for me to take her picture and making ridiculous poses and actually smiling. It's nice actually. She wanted me to take her picture with this goop/slime stuff that she put on a cup because she said it "looked like a mommy."

I don't know what she was doing here (and she usually goes through color phases- this was her green period).

Wanted a picture with her big red ball.

Trying to take a picture of Mason, but she wanted to get in on it too.

Buttons!

2011-05-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with buttons. I hoard them and now I have so many, I have to find things to do with them. I decided to use this bracelet that I haven't worn in years and all my silver buttons to make a ridiculous charm bracelet.

Brighton wanted to model it for me, but she kept laughing at all the noise it was making.

Here it is! Isn't it fabulous? I love it.

Gifts for Emilia

2011-05-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

These are the cute girly gifts I made for the birthday girl:

Just happened to stumble upon this website and I'm in love. Here's the tutorial for this dress.

I think I did something wrong, but it still works. I'll have to make it again and see if I can fix my mess ups. Sorry Emilia! :)

This was something I'd wanted to make for a VERY long time but never really felt up to it. A little girl turning 2 seems to have been the push I needed.

They're like paper dolls, but better! Velcro and fabric- at least one of my favorite things. Here's the girl with all her accessories.

I couldn't make just one of each item, so I limited myself to 3, and trust me, that was so hard to do. Look at the detail on these little clothes! I was in love with each and every piece.

I added some ribbon onto one of the dresses, and even did two fabrics on another. I had so much fun planning out their outfits!

And here's the boy version. Not nearly as much fun as girly fabrics, but still cute!

Complete with high top sneakers, cargo shorts and jeans.

And a few pocket tees, too.

All packaged up in their own little bag. I love this bag. I should have kept it for myself...

Fairytale Birthday Party

2011-05-19T20:43:00.000-07:00

The kids were invited to a Princess/Fairytale themed party and it was nicely "suggested" in the invite to have the kids dress up. Of course, Brighton is always "princess ready" but Mason was out of luck when it came to costuming. Luckily I happened to find this blog post on one of my FAVORITE blogs ever and he was one handsome Prince Charming. Brighton is wearing a dress that was mine when I was her age- I just had to replace the elastic in the sleeves and she was ready to go. Family: does it look familiar?! Aren't you just dying at how much like me she looks?!

Mason and Brighton won "best dressed." I'm so proud :)

PS to Family: if anyone has a picture of me in this dress will you PLEASE send it to me? I thought I had one, but can't find one anywhere. Thanks!

FINALLY FINISHED!!!

2011-05-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

I know it's been ages since I blogged, there's just been so much going on!

But I wanted to share this with you: I picked this little loveseat up at a garage sale last summer for $20. I started taking it apart in January and finally got around to finishing it this week.

Before

After!

Isn't it B-E-A-utiful?!

It's going into our master bedroom, and once the whole room is done, it'll look A-mazing!

Seriously, so excited to have this thing done- it took WAY too long for us to finish.

Gifts I've Made #3

2011-03-16T17:24:00.000-07:00

The inspiration here came from a Ruffles and Rust Vintage Flea Market.

Here's Kassie (never mind her, we're looking at that purse). She was in love with it and wanted me to take a picture of it.

I made her this one for Christmas. She was really happy, I can prove it.

See!

So cute!

"Oh, I love it!" My mom asked if it was a shirt... silly mom : ) Kassie then proceeded to put it over her head and wear it like a halter top.

Here's a super cute pillow that was RIDICULOUSLY expensive.

I copied it and made this one for a friend for her birthday.

Gifts I've Made #2

2011-03-16T17:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, more Christmas stuff:

I made this necklace for a friend following this tutorial. She's a necklace wearer and I liked that it was kind of like a scarf.

I made this pillow for my sister. It's about 10" or 11" square (I don't remember). I saw a picture somewhere that I can't find now that inspired it. I free motion sewed the birdcage.

And here's the back. What's funny is she gave me an actual little birdcage with a glittered bird inside. We both gave each other a bird in a cage for Christmas!

Here's another necklace like the first one, following that same tutorial.

Here's some rings I made for my sister. I twisted wire around to make the actual ring and used buttons for the two on the ends and a bead for the one in the middle. I made a few of those bead ones in red and white- so cute!

I saw this and got inspired. This necklace was made from a pair of nylons and wooden beads.

I made this little pine cone Christmas tree for my mom. Lots of hot glue and burned fingers.

Stuff I've Made #2

2011-03-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

I saw this lamp shade turned chandelier at Joyworks in Snohomish (my FAVORITE store!):

It inspired this:

An old lamp shade that I couldn't sell off at the yard sale last year (yes, I hold onto things, yes I'm a hoarder) and all the lace I could find in my sewing room. I took all of the fabric off the shade so it was left with bear bones and tied lace onto it.

Hung it upside down, and I also found some old chandelier crystals at the thrift store and hung some of those on- and voila! A pretty light in Brighton's room. It just covers the original light that was already in there.

Gorgeous!

Stuff I've Made #1

2011-03-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

I also had someone ask me about a tiered stand that I made, so I thought I'd add that into the mix too.

I gathered some pieces from the second hand store and used glue that's for glass and ceramic.

Glued the candle stick to the bottom of the smaller plate and let it dry. Then glue the bottom of the candle stick to the center of the larger plate.

I added the little swan as a topper. This one sat unfinished for a few months. I actually just found a piece to put under the larger to plate that I'll have to show you.

Here's another one I made with glass candlesticks and a stamp for wax seals (not sure what the technical name is for that). Let me know if you make one, I want to see it!

Gifts I've Made #1

2011-03-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

I've had some requests to share what I made for Christmas gifts (yes, months ago, and yes, I'm just now getting on it, don't judge...). So prepare for a plethora of posts- maybe not all today, but in the next few days or weeks. : )

This was a purse I made for one of my mom's friends. She and my mom found these way cute bags in a boutique and my mom bought one for my sister for her birthday. I looked at it, and thought "I can make one better than that!" And I think I did.

Here's the inside of the bag. I used up scraps and fabric that I've been hoarding for years. Technically (because I can't remember the original prices I paid for everything) these purses cost me nothing, because I already had everything. But Dale keeps saying I paid something at some point, but that's really beside the point.

The other side of the bag, with a ribbon rose, that has a pin backing so it can be removed.

I made this one for my mom. She loved my black and white chair and I used the leftovers to fashion her a bag, along with fabrics with her favorite color, red.

The other side of the purse.

The inside with left over scraps from my other reupholstered chair. I don't think I've officially shared that one with you all either... my bad.

Modeling

2011-01-18T21:27:00.000-08:00

Brighton asked me to take her picture with a purse I made for a Christmas present. Then she asked me to take some more.

She was wearing Kassie's hat and a fleece fabric scrap as a scarf.

Then she leaned up against the window sill and struck this pose. Work it girl, work it.

First Bloody Nose

2011-01-18T21:24:00.000-08:00

The first. I'm sure there are many more to follow. I don't know how this happened because Dale took the kids to the park and then came running back with my bloody baby, but there it is. He cried a little, and then was fine. Poor guy looks really sad.

Peek-A- Boo

2011-01-18T21:20:00.000-08:00

I was ironing clothes and hanging them on a door as they were done. Mason went over and sat behind them. I didn't get a picture quick enough because he was just sitting there, with only his little fat feet poking out, for quite some time. Then he started laughing and playing peek-a-boo with me. This little man just melts my heart.

Day in Seattle

2011-01-18T20:48:00.000-08:00

My best friend, Brandy, came to visit me all the way from Georgia, and Kassie and I had a great day in Seattle with her.

The morning started off wonderfully at the Pacific Science Center at the Harry Potter Exhibit. I'm not going to hide it- I'm a Harry Potter nerd. That's right, I like to read little kid's books. And so do Brandy and Kassie.

It was a bit smaller than I expected, so I was just a teensy bit disappointed, but still glad we got to go.

The we wandered around the Space Needle a bit and had a photo shoot. I don't remember what exactly Brandy was doing here...

Kassie and Brandy, looking as needle-like as ever.

It was really cold out so Kassie and I snuggled close for warmth. Then we decided to go get hot chocolate at Starbucks.

After the Space Needle and hot chocolate, we headed over to my new favorite place, The Crab Pot! Kassie and I scarfed down our own weight in crab legs and Brandy had a burger. I did get her to try a little bit of crab though, so it wasn't totally wasted on her. (JK Brand-eye, you know I love you and your weird ways.)

I'd never been to the gum wall, so we had to go check that out and make a contribution. Seriously, I felt so dirty just standing in that alley. There was a wedding party taking pictures while we were there. Seriously? I would never take pictures here- well, for a wedding. I would for any other time, obviously. I was looking for a good spot where I could make absolutely certain I wasn't going to touch anyone else's gum.

The lights in the alley were so cool. (Does it have a special name? I don't even know.)

Funny story about this picture:

I was taking pictures of Brandy, and then of Brandy and Kassie when a man offered to take our picture so the three of us could get together. Now I don't want to be discriminating, and I'm going to remain PC here and not tell you the color of his skin. Or that he seemed a bit off. Which I didn't notice until my SLR $1,000 camera was in his hands. I showed him how to look through the window and adjust the lens to focus, and then push the button. Pretty easy, right?

The guy starts stepping back once, then twice. I'm telling him to just focus with the lens. He doesn't say anything, just takes another step back and another. I'm starting to freak out (I'm getting sweaty hands just typing this right now!) and I just tell him it's not a big deal and hop on over and grab my camera. I don't know what was going on, but I have my camera still, so that's good. Then a nice white man who worked right there at the market asked me if we'd like him to take it and he took this fine picture.

I'm not racist, really. That guy made me REALLY nervous!!!

Funny story about this picture too:

It was preceded by a long list of swear words because we drove around for like an hour trying to get on the stinkin' street to see the Freemont Troll. I don't know why I couldn't find it! Then as we give up and start heading home, there it is! It was the worst ending to a great day.

Thanks for visiting Brandy! I miss you!

Halloween

2011-01-18T20:28:00.000-08:00

I'm terribly behind in posting, so I've decided to just give you the major highlights and requests. Honestly, I'm sad it's taken me this long to post about Halloween considering how freakin' excited I was about all our costumes.

Kassie and I set up a tea party for our ward Trunk or Treat. It was pretty awesome.

Here's my Mad Hatter costume in all it's glory. I followed the tutorial here to make it. I ended up losing my size card EVERY SINGLE TIME I left the house. I have no idea how something that's been glued in happens to get away.

And Brighton went as Alice. I made her dress, and had so much fun doing it! And it only ended up costing me like $20 for her entire costume- which is kind of a lot for a little kid costume, but she wore it so many times, and even got to wear it to church on Sunday. Bonus!

Me, trying to look exceptionally insane with my scissors and a little bunny.

The group- Dale and Mason as Tweedledee and Tweedledum (I'll let you decide who's who), Kassie as the White Queen, Me as the Mad Hatter, Brighton as Alice, and Sawyer as the Rabbit. Yes, even the dog got in on it.

So much fun! I loved Halloween. I had people asking to take their picture with me at our Trunk or Treat and I won the costume contest at a Halloween party. Such a blast!

Thrift Store Find

2010-12-11T13:21:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share my really cool find with you. I was digging at the thrift store and found these Russian nesting dolls! Cool, huh?

They were only $3 and are in really great shape, with a "made in USSR" sticker on the bottom. I just love that they're little grumpy gnomes. Or maybe they're the Seven Dwarfs?

Aren't they so cute?! Brighton and I love playing with them.

Lang's Pony Farm

2010-11-28T21:38:00.000-08:00

We took Brighton to Lang's Pony Farm for her 3rd birthday. She had so much fun!

She got to pick out a helmet and her pony. She seemed nervous and I was worried she wouldn't want to ride one.

She got her boots in the stirrups and held onto the reins and was excited to go after she met Popeye up close (that's the pony's name). He was the smallest pony they had.

Here's the birthday girl with her guide.

Brighton kept slipping off to one side of the saddle and her guide had to keep pushing her back on.

Making a stop at the barn.

We went on a 30 minute forest trail ride. Popeye did awesome and only stopped once to go to the bathroom. I just liked how this picture turned out.

B practiced telling Popeye "WHOA!" and pulling up on the reins.

Nice job!

A photo op by the lake.

This is my favorite one of the day. She looks like a pro.

We asked her what horses say and she neighs at us. Then Popeye started to neigh really loud. At first Brighton looked scared, but then she started laughing and neighing with him. It was too funny.

After the ride, she told Popeye thank you and gave him a big hug and kiss.

Happy 3rd Birthday Brighton. We love you! Thanks for being so awesome Popeye.

Castle Park

2010-11-28T20:49:00.000-08:00

We went to what we call "The Castle Park" on one of the nicer days at the end of September. I don't know what it's real name is. The jungle gym is made entirely of wood.

Dale actually let go of Mason and he held on. I just missed the photo op.

There are little secret passage ways and hiding places throughout.

We told Brighton that in order to play at the castle, she had to wear her princess crown. She was all for it, of course.

Going down the slide.

Mason had fun driving.

Brighton and Mommy locked in the tower.

Oh Romeo, where for art thou Romeo?

Mason going down the slide.

This is after he got tired of trying to climb up the slide.

Brighton running around the castle.

Dale hanging out in the castle.

Arlington Runners Club 5&10K

2010-11-22T21:23:00.000-08:00

On September 25, I ran in another race. This was a smaller, local one for charity. I really liked the feel of it. I've only done the huge ones, and you kinda get lost in the crowd. At this one, we all got to talk before the race and I was running by myself once the 5k people turned around (I ran the 10k).

Dale stopped every now and then to take pictures of me.

And Brighton got out and waved almost every time. She was so excited to send me off to the race that morning (now whenever I put on my running shoes, she always asks me if she can come to the race and run, too)

She ran a little ways with me.

Finishing strong!

I ran the 6.2 miles in 50:59. There was a guy who ran it in like 35 minutes or something crazy like that, and another girl who was a few minutes ahead of me.

There were 22 people who ran the 10k. I got third place overall, second place for females, and 1st place for the 20-29 division. I actually placed! I love these local races.

Marysville Touch-A-Truck

2010-11-22T20:15:00.000-08:00

On September 11, we went to Touch-A-Truck. There we tons of trucks and tractors!

Brighton got a fire hat and got to sit in a real fire truck. She's been a obsessed with firemen lately- and not in the way you'd think. Unlike me, she's not thinking how cute they are, but how cool their jobs are.

She watches the "Barney's Trip to the Firehouse" on a regular basis. She was way excited about riding shotgun.

Me, Mason, Brighton and Kassie hanging out on the back of the fire truck.

Brighton was able to check out a real ambulance,

and drive a K-9 Police cruiser (with the actual K-9 in the back!).

She was telling me that she drove this police car.

Checking out the steering on a SWAT car (that's what it looked like to me).

See? A huge black tank.

There were tons of different kinds of tractors besides all the cool garbage trucks and dump trucks. Brighton was one proud farmer in this one.

Checking out all the different buttons and gears.

Of course, B had to check out the bouncy house.

And finally, there was a snow plow. This thing is pretty big, huh?

We had a blast at Touch-A-Truck. There was so much to see and do! And it was free, which you really can't beat. Keep your eyes out for it in the paper next year- you've got to check it out.

Gymboree Birthday Party

2010-11-22T20:09:00.000-08:00

So much good stuff I had to resort to a collage because there were WAY too many fun pictures. We went to a birthday party at a Gymboree Play place. So fun! The kiddos had a great time singing, pretending to be dinasaurs, popping bubbles, climbing on everything in sight, and best of all- the parachute. Even all the adults had fun with that one.

Wreath Giveaway WINNER

2010-11-19T20:13:00.000-08:00

I had my little helper give me a hand for the Christmas Wreath winner.

We put all the names in this dish...

Carefully picked and started to unfold...

And the winner is:

Brittany!

Goings on at the Glenn's said...

very cute wreath Kim! I love it. The ribbon you chose is very pretty and your red door looks great with it too! Yay for RED! I'd love to partake of your craftiness :)

Congrats Brittany! This will be a great housewarming gift for you. Luckily Brittany lives close, so I'll swing by tomorrow and drop it off. Thanks to everyone who participated. I'm just fishing for compliments and you all feed my ego sooooo well.

Can't wait for Thanksgiving to be over with so we can get on to Christmas!

Mason Wants to Sew

2010-11-13T16:43:00.000-08:00

I was working on a few projects downstairs and Mason loved trying to copy me and step on the sewing machine pedal. It was turned on, but if the foot isn't down, it makes a beeping sound. He's loving it because he makes it beep every time he steps down.

So proud of himself.

He's actually the first child to show interest in the machine. Perhaps I've got a little sewer on my hands! (For the record, B has expressed interest in fabric, just not the sewing part. I'm going to work on that.)

Random Photos

2010-11-13T16:35:00.000-08:00

Some random shots from daily life in the Hibler House.

Brighton drew a rainbow on her doodle pad.

Mason, King of the Mountain.

Mason, eating some sort of messy pasta with red sauce. Who's idea was that?

B, listening to my ipod and hanging out with Jessie and Woody, her two favorite pals.

Super Jock 'n Jill Half Marathon

2010-11-13T15:47:00.000-08:00

On Labor Day, 06 September 2010, I ran a half marathon! I was really nervous because I hadn't done a lot of running since finishing the Ragnar at the end of July. I'd only done a few longer runs- mostly 10 miles, some 12 miles and once 13 miles- and lots of short runs- like 3-6 miles. I felt out of shape and totally unprepared!

But things went really well. Here's just some of the highlights:

This was the first race that Dale was able to come and see me finish. It wasn't a relay so he finally knew where I would be starting and finishing and approximate timing. I was looking for him the WHOLE TIME! (He didn't show his face until mile 11)

I went to the start with my running friend, Cara, and we got warmed up together. We got pumped, put in our ear buds and wished each other good luck. I sprinted out of that pack pretty quickly. I hate running in the herd, so I take off and work my way to the outside edge where I feel like I can just get in a groove. There was a guy talking on a cell phone while running which made me chuckle. Who brings their cell phone on a run with them? Too funny.

Around mile 4, one of my ear buds stopped working. Not good! I really must have music while I run. It keeps me going! At least I had the other ear.

It was a cold morning, but not too cold. It's actually perfect running weather to me because I'm a sweater! There were even some rains drops here and there and a little misting so that kept me comfortable.

I was keeping a good pace- about an 8:15 minute mile until right around mile 10 when my other ear bud gave up on me, and I was feeling it. I'd pretty much hit the wall and the only thing keeping me going was the thought that if I stopped, I'd never get going again. I think if my music had kept up I'd have done so much better!

At mile 11, Dale and Kassie hung out with the kids. There was a park right there that B and Mason played at while they waited for me to come around.

Mason begging for a ride on the swing.

Kassie and Brighton being silly.

Mason, happy to finally be swinging.

I heard about this tire swing from B on the way home. She was very excited about it.

She seems sad that I'm running, but her sign makes me happy. Apparently this was a very "hard to get shot" because B kept crying and throwing the sign down.

There's me, in the middle with the white baseball cap. And my awesome highlighter green shirt. It was the race shirt. No way I was going to miss out on that.

Saying "I love you" to the family. Only 2.1 miles to go- the longest 2.1 miles of my entire life!

I finished! Not as strongly as I'd hoped, but I ran the whole 13.1 miles. My goal was to finish under 2 hours and I did it in 1:50:49. Not too bad.

Once I was done, I watched and cheered the other runners for a while. And took some photos of crazy runners, like this one. She seems depressed. I'd probably hate myself for wearing this un-aerodynamic tutu, too (hehe).

This guy had no shoes on! Seriously? ARE YOU INSANE? 13.1 miles on bare feet. In the rain. Like 40 degrees outside. Insane.

Me and Kassie.

Me, Mason, Brighton (as happy as ever) and Dale.

Here's my race stats:

Overall: 391st place out of 985 runners

Females: 120th place out of 501

20-29 age group (men and women): 28th of 105

26 year olds (men and women): 7th place

Race time: 1:50:49 That's an average mile time of 8:28.

The average race time of the entire race/runners was 1:57:01. I beat that! Yay!

I did it! I was really proud of myself that day. So proud I went to Burger King after and ordered a Whopper.

Christmas Ribbon Wreath Tutorial and GIVEAWAY

2010-11-12T13:23:00.000-08:00

I love this wreath! I made it a few weeks ago and wanted to share with you how I did it because it was just so easy.

Here's what you need:

1. Scissors

2. Wired Ribbons in 3 different patterns (the more contrasting the patterns, the better)- I used a glittered green, velvet red, and music sheet with cherubs gold. My ribbon is 2.5" wide.

3. Foam Floral Wreath (mine is 12" in diameter)

4. Glue Gun

5. Wire or a twist tie

6. Over the door wreath hook

My ribbons are from Costco. I bought them a few years ago to make a bow for my Christmas tree, and the leftovers have come in handy! You need quite a few yards, so look for sales, use your coupons, or buy in bulk like I did.

1. I used 5 yards of the gold ribbon to cover the foam wreath. Glue the end in place on the flat side of the wreath and just start wrapping. I overlapped about half the width of the ribbon. You could get away with using less yardage if you overlap less-depending on how wide your ribbon is.

2. Glue the end down in the back and let dry.

It's pretty just like this.

3. Cut 12 strips of each color ribbon measuring 25" long so you'll have 36 total strips (Ribbon yardage: you'll need about 8 and 1/3 yards of each color ribbon). I cut the ends at a diagonal. Cut two extra strips out of which ever ribbon you'd like for the bow.

4. Take a strip and fold it in half.

5. Slide it under the wreath (Round side on top, flat side on bottom).

6. Tuck those ribbon ends into the loop.

7. Pull tight! But not too tight, we don't want to break the wreath.

8. Repeat 35 more times alternating ribbons in whatever pattern you prefer. Be sure to push the knots close to each other and overlap the ribbons.

9. Take your two extra ribbon strips and fold in half. Lay one on top of the other like the picture.

10. Pinch the center together.

11. Wrap with wire or a twist tie, leaving some wire to attach the bow.

12. I attached the bow the my hook and Viola!

I'm ready for Christmas. Dale hates wreaths and he told me he actually likes this one. That makes it a keeper for sure.

Now the Giveaway- I know that's what lured you. I made a second wreath for the tutorial pictures and what do I need a second wreath for?! If only I had double doors...

Leave a comment here (this means you, you lurker) and I'll randomly select a winner next Friday. If you don't have a blogger account and can't leave comments, email me at kimberlyhibler@gmail.com and I'll add your name to the drawing.

If you make a wreath, let me know, I'd love to see it.

Family Portraits

2010-11-12T13:07:00.000-08:00

With my family here we tried to get some good family shots. We pulled out the tripod and camera remote and started smiling.

We got a few good ones.

But there were mostly screw ups.

This one was especially good.

I think I was smiling while talking and telling my mom a really great joke. Sounds like me.

Mason's First Birthday

2010-11-10T13:44:00.000-08:00

It was such a great weekend because my family was able to come visit and be there for Mason's party. Lucky boy!

I decided to go with an "UNO" themed party. I'd seen the idea before on MADE and took it just a few steps further.

Here's some photos of the action:

I was baking all morning and making icing in just the right colors.

I found some mini UNO cards and stuck those in the cupcakes.

Then it was time to set up decorations! Luckily it was a nice day so we could have the party at our neighborhood park. Everyone helped to get things ready. Here's Grandma holding bags of balloons, and Grandpa with Kaylee on his shoulders getting the balloons just right.

Looking good! I'm coming around to check things out.

I made a garland with a pack of UNO cards just sewn together. "That side looks a little low, Dad."

Dale was very proud of himself for making this sign and stapling it to the post. So much so that he took this picture of it.

Brighton had been anticipating this party for weeks. She was almost as excited as I was!

Even more exciting was the matching red balloon!

The basket of party favors.

The favors: a mini deck of UNO cards and chocolate, of course.

There was lots of good food, including Miss Spitwad's famous creamy jell-o squares in cherry and lime, as I'm so amazingly modeling in this photo.

Wasn't it so cool of Kaylee to dye her hair just for Mason's party?! (No, she didn't dye it for Mason's party but it worked out perfectly.)

Connor and my dad.

Kaylee was more excited about the jalapeños than the nachos they were to go on.

A lot of my friends came. Mason doesn't have too many friends yet, and baby birthday parties are about mom anyways. Right?

There were nachos and jalapeños, olives, jell-o, taquitos and Fanta!

We had a few balls for kids to play with... or moms.

Ben was in his element.

Most people came dressed in UNO's fashionable colors.

Grandpa, hanging out, waiting for cupcakes and wondering "why, oh why, did I put those jalapeños on my nachos!"

Kaylee and Connor.

The Party Ramada.

Balloons and garland decorations.

There's the birthday boy! I almost forgot this day was about YOU!

Brighton, being silly.

Getting ready for a big jump.

The cute cupcakes.

More cupcakes.

I'm proud of these cupcakes, ok?

Everyone gathering to sing Happy Birthday.

Yay, one for me!

"So, what do I do with this?" That's the thing about not giving my kids cake except on their birthday- they have no idea what it is and are not the least bit excited about it.

You want me to put this in my mouth?

"Seriously? People eat this stuff?" "Yes Mason, and that's homemade chocolate cake and butter cream frosting so you better love it!"

Can I just play with it instead?

Alright, alright, I'll lick my fingers.

Well this frosting isn't bad.

The photos are all about being messy.

And chubby little hands like this!

Everyone eating cupcakes.

Come here, I want to give you a kiss!

I made shirts for everyone in my family. Back row: Me, #6; Dale, #0; Connor, Reverse; Grandpa Rod, Draw Two; Kaylee, Skip; Kassie, #8; Grandma Helen, #2. Front Row: Mason, UNO; Brighton, #3.

Thanks to everyone who came and made it a special day for Mason, even though he won't remember any of it. We'll have this post as proof! Those who didn't make it, know that you were missed.

Thanks Mom and Dad for coming, and letting Kaylee and Connor tag along. It was so great to have all of you here to celebrate with us.

Happy First Birthday my little Monster Man!

Becoming A REAL Runner

2010-11-10T13:29:00.000-08:00

After the Ragnar at the end of July, my feet were suffering a little. Blisters for weeks, and loose toenails. Finally at the end of August, I lost a toenail! I'm excited about it because now I can say I'm a REAL runner. I've lost a toenail!

I was so excited I painted my toenails just so you could see:

New Red Door

2010-11-03T18:14:00.000-07:00

My dad is the type of guy who always needs to be doing something. We save projects for him for when he comes to visit.

Our front door was in serious need of a new paint job.

I picked a totally awesome red and my dad got to work!

Yay! I love it!

Sunflowers

2010-11-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

I LOVE sunflowers! Dale planted some seeds for me, and I'd forgotten all about them until they started poking out of the ground. After they'd grown, it was a beautiful morning and the sun was shining right on them. They were begging me to take their picture.

I got lucky, there happened to be a little bee in one that morning.

Little bee flying away.

My Size Mr. Potato Head

2010-11-03T17:53:00.000-07:00

Kassie, being silly.

Mason Helps With Laundry

2010-11-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

Mason loves the laundry. He's always crawling in it and dragging it all over the house. These were taken on two separate occasions.

He kept crawling into this blanket and laying down. It was really cute.

Making a little nest.

Nice and comfy.

He also loves the laundry basket. He crawls in and sits on all my clean clothes. He's quick.

Helping me fold.

Ready to get out.

Taking a spill!

This little guy is rowdy and tons of fun!

Kassie's 18th Birthday #3

2010-11-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Kassie's birthday yet again with some cake at home. I baked this fabulous cake. It was my first time making it and it's seriously the best cake. You must make it. It's even better after a day in the fridge!

No I didn't have any candles. Yes, those are matches. I know what you're thinking, we're awesome. Dale said we were stupid.

Kassie was SO happy I baked her a chocolate cake.

And Kaylee gave everyone hair cuts for Kassie's birthday.

Kassie couldn't wait for the cake to be cut. She took a bite right out of that thing.

Happy Birthday Kassie! I'm glad you could be here to celebrate with me!

Kassie's 18th Birthday #2

2010-10-24T15:43:00.000-07:00

Connor and Brighton. Despite what you may think from this picture, B and Con-man are best buddies.

Mom and me.

Dad's bowl of food.

Eating Crab Pot style: dump the food on the table, put on your bib, roll up your sleeves and eat with your hands. Love it!

We're ready to dig in! Well, hammer our way in...

Kaylee and Kassie. Yes, Kaylee got a burger- she's the black sheep on the family and doesn't like seafood. Weird, I know. Well, Dale got a burger too so I guess they're both weird together.

Of course, the birthday girl got some ice cream to celebrate and we all helped her finish it.

Everyone got a ride on the carousel, and Kaylee's picture is the only one that didn't turn out awful.

Twins!

Grandpa and Brighton.

Grandpa sneaks a kiss!

Cute girl! Miss B with a weird clown.

Mom and Dad.

Miss B looking so cute walking on the pier.

Kaylee, me and Kassie. We ate so much it's coming back up!

But seriously, good food.

Kassie's 18th Birthday #1

2010-10-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

Kassie got to celebrate her 18th birthday here in Seattle! The rest of the family (my parents, sister Kaylee, and little brother Connor) flew in and we went straight to... The Crab Pot. Yes, we ate there again. It's so good!

Taking random pictures while driving into Seattle:

Seriously, this boy is so attached to his pacifier. It's going to be torture taking it away in a few months.

There it is: The Crab Pot!

Grandpa showing Mason how the mallet works.

Cute Kaylee and Kassie. Remember the voodoo doll? That's why Kay's hair is so very red- to save it from falling out!

Ok, blogger is at it again- Kassie's Birthday dinner to be continued!

Mason and Kassie Get Silly

2010-10-24T15:02:00.000-07:00

I don't know what inspired this, but we put little swimmers on Mason and Kassie's head.

Mason thought it would work with the ladies, and I guess it did.

They may be diapers, but Mason still looks like a stud muffin.

Brighton's Faces

2010-10-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

Surprised happiness.

Forced sadness.

Dirty mischief.

Chocolate pudding.

Mini Photo Shoot

2010-10-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

My sister just looked so cute I wanted to take some pictures.

Seriously, she's so gorgeous!

And funny!

Thanks for letting me snag some pix Kass!

Adventures In Food

2010-10-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

This isn't all of the adventures because some went by very quickly (we LOVE food, ok?!) before we could snag a picture.

At the famous Crab Pot in Seattle. Kassie shares my love of sea food and we dived into a bowl of crab legs. With butter. Yum.

Oh yeah, we love to beat our food with mallets.

We also went to Frost Doughnuts because we couldn't turn these beauties down. Each one is a work of baked art. Mine was red velvet (on the left) and I don't remember what Kassie's was- white chocolate something and it was good!

They had little kids' books which helped keep Brighton entertained.

SOOOOO good. And the place was decorated all in pink and brown. It was just fun to be there.

With some nice free hot chocolate. There was a really cute boy that worked there and he was checking my cute little sister out. She got us free hot chocolate. Beauty has it's perks.

Jetty Island #3

2010-10-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

Little bathing beauty. We had a picnic lunch and played in the sand and then got packed up and ready to go so we could get home for naps.

We thought this was cute- the litter monster.

Turns out, something broke on the ferry and we had to wait an hour and a half to get off the island. Mason cried the whole time because he was tired. But Brighton didn't pee her pants, so all in all it was a good day!

Jetty Island #2

2010-10-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

It was a little chilly early in the morning but as soon as we started running around, we were warming up!

Brighton had fun squishing and sinking in the mud and finding sticks.

Mason, who still hadn't quite figured out walking yet, had fun crawling and splashing himself in the face with ice cold water and mud.

And they found slimy green stuff. Why do kids love the gross stuff?

This is my favorite picture of the day. Mason just looks so happy to be wet and muddy.

Jetty Island #1

2010-10-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

While the summer was still here, Kassie and I hit up Jetty Island. I'd never been and now that I had someone to help with the kids, I thought it might be fun. And! Huge plus- it's free. You can't beat that.

Mason, Kassie and Brighton waiting for the ferry. The trick with free stuff- it's first come, first served so we had to get there about an hour before the first ferry took off.

It wasn't bad waiting. We played and took pictures.

The cute little ferry!

We went when the tide was really REALLY low- like no water at all. So there was a lot of mud which the kids didn't seem to mind.

Ok, I can't add more pictures yet again! Be ready for a few more Jetty Island posts!

Mason Walks

2010-10-24T13:57:00.000-07:00

In early August, Mason started taking some steps all on his own. He'd been cruising around holding onto furniture for a while but with a little coaxing, he started walking!

Teasing him with some fun colored jewelry that he normally wouldn't be allowed to play with.

Letting go of Mommy's hand. He's such a big boy.

Taking some unbalanced steps with a rubber chicken, of course. He's already a little joker.

Sawyer looks scared. He's thinking, "What?! He's walking already? Now I've really gotta watch out for this kid."

Backstreet Boys

2010-10-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, this was FOREVER ago. And yes, I've procrastinated long enough- it's time to bite the bullet and catch up on blogging!

I was telling Dale, "I wish I could just start from what I've done this week instead of feeling the pressure of playing catch-up." To which he responded, "So do that." What is he thinking?

The Backstreet Boys concert was in early August. My little sister, Kassie, came with me and my friend Jessica. Jessica and I grew up listening to these Boys so we were VERY excited. (Pictures were taken in the dark and on Kassie's camera, so don't make fun of the bad pictures!)

And of course we made t-shirts. (Hint: They say, "It's gotta be you.)

There were some pretty crazy fans with some awesome signs like this one: BSB=Female Viagra.

And some who came in outfits that NO ONE should ever wear out in public, like this French Maid ensemble. But hey, if you think it's going to get Nick's attention...

Kassie, me and Jessica getting pumped!

We're ready to rock our bodies! We danced through the entire concert. It was awesome.

Some girls behind us threw up. Seriously? Why come to the concert if you have to drink to enjoy it? I just don't get it.

Do you think Nick looks back at old pictures from the Backstreet Boys' early days and says, "What was I thinking wearing my hair like that?"

Whoa! Getting crazy!

They had several themes and costume changes, but I liked this one best. They actually brought out some old dance routines.

More lights and dancing.

Awesome.

Kayak Point #4

2010-09-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

More sisterly love.

Being goofy is what we do best, right mom?

Mason is having a great time.

Mason crawling on some logs.

Thanks for letting us tag along Dale. We had fun at the beach!

Kayak Point #3

2010-09-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

Sister love.

Me, Brighton, Mason and Kassie.

Brighton and Kassie sharing a precious girl moment.

Dale didn't like shooting into the sun, but I think we got some fun silhouettes.

Kayak Point #2

2010-09-25T13:59:00.000-07:00

The kiddos loved taking their shoes off and strolling in the waves. Not so soft on the feet, but worth it.

Mason wasn't sure about this moving water.

A great picture of Kassie, if not for the STINKIN' wind blowing her hair into her face.

Brighton enjoying the waves.

Kayak Point #1

2010-09-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

Seriously, the blog gods are out to get me today! Ready for another series of posts!? This one is Kayak Point!

It was a YM/YW activity to go to Kayak Point and eat s'mores. I told Dale he was going to take us along. Who could miss this?

Not a great beach, but still fun to run around.

Brighton loves rocks. She was in heaven, throwing them into the waves.

Looking for a pretty one to throw.

Silver Lake #5

2010-09-25T13:39:00.000-07:00

Last one, promise!

Baywatch babe.

We had a lot of fun. Thanks Friends who made it a great afternoon!

Silver Lake #4

2010-09-25T13:35:00.000-07:00

He finally got away and had fun in the sand.

Hanging out with friends and learning to share... maybe.

Wait for it...

There we go! And if you look in the top left corner, Mason takes a face dive.

Silver Lake #3

2010-09-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

I just love little man! Perhaps his new nickname should be Gordo because Brighton has started calling him Fatty. Oops Mommy! That can't be good.
Kassie getting artistic in her photography.

Me and the Mister.Ok, I wasn't going to put pictures of anyone other than MY family on this, but Nicole, this was just too funny. And, I believe he asked for it.

*ok, don't know what was going on, but hopefully you can see pictures now... let me know.

Silver Lake #2

2010-09-25T13:25:00.000-07:00

Kassie brought along her word search, and a pen. Mason loved that pen. And he actually kept his hat on for more than three seconds.

All the kids playing. You can see Brighton and her future husband (I wish!) playing with some buckets together. Young love...

Me and Miss B's sandy feet. Yes, she picked the black nail polish. She's so chic and she doesn't even know it!

I just love picnic lunches!

Silver Lake #1

2010-09-25T13:13:00.000-07:00

Kassie and I took the kids to Silver Lake in early August. We had a ton of fun, and here's just some of the cute shots we got that day. Nicole and Jessica, remind me to get you the pictures of you and your kids- there are some great ones.

Mason hadn't quite learned to walk at this point, so he was itching to get crawling around in the sand. Kassie was having none of that!

Brighton was having fun playing in the sand. She didn't really get how the sand shapes were supposed to work.

Thought this was a cool shot with the boats in the background.

Mason got away! But they had fun with a game of chase.

For some reason I can't add more pictures to this, so there are a few more Silver Lake posts to follow. To be cont'd again and again and again!

To: Kay-aline

2010-09-10T07:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many of you have seen the movie Coraline- but in my family (well, me and my sisters) we LOVE Tim Burton! My sister Kaylee is especially in love with the movie Coraline, so Kassie and I thought it would be fun to make a doll that looked just like her.

My sister had white hair at the time (hair school girls, what are they thinking?) and she has this amazing yellow dress that's her favorite. We decided to recreate that look. Here's Kassie painting on her red lips.

Here's the doll complete with pearl earrings and textured tights!

We even included a box of button eyes for Kaylee. If you haven't seen the movie, see it!

We didn't tell Kaylee we were sending it, we thought it'd be fun for it to surprise her. She used scissors to cut open the package, cutting off some of the doll's yarn hair! The next day she was getting her roots done and her hair dresser made some sort of mistake because when Kaylee started to wash her hair, it was breaking off in clumps (Here's where Kassie and I screamed "voodoo doll!"). She has since dyed her hair red to try and save it from falling out of her head, and is taking much better care of her Kay-aline doll.

Giant Zucchini

2010-09-06T18:51:00.000-07:00

We planted zucchini in our garden and we had a mutant one grow (or maybe we just never saw it under all the leaves and it kept growing and growing, I don't know...).

It's the size of a newborn!

Half the size of Miss B!

Literally huge! This was a zucchini we got at the grocery, and a loaf of bread! We've had it coming out of our ears, eating it almost every day and baking zucchini bread too. Yum!

Ragnar Relay 2010

2010-09-06T16:55:00.000-07:00

We met up in Bellingham, WA Thursday night, the night before the race, for a team meeting and pasta party. The family got to come too! Mason and Brighton had a lot of fun playing on the exercise equipment.

Brighton, sweating it out on the elliptical.

RAGNAR RELAY NW Passage

12 people, 2 vans, 200 miles (ish), 24 hours.

Run. Drive. Sleep? Repeat.

Our cute team in our "I eat, therefore I run" t-shirts. We were the "Eaters with a Running Disorder." Some are missing!

Side shot.

And of course, the butt shot. At least we all have decent rear ends or this could have been a disaster. It says "Eater, Runner."

This was the van I was in (with driver Mike, so named because there was a runner Mike)- Van #2. We were runners 7-12.

And the back- our runners falling over.

So, the dew melted off all our decorating during the night. Our driver Mike and his wife re-did all

the paint.

I actually think they made it better the second time around!

We had a 10 am start time. But since we were van #2, runners 1-6 had to get through their 25 or something miles before we even had to think about running. I was runner #7, so I was really nervous all day- the first one to go in our van! Here we are waiting for #6 to show up so I can take off for my 6 miles. I hit the road around 3:30 pm and it was toasty!

So close! This water was what kept me going. Can you just see the beautiful condensation all over it? It was fresh from the ice chest.

Seriously! It was so warm that day. Who knew water could taste so good? I finished my 6 mile run in 52:30 and then it was time for me to kick back and relax while everyone else went. (It was nice being first, I'll admit it!)

We were running through gorgeous areas! The race starts in Blane, WA, near the Canadian border, and goes south to Whidbey Island (189 miles).

So many cool team names! Here's one we especially loved- Choose to Run.

Me, Jennifer and Jay. Jennifer had just finished I think, and Jay was still awaiting his turn.

Me, Jennifer, Runner Mike (from DC!) and Jay.

I just really liked this picture of Jay, and the cows following him along the fence. Kinda creepy.

Jennifer, me, Francys (who is runner #1, getting ready for Jay to stroll through the exchange),

and Melody.

And now the night runs, leg #2, begin!

We got the call around 12:00 am that Rob was speeding his way along (runner #6). Seriously, he was waiting for me for a few seconds at the exchange! At 12:30 I lept out of the van and booked it! Don't I look hot in my vest? The night run was the longest of my legs: 8.7 miles, which I did in

1:13:24. Lady Gaga kept me company.

Van #2, last legs, 10 am, Saturday morning. Waiting for runner #6 to come through the exchange. At this point I've had literally no sleep for over 24 hours, eaten a few bananas and bagels, was so nauseous I was thinking of not even running my last leg, and wondering why in the heck I would torture myself like this!

Jay was wondering too, why I did this to myself, and laughing at me. I don't feel too well in this picture and I'm not excited about this last leg!

But I'm competitive, and I told myself I could do. I knew I would be so proud to finish. I bit the bullet and took off!

A few weeks before, Dale and I had driven my legs just to get familiar with where I was going. This was the one I was so looking forward to. I was running through some farms, along the water, up and down some hills- truly gorgeous. And I finished! My last leg was 6.3 miles and I did it in 1:00:40.

Yay! I'm done!

Not feeling too well, but still looking fabulous!

We all crossed the finish line with Jay, and our team captain, Cara, leading the way.

We did it!

Not as climactic as we'd hoped- we were all just a bit frazzled by the end.

Not so much we couldn't get a team shot by the Ragnar Van!

And a fun one, too!

Yes, I'm awesome.

I had so much fun, even with the no sleep and feeling icky. I made some new running friends (I only knew 2 other people before the race) and I ran 21 miles! I don't think I'll ever get tired of telling people that :) I had so much fun I'm already signed up for next year's Ragnar NW!

Random Brighton and Mason

2010-09-06T16:39:00.000-07:00

I'm condensing a few days into just a few pictures. My littlest sister, Kassie, took these the first few days she was here- purely for memories.

We went and had a picnic lunch at a park and Brighton ate a granola bar. It was a hot day (don't let B's jacket fool you- we couldn't get her to take it off!) and she has chocolate all over her face.

Kassie just loved going in and waking Mason up from his nap because he sleeps like this.

Eating strawberries from our garden- we had so many this year!

And Mason, hanging out with Brighton's magnetic letters. He's getting a head start I guess.

And here Kassie is terrorizing my son and just watching him cry. He's such a faker.

Jungle Animals Baby Shower

2010-08-07T19:36:00.000-07:00

I know, it's been forever! But I've still been busy with crafts, and we're still alive, I promise. I've been excited to share this stuff with you- and literally, this post has been a month in the making. Where has all the time gone?

I threw a baby shower for a friend that I used to work with at the groom shop. She's due in December, so we didn't even know what she was having yet! (It's a girl, we know now.) She's decorating the nursery in a jungle animals theme, so we threw a jungle party!

I worked on this diaper cake for a few weeks! Have you seen how ridiculously expensive these things are? I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, and I loved going shopping for animal print stuff the whole month before the party.

I used (I think, if I remember right) one box of diapers for the cake. I didn't roll them all up separately with rubber bands like some I've seen, but more like a fabric jelly roll (you can kinda see it in another picture). I covered the bottom layer with some receiving blankets I found at Target. The second layer is some bibs.

Embellished a little with ribbon and paper and animal toys.

I made these burp cloths with the extra receiving blankets and cloth diapers.

And this tag blanket for the little one to play with. These topped the cake.

You can see how the diapers were rolled together here. And the tag blanket tucked inside. I put a circle piece of card board between the layers, with a hole in the middle. In the hole I put toilet paper cardboard tubes to hold the layers together (each layer of diapers had a hole for the tube to go in).

And then, of course, there's my ACTUAL gift for the mom-to-be. I made this pacifier clip with a suspender clip. Isn't that a cute pacifier?

Sorry about this picture, I cannot get it to flip the right way! But I dyed this onesie and painted the bananas on. I thought about putting "this $h!t is bananas" on the butt, but wasn't sure if that'd go over well. Dale talked me out of it, really. I should have done it...

And then I made this blanket with the receiving blankets and fleece.

Found some animal type cards, books, toys, q-tips, more diapers, shoes, etc., and put it all in this cute animal print tote.

The shower turned out really cute, we decorated with stuffed animals, rope, and streamers and ate yummy food! Thanks for letting me throw your shower Sarah!

Chair Makeover

2010-08-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

My first paying reupholster job:

A friend of ours is updating their "new to them" practice, using some of the old pieces. These chairs needed a face lift.

There were four of them, and Dale and I worked all weekend to get them back to the office by Monday.

Really, who would want to sit in these?

And here's the after:

We painted them a nice espresso color and reupholstered in a chocolate vinyl.

Then we did up the backs a little bit. I think they turned out pretty good!

Thanks for letting us work on your chairs, Heather. I hope they're working out well!

Dale's Friend Comes for a Visit

2010-07-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

Dale's best friend from BYU came for a visit 4th of July weekend. We haven't seen him since we moved from Utah (4 years ago), so it was so great to have him around! He was always our third wheel, it was nice to have him back in place, seriously!

Here's Derek, Dale, and Brighton, trying to act like they're tough. We took Derek to see the Space Needle and Pike's Place Market- two "must sees" in Seattle.

Brighton and Dale, looking as cute as ever.

Derek and Dale. Thanks for a fun visit Derek, we've missed you!

Strawberry Jam

2010-07-13T17:11:00.000-07:00

Brighton: Mom, what's that?

Me: That's jam, Brighton.

Brighton: Did you make that mommy?

Me: Yes, I did, from the strawberries in our garden.

Brighton: I'm so proud of you!

If that doesn't boost your self-esteem, I don't know what will.

Brighton's First Ride On A Motorcycle

2010-07-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, so she didn't actually ride it, but she got to sit on it, which was way cool for her. For some reason, she's always loved motorcycles. When they would drive past our house when she was smaller, she would run to the window to see them drive by and yell "motorcycle!" It was one of her first words.

I took a picture very similar to this when I was about Brighton's age. Remember Dad?

Jeff is a friend of ours, who came over for some random reason. We went out to say bye, and Brighton was so excited to see the bike. Jeff let her sit on it, and he even let her hold on to the handlebars.

Here's Jeff telling Brighton all about motorcycles.

Then she got to wear the helmet. As a hat aficionado, Brighton was in HEAVEN!

It was even cooler (if that's possible) with the visor down.

Then Jeff let Brighton sit on the motorcycle while he started it so she could hear how loud it was. If she could, she would say, "Best. Day. Ever."