Triathlon update and... LOOK... a new sink!

Ok, two things today....

First is that, unfortunately, my triathlon training is put on hold (what is up with things happening to me at the last second?)... Why? Well, I've been having some knee pain and after applying heat and resting it for a while, I decided to go to the doc when it wasn't getting any better. The doc fiddles around with my knee, makes a lot of "Mmm, hmm... uh huh" noises and then says I need to get an MRI done by an Orthopedist.

Why?

He thinks I have a torn meniscus (cartilage inside your knee) and might need arthroscopic knee surgery.

Oh hurrah. Can you imagine knee surgery with a three-year-old? Good god have mercy. However, seeing as I'd like to run again (heck, I'd go run right now in 95 degree heat) without massive knee pain... I'll go through with it. Jeez, the joys of getting old.

Well, that was a downer... BUT, I do have good news... I GOT A NEW SINK!

Why on earth is that good? Well, I HATED (loathed, detested, etc) my old sink. It was cheap white porcelain that I had to scrub with clorox every few days because it stained so bad. Let me give you an example of how cheap it was -- I was washing a large glass mixing bowl when it slipped out of my hands and fell into the sink divider... I cringed, expecting to pick up broken glass, when I discovered that it wasn't my BOWL that cracked... it was the freaking sink. The sink's bottom wasn't flat, it was rounded, so you couldn't place any glass cups without them falling over (and breaking).... oh, and it was small... and we had an awful faucet that leaked constantly and was just Ugly.

Gah.

Finally, we have a new one. A nice one. A fancy-schmancy one... and I am thrilled! It's black (no more staining), it's only a single bowl (so it's huge) and the bottom is flat!! Oh happy days! Plus we got a new faucet with a pull-down nozzle... Oh, I can fill my large pot with water without slopping it all over myself. I can stopper up the drain and even let pans soak in soapy water, like people intended to happen when they first thought up the concept of a sink!!! I'm in heaven!

Ok, so I realize you don't care... but I had to tell someone! :)

Triathlon Training... Day 1

Alrighty ladies and gentlemen, I'm starting my training slowly... I want to see where I am with all three events separately before I see the time together. Heck, I just want to make sure I can actually *do* everything!

I already know I can run. My best 5K time is 24 minutes but I won't get close to that in the tri... I'm just hoping for a 10 minute mile average (since running comes last), meaning my time would be 37 minutes for the 3.7 mile leg. According to last year's results, that'll put me in 11th place (for the run).

This morning I tried the bike portion and managed to do 11.7 miles in 45 minutes -- not too bad when you consider that I haven't been on a bike since my freshman year in college (11 years ago). That puts me in the 27th spot (did I mention it was out of 33?), which isn't terribly bad.

The bad news? I was stoked to try running after biking and I really believe that I could run the full 3.7 miles without stopping... BUT about 10 minutes in, my knee gave out.

*sigh*

I have an appointment to go see the doctor tomorrow to see what's wrong... I hope it's nothing that will sideline me for a large amount of time! I'll keep you updated! :)

Jen

Ok, you are going to laugh...

I have finally decided that I am clinically insane.

This revelation probably does not come as a surprise to those who know me, but this turn of events should surprise even my husband. I have set up so much on my plate that Im not sure I can get it done... heres where you come in: I need you to keep me on task.

So, what have I lined up on my plate that seems so daunting? Here goes:

*I am redoing a guest bedroom... this entails:

*Priming and painting the entire room (including stripes on one wall)
*Setting up all the new furniture and moving the old furniture out
*Sewing the curtains, quilt, pillows and various other items in the room

*We are going to DragonCon in September, so I have a few costumes Id like to get done before then... They include:

*Padme Amidalas Corset Gown... I need to make the mermaid skirt out of both silk and burnout velvet and bead the necklace by hand.
*Two Starfleet uniforms... I need to find a place that does custom fabric printing in an inexpensive manner, sew the uniforms and find the pants and boots for both a man and a womans outfit
*Finish my Silhouette costume... I have all the parts, now I need to dye and alter them... oh, and find a wig.

Yeah, did I mention that Im also thinking about training for a triathlon (also in September)? Holy cow.

So, heres what Im going to do... Every few days Im going to post pictures, updates, and information and I need all my friends and watchers to give me encouragement and props to keep going. Trust me, there will be tons of pictures to share... especially of the costumes... So, stay tuned... This blog is SURE to become MEGA-active over the next few months.

Take care all and happy reading,

Jen

Whew!

Ok, talk about craziness!!!

First things first -- I didn't realize that I would be sick so often once my son went to preschool!!! I think I've been sick more times in the past six months than I have in the past five years. I even came down with the nastiest case of the flu and it took me two full weeks to get over it.

Of course, everything had to happen in April and May, one of the busiest times of the year for our custom memory blankets! Ridiculous.

I just wanted to pop on and let everyone know that yes, we are still operating and yes, we'll be around for a while. Because of all the various personal issues (between illnesses and funerals... which I've been to three since February), we've taken a hiatus on doing local craft shows and, as such, we have a ton of leftover items from last year. The husband has issued a decree that no new items will be made until I've cleared out last year's stuff... SO....

SALE TIME :)

Yup, sale time... and a great sale, too. I'm starting off with burp cloths, though I'll be adding bibs and blankets later on this week. The sale is as follows:

*Grab Bags -- Buy three burp cloths for $9 (retail price $16.50)
*Free shipping on orders over $40
*All orders over $100 will receive a free gift (valued at no less than $20)

Oh, and check out a few of our custom tshirt memory quilts that we did for graduating seniors!