My Blanket Making Adventure

I've recently started a new hobby of sewing baby blankets. With everyone around me having babies and having found a very simple tutorial online, I was excited to start a new challenge. Not having enough time usually plays a big factor in me starting new projects. Usually I'm always busy doing something for someone else which leaves no time for things I want to do. This truth left me even more bound and determined to follow through on this project!

Now I've been to the fabric store many times with my sister so I had an understanding on how to purchase fabric. I'm not completely oblivious, however I did not realize how expensive sewing projects can be! After my initial fabric shopping I've become a little more savvy in taking advantage of sales and using coupons wisely! I completed my first three blankets in about a week. I lovingly gave them out for shower gifts and they were well received. I get so excited when I get to see them in use, my newest niece Natalie used hers at the hospital right after she was born.

Since my first three blankets were such a success I decided to make blankets for the rest of the kids in our family. I made three fleece tie blankets with the much needed help of Eric and I'm going to sew four more baby blankets! Two for Christmas gifts and two for shower gifts.

While posting my successes on Facebook my Cousin and my Aunt have both referenced my Grandma Van Wie and reminded me how special this new hobby of mine really is. It's almost like I was destined to do this. Growing up my Grandma was always making blankets or pillows, I never questioned why, I just figured she loved to sew. Every Saturday my Dad would pick up his Mom to spend the day with her. On occasion she would bring a blanket over that she was currently working on. I remember Jimmy and I sitting on top of our dining room table with her blanket under us spread out over the table. We would help her tie all the yarn threads that held her fabric and batting together. She also taught us embroidering, she would sketch out pictures on fabric and we would use a hoop and trace out the picture with a needle and thread. Now thinking about it, I owe a lot of my creativity to her.

My Grandma always gave away her pillows and blankets as gifts. Our hall closet was always overflowing with her labor of love. We always had enough resources for the tents we would create in our bedroom, enough warmth for guests staying the night or essentials when camping. Now that I have my own home I know how nice it is to have extra blankets. The past couple Christmas's Eric's Grandma asked what we wanted and I answered, we want another blanket. While I don't have any from my Grandma, I have two from Eric's that we use on a daily basis. A blanket isn't just material, it's a gift of warmth, comfort, something that ties you to that person and makes you think of them every time you use it. Now I understand why my Grandma created and gave these pieces away and thanks to my Cousin and Aunt, I'm going to think of her every time I create a new blanket.

It's All About Tradition

It's that time again, the holidays are upon us! They sneak up so fast and before you know it they're gone again! This year I've decided to slow things down with the hopes the season won't flash before my eyes. I want to take in the true meaning of Christmas and allow time to reflect and appreciate what's truly important during this time of year.

My coworker and I had a conversation earlier in the week and we agreed that Christmas just isn't the same when you're an adult. When you were a kid everything was magical, possible and you had an unlimited amount of hope. If you were anything like my brother and I, we took Christmas traditions very seriously. While Mom decorated literally every inch of the house in Christmas decor, Jimmy and I would lock ourselves in our rooms and decorate. No one was allowed in until our masterpieces were complete! We would go to bed with our rooms lit up and Mom would unplug them while we were sleeping. Jimmy and I also had a big collection of Christmas coloring books that would sit in our bookcase until the proper time of the year. We would spend evenings coloring and Mom would always bring us a new one from work to add to our collection. We loved spending countless hours outside romping in the snow with my best friend Kristin and her sister Kimberly. Eating icicles off the roof, making snow forts, sledding or just sitting in the snow and taking in the winter night. If you can honestly tell me you never laid under your Christmas tree while it was lit and took in all the lights, you need to do this when you get home. Christmas Eve was always a difficult night to sleep, knowing "Santa" was going to bring us new toys. As we got older Mom would always tell us that this Christmas wasn't going to be like last and it was going to be "smaller" to this day we still don't think she knows the meaning of the word. I would often watch Mom make her fudge that she would place in tins or on platters with other assorted goodies and Jimmy and I would have to deliver them to the neighbors. Christmas morning it's tradition that Mom makes her Raisin Bran muffins for breakfast, it's something us kids look forward to every year. When she was done making ours she would continue baking so Jimmy and I could deliver a few more dozen to the neighbors. Always on a special Christmas platter with a few sticks of butter. They were always fresh out of the oven, piping hot upon delivery!

Unfortunately Christmas time isn't quite as magical as it was when I was a kid. Instead of spending a sleepless Christmas Eve in excitement for Santa to visit, you're now Santa. Your sleepless night is now because you're going over everything in your head to make sure you didn't miss a gift. I have come to the realization however that all those years of being a kid during the holidays has prepped me for the kind of adult I want to be. I've been given the greatest responsibility in making sure all the kids in my life enjoy Christmas as much as I did. Even though Eric and I don't have kids of our own to make special traditions with, we have many nieces and nephews to practice on! Eric and I love buying presents for all the kids and watching them get excited, it's even more fun when the parents get excited too! Eric may not understand why I get so excited to watch the old Peanuts cartoons, Rudolph or Frosty the Snowman on TV, but Jimmy does and we still send each other a text to make sure we watch it. Hopefully when Eric sees how excited our someday kids get when they come on TV, he'll understand.

Last month I took the challenge of announcing something I was thankful for, for 22 days. This month I've promised myself that I'm going to slow things down and try to find the real meaning of Christmas if you will. I'm almost finished with my first Christmas book, our house is decorated and my shopping for all the little ones in our lives is almost done! I listen to Christmas music on my way to and from work and enjoy a warm beverage to keep me cozy when I can. No matter how hard I try I can't fight back the tears when I hear "I'll Be Home For Christmas" on the radio, even though I know my sister will be in town before I know it!  I've told myself that I'm going to try to do something "festive" every week to keep my spirits up! I'm going to enjoy my family all month long and let them know how much they mean to me. When you get down to it, Christmas isn't about gifts, it's about tradition, memories and the warm fuzzy feeling you get when your family is surrounding you. I hope everyone enjoys Christmas this year, no matter how you prefer to celebrate it! Merry Christmas!

22 Days of Thanks

I was on Facebook one morning and a friend posted Day 1: and proceeded to say what she was thankful for. While I didn't get the private message as to what the new posting trend was, I got the message loud and clear. The past couple of years have been hard for Eric and I emotionally and with that struggle it's easy to lose sight of the many blessings in our lives. So I knew I had to participate in this daily posting to remind myself of the many things I'm thankful for. If you happen to miss my daily posts, they're all below, enjoy!

Day 1: I'm thankful for my growing family! I'm so blessed to have such amazing nieces and nephews, being an Aunt is the best job in the world!
Day 2: I'm thankful for a hot cup of coffee every morning. Odd I know, but not everyone has the luxury.
Day 3: I'm thankful for my time with my husband. After a long week, I enjoy our weekends together. ♥
Day 4: I'm thankful for my amazing group of friends, don't know what I would do without them!
Day 5: I'm thankful I had such a relaxing day yesterday, great company, amazing food and the rest I needed to feel energized today. Thanks again Dave Faron and Kristin, we'll definitely come over again!   
Day 6: I'm thankful for two things today! 1 that my husband is patient with me at the gym and makes me kick my own butt and 2 that I can rock my right to vote today!
Day 7: I'm thankful for date nights with my Dad, looking forward to this evening! ♥
Day 8: I'm thankful there are people in the world that will go out of their way to help another in need. It's amazing what can happen when everyone comes together as one.
Day 9: I'm thankful for weekends, nothing better than some much needed rest and time with family and friends!
Day 10: I'm thankful I get to work on house projects with my Dad.
Day 11: "Salute the ones who've died, the ones that gave their lives, so we don't have to sacrifice all the things we love..." I'm so very thankful for all the men and women who served or continue to serve our country. Also for the families who give a big sacrifice as well. ♥ Happy Veterans Day!
Day 12: At the moment I'm thankful for ice... I just banged my eye on our glass table and I'm really hoping I didn't give myself a black eye. On a more significant level I'm thankful for pictures... when I can't see family and friends all the time I enjoy the pictures that are posted. It makes me feel like I'm not missing that much even though I really am.
Day 13: I'm thankful for my awesome Mother-in-law Tammy Kenney! We always have a great time when we get together and I can talk to her for hours. She always encourages Eric and I to do things that make us happy and always wants the best for her kids. Today is her Birthday and I hope she has a great day! ♥
Day 14: I'm thankful for the unexpected moments when Eric tells me he loves me. He always knows when I need to hear it the most.
Day 15: I'm thankful that I got to spend the evening with my SIL Kim! We always have a great time and we definitely don't get together enough. ♥ Love you Kim!!!! 
Day 16: I'm thankful for cozy nights at home with my hubby! Especially after a very long week! ♥

Day 17: I'm thankful for an awesome day in the city with great friends!! — with Eric Sam and Jason.

Day 18: I'm thankful I was able to manage my time well today, was able to enjoy a great morning in the city and help my Dad this afternoon! My parent's bathroom is going to amazing when it's finished!

Day 19: Today I'm thankful my work collected items for the victims of hurricane Sandy, which I dropped off at the Northern Illinois Food Bank this evening.

Day 20: I'm thankful that after lots of hard work I was finally able to do 18 ab crunches on the ab machine at the gym tonight! It doesn't sound like much, but going to 18 from 0 it's pretty darn amazing!! P.S. I'll so be feeling this in the morning!!

Day 21: I'm thankful for the unexpected perks at my work, leaving early today!! Ready to get this holiday weekend started!!   

 

Oh so you realized I didn't complete Day 22 yet! Well for good reason, Day 22 is tomorrow silly! However I feel I can complete my 22 Days of Thanks this evening! 

Day 22: I'm so incredibly thankful for my amazing husband, my loving family and the greatest friends a girl could ask for. I think my Day 14 sums up Eric, he never leaves my side even on my worst days and never loses hope for our future. My Day 1 sums up my family, it just keeps growing which means even more love that you never knew your heart was capable of until it happens. I'm so grateful to have the most amazing parents in the world. They would go to the ends of the earth and back for us kids and the word no isn't a part of their vocabulary. While we don't get together with our friends as much as I would like to, the time we do spend with them is always memorable. I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have them in my life and we've shared in so many life changing events this year, moments I will remember forever! 

 

So while you're with your family and friends tomorrow for Thanksgiving, remember all the blessings you have in your life. It's very easy to forget all the little things that really make your life the adventure it's meant to be!

 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! 

  
         

The Perfect Poem

A poem I found this morning that really sums things up~

Don't let them get too close -
Too close to see my pain.
Because if they look real close,
They will see the tears that fall like rain.
The room is picked,
And baby's things collected.
But, inside that empty room,
Something needs corrected.
Because there's a crib and a cradle -
There are baby toys and clothes too.
But, there is not a baby -
No baby to fill this womb.
I cannot stop the crying,
And my pain won't subside.
I'm lost for ways of trying;
I've run out of places to hide.
The holidays they come and go -
All the years that I look back.
And now I find the future's grim
When I look at what I lack.
I try to hang onto hope -
I try to wait and see.
But sometimes it's hard to cope
When I think it may never be.
I'm not the only one that finds it hard -
Sometimes I wish I were.
But, it's the hurt I see in his eyes
That digs in like a spur.
So tell me where to go from here -
Please tell me where to go.
Things just seem so unclear,
And it has challenged all I know.
It has tested and confused me.
It has brought me to my knees.
And now it's too hard to see
Just what you need from me.
Is it something I am doing wrong?
Is there something I can do?
You see, I've been waiting for so long,
And I've been crying out to you.
Please don't let this be a barren place-
In this place where my child should be.
Let me see your loving grace.
Please bring my child to me.
Rock-a-bye baby...
I hold you so dear.
Even if it's only in my heart
That I'm holding you near.

The 2012 Color Run ~ My First 5K

 

What a journey, what a challenge! 

On April 26th I had a thought- "Has anyone used the Couch-to-5K app? I'm thinking about doing it!" 

On April 29th I started my training- "I finished Day 1 of Couch-to-5K, it didn't sound too difficult but it was a little rough, not going to lie! That's the most running I've done in a very long time!!" 

Mind you Day 1 was a 5 minute warm-up walk, followed by 8 repetitions of 60 sec running and 90 sec brisk walking, finished with a 5 minute cool-down walk. Doesn't sound too difficult right? Yeah, that's what I thought.. here's what happened in the next two days...

May 1st- "I finished Day 2 of Couch-to-5K... I'm having a hard time believing this is going to get easier. In some aspects it was easier today, but it was definitely hard. I know, I know, it's only Day 2." 

May 3rd- "Finished Day 3 of Week 1... dear Lord kill me. I love the results I'm seeing from the program but I can't keep my endurance up. any suggestions runners?"

The program continued for 8 more weeks and finally-

July 26th - "I officially completed my 5K training!!! I increased my pace to 14.06 min/mile and did a distance of 2.13 miles in 30 minutes! So proud of myself!! A big thank you to those of you who cheered me on along the way and to my hubby for running with me! Now time to move on to 10K training!" 

When I started my training I wasn't sure if I was actually going to run a 5K, the whole thought sort of intimidated me. Then I saw Eric's cousin Alex did a Color Run, after seeing the pictures he posted I knew I had to do it! I registered for my first 5K, the Color Run in Milwaukee on June 6th! 

Then the day finally arrived, the Milwaukee Color Run on August 24th! My goal was to run the entire thing without stopping. We stopped once for water and took our time through all the color spots, but other than that I ran the entire thing! I'm so grateful for Rhonda and Becca cheering me and supporting me until the very end! The best feeling was seeing Eric waiting for me at the finish line with a big smile on his face. I had done it, I completed my training and my first 5K! I'm so proud of myself, I set a goal and completed it! I celebrated and danced with 10,000 runners including my sister-in-law, my husband, my husbands aunt and cousin and some of his friends! It was a blast, a perfect way to end an amazing journey! 

I've recently starting 10K training and I'm hoping I'll be able to do my first 10K on Thanksgiving! Wish me luck! 

 "Strong is what you have left when you've used up all your weak"

"Scared of Success"

While sitting at work yesterday and dreading making phone calls to insurance companies I realized, this is not what I want to do with the rest of my life. Yes, I love working in the medical field and I love medical billing, but it's not my passion. For the past couple of years I've been so busy with side jobs that sometimes I find myself taking days off work to get everything done. I always think, if only I had more time to design and create, I know I could do great things.

When I was younger we took family vacations to Door County and I remember a shop called the Pink Mailbox. It was my favorite store, it had all different types of stationary, stickers, stamps etc. Every year I would stop there and stock up. I told myself I would own a store like that someday, it was my dream! While in college everyone thought I was crazy for not wanting to work for a company and do corporate designs. I wanted to make stationary and wedding invites, things of that nature. I wanted the pleasure of being a part of people's special occasions and events. It's an honor to bring their visions to life.

I have the greatest support system a girl could ask for. My family and friends are constantly encouraging me to start my own business. A part of my fear in taking the big leap is that the market is so saturated with beautiful designs, that I honestly didn't believe my work was unique enough. However it must be since people are coming to me to create their wedding, shower and birthday invites. I was discussing my concerns with a girl at work and I told her that I was just scared and nervous and honestly didn't know where to begin. She looked at me and started to say "so you're scared of..." and just when I thought she was going to say failure, she said "success" I paused and looked at her and thought wow, I've never thought of it that way. I've never really been scared of failing because my mentality has always been, I'm capable of learning anything, capable of succeeding and even if I don't, I can't say I didn't try.

A few years ago I trained for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day and completed that goal. Currently I'm training for my first 5K and I have one more day in my 9 week program. In the beginning of that program I thought I was crazy for attempting to be a runner, everyone told me to take it slow and you'll be amazed how far you'll go. I learned while trying to do something physically different your mind is always telling you negative things, "I can't do this, this is too hard, this is impossible." It's when you tune out your brain you realize your body is telling you something different. I'm so proud of myself and I realized if I set little goals and complete them, at the end you've actually completed a big goal!

So I'm finally in a place where I'm saying "it's time!" I'm setting a goal and I'm working for a better future. Wish Sam and I luck as we start a new adventure and get our work known. Thank you to everyone who's supported my dreams and encouraged me along the way! I'll keep everyone updated as things develop!

The Pre-Baby Bucket List

I'm a firm believer that if you write down your goals, you have a better chance of making them happen. A to-do list or a bucket list if you wish. When I was single and not really looking for a relationship a coworker told me to write down all the qualities I was looking for in a boyfriend / husband, I would find that person. She said often women don't really know what they're looking for in a partner until they actually make a list and realize the qualities that are most important to them. If you meet someone and they don't match a majority of your list they may not be the right person, why waste your time? This spoke to me because I had found so many Mr. Wrongs. I was more than ready for Mr. Right. That afternoon I proceeded to make a list and kept it in my mind for a while. Soon after I started college I knew in my heart I was going to meet my husband. About half way into my first quarter I met Eric and low and behold, someone who met all the qualifications on my list!

It's with this experience that I believe it's time to make a new list. This September it will be two years that Eric and I have tried to start a family. While I still have my difficult days, I believe we are on this journey for a reason. That's why I've decided to make a list of things I would like to accomplish / complete before God blesses us with a little one.

My Official Pre-Baby Bucket List:

Start a family

Finish my Couch to 5K app (3 more days to go!)

Run my first 5K (scheduled for August!)

Start a Yoga class (already have a place picked, just need to go!)

Complete the bedroom renovations in our house

Organize my office / craft area

Organize the house and get rid of more clutter

Go canoeing or kayaking

Go hiking at Starved Rock

Start my side business, officially, website and all!

Go to Boston, MA (not too realistic, but hey, you never know!)

Pay off some more debt

For now these will be my goals, once completed I will start a new list! As you can see I have my work cut out for me, wish me luck! :0)