Hazardous Undertakings

Snitch

2012-02-03T07:30:00.001-07:00

Even with all the running going on these past few weeks, I couldn't neglect my crochet! I made this golden snitch for my HP fanatic friend's bday. I used this pattern, but made some different wings. If I had cats, I would attach this to a string and a pole and try and teach them quidditch. But then again, if I had cats I would be sneexing so bad I couldn't watch them play anyways.

Happy Groundhog's Day

2012-02-02T15:47:00.001-07:00

Maybe I'll actually get some winter in the next 6 weeks.

Broccoli

2012-02-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

Embarrassing to admit, but I had no idea what a broccoli plant looked like until I grew one. Those little green things we crunch are actually pods that will turn into yellow flowers if left to their own devices. And they grow in the center of the plant surrounded by leaves. I feel like I should have learned this at some point.

All the same, I'm still excited when food from my garden looks like food from the grocery store.

How To Go From a 10k to a Marathon in 8 Weeks (high level of stupidity required)

2012-01-31T07:30:00.000-07:00

*this post is more for me so I can remember why I never want to a marathon again. You all will probably find it dull. No worries :) You can skip it.

Early November I thought it would be fun to run the Turkey Trot. I had only been running about 3 miles and I asked my sister to do it with me to help motivate me get up to a 6 mile run. The farthest I had ran in my life was 5 miles, before I had a kid, when I was training for a triathlon. The turkey trot was my pr for distance.

My Big Sis had finished her first half marathon with amazing success and said we should do a full marathon.

I told her no way.

I'd train for a half with her, but a full marathon was too much.

She didn't want to do another half because she had just finished it. Then she started in with her trade mark enthusiasm, contagious venom that it is.

So we scouted for marathons online. I refuse to race on Sunday so that nixed several races Part of this could be from watching Chariots of Fire too much in my impressionable years. Most of it is due to a fairly superstitious belief that I will absolutely die or get horribly injured if I do race on the sabbath. I have absolutely no problem with anyone else racing on Sunday though. I fully admit to being crazy.

I wanted to do a race in March so my type A self could have plenty of time to follow a prescribed training plan. Big Sis didn't want to think about a race for months. Our options narrowed down to one in Sedona or Surprise. We found the Desert Classic Marathon was on a Saturday, didn't require a hotel stay, didn't have hills, and the real deciding factor: $40.

I know it goes to charity and whatnot, but dude, the price of optional painful experiences is steep these days. $40 is a smokin' deal for a full marathon. So we signed up. Well I signed up. Big Sis was pretty dang close to bailing on me 4 weeks later, but by then I was committed enough to go solo.

So if you are feeling rather stupid, here is my training plan (not endorsed or recommended by anyone, including myself)

Each week go on one medium run 3-5 miles, one short speed run 2-3 miles, and one long distance run. Attend one yoga class (mandatory)

Week 1: Turkey Trot! Hooray for 6 miles

Week 2: 8 mile long run. How can I be ready to quit at 4 miles and feel the same amount of tired at 8?

Week 3: 10 mile run. So really this is all mental game. I thought my lungs were what would make me need to stop. Huh.

Week 4: 13 miles. Oh my Lord, I can't walk. I'm going to die on the marathon. My fall back plan was to walk if I needed to. I can't even walk right now. And maybe Christmas Eve wasn't the best day for this run.

Week 5: 15 miles. The only way I am even getting myself out the door on this run is to walk WHENEVER I feel like it.

Week 6: 18 miles: I should probably try and run more miles before a walk break, but I just can't motivate myself to. I really shouldn't have ditched yoga these last couple weeks.

Week 7: 20 mile run. God bless Tina Fey and her audio book Bossy Pants (she narrates it). I am now the jogger who is laughing to herself and scaring pedestrians. I can't believe I ran to my parents house and back. Well, I walked the last 2 miles (and plenty in between) because my left calf was feeling hot, like muscle strain hot. I blame my inconsistent yoga during Christmas time.

Week 8: Should have been a 10 mile run to start out the tapering. I felt I should rest the my calf more so I skipped it. It was liberating. Unofficial poll of friends and family says it is still an achievement to finish a marathon even if you have to walk parts of it. Finally got around to buying the new running shoes I meant to get 4 weeks ago. Freak out about them not being broken in.

Week 9: 8 mile run on Monday. Right calf started hurting. Total freak out for the marathon 5 days away. Late night internet research and a heart to heart with the good Lord have me set on trying a run 4 minutes, walk 1 minute idea. I vacillate between wanting to puke every time I think about the race and being giddy that I won't have to think about it anymore in a few days. I find out the course is only open 6 hrs instead of the 7 hrs I was banking on. 6 hrs was my goal to finish since I'm a slow runner so I had a total freak out. Thankfully I was still able to sign up for the early start which gave me full 7 hrs and the mental time cushion I needed.

1/28: MARATHON!

It was still dark so we started running under the stars in the beautiful desert. The early start was extra awesome because it meant one less hour of running under the energy-sapping sun. I had a terrible stomach ache the day before and couldn't eat much. It didn't feel like a nervous stomach though, but I assumed it was. I felt nauseous the morning of the race so I didn't eat anything. I actually threw up at mile 6. Then I felt WAY better and happily ate a goo immediately after. The first 13 miles Big Sis and I stayed together. We cheered for people and talked and made friends and had a grand ole time. My calf felt a little hot at mile 8 but didn't get worse for the rest of the race. It started to get less fun at mile 16. Mile 20 it got down right painful. Mile 23 I tried to make myself push it a little. I failed. I ran solid from mile 24 on though. Mile 26 I could finally see the finish and picked up the pace. I'm not sure when my hips began punishing me for my craziness, but I'm still trying to get them back on my good side two days later. I'm still waddling like I'm 9 months pregnant. I also have a couple sweet bruises on my legs from some muscle tears. I felt super sick to my stomach after the race but figured it was because of my delicate blood sugar. Sunday I still went to church but didn't feel great, despite sleeping as much as possible. My stomach was still giving me grief. Ends up I had a mild fever. Now, I can't decide if the fever and whatnot was caused by the marathon or if I caught a bug and just wrote it off as nerves the entire time. I suppose it doesn't really matter.

Here are a few things I learned:

1) The first mile and last mile always suck, not matter how far you are running. Big Sis told me this and now I believe her. I think the first 2miles you run consecutively are the hardest in life.

2) The metallic "I want to throw up" feeling you get when you start a running program does go away! You just have to keep running three days a week. It goes away about run #5.

3) It really is mental after 6ish miles. And by mental, I mean you muscles won't give out. Your lungs aren't heaving (if you run slow like me). It's your brain that gets tired of pushing. To overcome this, I recommend an awesome running buddy. Or some ACDC. Highway to Hell got me through mile 18.

4) I swear anyone can do it. If you think it would be cool to do, just go for it. You don't even have to like running. I never really did, just liked how I felt after. But I do give you fair warning, your body may get a little hooked on it.

Now I am going to go take yet another nap.

That time I ran a marathon with my sister

2012-01-30T13:52:00.003-07:00

We ran the Desert Classic Marathon in Surprise. Well it started in Surprise and went to Buckeye, then turned around at 13.1 miles. It took me 5 hrs and 28 minutes. I averaged 12:30 minutes per mile and I am completely fine with that. My goal with not to get picked up by the truck and finish with a smile on my face.

My awesome sister who got me into this mess

It was out at the base of the White Tank mountains. I like running with that desert smell. Although I did have a coyote run across the road in front of me, which I found awesome.

We took the early start at 6am so the timer is an hour off

She is a rockstar

We made some friends with these two gentlemen as we alternately passed each other. I don't remember this one's name, but his buddy's name was Larry

After this picture I asked if Larry had finished yet and he asked if I knew who Larry was. Apparently he is the Guiness World Record holder for the most marathons in a year. He was lots of fun to run with and has an amazing laugh.

Big Sis even walked the last half mile or so to cheer me on as I finished

Acting how we really feel

Greeting our new friend Sharon. She called us the Woohoo girls

I'm so glad it's over! More details tomorrow

Bokeh

2012-01-12T07:30:00.000-07:00

My Big Sis had a GIGANTIC 13 foot, real Christmas tree this year so we figured it would be awesome for playing with a little bokeh. I was only going to pick two or three, but I couldn't choose I simplified by posting all of them :) Enjoy the last of the Christmas posts :)

Maidenname Annual Party

2012-01-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

The Maidennames have always had a mexican food dinner the Sunday before Christmas. This year it was moved to J--mas Day. I think Husband should have considered it a giant birthday party on his behalf. I mean, it was at a park, had amazing food, and a pinata. Techinically TWO pinatas. One for the little kids,

Cheryl the Great even filled it with tickets that you could take to the "store" in the back of the truck to pick out a present. Like a princess phone

Or cowboy guns

Or baby dolls

Then the adults got their own pinata, which promptly lost it's head, but that didn't stop us

The park was a great idea. My pops even brought his self walking dog who carries her own leash

And there were lots of bouncy balls

And walls to look over

And good food and friends

And cousins to feed

And cousins who didn't want to be fed

Which just left more for J. (In a sippy cup that wasn't even hers...)

The best part though, was the swing. And somebody threw a fit when we took her out of it, despite having a neutral expression during the actually swinging

P.S. Sorry to those family members who didn't make it in a picture. I was more playing with my lens than trying to record the event. And that was in between chasing after my daughter. Just because I didn't post unflattering pictures you on the internet doesn't mean I don't love you. Promise.

J--mas Day 2011

2012-01-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

Husband's bday is the 26th. My sis in law officially declared it J--mas Day a few years ago and since then we decorate the traditional J--mas Day tree. In previous years it just meant the tree wore a conical hat. The hat has not yet been demolished so the tree donned it once more.

This year I was able to flip the tree skirt my madre made us. (yes, I know I used the official name in that post, but I'm pretty sure everyone who reads this has figured out everyone's names. I'm just trying to keep googling down to a minimum in case J's junior high nemesis wants to use it against her. Probably a futile effort, but I still try).

And since the silhouette started rocking my world, I added the traditional J--mas Day ornaments. (and the bow on the present above was made with the silhouette too)

We finished the day with traditional J--mas Day festivities.

Crocheted Fruit

2012-01-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

Yep, more crochet. Maybe I should start posting them on the same day every week. Get a catchy name with some alliteration. Fiber Fridays or some such nonsense. Hmm. The idea reeks of commitment though so I suppose I'll have to pass.

These little gems were part of my sis in law's christmas gift. I know sis in law should be separated with hyphens, but I can't use a hyphen without looking at the keyboard so I don't use them if I can help it. Same goes with one year old. Ah well. At least my strawberries have improved.

1 year old check up

2012-01-07T07:30:00.000-07:00

J is now in the 75th percentile for height. I was afraid it was all in my head that she had grown so much. I've been having a existential crisis about how I ended up with a 1 year old. (This episode may be due to substituting at my Alma Mater for a friend I went to high school with, compounded with the laundry situation leading me to wear my favorite concert shirts form high school. I swear I'm not REALLY and adult yet). The doc didn't bother telling me her percentile for weight, but showed me that she was right on for her own growth curve. I think he knows I stress about it too much and become a little neurotic about numbers. Little girl is just going to be tall and thin. I suppose there are worse things to be.

Then my doc gave what he calls the "1 year old mommy pep talk," outlining how my kid will stop snuggling and wanting me. I told him she never did so that wasn't an issue. Then he gave some great discipline advice. "She is going to start having temper tantrums (I said she already has) and they will last for...oh...about... the next 18 years." The banging the head on the floor and screaming will stop but then will turn into viscous words and she'll say how much she hates you and never wants to see you again. Then you'll get a call when she's 18 and away at school on what a wonderful mother you are and how she always thought that. Essentially, it's really easy to get depressed, but don't give up. Keep disciplining her so at the 1 millionth time she might stop and think first.

And tossed in there was the best line of the whole appointment:

"So when you are teaching her not to play in the toilet, you are really teaching her not to have sex before she's married."

Awesome.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

Confession 1: We didn't get J anything for Christmas.

Terrible parenting right? She had just added a whole new slew of toys from her birthday and she didn't need anything else. I wanted her to have a baby doll since she became very attached to her cousin's and looked adorable toting it around. My Lil' Sis wanted to get it for her though so we had that covered. Plus, I knew her grandmas and grandpas would have a few gifts for her, so we just saved the money for other things.

Now I LOVE birthdays and promise she will never get jipped once she's old enough to remember, but for now, we're going to delight in the minimalism.

The minimalism that involves really cute hand-me-down Christmas dresses and brand new fuzzy pj's.

Husband surprised me with a brand new camera lens :) Very generous, especially since it means I'll be taking even MORE pictures

Of course she wouldn't let me get a picture of her clutching the doll

As long as she had her favorite paint brush, she was fine opening our presents

I love these pj's because they say "The Best Gift Ever"

Confession #2: None of these pictures were actually taken Christmas morning.

Pavers

2012-01-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

There was a week or two at the beginning of December with slim posting. I do not apologize. I will show you what I was up to though: Phase 4 of Operation Awesome Yard.

My Big Sis, my papa, and I have this work exchange co-op thing where we swap labor for big projects. Big Sis got a whole bedroom set repainted (I"ll get some pics from her since they turned out AWESOME!) and I got pavers. Here are some befores.

Before we moved in

After phases 1-3 and prepped for phase 4.

(Mind you, the dirt excavation for these 2 patio areas was done by yours truly and my sweet mother. Girl power and whatnot. Special thanks to a J for taking a week of awesome naps.)

There will be a fountain and pond in this corner after phase 6.

footings for the little wall

That's my father of Latin decent, not a "cousin" picked up on Broadway. I must admit we did make a few jokes.

Special thanks to my AMAZING family for the 10 hrs of work that Saturday, and my ridiculously awesome papa who took work off to help me finish it before J's bday, who was watched by my mother dear so I could work. It now looks like this:

We didn't have time to truly finish the edging since I want another course of block, but I wanted it to look good for the party so I put some edging on it

Don't worry, I changed the water right after the picture

Hello Kitten and Muno

2012-01-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

After my last crochet post, this hat was commissioned for a friend. I used fancy white puffy yarn and fuschia and I love how it turned out.

Another friend commissioned Muno for her nephew. The sad thing is the eye and mouth took about as long as crocheting the whole thing. But he looks pretty awesome, so worth it in the end.

The resolution post, 2012 style

2012-01-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

Yep, I'm going ot post them. Because looking up resolutions I wrote in a journal is WAY more work than just googling them.

I had to see how I did with last year's resolutions:

Oh wait, I didn't make any.

I read through some old blog posts and journal entries looking for some. I was graced with a lovely reminder on how much I hated life last January. And that I used to be much more interesting. I reread J's birth story and a few more things and laughed and laughed. Then I cried. I am having so much fun with J these days, I've forgotten how awful it was. My new years resolution was to survive.

Hooray! 100% success!

Good to know I've accomplished something this year.

I also found 2010's resolutions and found a couple are still on the list. But 2012 is the year people! It's going to be big. Here's what we're going to do:

1) Reupholstery that gosh darn couch. You know, the one my BFF Suz rescued from a curb in flagstaff and gave me. The one piece of furniture I moved from that tiny apartment into our new house. The one I bought fabric for forever ago. The one I was going to finish before J started crawling so she wouldn't eat the staples. That one. We're going head to head this year. Mano y mano. Well maybe arm to arm. HA! Because couches have arms, not hands! Hilarious I am, I know. Although rereading those old posts and entries circa 2010 has shown me I was way more entertaining. But for now we will survive with poor puns and really long explanation for goals you really don't care about.

2) Finish the newberry award winners. I made that goal when I was 14. 11 years later I am down to 4 books. 4! Two are no longer part of the Mesa library system. I just can't push through the dumb anthologies favored in the 1930's. But if I could finish Shen of the Sea, I can make it through Tales From Silver Lands.

3) Sell the rest of the furniture in my garage. Anyone looking for some reasonably priced tables or chairs?

4) Plant some flowers, some cyprus trees, and make the gazebo happen. I've got some great backyard pics for ya this week to show some excellent progress on what I call Phase 4 of the backyard. No one will be stealing my dog this year!

5) Run a marathon. I don't really count this though since it was a goal I started in November. And the race is at the end of January so really, this is just to make me feel good by being able to mark something off early in the year. You better believe there will be a post after describing how I became involved in this lunacy.

6) Paint the big canvas in my living room. It was just waiting on a family photo.

7) Make a linoleum block print. Another medium I've always wanted to try.

8) Go on 10 new hikes and at least one camping trip. Training for Havasupi made me get out on the trail more and I want to keep that up. Thankfully I have two sets of parents into hiking and they figure out new trails so I don't have to do any work.

9) Visit a new museum. I've got my eyes peeled for the Children's Museum of Phoenix culture pass. Maybe I should dream big and try and hit every culture pass site...

10) Write in my real journal at least once a month. Sorry folks, this isn't the real journal. This does keep the guilt from piling up, but my bloggity blog is highly edited. I was reading my personal one and found I was awesome in 2010. I had made an effort to write a few lines before I allowed myself to log into facebook. Totally forgot about that strategy. Time to try it again.

Funny, I wrote all of these in the journal one first but just bolded them in paragraphs. I didn't intentionally make ten. I guess my subconscious know how to choose nice round numbers. And I do have some character building ones too, but I haven't figured out how to measure those out yet so I didn't include them.

So folks, what are your goals for the year?

Bath Basket

2011-12-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

I had my sis-in-law Johanna for Christmas this year and I asked if there was anything in particular she'd like. She replied that all she wanted was less stress. So I made her a de-stressing basket. Ha! I'm so funny.

My essential oil obsession made it really easy to make some bath salts and sugar scrub. They are a quick go to gift. I tried out making a rice heat pack too and they are EASY! Sewing 4 straight lines is all it takes. I thought it turned out pretty cute so I wanted to share. Maybe you can file it away for next year's gift giving.

Christmas Card photoshoot with my brother

2011-12-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

I know, I'm a cliche. I'm a stay at home mom who got herself a fancy camera and likes to play photographer. I can't help it, I just feel so happy when I see pictures turn out like this.

Yes, 2 girls smiling and facing the camera on the bench the parents got engaged on. Booyah. Ok, you know it is a lot of luck. And funny noises on my part

Cinch bags

2011-12-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

A friend loved the fabric I reupholstered this chair in and I told her I still had some scraps if she wanted them. She said she wanted to make some bags for her girls to bring their church things in and it would be perfect. Well I took so long and kept forgetting to give her the fabric so I just sewed them up for her using this tutorial. I added a felt monogram, but afterward regretted the font choice since it doesn't stand out very well. Ah well. They really only take 10 minutes start to finish after the 20 minute "figuring it out" period.

Christmas Postcard 2011 (Sent out a little late this year)

2011-12-25T11:37:00.003-07:00

J's first bday

2011-12-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know she won't remember. I know it is ridiculously elaborate for a family party. I also know it was a creative outlet for me more than anything else. All this over achieving energy I have needs to go somewhere right?

Prepping for the party was awesome because everything was in a beautiful gradient. And I was able to spend hours playing with my new Silhouette. Not to mention the balloons entertained J and her cousin for a full hour.

Purse boxes with a 1 cut out, filled with skittles

Add caption

Here is the birthday girl who resembles Rainbow Bright, although that wasn't really the intention. I made the leggings from knee high socks, the onesie using the applique method I showed you here. The cherry is a fuzzy scrap from the socks I sewed the heck out of. I found the little jacket at Goodwill for a buck. The tutu is just tulle tied around some elastic.

My mom took a bunch of the cute pictures of her, but I can't find the disc, so you get this lame one

I used my mad student council balloon arch skills to decorate the front of the house. The neighbors may have thought we had a gay pride party going on, but I like to insist that little girls have liked rainbows long before it took on a new meaning.

In case you think all of my projects and ideas work out, you are wrong. I wrapped yarn around balloons just like I did with the string balls decorating my ceiling. I experimented with spray starch and corn starch and they just didn't hold up like the flour and water I typically use. Flour leaves a white film though so I thought I try other options. The rest of the tablescape looks good though. The purses kept the plates from flying quite nicely. I used brown craft paper as a tablecloth and spread crayons all over it so people could draw. Bubbles, playdoh, and tops were party favors spread down the center.

I stole this idea from pinterest. Patterned duct tape is way faster than printing water bottle labels.

The dessert table was my favorite part of the whole thing.

The paintchip bunting was my own creation, not even stolen from the internet. It took 2 minutes to sew and was absolutely free. Of course, now that I looked on the internet, someone else had the same brilliant idea. Ah well.

cupcake wrappers compliments of my Silhouette. Of course, the proximity to the edge of the table meant a nephew systemically licked each of those front cupcakes :)

Funny story. I had seen this really pretty gradient cake which inspired the whole rainbow theme. I colored and cooked each layer, but the green broke on transfer. No worries, I think to myself, I'll just add more frosting to work as glue. As I add the 6th and final layer, I realize my cake has started expanding and is moving like lava to the out edges of my cake plate. I use my freshly washed hands and try and push it back together but the whole thing is sliding like crazy. I rinse off my frosting covered clubs and pull out my spring form pans. I dirtied all three finding the right size, but was able to provide some little stability to cake's bottom layers. I smeared more frosting along the outside edges, laughed at my terrific cake wreck and slid it into the freezer. Day of the party I scattered skittles along the top and called it good. Full of low expectations, I was mighty surprised to find it actually looked great on the inside!

But before we ate the cake, we enjoyed typical BBQ fair. Mid December. My dad has some sort of deal with the Good Lord that gives good weather for his events. I asked him to put in my request and was delighted the week of rain abated for a day to give us a gorgeous, warm, sunny day.

On the food table I had these little frames I found years ago at target for 25 cents. (A sneek peek of our xmas card pics too). Some of the paint chips had a perforated circle that made excellent confetti.

Everyone had a good time I think.

Especially the bday girl who enjoyed her very own cake.

That crown was inspired by my sister-in-law Piper and took all of 10mins to make

And even though she didn't need anything, she loved all the presents. Generous family

Party Invites

2011-12-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

So we had a ridiculously elaborate bday party for J (When did I get a 1 year old?!). Everyone knows ridiculously elaborate parties start with ridiculously elaborate invitations.

Forever ago I got a card from Anthropologie that I saved with the idea to copy for something, soimeday.

It was a rainbow themed party so I used a favorite medium of mine: paint chips.

They looked so pretty all sewn together.

Since they were so small, I decided to fold my own envelopes with the help of a little internet origami tutorial.

I thought it would be so fun to get an itty bitty invite in the mail

Unfortunately, the mailman returned them all to me in an envelope. Apparently there are minimum dimensions for letters. Lame. So I threw them in some bigger envelopes and off they went.

Party pics tomorrow!

Guest Post: Cousin Katie

2011-12-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

Today's guest post is my cousin Katie, whom I spent most of my childhood thinking was the epitome of beauty and grace. She talked to me like a real person even though she was 4 years older and one of the Big Kids. Now I know her even better as blog friends. Enjoy!

I've always wanted to be a Mom. I loved kids, and was excited to someday have some of my own. I loved my parents, and looked forward to the day I could be like them. So after my wonderful husband and I had been married for a couple years, I was ready to become a Mom.

But after a year, there was still no baby, no pregnancy. So we went to a fertility doctor and spent another couple of years trying different procedures. Still no baby, still no pregnancy. We then decided to try IVF (In Vitro Fertilization). A couple weeks later came the good news: we were pregnant! A couple weeks after that came more good news: it was twins! And nine months later came the babies we'd been waiting for.

Having our kids the way we did made us realize just how many people have trouble getting pregnant, and we have seen first-hand just how fascinatingtwins are to people. So for those of you who are dealing with fertility issues, or know someone who is, I have put together this list of myths and truths about the process, and about life with twins. (Disclaimer: I know everyone is different, as is every situation. This is just one person's experience, but maybe it will give someone out there hope.)

MYTH: If you can't get pregnant you must be miserable.

TRUTH: I will admit I had my moments, but they were mostly at the beginning when I expected to get pregnant quickly. Once I realized that wasn't going to happen, I prayed hard for patience, and looked for the silver-linings of a no-kids life, and was very blessed. I don't look back on that time as one of sadness. I traveled with my husband, worked at the Temple, enjoyed sleeping in, loved other peoples' kids, and found much to be happy about.

MYTH: The IVF process is horrible.

TRUTH: I cried when I went in for the appointment where they told me what all was involved. But then I decided to just take it one day at a time, and that was a really good choice. Taken all at one glance it really is A LOT, but taken in daily increments it was not that bad. I would have done it again.

MYTH: Twin pregnancies are really hard.

TRUTH: Now, I was lucky, but here is my truth: I wasn't that uncomfortable, even at the end. I never had to go on bed rest. I would say it was an easier pregnancy than my second one with only one baby.

MYTH: Twins always come early.

TRUTH: I was induced at 38 weeks, a week over-due for twins.

MYTH: Twins come C-Section, and are sickly.

TRUTH: I didn't have to have a c-section. Neither of my twins had to have any extra care in the hospital, and haven't been any sicker than any other kids since.

MYTH: Once you have fertility problems, you always will.

TRUTH: After all this, we got pregnant with our third child without any help.

I know we were lucky, and very, very blessed. But so often I hear horror stories about people's experiences with the whole fertility treatment experience, and with IVF in particular, so I really wanted to get another perspective out there. The other wonderful thing about having done IVF was that we had TWINS, which I doubt would have happened otherwise. And I LOVE having twins. Here are some funny truths about twins:

FACT: People will ask you all the time if they are identical. Even if they are boy/girl twins (which ours are). People who are educated and smart will ask you. All the time.

FACT: People will plan your family for you. When people (and by people, I mean strangers) found out my first kids were boy/girl twins they would say all the time, "Oh, lucky you! Now you're done!" And when you get pregnant again, they will ask if this pregnancy was "a surprise".

FACT: Especially when they're tiny, you will get stopped all the time. People will tell you how adorable they are, and you will love it. But plan extra time to get to appointments. Really.

FACT: After the newborn phase, twins are easier than two kids of different ages. Think about it: they're eat the same things, have the same attention span, like to do the same things, and they have a buddy to do it all with!

FACT: Twins are SO MUCH FUN!

I hope our experience might help someone out there. And if anyone wants or needs more information, ask my good cousin for my contact info. I'd be happy to be a listening ear.

P.S. Readers. email me a hazardousundertakings@gmail.com if you want Katie's info

Christmas Tree

2011-12-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

I was really excited to see J's reaction to the christmas decor we did while she was sleeping.

The tree terrified her.

I can't wait for crying Santa pictures

Sushi

2011-12-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

Sushi is one of those dishes you have to eat multiple times to actually enjoy. The first encounter, you close your eyes and try not to think about the raw factor. The second encounter, you convince yourself it's awesome to eat raw fish and seaweed. The 3rd time you actually taste it enough to enjoy it, although you are distracted trying to figure out if you should eat it in multiple bits or go full on hamster cheeks.

Like depicted in anime cartoons, Japanese people fully embrace the squirrel cheeks.

I love me some sushi, but it is mighty expensive. Usually, Husband and I save our pennies for this amazing restaurant Orient Sushi and Grill where you pay $20 a person and have all you can eat sushi, appetizers, and entrees. And it's a normal restaurant, not a buffet. We grab another couple for food division purposes and go to town. Last time, for kicks, we calculated the amount we actually ate and it was around $150. Sushi is expensive.Even $20 a person is a bit much for us to indulge in.

So inspired by my friend Camille, I decided to try making my own. Fresh and Easy was the best place to find the ingredients. The sushi rolling mat I picked up at the hyakuen shop in Seattle. Hyakuens are pretty much my favorite thing ever.

I should also mention I was ridiculously excited to use the sushi platter I painted at job at As You Wish for it's proper purpose.

The easy ingredients

Ready to Roll

Complete with the picked ginger and wasabi (you doin't like those until maybe your 10th encounter)

Cupcake Onesies

2011-12-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

So I'm finally posting some things I've had hanging out on my computer for months. This was a little project I made for a friend who was having twin girls.

Materials:
2 body suits ($1 each at the dollar store)
felt scraps
embroidery floss
heat and bond ($2 at walmart)

1) Peel off the back layer of Heat n Bond and iron it onto the felt.

2) Then you cute out your cupcake from the felt.

3) Then you iron it onto the bodysuits

4) Grab the embroidery floss from you friendship bracelet making stash. Separate 2 strands of floss.

5) Stitch your little heart out.

Guest Post: Cousin Aimee

2011-12-14T22:34:00.001-07:00

You lucky, lucky readers. My super creative cousin Aimee was so kind as to write a guest post for me. She's amazing. For Reals. Check out her Etsy store. And she is the hot babe modeling the wedding veils. She kindly put together this tutorial, which I should have posted weeks ago (Computer malfunctions, I swear!) but there is still time to make some for Christmas presents. Enjoy, and leave her some comment love!

Embroidery Hoop Collage Tutorial

My friend saw this picture on Pintrest and decided to spruce up her apartment with a cute embroidery hoop collage. I fell in love with it and thought, “hey! I can do that!”

I decided that these little collages would make great gifts for my boyfriend’s sisters because
1). I don’t have a lot of money for gifts this year,
2). I want to get them something to show them I care, but this is a gift that is not too much of a gift that they’ll feel bad if they don’t get me anything, and
3). It’s cute and personalized.

Materials:

Embroidery hoops of different sizes. They range in price from $.59 $1.69. at Joann’s and Hobby Lobby. I used a 12” hoop for the biggest ones and then all the way down to a 4” hoop for the little tiny ones.
Fabric scraps. I think vintage fabric would be so cute here! You can get vintage fat quarters on etsy, but it’s a bit pricier. I went for vintage prints and used coupons to bring the price down. You only need a little bit, so this is a great way to use up fabric you already have.

Technically, that is all you really need. But I jazzed mine up a bit, so here are some optional materials:

Hot glue gun (to secure the raw edges of the fabric)
Embroidery floss
Embroidery needle
Fabric pencil (a regular pencil with a white eraser will work)
Ruler
Acrylic paint and brush

Unfortunately I didn’t take pictures as I went…but this is soooo easy.

Step 1:
If you are doing a black color scheme, I would paint the hoop using acrylic paint. It only took a few minutes. Let the paint dry completely before moving on.

Step 2:
Put the fabric in the embroidery hoop. Secure the hoop and then turn it over and trim the edges of the fabric

Step 3:
Flip the edge of the fabric over so you can see the wood of the inner hoop. With your glue gun, squeeze a thin line of glue along the inner hoop. Fold over the fabric so it is secure. I went around my hoop in two or three inch sections until the whole thing was glued tight.

Step 4:
Using a ruler, mark the center of the fabric with a little X. Then sketch the design you want to embroider with your fabric pencil. If you mess up, use a white eraser! To make this step easier, I found a thin, hard back book to put underneath the fabric. You could also sketch the design before securing the fabric in the hoop, but stretching might alter the pattern.

Step 5:
Using your coordinating embroidery floss, embroider the pattern you sketched. I did the names of the children in each family. So the big hoop had the parents’ initials and an ampersand, and then each hoop corresponded to each child.
I did the girls’ names in cursive to add a little bit of girlie-ness. But you can do whatever you want.
Don’t forget to play around with different stitches. Youtube is a great place to find tutorials on how to embroider.

I tried chain stitching:

Stem stitching:

And of course, back stitching:

Tip: Use French knots to dot your i’s.

And that’s it! You’re all done. Arrange them and hang those babies up on the wall!

Photo credit:
http://projectnursery.com/projects/grahams-bright-and-colorful-space/

More Crochet

2011-12-13T23:01:00.002-07:00

I know, you are sad that yesterday wasn't a crochet picture. Well, you are in luck. I am still hooked. (Ha! See, it's called a crochet hook. There is even a whole line of books with the title The Happy Hooker. Awesome, I know.)

This was a commission from a friend for her daughter. Possibly the cutest hat I've ever made. It is probably because it is all made out of the expensive yarn instead of the bargain kind I typically buy.

Science Teacher Rule #72

2011-12-12T09:01:00.001-07:00

Quotes mean much more when they are spelled correctly.
Although I still remember the girl in 7th grade who thought Noone was a name pronounced (noo-nee) on our editing worksheet. In that case, the quote takes on a whole new meaning.

Crochet Addiction

2011-12-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

I was talking about my crochet addiction to a friend and she requested pictures of the things I've made. And since I finished this 8in Link this week, I started taking pictures. Then I figured I should post some of the things I did early on so I grabbed all the pictures from my phone (since every time I finish something I send a picture of it to my Big Sis

These were the first food I made. There were all from the same pattern and look widely different. The 3rd one actually turned out like the picture, but I think my first one looks the best.

A mini cupcake. It didn't really turn out well.

I saw a pumpkin hat in a store in Seattle for $25 and figured I could make one just as cute. And that's how it all began.

I really need to upgrade my phone if only for a better camera

I got crochet elbow trying to finish this scarf in time for my sister's halloween costume

This Kool Kat is about 16" tall and the most ambitious project so far. The pic doesn't show his awesome turtleneck very well, but you know those polyester blue pants are straight from the 70's

bad lighting, but this is a mini airplane

Baby booties look much cuter on actual feet

I know, it pained me to stitch the A on there, but it was well-received

Fog

2011-12-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

Another perk of living off of a golf course, I woke up to this Sunday morning.

And I was a little sunburnt last week from working outside. Crazy stuff

The Garden Hose

2011-12-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

Infinitely entertaining

Happy Burfday Lil' Sis!

2011-12-01T14:31:00.001-07:00

Even though your love of sleeping made me have an early bedtime our entire childhood, I still love you to bits!

(While I included my awkward years, in the spirit of birthdays, I've omitted yours)

Happy Bday!

Blanky

2011-12-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

I adored my blanky.

Someone else does too.

Unlucky Troll

2011-11-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

My dog is typically pretty good with leaving the baby toys alone, but we have had a few casualties.

Even better, I saw J chewing on something that was obviously contraband. She spits it out and it is the remnants of a troll hand.

I feel like I'm in Toy Story 5.

Turkey Trot

2011-11-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

I first learned about the turkey trot in jr high, when Whitney Rudd wore the tshirt in P.E. after thanksgiving break. When she explained it was a 6 mile run. For fun. On Thanksgiving. I thought she was a flipping lunatic since I thought hell was running 1 mile.

Naturally, my adult self wanted to be that lunatic. Of course, I never really grew out of junior high so I needed someone to come with me. My dear sissy obliged, even though she ran a half marathon two weeks ago. Lunatics, I tell ya.

Showing our buffness

Noticing the awesome, well deserved pit stains

Comparison

I had never ran that far, even in training, so I was pleased I didn't walk at all. I was expecting some sort of race day magic so I was a little bummed when I ran it at my typical pace. At least I earned my thanksgiving dinner though :)

Lunch Buddy

2011-11-28T09:02:00.001-07:00

Eating is always more fun with a friend

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T15:59:00.001-07:00