Did you

join the 100 mile fitness challenge? (this is a link - really!)

This is such a wonderful help to me. Winter is a difficult time to exercise, but this challenge is inspiring me to JUST DO IT. I have added my own personal challenge; limiting my calorie intake to 15,400 per week. It sounds like a lot, doesn't it? But I have a little problem. It's called four o'clock. Every day at four o'clock I am hungry. Very hungry. When I'm being good I have a tasty handful of nice crunchy carrots. So delicious, and so healthy and low in calories.

But sometimes I forget about carrots for a little while. Then I accidentally eat a great big peanut butter cookie, or a handful of plum sweets , (check these out!) or some yummy fig newtons and chocolate squares. Oops.

I put in 25 miles this week, and consumed 15,855 calories, 455 more than my limit. Better than last week when I covered 24 miles and had 17,135 calories. In my defense, we had a birthday in our family that first week. Mmmm. Carrot cake.

We also have a birthday next week and the week after that. The gentlemen in our family all have January birthdays!

Just nice

This is a picture of my dad.

It was taken while he was at work, probably in the sixties. The way I got the photo is just nice.

I work in a doctors' office, and part of my job is to make sure we have up to date health insurance information for our patients. Right after my dad died in 2007, a man came to my window with his insurance card which said "DuPont" on it. "My dad worked at DuPont." I said with a smile. Our patient said, "Oh, what is his name?" When I told him, he said, "Oh, I worked with Ed." We had a pleasant conversation, and it was so nice to talk with someone who had known him professionally. The patient said, "I have some pictures at home. I'll bring them for you."

Well! A few weeks ago, two and a half years after our conversation, the patient brought some photos. I was delighted to see my smiling dad at his desk at work. His face looks so incredibly like our son Daniel. Aren't family genetics amazing things? And wasn't it nice of the patient to bring the photo?

Today I took it to Wal-Green's and had copies made for my mom and my brother and sisters. I took my mom hers today, but she was unable to see it. That's okay, she enjoyed hearing how we got it.

Learning experience

Don't look closely, because there is lots of room for improvement, but this was a fun project. The colors are actually brighter in person. It's yet another representation of a sunrise.

Whew! The roads are finally clear, and we were able to visit my mom. As Daisy pointed out, I am very thankful to know she is well cared for, even when I am unable to visit.

No more whining!

All done! No more whining. There are lots of things to love about winter. Baking bread. . .

and rolls.

and working on my hand quilting project. Even though I've changed my mind, and think the colorful thread on black has to go. Plain black looks more elegant.

I've been inspired to get out there and walk no matter what, thanks to the 100 mile fitness challenge. I love the way they count miles! Every fifteen minutes of exercise counts as a mile - nice!

Lake Effect

Remember the lake photos I took last summer?

Lake Erie, which we love so much in July and August, is not such a good friend in January. Before it freezes solid, the term "Lake Effect" is in our weather forecast a good part of the time. The lake water evaporates into big gray clouds which float south and east, dumping vast quantities of fluffy white snow on those of us who live south and east of the lake. It snows much more in the "snow belt" which I am happy to tell you is not our home. Those hardy souls in Chardon and Ashtabula received four feet of snow yesterday. AAK! We have a lot, but not that much.
Daniel is such a trooper about keeping our driveway shoveled. This is about the tenth time he's been out in two days. You can see the snow mountain he has made alongside the driveway. I tried to go visit my mom this morning, but the roads were terrible, so by the time I got to Twinsburg and encountered an accident on Route 82 I turned around and came home. I did make it to work yesterday, and will again tomorrow, but today is my day off and I am hibernating.

Snowbound

Winter has arrived in our part of the world.

So what could be more fun than a blog giveaway of something fun to read? Visit Colletta's blog to enter her giveaway. I heard about her from Heckety. And many many thanks to Daisy for teaching me how to do links. Never mind that I have to get out her very clear directions every single time I do it - at least I can, thanks to her!

I've resumed my quest for a way to portray a sunrise on fabric. I am going to add black binding after I quilt it. The white you see is batting to be trimmed off. I think I am going to quilt it by hand - a good project for a snowy day.

Happy New Year!

Cute!
I didn't make the little onesie pictured above. I just couldn't pass it up while thinking of baby presents.
I did make a reversible bib. Basketball on one side, soccer on the other.

2010 sounds very futuristic somehow. Can it be ten whole years ago that we were all concerned about Y2K? Lots of changes have happened these last ten years. One of the changes is that my nephew, Mark, grew up, went to college, got married, and is about to make my sister a grandma.
The quilt I just finished is for their baby. Mark was an amazing soccer player in high school, so I thought he'd like a soccer bib for his baby.

He was the goal keeper, and in one game he kicked the ball out of the goal, and it was such a mighty kick, and a windy day, and the ball went right into the opposite goal, and scored for his team. It had never happened before in their town, and caused quite a sensation. :>}