What I’ve learned about life from the gym…

Warning…this post has almost nothing to do with quilting or sewing directly…but it has a lot to do with life lessons.

About 6 weeks ago, I begged my husband to join the local gym. It isn’t a national chain, but local to the bay area. It’s the nicest gym I’ve every been to. On top of the general workout gear, cardio machines, classes offered and personal training, they offer an amazing childcare center; a spa for manicures, pedicures, haircuts/color, etc; a cafe with coffee, sandwiches, smoothies and a lot more; a pool with hot tub; and a bar…that’s right…a bar. I can work out, shower, and then go have a beer or a glass of wine with the hubster all in the same place. It’s like a mini-date that we’ve already paid for at the beginning of the month. And the kids love to go, so I have no problem dropping them off for the full two and a half hours allowed :)

So here are some of the things I’ve learned from the gym in these first 6 weeks:

1) No one is really watching. No one really cares how you look or how much weight you can lift…because they are too busy lifting their own weights, or checking themselves out in the mirror. (I should probably mention that this isn’t a meat market gym…people are probably checking you out there).

2) This apparently applies to the locker room too. I’ve never seen so many naked people just doing their own thing (I haven’t been to any nudist events…so maybe my perspective would be a bit different otherwise). No body is checking out stretch marks or boobs or muscle tone. Everybody is just doing their thing, getting ready for the day.

3) The more you get into a class, the more fun you will have. Go ahead…grunt when you lift that weight…give a little woot woot when the instructor asks if you can feel it. Putting all you can of yourself into something really does give you a whole lot in return.

4) It’s ok to try something new…and fail. Try that new class…try a heavier weight…you might like it/lift it…you might hate it/drop it like its hot…but at least you tried it.

5) Showering without interruption is priceless when you have small kids. I pretty much knew this one before we joined the gym…but now I get to test the theory a lot more often.

6) I really like fruit-infused water. Not really a life lesson, but it ties into lesson 4…try something new…you might like it.

Be back soon with more sewing/quilting goodness.

Cheers,

Liz

 

Hi.

Hi.

It’s been really quiet here on the blog…because life offline has been CRAZY. Here’s the rundown:

Mr. Aaron Patrick made his entrance mid June. Yes, I might have been walking thru target while in labor…and I might have given birth 3 hrs after checking out. He is the most challenging baby of my three kids. He has the most devilishly handsome smile ever. He hates to be left out of anything. He loves food and hates to wait for it to be prepared. But he’s healthy and chubby and seems to like us. I think we will keep him.

We moved. Found a great place. The weather is beautiful. Couldn’t really ask for more out of a roof over our heads.

Sarah started kindergarten. My baby, my firstborn, has started her school career. Part of me still can’t believe it.

Lots of firsts: Sarah is reading now…everything…every sign we pass, every piece of text that flashes on the tv…everything; Aaron is crawling…nothing is safe anymore; and Sarah has lost her first tooth.

Bryan is a major character. He’s started the lovable habit of saying inappropriate words like “butt” hoping to get a reaction. He has taken to wearing some 3D glasses he got at a movie and button up collared shirts, so he can look like daddy.

I’ve managed to fit in a fair bit of sewing. I’ll post some pics in the coming weeks.

Otherwise, life has been crazy busy good. Sorry for the silence, but life has been full and I needed to be there instead of here.

And on another HUGE note…you’ll never guess where I am…Craftcation in Ventura, CA. My hotel room looks out over the ocean (turn 90 degrees and you see hwy 101, but lets focus on the positives here people). Having a great time and learning a lot! The people are pretty awesome too!

Here’s hoping I become a regular around here again…

Cheers,
Liz

The Jaime Baby Quilt

When we first moved to Bakersfield, I joined a local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Group. I could write several posts of this incredible organization and all the wonderful people and wonderful ways it has helped me become a better mother and…well…just plain stay sane.

But this post isn’t about MOPS. Although, if you are a new mom, or about to be a new mom, find a MOPS group…go to it…you’ll love it.

Anywho…Through MOPS I met Jaime. Jaime sews…a lot. And she’s awesome. You should check out her blog. Jaime just had a beautiful little girl, and I was honored to make a baby quilt for her and her new baby.

The quilt measures approx. 42″ x 42″. The fabrics are a mix from my stash. Most were used previously in this quilt. I started with a general idea and sketched a few designs out on graph paper. After a few placement changes on the design wall, it went together pretty quick.

The back is pieced with every scrap I had left. The quilting is my new favorite style. I free-sew a wavy line down the middle-ish and then echo quilt out from there. Next week I will post another quilt using the same design, but with better pictures. It goes quick…you can eye-ball it…and it is very forgiving.

And of course, the quilt is finished with a nice bias-cut binding to make those stripes just twirl all around.

I hope Baby E enjoys it…abuses it…spits up on it…chews on it…you get the picture…

Joy of Love – Day One – DO

Joy of Love 3, originally uploaded by A meets Z.

I’ve been following Kelly Willette of Willette Designs for awhile now.  And Lucky Me…she’s doing a free workshop this month through e-mail called The Joy of Love.  There is still time to sign up is you want to join in on the fun.  Today’s assignment was 1) to capture someone you love doing what they do and 2) to work on finding the light in your house to get a proper exposure.  The above photo was taken in my dining room.  Bryan is sitting at the picnic table playing with his truck (kid has a thing for cars).  As you can see, Duplo blocks are scattered on the floor around him and he’s giving me is best grin as usual.  This was not the best light available in the house.  I had to crank my ISO up to 1600 so black and white helps with the overall effect.  But of the day, this was my favorite.  The top 3 are on my flickr stream if you want to sneak a peak.  Can’t wait for tomorrow’s assignment!

Go sign up…what are you waiting for!

got me thinking

I have been reading Camille Roskelley’s blog Simplify for a while now.  I love the styling she uses.  The turquoise with red.  I think she has delicious quilt designs, fabric and she just seems like a really nice gal.  She’s giving away a copy of her book and some goodies on her blog…you should go enter!

But in that specific post she talked about her 3 goals that she set out for herself.  She calls them unrealistic, but with her talent, it is obvious she would succeed.  But it got me thinking about my goals.  And how I think I’m a bit all over the place when it comes to aspirations.  And if you have 50 different goals in 50 different subjects…odds are you aren’t going to succeed at any of them.  So I guess I need to do a little pondering and maybe focus my goals a little.  Like maybe down to 25 :)

I kid, but in all seriousness, I really need to sit down with pen to paper and flesh out some goals.  You know…in all my spare time…

status update

So proud of his tower

For the most part, we’ve stuck to the “less TV for the kids” rule.  Man, has it been tough!  I didn’t realize how much I was relying on it to keep from having to deal with my kids.  That is really hard to admit, but that is what it boils down to.  We caved on the weekend, but I don’t feel as bad about that because it’s the weekend…and I veg out during the weekend any chance I get.  We also had a birthday party, so we were a little busy.  I will say that during the week I’ve cut the kids back by at least 40%.  The hard part is finding other activities to channel that time into. 

One thing I gave a lot of thought to this weekend was the idea of perfection.  It is so easy to look at others’ lives and think they have it all figured out…that they have all their ducks in a row and never make mistakes or get mad or get frazzled.  I think moms do this a lot.  It becomes too easy to have a playdate with someone for 2 hrs and come away thinking we know everything about the other person.  But in reflecting on my meetings with other moms of all different walks of life, it is the ones who let their mistakes show with whom I feel the most connected.  Those women who either choose to “let it all hang out” (figuratively speaking here folks) or do so by nature…those women make me feel the most at ease.  Those women are a calming influence because they let me know that I too can come as I am…imperfect.

So on that note, I think I’ll stay in PJs all day tomorrow…and I might just take a nap with the kids…or spend an obscene amount of time on Facebook essentially wasting an entire 2 hrs…

hope my husband isn’t reading this…