If at first you don't succeed.....

Tri, tri, tri again :0)

Here I am on the home stretch of this weekend's Ramblin' Rose Charlotte triathlon. It was an absolutely fabulous day. I joined my 2 SILs and MIL and we all had a great time, cheering each other on.

I waited with MIL for almost 2 hours before it was our turn to get in the pool (there were c.1,100 competitors and we'd ranked ourselves low in swimming ability). That wait really ramped up the nervous energy and we were like coiled springs once it was our turn to get in the pool. Man, oh man, did the fun start then!

I almost choked on the very first lap! Not unexpectedly - hence ranking low swim ability. It was the shortest part of the tri and I admit to only practicing once, the week before, to time myself.

I did lose my noseclip case in the pool. I had not thought to leave it in the transition area, so tucked it between my ample bosoms, thinking it'd be safe in there. I guess I really did thrash around in the pool to lose that thing!!!

The bike part was where I really put all my energy. I was thinking 45 mins to do the 9 miles, but I did it in only 34 mins, using my highest gear most of the way (which I almost never use). I am super pleased at that time.

Though I think that did do me in for the run. My 2nd goal ('finishing' being my 1st), was to not stop on the run. I did the couch-to-5k program in preparation for this, and also ran after biking, as that transition seems to be the hardest. But to no avail. I couldn't even go 1 mile before stopping to walk for a wee bit, and I had given it my all to get that far. And I stopped a couple of times after that too. Oh well, always next time, eh!

Overall, it was a wonderful experience. The camaraderie of the all female competitors was heart-warming - 1,100 women, all cheering and encouraging each other on, brought a tear to my eye. And I am so proud of my MIL, who at 64 years young, completed her 1st triathlon. She says she'll do it again in another 64 years ;0)

Thanks to all who encouraged and supported me on this journey, especially Marcia, who gave me awesome advice following her 1st tri, earlier this summer. xoxo

Happy Monday :0)

disco xoxo

Teddy's Tribute

Project Grellow

Our spare bedroom is going to have a grey and yellow colour scheme. I've already made a start on the quilt/blanket for the bed, and an embroidery for the wall. Here are my paint colours to choose from. I'm having trouble deciding between the deeper, darker shades and the lighter ones, to keep the room bright.

Yesterday, as it rained outside, the boys and I sat with our pencils and crayons, colouring Matthew's new book. He gave me this pattern, which I thought I'd experiment on with the grellow. I think it turned out great, so I'll be looking for a frame for it.

Happy Tuesday! xo

A Birthday Scarf

Wow, it has been way too long! School is back in session and this year, I'm serving as Treasurer on our PTO. Let me tell you, I've had full-time jobs that weren't this much work! I have processed about 10 million checks for merchandise and ice-creams and coupon books and raffles (which we're not allowed to call raffles, 'cause that would be gambling and illegal!) and next week is our main fundraiser, so I'll have 100 million more checks to process!!! All for a good cause though ;0)

It's my mom's birthday today. After the never ending Mother's Day scarf, combined with a distinct contraction of knitting time, I made her this super quick and easy one skein scarf.The yarn is Kollage's Lofty, which is a bulky Merino wool. If you combined all three photos I took, you may come close to the actual colour, which is a kind of lavendary-pale pink. It's super soft, so I think Mam'll like it. I have some more of this yarn, in different colours, so expect more projects this fall.The stitch pattern is called a Roaming Rib. It was super easy to remember, which makes for great on-the-go knitting - a row here, a row there. And being a shorty, it needed something to close it round the neck. I chose this pretty square shawl pin. I like how the pin looks like a leaf. Happy Birthday Mam, may your neck never be cold :0)

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Here's something for the Lego fans. We were out and about at the Lego Store a wee while ago and I loved this creation that was hanging in the classroom. It's a world map (obviously), made with the tiny little one dot flat legos. Clever, or what! I took some close ups, in case the boys ever want to take on a project like this. A mom can live in hope, right?
Happy Friday! And yay for long weekends - we're travelling up to Virginia to watch some college football. Go Cavs!