Breast Cancer 5k

For the third year in a row I have run in the Breast Cancer 5k. It is a women only race to support the cause. It's such a good time and I always feel so good when it's over. There are women from all walks of life running, including breast cancer survivors who wear hot pink bandanas to identify themselves. I cry everytime I see someone with a hot pink bandana or a sign that says something like "Running to support my mom! I love you Mom!" I can't even type it without crying. This year one of my best friends decided to run it with me. She was new to running and began training just for this race. She did an amazing job and although she hates running, she was very inspired and already looking forward to doing the race again next year! My Principal also decided to run the race this year and was very inspired to make the race a yearly Mother's Day event.

 This is our before picture- three seconds before the race started. I'm always a little nervous right before we start running. BTW- this is such a horrible picture of me that I want to put my head in a bucket.

 This is my husband trying to use the camera and clearly having some trouble. I love love this picture though :-)

 Almost there!

 Our after picture- again, putting my head in a bucket. They gave us water the second we crossed the finish line. At this point we are totally on a high! I love doing this race!

 After the race we went to visit my Grandma for Mother's Day. She is my inspiration for the Breast Cancer run because she is a survivor.

Many women wear signs on their back with names of survivors and/or in memory of people who have lost the fight. And I tear up again....

Recent Reading

 If this book wasn't so raunchy, I would say that every young girl on the planet should read it so they know what kind of guy to stay away from. As an adult, the book was funny at times, but the females were about as dumb as they could possibly be and make most young women look like whores. It's definitely a guy's book.

How to Knit a Love Song and How to Knit a Heart Back Home were 2 really cute books. They were feel good books and definitely held my interest. I enjoyed both of them immensely and an glad to hear that they are part of a series. I'm already looking forward to the third book in the series...I wonder when that will come out.....Today my newest Charlaine Harris book comes out and I already pre-ordered it and have it waiting on my Nook to read!

Lucille

This pattern keeps popping up in other blogs that I follow and it's haunting me. I LOVE this sweater/bonnet set, but the needle size discourages me. I find it takes a really long time to knit with nearly the smallest needle available and this one calls for a US 1.5 needle. That makes me not want to make this. It's so cute though and it's such a sweet little sweater so maybe I'll give it a try :-). Here is the link to the free pattern.
ps. I haven't forgotten that I still need to post the pics of my cowls that I finished over spring break, but I just haven't taken the pictures yet.

Happy Easter...I think!

I'm not a big Easter person. I don' t know why, but it isn't my favorite holiday. I think it may have something to do with the Easter Bunny sort of freaking me out. Let's be serious- look at the Easter Bunny- is it supposed to be a boy or a girl and look at it's evil eyes. I'm not putting my kid on the Easter Bunny's lap- ever!

I'm in Love

I was looking at all my favorite blogs this morning as I do every morning and I came across this cowl and fell in love. Isn't it great?! I bought it immediately! If you love it you can buy it here too! http://www.etsy.com/listing/62175262/pdf-pattern-breckenridge-cowl
I am also working on this cowl that I am completely in love with too! It knits up quicker than I thought it would and it has a nice thickness to it. I'm using Caron yarn- the big 1lb skein. IThe store that sells Blue Sky Alpacas yarn didn't have the kind I'd need so I went and found something else. I'll post a pic when I'm done with it.

It's gorgeous and I love it! If you love it you can copy the free pattern here from The Purl Bee. They have a great website with tons of free patterns that are so cute!
http://www.purlbee.com/big-herringbone-cowl/
I hope you can enjoy making them as much as I am!

By The Way

I finished reading The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen and I loved it! I read her other book The Girl Who Chased the Moon and I loved that one too but I think I liked this one more. I would definitely recommend this as a good read!

The Last 3 1/2 Months

I recently went off birth control in January. I knew that my body would need some time to adjust and my doctor told me that things might feel different for a little while until my body adjusts to the change. And I was warned by my best friend that things would be out of whack for a while but I had no idea....I thought that I would be exempt from these things for some reason, but I was mistaken. I went on bc when I was 18 and now 12 years later I guess I didn't realize how much it changed my body.
Some things I am now experiencing-
Pimples- I have never been one to get pimples but I definitely have a few here and there now. It's very weird for me since I made it all the way through high school without them.
Weight gain- I needed this like I need a hole in my head. I have always struggled with my weight and I'm thrilled to announce that I've gained roughly 15 lbs in 3 months! You have no idea how happy it makes me that while the hormone surges are occurring, I also have to be fat while they happen.
Hormone surges- I have always been emotional and known to cry even during a commercial, but I feel like I have lost a little control with my mood swings. PMS- I never had PMS but I do now!
Adrenaline surges- this one is weird for me- maybe it's more like panic attacks in small doses or just small bursts of adrenaline but out of no where my body slightly tingles and then my heart pounds and I sweat a little and then it's gone.
Sweating- I'm always freezing! Lately I've been sweating. I don't get it.
Cramps- oh dear lord. It's as though I'm 14 all over again. The cramps are so bad! I forgot about this.
Leaky faucet- I'll leave this one to your imagination.
Burning Nipples- yes I said it. They burn sometimes. They burn and ache so bad that I can't even touch them. As a matter of fact I almost wore a my bra into the shower because the water beating on them was agony. I don't know what this is about but I can do without it.
Dry Scalp- I know...where did this one come from? I have no idea. My head itches though.

What have you read lately...?

I have been on a serious reading kick lately. My school hosts a 50 Book Challenge for the students. They are supposed to read 50 book outside of school throughout the whole school year. I finished my challenge this week and I'm still going strong. I love to read! I've also been crocheting lately too. Don't get nervous, my loyalties lie with knitting, but sometimes I need to switch it up a little.

 This book was a good read. It kept me interested and had a good feel to it when it was over. I just started reading The Peach Keeper which is by the same author, and I like that one so far also.

 Don't get me started! I don't know how I keep finding these high school books but I found this series and I'm obsessed and now I have to wait for book 3 to come out in June. Are you serious?! I couldn't put them down and was really depressed when they were over because of course you're left hanging. If you liked Twilight (without vampires and werewolves) then you'd probably like this series too!

My sister-in-law got me hooked on Matched which is the first book in a trilogy. The 2nd book doesn't come out until November :-( it reminded me of the Hunger Games trilogy which I also loved. I like reading about alternative societies, however, they make me nervous because in my head I feel like at any time out whole world could change and then we'll have to live like these people do. At least they make me happy that we are given choices and have plenty of food to eat without having to hunt. If you liked Hunger Games, give Matched a try!

Other Things Going On

Just some cute things that I've made lately that I had to make time to post.... The bread basket is for my Grandma. She put in a request!

What I've Been Up To

Here are some things that I've been working on lately. First up is an afghan that 8 women made squares for as a gift for another staff member who recently found out she has cancer again. It is a very sad story that I don't have the strength to get into without becoming hysterical...but...I had the idea to get  as many knitting and crocheting women together and make squares to make her a blanket to keep her warm during chemo. We also ordered bracelets that we are selling for a fundraiser around the building and the school district to raise money for her family.

 When I got the news about my friend having terminal cancer, I cried my eyes out, and got knitting right away. The afghan gave me something to do to keep busy.

Things I Love

                                                         

The Bee Bar rocks. It makes your hands so soft and it smells wonderful!

Twilight and new Moon soundtracks are my favorite to lsiten to. They have a lot of different music and I enjoy it all.

I can't make it through an hour without applying this chapstick. I was warned that it's addiciting and it certainly is.

I love my ipod. I love my Nike ipod attachment. I love my auxiliry cord that attaches my ipod to my car stereo. I listen to it daily.

This is the best water bottle ever invented. It doesn't leak...but when you drink out of it it squeaks :-)

My Grandma bought me this for Christmas when I was about 18 years old. I can't get enough of it. It makes baking so much easier.

I watch at least one episode of Will & Grace daily. They're so funny and can always put me in a good mood. bamboo knitting needles are the best to knit with. They help to keep your stitches from slipping.

I wear my scarf everyday in the winter and I can't live without it. I would take it to a deserted island with me for no reason other than I love it.

My Nook would come to my deserted island with me too. I read it daily and find it so much easier to read book on. I love that I have books at my fingertips whenever I want them and that I can preview books before buying them. I love how the books are dicounted and I love that the Nook saves me the trip of actually going to a store.

I drink Crystal Light all day long. I'm sure there is something in it that will give me cancer in some way...but I still love it!

Great Book!

If you like books like Twilight, Harry Potter, Practical Magic, anything dealing with supernatural beings but not in a cheesy way, A Discovery of Witches was a great book. I'm not a fan of the title because I think it makes the book sound cheesy, but the title makes sense when you read the book. I couldn't put it down for a second, and it's 587 pages long. When I finally finished the book and told Augie that I was done with it, he replied "Thank God!" with an eye roll. I just couldn't stop reading it. It started a little bit slow but once it got going it never stopped getting good. If you're looking for something to read, give it a try.

Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I had a different job. I wonder what it would be like to be a stay at home mom (obviously when I actually have children) or own a knitting shop with a cute little store front so I could sell yarn, help knitters with mistakes, and knit all day. I wonder how hard it would be to start a business...
Does everyone get to a point in their career when they're over it?

The Long March Ahead

Do you ever feel like March is the longest month ever? Maybe it's because I'm a teacher that March takes a long time. We hav eno days off, no breaks, and there is always cold weather and snow here in upstate New York. March is the month between the long winter and the coming spring and I can never wait for it to be over. Right now reading books will be the thing getting me through the long March ahead.
My best friend bought me a Nook for my 30th birthday...a very generous gift for sure! But, I love it and I spend all my time reading books. I have always loved to read but the Nook has given me immediate access to books without having to go to the store and I love it! I have set my knitting down for a little while and am focusing on reading right now. I did knit a new hat ( my own pattern) and a scarf for a friend. I am also still weaving baskets on Saturday mornings. I will try to post some pics of those. Right now I want to display the books that I've read recently. Some of them are really good books.

 

I absolutely loved your Best Birth. I think that every pregnant woman should read it before giving birth!  Glass House was a great read. I'm not sure why but it reminded me of Running With Scissors. Mennonite was pretty good but at times I needed to push through to finish it.

 I really liked the House at Riverton. Taboo was pretty good but not unlike many of the other pregnancy books I've read. I loved Little earthquakes! Great book and moved along quickly. 

 Shit My Dad Says was a good book but grew repetitious after a while. I'm reading the witch book right now and I like it so far.