Vegas Ragnar Relay

So many of you already know I am addicted to running relay races. Here's how it goes...usually about 185-200 miles, 2 vans, 12 people on your team. You each take turns running, so you each run three different times. So your total mileage ranges from 12-20 miles each. So there are spots for beginners as well as veterans. You usually get about 3-4 hours of sleep, and the race takes about 30 hours. It is the most fun thing you will ever do. I promise! check out http://www.ragnarrelay.com/  have races all over the country. Also http://www.redrockrelay.com/  is in the St. George Area. People dress up and decorate their vans, so it's always pretty entertaining.

So last weekend, Heber and I ran in the Vegas Ragnar relay. It started in the Valley of Fire and ended in Vegas. We had some amazing exchanges at Huge Casinos with pools and hot tubs and lounge chairs. We got spoiled, normally exchanges are at churches or schools. You sleep on the grass or the gym floor. Sometimes there are showers, and sometimes not so much. One of our exchanges we slept under some swings on a playground.

I have run 6 relay races in the past 16 months. My legs this time were 8.8 miles/ 3.2 miles/ and 6.1 miles. There are six of us that are usually in the same van, we all know eachother's routines and we have a great time together.

Here is Heber and I at the start line.

Here is our Van of 6 at the start line.. Jared, Camille, Heber, Shelley, April, Brad

Here is Me and Camille at the finish line waiting for van 2 to cross the finish line.

Here is our whole team at the finish line.

Here is me with my girls and all our medals...it's all about the medals. Heber and I have quite the collection going. I keep telling him that when our grandkids go through our stuff, they are going to think we were pretty cool.

So our incentive to make Vegas our 4th relay this year was because of the medals...you got the regular Vegas medal for running...If you ran the Wasatch Back in Utah and Vegas, you got a second medal called "Saints and Sinners". THen if you ran Vegas and any other race besides Wasatch Back this year you got a third medal called, "Deuces Wild". We ran the Los Angeles Ragnar.  So there you have it three medals to run one race, of course I was in.

Heber and I showing off all our medals





Halloween Side Note

SO, I went to help at a 2nd grade party the other day for Halloween, and when I showed up all the other five moms were dressed up in costume, and I wasn't. It didn't even cross my mind to dress up.

So two hours before we were supposed to go to some friends house for a pre trick or treat party, it dawned on me that maybe we were supposed to dress up. So I asked Heber and he laughed and said yes, of course everyone else is dressing up. He took the easy way out and wore his fireman turnouts from work. I put together a cowgirl outfit for myself.

Heber humors me, he knows I am not super into holidays because of the extra effort required on top of everything else (aka sewing). SO he always buys the pumpkins and candy, because he knows it doesn't cross my mind. What a good man I've got for myself.

Gloria's Quilted slipcover

This couch was for my client Gloria...who is one of my favorite clients. The first time I met with her I was 6 months pregnant with my second baby, which was 8 years ago! I think we have slipcovered everything in her house...some of it twice. Couch, loveseat, chairs, parson chairs, ottomans, setee, cushions, and of course tons of pillows.

This couch was the first couch they had bought when they got married 30 years ago, she has it sitting on her wrap around porch. She's had quilts draped on it being held together with safety pins.

Finally she called me and wanted to make it permanent. She only had 2 queen size quilts...so I knew it would be tight. I picked up some cream canvas to use for the piping, decking, and on the bottom of the cushions. I had a 6" strip left and that was it.

I utilized the original quilt binding to be the end of the slipcover on the bottom next to the legs.

Before

After

I love her wrap around porch

Close up of outside arm

Quilt binding on bottom edge

Front of arm

Debbie's Bedding

Yesterday I took back beddding for Debbie's amazing bed. She had the White Euro pillows in the back. I made 3 standard shams with piping out of the brown toile. The large check bolster, I had to line because the fabric was so thin, which worked out great for the 1.5" ruffle on the ends of it.

She wanted something out of the blue stripe just to tie in the footstool covers that I made for the end of the bed. So I decided to do a boxed round pillow...which felt a little masculine for the bed, so I added about 7 layers of circles of the fabric and tufted it in the middle with a covered button. So it kind of looks like a rosette or flower.

She told me that she had seen these footwarmers everywhere, and wanted one for the end of the bed. This is the first time I'd ever heard of a footwarmer. Basically it's a mini duvet that's only about 48" tall by 98" wide that you drape on the end of the bed. We went with a 3" ruffle on the edges. She bought all her fabrics off http://www.fabric.com/

I ran piping down the seams on the footwarmer to finish it off where it had to be pieced. the back is out of the brown check, so she can always flip it over if she wants a change.

The footstools were from a consignment store,  which had navy blue upholstry on them. I made a little slipcover for both of them and ended the bottom with pipng so the wood legs could show.

Her room turned out amazing!!! We also slipcovered a couch for her bedroom out of the brown toile, which she decided to hold off on moving out of her family room until her new couch arrives in a few weeks. So when I go back I'll take pics of it then.

Kids playroom loveseat (Ikea fabric)

This loveseat was for my client that was redoing her basement and turning it into a playroom. She got her fabric from Ikea. She said it was such a random crazy pattern, that she didn't think it needed to be matched up....but I couldn't help myself, I pattern matched the seat cushions to the back cushions (mountain continues).

Loveseat before, I think it used to be her mom's

Loveseat After

Close up of the cushion pattern match (seat pattern continues up on to back cushion)

She chose the no skirt option, so we just ended it with piping. I think the kids will love it!

Deck @ the Cabin

So last week my dad was in town and wanted to know if we wanted help on a project....uh yes the deck at the cabin needed some serious help.

About 4 months ago I found a great deal on composite decking on ksl.com, so I borrowed the neighbors trailer, packed up the kids drove 1.5 hrs to Brigham city to pick it up....by myself because Heber didn't want to think about the deck yet. I hate when he's right, that was the worst day. It took 2.5 hrs to load it and figure out how to tie it down correctly.

When we were about 25 miles from the cabin I hear a loud pop, it's almost completely dark, it's cold. I pull over to check it out. I have a flat tire on the borrowed trailer. Good thing they insisted on sending me with the spare tire. Only problem, I have never changed a tire before. No worries, I flagged down anyone that would stop. A nice gentleman helped me out and changed the tire after he drove back home to get some more tools.

Let's just say I left my house at 3:30pm and arrived at the cabin at 10:30pm....next time I will happily pay the delivery fee.

Picture of the deck before

My dad and the boys working on the demo. Check out all that dry rot!

Here are my oldest two boys with my dad. They worked hard and we finished the demo in 2.5 hrs.

Even Luke got in on the demo fun.

The boys helped carry the new supplies up our 26 stairs.

The deck being reframed with some new joists

Here is a pic of the whole family, everyone helped lay the new deck.

Half way done.

Mostly finished ...we still need to do some trim work. The handrail and the lower deck are going to be next years project.