another rug finished

Well, after finishing the first rag rug I immediately started on this one! These are definitely my colors! I absolutely love how this rug turned out!



I think this one is everyone's favorite now!



It's amazing how much fun it is to create patterns with the colored fabric you have on hand.

Dynamo even told me that I was getting faster now!



They are really fun once you get the hang of it!



I've already started on my next one. It's got lots of pretty greens in it! I've been getting ready for my craft show in November, so I'll be showing you some wreaths and other pretties soon!

Mountain Bike Monday - Time to Ride...finally!

There's nothing like the sound of your shoes clicking in after a long while of being away from the trails. It was like music to my ears to lace up my riding shoes and clip in my pedals on Sunday. I sure have missed our weekend rides!

Dynamo's finger is still sore, but with his brace on we decided to venture onto the Lakeview Trails at Poco for an easy ride to see how his hand would do.



We hadn't been on the Lakeview Trails since before Hurricane Irene hit. Some trails, including Lakeview 3, are still closed. The volunteers, yes trails are maintained solely by volunteers, have done a fantastic job clearing and re-routing much of the trails. It's truly amazing how much damage that storm did. There were many sections of trail that were unrecognizable to me. I was excited because some of my not-so-favorite sections were re-routed. Dynamo said I must like the re-routes because they took out some hills. Of course I like that :)



There were many trees uprooted like the one in the picture above. And, I'm talking big huge trees with rootballs as big as a small house it seemed.
The one thing I thought of as we were riding was that now there are lots more places for critters to hide. Yikes! In many cases the trees were cut up and placed on the sides of the trail. Nice hiding spots for Mr. Snake!



There were some new obstacles in places where we weren't used to them. So, it's like learning a whole new trail!



MUTT got a new fork. Well, it's not new, but it's new to me. Dynamo kindly gave me the fork off of his Kermit. I really do make out like a bandit most of the time. I'm happy to take bike parts from Dynamo! In the past Dynamo could resell those parts, but now that's not possible because he always shares with me! :)

It was a great ride. We did about 9 miles of singletrack. It was so nice to be back in the saddle again!



Hope your weekend was great! It was sooooo beautiful!! Now is the perfect time of year to be outside!

a fall favorite

There are many things that I love about the Fall including apple picking, the temperature dropping, leaves changing colors, Halloween (my favorite), etc. But, there's one thing that I absolutely love and can't live without this time of year and that is Pumpkin Spice Latte from 7-11! It is absolutely fantastic for such a low price as compared to Starbucks. In my opinion Starbucks can't even come close to beating this taste! For less than half the price, 7-11 has them beat!

You may think I'm crazy, but I so look forward to walking into 7-11 every October to find the label has been changed on the latte machine to read "Pumpkin Spice". My face just lights up when I see it. Some people have to have their coffee every day. Not me...I don't normally drink coffee or any other fancy drink except this one time a year.

With 216 calories in a 12 ounce cup you do have to limit yourself. Especially since my friend, Rachel, recently sent me a cholesterol handout. (Yes, we'll address that at some other point in a blog post) I am trying to incorporate it in my new diet plan carefully. After all, it's only here for the fall!

If you haven't tried some, please do! You won't be sorry! But then again, you do have to love pumpkin! There are two flavors I absolutely love - pumpkin and banana! It just doesn't get any better than that.

So, cheers to you! Happy Fall!!!

rag rug: mission accomplished

The first rag rug and the beautiful loom Dynamo built are a success!



Well, it's finally done! Yippee!!!



I really am pleased with the outcome! The pictures just don't do it justice! The colors are so pretty and the pattern turned out to be so lovely!



The rug measures 24" x 36" (2 ft x 3 ft). Dynamo constructed a perfect tool for me to make these rugs! I told him no more projects from me...I promise. (At least for now :))

Even though it took me a while, working slowly since it was my first one, I am still inclined to make more. I think they are going to be a nice addition to my craft line (hehe). The beauty of these rugs is that they are not only handmade (which makes them extra special), but also made from vintage fabric, recycled sheets, and can be great gifts.



The first question my dad asked was "Is that rug for Lexi?" We know where his priorities are. He sure does love his Granddog!

For the first rug I worked with what fabric I already had so it ended up mostly blue-toned. It really doesn't match a thing I have, but it's still absolutley beautiful in my opinion. I sure do wish you could see it up close! It really feels good under your feet too!

So, I'll string up the next one and get started. It's a great thing for me to do while I watch the X-Factor (my new favorite show)!

52 weeks of mail

It is really sad to hear that according to a new report the average American receives a handwritten letter only once every 7 weeks! Well, there's something that every one of us can help with! Who doesn't like to get a handwritten note? I love to get snail mail! I'm still like a kid when I get home! I love to check the mailbox hoping for a note or card! My Nannie (grandma) has always written notes to me. They are the notes that you used to get as a kid. She writes about what she's been up to. It's really a letter. Sometimes there are multiple pages. Who writes like that anymore? Certainly not me! Dynamo's mom always writes in the cards she sends too. She always talks about the weather and what they've been up to.

And...my Mom is the ultimate card sender. She is so dedicated to sending notes and cards to family and friends. She always taught me to send thank you notes and cards just to let someone know they were thought of. The rule in our house growing up was that any gift you receive you couldn't use until you had written a thank you note to the person that gave it to you. I try to hold true to that today.

I know that cards are expensive, but they do have a 99 cent section. Or...make your own! When I saw this post over at Paper Crave, I decided that I would share this project with you! I am going to make an effort to send a card, note, or something every week. The project begins this Sunday, October 9, and runs for 52 weeks! Won't you join in with me?

Don't know who to send a card to? Well, here's an idea. Someone once told me that they take their Christmas cards every year and throw them into a basket. Once a week they randomly pull a card out of the basket and send a little thinking of you card to that person. It keeps you in touch with people that you really only normally send cards to once a year. Plus, it will brighten someone's day to get a card when it's unexpected.

Here's the excerpt from Paper Crave:

The new 52 Weeks of Mail project from Kimberly Costa of Honizukle Press, the graphic designer for this awesome new project and a member of the Etsy Greetings Team, who created said awesome project.


52 Weeks of Mail is “all about getting back to sending cards and letters to loved ones and fostering relationships that way”, and participants are encouraged to be more intentional about keeping in touch with friends and family by sending out a card or letter each week for the next year. I know that this is something that I’ve personally been trying to do recently, and though I love my computer and the interwebs, it’s so nice to unplug sometimes and to actually sit down and write a note or letter by hand.


52 Weeks of Mail begins on October 9, 2011 (appropriately, World Post Day) and continues through October 7, 2012. A free printable enclosure notecard with an explanation of the project will be available when the project launches, so you can help spread the word via the cards and letters that you send and encourage others to take part.


Get more details and stay up to date on what’s happening on the 52 Weeks of Mail Facebook page.
image by Kimberly Costa

happy camper

Isn't this a lovely soap? I love the off-white/yellowish color! I am pleased with how this pet soap turned out! Even better is that it can be used by us humans too! So, I'm calling it Happy Camper! It is a great soap to use if you'll be mountain biking, camping or hiking as it has citronella, lavender, cedarwood, and eucalyptus essential oils. All that good stuff deters bugs! I even put in some local lavender buds for the look and some exfoliation power too! Lexi must have known this soap was for her. It was driving her crazy! Her sniffer was going 100 MPH.

mountain bike kid monday - TAKMBD 2011

On Saturday, Dynamo and I volunteered to help with the annual event, Take a Kid Mountain Biking, which held at Pocohontas State Park! They were looking for someone to come and take pictures of the event. So, Dynamo volunteered me to take photos. I made no promises as to the quantity, quality, etc.



I think they turned out good!



There were probably 50 kids, lots of parents, and many volunteers. REI came out and adjusted bikes and gave out goodies. Mrs. Marshalls gave out free lunches. They were super delicious!



They created a little obstacle course for the kids to practice techniques.



Dynamo even got to help our adopted niece, Madison, over the log!



There were kids everywhere! All ages enjoyed the time outside on a beautiful Saturday!



Local team riders took the kids out in groups on the trails to give them a taste of what trail riding is about.



And, this one little kid was adorable! He wasn't quite old enough to participate, but he and his parents rode around the parking lot. He sure could fly on his Strider, which is the best invention ever!



If you want to take a look at all the pics from the event, click here.