Caroline Classic Ski Race, and Adding to the Fabric Stash

Last week I couldn't sleep and was up super early. What a treat! The sunrise was gorgeous! I love this first picture with the icicles.

The icicle picture was actually taken a little later than this next one. In a matter of a couple minutes, the sky changed from rust orange to blues and pinks.

Saturday morning, we were up bright and early for the next ski race. I enjoy these, but I'm also very thankful there are only two races. These events take a lot of time and energy.

We were again #13. This is before the race. See how his bib is all blue with white letters? That meant he would be starting from the lower start, as opposed to #160 next to him, who would run the whole course. This race is held on the big hill. It takes the high school skiers about a minute and a half to race the whole course. So the younger skiers start toward the middle of the hill. As it was, it took him just over a minute to complete his run.

His stance looks a little funny here, be he was flying, and one the edge of being out of control.
Can you see the spray of snow coming off his ski?

When I asked him why he wasn't tucking down like he did last time, he said he felt like he was going too fast, and was trying to slow himself down a bit. At the last gate, there was a rut and one ski kicked out, but he was able to save it and make a good finish. Last race, I heard one of the coaches tell the kids, "Today, we want to go really fast ... somewhat in control, but mostly just go fast." That particular coach is a hoot.

The kids were supposed to get two runs down the hill, but when it was 1:30 and they were just finishing up the first run for everyone, they decided there wouldn't be enough daylight to finish, so everyone had to be satisfied with only one run. I was a bit frustrated by that. I had sat out on the hillside all day with my 2 year old, thinking we would get to see the second run. Had I known they were only doing one run, I would have waited in the warm lodge. Thankfully it wasn't terribly cold.

See all these people? These are all athletes and parents - and not all of them. They had a record turn out for the race, with a total of 190 skiers. We had kids from all over the place - Jackson Hole, Idaho, etc. The bigger ski teams who practice on larger hills are crazy fast. And they have all the brand new, top of the line equipment. We even saw parents re-waxing their kids skis to fit the snow conditions. This is some pretty intense competition. I'm really glad we didn't sign up for the race team. Home team suits us much better. We were also surprised by how rude some of the parents were. Guess we shouldn't be, but good grief. This is a kids event! Let them enjoy it.

At any rate, we ended up with a fourth place finish. Not too bad, considering all the competition. He was really upset not to place higher though. He was aiming for second place. Actually, among the local skiers, he was second. He beat two of the kids that beat him last race. When we got the full list of results, he felt much better. Of all the boys who started on the lower start, he was fourth fastest overall - which meant he beat several boys who are in the next age group. But overall, I would have to say it's never a bad thing to have to learn to deal with disappointment. It builds character.

His little group was the J7 boys again. The kid that won his division is not on this section of the score sheet. Would you believe the kid who won (who was from Jackson, by the way) made his run in 39 seconds!? Crazy.

Okay, on to fabric ;) I really wasn't intending to buy much fabric yet, but there is a contest at our local quilt shop... 'nuff said, right?

Anyway, I had to use a particular challenge fabric for this contest - the hideous flip-flop material in the center. Okay, so it's not as bad as I anticipated, but it sure is a challenge to find anything that remotely goes with it. For the contest, they give us a fat quarter of this material, and it has to be used and distinguishable in the final product. I had to try to find something that would go with it, so I bought a quarter yard of the zigzag material (which I now think does not go with it very well) and a quarter yard of the red, which I'm leaning toward using. The other piece of material goes from a beautiful dark purple to a bright orange, blending as it goes. Parts of it go really well with the challenge material, and parts of it don't. We'll have to see how it all works out. I'm not telling what I'm making yet. We'll just have to see how it turns out. I picked up a fat quarter for my daughter to use too. She will make an accent piece (or two) for what I'm making. The contest entries have to be in by April 10th, and we get $5 for participating, and $25 if we win. It seemed crazy not to enter ;)

Of course I can't walk into a fabric shop and just buy what I intended to buy... I spotted this pretty pale blue and brown fabric and thought it would be perfect for a carseat cover - as in, cover up the baby so all the people at the store will stop touching him.

It's overall very much my style, and I loved it even more when I saw the little bunnies.

I thought I was doing pretty good, getting out of the store having spent less than $20, when on my way out, I passed this adorable pattern for baby cowboy boots. They even had a little pair made up from the pattern. I was hooked. I had to go back and buy the pattern. Ugh. I'm such a sucker. Oh well, this pattern is super cute ;)

Later in the week, when I went to Jackson for my doctor's appointment I stopped in the quilt store there too. I found this cute flannel dinosaur material there. I'm not usually interested in dinosaurs, but I thought this was pretty cute.

I was surprised I didn't buy any more than just that, but I guess I wasn't in a fabric buying mood. I did find a brown and turquoise fabric I would have loved to use for a diaper bag, but after searching the entire store and not finding anything - literally anything - to go with it, I put it back on the shelf. All the coordinating fabrics in that line were girly, and I just couldn't match the odd shades of brown and turquoise with anything else in the store.

After going through a sewing slump, I think I may just be getting in the mood to create again. I've been having a hard time getting interested in sewing, with my sewing "room" in the garage, and not being able to use my propane heater because of the pregnancy. It's finally starting to warm up some, and I've finally given in and brought one machine inside. I really don't have room for it in the house, and around the daycare, but I'm making an exception for a couple months. I can't wait to have a whole room inside the house just for sewing. It will be such a treat!

Speaking of the house, the latest word was that it would be here the 18th, but he is supposed to give us 5 days definite warning so we can remove ice from the foundation we poured, and considering today is the 14th, I'm guessing we're delayed again. Like I've said before, I'll believe it's coming when I see the house pulling into town. Too bad people can't live up to their word.