GUESS WHAT I DID...

Even I am shocked at a couple of things I have done over the past two weekends!

I recently shared with you how afraid I am of sewing machines. I mean, they intimidate me is all. I'm always thinking that my fabric will get all bunched up, and my lines will be crooked, or I'll measure once and cut twice. Because of all of that, I have avoided using one and have chosen to make big and little quilts one hand stitch at a time. (Side note: I personally enjoy hand-piecing and quilting because there is something extra special in doing it that way. It feels like the way things were done back in Laura Ingalls' day, perhaps a bit more authentic). A quilt made by someone no matter the way it is made, in my opinion, however, is a tremendous gift.

That all being said, drumroll please...

I plugged in my sewing machine over the weekend! I did it! I did it!

I have to say that being the novice I am at all of this, it took about an hour to thread the machine and fill the bobbin.

Before that challenge, I cut all of these pieces to begin my new quest.

I asked Melanie to take this photo of me for proof.

After one trial run, I pieced these two together.

But I definitely put the seam-ripper to good use on several occasions.

And in about an hour and a half, I pieced these two whole blocks together.

FYI: Hand-piecing that might have taken about 10 hours, give or take.

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If I had a bucket list, and I don't, I would check the *Plug a sewing machine in and actually use it, AND

*Go on a zip-line for 650 feet off of a bridge and live to blog about it.

What?? I really did.

My husband and I were invited by our friends to join them in a charity for leukemia called the Anthony Nolan Trust. In my fear, I agreed that I would do it.

Here we are all ready. I have a major look of apprehension behind that smile and beneath that silly hat.

Here it is: The Runcorn/Widnes Bridge in England. I decided that if I'm going to do this crazy thing, that I would be first and get it over with.

I actually had to climb over the bridge railing and hang on before letting go.

That was honestly the scariest part.

Geronimooooooo...

Am I almost done?

I was very happy to see this fellow at the end of my run.

My dear, sweet, adventurous hubby doesn't have any problem doing these types of things. He's jumped out of an airplane, and has done bungee jumps. He makes it look easy.

There he is, happy as a lark.

He wasn't nearly as excited to see this guy as I was.

Well there you have it, a couple of my fears have been conquered

and it feels really, really good!