The Life in a Day with Grace

Walking, Running and KIVA

noreply@blogger.com (Grace) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:40:00 +0000

I wanted to introduce two men and one organization that are very inspirational to me. I don't know either of the men, but ran across their stories during my blog hopping. Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty. Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend to unique entrepreneurs around the globe.

1. Jonathon Stalls and his dog, Kanoa, will embark on a coast-to-coast cross country trek covering an estimated 3,000 miles from Delaware to San Francisco, CA - and he’s taking Kiva with him. He will be walking through hundreds of towns, cities, and communities in Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California. You can follow his progress at www.kivawalk.com.

Why is Jonathon going on this cross country trek?
“Since living in Ireland (2005-2006), visiting Honduras in 2007, and swapping life stories with many ‘travelers,’ I have craved an adventure that would challenge my daily activities, expectations, and priorities. The speed and growth of our commodity driven and over-communicated culture feeds a personal call to engage in quieter, slower, and more intentional experiences with less.  This walk will be a journey in listening, eating, sharing, and growing with: strangers, neighbors, officials, hikers, animals, wind, and dirt.” 
Why is he partnering with Kiva?
"I wanted and needed a larger purpose that would stretch far beyond my own personal attractions to such a trek. I came across Kiva in my social entrepreneurship class at Metropolitan State College of Denver in the fall of 2007. I craved to do more the minute I clicked on the link, browsed the website, and began donating. After meeting and engaging Kiva staff and many hours of creative brainstorming ‘we’ have cultivated an exciting relationship to spread Kiva’s mission and build lending communities across the country. I am more than enthusiastic to work with one of our nation’s leading incubators in the fight to alleviate extreme poverty across the world – GO KIVA!”  

2. Martin Parnell is a 55-year-old from Canada and began running when he was 47. He will attempt to run 250 marathons in 2010. His goal is to raise $250,000 for Right To Play. Right To Play is an humanitarian organization that uses sport and play programs to improve health, develop life skills, and foster peace with children and communities in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world. Right To Play also works in Canadian communities to inspire children and support their right to grow and learn through physical activity. More than 4,500 schools in Canada use the Right To Play program. To raise $250,000, Martin will run all 250 marathons between January 1st and December 31st 2010. If you're interested you can follow his progress at www.marathonquest250.com. As of today, he has completed 25 marathons.

3. I discovered KIVA through reading information from World Vision. I made my first loan of $25 in October of 2009 to Aciy Grace. She is in the business of selling various foodstuffs at a restaurant and requested a loan to stock more rice and beans to sell. Aciy is 30 years old and is married with a husband that is an engineer. She has 6 children, and her children go to school. With the extra profits from her loan, she hopes to be able to pay school fees for her children. She lives in Gudele, South Sudan. She requested $325 and along with 9 other people from around the world, we were able to fund her loan. To date she has repaid 30% of the loan. When the loan is repaid in full, I can choose to withdraw the money or loan to someone else. $25 doesn't seem like a lot of money, but with the combined efforts of other people we are able to help people like Aciy. It's very humbling to think that such a little amount of money can have such a huge impact on someone's life. I think very differently now about how I spend my money.

I am inspired by people who put action to their beliefs. Jonathan, Martin and Kiva give me great hope.

A Thoughtful Paws from Woody & Ellie

Do you say 3000-mile walk? When do we leave?

Is there such a thing as too much Austen?

noreply@blogger.com (Grace) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:58:00 +0000

Mike and I have been watching a lot of Jane Austen-related movies as of late. We own a few already, (Pride & Prejudice, Emma, Mansfield Park, Sense & Sensibility, Persuasian) but chose to put The Jane Austen Book Club and Lost in Austen on our Netflix list. Very cute movies; both couched against the backdrop of Jane Austen's famous books.

In the spirit of all things Austen, I cracked open Pride & Prejudice (50 Things, #11) and begun reading. While I have watched the A&E movie probably a million times, I have yet to read the book. To entice you, here's the first few words:

Pride & Prejudice, Chapter 1

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighborhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of someone or other of their daughters.

"My dear Mr. Bennet," said his lady to him one day, "have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?"

Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.

"But it is," returned she; "for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it."

Mr. Bennet made no answer. "Do not you want to know who has taken it?" cried his wife impatiently.

"You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it."

This was invitation enough.

A Thoughtful Paws from Woody & Ellie

We just want you to know that there is no such thing as too much love and cookies!

50 Things - Update

noreply@blogger.com (Grace) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 01:57:00 +0000

In my last blog post I mentioned that I love lists... I also have a bad habit of making lists and then not completing the items on said list. So in the spirit of being a finisher, I am going to highlight some of the items that I have started working on and their progress.

#2 take more pictures - just for this blog alone. I have my camera with me always and am trying to discipline myself to taking lots of pictures.

#5 run a 5k - for many years now I've wanted to be a runner. I completed a marathon in 2004, but that was walking. I'm proud of the accomplishment, but I'd like to be a runner. The danger, however, is that I like the idea of running just a little bit more than the actual running. I eventually want to run marathons, so I'd better start small with a 5k. I've started walking 3 days per week, increasing my speed each time and then I'm going to start the couch to 5k plan from Cool Running.

#6 read the New Testament through once per month for a year - started this 5 days into the month. Took my Bible (NIV/Message parallel) and divided the number of pages of the New Testament into 30 days. I read 14 pages each day with a couple of days spare for any misses. So far so good.

#14 weigh a healthy weight for my height - I've always battled with my weight and so far it's winning, but this is the year that I gain some ground. My goal is to lose 5 pounds each month and at the end of the year I should be at a healthy weight, give or take a few pounds. I'm eating sensibly, lots of fruits and vegetables, trying to cut down on sugar and fat and so far so good.

#19 complete BSF series - BSF - Bible Study Fellowship is a wonderful Bible study that I highly recommend. The complete series is 8 years and I'm in year 5. This year we're in the book of John and next year we're scheduled to study Isaiah.

#27 exercise for 30 minutes 5 to 6 days/ week - so far it's 30 minutes 3 days/week.

#29 knit Mike a sweater - he picked the pattern and the wool (grey heather) and I cast on the over 300 stitches for this bad boy.

#34 walk around all the lakes in the Lake District - each year my mom and I visit my grandfather in the north of England. There is an area called the Lake District with several lakes that are incredibly beautiful. I want to walk around all of them, or at all the ones that they will allow me to walk around. I'll probably walk around Rydal Water or Windermere first.

#37 knit 1 square/week each year for KAS - KAS or Knit-a-Square is a group of knitters and crocheters around the world that knit squares to be sewn up into blankets for AIDS orphans in South Africa. This is an incredibly inspiring story and mission. If you've ever wanted to learn to knit or crochet, this is the time to try and there is nothing easier than a square.

A Thoughtful Paws from Woody & Ellie

We don't care if you finish your list... we just want to be with you so you can give us treats!

50 Things

noreply@blogger.com (Grace) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:17:00 +0000

I love lists! And even more than that I love to cross items off lists! Weird, I know, but it's one of my secret joys. I was blog hopping the other day and came across a 29-year-old who had made a list of 30 things to accomplish before 30. She gave herself a year to do these 30 things and since I had just turned 41 I wanted to do a list also, but doing a list of 42 things just didn't have the same flair. So I came up with 50 things to do before I turn 50. Much more flair ;-) The list took a few days to compile, but it was fun to think about the future and intentionally plan activities that will help me be healthy, take care of my family and home and stretch me spiritually. So here goes...

create a scrapbook of my dogs
take more pictures
setup my stamping website
finish a quilt for our master bed
run a 5k
read the New Testament through once per month for a year
celebrate our 25^th anniversary (2013)
create a scrapbook of Mike and me
read/listen to one classic novel per year
run a 10K
read Pride & Prejudice
learn a foreign language
knit a lace shawl
weigh a healthy weight for my height
go camping
sew a tote bag
run a half-marathon
create a family scrapbook
complete BSF series
organize my files
knit socks
de-clutter the garage
plant a garden and spend time in the garden daily
run a marathon
cook from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking
start playing pinochle or canasta on a regular basis
exercise for 30 minutes 5 to 6 days/ week
paint the interior of the house
knit Mike a sweater
run the Comrades
complete a “Dear Jane” Quilt
read the Old Testament through once every two months for a year
take a trip to South Africa
walk around all the lakes in the Lake District
save for wood floors
organize craft room
knit 1 square/week each year for KAS
upload all my stash to Ravelry
run 5 marathons before I turn 50
quilt for Mike
secret project to be revealed after 2012
make dog beds
go to the international quilt festival in Houston
decorate the house for each season/holiday
de-clutter and organize each room of the house
support two more compassion kids
setup an etsy shop
support 18 micro enterprises through KIVA.org (2 per year)
make a gingerbread house
go on a mission trip to Africa

A Thoughtful Paws from Woody & Ellie

So what number is "walk dogs everyday and give unlimited treats"?

Finisher!

noreply@blogger.com (Grace) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:26:00 +0000

When my husband and I crossed the finish line of the Honolulu Marathon in 2004 they gave us each a medal that says "Finisher". It is a wonderful reminder that we completed something. Finishing something is a great feeling. In my last blog post I talked about the frustration of feeling like I never finish things. Well that's a bit of an overstatement because I do finish things... I was referring mostly to my projects (craft projects). So this year I resolve to finish projects!

And on that note... behold a finished blanket! This is a blanket that is part of a set I gave to friend who became a grandmother again to two twin boys. The other blanket is the same design except the brown stripes are blue stripes. I really enjoyed making these blankets because 1. they were for a dear friend; 2. they were easy, just knit and purl; 3. they are relatively small (only 24"X28") and 4. I used Vanna's Choice yarn (delectable) and it only required 4 skeins. I came up with my own design and knit away. It's a great "pick up and go" project and doesn't require intense concentration.

There are a lot of areas of my life I resolve to improve this year, but I'm starting with finishing.

A Thoughtful Paws from Woody & Ellie

So when do we get a knitted treat?

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start...

noreply@blogger.com (Grace) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 05:50:00 +0000

I suppose introductions are in order. My name is Grace Edwards and I've always wanted to have a blog. Well since about 6 months ago. I have been a huge fan of blogs for a few years, all kinds, and always marveled at the creativity and courage of the people out there in the internet ether who are committed to their craft or cause. Personally, I love so many things, it's hard to know what to blog about: dogs, knitting, quilting, stamping, my job (children's director at my church), and the list goes on and on and on....

Lately, though, (here's the deep reflection portion of the post) I've been thinking about my life and wondering why I don't complete more projects, follow through on more commitments or just plain enjoy my life. I have a great life, an incredible husband, wonderful families, the two best dogs in the whole world (slight bias) and amazing friends. After many walks (with my dogs) and prayers I've discovered that I'm just getting through life not enjoying it. So hence the name of the blog (thought of in the shower where almost all great thoughts arrive)... The Life in a Day with Grace. I wanted it to be just The Life in a Day, but that was taken so I added the with Grace part.

I must confess that I'm also in great need of accountability (even writing this gives me great fear) and I thought a blog where potentially the entire internet world could read my bold claims would be the answer. Maybe a little over the top, but everything I've tried up until this point hasn't worked. One of the podcasts/blogs I listen to/read is called CraftSanity by Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood. She's an amazing writer, podcaster and crafter who just recently began talking about putting our commitments out there for the world to see and hear. I was encouraged and inspired by her boldness and thought I would follow suit.

So here goes... the Life in a Day with Grace

A Thoughtful Paws from Woody & Ellie

How much more life do you need when you have us???