Stitches and Spring!

I was beginning to think that spring would never arrive!  It has been a cool, grey and rainy spring overall, but there are some signs that are promising...

More baseball, are you surprised?

And even better, my gardens are starting to come back to life!

There is a lot of clean~up to finish, slowly, one bed at a time, we'll get it done.

 

Easter was a wonderful day, spent with my boys here at home.  They found the eggs in record time and didn't take to long to devour their goodies!

 

Panzer wanting me to stop stitching and play...

Daring his boy to touch his ball... 

Not wanting me to get up, he's too comfy... 

His attempt at a "selfie"... 

It will be two years this month since we brought Panzer home.  It's hard to imagine life without him now!

 

One of my favorite oil lamps is a dark green color.  I purchased it years ago when living in TN.  It was hidden on a shelf in the basement of an antique shop just waiting to be found.  Since discovering flower frogs, I have been searching for a dark green one to match the lantern.  I was actually with mom when I found one, deciding to wait a week or two to see if I could bargain for a better price.  Not sure how she did it without my seeing, but when purchasing a couple things for my nieces, mom snuck it in with her stuff.  I was disappointed when I went back to buy it and it was gone!  Imagine my surprise, when I opened my birthday box and found it nestled inside!!

And here is it with the lamp ~ love it ~ and love my mom even more!!

I also managed to fit in enough stitches for a finish...please excuse the shadow in the bottom left corner.

This was a fun one ~ love the colors and that sweet bunny!

 

This saying seemed perfect, as it mentions birds and bluebells, both things I can see in my gardens right now!  And, it makes me wonder what adventures await myself and the boys this summer!

“Where am I going? I don't quite know.
Down to the stream where the king-cups grow-
Up on a hill where the pine-trees blow-
Anywhere, anywhere. I don't know.

Where am I going? The clouds sail by,
Little ones, baby ones, over the sky.
Where am I going? The shadows pass,
Little ones, baby ones, over the grass.

If you were a cloud, and sailed up there,
You'd sail on the water as blue as air.
And you'd see me here in the fields and say:
"Doesn't the sky look green today?"

Where am I going? The high rooks call:"It's awful fun to be born at all.
Where am I going? The ring-doves coo:
"We do have beautiful things to do."

If you were a bird, and lived on high,
You'd lean on the wind when the wind
came by,
You'd say to the wind when it took you away:
"That's where I wanted to go today!"

Where am I going? I don't quite know.
What does it matter where people go?
Down to the wood where the blue-bells grow-
Anywhere, anywhere. I don't know.”
― A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young

 



Dreaming...

Dreaming of warmer, sunnier days...

because after this past week, I am done with this...

We were fortunate and did not lose power during the great ice storm of 2014.  Many of our friends weren't so lucky.  Some regaining power after four days and others still waiting...our county was declared a disaster....I am done... 

The boys were home 4 out of 5 days last week.  Due to the weather so far this winter, they haven't had a full week of school since back in December!

Even Panzer does not like the ice crusted snow ~ it's hard to get good traction action to take care of business.  He prefers snuggling and staying warm.

With as cold as it has been, I can't begin to imagine how it felt when my nieces participated in the Polar Plunge yesterday.  The water at Virginia beach was rough and a balmy 37 degrees...yikes!  My sister-in-law wasn't sure offhand of the exact amount, but over the past seven years, the girls have raised approximately $10,000 for the Special Olympics.  I couldn't be more proud!  A special thanks to Marie from Creative Thread for her donation to the cause!  The girls were extremely grateful ~ and, I will post a pic as soon as they send me one!

 

So, we are dreaming...dreaming of spring.  Ready to see the boys in action with baseball and triathlons.

 

I was doing good on trying to sneak in a little stitching time everyday, but then something came up.  I have been working as a substitute aide with a kindergarten student.  After his evaluations and IEP plan were developed, it was determined that he would require an aide through an outside company.  So, off I went....updating all of my clearances, finding transcripts, filling out applications, interviews, training, and testing.  End result is that I am hired and can continue to stay with this student through the rest of the year.  I still have some training modules to take, but am up and running.  My interaction with the student basically stays the same, except now there is paperwork involved.  My brain is tired...it's been a long time since I have had to study like that!

The stitching time I managed, was spent on this...just a few more stitches and it will be finished.

 

And thanks to Gillie, from Random Thoughts from Abroad, I had an unexpected surprise this week.  I had admired this sweet finish on her blog (if you aren't a follower, pop on over, you won't be disappointed) and it showed up in my mailbox along with some pretty red thread!

I love sheep ~ and this is too sweet ~ thanks again, Gillie!

(Sorry for the darkness of the pics, our days have been very grey and dreary.)

 

Yesterday we began the day with some birthday Baked French Toast for my oldest son,

followed by homemade chocolate cake with cream cheese icing....yum!

 

Thanks for stopping by...and a hello to my new followers!  Here's to dreaming of those warmer days... I leave you with the following quote in honor of all those athletes that participate in the Special Olympics...

“The things that make me different are the things that make me.”
― A.A. Milne

Rolling!!!!

Things are on a roll!!  The heat~wave rolls on, which means I don't cook huge meals.  Sandwiches ~ ham, roast beef, hoagies, hot sausage with green peppers and onions, hamburgers, hot dogs ~ yep, all on rolls!

My middle guy's District team for Little League is on a roll ~ two wins and hoping for win number three tomorrow night!  The first win was celebrated with a teammate's family, complete with celebratory dessert.

Rolling on to the celebration of game two...at the ER....

While catching, the batter somehow managed to get the bat all the way around to the back of his head (the batter may have thrown the bat) ~ catching him just under the edge of his helmet.  Since he was in a bit of pain and it involved the head/spine, it was off to the ER to make sure he was okay.  Thankfully, all is good ~ we were both worried and this smile is after we were told that all the tests were good and they'd have us rolling back home shortly.

Panzer is starting to roll again, although it's a slow process.  He became confused again when the new neighbors moved in.  People were around, but there was no Joker.  We will be visiting his mother and one of his brothers tomorrow, and hopefully, they will have some good playtime.  He's rolling!

 

My teenager ~ well, he's rolled into a different creature this summer...sleeping in, hanging with friends, rolling his eyes...need I say more?

The little guy is training to participate in a triathlon and hanging with his buddies...here is a picture my friend took of him jumping into the Chesapeake Bay.  Doesn't it looks like he is skipping across the top of the water?

 

 My stitching has been on a roll too!  The completed Pomegranate Study...

What an enjoyable piece to stitch.

I then rolled on over to Honeybee Hill by BBD.

Aren't the colors and the motifs great?  I'm hoping to have this one finished soon.

 

Oh, and when rolling down the highway this summer, watch out for this guy...

Kinda creepy, isn't he?

 

Here's hoping that things continue to roll on in a good way!

“If possible, try to find a way to come downstairs that doesn't involve going bump, bump, bump, on the back of your head.”
― A.A. Milne, Pooh's Little Instruction Book

A Touch of the Season

Last weekend while the weather was still warm, my husband put up the outside Christmas lights.  The only other outdoor touches are a decorative sled on the porch bench and  a pine wreath that my mother was kind enough to make and bring when they visited on Thanksgiving.  Our lights outside are simple.  Red and green spot lights that my husband shines up into the branches of our favorite trees.  I'll have to see if I can get a picture that really shows the effect.

  I took a few quick pictures of some things that are in the process of being placed about the house.  The rest will follow this weekend, with everyone pitching in to Deck the Halls!

Primitive Winter and Dirty Snowmen are Notforgotten Farm patterns.  I stitched them last winter when we were snowed in and I am still trying to decide on a finish, any ideas?

The BBD Stocking I received as an exchange that Sharlotte hosted and it was stitched beautifully by Faye!  I have to confess that even though it is a Christmas stocking, I have had it hanging on my lamp since I received it!  I have enjoyed looking at it too much to put away!

On Thanksgiving my mom gave me the Mill Hill Santa kit.  It was a quick and fun piece to do!

  The red felt hearts were a gift from a dear friend. 

The designer for the framed Merry Christmas escapes my memory at the moment.  I really can not go searching through my stash pile to find it right now, as my husband is already asleep.  Can you guess where my patterns are?

The remaining pieces are my own.  Are you curious about the crab?  My neighbors have a house on the Chesapeake Bay and they decided to host a Christmas in July party back in 2009.  Instead of baking, cooking or buying something to take, I offered to create an ornament to mark the occasion.  Thus the crab with the beady red eyes!  This was my first attempt at sewing ornaments and I made one for each family to take home - 25 in all!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  Until next time - happy stitching!