Organized chaos...

Well now, seems another month has passed me by....seriously, where has the time gone?

There have been two more birthdays in our house...my little guy is now a decade old...sniff...

And me, let's just say the I am now headed towards a big one...thanks to everyone that sent birthday wishes, you made my day!

 

Panzer is a very good helper when it comes to unwrapping presents...



 

Thank you to Christina for this sweet card and bookmark ~ of course, I love, love, love the sheep!!!

 

I also won some fabric from Dyeing to Stitch from their Facebook page and they were nice enough to include extra goodies!  Two pieces of fabric, some trim and one of their R&R Reproduction charts.  Love it ~ thanks, ladies!

 

Spring seems to have finally arrived (with a few extra cold days thrown in) and that means it is finally time to get back outside for baseball!

And for my little guy...the triathlon training is in full swing.  He is very excited about this new adventure.  He says he still likes baseball, but this might be "his thing".  Love it!

 

My two younger guys and I stopped at the museum at the Dover Air Force Base on our way home from a rough tournament.  Just the thing to lift the mood of the boys...

If you are ever in Dover, DE, I would recommend stopping for a visit.  They have some great exhibits inside and out.

And, the family ventured in for a quick visit to the big city for a much belated birthday dinner for my oldest at Fogo De Chao....yummy!

And thanks to the advice of Jacki, we found the eagle!  A Philadelphia landmark.  Thanks, Jacki ~ the boys loved it!

I really should venture in more often and I need to take my real camera ~ there are so many fantastic old buildings!  What do you say, Jacki, we should plan a photo day in the city!

 

I guess by now you have guessed that my stitching remains neglected.  I am very close to being done with my job training and am feeling like I am adjusting to the craziness of our spring schedules, so I hope to get back to my needle and thread ~ I really do miss it!  Thanks to all who are hanging in there with me....hopefully I will be back sooner than later and with some stitching to show!  And in the spirit of how disorganized and chaotic I have felt, I will leave you with this....

“One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries.”
― A.A. Milne

Hurry spring....please...

Well, most of our snow had melted and we did enjoy some milder temperatures over the weekend, but this morning we woke to this...

Okay, winter...you brought us cold temps and snow early in December...spring is two days away.  Can you please pack up and go away...I'll be happy to see you again next season, but now I am ready to get digging in my gardens and watching my boys participate in baseball and triathlons.

 

Other than what seemed like endless cold, snow and snow~days home from school, there has been little excitement around here.  I am getting the paperwork routine down at work and have finished 12 more hours of training.  Only twelve more to reach 43hours and then I will be done with the training! 

 

I received a sweet surprise from Priscilla.  I had loaned her a chart to use and in return, she sent me this wonderful scarf.

Perfect for the cold winter days and for my purple sweater!! 

Then I had an idea.  The early spring and late fall ball games can sometimes be quite chilly.  I asked if it would be possible to make a scarf with a baseball instead of the flower.  And bingo ~ look what she came up with!  I ordered a couple to give as gifts to other baseball moms.

Thanks so much, Priscilla ~ I hope you don't mind, I borrowed the picture you sent me.  The first tournament is this weekend and provided the fields are ready to play, I will be sporting my new scarf!

 

There hasn't been much stitching.  This is my most recent project..I have more done than is shown here and really need to get back to it.  There is not to much more to do ~ and it is my stress relief...

 

In other news, my older two boys both made their school baseball teams.

  The little guy has been working on his swimming in prep for the triathlons he wants to do ~ looking forward to seeing how he does with those!!

 

I asked for a new toilet for our powder room...my husband never does anything small...before I knew it, we were picking out paint colors and new fixtures..

It is hard to get a good picture of the paint color.  It is a really pretty grey/green.  Love it!  Now if I can only keep the boys out of there! 

 

The biggest news is that Panzer turned two!!  Hard to believe!!

We are so blessed to have him in our lives...

“When I was One,
I had just begun.
When I was Two,
I was nearly new."

 ― A.A. Milne, Now We Are Six

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

Celebrating!!

Can you believe what you are seeing!?!  Yes ~ a finish!!
Perhaps you heard a loud screech a few nights ago....that was just me celebrating!

This ended up taking way longer than it should have ~ that's just what happens when you keep misplacing your stitching time.

An easy stitch and very true words....

I tweaked the colors just a touch, including the fabric...

The bone after "Be loyal and faithful" was not charted to be encased in the blue, but after stitching the bone and the red, it just wasn't popping on my fabric choice....so, in went the blue.

The heart in "Forgive quickly" was charted green like the grass....couldn't do a green heart....presto, it's red....

And the dog, well, of course, changed to resemble Panzer....hubby says the tail is still too long....oh well....

I would really love to start something new, but I do have some wip's that are jumping back out at me. 

Perhaps I will work on them for now and allow myself a New Year's start.

 

Andrea over at The Craft Room hosted her 5th annual Christmas Random Act of Kindness.  She stitches as many ornaments as she can over the year and then hosts a giveaway draw....I was lucky enough to have my name chosen this year and was so excited when the package arrived....

The stitching and finishing are perfect!  It's hard to see from this picture I snapped with my phone, but the edges are beaded....love, love, love!!!  Thank you, Andrea!!  If you pop on over to her blog, she even has a tab at the top explaining her yearly event and showing some of the past ornaments.  What a sweet way to spread smiles for Christmas! 

 

Panzer says, "What?"

"I smell change in the air...."

"I need my boys to reassure me....my crate was taken down....something about making room for some sort of tree and holiday celebrations....I was thinking more along the lines of indoor plumbing for me perhaps...."

"While waiting for the tree....I'll just snuggle in and keep warm...it's gonna be bitter cold the next few days!"

 

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving ~ in spite of all that 2013 has thrown at us this year, I am still lucky to have many blessings to be thankful for ~ including all of my stitching and blogging friends!

We are preparing for a houseful of guests for Thanksgiving....Grandma, Pappy, my brother and his girls....can't wait to have them all here!! 

“The more - the merrier.”
― A.A. Milne

Spring Training & Gratitude

Some of you may remember that last year we traveled to Myrtle Beach, SC with our sons' travel teams for a long weekend of spring training.  This year, we decided to head down a day early and have a family day before the workouts began.

Friday was an absolutely beautiful day.  We hit the beach for most of the afternoon, walked some shops, and ended the night with friends at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville ~ yummy!!

This reminded me of a cathedral.  A nice place to sit and reflect.

All my boys on the beach.  Notice the teenager pose - head down texting his teammates.

Treasures found along the way...

Last year, my little guy wanted to ride the sky wheel, but we never made it.  It was his goal to ride, so ride we did!

My boy's with their buddies..if you read the newsletters from the Strawberry Sampler, you have heard of Beth's nephews and their love of baseball...the two redheads are the nephews!

So, on to spring training....not so sure it is supposed to look like this....especially in Myrtle Beach!

It all started as a cold rain Saturday afternoon...

This was Sunday morning...yep, snow...

I love the sign with the snow and ice...not sure this was the experience we drove all that way for!

After the snow and ice melted from the fields, it was time to get back to business.  Despite the cold and bitter wind, the games went on.

Maybe next year they should travel all the way to Florida!

We had a great time, but were happy to get home and see this face..

 

 

I have some thanks to give.  First off, I won Terri's Valentine's Giveaway over at Dixiesamplar.  Thank you so much Terri ~ I was surprised at all the goodies!

Terri sure knows how to spoil a person!!

This is the sweetest little pillow.

I love how she personalized the back.

Thanks again, Terri!

 

 Vickie,from a Stitcher's Story, had a draw for this magazine and just look at those beautiful pins she sent as a surprise.  Thank you so much Vickie.  I am looking for just the right pincushion to stitch up for these pins! 

 

Then, Peggy Lee surprised me with this beautiful heart box that she painted.  I love it!!  There were some chocolates and a skein of DMC in a lovely pink color inside.  So sorry to report that the chocolates didn't make it...they had to be taken care of before the boys got home from school!

Thanks Peggy Lee for the wonderful surprise!

 

I have managed a few stitches on the Pomegranate Study.  This is such a fun piece ~ hopefully it won't take me too much longer.

 

Thanks for sticking it out through another marathon post!  I really must try and post more often.  Thanks again to all of you who have made my February a little less dreary with your generosity!

 

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh