What are Little Boys Made Of?

It's been quite some time since I posted!  This is just such a crazy time of year.  There has been another field trip.  This time with my little guy to a conservation center.  The kids really had a great time.  I could handle the insect portion and even all the pond critters.  It was those that came home with us that I don't care for, the ticks!  YUCK!

 The kids found this sign funny - no upside down horses allowed!

There was the scout cross-over for the little guy, he's now a Bear!  (He's in the front right corner)

And since I have shown off the older brothers' baseball skills, I need to show off the little brother!

The gardens have been blooming,

and, I bet you are wondering about the stitching front.....well....not much has been done at all.  I am working on a couple of projects that I have to keep hush for the moment.  But I can show you the threads for the latest Tusal.

I did remember to take a picture of the Winnie-the-Pooh towel from June.

Isn't this so cute!

June also sent me this sweet card and pretty floss along with a sweet spring pattern (not shown, sorry)

Thanks so much again June for all of your thoughtfulness!

I also received some wonderful goodies from Mouse of Tales of a Stitching Mouse.  Her gifts are from the 2011 Tusal prize, and oh, did she spoil me!!  There were scissors, a bag of lace, threads, fabric, a hand painted and decorated box, and a bag of embellishments!!

Here is a close up of the embellishment bag.  Love, love, love that beaded trim.  I will have to find just the right project to use that on.  The buttons, bees and sheep!  She sure does know me!

And even more special is what was found in the box.  This sweet little cushion she designed and stitched!!

Isn't this so sweet?  I love the pin on top, looks like a little crown to me!

Thanks Mouse!  You certainly made my day and know how to spoil a girl.  Perhaps one day, we'll get to sit in person and share that cuppa!

I also won some homemade vanilla from Jackie of Jackie's Stitches.  The label is so cute ~ the first ingredient is love!!  Best vanilla ever!  I have already used it in my husband's birthday cake and yesterday in some celebratory chocolate chip cookies!!  The love makes everything better ~

There's one more reason, in addition to the baseball, school trips, scouts, etc., why my stitching time will be curtailed.  Not only will be the boys be out of school on June 7th, but our family has grown!

Do you see the excitement on that face!?! 

It's all because of this.

Meet Panzer.  After 9 years of being dog free, we decided it was time to share our home with some puppy love.

Do I have to go to school today?

Please, I just wanna stay home!

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope to show some more stitching next time - if the puppy allows.

Busy, busy, busy...

With all the whirlwind activity in April, I seemed to have missed when April actually came and went!

Most of you know that baseball is a part of my life year round ~ but this time of year, it consumes me.

We have had regular little league practices and games, along with a few travel teams.

The middle guy..

He's a wall behind the plate ~ love the look he's giving the runner, daring him to try and steal the base!

The oldest..

This game he pitched all six innings..only runs scored against him were unearned,and he was awarded player of the week for this game.

A different weekend, the game he was pitching went into overtime...he pitched 7 innings..earning a no decision, as they lost in the 8th inning when the closer was pitching.

His coaches call him a workhorse on the mound (I wish sometimes he would be a workhorse when it comes to cleaning his room).  This is how the other team's coach reacted after striking the third batter of the inning out...kicking the dirt in frustration..

We were lucky enough while traveling to some of these tournaments to be close enough to spend some Saturday nights with Grandma and Pappy.  One night, we had a visitor.

The bear pulled down the bird feeder and was rolling it around to get the seeds out!  We watched for quite some time.  We realized he was coming up towards the porch, so my oldest and I decided we should go inside ~ only to find that when Grandma had gone in, she locked the door!!  We banged, Pappy let us in and we had a good laugh about Grandma locking us out with the bear.

My middle guy had another big event.

He is no longer a cub scout ~ he's crossed over to Boy Scouts!

His Den worked very hard.  All of the boys achieved the Arrow of Light and Super~Achiever Awards.

We couldn't be more proud!

I survived a 6th grade field trip to DC. 

Of all my times in DC, this was the first time I visited the Wall.

It is a very solemn and touching place.  I never grasped the sheer number of names on each panel until seeing it in person.

The boys wanted to see the Lincoln Memorial as well.

And on the way back to the buses, we spent some time at the Korean War Memorial. 

The boys had a blast and we all survived!

I have the 2nd and 5th grade field trips yet to come ~ wish me luck!

There were also two spring concerts.  The 5th grade band for my middle guy and the 6th grade strings for my oldest. 

I think that pretty much explains why my stitching has been lax. 

I managed to get my April ornament stitched ~ although I have to confess, I just finished it yesterday on May 2nd!  Thanks goes to June for doing this monthly ornament with me ~ honestly, this would have been the month I would have given up if I was on my own!

I'm not sure yet what I will choose to stitch in May.  But I am going to push to actually finish it in May!

Thanks to Bekca from the Stitching Lion for sending me some birthday goodies!

A sweet pattern, some fabric, lace and needles..

I plan on using the fabric and lace in the finish once this is stitched.

If you haven't run across Bekca's blog, please run over and take a look.  She is a young university student in England who enjoys cooking and stitching.

Thanks Bekca, I love my goodies!! 

Thanks for bearing with me on this post of very little stitching!

And with as busy as I've been, the following quote seems quite appropriate, as my brain has felt very scattered.

“Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?”
― A.A. Milne