Officially Done

I am officially done with summer.  This heatwave has been horrible and we are in need of some nice soaking rains.  If we could trade our weather, I think I would have some takers in the UK where they seem to have found all the rain.

The little league baseball season is officially done for my boys.  The middle guy's team finished after three tournament games.  Here he is catching.  I love the dust coming off his glove as the ball goes in!

The oldest guy's team lost in the District Championship game, the first time in three years.  Disappointing, especially since they played so hard, at 12:00, with a temp of 102 and a heat index of about 110.

And for the little guy, there's always the cotton candy while cheering for his brothers.

I'm so proud of all of my boy's accomplishments this season.

  But never fear ~ there is still baseball ~ on to training and more tournaments with travel teams!!!

Officially done is my June ornament.  I will confess, it was finished on July 1st, but it's done.  I'm still on track ~ although, I will still have to find time to have a finishing day... 

This is a freebie from Carol at iStitch.  If you click the link, you'll go to her blog.  From there, click on the charts icon in the sidebar.  At the bottom of the list of charts, you'll see the link for her freebies.

This was a quick one to stitch and reminded me of a vintage postcard.

I also did some more on this Heartstring Samplery piece, which will be a gift for a non~stitchy friend.

I finished up the border this evening ~ and phew, it lined up!  That is always a good feeling.  Now I just have to stitch the second house and find a frame. 

So, in hoping for a break in the heat and some much needed rain, I will leave you with these words that I would love to hear!

“Tut, Tut, looks like rain”
― A.A. Milne

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

Behind the Times...

Oh my gosh, how did we get to the end of March?  I am way behind on everything!  Especially the posting of my March Tusal.

Did you catch that I displayed my jar in front of a timepiece?

Let's play catch up, shall we?

Brett and I once again met with Peggy Lee from the Kentucky Sampler.  She had the camera that day, so if you'd like to read all about our crazy adventures, just click on the link!  It feels like we have known each other forever, it's hard to believe that it was this time last year when first we met.

Angela, from Hooked on Stitches, surprised me with one of her beautiful finishes.  It was one of "those" days and when I went to my mailbox, everything was suddenly brighter!

Angela's beautiful stitches. 

Isn't this little bow the sweetest? 

The lovely trim and candy cane charm. 

And what beautiful fabric on the back! 

Thanks again Angela!  Your RAK really made my day!

On top of the various illnesses, of which I will not go into detail, school conferences, etc., it is also the start of spring baseball.  Last weekend found the boys and I in Flemington, NJ for a tournament that my oldest son's travel team was participating in.  Bear with me for a minute while I share some pictures.

Can you tell from how the little brother is bundled up, that it was a bit on the chilly side?

The oldest lives for this!

Up to bat. 

I just love the intensity on his face in the next pictures. 

His job is done. 

He had a tremendous pitching weekend, throwing around 100 pitches and only one run scored during his stay on the mound.  He even had a nine pitch inning, getting all three outs himself - you gotta love when that happens!

The middle guy was supposed to have a tournament this weekend, but some rain and wintry temps decided to show up and interfere.

What happened to the warmer temps and sun shiny days that allowed for the following photo shoot?

Some visitors.

Yesterday was a very important day in my house.  My baby is now 8!  He requested a home-made ice cream cake ~ complete with home-made chocolate ice cream and candles that he placed himself!

I know this one is a bit blurry, but I love the smile on his face!

An after shot.

And what does an 8 year old want for his birthday?

Dino Legos!

There has been a little stitching.  Not much, but enough to complete my Stitched With Love ~ Spring Exchange.  Of course, I can't show that yet!

And just enough more to get the stitching done on my March ornament.

I decided to stitch the outline of the snow and just do a half-stitch for the inside.  I wasn't sure if I liked the effect at first, but it has grown on me.  It sort of reminds me of falling snow, rather than snow that is already on the ground.  I have to pick my April ornament yet. Perhaps another stocking, then I can just spend one day finishing them all together.  I'll share my choice on my next post.

I recently purchased one of Myra's totes and I couldn't be more pleased.  I had asked Myra if it was possible to add a set of longer handles, making it easy to just throw over my shoulder on the way to and from the ball fields.  I was going to post a review after using it this weekend, but then the tournament was cancelled.  I can say, I had it all packed and ready to go - all my needs for the weekend fit perfectly.

Her packaging and sweet note.

The longer handles are attached with Velcro, making them easy to remove and store in one of the pockets.  One pocket on each side, inside and out!

A zippered pouch, containing her card and a little extra something - a thread catcher.  Now all those threads will make it home and into my jar!

Myra's sewing skills are wonderful.  I wish we lived closer so she could teach me a thing or two!

Here's the link to her blog, Gr8dame's Place, the page where she shows some of her goodies that are for sale.  Thanks so much Myra, I love it!

Phew, are you still with me?  I have to try and post a bit more often so I don't have such long posts!

In looking back through my post, the picture of the birthday boy with his Legos all about made me chuckle, because somehow, he knew where every piece was!

“Organization is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it’s not all mixed up.”
―A.A. Milne