Quiet Week

We're enjoying a quiet week...and DS is starting to act bored.

DH and I celebrated our anniversary Monday by going out to eat.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.  Unfortunately, even though we've eaten at this place many times before with no problems, the service that night was TERRIBLE...from waiting way to long for orders to be taken, food delivered (and incorrectly--the ceasar salad had no dressing), and waiting so long for the waitress to take up our check.  DH is very easygoing and never does this....but it was so bad that he left a tiny tip this time.  We're hoping that was just a bad night but we'll think long and hard before going there again.

It's been really hot and humid here in SE TX but I managed to drag myself out every weekday morning for my fitness walks.  That shower afterwards sure feels good after getting all sweaty!

I got to stitch some more this week.  I'm awaiting an order from 123 Stitch including Betsy's House and also the materials needed to stitch an old Carriage House Samplings pattern I borrowed.  In the meantime I stitched part of Prairie Schooler's July for an exchange block.

I also worked a bit on my LK Fat Guys and Snow Belles project, working on the Snow House block.  (I have a theory that if I'm thinking about snow, it may help me think it's not quite so hot.)  The lighting for this picture isn't great but you get the idea.

I also pulled out my wip of One Nation (ByGone Stitches) to work on for a bit.  It had been so long since I worked on this one that I'd forgotten that it's stitched with one strand on 36 count.

Nikki released a design that I model stitched for her, Stars and Stripes.  This was a fun one to stitch and so cute!

You can see it all framed up on her website here:

Country Cottage Needleworks

On the cooking front...I've been seeing banana pudding recipes posted a lot lately on Facebook and it's made me want some.  So, I looked up a recipe online and made some today.  I don't remember the last time I'd had some but I don't remember a meringue on top, but that's what this recipe called for.  It was really good but I think next time I'll just stick to making the pudding and skip the meringue.  (You know, the way we eat things like that as a child is the "right" way.  Besides, it was INSANE to have the oven on when it's this hot.  lol!)

Until next time.....

Happy stitching!

A Frantic Friday

This week has been the last week of school and the last week of Eagle ceremony planning so it's been so hectic that I've hardly gotten in any stitching.  I did manage to put the finishing touches on LK's Ride a Bike but haven't had a chance to get a pic yet.

Today we have a lot of last minute cleaning, errand running, laundry, baking, and cooking to do.  I hope I can stay awake when everyone starts arriving.  My parents from OH and DD (lives in CA) arrive this evening and our son (lives in GA) arrives tomorrow afternoon.

One thing that DIDN'T help was the school's failure to communicate  an important change about exempting finals so that the most of the highly motivated students have been penalized.  I've already met with the principal several times about the school's shoddy attendance records...with NO results.  In fact the excuses I've heard so far would never, rightfully so, be accepted from students.  So I've scheduled meetings next week with both the principal (meeting number 4 and 2 emails, one unanswered, since mid April) and one of the school board members.  A BIG question I have is how do they expect their students to fulfill their responsibilities when the school doesn't fulfill theirs?  GRRRRR!

  Tomorrow will be especially crazy as my HS son and I will both be volunteering at the concession stand at graduation tomorrow night.

I'm thankful for all our servicemen and women through the years who've sacrificed so much for our freedoms and national security.

I hope everyone enjoys the Memorial Day weekend.

Final Countdown to the end of the school year

Like it matters!  lol!  Two of our kids are taking summer classes.

Monday I had jury duty.  I brought along my Kindle and finished The Girl Who Played with Fire while sitting there and downloaded The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. ( I love instant gratification!)  I came close but didn't get picked for the jury.

Thursday was another big day at our house because DS got his braces off.  (I read more sitting in the waiting room.  It was a good week for reading.)

There was another band concert last night.  This one called Band-o-Rama where every school band that "feeds" into our high school bands and our high school bands played fun music.  Some bands had costumed characters that went along with the theme of the music and cavorted around.  It's always a fun concert.

This am I spent 5 hours helping measure the kids for next year's badly needed new marching uniforms and loading coolers with pop and bottled water to prepare for the concession stand for next week's graduation.

We're also plodding along preparing for DS's Eagle ceremony.  Next week-end will be fun but very busy.  I'm sure it will fly by.

On the stitching front, I made a bit more progress on LHN's Family Sampler:

I also picked up another little wip, LK's Ride a Bike.  This one will be for my DD who enjoys long distance bicycling.  I hope to finish it as a little doorknob hanger. 

I hope everyone has a great week!

Ahhhh! Spring Break

I love our life with all our kids' activities and doing a little traveling but once in a while it's nice to just hang out at home with nothing special to do.  Our 2 younger kids are both on spring break this week and it's been a "hang out" week.  I've gotten into a little reorganizing, cleaning but also enjoyed a having a little more time to stitch.

Our college DS mentioned that they may be doing an Italian food cook-off for his Italian class so he and DH experimented in the kitchen making struffoli.  (I'm sure I butchered the spelling.  Ha!)  I teased them about how nice it was for father to be passing along his cooking skills to his son.

Here's the tasty result:

I've made a lot of progress on a new CCN model but can't show it here.  However, I can show you a few wips.

First off:

Ride a Bike by LK.  DD is "into" bicycling lately sometimes going on group long distance rides on the weekends and sometimes biking to work so when I saw this one, I just had to stitch it up for her.  I'm waiting on a couple more overdyes and a button to arrive to get back to this one.

I'm working on this  Redbird Designs Santa for a Santa themed block exchange in one of my groups  I'm waiting on another overdyed floss to arrive before stitching his cowboy hat:

Finally, I saw this freebie (tantes zolder???) stitched up and made into one of those little pillows with Christmas fabric and lace, if I remember correctly.  As soon as I saw it finished up, I knew I had to stitch him:

I've been cooking more this week to "fatten up" our college DS.  We're doing our St. Pat's meal tonight since he's going back to his school apartment tomorrow.  I made sure to buy some "fixin's" for Reubens for Saturday.  I don't know what I like best, the St. Pat's meal or the Reubens the next day.  I just know I'll have to get back to our normal menus after all this food this past week!  (Or start running marathons.....every day!)

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, everyone!

I just have some cooking planned (not too much) and stitching for the first day of 2011.

Here's a picture of the sampler I've been working on...Samplers Remembered Village Town Square. I've stitched a lot on this one but there's still a lot that needs to be done. It's truly a bap! I'm just hoping to finish it in 2011.

I plan to start 2 sals today, LK's "Boo Banner" (with a couple of friends) and LHN's Winter Band Sampler (my Jan 1 project with one of my yahoo groups).

It was supposed to get "cold" here in SE TX but it's still too warm for my tastes this time of the year.

In case I don't make it back before Christmas,

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I'm still behind (my tradition, I guess) on preparations. Our adult children will be home with us this Christmas for which we are so looking forward. The weather has been crazy, going back and forth between summer and fall (I'm from OH so the fact that it's not cold makes it hard to feel like it's almost Christmas.) To add to all the "fun", our 20 yo DS is having his wisdom teeth extracted Dec. 22. We're grateful they could work him in so as not to impact (pardon the pun) his going back to college in Jan.

On the stitching front, I've made progress on HIH Wee Carolers. I'm getting close to having to do a lot of either colonial or French knots for the hair on one of the women and I've put it down for a while and started LK's Be Naughty.

I've been reading online about the "crazy" stitching challenges for next year. I'm not officially signing up but have started a list of potential projects for 2011. So many projects, so little time!

I wish a blessed holiday season and a very happy new year for all of you.