Last TGIF in May...

Progress on Pineapple!

Welcome...

Welcome to my blog...

Welcome to Friday!

TGIF!

Did you know that the pineapple is an age old symbol of friendship and hospitality?
In times past, in larger, well-to-do homes, dining room doors were kept closed to heighten visitors' suspense about the dinner table being readied on the other side. At the appointed moment, the doors were flung open to reveal the evening's main event. Visitors confronted with pineapple-topped food displays felt particularly honored by a hostess who obviously spared no expense to ensure her guests' dining pleasure. This was how the pineapple, came to symbolize welcoming friendship, good cheer, human warmth and the family affection that was inherent to such gatherings. Pineapples are still a treasured housewarming gift for friends and family.

Memories...I remember my parent's having 2 concrete pineapple statues at the foot of the driveway when I was growing up. However when we moved from Kansas to Minnesota, we forgot to bring these with us. Periodically my sisters and I would look for concrete pineapple statues to replace the ones we remember from our childhood; however when we do find some they are much larger than the ones we left in Kansas. Oh, well...

Catch up time...it is hard to believe that it has been a week since my last post, but as you know May was going to be a very busy month. Since the last post, I have travelled down to Long Beach for the trade show

One of the display corners on the tradeshow booth I have been coordinating for the last few months for my job.

and returned back home...on Tuesday evening...in time to give Matthew, my new 12-year old a kiss and a hug on his birthday.

Yes, this was the first time that I wasn't present on the morning of a birthday. Typically I decorate the stairwell with bday balloons, fix breakfast and put a candle in the birthday boy's waffle and have them wear the bday hat while eating. But not this year. At least I was able to make it home to meet up with Matthew when he got home from his hockey clinic. I greeted him at the door with his birthday chocolate milk shake. Goodness, where does time go? I am now a mother of a 12-year old and a 15.5 year old...yikes!

Stitching...above is a photo of my progress on the pineapple. I was able to get in some stitching in the airport and plane in my travels earlier in the week. I was also able to put some of the finishing stitches on the ornament I need to finish and get in the mail on/before May 31. I don't know why this seems to happen to me a lot right now...I have every intention of finishing the ornaments early, I even start a whole month ahead, but then find that the deadline is getting closer...well, just too busy I guess and probably do a little procrastination, too...ya think?

Well, the last "event" on my May event list was a visit from my parents, who arrived yesterday. They are here until Monday mid-morning. Tomorrow the boys get to play Golf with Grandpa, which they have been looking forward to; and I think that my mother is going to come to *The Store* and work with me...cutting melons or skewering strawberries...maybe I will teach her to dip strawberries :)
That's should do it from here on this sunny Friday. I hope that things are well with you all and I thank you for visiting today. Until next time, remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

TGIF...

There we go...a better photo of the Pineapple I am stitching. I even got a little further than the grassy/leafy top since I posted that blurry, embarrassing photo.

I have made sure to get in a little stitching during this week, which always feels good. I love the way the needle feels in my hand and love to play with the colors of the thread. I am looking forward to getting in some stitching tonight while watching the NHL Playoffs - San Jose Sharks vs. Vancouver Canucks. While I know I am in Shark territory, I love the Nuckies...that is all I will say about that now.

Today is Friday - thank goodness! All of the plans and details are complete and I am ready for the upcoming tradeshow I have been working on at my job, so I am taking my normal Friday off. I am using today to get caught up on things around the house as well as just sometime for myself. I do need to get to the grocery store to stock up on things for the boys to eat while I am out of town for a couple of days to attend the tradeshow.

That is where most of my stress comes from, trying to get things organized for the boys while I am away for a couple of days. Between making sure that they get to all their activies and back home - school and hockey clinics...making sure that they have the right food for lunches, dinners and snacks before and after school/hockey and that DH is aware of all those things. We are blessed to have one of Matthew's (younger son) hockey friends nearby who have volunteered to help get him to and from the rink next Monday & Tuesday...DH will have to deal with Robert (older son). I know that things will work out and they will be able to get along without me, but...well, you know.

That is about all from here...time to get back to my "to do" list as well as my needle & thread.

Take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

The middle

Mid-way through May...hard to believe. So busy. Wishing that life would just stand still for a while; not really looking for that 25th or 26th hour in a day, for the fear that it, too, would be scheduled or used for something besides what I would like to do. I knew that May would be busy - boys are finishing up with school, school track team but adding a spring hockey clinic; *The Business* successfully made it through Mother's Day but focus needs to switch to getting store #2 ready for opening mid-June; organization of the trade show for my other job is just about complete but I will need to travel for a few days to make sure that it is all set up correctly.

I have been able to find a little time...or should I say: "I have been able to 'make' time"...to get in exercise and to stitch. Two things that are important to my health - mental, emotional and physical health.

The blurry photo is a new start I have made this week (couldn't get a good shot of it this morning, I do apologize). While it looks like grass, it will eventually be the top of a pineapple. I was surfing through all my "freebies" and saw this, which made me think of one of our wonderful employees who cuts the pineapple and basically puts the beginning touches to all the arrangements.
However as I start this, I remember that I do need to get back to the ornament for the swap that is due in the mail at the end of the month. If I remember correctly, I did get a good start on it last month; probably just need to put a few more stitches in it and then finish it off. Mmmm, let's see I could probably fit it in this week.

Actually tomorrow looks promising...Robert (older son) doesn't have anything after school for he is done with school track now...and Matthew (younger son) just has track, but I don't need to take him anywhere or for the most part pick him up because the school is close to the house. Sorry...just brainstorming.

If it is time to go off topic...I do have to say that it looks like it will be a beautiful day here. The weather stations have been threating clouds, cool weather, rain, thunderstorms and snow up in the Sierras near Tahoe all weekend. But I think that we snuck away without any of that weather getting in the way of our weekend. I see the bright sun coming up over the hills and hitting the tree out my window like a spot light. The blue of the sky is vivid without any clouds over head. Hopefully I will find time to get out and enjoy it.

I hope that you find time to enjoy life - whether it is indoors with stitching in hand, at the dinner table with your loved ones our outdoors enjoying nature. Take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa 

I am still here

Yes, I am still present on this earth...or at least parts of me. I have been so overwhelmed with everything going on that I didn't have time to blog and bearly anytime to have my "me" time on the stationary bike, where I do most of my blogging and internet surfing.

Last week was filled with work - both at my job and at *The Store* - and contained a lot of hockey drama as well. It seems youth sports of any kind always is surrounded by drama, but last week with all the hockey hubbub it was off the charts. Hockey coaches announced for next year, new hockey programs announced - leaving families confused, upset and feeling uncertain about what to do. Lots of emails, texts and phone calls asking, "What are you going to do?" I am sure, in the end it will all work out.

Business at *The Store* - crazy! to say the least. Mother's Day was just as big if not bigger than Valentine's Day. The weekend was busy and long, as I did pull an all nighter Saturday night to make sure that all the chocolate dipped strawberry and chocolate dipped apple boxes got done, which would put us a little ahead so Sunday's orders were able to be finished up and delivered...or picked up. Learning from our mistakes on Valentine's Day, DH and I were able to capture more walk-in business on the day of Mother's Day, which makes us feel good. Again, our staff is amazing and worked hard to get it all done and the drivers were great for they got it all out and delivered. We feel good, just very tired still.

I can't say that life will slow down now that Mother's Day is over because the boys still have their activities that we are trying to balance between all the business stuff. But all is good...and it will look even better when DH and I can catch up on our sleep.

Stitching...well I haven't had time to sit down and get the needle out. I hear it calling my name, but there just hasn't been the time. Soon, I hope.

In the meantime...thank you for visiting and catching up to the craziness. Hopefully soon I will have some stitching to share with you!

Take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

Sunday...gotta dip the strawberries and arrange the fruit

Up and in action on this Sunday morning. It is close to 6am and the sun isn't even up yet (doesn't it start rearing it's glowing head earlier now that it is May?). Well, I am up...a little later than I wanted to be, but I just need to remind myself of the important things:

• I did get up
• I did get time on the stationary bike
• I did get in a good sweaty workout

It use to be a lot easier to get out of bed consistantly at 4:30am in order to get in my workout before all the boys needed to get up and before the day really, truely begun. However, I find as I continue to age and continue to get busier and busier, the harder it is to keep my 4:30am appointment with the stationary bike. So I am practicing feeling good and grateful about anytime that I can get in a good spin before the sun comes up.

Well, enough about that...I am up early on Sunday because DH scheduled an early morning pick up for a 12 count chocolate covered strawberry box...for 8:30am and we don't open up until 10am on Sundays. Oh, well...it is our own business so we can basically schedule just about anything. And in retail or anytype of customer service operation you want to please the customer to the best of your ability...right? So, I will go in and get that order completed and get a start on the other orders for the day. Since DH and the boys are going up to our "soon-to-be" new store today to start getting things cleaned up and in place, I will be the one doing the deliveries at our current store. So, it will be good to be in their earlier to create the arrangements that need to be delivered allowing me to load up the car when our employee comes in at 10am and start delivering.

On the stitching side of life...I found a Christmas Ornament patter to stitch for Angela of our Ornament Swap group. As Jayne  commented, "...good luck on the hunt for an ornament because there are so many out there" and I needed it as I skimmed through all my back issues of the Just CrossStitch Ornament previews and special editions that dated back 10 years+...and then I surfed through all the back issues of the Gift of CrossStitching e-magazines that I have saved on a special external hard drive. After narrowing the choices down to 5, I picked a very fun, whimsical one and started to stitch it on Friday evening while watching the San Jose Sharks play the Detroit Red Wings for the 1st game of the 2nd playoff round in the march to the Stanley Cup. I got pretty far too...and then worked on it some more yesterday morning before I went into work @ *The Store*. I am hoping to finish it and get. it out to Angela early, so I can continue stitching on the Family Sampler...also, May is going to start getting busy.

May...did I just type May? Wow, Happy May Day! Today is the 1st of May already. We are 5 months into this year...ugh? Why does time seem to go so fast?

As the calendar page turns to the month of May I will participate in:

• May 8  -  Mother's Day next weekend - another busy holiday for us at *The Store*
• May 14 - A trip to LA for a hockey weekend for Robert (older son)
• May 22 - Trade show for my other job in LA the end of May
• May 24 - A birthday celebration for Matthew (younger son) who is turning 12
• May 26 - A visit from my parents around Memorial Day

Lots of good stuff...just busy/crazy again :) Well, my friends time to finish up here, take a deep breath and then get ready to dip the strawberries. Until next time, remember:

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa