A little bit of reality is starting to settle in...

When you become a mother, you do understand that eventually the babies you bring into the world do grow up and leave the nest, but it is something that you really don't think about...your babies take their first steps, begin school, start traveling with their hockey team without you...but the thought of them leaving the house to go away to school, not being there every day to talk to in person, seems strange and incomprehensible. 

Robert, my older son, will be graduating from high school in June...my first baby. Both my DH and I have been working with him as he filled out college and prep school applications back in December and January. Back then, the thought of him leaving home the Fall of 2014 still didn't seem real...the thought of him graduating high school didn't seem real. 

This month, Robert has heard back from all of the prep school and almost all of the colleges (he is still waiting to hear from Williams and Harvard...or as we jokingly say: "we are waiting for the rejections from these schools." We are not quite sure why he didn't get into some of the schools, for his GPA is 4.33 and his SATs were ok...I think that he just pick very, very competitive schools). Robert has been accepted at 2 prep school and 3 colleges he has applied too. Since his "dream" or "goal" is to play hockey for a school (versus playing club hockey where only the parents are rooting in the stands), he has decided to do a PG (stands for post graduate; kind of like doing a 2nd year high school senior year) year at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. It is an amazing opportunity to further his academics and his hockey skills.

Now as March turns into April, we find ourselves 2-1/2 months from graduation. Now all the senior activities will be starting up. One of the things our school does, is ask for the parents to put together a 11x17 poster of their senior. This was a project that was announced back in January and is due March 28. This Monday I figured it was time to start :)

Monday I took over 3 hours to go through 5 drawers of photos, 30 albums of pictures and 2 computers' photo storage to find the best photos of Robert's 18 years of life. 

Oh My G-d...can someone buy me some Kleenex!

Now it is starting to hit me!

My first baby is going away to school next year!

He will not be here every day to talk to!

Yikes!

So after 3 hours this is what I found...

Laid out on a countertop, hundreds of photos of Robert from birth until present, that represent his life - early childhood in Minnesota which consisted of his first pair of hockey skates, his Mite year, growing a 10-foot sunflower plant, many special Halloweens....the birth of his little brother...fishing and camping in Colorado in the summertime...moving to California where most of his growing up and maturing would take place.

When I found the 11x17 piece of paper that I would need to adhere the photos to, it was apparent that I would need to be very selective...for 11x17 isn't really big :(

But after some time, I did manage to come up with this....

Robert's Senior Poster

Phew...that project done, taken to Kinko's where they made a color copy of it and laminated it. The Senior parent representative will pick it up with all the others on Friday. These posters will be displayed at the Senior events that will be coming up over the next 2-1/2 months.

Next week, during the boys' spring break, Robert and I will be traveling to Exeter, NH to visit the school. They have a week called "Experience Exeter" where the incoming students and their parents can attend classes and take tours of the campus. Since we have never been there, this was a great opportunity to see where Robert will be next year and get an idea of what we need to do to prepare him (i.e. like buy him clothing, will he be doing his own laundry, etc). 

Anyway...enough of that (sniff, sniff, sniff)...time to head out and start my Wednesday. Hope you all are doing well. Until next time, take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often

Lisa

A Very Wee Bit O'Irish...

Happy Monday everyone and Happy St. Patrick's Day.

 It is time to start the week. 

On this day, I always think of my great-grandmother - Alyce Friedman. 

Growing up, she always told a story of her Irish mother, Kathryn, met her father...an German milkman. The story was romantic. 

My great-grandmother also collected Belleek - she had a nice collection which I inherited after she past away. The frame above, which holds her photo, is 1 piece from the large collection I have.

Throughout my life, I always felt that I had some green Irish blood coursing through my veins...however, several years after she left us, my grandmother spoiled the dream when she said that Kathryn lived in the states. Oh, well, I can still dream, can't I?  :) 

At least there is a little bit of Irish in us all today.

Have a great day!

Until next time, take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa

Being Mindful on Sunday

Mindfulness means

paying attention

in a particular way;

on purpose,

in the present moment 

and nonjudgmentally.

~Jon Kabat-Zinn

Try to be mindful, and let things take their natural course. Then your mind will become still in any surroundings, like a clear forest pool. All kinds of wonderful, rare animals will come to drink at the pool, and you will clearly see the nature of all things. You will see many strange and wonderful things come and go, but you will be still.

~Ajahn Chah

The weather in Northern California has taken on a summer-like feel as we are experiencing temperatures in the low-to-mid 70s. Beautiful weather. My bronchitis-like cold symptoms seem to be lessening and I have been able to get out for my long jog/walks. Yesterday I enjoyed a 8 mile walk and today a 9 mile. It feels really good. 

I haven't been able to hold a needle all week long or make any X's for I have been busy juggling times I need to be in our store due to being short staffed as well as getting the boys into some non-hockey routine. Nevertheless, this week spring team practices start up for Matthew (younger son) and physical therapy for Robert (older son). But since we are working on "getting things on the calendar" for the upcoming week by Sunday afternoon, I should be able to have a better handle on the week's activities and maybe get in some X's :) Let hope.

Decision has been made for Robert for next year (post graduating from high school). With the acceptance from Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire for a PG year and a spot on the hockey team...that is where he has decided to go. Not quite the traditional pathway from high school to college, but this will be an awesome experience for Robert! We are proud of his acceptance and excited for him next year. The first week in April, he and I will be flying out to the East Coast to Exeter, New Hampshire and participating in the new student experience (aka going to classes, meeting some of the other new students and parents, etc). I am looking forward to that - to spending time with my older son!

Well, time to get going. Thank you for visiting. Until next time, take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa

And the season ends...and a new chapter of life starts

Last weekend was the Pacific District Championships for both of my boys (if they did well and won all their games, they would have moved on to Nationals next month). Robert, my older son, re-tweeked his knee and wasn't able to play this weekend - his team lost all their games and their season is done. Matthew, my younger son, had a better weekend. His team won two of their games, lost one and made it to the championship where they lost. Thus, his season is over too. Nevertheless, the weekend started out "cool". In Matthew's first game last Thursday, he got the game winning goal.

1:13 in the 3rd period, the game was tied 3 to 3...Matthew's team had a 5 on 3 penalty kill...Matthew was out on the ice with 2 of his teammates and killed the first penalty. At 33 seconds left in the 3rd, the 4th person entered the ice from the penalty box for the 5 on 4 penalty kill. As Matthew's team was killing the last penalty, one of his teammates tried to clear the puck from their zone. It scooted past Matthew, who caught it near the neutral zone...he skated it in and just stuffed it between the goalies legs (a.k.a "the 5-hole").

Matthew stuffing the puck through the goalie's 5-hole to score the game winning goal

Matthew scored the game winning goal. 

The San Jose Jr Sharks won their first game 4 to 3 with 11 seconds left in the game!

Matthew celebrates as he falls backwards after scoring the game winning goal.

But now the season is over...now it is time to create our new sense of "normal".  Not always the easiest thing though! Spring hockey will start up soon, high school Track & Field will start up...always something.

March also brings announcements from Prep Schools and Colleges for Robert; getting harder to believe that he will be graduating in several months. He received acceptance letters from 2 prep schools (Phillips Exeter Academy and Holderness), waitlisted at 2 and denied from 1. College notices have been coming in too. We have been weighing some of the options for him for next year...and leaning toward prep school at Phillips. They are interested in him playing hockey there, giving him an opportunity to develop further, as well as providing him a post-graduate year to further mature prior to going off to college. It is pretty exciting!

March is also bring some beautiful weather...

blue, blue sky...green, green grassy hills. I have been able to go out for some walks lately, trying to get out more as long as my chest doesn't hurt. The coughing has seemed to do some damage to my chest - probably went from the cold to bronchitis, but since there isn't anything that doctors could really do I just have to give my body more time to heal from that nasty cold/cough I have/had.

Anyway...I am rambling, so I should probably sign off. Thank you for sticking around, hoping to get some stitching in to show you soon!

Until next time, take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa

I am back! I am alive! OMG it is March!

OMG...I am so sorry that I was AWOL during the month of February. It has been a very busy month for me.

February, in my house hold meant:

• A hockey weekend in Phoenix, AZ (Jan 30-Feb 2) with my younger son and his teammates. It was a pathetic weekend of hockey
• The biggest holiday for our 2 stores...Valentine's Day week is the busiest, craziest holiday for both of our Edible Arrangement stores. It is a holiday where we dip over 10s of 1000s of strawberries in chocolate
• A hockey weekend in Denver, CO the 3rd weekend in February...I went with Matthew's hockey team again. I got to see an uncle, an aunt and cousin while there; as well as my college roommate whom I haven't seen in over 4 years. It is always good to catch up with friends and family when traveling for hockey.
• The arrival of the cold-like flu...just as we finished up Valentine's Day, my DH and I got hit hard by the flu-bug (no we don't ever get the flu shot). For me, it started 2 Wednesdays ago...just not feeling 100% and then when I got on the airplane on Feb. 21 to Denver I got achy...let's just say that it is not fun to be traveling or staying in a hotel when you feel feverish and sick...and then let's say that it is not fun to be landing in an airplane when you feel congested and sick!!!!

Well, that was February. It is time to move on, it is time to start to feeling better. I am sick and tired of feeling tired and sick!

Anyway...while it was a busy crazy month, I did find sometime to put some X's into my Torah portion. Here is a status photo of it (sorry about the shadow, I just couldn't get in a good angle where there wasn't one):

I have 2 verses stitched! Just 2 more to go.

Well, that is all right now...just wanted to quickly catch up as well as say "HI". Hope you all out there in blogland are doing ok!

One more thing...we have [somewhat] enjoyed some rain here in Northern California which has given some much needed water to all our trees and shrubs. All of the crabapple and cherry trees have blossomed out. It is absolutely gorgeous around my neighborhood. It kind of looks like someone skipped around the neighborhood, hot glueing cotton balls on the trees :)

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Until next time, take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa