Off to School...and a Happy Birthday Wish for a very special person

Well, it has been a long time since I have posted. Last week was dedicated last minute dentist and ortho appointments, shopping for sneakers and hockey travel clothing, registration for school and any other last minute school-prep/end of summer activity. Today is the boys first day of school - Robert will be a sophomore and Matthew in 7th grade...my has the time flown by!

Left to Right: Matthew (age 12 & in 7th grade) and Robert (age 15 & in 10th grade)

I just got home from walking to school with Matthew - Bruno, our 95 pound mutt walked with us too. Now I need to take Robert to school and then get into work. However, before I sign off I would like to wish some one very special to me a Happy Birthday...

Happy 93rd Birthday Grandma

We love you very much and wish that we could have been there to celebrate this wonderful occasion with you!

Until next time...remember,

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

Status photo...and sad news

Do you want the stitching update or the sad news first?

Well, lets get the sad news over with and finish up with the positive, right...

This morning I went out the front door and was greeted with SILENCE. No more chirping, no more squawking. Only SILENCE. The abondoned baby birdies were quiet. Poor things starved, I am sure. Next to the nest, I noticed the long, dark trail of ants. Damn those bugs! It bothered me that they were taking advantage of the situation. Sometime nature is hard to take. I decided that the best thing I could do, it take down that nest and disposit it and the baby bodies. I hope there is a special place for little birdies...

Now, for something more positive

Pineapple is coming along, however I am definitely getting sick of green! I am hoping to get a lot of stitching in today because I really need to get this finished up!

Yesterday was Robert (older son) last day of school...he is now a sophomore in high school. Matthew (younger son) finishes up today...he will be a 7th grader. Yikes! Who gave them permission to grow up? Both had a successful school year and look forward to a little break from schoolwork over the summer.

Tonight we have no hockey to drive to - just a nice evening at home. We are planning to get the grill going and cook up some good food for dinner (versus the quick-to-fix microwavable foods we serve up for the pre-hockey meals Monday-Thursday)...and then watch the Vancouver Canucks vs. Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Playoffs. A perfect recipe for a Friday night...especially when you throw in some stitching :)

Hope your Friday is going well. Until next time, remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa

Midweek Maddness

Here we are on a Wednesday, right in the middle of the week. Last weekend ended 2 days ago and the next weekend is 2 days away. I still haven't made a run to get batteries so I can snap a photo of Family Sampler, I just needed to do a little blogging...to get a little off my mind.

First up...the price of gas.

Ugh, boy do I dread getting gas right now. What is the price for a gallon where you live? Here, in the East of San Fran & Oakland, in a area called Tri-Valley the price of Regular unleaded is hovering close to that $4/gallon mark. I know that there are other areas of California where it has already hit and surpassed that mark. And the increase has already started to show up in the grocery stores in the price of food...the bread I have been purchasing at our local store was 88cents, it is now 99cents. One gallon of milk has gone from $2.59 to $2.79 each...and you have to purchase 2 to get that price or you pay $2.99 each.
I filled up my car on Monday morning at the Safeway gas pump; they offer a 10cent off per gallon of gas when you spend $50 or more on a shopping trip. Feeding my growing boys is more than $50 a shopping trip, so I have a lot of these fuel awards. Monday's gas trip caught the pumps at Safeway to be $3.89/gal or $3.79 if you have the 10cent off fuel reward (not too bad, as it isn't $4 yet). So, I filled up my car for around $50. Well, after driving to/from the rink on Monday, which is a 70 mile round trip...and again last night I am already at half tank. Thursday there will be another trip to the rink, so I am sure that I will have to fill up again before the weekend. It is just crazy!

Second topic...schools...
Ok, I know that schools in California don't get a lot of money from the government. They have cancelled a lot of programs to help save money...they have increased the size of the classroom and gotten rid of some teachers...they have increased the amount of dues for school sports at the high school...they continue to try and sell wrapping paper, magazines, raffles, signing telegrams, etc to raise money to fund projects, programs and buy equiptment to better educate our children.

They have added a new law to make it madatory for kids to be in school - students can only have 3 unexcused absences a year and will start being hounded by truant notices if they have more...and in extreme cases parents of truant kids can be fined & incarcinarated. The only "excused" absence is if a kid is sick, but they can only be sick 3 times throughout the year, and not 3 days together or you will need to get a doctors note to verify that the kid was indeed sick. So, both of my boys play travel hockey...both have had about 10 absences (or 7 because the first 3 are 'freebies')...I received Matthew's truant notice before winter break, talked with the middle school principal and an understanding has been reached. Because I knew that Robert would be absent for hockey after the first of the year, I initiated the same conversation with the prinicipal at the high school...just got a "thank you for informing us of Robert's extracurricular sport. He has wonderful grades and we are glad that he is able to balance his absences with his education and keep his grades to a 4.0 (straight As), but unfortunately any absence he has will be unexcused." I know that there are families who take their kids out of school for a trip to Disney or where ever during non-school breaks so that they can miss the lines at the amuesment parks...or pay the lower out-of-season prices. Why punish the kids/families who give a damn about their kids' education, whose kids have straight As, and turn in all their assignments on time? They continue to say that if a kid is not in school they cannot learn and do well - it is time that the educators state the obvious: If a child is not in school, the school receives fewer dollars that day - for each student represents a $.

Then, there is this situation...which I just don't understand. One of Matthew's friends participated in a school fundraiser hosted by a local company. It is the kind of fundraiser where you have to go to the company's webiste and click the name of the child. The more clicks they receive the more chances they have to win whatever that company is giving. Well, the school sent out emails and requests to go to the websit and click on this little girls name. If she received the most 'clicks' she would win a party for her whole class at the business in addition to a iPod Nano & Laptop for her school. She won, they had a celebration assembly yesterday. Long story-short...the school kept the iPod Nano to use for future assemblies, but the teacher who the laptop was for, decided she didn't want it...so she gave it to the little girl. Excuse me? Wasn't that for the school? The school who continually needs money to fund projects and buys equiptment, such as new computers? I am sure that someone in the school would have been able to find a use for a new $1200 computer. Better yet, I am sure that there are some children whose families can't afford a computer that would love to use it for the school year to do their school work. Hello? Is it only me who doesn't understand this?

Third...an apology...
I am sorry for all the whinny this morning. Between the increase in gas prices, the increase in food prices and our education situation...well, I just needed to vent and get this off my shoulders. I appreciate your visit and reading.

Until next time...which I hope to have a photo of Family Sampler progress...remember:

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

Good bye September...getting ready to welcome October

Progress on Family Sampler by LHN

Last night was a stay-at-home-night (aka "no hockey") so after fixing the boys a healthier meal for dinner, something that they don't - or can't - eat before a hard hockey practice (Robert enjoyed a scallop/shrimp/salmon cooked in peach salsa dish I make and Matthew enjoyed 3 boiled hot dogs...typical pre-hockey practice meal is a cheese pizza or mac-n-cheese), I was able to sit down and relax...and pick up Family Sampler to work on. I was able to finish up the tree in the middle. Tonight, while everyone is at the rink, I can move to another area and stitch - not sure which area that will be. I am antsy to stitch the house, so I might work my way up...

Well, here we are at the end of September already - tomorrow is the first of October. The boys have already been in school for a month and have brought home their first progress reports (both have straight A's...very exciting!). We get formal progress reports every month. I love this little tool, for the boys always know where they are grade-wise, what they are achieving and where they need to challenge themselves to improve. And since formal reports are sent home monthly, we have monthly celebrations...that is what is really fun :)

As I enter into the month of October, I see that our life will get busier. Next week is a trip to St. Louis where both boys have a hockey tournament. This should be a fun trip, for once again we are able to incorporate some family visiting with hockey. My mother and father are driving down from MN, an uncle and aunt are coming in from CO, and another uncle is coming from NC with my 92 year old grandmother from SC. My mother's family is from St. Louis, MO...and my grandfather was buried in St. Louis when he passed away 2 years ago. My grandmother likes to try and get back to St. Louis to visit the cemetery, as well as many friends she still have there. Well, when they all heard that both boys had a hockey tournament in St. Louis, they all decided to schedule the trip during that same weekend. I will definitely have my camera with me, for it isn't too many young hockey players who get to brag about having their 92 year old great-grandmother watch them play in a tournament :)

After we get back from that tournament, Robert will have another tournament weekend toward the end of October...but at least it is here in town!

October will also be busy as DH and I are getting ready to be business owners. A couple weeks ago we put an offer on a business which was for sale and the owner accepted. We are in the process of doing all the work it takes before signing all the closing papers. After everything is signed and complete, I will be able to let you know what we got ourselves into...it is exciting!

Even though the arrival of October brings with it thoughts of the holidays and the end of the year - all the busy activities we are scheduled to participate in bring happiness and excitiment...as well as work and planning. But all good things!

I hope that you see much happiness and enjoyment in the month(s) to come!

Take care and...take a deep breath, decide to enjoy life

and cross a few X's!

 Lisa

The mailperson was my best friend yesterday as she delivered my Family Sampler pattern by LHN yesterday which I ordered from http://www.123stitch.com/. Once I read about this on FB as well as a few other blogs, I knew that I needed to have this and stitch it up. I have thought about doing something like this - to capture our family and have something special to hang on the wall - something stitched by me. I love the colors of this LHN pattern and the ability to customize it with no only your name and initial, but the make up of your family. It calls for CC thread as well as DMC. I probably have all the DMC, but will need to get the CC...and then just determine when to start.

The only stitching project that has a deadline right now is an ornament for the Ornament Swap group - last person is Angela, the moderator of the group - and the deadline for that is in November. I have actually picked out the pattern of her ornament and have started it. I have been trading off between the ornament and stitching on MW the last few days (when I find time to sit my butt down). So, I might get her ornament done early or at least finish it before I start a new project. That will also give me time to make sure that I have the "right" fabric and all the thread for the Family Sampler.

Last night both boys had hockey practice. I actually went down early with Robert (older son) for he had off-ice training before his ice time started; and then DH came down a little later with Matthew (younger son). It looks like this year is going to be a little challenging for Robert when it comes to hockey and school - especially when it comes to getting to bed at a decent time on the school nights when he had hockey practice. As per what we experinenced last night and last Thursday night...he gets home from school around 3:15pm, starts a little homework while eating a light meal, leaves the house around 4:15-4:30pm in order to arrive at the rink for off-ice fitness at 5:15pm which last an hour; then is hockey practice on ice for an hour and a half. That means getting back home around 9pm or so - to shower and start/finish the rest of his homework. Last night we all went to bed while he was finishing - at 12:45am this morning I got up and found him still sitting at his desk working on his English. I told Robert to finish what he could by 1am and get in bed so that he could get some sleep. When I got up to ride the stationary bike at 4:30am, I found a note on the bike to wake him up at 6am so that he could finish (which is in 15 minutes). Poor kid. At least he doesn't have practice again until Thursday, which is the day before a 4 day weekend.

Today is the last day of August. I keep watching the countdown box on the upper left hand side of my blog as it counts down to my 2nd blog-o-versary. This falls around the Thanksgiving holiday time - so as the numbers get smaller that means that Thanksgiving and the holidays are getting closer. Anyone know how to slow down time? :)

Take care everyone and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa

The end of the week

A Look Back at last week...

The first week of school is in the books and both boys had a good week getting use to their new schools and schedules.

Matthew (younger son) not only mastered his school locker combination, but also got use to having a PE locker too...and is able to remember 2 locker combos.

I, too, am getting use to my "new" schedule of taking Robert (older son) to high school before 8am and then going into work, where I have increased my hours to 20/wk.

Tuesday and Wednesday the temps were hovering 105 degrees outside, thus causing us to close windows and turn on the AC.

Thursday and Friday, Mother Nature decided to roll in the fog bank again and turn on nature's AC - with temps back in the 70s our windows have been thrown open and our AC is off.

Hockey practice schedules have seem to be settling on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday for Matthew...and Monday, Thursday and the weekend for Robert...which makes it easy to start scheduling life for the family and the boys can manage their homework.

I pulled out Mary Wigham a couple of times, but haven't made any more progress than what I posted earlier in the week.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Now the weekend is here and seemed to have started off with some chaos...I registered Robert and a few of his hockey friends for a little 3-on-3 hockey tournament (something that we have done over the last 5 years - it is not part of the hockey season, just a fun event that the rink does 2x a year). Well, long-story-short, the team didn't get registered. However because the schedule had another team listed with the same team-name, we made the assumption that Robert's team was registered. Well, at 9am, when Robert's team should have been out on the ice another team was out there - yikes - with me here at home and DH down there handling everything, he did track down the people who were handling the tournament so it sounds like they were able to put some games together for the boys to play. But, OMG, do I feel foolish.

Typically, when I register for something like this, I email the registration applications to the people handling the tournament and follow up with an email. But with the start of school, work and other family things going on this week I forgot to follow up to make sure that we were registered, but when I pulled up the schedule on Thursday, I saw that the team-name was listed - so I assumed that everything we "ok". Well, I guess I should never assume for I can make an A$$ out of U and ME, or at least me :( Oh, well it sounds like they got some games, but I just feel foolish that it happend.

That is really the only event that we have going this weekend, aside from Robert's hockey team practice tomorrow. So, for the most part it will just be a quiet weekend at home.

Hope your day is going well and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa

Stitching, stash, school and sweltering heat

Here is a status photo of where my Mary Wigham is. I have been working on the motifs on the right hand side: the ones stitched in Berry Cobbler (pink) and Picnic Basket (brown). Here is a closer photo of that area:

It is still a very enjoyable stitch, so when I do find time and sit my "bahooki" (aka bottom) down it is a lot of fun.

I also did a little stash shopping, purchasing the "September/October" monthly sampler from LHN as well as the new "Family Sampler" which just came out...unfortunately it is on back order, but since it is not something that I am going to start immediately I can wait.

So that is all the stitching news right now. Other topics - the boys started school today. Both were very excited to start the new school year and their new schools (Matthew in middle school and Robert in high school). However, both came home and said the day was fun, yet boring. For the first day of school means each class they had went over the rules...Bo-o-o-ringggg! Nevertheless, after listening to them talk about their first day experiences, they do so with much excitement.

Robert's new experience is having classes with all age groups - 9th through 12th and having some of the boys have beards and/or mustaches.

Well, as I predicted as soon as school started - summer decided to rare it's ugly head. All summer long we have experienced temperatures in the mid-70s to mid-80s. Typically our summers are well into the 90s and 100s as we live in a valley east of San Fran. With the lower temps, we have actually been living without AC and open windows. That is until last night. Yesterday the temps were in the high 90s - today it was in the low 100s (current temp at 6:45pm is 104 degrees). And once those temps go up, the fire alerts are issued. In fact, we actually have a fire going on about 20 miles or so north of us. I believe they said that it has already burned over 150 acres. There is no threat to us here (so, please no worrying) and there are no structures in danger - just a lot of wooded areas as it is a regional park.

Stitching...stash...school...sweltering heat...I think that is all the news right now.

Hope everyone is doing well - remember:

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

I am feeling like I can just about breathe :)

Well, the last few days has been used to try and get things organized for the upcoming school year and the new hockey season. Yesterday we were able to get both the boys registered for their respective schools and, now, with that accomplished I am the proud mother of a new Middle Schooler (6th grade) and a new High Schooler (9th grade). Hard to believe that I have entered into a new phase of life where I have no child in elementary school.

School...
Registration day for both went very smoothly and quickly. It has always sounded strange to me, when I moved to California, that I had to go to the schools and "register" the boys before school started. It is a day when you have to turn in all the emerencey forms, health forms, signed acknowledgments that you are aware of the attendence policies, etc. And then of cource there is the payments you need to do for the PE clothings, the spirit wear, the year books, donations for the school, donations for the school district, donations for the science tools, etc. So filled out forms and money were the items to turn in and then once that is done, you go to the last station in the gym and get the thing you have been wanting all a long - the "reward" of the child's schedule (the dangling carrot). And as soon as the schedule is in your hands, the child snatches it only to post their schedule on their facebook account as well as txt all their friends to see who is in their classes. It definitely is an interesting world we live in.

With school basically set and each boy has some basic school supplies to get them through the first couple of days (I don't buy everything off the school supply list anymore - too expensive - I just buy what they need for their own classes) the excitement for the first day is growing.

Quick story regarding prepping Matthew for Middle school

On the printout of his schedule is his locker number and combination. Having a locker is a new thing for him and of course he was excited to see where it was and open it up before we went home to share his school schedule with DH and Robert. So we found his locker and he starts to work the combination;

"Turn combo 2x to the right until you get to #, then turn to left pass the first # until you get to the next #, then turn right to the last #"

Well, after a few tries, he gets it and has already memorized it. However, as we are walking away from the lockers, he says:

"Mom, I think the hardest thing about Middle School will be the locker combo especially when you can't remember your right from your left."

Hockey...

In addition to all the prepping for school registration, I have been working on all the hockey stuff. As I probably posted, I have volunteered again to be the team manager of Robert's team - which consist of organizing the team travel tasks (hotel, team vans, submitting rosters, etc). It always takes a few weeks to get things organized and figured out for the new season, especially working with a different coach (I have found that each coach has their own way of working with the team manager as well has having their own level of communication with the parents of the players...so I am getting use to this year's coach's style). But I think that I have the first travel tournament all coordinated and will be ready to work on the next one when more information comes out.

Both Robert (older) and Matthew (younger) have their first couple practices under their helmet and are excited about the upcoming year.

Stitching and "me" things...

While school and hockey prep are the things that have basically 'taken over' my life for the last few days, I have also been running/jogging with my older son. We started running together in the mornings in mid-July after hockey tryouts, for he wanted to keep in shape during the "down time" before the season started up. Now I have mainly been a biker - my road bike unfortunately hasn't seen the light of day for a year, but I get up and spin on a stationary bike in the morning for an hour or two before the house gets up. Robert and I started out jogging/running about 3.5 miles and then have increased it to 4-5 miles depending on how much time we had in the mornings, before he or I needed to be somewhere. We have done a couple of 9-9.5 miles runs...which we did yesterday. It has been really a treat to do this, not only for my own self fitness, but to have this time with Robert. And even though his "old mother" slows down his pace, he thinks it is pretty cool that he has a hockeymom willing to do this with him :)

So with all that going on, it has been difficult to make time to sit and stitch. I have put a couple of stitches in Mary Wigham, but really not enough to show and tell about. I will try to put some more stitches in her so that I can post a status photo soon.

Anyway, just wanted to catch up a little on my "goings on" before I start catching up on your "goings ons". Hope everyone is doing well and remember:

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

The count down to craziness...

Well, for some reason August seems to feel the need to rush by...last weekend was the last weekend without any hockey commitments. So, we utilized Saturday as a stay home day to get caught up on a few things as well as start some of the "back-to-school" tasks. But first up was a little sleeping in (at least for the boys) - followed by a long run. To keep in shape after tryouts, Robert (older son) and I have been doing a little jogging together in the mornings to compliment his hockey skill workouts. We started just going for a 3-5 mile jog during the week and then added a long one on the weekend. Saturday we ended up jogging 9 miles in an hour and fifteen minutes (he probably could have finished it in less than an hour, but he had his old hockey mom to jogging behind him). So, last week I logged over 30 miles, not too bad for an over 40 year old mother who just put on her running shoes :) Now I have the jogging bug.

Yesterday, we decided to do a day trip to the beach. We had a hard time decided where to go because there has been a constant fog bank on the coast...but decided to drive up to Stintson Beach which is near the famous Muir Woods, for the weather forecast for this region was 75 and sunny. This drive always puts the fear of goodness in Matthew because of the twisty-turvy-ups-and-downs of Hwy 1. Well, as soon as we turned into the beach parking lot...not only did the disappointment of a foggy, misty day hit us all, but Matthew had to deal with the after effects the drive. Once his stomach was satisfied and he was cleaned up, we decided not to disappoint the boys. So, we got a little of the beach equipment out of the car and set up a spot where DH & I could plop down while the boys played in the sand & surf for a couple of hours. When DH and I had enough of being misted on, we packed up and headed north a little further on Hwy 1...first to find a place for lunch and second, to find a cut off that would take us to one of the main highways so we didn't have to drive back all the twisty-turvy-ups-and-downs again. I don't know if our last beach day was a good celebration to the "almost" end of summer, but it definitely was an adventure!

This week is the last week of summer camps for the boys. Matthew (younger son) really enjoyed his afternoon camp this year - and even when given the choice of staying home to "veg out" - he opted to go to the camp and play. This is the last year that he can attend this camp, for he will have aged out after this summer. The only way for him to attend next year is if he participates in the Junior Leader program...which is what Robert (older son) has been doing for the last three years. Robert's Jr. Leader schedule this year has included working at the afternoon camp Matthew attended, as well as work at a preschool camp and a Nature Day Camp. As in the past, being a Jr. Leader has been a wonderful experience for Robert and I think that this year was his most enjoyable because of the variety of camps he worked at. I believe that this is his last year for participating in the Jr. Leader program...next year I think he has the ability of actually applying for a Leader position, which is a paid position. But we will cross that bridge when it is time.

Starting the weekend of Aug. 14-15, the hockey practices start up for both boys. This is the first step to the beginning of our craziness. With both boys in a higher level of hockey that comes with higher expectations of development on and off ice, there will be ice time and fitness room time to deal with...most of the time the "off ice" skills will be scheduled for days/evenings when they also have ice - thus, making the most out of our drive to the rink.

Anyway...as hockey practices start up next weekend...school registration/orientation for Matthew (6th grader - first year of middle school) and Robert (9th grader - freshman in high school) also take place, as we gear up for the start of school on Aug. 24th.

So, while it does sound like we have a lot going on here, it is somewhat a gradual process of adding on the different activities which is much better than waking up one day and having both hockey & new school hours hit at one time. At least that is one way of looking at the next 2 weeks. :)

Stitching News...
Aside from all the daily events that occur in my house, I have decided to give "Eat, Sleep, Stitch" a little rest. Since the last time I posted a photo, I have added a few new stitches and buttons, but just need a break from it. There are a few more areas of white spaces that I am not satisfied leaving blank, but don't know what I want to do right now. So, I have put it aside and brought Mary Wigham out of hibernation over the weekend. It was like having a good friend over for a visit! I got to stitch for a couple of hours on Saturday while watching the Blues Brothers and will have a motif done soon, so will post a status photo soon.

Well, that is about it from the house of craziness. Take care my blogging friend, and remember:

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

Patriotic Heart...and the pending ending of school

Well, I finished the Patriotic "freebie" I wrote about a couple of days ago. The fabric I stitched it on is 28ct white evenweave (trust me, the fabric is white, I took the photo without the flash. With the flash, the photos looked too washed out and I wanted to make sure that I captured the richness of the thread colors) - stitching 2 over 2, using various of overdyed threads. It is a fun and quick project to stitch up...now I just need to decide on it's finish.

In the mean time, I decided to stitch it again, to see what it would look like, using the Needle Necessities #2152 (the overdyed that goes from blue to red...with a little purple in between...it is the color I used for the satin-stitched border of the big heart)...

...and I wanted to see what the design would look like when stitched 1-over-1 on 28ct even weave. Sometimes, when I find a simple, easy, quick pattern to stitch - I tend to get carried away - trying different colors, types of thread...just different ways to stitch the one pattern. I guess I am doing it with the Patriotic heart right now.

Do you ever experiement like this? Take a pattern that is quick/easy and see what it looks like with different colors, different kinds of floss, stitched on different sizes of fabric?

While I haven't put MW in hibernation, I just needed some pattern to get lost with - to let my "creative juices" flow, yet also allow me to stitch w/o too much thought in order to escape and/or meditate...and this is the perfect pattern for that. It also travels well, as the boys continue to go to their 4-day-a-week hockey clinic in the evenings. And even playing 'tag-team' with DH (one of us takes Matthew who has the early times of 5-8 and the other will take Robert who skates the later times of 6-9) it still makes for long evenings. Tonight, though, I will be down at the rink for both of the kids' skates, for DH is going to meet up with some friends.

The boys have 2 more days of school....or at least they will be attending the school for some activities, the education portion has been completed for sometime and these tend to be days where they show up and get to hang out with their school buddies. It isn't a "bad" thing...but after receiving a letter from the district stating Matthew was being labeled as "truant" because of 3 "unexcused" absences due to his participating in hockey tournaments (I followed procedure of calling the school's absentee line to let them know he would be gone and the honest reason for his absences - but unless he is absent due to sickness, it is an unexcused absence) I become a little upset at the non-instructional time they spend during few weeks of school. It all comes down to the money - for the school secretary told me that "for every day that the child is not in their seat when the bell rings, we loose $36".  Ok, I get the money thing - but at least provide some education to the kids for the duration of the school year instead of using the last few weeks to: go bowling, have school swim parties, enjoy an all day recess, practice for the promotion/graduation ceremony continuously, spend the day cleaning the rooms, allowing the kids to run around and sign yearbooks, etc. I am sorry, I didn't mean to go on about this - and I definitely don't want to sound like I am upset at the teachers or even the secretary who delivered the message...it is just that the whole school system is messed up.

Well...anyway, the school year is just about over. Today Matthew & his 5th grade classmates go bowling and then have a picnic lunch before getting out of school around 12:30. Robert - he wasn't sure what they were suppose to be doing today; he also gets out of school early. Tomorrow is graduation for both - Matthew from 5th (elementary school) and Robert from 8th (middle school). Thank goodness that they are at different times. I am sure that I will have photos to share.

Well, thank you for visiting and sticking with this long winded post. Hope you have a great Thursday!

Remember....Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa 

Season Exchange arrives at partner's house :)

I heard from Lynn this afternoon as she received the "spring" Seasonal Exchange I stitched/finished and sent to her. I stitched L*K Spring Basket Sampler on 28ct evenweave - using most of the colors called for and substituting similar colors when I didn't have the exact color in my stash. This exchange was the other one I was a little late getting into the mail...and it too didn't have enough postage the first time, so after coming back to my house and having to be resent it finally arrived where it was suppose to. Thank goodness!

So, the 2 exchanges with the May 1 mail date have been received

And...as of an hour ago, I finished stitching the ornament for the Ornament Swap. This month we all are to make and send Lori an ornament. The stitching is all complete and when I get back home from my business trip in Seattle, I will finish it and get it in the mail to her (and will post a photo as soon as it is received).

Since all exchange stitching is complete for a while, I have pulled Mary Wigham back out of hibernation...attached her to the Q-snaps and will continue stitching on her. Because I leave tomorrow for Seattle, I wanted to make sure to get her all ready to travel - even though this is a business trip, I will have some down time and look forward to relaxing & stitching.

Aside from being productive with stitching projects, I was able to get out and mow the lawn and clean out the flower bed. It was a beautiful day to be outdoors - but with the pollen count still being high, not everyone in the family could come out and enjoy it. Matthew (younger son) was hit by the allergy bug again causing his nose and chest to get stuffy. I guess we just have to continue with the OTC allergy med and mucinex to keep him comfortable. Poor kid.

Oh, Yea...Last night was the 8th grade dance. The report from Robert was..."it was boring. All you do at the dance was dance and talk." LOL...I am not sure what he was expecting - but it didn't live up to his expectations I guess. I did find out that he danced a slow dance with the young lady he was "meeting at the dance." But I didn't find out any more than that. All in all...it was probably a success even though it was not as fun as playing hockey :)

Well that is about all from here on this Saturday evening. DH and Robert are at the rink, for he had a clinic and a tryout (for a tournament team going to Minnesota next month). Hope your weekend is going well...remember,

Live, Love, Laugh and stitch often!

Lisa

"Live Simply" took a complex trip

I heard from Kathy, my L*K exchange partner, and she received the L*K exchange I stitched, finished and mailed to her. It was definitely a fun pattern to stitch and finish, especially since the colors were so "cool". I stitched this on 28ct evenweave, basically using the colors listed. I finished it as a pinkeep with some fun green and orange ribbon I found at Jo-Ann Fabrics.

This exchange definitely had an adventure getting to Kathy...first, I was a little late mailing it. I took it to our post office near the house which had one of those 24/7 post machines which weighs your package, determines the amount of postage you will need and then allows you to purchase the label. Well, it was wrong in the amont of postage it told me I needed because after mailing it on May 3, it arrived at my house on May 6th with a sticker noting that 34cents more was needed. So I added a stamp to it and put it back in the mailbox. Then, in Kathy's email, I just found out that I didn't quite put the right address on the package...but thankfully Kathy's SIL is the mailperson and made sure that the package got delivered. Ugh - thank goodness the mail gods were looking down and helped out :) 

Hope you all are having a good Friday...I took my normal Friday off and got some housework done as well as just caught up on a few things before the weekend really got off to a start. After school, Matthew (younger son who is finishing up 5th grade) is going to take a 7th grade math assessment test. He took the 6th grade one and did very well - thus qualifying for 6th grade honors math next year; but they wanted to see how he would do on the 7th grade one. So we will see-we told him not to stress over it especially since he hasn't been exposed to many of the 7th grade math concepts...he told me that he is just going to take it for "fun...because math is cool and fun, mom".  Thought he had a good attitude!

This evening, Robert (older son who is finishing up 8th grade) is attending the special 8th grade dance tonight. Supposively he asked a girl to the dance...but you really don't "go to" the dance together, you just "meet at" the dance. So, since I will not see the girl he asked (via texting) I was privileged to find out her name and allowed to look her up in last year's yearbook. She is very cute...and I guess I approve :) I guess this is how it all starts, right?

This weekend brings hockey clinics and tryouts (for spring tournament teams) and I leave on Sunday evening for Seattle for a business trip, which I am looking forward to! So, that is about all right now. Hope you have a great weekend and remember:

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

Everything I needed to know...I learned in Kindergarten

Cut and Paste and Categorize - I was up until 12:30am with Robert (oldest son) helping him out with his Science Standards Portfolio Project. The project consisted of identifying the the 8 different topics they have been learning about in 8th grade science so far this year (only 6 more weeks of school left), identify the California Education Standard it covers, write 2 paragraphs stating "what you learned" and "how you apply it to life", find 3 pictures to represent the science topic and then find 4 example of work for each. While Robert did all the "academic work": the identifying the California standards, the writing of the paragraphs and finding pictures for the divides he had to create for each topic...I helped out with the "busy work": cutting of the pictures, cutting of the standards and cutting out of the paragraphs, which then needed to be glued onto a piece of brightly colored construction paper. Together we located 4 examples of his work for each of the topic. And at 12-midnight, while he went to go brush his teeth, I inserted all the "stuff" into plastic sleeves. I guess this serves as a good review prior to the State Testing (which starts up next week), but in combination with all the other work that has been assigned to prepare them for State Testing, they definitely could do without all this last minute busy work. If they have to study for a test that really doesn't have much bearing on their grades, there should be a better way than cramming in everything the week before, causing them to loose sleep. (ranting about all state testing preparations is done)

Say you're sorry when you hurt someone - as per the guidelines of exchanges, I did alert the moderators of each, that I might be a tad bit late on the 2 exchanges. I have finished stitching the L*K exchange and have stitched 75% of the Seasonal Exchange...then I am hoping to make some time over the weekend to finish each of them so that I can get them in the mail on Monday, May 3 (2 days later than the deadline).  Making and keeping a committment is very important to me - and it bothers me that I couldn't make a deadline. I will be able to fullfill my "obligations" but not within the assigned time. So, I publically apologize up front that I will be a little late to mail the exchanges...but will do my best to not let this happen again.

Clean up your [own] mess - yesterday I came home from work to start working in the house: cleaning and straightening up. My parents are visiting from Minnesota over the weekend. And while my mother says, "we are coming to see you, DH and the kids" - I know that there is a little part of her that checks out the house. My mother is a clean freak (and I say that with lots of love). I grew up in a very clean environment. There was never any dust on the tables, tooth paste grime in the sinks...and whatever you wore to bed, it was cleaned and folded on your bed when you got home from school to put away before you started your homework. I started out that way - when I was first married, when the kids were young...before I had to drive to the hockey rink 4-5 days a week after working 4 hours outside of the house, help with the homework and organize everyone's activites. I finally learned that, while it is important to have a certain level of cleanliness in the house, spotlessness is not a priority. Anyway, in preparation for my mom & dad's visit, I did manage to get 90% of the house clean, before I needed to make dinner, help study for a 5th grade history test and work on a 8th grade science project.

Remember to say "Please" and "Thank you" - I would like to thank you all for visiting and reading my blog. I would like to acknowledge with much appreciation your comments, especially the very supportive ones on my last post. I do find jounalling on my blog - about my passion of stitching or the trials and tribulations of my life - very helpful in my daily living; and to have you sweet blogfriends actually read and comment, well it makes me feel good. So, dear blog friend: "Thank you" and "please" do come back again!

Well, as I conclude the posting for today, please remember: don't run with scissors in your hands and...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often! Lisa

Little by Little...it will eventually work out.

One stitch at a time, it seems that I am making a dent in my exchange stitches. I have finished stitching the one for the L*K exchange and working feverously on the one for the seasonal exchange. I have found patterns and fabric for each with are beautiful and quick/easy to stitch on. The only issue I seem to have is TIME. I will see how far I can get over the next couple of days and if it looks like I am running out of time, I will contact the moderators of each exchange and just let them know I will be a little late...but my partners will receive a beautiful finished exchange - might just be a little late.

School and homework issue
We have only dealt with Monday of this week, but there seems to be so much going on in our lives and more changes on the horizon, that I am feeling very anxious. First...Robert has had a ton of homework the last couple of weeks - since coming back home from DC. No, it wasn't make up work because the teachers were nice enough to either assign the work over spring break prior to the kids leaving on the trip, or give the kids something "special" to work on while they were on the trip...so they would all be caught up when they came back (assuming that they took advantage of the "nice" offerings of the teachers - which Robert did). The homework is coming as a precursor to State Testing. Several of the teachers seem to be a little behind prior to the testing and feel the need to assign a lot of reading, assessment questions, portfolio projects (a summary of all the chapters covered up to this point put in a binder - include two to three paragraphs per subject and there are 9 subjects in all), etc. So Robert has been spending about 5-6 hours on homework every night during the last week and a half. Last week he skipped the hockey clinic on Thursday to do homework - and he was still up at 11pm. With this issue, we just need to get through this week and with State testing occuring over the next 2 weeks, the homework load shouldn't be too bad.

Job Change
The job DH has had the last 3.5 years has been a unique one. After DH left the company that moved us from MN to CA, he got a job with a company that was new to this area. Basically an investment firm put some money in a great concept that provides dentistry to underprivileged children. DH's boss opened an office here and hired DH to work in the financial side of the business. The office here was more of the administrative part - the clinics were in other states. Any way, this business was suppose to run for 5 years, but due to the positive results, it is coming to an end much quicker as the parent company and the one here is going to merge this summer and DH will be done. He has started the job search - got the resume written and started to send that out; has talked with several of his contacts from previous work experiences; and started to investigate businesses that are for sale - for owning our own company has been somewhat of a dream of ours. But just knowing what is coming up in a month is very unsettling. We do have some ideas and options that just need to be investigated further - but change, at this moment, is scary. So, if I seem to be more of a downer or ramble on more in my  posts, please be patient with me.

Parents Visiting
My parents are coming for a visit (they live in MN) this Thursday and staying until Monday. I love them dearly, but just don't feel ready to have them here. I haven't seen them since September 2009, when Robert and I were in MN for a hockey tournament. And I think that it has been over a year since they have seen DH and Matthew. They will be totally shocked to see the boys because they have definitely grew since the visits. So, there is a need to clean and straighten up the house before they arrive (even though they are staying in a hotel). I am not the best housecleaner in the world - I use to be obsessed about it, until the obsession got in the way of living. So with my priorities set on dealing with the kids (getting them to/from school; making sure their homework is done; getting them to/from hockey) - I am never really at home long enough to get much of anything done and when I am home, cleaning and dusting is really not high on my list of things to do. And paying for someone else to clean the house....well, that is definitely not the answer, especially now with the job issue. So...I think that after I get home from work Wednesday - before I have to pick up the kids, I will spend sometime cleaning. At least I can get the house looking presentable (just don't look in my closets).

Well...I know that is a lot of complaining in this post. I just need to get it all out - not sit on these feelings and thoughts and that makes for a cranky hockeymom. So thank you for being there for me while I have these emotional brain dumps. I am sure that there will be more coming as I try to deal with "change"...but in the mean time...remember (I will try, too):

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa  

PS Exchange received and life in general

I received my PS Exchange on Tuesday. It cam all the way from Georgia (USA). This is the first exchange I have received from the US. Not that it matters...just an interesting thing that my sons and I have made note of. Anyway, thank you Roberta for this lovely biscornu. It is my first biscornu. I have read about these on other blogs; read instructions to construct on and even seen the patterns for them...but never have done one. Now I have one for my very own and it is sitting on my night stand. I love it!

This week has just been very, very busy. Actually it started last weekend. Robert (older son) already had homework and was trying to get it all done on Saturday because he knew that we would be at the hockey rink all day on Sunday - which was a little 3 on 3 tournament that I sign the boys up to do with many of their hockey friends, from all different teams around the Bay Area. It is a great event, not only for the kids but for DH and I, as we get to visit (and hear the latest hockey gossip) all day. We left the house at 7:15am and didn't get back until 5pm. It was a long day. 

The rest of this week has been the "normal" juggling of school, work and the boys' hockey practices with back-to-school night thrown in (Robert's middle school was last night and tonight is Matthew's elementary school).It is fun going to hear the teachers talk about what their goals and expectations are for the kids. I am excited for Robert this year - it looks like he will be exposed to many different things in 8th grade. He has a full load with 2 advanced courses (English and Math) and a History teacher who is going to use high school methods for teachers (whatever that meant...assuming more projects, lots of writing and quick pace).

In addition,as I might have wrote - I have accepted the Team Manager position for Robert's team again this year. So I have been busy trying to get all the team information organized and all the important paperwork to the different tournaments coming up. Between now and the holidays, we will be going to:

1. Blaine, Minnesota for the NAHL Prospects Tournament 
2. "King of the Rockies" in Denver Colorado (October) 
3. Nike Bauer tournament in Chicago, ILL (November).

And this weekend, the team will have their first hockey tournament - but thank goodness it is here in town. It makes for an exciting, but busy time for the family. I am grateful that Matthew's team will not be traveling as much, making use of the local tournaments for Thanksgiving and the holidays. 

And, to top those life projects, at work I have been getting ready for a couple of tradeshows and revising data sheets and brochures. So, over all it has been a busy week.

However...tomorrow...NO SCHOOL AND NO WORK!That deserves a happy dance doesn't it? The boys will be able to sleep in and rest and I can....mmmm....there are so many things that I need to do, but thinking I might just do what I want to do! Hopefully get some stitching in as the needle and thread have been calling my name. I am in the middle of some model stitching for CindyMae designs - maybe I will work on those!

Well, anyway. It is time to wrap this up and pick up the boys from school. Hope all of you are doing well!

Take care and remember...live, love, laugh and stitch often! LIsa

Back to school is going ok

Good morning - it is Thursday and the weekend is just a couple days away.
The boys have started school this week with mixed reviews. Tuesday, the first day, they were very excited. Matthew (younger) was out of bed at 6:15am and joined DH & I on our morning walk. Robert (older) got out of bed excited, too; until he noticed that he couldn't find his school schedule (he is in middle school where they rotate classes/teachers). However, because we went to the school on Monday and walked through the schedule, locating the rooms and his locker, he felt confident that he know it (except he couldn't remember which order English and Math came in). Well, this was just the beginning of the "comedy of errors" - not only did he misplace his "original" schedule, but then he lost the one he wrote down by hand later in the day (note: he did make it to all his classes...the right ones at the right time). For homework, he had to hand write in cursive (a skill they do not practice or teach much due to use of computers) a introductory letter to his English teacher...which he had to do 3 times because of all the scratch/scribbles he did. Then, while drinking his milkshake at dessert time, he was working on a History paper. The paper was placed on some moisture which came from the cup and stuck to the table...which he quickly pulled and it ripped. Well, long story short...the second day of school and of homework went much better without any issues.

Last night was the first night of hockey practice after school, as both boys had practice...same time, different rinks. So, DH and I found ourselves texting eachother while in different rinks. Such is life.

Well...no stitching pieces to show yet. Haven't had much time to put in a stitch the last couple of days - just trying to get the school/work routine in place, at least for a little while until travel hockey tournaments and other things come up. I did hear that my RR was on the move. How exciting to hear.

Thanks for visiting! I hope you are having a good week!
Take care and remember...Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often! Lisa

Last day of summer vacation, magazines and a WIP post

Today is the last day of summer vacation. Tomorrow the boys start school and I go back to my 9am-1pm work hours. This morning we walked to Robert's (older son) school so that he could find his locker and walk his classes. It is hard to believe that he is in 8th grade...the last year of middle school. Then we walked up to Matthew's (younger son) school and actually said hello to his teacher, who was there still setting up her classroom. The boys' schools are about 1/2 mile from our house. We typically walk the boys to school in the morning, "dropping" them off at their respective school. From home, around to the schools and back home is about a 2 mile walk. Nice to do in the morning. Anyway - Robert knows where his classes are...the boys have their school supplies packed in their backpacks and have cleaned off their desks. They are set to go tomorrow. To honor the end of the vacation, we met DH for a very good sushi lunch (I definitely had my fill of protein for about a month). Now the boys and I are home this afternoon for a little R & R.

In the mail today, I not only received my Just CrossStitch Annual Halloween Issue but also my October issues of The Cross Stitcher. Both have some really neat things to stitch. I can't wait to sit and study them. There are a lot of fun looking autumn and Halloween designs in both.


Drum roll please...I do have a WIP to post...I am stitching "An Angel to Watch Over Thee" a freebie by: By The Bay NeedleArt. It was a freebie that I printed off and have the need to stitch this for someone special. I am stitching on R&R Royal Blue Linen 32ct.
Hope everyone is doing well and having a good Monday. Off to rest and hopefully stitch.
Remember...Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often! Lisa

The "TO DO" List - checking off some adding more

Whew...the boys now know their school schedule and teachers and all their paperwork and fee/donations are in the hands of their respective schools. Matthew has an great 5th grade teacher (one that he had last year for adv. math; so he knows her teaching requirements) and Robert seems to have a good 8th grade schedule...meaning 2nd period PE (before lunch, "it is easier to run the mile before you put food in your stomach, mom!") and 2 advanced courses (English and Math). Robert is going to be challenged again this year - he is determined to keep his good grades while being very active in hockey, again this year. Last year he missed 24 days of school due to tournament travel - and also had to balance homework and late night practices 2-3x a week.

CHECK OFF "school registration"....ADD School Supply shopping.

Last night was the first night of dual hockey practices. I took Robert (older) down to San Jose for his practice, as I have accepted the position of team manager so I needed to start the paperwork and the "behind the scenes" organization for the team. It was also good to start meeting all the families (this is a new team Robert is on and I only know 3 out of the 20 families). DH took Matthew (younger) to his practice which is 5 miles from the house. So, the hockey season starts...DH and I sit in separate rinks texting each other about our days and the hockey practices we are watching.

CHECK OFF "get boys ready for hockey season"...ADD get Bantam AAA team registered for upcoming tournaments...ADD organize Bantam AAA team binder, etc.

I didn't get any stitching done at the rink last night, which I am bummed about, but that is how some practices go. I still haven't determined a non-exchange/non-gift project yet to stitch and blog about. Still thinking about that one. But in the mean time, I have been getting emails from the girls in the Friendship Sampler RR and many of them are on the move again. I am currently without one (for new followers...we started out with 18 women in the RR, 1 disappeared holding my RR and another member's RR. I decided to re-start and re-introduce into the mail cycle, the other member unfortunately opted out. So, due to that issue and vacations and other "life" issues, the mailing cycle got a little behind. But those remaining continue to slowly move and grow. Visit the Friendship Sampler RR to view them.)

ADD "find non-exchange/non-gift needlework project"

We are coming up to the weekend...yeah. The last one before school starts. Matthew has a bday party to attend on Saturday and they both have hockey practice on Sunday. But that is ok, for this is the life we lead and it is good!

Take care everyone. Thank you for coming by, reading and commenting. I am grateful for your support. Remember...Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often! Lisa

Mid-week Madness - prepping for school and the hockey season

Well, I find myself at Wednesday...and I am thinking that I better find something to stitch that is not a gift, a model or a exchange so that I can start posting photos of stitching. However, that isn't going to happen today - so bear with me.

I have to post how proud of my boys - as I posted, yesterday I went into work to meet with my boss. However, since school hasn't started yet and the summer camp is over, the boys stayed home by themselves. I know that the boys are old enough to stay home by them selves...for when I was 12 years old I actually had a babysitting job. But since we have never left them home alone for longer than an hour of so, it was a little unsettling. I am grateful that my boss (and her boss) are very supportive of my lifestyle (and I make sure that I do not take advantage of my "flexible" part time hours either) - for I went in yesterday around 8:30 and then came home for an hour around lunch time (to check on the boys and make sure they ate lunch) and then went back to work. Everything went fine and they got along while home w/o me and DH. Good Job boys.

Today is check in at each of their schools. As soon as all the paperwork and fees are paid (donations for the schools and other things), each kid will receive their teacher list. There is always a little anxiety built around that - hoping that your child gets the best teacher(s). However, in our family we just try to make the best of who ever our child gets and work with them to make sure that the year is successful.

Tonight both Robert (older) and Matthew (younger) have hockey practice...at the same time...but at two different rinks. Robert's practice is in San Jose (40 minute drive south of here) and Matthew's practice is here in Dublin (a 10 minute drive). Well, since I have accepted the team manager position on Robert's team again, I will be taking him to practice tonight so that I can get all the copies of the teams' paperwork. This will be the 4th year I have volunteered for this position (so it has become "old hat"). One of the main responsibilities of the team manager is to organize and maintain the team binder, which is filled with all the necessary documents allowing the boys to play on this team. So I have just be come the official "Bantam AAA Binder Babe" - and I am damn proud :) At least with this team, there seems to be plenty of families who are willing to help out with some of the other tasks (like travel arrangements, activity planning and so on)...but like I said, I have done this stuff for several years and, while it tends to become a full time job, I do enjoy it (does that sound strange?).

Well, if you made it to the bottom of this post, I give you a lot of credit and thank you for reading and visiting. Take care of yourselves and hope you'll visit again...soon.

Remember...Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often! Lisa