Happy August...and an Ornament Swap update

It is August 1...Happy August!

It is my parents 46th wedding anniversary - Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad

21 days left of summer vacation for the boys

That is only 3 weeks...yikes and yay, depending on how they are behaving :)

First up...Ornament Swap news!

My month to receive ornaments has come to a conclusion with the receipt of the last one -

this one is from Lori:



Bent Creek Tag Series
Fabric: 28ct Raw Opal Cashel
Fibers: GAST & DMC of her choice

Isn't he cute! I love the way it looks like a stamp, that was the first thing that the boys pointed out when I showed them. They, like me, love to see what each Orament Swap Member stitched and how they finish it...as where it is being sent from. Unfortuatly we all use these animated postage machine stamps on the pacakges, so no more collecting stamps from different countries. Oh well, I got something better - hand stitched and hand made beautiful ornaments to place on my Christmas tree in December.

Here is a recap of the 5 ornaments I received from the Ornament Swap Group this year:

My 2011 collection of ornaments from Ornament Swap Group - aren't they beautiful!
THANK YOU LADIES! I LOVE THEM ALL!

Next...just random topics to bring you up to date on life in my household -

as mentioned above, with the coming of August, our summer is winding down. However with all the hockey clinic Robert attended all summer and Matthew's being a Jr. camp councelor and dealing with the growning business and my part-time job...DH and I look at eachother and *sigh*.

"It just doesn't feel like a true summer vacation"

Summer vacations use to be filled with vacations to Colorado or Whistler BC

or across the country to visit family.

Summer vacations use to be filled with day trips to the mountain or the beaches

or just to the zoo to walk around and look at the animals.

Many of the things we "use to do" were when the boys were smaller and not as busy in their different activities. But I know, you can pinpoint it all on the boys' activities - for we could say "no" and not sign them up. But they enjoy doing what they are doing and would miss being with their friends and fellow hockey players.

Many of the things we "use to do" happened when we took vacation from our respective jobs - which I can do from my part-time job, but it has been hard to totally get away this summer due to having the responsibility of 2 stores and not ready to have manager(s) yet.

LIVING LIFE is like a living book

It is made up of various chapters

When one chapter ends another begins

That isn't to say that you can't bring back some of the same subjects/activites from previous chapters...

but, for the most part, things change and there are new things to do, to accomplish and/or to explore.

While it is always nice to go back and reread chapters,

to think about them

to remember them

it is important to live in the NOW, to continue with the current chapter

because you don't want to miss what is happening NOW

for it might be something you want to reread later, but you won't be able to unless you live it NOW!

Anyway...enough of the heavy stuff - it is only Monday and we have a whole wonderful week a head of us.  Robert finished up his hockey clinic last week and will use the next 3 weeks to finish up the summer homework that was assigned for his upcoming AP History and Honors Engligh class. The first day of school they have homework to turn in and a test to take. He has started working on it, but has a ways to go. In addition to working on this, he will be reunited with his track team for some cross country practices. These practices have been going on all summer long, but it was too much to do with the hockey clinic. So he chose to participate in hockey for the summer and then pick up track in August.

Matthew will be finishing up his Jr. Camp Counselor experience which lasts until August 12. He has really enjoyed this experience. This week he goes back to volunteering in the summer preschool camp, where he works with 3-4 year olds.

Me? I will go to my part-time job followed by cartting the boys around to their afternoon activities and then deal with anything that comes up throughout the day/week.

DH? He will go to the stores and deal with all the stuff that surrounds running them.

It's obviously more fun to write about the stitching and the ornaments...and probably more fun to ready about them..so before I bore you all to tears I will wrap up this post by saying:

Thank you for visiting and remember,

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa