Post 8, 2015 - Catching Up

Wow...sorry for the little hiatus. Life has a way of getting in the way of the best laid plans...but it has been good things. Here are some little snippets of life here:

January 11, 2015

My older son turned 19 - WOW! Where does time go. Hard to believe that I have a 19 year old. But it was a bitter sweet celebration this year.

It has been tradition to have a celebration at breakfast time - the birthday person would wear the traditional Birthday Hat, we would sing Happy Birthday and Birthday person would blow out a candle in their toasted waffle. But said birthday boy was 3000 miles away on the east coast of USA at prep school :(

But to make sure Robert had something to put a candle on, I ordered a chocolate cake from Harry & David.

So Sunday night, he brought out the cake and his housemates sang "Happy Birthday" to him. I guess, the days of celebrating a birthday all together will [almost] be a thing of the past.

January 13, 2015

My DH and I are knee deep into Valentine's Day planning for both our Edible Arrangement Stores. This is our biggest holiday, so it is important to make sure that we cover all basis. I took a trip up to our Brentwood store to converse with our employees up there, as I typically go up to this store to help out during holidays (DH stays at our other store, which is close to our house). 

It is always fun to visit our Fruit Experts up in Brentwood and touch base with them. They had the lobby decorated for Valentines, showing off some of our new boxes which will contain hand-dipped chocolate covered strawberries...

January 15-19, 2015

Hockey tournament in Minnesota with Matthew's hockey team. 

My son Matthew (the one seated in the window seat) on the airplane with his teammates

It is always nice to have a hockey tournament in Minnesota, because I then get to visit with my parents, sisters and their family. 

We have created a tradition over the last few years, where my parents host a team meal at their country club. It proves to be a wonderful evening for all.

Matthew with his cousins: Lizzie and Sammy

Matthew with Grandma/pa and cousins

My whole family (sisters, spouses, kids, my parents, Matthew and I)

And of course, if you are taking photos at an event like this, you need to get a team photo...

It was a nice weekend. The team won 4, lost 1...made it to the semis, but unfortunately lost in the last 10 seconds. 

While the team stayed in a hotel, I stayed at my parents house which allowed me to visit with my family when we were not at the hockey rink.

Me and my nephew, Sam, at his hockey game

Although that didn't stop me from going to watch others play hockey. My nephew, Sammy, just started to play. So of course I couldn't miss the opportunity to catch one of his games. There is a big difference between watching his Mini-Mite game and watching Matthew's Midget Minor :)

In addition to watching Sammy's hockey game, I also got to hang out with my niece Lizzie. As an aunt who isn't around much, I did feel the need to totally corrupt her. In fact, we picked her up from school early on the Friday I was there so she played hooky with me.

And, also, I felt the need to teach her how to eat Ready Whip from a can:

All good things a good Aunt should teach a teenage niece - right?

Well that should basically catch you up on my life. But just a couple of things to show to finish off this post. 

First, here is the status of SamSarah In My Garden -

And lastly, while in Minnesota I got to go to my favorite stitching store: Stitchville USA and picked up a little stash...

Which I felt that I just couldn't live with out...LOL!

Well, if you made it down to here, I thank you. This is one long post. 

Until next time, take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa

A restful end to a crazy week

Hello from the tundra...otherwise know as Minnesota.

Looking at the backyard of my parents' house

I am at The Dolginow's B&B - my parents' house - the place I go when we travel to Minnesota for a hockey tournament for my younger son, Matthew. The team gets to stay at the hotel and I seek refuge at my folks house...a little pampering goes a long way :)

It has been a very, very crazy and stressful week. Started off on Sunday, when my older son Robert got back from a hockey weekend in LA with a hurt knee. Monday it was a trip to an orthopedic doctor where we had xrays done, was told that it was either a Grade 1 or 2 sprain of the MCL, which we ffollowed up by an MRI on Wednesday morning at 7am so we would know for sure. During this 3 day period, we struggled making an decision whether or not Robert would join his hockey team as they flew to Michigan this weekend for another hockey weekend. On top of that stress...Robert had to finish up 5 prep-school applications (college apps are a piece of cake compared to prep school ones!).

Well, long-story-short...we made the decision before we got the final MRI reports...we erred on the conservative side of things and decided it would be best for Robert to stay home - to go to school Thursday & Friday, to rest up his knee and start a little rehab to get it healthy, to prepare for semester finals which are next week; as well as get caught up on sleep.

Last night I received a phone call from the Orthopedic Dr office with the finding of the MRI. Robert has a Grade 2 sprain and a bruised bone...so we definitely made the right decision for him to stay home and rest up.

So the timing of Matthew's (younger son) hockey tournament in Minnesota comes at a great time...I get to do a little R&R.

While on the flight last night, I was able to put some stitches in my Torah Portion:

I restitched the last word on the first line: פִּיךָ and on the airplane I stitched this word: וְהוֹרֵיתִיךָ  which means and I will instruct you. 

After that was stitched I watched a movie - The Butler, which was very good - and then fell asleep for a little bit.

Anyway...it is time to get ready to go to the hockey rink, to get my team checked in before they play their first game.

Until next time...take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa

Update from Minnesota

Hello sport fans...or maybe stitching fans :)
I am sitting in the hotel's computer room waiting for the exact time that I can check into my Southwest flight home and print out my boarding passes for tomorrow. We are having a nice time in MN - fun to combine a hockey trip with family visiting (if we couldn't it would be hard to see family with all the hockey travel we will have this year).

Robert (older son) and his hockey team have lost 2 games and won 1. The one they won, which was last night, Robert scored 2 goals (the final score was 2-2...but they won in the overtime shoot out). It definitely was a very fun and exciting game to watch and be at (yes, I was a proud hockey mom). Yesterday they had 2 games - a morning and a late evening. In between the games, I jumped in my car and took off for a visit to Stitchville USA. I love that shop as I use to visit there quite often when I lived here. They have everything...and more. I got some nice fabric for The Family Sampler by LNH - so now I am offically ready to start that when I get through with the Christmas ornament. It is nice to be able to combine a hockey tournament and a visit to a needlework shop...isn't it :)

Today, Robert's team only had one game and it isn't until 8:15 tonight. So after he participated in the team stretch and warmups, he and I got into the car and drove down to my parents' house. We had an opportunity to visit as well as get a good homecooked meal...and Robert worked on a little of his homework.


Well, just one more minute and I can check in...hope everyone is doing well...until next time - Lisa

Weekend Recap

Eat....

Sleep...

Hockey...

Repeat!

That is how the rest of the trip to Minnesota went. After all family and friend visiting the first part of the trip, Thursday afternoon we headed up to the hotel to check in and get ready for a weekend of hockey. The first game wasn't until 10am on Friday, followed by a second game at 3:00pm...then there were 2 games on Saturday. Sunday we had a guaranteed 1 game in the morning and a second if we found ourselves in 1st or 2nd place. However, the boys only won 1 game out of the 5. They had a lot of opportunities to score in all the games and probably could have won 3 out of the 5, but they just couldn't put "the biscuit in the basket" (for non-hockey fans, that means put the puck in goal).

Given the fact that we were a summer team made up of ("bantam-level" aged: 13-14 years old) kids with varying of skill levels, several who haven't skated together before, and only had 4 practices we did fine - we definitely could have done better...but I think that it was a good experience to take this group of boys up to Minnesota to play some good hockey.

After our last game on Sunday morning, we went back to the hotel to shower & pack up and headed to the Mall of America. The largest indoor mall in America that has an amusement park inside.

Another hockey mom and I gave the boys some money and let them run "amuck" for a few hours before we had to head off to the airport to head back home to California.

We got back home around 1:30am, so there is definite catching up that needs to be done to get ready for the week ahead...even though it is already Monday.

I did make a little head way on my Ornament I am stitching for the Ornament Swap. This one has a mail due date of the end of July, so I definitely will be able to make that without having any problems.

Thank you for visiting and reading...I have some blog reading to catch up on!

Take care and remember...Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Family and Friends and Fierce Weather

Hello from the warm-muggy state of Minnesota. Robert (older son) and I came into town yesterday afternoon for a hockey tournament that starts tomorrow morning. We spent the extra day and a half visiting with family and friends. Last night we stayed over at my sister (my middle sister...I am the oldest of 3 girls) & brother-in-law's house, which gave us some quality time to visit. My BIL fixed some incredible bbq chicken, steak and hot link sausages. It was good eatin'! After dinner, we took a ride to visit my other sister (the youngest) and her family - they were getting ready to leave for a family vacation, so this was the only opportunity we would to visit with them. The youngest sister has 2 kids - a boy and a girl, who thought it was really "cool" to play catch with their older cousin

So, while the focus was on visiting with family yesterday...today it was friends. First up - I met with some girl friends who I went to high school with and haven't seen since we graduated Edina High School in 1986. We had a very nice time, talking about what we had done since we graduation, how we met our husbands and about our kids. I guess I should thank facebook for giving me the opportunity to track down "old" schoolmates and the chance to meet up with them when I get into town. :)

Afterwards, I did head back to my sister's house to pack up my stuff while waiting for Robert to get back...BIL took Robert for out for a "real man's breakfast"---> pancakes. Tasty! Once back and the car packed, we drove to meet up with another girl friend...one I have been friends with for over 30 years and whom I talk to weekly . She and I took a walk around a lake while Robert played with her 14 year old son.

My friend and I were pregnate at the same time, both having boys about 4 months apart. We have a photo of the two boys when they were just a few months old (unfotunately I don't have access to that photo right now), but here they are 14 years later. It is amazing to think that my friend and I met eachother when we were 14...and now here we are with 14 year old kids...yikes!

Robert and I left her house around 3pm and started to make our way to the hotel we are staying at..however, we had a couple of stops to make. First, was a drive by our old house (the one we left to move to California 6.5 years ago). It is always fun to see how the neighborhood has changed and to see how the old house looks. We did see the Red Maple was still growing in the front yard...I think that we planted that tree for a Father's day about 10 year ago .

The other stop was for Chinese appetizers at:

Robert's faborite Chinese restaurant in Minnesota.

Then it was time to get on the road to the hotel before rush hour traffic...which is where we are now. We have settled and an are in search for an Italian place to carbo load before tomorrow's games (Robert is...I will be looking for some green leafy food). Then later this evening...much later, I will be driving down to the airport to pick up some of the teammates. Due to the rough weather here - we are actually experiencing some tornado watches and warnings - planes have delayed. The plane with about 4 players and the coach have been delayed from a 8:30 landing to midnight. I just hope that they have a smooth flight and are able to make it in.

Wll...best to get going to feed the hockey player! Until next time:

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

Back home...physically and mentally

It was a nice weekend in Minnesota - for hockey and visiting with family. On the hockey side of things, Robert (old son) and his hockey team placed 3rd out of the 9 teams who were part of the tournament. Nothing to sneeze at! After our 8am game on Saturday, we had to wait to find out the outcome of the game being played after us as that was the determining factor in our placement; and would tell us if we were playing Saturday evening or if we got to wait until Sunday morning for the semi-finals. Since we weren't sure, we fed the boys after the morning game and then went back to the hotel so that they could nap...just incase they had to play again. The wait came to an end around 4pm with a phone call from the tournament director letting me know that we had placed 3rd and would be playing in the 7am Sunday semi-finals (we would play the 2nd place team). In the Semis, we played the Chicago Young American team who were undefeated. We scored first when one of our players had a penalty shot and scored...unfortunately this team was very quick and passed well, which frustrated our team - we lost 8 to 3 and remained in 3rd place. At breakfast after the game, the boys were a little bummed, but didn't seem too depressed as they seemed to have smiles on their faces.

On the non-hockey side, we got some nice opportunities to visit with my parents, sisters and niece/nephew who live in Minnesota. Saturday night, as soon as I found out that we didn't have a game to play, Robert and I drove to their house for dinner. We all had a good time catching up. And on Sunday, after we checked out of the hotel, Robert and I went over there to "hang out" before we needed to leave for the airport. While we do a lot of traveling for the boys' hockey activities, it is times like this that is nice...when we either get to meet up with family or high school/college friends.

I didn't get much chance to sit and stitch. On the plane ride there last Thursday morning, I basically slept the whole way; especially since it was very early in the morning and I didn't get much sleep the night before. Coming home, I did take out Trick-or-Treat and took the advice of a few Blogging Friends' comments...I back stitched the "T" and the "R" before moving onto the "I". I don't have any photos of it, but will try to get some posted soon.
I received a new group of patterns from CindyMae Designs - Quaker Style Christmas Ornaments - to stitch models for her. And if you haven't visited her website in a while, you should check out her Quaker Style Halloween Ornaments . I also heard that the next round of Friendship RRs are on their way to me. I am so excited to stitch a few more hearts. The RR took a little longer than anticipated - as we only have 16 members and were trying to send it 2x a month...but life got in the way and probably a few other situations. But I hope that none of the women get too impatient and we can all stick with it to the end.

It is good to be home and I am looking forward to having a free night tonight as we have no hockey practice to drive either boy to. Gives them a time to catch up on their school work and sleep and me a chance to get a little R&R. Today is also the first day of Autumn...so...

Happy Fall Ya'll!

Have a good day! 

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

T-24 hrs and away I go....

Tomorrow morning at 6:30am, Robert (oldest son) and I will be hopping on a plane to Minnesota for the first "travel" hockey tournament for his team. Getting ready to travel always creates a rise in my stress level, but I think that I am just about ready to go. Last night, while DH was out of town and we had a free evening (aka "no hockey practice") I got the suitcase packed, my "Trick or Treat" stitching project all packed up (especially with very small travel scissors...I don't need any more needlework scissors to be confiscated!), and all the hockey team manager crud all organized. 

It was important that I get all organized last night because tonight is going to be very choatic!!! Matthew's (younger son) hockey team has been invited to the "Shark Tank", where the NHL San Jose Shark team plays, to do a little scrimmage prior to the pre-season "Teal and White" game (this is a game where the NHL team divided up into 2 teams and scrimmages - providing a little exhibition for their fans as well as allow the coaches to still look at some of the veterans and rookies before the final cuts are made before the NHL season starts on Oct. 1). Anyway...so Matthew has to be down in San Jose for this at 5pm and it will be over around 6:30. Right after that, Robert (older son) has a late practice: 7:50-9:20pm - at least the rinks are both in the same area. However, the bottomline is, we will not get home until 11pm...only to have to get up around 3:30am on Thursday for the early flight. So, since I am packed, I will be able to enjoy Matthew's scrimmage this evening and be able to maintain low stress when arriving back home late tonight...I hope.


Well...better go wake up the boys and get them around for school. Until later..remember, Live, Love, Laugh and stitch often! Lisa