Twas the day before travel

Well, here I sit at a hockey rink (go figure)...about 10 hours before Robert (older son) and I need to be at his school, where we board the bus...with about 36 other 8th graders, 3 other mothers and 2 teachers...and head to the airport to catch a 6am flight to Washington DC. Three AM in the morning. Yikes! Can you say stress?

I have been stressing all day, something that I do prior to travelling - but it seems more intense for this trip. When I woke up this morning, I just didn't feel like I was ready to go - for I hadn't organized my clothes nor Robert's. In fact, I just started to get his things out this morning, prior to breakfast, and noticed that the button down shirt that Robert needed to wear for the wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier was too small. The sleeves were up to his elbows and buttoning it was impossible (guess it has been a long time since we have needed to dress up the boys in a shirt and tie). So, I added a trip to JC Penny's to my list of things that needed to be done.

After work (I work part-time - leaving the office at 1pm), I quickly ran to Penny's for the shirt and got home to pack. Got all my stuff figured out (got a good variety in the suitcase: stuff to wear just incase I am having a "fat day" and stuff to wear if I feel good & thin...and some exchanges kitted up for the airplane rides) and picked out Robert's things for him to "approve" when he got home from school, before putting them in his suitcase. He is rooming with 3 other boys and I am rooming with another mother.

In addition to getting us ready to travel, I have also felt the need to get things organized for DH and Matthew (younger son). They leave a little later for a hockey tournament.

AND in addition to that, both boys have hockey tonight (hence, the reason I am at a rink right now) - so I had to prepare the pre-skate meals, pull together the hockey gear, prepare and pack the post-skate meals, etc.

We should be home around 8 tonight - when DH will take over for me and I can get in a good workout on the bike. Something I need to do to unwind. I am definitely looking forward to that...then it will be off to bed for a quick nap and up around 2:00am.

I will be taking my camera and my mini computer in hopes to blog about the trip as I go. However, I have heard that these school trips to DC are crazy-busy! I have the itinerary and we are going from 6am until 10pm...but there is a lot of good stuff going on in between.

So, until next post...remember: Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Sunday Status

Lookie what I received in the mail on Friday - my bee-u-tiful Season Exchange from Angela P (Angela, I "stole" the photo from your blog; I am hoping that is ok - as I wanted to brag about your beautiful work, but haven't been able to get the camera around to take one of my own). Isn't it wonderful. I love it...it is my first flat fold - now I get to see up close how they are made :) LOL!

It was so nice to receive it when I did, for Friday Robert (older son) got braces on and he has been so uncomfortable all weekend. "Eating isn't fun any more," is what he told me...and he does love to eat and try new foods. It is a bummer that I had this scheduled when I did as we leave in a couple of days for his 8th grade Washington DC trip and I know by looking at the itinerary that there are a lot of fun places to eat. The look on his face all weekend and the discomfort that shows in his eyes, breaks my heart. I know that it will disappear in time, but right now it is a heartbreaker for this mother.

This weekend, as mentioned, was the Hockey State Finals for Matthew (younger son). The team played ok - losing it's first game on Friday...winning the second game early Saturday morning...tying their third game on Saturday afternoon - - - thus, sneaking into the Championship which they played today at 7am...and lost with a score of 3-2. That means that they came in second place as a California Squirt A Team...not too bad! But the 2009-2010 hockey season has finally ended for both of my boys; HOWEVER, we have already started the spring hockey clinics and Matthew is already on a spring team which will be leaving for Chicago on Thursday for a tournament. Yes, we are a crazy hockey family :)

Well...that is about all right now blog friends. This is going to be a crazy few days as I prepare for my travel with Robert and his 8th grade classmates going to Washington DC on Wednesday...and organize things for DH & Matthew to leave for the Chicago tournament on Thursday. Once I get on that plane on Wednesday, I will be able to take a breather and relax, but until then I will be slightly stressed to get everything done!

Take care all and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often! Lisa

Finally Friday...but wish that it didn't come so fast

First...I would like to say "Thank you" to all the Anniversary Well Wishes. DH and I didn't do anything special that day to celebrate, but we did acknowledge the milestone with special thoughts of our life together. As tacky as this sounds...he sent me a very special email recounting our life together and what it means to him. I was reading it while getting the boys ready for hockey and tears were developing in my eyes. Matthew looked over and asked why I was crying...I told him that I loved his father and he loved me. Matthew looked at me and said, "ok, whatever." Kids...got to love them :)

Well, we find ourselves at Friday - the last official day of the spring break (yes, we do have the weekend ahead of us, but I really don't consider that part of spring break). I did enjoy the time home with the kids...even though we still had evenings with hockey to run to. I did enjoy the opportunity to sleep in...but did jump out of bed this morning to get back into the routine as we do have some early morning things to attend to. 

Yes, it is Friday - which brings us the first day of Matthew's State Hockey Finals. His first game is today at 11am, but he has to be down in San Jose around 9:45am for warm-ups and stretching out. Yesterday I ironed on the letter "A" on his jerseys, for he has been chosen to be one of the assistant captains of his team - a special role. I wish the kids good luck! Go Tri-Valley Blue Devils Squirt A team...go Matthew!

Yes, it is Friday - which brings us to the day that Robert gets braces put on. I will be taking him to the ortho this morning (thus, missing Matthew's first state final's game); what a way to end Spring Break, huh? Well, this should have been done earlier...like way back in August so that we would have had most of the expense taken care of before DH was done with his current job (that is a subject for another post at another time).

And, yes, it is Friday - a day to show off some of my stitching to my blog friends. First up...I head from Lisa V, as she received the ornament I sent to her (Ornament Swap). Here is what I made for her:

I knew that she like snowmen and Prairie Schooler designs...so I stitched up this guy, using the colors it called for and Lakeside Linen (might be 32ct). I added a little Krienk Blending Filament to the snowflakes to put a little glitter on them...and then a little red flower button on the snowman's hat. It was a fun one to stitch up and finish.

Next, an update to my Mary Wigham...

I finished the flower motif (the one with a stem in GAST grape leaf and flowers in GAST berry cobbler) without frogging the little error and then went onto the squirrel motif and the little motifs around the squirrel. I am waiting to stitch the initial as per the pattern, because I am thinking about personalizing it with the initials of my family and maybe even the birth dates...but I want to finish stitching all the motifs first.

The squirrel area stitched up pretty quickly...so, I started the last motif on the top right-hand corner (not in either photo) - hoping to finish that this weekend before I have to put MW into hibernation on Monday. Monday is the day that I need to start kitting up two exchanges - Lizzie Kate and the Seasonal Exchange - for the upcoming trip to Washington D.C. I am going as a chaperon for Robert's 8th grade class. We leave next Wednesday at 3am in the morning...and I have a little organizing I need to do for that as soon as the weekend is over.

That is the Friday update, my blogging friends. This evening we are planning a Family dinner, something that we haven't done in awhile - thought it would be nice to grill up some meat and sit down as a way to end a relaxing spring break as well as have a little celebration of our Anniversary, a celebration of Robert's awesome 3rd quarter report card, a celebration of Matthew's hockey teams advance to state finals and just a celebration of what our life is - wonderfully blessed. 

I wish you a very happy Friday and may it be blessed with love, family and friends! Lisa