Happy Halloween!

Post #476 - 28 days until my blogoversary - 100+ followers and growing :)

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Tonight's the night...when all the spooks, ghosts, and goblins come out...so beware!!! Consider yourself warned :)

But I am glad that you stopped by...here grab a handful -

What is your favorite Halloween candy - do you like the little candy corns that come out only at this time of the year, or do you go for the chocolate or maybe the suckers, swedish fish or tootsie rolls? You know, while I am aware of the fun the kids have as they go door to door, ringing the doorbell and shouting "Trick or Treat", neither of my boys particularly like candy. Sure, they will eat a Hershey bar and love a pack of M&Ms...but we always end up taking 98% of the Halloween candy to work. When we lived in Minnesota, the school district there had a program where they collected the kids' Halloween candy they wanted to share for the food shelves which are typically void of things like this.

We won't have to worry much about sharing our candy this year, for between covering for employees who want to leave early to be with their family members and the boys' hockey practice there won't be much Halloween celebration here. But it doesn't sound like the boys are too upset.

Thank you all for your comments and thoughts about the pumpkin carving design for my part-time job contest...unfortunately due to working in*Store #1* all weekend - and allowing DH to have a whole weekend off without stepping foot in either store, something he really needed - I didn't have the energy to carve anything creative or out-of-the-ordinary when I got home on Saturday or Sunday. I did carve a basic "Jack o'lantern" face with 2 eyes and a mounth with teeth so that the pumpkin didn't go to waste but I am not going to enter it into the contest. He will stay home and get ready to sit outside later tonight. Poor guy :(

Yes I worked all weekend and it went pretty well. It has been a long time since DH had a full weekend off, not setting a foot in either of our stores. It was like our rolls were reversed the whole weekend....I was in the store and he was playing the Hockey Taxi driver. For Matthew had practice both days and Robert had games both days. So, while DH didn't get much rest over the weekend, he did get time with the boys - which is priceless!

This week is going to go by fast I think...the boys are off of school today due to an teacher inservice day, but of course they saved all their homework to finish today (kids, what are you going to do with them?). Although, I think that Matthew told a teacher or two that he was going to be absent from school on Thursday and Friday, for there is another hockey tournament coming up.

This time I will be flying with both my boys to Chicago on Thursday...November 3...my birthday. In fact, Robert's whole team and some of Matthew's will be on the same flight so I can celebrate my birthday in the morning 35,000 feet in the air. And then as soon as we land in Chicago, we will be meeting up with my parents and one of my sisters. They will be joining us for the hockey weekend...and to celebrate birthdays. Not only is my birthday on the 3rd, but so is my father's. I was born on his 25th birthday - pretty special present, huh? It will be nice to be together with them for it has been a long time since I was with my parents for my birthday.

Well...lets back up here and stay focused...stay in the present...remain in the NOW and take it one day at a time because there are a lot of things I need to accomplish before I get on that plane on Thursday.

Well, I am just rambling on right now. This will probably be a good place to wrap up the post!

As long as we convince ourselves that we’re so busy and our work is so vital and we can’t afford to slow down, then we don’t have to look at our own lives and the personal issues that are so difficult to address: a marriage that isn’t working, a career that isn’t satisfying, children we’re out of touch with, friendships we’ve outgrown, associations we need to move on from, the creativity we’ve been afraid to explore, our deepest fears or childhood traumas that have been holding us back from leading truly fulfilled lives.

~ Elaine St. James

Tomorrow doesn’t matter for I have lived today. ~Horace

Until next time, remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

Odds 'n Ends on a Saturday Morning

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Odd 'n End #1 - upcoming weekend
Happy Saturday - the weekend has shown up and it will be a busy one here for us. Both boys have a lot of hockey this weekend and it is Halloween, which has brought in some good business at both stores for the weekend. I am up early (yay! gotta get in my workout to start the day) so I can go into *Store #1* to warm up the chocolate and start dipping the pineapple ghosts, bats and cats that make up a lot of the Halloween arrangements - if interested you can go to http://www.ediblearrangements/ and see what I am talking about.

Thread, needle and fabric have been absent from my hands and activities since I have received the iPad for my early bday present. That thing is addicting - between the games and the free ebooks and all the different news downloads, it definitely can keep one busy. But off in the distance, I do hear the call of the needle so I am sure that it wont be too much longer and Family Sampler or another ornament project will be in hand.

Odd 'n End #2 - Grimm's Fairy Tales
Speaking of reading...have you ever picked up and read any of the Grimm Fairy tales? Like Little Red Riding Hood or Hansel and Gretel? Well, with the new TV series - Grimm - which premiered last night it has peaked my interest. These are not totally the warm, fuzzy bedtime stories that many of the picture books painted, for it one does think about what they are reading they can be disturbing. For example, take Hansel and Gretel....not a lot of food in the house, the step mom cons the father to ditch his kids in the woods. Can you say - child neglect? When the children find the Witch's bread house in the wood, she locks up Hansel to fatten him up - child abuse? She enslaves Gretel to fetch wood - underage child labor? And all because she wants to eat the children - cannibalism? Anyway, I wasn't able to watch the first episode of Grimm last night because we all decided to utilize a night home w/o any evening activities as an excuse to go to bed early. So by 9:30 all the lights were out and there was a lot of snoring. However, as I am spinning and typing this post right now, I see that it is on indemand on the cable box, so I will probably try and find sometime to watch it over the weekend...and maybe pull out Family Smapler to stitch...perfect Halloween weekend activity, don't you thing?

Odd 'n End #3 - Conversation with Robert
Yesterday afternoon, as Robert (older son) and I were driving home from his school, he informs me that Saturday (today) is "Take a break from Technology" day. You are suppose to take an hour today and take a break from technology. Sounds simple, huh? Immediately I was thinking turn off the TV and turn off the computer games...get outside and enjoy the weather. But being the great debator my son is (don't know if he is a budding lawyer or just a cocky teenager),

he asks: "what do they mean by 'technology'?"

I reply: "TV, computers, maybe lights...any think electronic probably."

He says: "well, maybe we have to take a break from everything that was created in the technical age - besides the electronic items there are the cars, bikes, telephones anything that wasn't around prior to that age."

I reply: "so, basically things that really weren't present 100 years ago."

He looks and says to me, "mom, 100 years ago was 1911 there were cars, there were phones, there was electricity."

It took me awhile to think...for when I was growing up, I always referenced the late 1800s as my "100 years ago". When did the early 1900s become 100 years ago? Isn't that a strange thought?  When you hear "100 years ago" and you don't put much thought to doing the math - what time frame  POPs in your head?

Odds 'n Ends #4 - Pumpkin Carving
I need to come up with an idea for my Pumpkin. I have entered the pumpkin carving contest at my part-time job and am somewhat stumped. I thought it would be fun to come up with something where I can incorporate either the chocolate covered pineapple shapes from our stores - either ghosts, cats or bats. Some ideas that have surfaced are:

• Cut the pumpkin to resemble Ms. Pac Man and put 4 which chocolate covered ghost in front of the pumpkin...might need to come up with a back drop that looks like a PacMan screen
• Cut the pumpkin to resemble a bell and then have chocolate covered bats coming out of it...you know the old saying: "bats in the bellfry"?
• Or scrap the pineapple shapes and ... stack 3 pumpkins on top of each other to create a snowkin or a totemkin.

Anyone have any ideas? or what do you think about any of the above? Well I need to decide really quick because I have to work in the pumpkin carving into the busy weekend. Ugh!

I hope you have a great Saturday! Until next time, remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

Serene Sunday...well, at least it was at 6:00am before my brain got to thinking

Good morning...or afternoon...or evening.

That is the beauty of blogging, anyone anywhere at anytime can read what you journal. Anyway, it is Sunday morning and I am up and on the stationary bike this morning - hence, that is why I have time to post an entry this morning (multi-tasking and it's best - getting in my spin on the stationary bike while catching up on my facebooking, blog reading and blogging!). Lately I have been doing a lot of running, combining it with my stationary bike spinning, which is why I haven't been getting in as much time for blog posting (hard to run and be on the computer at the same time :)). The last 2 weeks I have put in over 80 miles - 40 per week - I really enjoy it, but I do feel it in the ol' body when I am doing too much. So I think today will just be a spinning day.

Yesterday the mailman brought me the 2011 Halloween edition of Just Cross Stitch

I immediately took it into the house and found a quiet corner to relax and look at all the fun things. There are some really cute halloween projects to stitch; but I am on the fence about halloween items. Back in 2009, I found a pattern called "Trick or Treat" in the October 2009 issues of The Cross-Stitcher Magazine by Designer Ursula Michaels. I fell in love with it - bright colors, glow-in-the-dark Krenik, cute...I started it Sept. 9, 2009 and finished it October 24, 2009

For 2 years this stitched piece has sat in my "done-stitching, but-not-yet-finished" shelf. I came across the fabric I was going to use as the backing, for my intention was to transform this stitched piece into a pillow to display around the fall & Halloween months. I am not the best pillow maker and I am scared to take this stitched piece and the fabric...and ruin them both. So in my closet, with all my stitching stash, they lay -waiting...for me to find courage and take them to the sewing machine...SOME DAY. But the question remains...how many "done-stitching, but-not-yet-finished" pieces to you have?

Well, while the Halloween design still lays awaiting, I have been working on both Family Sampler and the Ornament Swap ornament for Lisa V. I have decided to keep them both out on a little table that sits by the couch in the main room where my family congregates. With all the supplies ready to use, I can just pick which project I want to put some stitches in...this has been working well. And while I can't show you photos of the Ornament, I am hoping to have a status photo of Family Sampler soon.

Today will probably be family day at Store #1, for we let everyone at this location have the day off. I will be going in to work in a few hours followed by DH. There are only about 4-5 arrangements to make so far for the day and one delivery, which is what DH will do. Today is also the start of  "Health & Happiness". Take the Pledge of Health & Happiness at any Edible Arrangement stores and get a FREE Pineapple Daisy Pop.

What is the Pledge? Pledge to live more healthy by taking the first step of adding more fresh fruit and vegetables to your meals. According to the new USDA food pyramid, which is the shape of a plate, 1/2 of the plate should contain fresh fruit and vegetables. Come to our store, if you are nearby and Pledge:

• to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables
• to incorporate a 1/2 plate of fresh fruit and vegetables into every meal
• to make this change for the rest of the summer and beyond

What is a Pineapple Daisy Pop? To celebrate your life change pledge, we are rewarding everyone who comes in our store (all Edible Arrangement stores are also offering this), signs their pledge card a FREE Pineapple Daisy Pop which is a Daisy shaped Pineapple piece with cantalope melon ball center on a stick. Yummy and good for you!

I wish that you all lived nearer to me to get this yummy treat...and then I could also meet you :)

Well, got to get going. Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday! Until next time, remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

November 1...welcome November

Wow, it is hard to believe that November 1st has arrived. That means:

1. there are only 2 months left of this year - yikes!
2. that means that the holiday season is upon us; although I think that Michaels and Target have had Christmas stuff out well before the Halloween was put out.
3. that means my 2 year blog-o-versity is coming up (that is what the little number on the left handside of my blog represents) at the end of the month
4. that means my 43rd birthday the beginning of the month (Nov. 3rd to be exact). It also means that my father's birthday is also coming up - for I was born on his 25th birthday.
5. it means that I need to finish planning for Robert's team's trip to Medicine Hat, Canada for the upcoming tournament and my own planning for Matthew's & my travel to Phoenix, AZ for his tournament
6. it means that I definitely need to package up Angela's ornament and get it in the mail
7. it means that we are now "officially" owners of *The Business* (which is an Edible Arrangements franchise, but will be referred to as *The Business*)

DH left last night for SoCal (Southern California) for a week of in-store training. Before he took off, we did go into the store over the weekend to meet the some of the employees as well as do a walk-through with the previous owner, signing off on the inventory he and his employees took. While DH is at training, the previous owner will be working in the store to make sure that business continues; however I will be stopping by periodically so that I can learn some of what he does during the day in his/our store - learning what a "daily routine is". Today, since the boys don't have school because of a teacher's work day and I took the day off, I am going over there early this morning to work with the previous owner to get accounts and systems transferred over to us. Hopefully that process doesn't take too long, for I do have to get Robert over to an Ortho appointment mid-morning.

Last night, Halloween night, the boys and I fired up the grill and cooked some burgers & sausages (they enjoyed those while I had a salad)...and then we basically hung out at the house - vegging out. The boys opened the door and passed out candy to the few trick-or-treaters that we get (some local real estate ladies host a costume parade and party at a park up the hill from us, so when it comes time to trick-or-treat many of the kids/parents stay on the hill and go around to those houses - thus, we don't see too many people at the bottom of the hill). We turned on Forrest Gump to watch - while I stitched on the Family Sampler and the boys played a computer game. Nice and quiet evening.

Well, that is about all for now. I am hoping to have the roof of the Family Sampler complete so that I can post a photo of it tomorrow.

Take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

Friday's night off...a good start to the weekend

With no hockey practice to run to last night, we actually sat down as a family last night and watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!". It is funny, how around the holidays, I tend to crave some of the comforts of my childhood...like sitting down and watching the good ol' Charlie Brown holiday shows. I remember when it was a big event in my childhood household, we would be able to eat dinner in front of the TV (remember those old TV dinners in the aluminum tray?) and watch Snoopy and all the Peanuts gang. Remember the Dolly Madison commercials that were shown (last night it was pre-Christmas commercials for Toys R Us...at least it was a break from all the election commercials!!!)

Speaking of feeling nostalgic, I found the box of old photos of me that my grandmother sent me as she has been trying to clean out her drawers of old photos...

Me at the age of 2. My family had this tradition of taking formal photos at the age of 2...and my sisters & I all wore this dress. My younger sister, who had a daughter, continued the tradition and had her photo taken in the dress at the age of 2 (although I think that photo was done in color :) ).

Ok...this was totally off the topic...ooops...

Back to the topic of Friday afternoon/evening...I was hoping to do some stitching on Family Sampler during Charlie Brown, but chose to lay my head down and just enjoy the show with my family. However, yesterday afternoon I took the opportunity to put the finishing touches on the ornament I stitched for Angela for the Ornament Swap. I know that I haven't posted anything about this in a long time, as I finished stitching it back in September and boy, am I glad that I got it stitched back then...don't think that I would have had the time or the energy to get it done if I waited! Now that it has been finished, I can get it off to Angela so that she has it before the holiday really set in. When she receive it, I will post a snap of what I stitched & finished for her!

Saturday is starting off cloudy, cool and rainy. DH took Robert down to the rink for his 6:30am practice. Had to wake up around 4:30 to get breakfast around for them before they left. Also, took the opportunity to fold laundry and get it ready for the boys to put away their clean clothing...as well as jumped on the stationary bike to get my spin in while catching up on facebook, my emails and blogging. Later today, DH and I go over to *The Business* to be introduced to the employees. The previous owner will be making the annoucement this afternoon that he has sold the business and we will be there to be introduced and answer any questions they have. Tomorrow we will walk through the store front with the previous owner and take an inventory of everything in there - for on November 1, it is officially ours. DH leaves tomorrow evening for his first week of in-store training down in Southern California and then he will fly out to the Corporate office on the east coast for the 2nd week of his training. After all these weeks of work to get the deal made, the time is here for the real work!

Well, enough rambling. Take care, my friend, and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the waters...

Today was my Halloween Party at work and I entered into the Pumpkin Carving contest. Under the gun to find a design to carve or theme to recreate, DH "googled" pumpkin carving contest designs and we came across the idea of creating fish out of pumpkins. With only one pumpkin in the house to use - the personal watermelon came in handy.There were 9 enteries in the contest...mine came in 2nd and so did 2 others (it was a 3 way tie for 2nd place :) ).

Tonight DH and the boys are down at the rink. Robert (older son) has team photos and then ice practice afterwards...Matthew (younger son) just has off-ice training with his team.  So I am home enjoying some "me" time. My "me" time is dwendling - starting Monday, when DH goes to train for *The Business*, driving the boys to school and to hockey practice will become my responsibilty again. It has been nice to have him around the last 5 months to help out and/or do most of the transporting of the boys to their activities. But it will be nice to have him working again.

Well, I did put a few stitches in my Family Sampler, but not enough to "show and tell". I am hoping to allow myself to sit and stitch this evening before all the boys come back home.

Take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa

Sunday - Happiness is...

...the beginning of a new month, homemade costumes, Trick or Treating in the light of the full moon, a Friday afternoon walk, and carving pumpkins with my boys.

Happy November everyone! Hard to believe that we have 2 more months of 2009 left. I hope everyone had a good and safe Halloween. It was a really strange one this year, for it seems that there weren't too many people out "Trick or Treating". I took the boys out about 7pm and we found many houses put out a bowl a candy and left a note saying - "please take one and leave some for others...Trick or Treat." Either they didn't want to be bothered or just weren't home. And even the amount of decorated houses were less than in years past...maybe the economic demons tried to take some of the fun out of the holiday? Well, we didn't decorate either...and we also decided to go with the homemade costumes (let me introduce to you: the ghost of Christmas in the Bob the Builder sheet - the influence for this was Charlie Brown's homemade ghost costume; and on the right, we have either Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer or Famous Amos - your choice).

Nevertheless, we did have a nice time walking around the neighborhood, in the light of the full moon and 70 degree weather. Perfect trick or treating temperature! (BTW...I also find it funny that my boys work so hard to make as many houses as possible to get candy, of which they don't eat and we end up sharing with our co-workers)

Speaking of nice temperatures, I thought I would share with you what our fall looks like here in California. We have 2 seasons. In the late sping/summer time, our trees have green leaves and the hills and grassy areas are brown. In the fall/wintertime, the trees start to turn colors and eventually drop their leaves, while the hills and grassy areas turn green. Seems a little backwards, doesn't it? On Friday afternoon, I walked to pick up the boys from school and took photos with my phone's camera of the scenery:

It was a beautiful warm Friday and the walk really did wonders for my mood - the warm sun warmed my soul and the lavendar and newly blossoming fall flowers smelled wonderful. I also decided to bring the dog along, for I knew the walk would do him good too!

When we got home, the boys threw their backpacks in their rooms while I prepped the kitchen table for pumpkin carving. I cut the main hole in the bottom of the squash, because we use a light bulb to illuminate good ol' jack. The boys took turns scraping out the "yuck" and the "goop", as well as separating out the seeds to bake in the oven. The design for the pumpkin was created by my older son and, again, the influence was Charlie Brown (unfortunately I didn't get a picture).

They had a good time getting the goop out and drawing the design on the pumpkin. When they were finished, the cookies I was baking were out of the oven. So while they snacked on those, I carved the face out. It was a great Friday afternoon.

On a stitching note...Saturday I was able to put the last stitch in my L*K design and then finish the "finish" and even got it in the mail...so I made the deadline of November 1 for this round of L*K exchange! Yahoo! Now I am frantically working on 2 models for CindyMae, who, by the way, has a "booth" in the Needle Show Retail (which is going on November 5-8). If you register, you can actually place orders directly with the designers. 

Thank you for visiting and have a nice Sunday! 

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