Life is chugging along...

Life is short.

Each year passes more quickly than the previous one. It's easy to deny yourself many of life's simple pleasures because you want to be practical. Forget about practical and decide instead to be a joy collector. Always be on the look out for gifts without ribbons. God is strewing them across your path right now. His gifts come tagged with a note:

"Life can be wonderful. Do your best not to miss it!"

Enjoy what IS before it ISN'T any more.

~Barbara Johnson

Here we are - December 14th...hard to believe that the "big man", the man in the red suit, will be making his appearance in 11 days and I just don't feel very ready for that moment. It seems to be sneaking up on me this year and the panic seems to be rising. The tree is up, the ornaments in place and the lights are twinkling. However, the boys' wish list needs to be looked over and the famous chocolate crinkle cookies need to be made. Just need to find the time to make those things happen. I am sure that I will get it all done to the best of my ability, in between all of the activies :)

Hockey News...
We got some great news on Sunday...Robert, who tried out for the Pre-Select NorCal Camp (hockey) was selected. On Saturday, 35-40 Bantam aged (birthyear 96) boys  from all over the Northern California area tried out to be selected to represent NorCal - only 6 forwards, 4 defensemen and 2 goalies were selected to move on to the next selection process. What is this all about? Well through a process of several tryouts (NorCal Dec. 11, California/CAHA Jan 28-31, and Pacific Districts in early spring), a U14 National hockey team is created to play in a high level tournament over the summer, where there will be scouts from different junior leagues as well as schools will be watching. Last year Robert tried out, but due to having bronchitis, just didn't perform up to his potential, thus didn't make it through the first cut. This year he was healthy and had a wonderful tryout and, thus, was selected. We were very excited for him. So, now we fill out all the paperwork and pay for the next set of tryouts and see how things go the end of January. In the meantime, we have a few tournaments and hockey clinics to get through first :)

Stitching News...
As mentioned before, I have been working on a few Christmas Ornaments as surprises (so I can't show them yet)...just about finished stitching them and should be able to finish them in order to have them in the mail shortly. Then it will be back to stitching Family Sampler.

Well, that is about it right now. Hopefully DH will be able to get my little laptop cured of it's virus so that I can be back in business...multi-tasking on the stationary bike. I miss reading everyone's blogs while biking. Keep your fingers crossed that the computer will work again.

Take care my friends and 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

PIF received and hockey update

Earlier in the week, a little package was put in my mailbox. It was still a little too early to receive an L*K exchange as that mailing date is May 1st...and I wasn't expecting any ornaments because my month is September. When I looked at the return address, I knew that it was the PIF from Barb. I immediately tore open the box, to enjoy the goodies before the boys came home from school. Inside the box, was a little stitching kit called "To Market" which also included a little heart frame; DMC floss, ribbon, tassels, scissors holder, and a purple laying tool all in a little blue tote. How cool is that - some wonderful goodies, which I will be able to put to good use! Thank you Barb!

Stay tune...I will be posting a PIF next weekend for a drawing on April 1st - April Fools Day!

Now for a hockey update. Last night was game #2 for Robert. I picked him up from school a little before 2pm so that he could come home, grab a bite to eat and change into this pre-game attire (Jr. Sharks Logo warmups and a Jr. Shark polo shirt) so that we could leave and be down to the rink around 3pm...one hour before game time. Well, while this should have been a team that the boys could have beat, they just didn't seem to "show up for the game" and, thus, lost it 1-3. It was really sad, because they came out very strong in the first period and even scored the first goal of the game...but as soon as the other team scored, Robert's team just didn't seem to find what they needed to in order to win. Robert had a good game - meaning, when he was out there on the ice "he gave it his all" and that is all you can ask for.

So, this morning is game #3 and their opponents are the LA Selects Bantam AAAs. This is a team in our league, so we have played them 3x this year....and lost 3x this year...so we know what to expect. When I say that we lost - it was big losses: 0-11, 0-12 and 0-some other big number. With the expected loss this morning, that would mean the team would have 1 win and 2 losses...and we would just have to wait to see what the outcome of the other games to see if we will be in 3rd or 4th place (which would mean that they would play tonight in the semis) or if they are out all together. Hopefully they play tonight!

So...Good luck Robert and the

San Jose Jr. Sharks Bantam AAAs!

In addition to Robert (older son) and his District hockey tournament, Matthew (younger son) also his his NorCal Playoff tournament this weekend...first game for him is in an hour @ 6am. The NorCal Travel A Championships are up in Vacaville (a city about 45 minutes from where we live; close to Sacremento - where the California capital is located) - thus, DH and I are playing "divide and conquer" this weekend. DH and Matthew left after Robert's evening game and headed up to Vacaville to stay the night in preparation for this early morning game. If Matthew's team comes in 1st or 2nd after the weekend is over, then they advance to the State championship which is in two weeks.

So...Good luck Matthew and the

Tri-Valley Blue Devil Squirt As!

And a quick stitching update...might as well as I seem to be on a roll with the updates. I have finished stitching Lisa V's ornament for the ornament swap, just need to finish it as an ornament - so my goal is to get that completed so that it will be shipped to her on Monday. I have also completed the stitching on "A Walk in the Park" - a gift for my sister and will be working on finishing that up (more on that later in the weekend).

Well, it is time to sign out...but before I do, if you find yourself heading to Vacaville to watch the NorCal Playoffs - let me know. It seems that DH and I had a little marital communication breakdown yesterday while he was packing his clothes for the weekend - he only packed 3 t-shirts and a tooth brush for the weekend.

Thank you for visiting - remember to...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often! Lisa 

And it is now Tuesday...

Thank you for the comments about the boys and the bummer outcome of the games...AND about my exchange piece. Stitcheranon brought up a good point about using negative reinforcement (referring to embarrassing the team by not allowing them to change out of their uniforms and having to parade through the rink and then through the hotel). While this might not have been the best way to handle this - especially when all the boys don't necessarily get equal ice time; not all the boys are disrespectful to the coaches; not all the boys have their heads in the clouds (or thinking about playing some computer game vs. the hockey game going on)...sitting the kids who weren't mentally present for the game and/or not listening to the coaches wasn't working, which is why I believe that the drastic measure was taken - "punish" the whole team. Personally, given the activities of the evening/post-punishment (which was a team meal at Famous Dave's BBQ) - I would have used the meat/cheese/bread we had in the coolers in the bus and made sandwiches for them to eat together in the lobby of the hotel and then sent them all straight to their rooms/to bed...I guess that is why I am not a coach.

I still don't have any stitching to show due to them all being either exchanges gifts of special projects - so I apologize for not being able to share anything like that. But I was able to get some stitching done yesterday while the boys were playing outside and my banana bread was in the oven.

We had a lot of banana's supplied for the hockey weekend (close to 20 pounds) - and even though the boys did eat a fair amount, there was still a lot left. I took home about 2 doz bananas. In that banana collection, there were about 8 bananas that were "good" bananas to eat, the rest were screaming to be made into banana bread. So I took out my big ol' mixer and whipped up 4 batches or 12 loaves. I kept 3 and was able to give out 7 at practice last night and I am hoping that DH will take the last few into work to share. I usually whip up banana bread once a month because we have a lot of bananas in our house hold as they are the recovery food for my boys for after their hockey practices/games. However whenever we have a few days w/o any hockey, sometimes they start to go bad and it becomes banana bread time. Here is the recipe if you are interested:

 Hockey Monkey Banana Bread

3 bananas mashed (about 2 cups)

1-1/2 cups of sugar 

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

1/4 cup of milk

dash of baking soda

dash of baking powder

1TBS cinnamon (I don't measure, just usually dump some in)

dash ginger

dash nutmeg

1-1/2 cup of flour

Directions: Mash bananas and set aside. Measure out flour, baking soda and baking powder and set aside. Mix everything else up in a big mixing bowl. Taking turns, add a portion of the bananas and mix gently...add a portion of the flour mixture and mix...add a portion of the bananas and mix...add a portion of flour and mix...add the remaining bananas and mix...add the last of the flour and mix. The key to this bread, as I have found out, is the adding the flour and bananas little at a time and not mixing much at that point. You want to make sure that it all gets mixed up, but you don't want to over beat the batter after all the flour is added. Put the dough in greased bread loaf pans and put in a 350 degree oven for about an hour.

Well, I should go and get a few things done around the house...like sit and stitch. So at this time I will leave you with this...

just for today I will notice things that I will be thankful for...

Like the early morning walks that DH and I take together.

Like having this week with my boys at home.

Like the community I have built here in California and the blogging community on-line

Be grateful simply for being alive.  When you are grateful for life, pure and simple, your life becomes one you can be grateful for.  That may strike you as circular or even backward logic, but your attitude really does have an effect on how things work out.  When you can’t change your life any other way, you can still change your attitude.  When you do, your life changes.  You find more chances to love, and you will be surprised to see how much more love is returned to you.

Bernie Siegel

 May your Tuesday be filled with much love and happiness and remember to...
Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often! Lisa

 

Weekend Recap and Hockey Chatter

Hope everyone had a good weekend. I had one that I call a "me" weekend. Saturday I went to a gathering of the "stitcher's by the bay" yahoo group at my "not so" LNS. It was SOoooo fun! First, I got to meet Valerie (from whom I actually found out about the group), which was nice as I have been reading and commenting on her blog for several months. Second, I got to go shopping - I have decided to start the Mary Wigham sampler so I wanted to get some fabric and thread (which I have decided to use GAST and I will note the conversions I use when I receive the fabric I put on order). Third, I got to meet some of the other members who were able to make it to the gathering. I really enjoyed talking with all the women, getting to know a little about them and their needlework history...and I got to look at some of their work. Wow! It is one thing seeing peoples work on their blogs, but when seeing them in person there is such a WOW factor. I really had a fun afternoon!

I am so glad that I did this - not only because of the reasons listed above, but because I did something for myself. Many times these opportunities come my way but my "stinking thinking" starts up in my head. Thoughts such as "I can't go anywhere on the weekend because the family is home," "I need to be here to make sure that my sons eat and my husband has time to rest over the weekend from his work week," "I can't go because I need to make sure that the hockey stuff is washed and ready for hockey on Sunday"...and it goes on and on. So, when this opportunity came up, I talked to DH and said that I really wanted to go - and he was so supportive! In fact, when I came home and talked non-stop about the wonderful women I met and how much fun I had stitching & visiting with them, he looked at me and said, "I am so glad that you went and took the time to finally did something for yourself." Wow.

Sunday, the boys had hockey in the morning and then again in the evening, which DH took them to and I stayed home - got in a little more exercising, stitching and the house ready for the week. It was a nice day too.

Over the weekend I have been stitching a model for one of CindyMae's designs. She is a new up and coming designer and has some nice things coming out. I am just about done stitching it, but I will let her post it when she receives it. So, stay tuned!

Well, this week I will find myself sitting and stitching at the hockey rink, as the boys are enrolled in another hockey clinic that goes from 5-8. It makes for a busy week (between their summer camp, my work & prepping for the hockey clinic, and then running them down to the clinic in the evening) - but that is [my] life and in a weird sense I do enjoy it! Friday, Robert starts his tryouts for the next season - which always brings stress into the family. He is trying out for Bantam AAA (Bantam is the name for the age group, which is 13-14 year olds...and AAA, well I am sure that the more As you have the better the calibur of kids). This might be a stretch for him, to make the AAA team that is. But as the saying goes...tryout for the highest opportunity and if that doesn't work out, then tryout for AA and so on. So there are other options if he doesn't make it. But youth sports has a lot of politics and crazy parents out there...and this is where all the stress comes in. A "AAA" team might not contain all the best kids because, as the rumor mill has it, many kids are waiting until the next week to try out for AA (and many of those kids are some of the better ones).

Anyway...I will not bore you with any more of this hockey chatter...but just want to tell you that in our house hold our thought is, to have Robert tryout out this weekend and see what happens. If he makes it "great" and if he doesn't "great...he can tryout for AA next weekend". Ya know, it is just best to "go with the flow" because things have a way of working out.

Have a great Monday and a super week.
Remember to Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often! Lisa

What 'cha been doing?

I have been doing my part (still) to help the economy improve as I build up my stash some more with some Prairie Schooler patterns and a few Lizzie Kate. I signed up for Rnd 3 of the PS exchange and hope to stay with the L*K Exchange after this round, so I felt that I should have some new things to pick from as I continue to stay with these exchanges. Participating in exchanges was one of the goals I set out to accomplish as I was a newbie in the cyber stitch world. Through this activity I have come to know many people - it really is adding a wonderful element to my life!

The mail person adorned my mailbox with the August 2009 edition of the Cross Stitcher Magazine. The Christmas Stocking in it is very cute - but for those last minute 4th of July projects there are a couple of very nice patterns, as well as some other fun projects that I will probably put some sticky notes on as possible projects/gifts from others.

Stitching Update...I have been working on a couple of L*K exchanges. The first one is a personal (one-on-one) exchange with Heather (Stitch in Tyme) We set a due date of July 1, so I will be getting this in the mail to her soon and will post a formal photo after I receive the word she received it. It was a fun colorful stitch and finish...I hope that she will like it. The other is for the "official" L*K Exchange and is due August 1. I am about 1/2 done with the stitching of the design, because I wanted to have some time to think about how I want to finish this for my exchange partner - maybe trying something new. However, I have put this aside temporarily because I wanted to do a little something to surprise someone - so I started this new project because I need to get it in the mail tomorrow. So lots of exchanges going on.

After sending the Friendship Sampler RRs down to Karen in AZ on the 16th of June, my house has been without an RR. I miss having a heart to stitch the end of this month...yet it is nice to be able to focus on other projects for a while. Several of the members of this RR has been enjoying weddings, graduations and other wonderful family activities; some have been travelling and some have been dealing with the unfortunates of the economy...so the email box has been a little light with communication, but reading their blogs they are all doing well. Again, it is amazing how this type of activity - Round Robins, Exchanges and Blogging can bring some of us together! It really has been a positive addition to my life!

Update on household life...DH has been very busy at work lately with meetings, early morning conference calls and late night projects. The boys started their day camp last week. Robert is a junior leader (which is a wonderful program the Rec center has) and is volunteering at a preschool camp a couple days aweek as well as a half day camp with older kids (K-5 grade). Matthew is attending the afternoon camp (which Robert is a jr. leader at...so far no problems). While the boys are at came from 1:00-5, I take that time to go into work and put in a few hours there.

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Background info re: my job (skip if not interested)...I don't know if I wrote about my job, but I work part-time at a manufacturing company in the Marketing and Communications department. I have been there a little over 3 years - it has been the perfect job for my life as it is very flexible - allowing me to set my own hours with the only request that once set I am committed to be there. In the summertime, my hours change to reflect the summer camp hours - going in in the afternoon. At the end of May, my boss was laid off - so now I report to her boss who is in our UK office (I have been given a Blackberry so she and I can communicate when it is morning here and before she leaves for the day in the UK). I won't bore you with any more detail, but I thank my "lucky stars" everyday for this wonderful job.
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This week I will not be going into work because they are shutting the office for the holiday week as well as for budget reasons (and because of being part-time-no pay for me). But the boys will still be attending camp, so I will get the afternoon to get some things done without them. DH and I might even schedule a date during that time...which would be nice to have quality time with him! However, the boys still have their hockey clinc...

Hockey...we have one more week of this clinic the boys have been attending. It is the one which is 4 days a week and this is week 6. It has been a great clinic for them - they have definitely developed new skills on and off the ice and had a lot of fun doing it. But getting everything organized and driving the 45 minutes each way and sitting there from 5-8 gets a little old. But like I said, this is the last week of this clinic. Next week we will not have any hockey to run off to...but then the following week (July 11-5) they both have a "tune up" clinic.
"Tune Up?", you might ask. Yes, while my boys have been on the ice without much down time - not all families do this much spring/summer hockey (and some do way more)...but tryouts for Robert is July 17, with the Bantam AAA (13-14yr age group). If he goes through the weekend and doesn't make this team, then he trys out for the Bantam AA the following weekend and so on. Matthew's tryouts are not until last weekend of July.

Well, if you made it this far, I give you a lot of kudos because this definitely got a lot longer than I had originally planned. All the boys are down at hockey...I have made plans to go to see "My Sister's Keeper" with a friend this morning (I'll let you know my thoughts tomorrow).

Thank you for visiting! Hope your weekend is going well and you are able to stay cool if it is hot outside, dry if it is raining and warm if it is cold!
Remember....Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often! Lisa

Stitching Udate - Finishing and pondering new project

Friendship Sampler RR

I put the finishing touches on Donna's Friendship Sampler RR (aka "Lisa" and "CA") and will be putting it in the mail to Karen sometime today. I assume that the post office will be busy with all the last minute people mailing their taxes...so I might just skip the post office and go to one of the UPS stores - but bottomline, I plan to get it in the mail today.
Donna's RR was done on 40 count linen. For some reason, I found this challenging. I don't think that it was the 40 count that was giving me fits, though. I think that I have grown use to stitching on even weave and the uneven linen was challenging. However, as each of the RRs travel here, I have enjoyed stitching on different fabrics and using different floss & color schemes. I am looking forward to the next one!

Wish, Dream, Hope, Believe Project

Well, I finished this project too (sorry for the blurry, dark photo...my camera is acting up). I enjoyed stitching 1 over 1 with varigated DMC and love the way that the design turned out. Last night at 9pm, it was all "finished" as a pin keep with some fun floss/ribbon attached with pins around the border. But I hated the way it looked, so I ripped it apart at 10pm (while I was laying in bed pouting. DH thought I might have reacted a little hasty). So, right now I have left it stitched on three sides to a blue backing fabric with a square piece of form core inserted inbetween. I still need to close up the bottom, when I determine how I will really finishing this piece. Finishing is really not my strength. I either put the finish pieces in a pile, get them framed or, if they are big enough, hang them on pant hangers until I figure out what to do with them.

New Project
Well, it is that time of the year...spring time...and about 3 weeks before teacher appreciation. As room parent, this is one of the events that I really enjoy organizing. For over 10 years, the project that I initiate is a teacher "Thank You" book. I send home an 8x10 piece of paper where the kids can write a thank you note or poem on 1/2 of the paper and then either attach a photo and/or draw a picture. These are collected laminated and bound in a book. The cover of the book, I typically attach a cross-stitch piece I stitch - it is usually the Lizzie Kate school design or a Sekas Teacher Heart. So, today I need to find all the teacher/school patterns I have in my stash to determine which one I am going to stitch for Matthew's teacher and then gather all the materials.

Spring Break - Day 3
This morning, Robert (older son) got up around 7 and we went out for a morning walk/jog to the school track where he ran again and I walked/jogged with the dog. Last night, a cool front moved in with high winds and some rain; so this morning the cool temps created a layer of frost on the grassy areas. It was a beautiful crisp Norther California morning to be out. Now, back from the morning activity, I am getting my morning spin on the stationary bike while the boys are vegging and/or working on school projects. This afternoon's activity will be to go out and get Robert new track shoes and both boys new everyday tennis shoes. If everyone is still in good spirits we might even get the haircuts out of the way.

Hope everyone is having a good week. Thank you for dropping by and reading my blog. Remember to Live, Love, Laugh and stitch often! Lisa

Wish, Dream, Hope, Believe...and other stitching updates

This is the status of the most current WIP: "Wish, Dream, Hope, Believe" that I am working on currently (sorry about the photo, my camera just didn't want to wake up this morning I guess - with flash it was washed out and without it was dark). It is being stitched on light blue 32ct evenweave, 1 over 1 - using various DMC Varigated floss (I'm making up my own color scheme vs what the chart calls for, basically because I am creating this with my stash). I started this projection on March 20, 2009 - and if you are interested in checking out what it is suppose to look like, you can see this and several others on the DMC Creative World Website.

Update on the Friendship RR...
I am having a wonderful experience - and a lot of fun - with my very first RR. Because the pattern is made up of many hearts, and the main direction is to stitch one adding your name/location and the mailing it out, it is simple and quick. The main form of communication has been emails, which not only keeps all of us (18 women) up to date, but each of us have been adding little tid-bits of our life in these emails. Thus, we are making some good friends a long the way. Currently, I have just received Donna's. I have been documenting each one after I stitch my heart, name and state on: FRIENDSHIP SAMPLER.

Signed up for my first exchange....
Before going to NC, I signed up for my first exchange - "Year Long Prairie Schooler Exchange". One of my goals for this year was to get involve in an exchange, so this helps me to achieve this goal. In addition, by signing up for this one, I will be exposed to a new designer/producer of counted cross-stitch designs. Once I was accepted into the exchange and received the address of the person I will be making it for/mailing it to - I went to several different on-line needlework places to look for that "just right" pattern. Since the only stipulations was that the piece be finished (no bookmarks, coasters, etc) and that it be sent no later than June 1...I assumed that any design by Prairie Schooler would work. I did go to the blog of the person who I have been assigned to get a feel for her likes/dislikes.
With so many designs to choose from, I ordered 3:

This one is called Summer Breeze









This pattern is called Forget-me-knot












Last, but not least...Santas & Snowmen












I thought that this would give me some choices before I settled on one design. If any of you readers have an idea or advice for this first exchange, please let me know!

So that is my stitching update for April 9th...on a personal note...my DH and I marked our 18th wedding anniversary quietly this year on April 7 - he snuck a bouquet of roses & lilies in the house during his lunch hour as a surprise for me upon walking in after picking up the boys. I put in a little card in his lunch box. We didn't do anything else - just kept is small and sweet. Our life has been very busy this last year - lost a couple of wonderful grandparents at the end of 2008, but the remaining busy-ness has been all good things. I am truly blessed to be married to my "sweetheart" as the saying goes...I love him very much and the life that we have together!

Thank you for visiting and reading...I love reading all the comments, advice and words of support that get left by you all! I hope that things are well with you and your family. Just remember:
Live, Love, Laugh...and Stitch Often....Lisa

A fly by posting....thoughts of next weeks travels

Hello out there in blog land - it has been a basically busy week as weeks go here in my household. A lot of hockey practices to go to as both boys' teams are getting ready for the last Big Show of the year - Older Son, Robert is going to Nationals in North Carolina and Younger Son, Matthew is going to State Finals in Southern California. I'll be off to NC next week and DH will be off to SoCal. It seems like we all are never in the same place lately. However...tonight there is NO HOCKEY practice! Yahoo! And we all can be home together!

I am looking forward to the trip over to NC, not only to be there for my son and Nationals (I hear it is something to really take in and experience)...but I have family coming to meet us there. My parents, from Minnesota; my in-laws from Kansas and an Uncle/Aunt will be driving over from another part of NC to meet up with us. But the really neat thing is, my grandmother (Robert's great-grandmother) will be able to travel up from SC to meet up with us all. My parents are helping to make this happen. In the beginning of the season, when we heard the hockey schedule and the locations of Nationals being in NC...I kept hoping that the team would make it there - for how neat would it be to have my grand mother be there to see her great-grandson play hockey. When we were at District finals in Seattle on March 8, and we were getting ready to play in the Championship, my son looks at me and says "this is for Gi-Gi (great-grandma)." All during that game, as the boys played very well...I had a feeling that this year long "dream" would come true, but it wasn't until the final second ticked off the clock that it became a realization that we would be going to NC and grandma would be able to see this. I am a little sad that my grandfather (who recently passed away on Christmas Eve) will not be there...but I believe that he was at Districts in spirit and he will definitely be there at Nationals!

Well, I didn't mean to write all that above...but these are thoughts that have been going through my head as we get closer to the event.

On the stitching side of things....I received Kathy's RR from Michele on Monday. Very excited to stitch on it - I picked the heart I wanted to stitch and the colors of floss from her choices included in the package. I counted out the number of stitches from the heart she started with to the one that I chose...and began to stitch. After a while I saw that the center of the chosen heart wasn't lining up to the grid that she measured out. So after confirming with her - I decided to just rip out the stitches and then start a different one, which was located under the one Michele stitched...this was a little easier to count out to and begin, without the feeling that it was in the wrong place. While I am enjoying this RR a lot...it is funny how stressed out I get myself when stitching on others.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Spring day! Take care! And remember:
Live...Laugh...Love...and Stitch Often!
Lisa

Hockey weekend - and now to the beginning of another week...

It is Monday, and like everyone else I wonder where the weekend went. This weekend was "playoff" weekend for my younger son's hockey team. The top 4 teams in his age division (called Squirts which are 9-10 year olds) battled for the title "NorCal Champions" as well as battled for a 1st or 2nd place which advances them to the State Finals; which take place April 3-5....the same weekend I am in North Carolina with my older son for his hockey team's battle at Nationals. Matthew and his team battled hard - they won their first game 4-1 (and Matthew got the team winning goal, which is the 2nd one for this game). They lost their second game and tied their third...but due to the way the other teams ended up - Matthew and his team came in second and went to play in the Championship game yesterday. Unfortunately, they did lose - but because they did come in 2nd they still advance and go to STATEs. So, once again the family will be in two different parts of the US for a weekend. But I think that will be the last weekend of travel for quite awhile. It has all been good things to travel for...but the cost is hitting the pocketbook and it is time to curtail the spending for awhile.
However, while I have been home these last few weekends, I have been making a dent in some of the house hold chores that seem to get ignored when I am busy or out of town. I go the lawn mowed and started to weed the back yard - I will probably have another go at it next weekend before I take off for North Carolina on the 31st of March. I also got the kitchen floor cleaned & mopped. Yahoo (that should last a least for a few days).

On the Stitching side of life...I did get a little work done on my little "Wish, Dream...". But not enough to show right now. It sounds like I will be receiving Kathy's Friendship Sampler RR from Michele this week (please Mr. or Mrs. Postperson) - and I look forward to receiving it and working on my heart for hers. This is really a fun activity!

Well...time to get the week started - school for the boys and work for DH & I; followed by hockey practices for the National & State bound boys...hope this week brings you all much love, laughter and goodness! Remember to Stitch often! Lisa

An Update on Friday

It is Friday - Yippee! This weekend is NorCal (stands for Northern California) hockey playoffs for my younger son. Tonight is the first game, followed by 2 tomorrow - and then depending on how well his team does, there might be the Championship game on Sunday. It will be fun to all be home to focus on the younger son...for the older one has been getting a lot of attention regarding his hockey.

Earlier in the week, I mailed off the Friendship Sampler RR and hear that it has already been received in AZ. So, while I have been waiting to receive the one coming from WA, I have been working on a few other projects. I did finish Frosty Friends, which I have finished off as a pin-keep...this is my first time attempting one. I do need to put on a ribbon or something, just incase the person receiving this wants to hang it. I am planning to give this one to my grandmother, who might be coming to North Carolina when I am there (when Older Son plays in National Hockey tournament). I stitched the Frosty Friends ornament with her in mind. The pattern does call for the lime green coloring of the hat...which reminded me of the Gecko Green VW Bug that my grandmother would love to have (but was denied...for my uncle didn't think that a 90 year old woman needed to drive around in the Bug). The pattern also called for the bird to be stitched in blue (blue birds are a symbol of friendship). However, I decided to make it a red bird...to represent my grandfather, her husband, who past away on December 24th. My grandparents lived in St. Louis, Mo for a long time and the Cardinals were my grandfather's favorite baseball team. So, the more I looked at this little pattern, the more I saw my grandmother and my grandfather looking at eachother. Like the little bird came down to visit. I think that it came out pretty good...finishing it up around the corners was a challenge. But I am happy with it and I hope she likes it.

The new thing that I am working on is this little pattern I found in the Freebies on DMC website (I think). I am doing it on 32ct evenweave - 1 over 1. Very, very tiny! It says "Wish. Dream. Hope. Believe." It has a star, moon and heart - and then a border of triangles, which are done in varigated colors. I will post more photos are I do more. It really is a challenge to do 1 over 1. I have never really done this before...very challenging!

Well...got to get my family around so that I can get my family around and out the door for the hockey game.

Have a good evening!

Picture Posting

As promised, I have taken pictures of my progress on a couple of projects. The first is the Friendship Sampler RR. I had Michele's, who requested that we stitch with a red color scheme. She enclosed some different threads in different shades of reads. I chose Pink Azalea (by The Gentle Art) to cross-stitch the heart. I satin-stitched the little squares with Pink Quartz (Belle Soie) - never have stitched using silk floss before...it was a treat. For my name & state, I used Noir (Belle Soie), as per her request. It was fun...I hope that Michele likes it...it did come out slightly pink, as per the name of the colors, but it was in her package so I hope that it is ok. All I have left to do is to find a postcard representing the area I live in, write a little message and send it all off...I hope to have this done tomorrow and get it in the mail on Monday.

My other project that I am working on, as per my earlier post, is Frosty Friend. Here is my progress:

This is an ornament from the 2008 Just CrossStitch Ornament issue. I am hoping that it will be a quick stitch, because this just might be a little surprise for my grandmother who might be coming to NC to see her great-grandson play hockey. Still keeping my finger's crossed.

Well...it is time to hit the hay! Good night.

Friday the 13th isn't always unlucky...thank goodness

I have not been very good about keeping up with the blog this week...after getting back from Seattle, I have been busy. With the win of Districts for Robert's hockey team, comes more work to get ready for Nationals - paperwork, registration, plane ticket reservations and booking hotel room for the team...along with other organizational things. I have also decided to go to the dr to find out if there is anything that will help get rid of this cold I have been dealing with for over a month. Now with an antibiotic and the bulk of the hockey things organized I feel that I can get on with other parts of life for a while.

Before I update you on my stitching projects, I just want to express my thanks to my lucky stars...we have had car issues for a while with both our old cars (one is a 1995 jeep, the other is a 2001 jeep) - but we are the kind of people who just tend to "run them into the ground". Well, it looks like we might have with the 2001...this morning, DH was running Robert down to an early morning hockey practice @ 5:00am, when he called because the car died on the side of the road. I jumped into the other car and we got Robert to practice and then dealt with getting the other car towed to a service center. But the thing I feel very lucky about is...the car has been making funny noises since Wednesday evening, but we just wanted to make it to the weekend when we could deal with it. Yesterday, I drove carpool (i.e. had other kids in the car) to hockey - making it down there and back (on Fri. the 13th nonetheless) without any issues. No problems until this morning.

And, while I am expressing thanks...the inheritance from my grandmother who passed away in November showed up on Wednesday. The timing was perfect, because we were just about to get a loan to buy a used car. So...with some cash in our hands...and one "toasted" car...purchasing the used car couldn't come at a better time. It is nice when the stars line up nicely.

On the Stitching Front...(I will post photos later today)
I started stitching my heart onto Michelle's Friendship Sampler for the RR I am participating in. It was a little stressful stitching it because - I stressed over getting the count right, over making sure that my crosses matched her crosses, making sure that the color combo was correct as per her directions, etc. I have finished the heart and just need to stitch my name and state by it. We are doing mailings around the 15th and 30th of each month...so I will have it done this weekend in order to send it out by Monday. One of the extra special things that she requested is each of us enclose a postcard that represents where we live and then write something about ourselves on the back. I haven't done this yet. I live near some of the famous cities in Northern California, but not near enough to purchase a postcard...so I might just print out a picture that represents the area I live in and then write on the back.

The other project I am working on is called Frosty Friends...it is coming along...it is a nice easy project; but just having made time to really sit and stitch it.

Well, I have our plane tickets purchased for North Carolina for National Championship (son's hockey) for the first weekend in April. I have emailed the NC RR girls to let them know I will somewhat close by and hoping that I might meet one of them...in addition, I found out that my 90 year old grandmother (who lives in SC) might be driven up to join us for the hockey tournament by my cousin. I am keeping my fingers crossed. One of the things my son said when he woke up for the Districts Championship game last weekend, was: "This game is for Gi-Gi (great-grandma)". We have been talking about the possibility of making it to Nationals in North Carolina all season and thoughts of my grandmother (his great-grandmother) coming to see him play hockey. How cool will this be if she does!!!

I promise pictures soon of my stitching...hope everyone is doing well. Remember - Live, Love, Laugh and stitch often! Lisa

Friendship Sampler RR Rec'd

So, I am in Seattle for my son's hockey tournament and one of the Friendship Sampler members lives there...so, I called her up to see if she would be interested to save postage and handoff her sampler to me in person...and, well, I suppose you can guess what her decision was...
I met Michele this afternoon while my son was taking a nap (something that he does when he has a morning hockey game and another one in the afternoon/evening). It was fun to meet Michele and get to know her. This is a wonderful "perk" to the RR!

Thank you Michele for taking time out of your weekend to come out to the hotel and meet me...and to hand off your sampler to me. I can't wait to choose my heart and stitch it!

Well, we will be leaving for the second game today. My son & his team won their first 2 games, lost this morning...this evening is the semis and, if they win, they go to the championship tomorrow at noon. Keep your fingers crossed!

Out the door again...

Well, once again my stitching projects are packed up and my suitcase is ready to go...for tomorrow I will be heading out with Robert's hockey team to Quebec City. Fifteen pre-teens (11-13 year olds), 2 coaches, one other parent (who is a doctor) and I will be boarding a plane tomorrow morning. I have created a blog http://pwaaquebec.blogspot.com/ to journal this adventure - especially since many of the families will be sending their child to this 2 week tournament and they are staying home. For many, this is the first tournament that they will not be accompanying their child. I am going as the team manager - but it is still but pure choice as I do not have to go. The boys will be staying with different host families (2 players per Quebec family)...so I will technically not see my son. Since I am sure that I have written all of this, before, I will stop now.

Regarding stitching...I have finished stitching the white squares on the "Shoo-Fly" project (hopefully I will find a moment tomorrow evening to post a photo). I like the way it turned out and hope you will too...yes, I promise to post a photo soon. I have packed that project because I would like to create a black border around the design, which I believe will make it stand out even more. In addition to that project, I have filled my stitching bag with an old project (the boys skating outside - posted back in December) and a new one (the Friendship Sampler for my RR - first send is due at the end of February).

I know...I know...all this typing is boring - so I will stop right now and hope that I haven't bored you bad enough that you won't return. Let me get to Quebec and get settled, then I promise to get some photos posted!

Take care...remember to....Live, love and laugh ofter and stitch on...Lisa