Washington DC Trip - Days 3 and 4

I am sitting on the airplane right now...heading back from DC to California. I have been absent for the last few days as I haven't had time nor internet connection to update the blog. The weather has been fantastic - nice and warm Friday and Saturday, but cooling after that; yet the sun has been out making it perfect weather for touring! So, at this time I will continue telling you about the 8th grade trip to DC.

DAY 3 - Friday April 16, 2010

Once more we woke up at 6:30am with a wake up call and headed down to breakfast. It was time to make our way toward Washington DC, so everyone had to pack up their belongings after breakfast and get them on the bus.

We loaded up the bus and left the hotel around 9am - and headed to Richmond, the present day capitol of Virginia. We stopped and picked up another tour guide here, named Jim. He took us on a driving tour of downtown Richmond pointing out historic buildings as well as telling us all about the history of the city as it pertained to the beginning of the Civil War. We crossed over the James River and stopped on a bridge so that we could look over where the old iron foundries and flour mills use to be back in the late 1800s. 

We finally made our way to the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier and Pamplin Park. Here we learned what it would be like to have been a soldier in the Civil War - first by walking around the grounds and seeing a replica of a "winter camp" (not much fighting went on during the winter - the cold weather made it difficult to fire a gun and snow/rain made it difficult to travel).

We learned from Captain Ryan how muskets were loaded and how soldiers were disciplined...for example if they trailed behind the group during a march, holding up the group, they would be publically humiliated in front of their company - standing with a sign hung around their neck ("straggler" the sign would say) and they would have to hold bucket of heavy rocks for 24 hours or so.

After Captain Ryan educated us, we walked over to gain an understanding of what earth works were and how they were built up. Basically this was the defense system of an army to keep the other side out. It consisted of an earth wall, a trench and other structures made from logs.

Next it was time to head into the Museum of the Civil War Soldier. Here we learned what it would be like to have served in this war as each of us took on an identity of a solider who served back then; I was a boy from Wisconsin who was 16 - since you couldn't serve until you were 18, he had to lie in order to serve. Throughout the museum you listened to his story and how he felt, lived, survived...yes, I was lucky my soldier identity lived.  Between listening to the story, looking at the exhibits which included some artifacts from the war and the special effects - it moving. At times you really felt like you were in battle.

The exhibit was called "Duty Called Me Here..." and was based on a poem written by a soldier from the 34th North Carolina Infantry:

"I feel that Duty called me here, to fight for home and friends most dear,

and if I should be called to stand in bloody conflict hand to hand,

I'll trust in God my only stand, and fight until I win the day, or if it be my Master's will that I a soldier's grave must fill,

I trust that even in that event, I'll be resigned and fall content."

It was a very moving way to learn about the civil war...through the eyes of a soldier.

After lunch at a restaurant called Bottoms Up Pizza, we headed over to the White House of Confederacy (the home of Jefferson Davis - the Confederate President)

The Davis family had 6 children, whom all seemed to be problem children. It was built in 1818, but the Davis family only lived there between 1861-1865 (Civil War years). All the furniture was period pieces with over 50% original to the house.  It was a very beautiful house and the kids in the group loved the stories about the Davis children, especially because they seemed pretty spoiled and bad behaved :)

After we were done, it was time get to DC so that we could make it to the National Baseball game (which was long...like what is a hockey mom doing at a baseball game anyway; no one drops their gloves...and we got rained on, something that doesn't happen at a hockey rink) and then to the hotel.

Day 4 - April 17, 2010

As per the routine...the wake up call came at around 6:30am, breakfast at 7:15am and board the bus at 8:00am. Today we are officially touring Washington DC. First up was Newseum - the museum of News. Here were able to go back into time and relive specific events by reading headlines of news papers. The first exhibit was one on the Berlin Wall. The museum actually had some part of the wall to look at and information to read about the event.

The building was 4 stories...and beginning on the forth floor, we had the chance to read about history looking at the headlines of papers written back in the 1500s to the present. As you continue to walk around and down through the museum, another exhibit which was very powerful was the one about 9/11. One of the antenae from atop the tower was here with a back drop of all the newspapers printed around the world regarding that event/day. There was also a newsreel that you could watch, which caused some tears to fall from some of our eyes.

By the way...even the bathroom had headlines to read. This one caught my eye:

"School testing mushrooms"

From the museum, we headed to the National Archives to see the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence and so on. All the kids thought it really "neat" to see the official documents and the signatures of the founding fathers/authors.

Then it was time to take a formal photo in front of the US Capitol and on to lunch at the Pentagon City Mall Food Court (there were a lot of good choices - from salads to pasta, hamburgers to sandwichs, Chinese and Sushi), before heading on to Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon - home to Mr. and Mrs. George Washington. We were able to take a tour of the house, which was very interesting and beautiful inside. I think the kids really enjoyed walking through it and seeing where George spent some of his life.

Dinner at Phillips Flagship (a HUGE buffet of anything you could ever want - especially seafood...just ask one of the teacher chaparones of the trip) and onto all the different memorials (at night and in the chill of the evening). Here are some photos from those sights.

First-The Vietnam Veterans Memorial 

Second-The Korean War Veterans Memorial

Third-The World War II Veterans Memorial

Each Memorial was special and unique. Before walking around each, Dennis, our tour guide, gave us a brief introduction to the memorial...how it was designed, what the symbolism was and so on. Then we all were able to walk around to get a feel for it. Some had lists of people who served and/or who died and some had quotes chiseled in stone. I think for me, while they all were beautiful and moving, there was something about being at the WWII memorial in the evening with all the lights and water/fountains (speaking of water, one of the kids was walking around observing and accidentally stepped into one of the "ponds" - it did lighten the mood).

The next place we went was the Lincoln Monument

Walking up the steps and seeing Mr. Lincoln sitting in front of you all light up was incredible. It was a wonderful way to end a perfect day of touring! We started the day learning about the Civil War and the part that Lincoln played and in the evening, we stood in front of him...felt the power of his presence.

At the end of day 4, reflecting on the trip so far, it is overwhelming to watch the kids take in all the information they are given, process it and ask for more. They respect the places we have been so far and will forever share the memories and bond they are establishing as they visit these places together. 

Well, it is time to put the finishing touches on this post as my battery is running low, but I will leave you with this photo of DC at night..

Thank you for visiting - come back soon as I will finish up with Day 5 and 6 very, very soon!

Lisa

Washington DC - Day 2

The wake up call did come somewhat early this morning - but everyone seemed to wake up in good spirits. By the way, here is where we are staying in Williamsburg

It is huge - has a gigantic water park in side (which is something on the itinerary for tonight). Anyway, the wake up call came at 6:30am and breakfast was at 7:15. It was a nice breakfast buffet - cereal, hot choices, and fruit. At 8:15am, we boarded the bus and headed back to:

 Williamsburg

  Before we get into that - the weather is wonderful, nice warm weather and clear blue skies.

We broke up into two different groups and took a tour focusing on the government side of the Colonial Williamsburg. The first stop for our group was George Wyhte's house (he was a tutor and mentor of Jefferson)

We learned that back in the 18th century that husbands and wives had their own space, so when we walked through house we saw "his space" which was his office and Mrs. Wyhte's "space" where she had her sewing things. There were public areas where they entertained - primarily his students, as they didn't have any children.  Mr. Whyte was the first professor of the local college.

Their house was one of the houses on the Governors Palace Green - where 2% of the population lived in this capital city...these were the wealthy people. Another sign of wealth was the material that the houses were built out of...if they were made of brick they were wealthy versus the wooden white. However, Payton Randolph's house was wood, but he painted it red so that from afar it would look like it was made of brick - thus appearing "wealthy".

 However, he was wealthy - the 2nd richest in the colony (the governor being the first) and he was a speaker of the House of Burgess

The next stop was the Governor's Palace. The grounds were beautiful! And the interior was wonderful.

We were greeted by the dark wood, marble floors and walls filled with swords & rifles as we walked into the Public Area of the Palace - which gave the impression of power and wealth. The bottom floor of this 16,500 square foot building was to entertain and the top floor was for the family.

There bedrooms were located on either side of the house and in the middle was what we would call the "family room" and they called the "upper middle room". In this room, the wall paper was pointed out. It was hand tooled leather from Spain and gold covered...it was not part of this house but of the time period. It was incredible. All over the room was oriental and exotic pieces, which we learned of the love for exotic pieces also symbolized wealth.

After we left the Governor's Palace, we walked through the gardens and into a "town hall meeting" where George Washington was talking about taxation.

We listed to him for awhile and then walked around the town a little more - stopping at the local Cooper, who was the barrel maker. Actually, in addition to barrels, they made other containers. Then we went the the Williamsburg Jail

The jail cell that we got to go into was on of the original cells. We learned that the jailer lived on the property with his family and was paid well. He was in charge of making sure that the prisoners were well kept as this was only a "holding" cell before they needed to show up for their trial...they were not sentanced to jail, they were either proven innocent and let go or sent to the gallos. One of the most famous group of people held in the prision was Blackbeard's crew (but not Bleackbeard himself). There were 16 in the group - 2 were let go, because they "snitched" on the rest of the group, the other 14 were hung.

 

Next on the tour was the Capitol - where the General Court, the King's Room and the House of Burgess. It seemed like the perfect place to go next after the jail, for we learned about how trials were done in the colony back then. Ten of the kids were chosen to be the jury of a trial where one of our chaperons was accused of stealing silver. The jury decided that she was guilty - but because this was her 1st offense, she was let go but was branded on her hand with a little "t" so if she committed theft again she would be hung. This little "mock" trial was gave the sleepy kids a good feel for how things were done back then. 

After learning about the court system, we walked into the House of Burgess and learned about the check and balance system and some of the issues that were important back then. The last room was the King's Room:

From the Capitol we walked around Williamsburg, spending a little time walking through some of the shops until it was time for lunch which we enjoyed at the Kings Arm Tavern

Here we were treated to a nice spring salad, Chicken Pot Pie, warm sourdough bread and vanilla ice cream. Some of the servers were a little cranky when serving us, but it was still a nice meal. From there we boarded the bus and headed to:

 Jamestown

The first stop on our trip was the Powhatan Village where we learned about Pocahantus. Before we got to their huts and learned how the tanned hide, cooked, and made tools - we stopped at the Circle of the 7 gods of the Powhatan Nation

We then headed to see the 3 boats that journeyed over from England to Jamestown - Discovery, Godspeed and Susan Constant...and even took a tour of one to get a feel for what it would have been like to be on that boat. Let's just say that it wouldn't have been fun!

On the dock, we listened to one of the sailor tell us a little about the life of a sailor and taught us about the knot a sailor needed. He even had some of the kids volunteer to learn

The last tour we took was the fort of Jamestown and learned about the hardships they experienced in the new land.

By that time - which it was 4:45pm - we were getting tired and cranky and it was time to get back to the hotel for dinner and an evening at the waterpark. Some kids even decided that this would be a good time to get a little homework done. Tomorrow, we pack up and head off to Washington DC by way of Richmond.

So, it is time to get some rest so that we are fresh for another day of touring and learning...so from Colonial Williamsburg and the Great Wolf Lodge I bid you good night.

Washington DC Trip - Day 1

Our day started out well before the sun rose. All 30 kids, 4 moms and 2 teachers arrived at the middle school at 3am to meet and board the bus which transported us to the airport in order to make a 6:10am flight. We arrived at the airport with plenty of time. Everything was well organized as each of us, in alphabetical order - of course - approached the airline counter, handed over the suitcase and proceeded through security and then to the gate. With much time to spare all went in search of breakfast and sat down on the floor to consume it.

As soon as it was time to board the plane, all food was enjoyed while trying to determine who was sitting where. The game plan was for all to board the aircraft, stand where their assigned seats were and then "play musical seats" so everyone would sit with their friends in order to enjoy the plane ride. Of course, it is easier said than done when trying to deal with 8th graders...but with only a little chaos, they managed to get seated before disrupting too many of the other passengers...actually we did get some nice comments from some of the passengers during this first leg of our journey. We flew from San Francisco to Chicago, where we changed planes with a short layover.

With an hour in between the flights, the kids had time to buy some lunch (McDonald's seemed to be the majority favorite). After lunch was consumed and still some time on their hands, the electronic gadgets came out and all took turns looking on.

We arrived at Reagan Airport in Washington DC around 4:10pm. Some of us were able to see our first view of the Washington Momument and the Pentagon from the runway. Excitment buiding and desire to exit the plane...we made our way down to the baggage claim and met up with our tour directors (all luggage was accounted for...no lost pieces - yahoo!)

We boarded another bus outside the airport for our 2 hour drive to Williamsburg, VA. Our tour guide explained some of the safety features of the bus, as well as some of the rules - aside from the requirements, he did stop and point out the Pentagon as we drove past it. He pointed out the side of the building where the plane crashed into it on 9/11 and the memorial park that was build a couple of years ago. After that, it was basically a long bus ride to Williamsburg. We arrived a little after 7pm at the Wasabi Buffet, which was a perfect place for all of us hungry travellers! I think that we all got our fill of sushi, peel-n-eat shrimp, crab, varieties of Chinese entrees, fruit, salads and an assortment of desserts.

From dinner, we headed into Colonial Williamsburg for a Lantern Tour. We met our tour guide, who was dressed in Colonial attire and he took us through several of the building.

The first building we entered was Clothing Shop. We learned that the business was run by both men and women; we got to see some dresses from that time period which were on display as well as some fabrics.

The next business we visited was the printer. We saw an older printing press and learned about all the things that were printed back in colonial times...like money, newspapers, forms and contracts.

And the last business we visted was the book binder. Here is where they created books...the most popular one and best seller was the ledger. In fact we heard about 200 year old ledgers found, which had given historians information of who bought what, how much and so on. Our guide showed us how books were bound, using twine to stitch them, and the paste paper that was used to create a nice cover.

 

I think that everyone enjoyed the lantern tour...but if you ask any of the kids what they learned or what they will remember about it, don't be surprised when they say "DUTY" (aka horse poop).

After tour, we boarded the bus and headed to the hotel. Everyone was handed their key to their rooms and was escourted in. The security guard checked in with us promptly at 10pm as she will be sitting outside the door of the kids to keep an eye on them so that we can all get some shut eye. For that wake up call is scheduled at 6:30am...and that time will be here before we know it.

So, I will bid you good night - Lisa

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

Happy 19th Anniversary

Nineteen years ago, I felt like Cinderella - wearing a gorgeous gown of white satin, being surrounded by Maids of Honors, flowers girls, friends and family...walking down the aisle to meet up with my Prince...

It is amazing to think back to the beginnings...meeting him the first week of our freshman year in college...dating all the way through. We did have our ups and downs, just like all dating couples did, but we stuck it out and got engaged 2 months after college graduation. Our engagement took place on a trip to New Orleans, where he lived and worked (got a great job right out of college)...all the arrangements made for a surprise proposal.

On July 20, 1990 we went to visit Nottoway Plantation for a simple tour - or so I thought. Little did I know this was were he would wip out the engagement ring and propose. I felt like a princess then, a princess on our wedding day (April 7, 1991)...and he has continued to make me feel special everyday.

Today, I look back at all that we have accomplished and been through together; I am grateful to have him in my life and share all the goodness I feel, especially the beauty of our growing sons who I believe exemplify the love we have for eachother!

Happy Anniversary DH! I love you!

Mummbling on Monday

Hi all...hope you had a nice weekend and Easter holiday. Out in the backyard, the boys found plastic eggs most of them were filled with dollar bills - guess the bunny knew that the boys weren't big candy eaters (and that Mom & Dad really didn't need the sugar and calories). And with the boys getting ready to take some trips: Robert to DC for the 8th grade trip and Matthew to Chicago for an upcoming hockey tournament - personal spending money comes in handy. After a quick Easter egg hunt and breakfast, DH took both boys to the rink for a 2-1/2 hour practice and I stayed home and cleaned the bottom floor of the house. I know, not the most exciting thing to do when one has the house to themselves...but it really needed to be done and with everyone out of my hair, it makes for a good situation to really focus.

PIF Announcement...Kelly and Brandy will be receiving a special package in the mail from me probably sooner than later, even thought the guidelines say that I have a year. I have sent both of you an email requesting your snail mail address. 

After reading the comments on my last post, as well as on the Mary Wigham SAL-USA blog, I wanted to thank everyone for the support of just leaving my "error".  I have just left it and finished that flower/vine motif and moved onto the one with the squirrel...which I am just about finished with and will probably be posting a photo in the next couple of days. 

Spring Break is in full force this week, but I cannot report that it is going to be too exciting. We are not planning to go anywhere or take any exciting day trips because: 

1. Robert (older son) has some homework to do...with the 8th grade Washington DC trip coming soon (April 14-19) the teachers have been very nice to give the kids missing school those days the majority of their homework to work on over the Spring Break (if they choose to) so that they don't have to worry about it while on the trip. Influenced by his school mates on Facebook, he got up this morning and is fired up to get all of his history completed today (guess there is some good that does come from chatting with friends late at night on Facebook)
2. Matthew (younger son) has hockey practice...his team advanced to State Finals, which takes place this coming weekend with the first game being played Friday @ 11am. Since we believe that practices are important to play in games (kind of like studying for a test), Matthew will be at the last 2 practices leading up to the State Finals Weekend.
3. Hockey Academy Clinic (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday)...both boys have been enrolled in a spring clinic which takes place in the evenings down in San Jose. It started a couple of weeks ago and goes until May 20th. Robert will attend all three evenings this week, but Matthew only 2 because his practice takes priority Monday (tonight).

So that basically covers the majority of the activities we will be doing this week during Spring vacation - however we will need to find time to do a little shopping for nice clothing for Robert for the DC trip - he was chosen as one of the 4 who will be laying the wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier...so he will need a shirt, tie and nice pants for that. He will also need some nice clothing for when we tour the White House. I say "we" because I have signed up/paid to go as a chaperon. I am getting just as excited as he is, for it is going to be a wonderful trip!

Well, blogging friends...thank you again for visiting. Hope you have a good week and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often! Lisa

Saturday Stitching Status Report & Other Updates

Well, I find myself up and going on Saturday morning, the first official start to the boys' spring vacation. They got out yesterday at 12:30pm; well, Matthew (younger son) did. Robert (older son) had to stay after and make up a Spanish test - what a bummer of a start to his vacation, huh? He was going to try and take it during class, since they really weren't doing anything for the 40 minutes except for having a party (during 1/2 days, they do attend all their classes but they are shorter versions); but because the music was loud and the kids were partying, he thought it would have been a distraction for Robert and, thus, told him to take it after school. So, for the 40 minutes of the class - not only did the kids goof off, but some of them even left the class to join parties in the other classes. It would have been better just to start spring break a little earlier (or at least let Robert take his test). Nevertheless, it really wasn't a big deal...just one of those things that happen.

Stitching Updates

I know that I posted "A Walk in the Park" earlier in the week, but I thought I would post it again. I heard from my sister on Thursday evening. The gift had arrived in Minnesota and she loved it! I didn't talk with her directly, but she left a long message on my voice mail saying that she is going to use the box to save Max's collar, photos and other mementos (it is one of those unfinished cigar boxes from Michael's which I painted the outside black and lined the interior in the fabric that you see on the little circle buttons). That is exactly what I was thinking when I made the gift for her :)

Mary Wigham Update

Here is where I am with MW. I have really been working on it every chance I have - it is addicting - but I find that I really need to focus. Not only because I am stitching on 40ct - 1 strand over 2 - but it is very easy to get the counting off. And while most people wouldn't notice....the counting is messed up in the little berry colored flower on the top of the green stem, as I noticed last night. Now, since I am just about done with the flower (still have a few more stitches to put into it before I call it complete) I am trying to decide: 

1. Do I let the "messed up" count go? It wouldn't mess up the placement of any other motif and no one looking at it would point to the "mistake" and say: "OMG, Lisa, you messed that up!"
2. Do I rip out the flower and start over? I know that it is messed up, and for awhile it would bother me. But the phrase: "It is ok to make mistakes, only God is perfect." goes through my head. When I was in Girl Scouts, many years ago, and we were working on our craft badge, one of the other girls was in tears because she "messed up" her Christmas ornament. It "wasn't perfect" she told the leader, "and it needs to be perfect because it is for my mother." That is when we stopped and got lectured about living up to the best of our abilities. Strange how back then it was "ok" to talk about God in something like Girl Scouts and now it would be frowned upon.

Anyway...those are the 2 options I am struggling with.  And here is a close up of the area that I have been working on this week and were the impending "error" is:

On the agenda for today...Matthew has a hockey scrimmage around 4pm today as they are getting ready to go to State Finals next week. They are scrimmaging the other Northern California team in order to work on their team skills. Tomorrow (yes, on Easter Sunday) they have practice from 10:15am-12:45pm. Just enough time to see if the Easter Rabbit came (which reminds me, I need to get prepared for that little bunny to visit) and eat breakfast. Don't forget to enter in the PIF give-a-way (click on "pif" to make sure that you sign up on the right post). The "rules" state that I must send to 2 people...I do have one and I will follow through with my obligations for that 1...but the more the merrier! Tomorrow is the deadline.

Take care my blogging friend and remember...Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often! Lisa