Where did time go (Part II)...and...The Frogs Go Marching :(

18 years ago today, my DH and I loaded my suitcase into the car and we drove to the hospital. At 7am, the nurse injected the meds to start my labor. Throughout the day, my parents, sisters, friends all came to visit. In the afternoon, I was given some painkillers and then in the early evening I demanded the epidural.

16.5 hours later at 11:37pm, Robert made his appearance...all 9 pounds 2 oz. It was an incredible experience! One of the most remarkable experience I have ever had.

Robert was such a good baby. He basically slept through the night; although I did wake him ever so often to feed him.

 He was always so curious and observant...looking around, listening to endless Dr. Seuss books...

 He went every where with us...was a great traveller from an early age...and definitely a great snuggler.

 Full of life...always smiling!

Robert is growing up to be such a handsome man...busy with school, hockey, track...filling out all of those college applications as we prepare for the next chapter of his life

I am definitely a proud mom of this wonderful young man!

Happy 18th Birthday, Robert!

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Yesterday I spoke about my torah portion - finishing the first line and it not being centered correctly. Like I mentioned, I thought that I started the first line at the point it describes on the Torah Stitch by Stitch website. Well, I didn't quite count from the exact point I should have...so, yes, my portion isn't centered like it should. 

So last night I emailed the contact person and got a response back this morning with several different options. None of which mentioned ripping the whole thing up and starting over...Thank Goodness!!! One of the options I have is to continue stitching and when it comes to the border (stitching a border is completely optional and gives the stitcher a way to be creative, to make it unique, etc) I will have to make a narrow one...1-3 stitches wide versus a 5 stitch wide band. It will make more sense when I get that far.

In the meantime, since I emailed a photo to the contact so that they could take a look at what I was describing, the spotted an error. The last hebrew word I stitched wasn't in the correct place, so the frogs ( צפרדע) came to visit my house after all. ☹

You can still see the faint hebrew word that was frogged. I hope that when I restitch it, you won't be able to see where it once was.

Anyway, in order to get unstressed after dealing with my Torah portion, I took out Seven Pines by LHN and put in a few X's and a button...

I still have a few more X's to add around the pine trees...but another LHN project was calling my name. Out came Monthly Samplers-April by LHN (sorry about all the wrinkles)...

Now destressed, it is just about time to call it a night. Thank you all for visiting. Until next time, take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

Flashback Friday...where did the time go? (Part I)

One upon a time, 18 years ago...with an additional 65 pounds on my body, 39 weeks pregnant (or so) and feeling HUGE like a beached whale...I went to my weekly doctor visit. It was time for an ultrasound to check-in on the life that was growing within me.

I watch the image the "popped" up on the monitor in the examination room. Long legs, arms and head...the sound of a heart beat steadily thumping...I looked at the technician and then glanced at the doctor. Frowns appeared on their foreheads, but it wasn't really concern that anything was wrong.

The doctor looked at me and said, "Well, given the measurements we are getting from the ultrasound it looks like junior is somewhere between 9-12 pounds."

Gasp! was my reaction..."9-12 pounds...no way...not in my little body...it is time to get the 'thing' out!"

Before my DH and I left the office, all the arrangements were made for Jan. 11, 1996. Reservations at Casa de la hospital, inducement drugs at 7am followed by personal attendants to take care of my every whim. I was excited and nervous all at the same time.

(Part II Tomorrow)

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On another note...I finished the first line of my Torah Portion...

Torah Portion - Exodus 4:12-15
International Torah Stitch By Stitch Project
Above is the stitched line, below is the graph of the whole portion

Since the last post, the words I have stitched are: אֶהְיֶה עִם פִּיךָ...which basically translate into something like: I will be with your mouth. G-d is speaking to Moses, asking him to go to Pharaoh and ask him to let the Israelites go. Moses, according to some of the commentaries, has a speaking impediment; so, G-d reassures him that he will help him speak. 

I took the photo above and sent it to the lady who is working on this big, major project because I am concerned that I didn't start it totally correctly. It seems that the margin on the left hand side is too small...the letters are too close to the end of the fabric compared to the right hand side. However, I did follow the instructions listed on the website. It fits just fine, but it is not totally centered. I don't know...I guess I tend to be somewhat of a perfectionist. I want it to be totally correct. I did go through and make sure that all the hebrew letters were stitched correctly and the spaces were correct. All that checked out. Maybe I am just stressing over nothing...what do you think? 

Well, that is about it from here. Hope everyone is keeping warm and well. Until next time, take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often

Lisa

Simplicity on Saturday

Hello from Los Angeles...it is a hockey weekend for my younger son. We drove down yesterday, leaving the house around 9am and arriving at the hotel in Long Beach around 2:30pm. Perfect time for the drive as we missed all of the horrible traffic that LA is known for.

It is nice to get away for a weekend. It is nice to spend time with my younger son, Matthew. Most of the hockey travel now-a-days tends to be "team travel"...which means that the boys travel with their team, room with their teammates and eat all together. However, travel down to LA for Matthew is "family travel", so I get an opportunity to spend time with him.

This time together seems to get less and less as the boys get older, so any time that I have with them one-on-one is priceless!!!!!

What on the itinerary for today? Well...EAT...SLEEP...HOCKEY and repeat. Matthew has a game this morning and one this evening, followed by one more tomorrow morning before we drive back home.

All is good...I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Until next time...take care and remember,

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa

I was regretting the past and fearing the future.

Suddenly God was speaking.  "My name is 'I Am.'"

I waited.  God continued.

"When you live in the past, with its mistakes and regrets,

it is hard.  I am not there.  My name is not 'I was.' 

"When you live in the future, with its problems and fears,

it is hard.  I am not there.  My name is not 'I will be.' 

"When you live in this moment, it is not hard.

I am here.  My name is 'I Am.'" 

~Helen Mellicost 

Thursday's thoughts and stitching updates

Happy New Year everyone. I know that I am a day late from the official beginning of the year. But I enjoyed day 1 of 2014 by sleeping in until 8:30am (which I haven't done in a very long time), then went out for a 12-mile jog which was followed up by washing out my garage. It was a very productive day to say the least. I even got in a nice nap before dinner. :)

All the boys slept in too - Matthew (younger son) vegged out in front of the computer, playing games most of the day while Robert (older son) has been busy...filling out college applications, writing all the essays they require as well as getting his winter vacation homework completed before starting back at school next Monday (Jan. 6). Doesn't sound like a fun thing to do during one's break from school, but it has to be done. He has submitted all of his college applications, so at least that is checked off his list of "to do's" during break.

Anyway...after dinner last night, I settled in "my spot" on the couch to watch The Lord of the Rings marathon and took out my stitching. On My Torah portion, I got another word stitched:

Torah Portion - Exodus 4:12-15
International Torah Stitch By Stitch Project

The word is stitched is:  וְאָנֹכִי -which means "And I". Not too exciting...but stitching little by little on this.

I also got more X's put into Little House Needleworks "Seven Pines".

"Seven Pines"
Complimentary design from Little House Needlework

Unfortunately, after I finished stitching the Ecru border, I noticed that I made a mistake on top. Too lazy to "frog" the stitches and fix it, I have a plan...which I will unveil later as I finish this up. Anyway, this is a fun little project to stitch.

I have been reading through most of the New Year's blog posts, reading about what everyone is planning to do in 2014. It sounds like many of you are NOT making resolutions, as resolutions tend to fall by the wayside mid-year. I, too, am not planning on making any resolutions. However, yesterday there was a reading/meditation from livinglifefully.com in my email inbox which really got me thinking. Let me share it with you...

The Quotation:

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives...not looking for flaws, but for potential.  ~Ellen Goodman

Followed by the meditation that talked about taking a look at ourselves - not at our flaws, not at things that we feel we must "fix" - but take time focusing on the things that we do well and would like to get better at...what kind of potential might we create for ourselves? What kinds of things might we do and how might we be able to help others even more by strengthening our gifts, the things that make each of us unique? What does it mean to be you..."to just be yourself"?

So, for this New Year - 2014 - I want to focus on developing my gifts and strengths...and as I do, I believe that my flaws and shortcoming will fade.

So what do I do best? I am detail oriented. I enjoy crafting, especially cross stitch. I am a good mother and a good wife. I enjoy exercising, feeling my body move. 

How much time can I spend developing these gifts? Daily and I will feel grateful for the ability to do these activities and feel good about myself. These are my strengths...this is what makes me me.

This is not to say that I am perfect and I have nothing to fix; but it is important to remember that I (and you, too) are skilled, have specific gifts that makes us who we are!

Well, enough rambling for today. Until next time, take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa

 

The last Sunday of 2013 - Stitching Post

Today is the last Sunday of 2013. Strange, huh? It is hard to believe that another year has come and is going...fleeting fast in front of our eyes. Is it me, or is it the fact that the older we get the faster time goes.

Anyway, yesterday while at the hockey rink, with strong stitching mojo, I made some X's in the following projects...

First up, I started my Torah portion - actually got in the first two hebrew words:

Torah Portion - Exodus 4:12-15
International Torah Stitch By Stitch Project

 וְעַתָּה, לֵךְ - this are the words with the vowels (the dashes and the dots below the letters). In the Torah, the scribes do not include the vowels. These two words are pronounced: Ve'atah lech and mean "Now therefore go". G-d is speaking to Moses

Let's set up my portion that I am stitching...In the chapter 3, the chapter before mine, Moses is tending his flock and sees the famous burning bush [An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire out of a bush]. G-d is instructing Moses to free the slaves of Egypt. But Moses seems to doubt that anyone would listen to him. The Lord tries to convince Moses that they will and shows him signs [a rod that turns into a snake] to take with him in which will convince the people. But, Moses, still not sure he is the man for the job, questions the Lord about his speech...for Moses was said to stutter or have some type of speech defect, which wouldn't allow him to speak clearly or to be taken seriously. This gets us to my portion and the first two words: 

וְעַתָּה, לֵךְ...Now therefore go...

It took me a little while to get up the confidence to stitch those first letters...I guess I was lacking confidence in my stitching ability like Moses was lacking confidence that he could lead the Israelites out of Egypt and take them to the promised land of "milk and honey". But after a read the section on how to start 2-3 times yesterday, I counted down 18 holes and over 14 from the right and put in my needle...and off I went.

So after a while of stitching black X's, it was time to turn to something that had a little color...so out I pulled:

"Seven Pines"
Complimentary design from Little House Needleworks

This was a freebie on the Little House Needleworks blog in November. I thought it was really cute and it definitely called out to me "Stitch Me, Stitch Me!" You know how that goes, right :)

Well, time to close out this post. I hope you have a wonderful Sunday! Until next time, take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa

My Torah Portion Arrived

Last month, I wrote a post about a HUGE international project that I registered for called: Torah Stitch By Stitch. Well, yesterday I received the supplies for my portion of the torah I am stitching...

The supply package for my torah portion for the International Project called: Torah Stitch By Stitch
It includes: DMC 310, 24 Tapestry Needle and 14-ct Aida (14" x 14") as well as the patter for my portion

I am so excited! However, in my last post about this project I stated that I was assigned Exodus 5:12-15. However, there was a typo in the email that I receive for my torah portion I am stitching is Exodus 4:12-15, which is:

Exodus 4:12-15

King James Version (KJV)

12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.

14 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.

15 And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.

I look forward to stitching this, although given the size of the project (I am 1 of 1463 people from all over the world)  and what I will be stitching (a part of the torah, a part of the Five Books of Moses) it is a little daunting. Yet, at the same time I feel honored to be a part of this project.

Well, time to throw my jogging/walking clothes on and get my butt outside....in the beautiful Northern California weather, which happens to be clear, cold (37 degrees right now, with a forecast of 68 degree temps later today). Definitely can't complain.

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

Love, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

The day after...

Well, I guess it is back to a "somewhat" normal routine.

Had to get up and go into the store to do a little dipping. While we really aren't too busy today, there are the...what we call..."left over" holiday arrangements to make. See, in order to make sure that we can deliver all the arrangements on time, we limit the amount of deliveries on Christmas Eve based on the amount of delivery drivers we have. Once we turn off deliveries, many of the new delivery orders get moved to the 26th. So we started today with a few more than a "normal" non-holiday day.

But I was able to leave the store by 10:30am to get home in order to catch up on some of the laundry as well as get the boys ready for hockey practice. Yes, that is right, they have practice today. :)

So, how was your Christmas holiday? Did Santa get you want you wanted, needed or deserved? Well, I got exactly what I wanted...a wonderful day at home with my family. Everyone was here...my loving husband and my two boys. Everyone slept in, had a late breakfast, went to the movies (we saw The Hobbit movie), enjoyed a nice Chinese meal out and then napped the rest of the day. It was perfect!

Well, got to start packing up my stuff and head out to the rink.

Until next time, take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

It's getting to look a little like Christmas...and it is :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas, 

Happy Holidays, 

Happy Hump Day!

The holiday is here and it is a day off for me! 

My loving husband and I really enjoy having our own business, but these holidays are killlers. For the last week, I have been getting up at 3am in order to be at the store dipping strawberries, apples, bananas and pineapple reindeer shapes in chocolate by 3:30am so that our wonderful staff can get going on making the beautiful arrangements when they come in at 8am that look like this...

Or this...

And for Christmas...these was this bouquet...

Once the last delivery was made yesterday and the last bouquet was picked up, the store was closed and Christmas 2013 was in the books. And for the first time in over a week we were all home for dinner...Robert (older son), Matthew (younger son), Loving Husband and I. It was nice to be home all together and today it is nice to be lazy, to have slept in until 7:45am.

So, to you, my dear stitching friends from all over - I wish you a Merry Christmas...a Happy Holiday. May love and peace fill your hearts!

Until next time, take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa

I know what I really want for Christmas.

I want my childhood back.

Nobody is going to give me that. I might give at least the memory of it to myself if I try. I know it doesn't make sense, but since when is Christmas about sense, anyway? It is about a child, of long ago and far away, and it is about the child of now. In you and me. Waiting behind the door of our hearts for something wonderful to happen. A child who is impractical, unrealistic, simpleminded and terribly vulnerable to joy.

~ROBERT FULGHUM

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(below is a post I started on December 13 and never posted...

oh my, it has been a little crazy around here!)

Well, I suppose when the temps start heading back up to the mid-sixties it is hard to get into the Christmas spirit...and when you are a small business owner and have to work from sun up to sun down (plus organize your sons' carpools to and from the hockey rink), it is hard to get into the Christmas spirit.

So to help bring in some spirit, I finally took down the faux Christmas tree box from the top shelf in the garage and got it unpacked...

But wait...what are those things in the box with the 22 year old faux tree?

Could that be...Hockey Pucks?????? Guess I shouldn't be too surprised to find hockey pucks in the box...for that explains the nice hole that was ripped in the side of the poor old box. Nevertheless, the faux tree my DH and I purchased our first Christmas together as husband and wife, was unharmed and went up in no time.

A sprinkling of white lights...all of my wonderful Xstitched ornaments from many of you from over the years placed around the tree...Snowden the Snowman, lay underneath guarding the stockings. And to top things off...the styrofoam angel Matthew made when he was in preschool (he is now a freshman in high school). Now, it is beginning to look like Christmas!

And soon, I will have a new ornament to place on our tree. For last night, while sitting in a rink, watching my older son's practice....

I put the last final stitches into my Prairie Schooler 2009....

I hope to find time to finish it off and hang it on the Christmas tree...however, it is highly doubtful. Maybe it will be on the tree next year :)

Anyway, time to head off to the store. Until next time...remember,

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

Thursday's Glitz

Glorious morning walk...frosty grass on glistening in the morning sun. Gotta love the California chilly winter weather.

Last weekend both boys travelled to opposite ends of the Mid-West and experienced extreme winter weather. Robert was in Minnesota for a hockey tournament where the temps were hoving around 0. And Matthew was down in Texas where they were dealing with an ice storm. I don't know if Matthew's team was doing more skating in a hockey rink or outside in the hotel parking lot. Both boys did well over the weekend. Matthew's team won all their games.

While they were out of town, I found some time to sit and stitch...and out came an UFO:

2009 Schooler Santa - The Prairie Schooler
Stitched one over one

I started this several years ago and then it just got lost in the Project Black Hole; so I just pulled it out last weekend and did a little (I stress "little") work on it. I would love to finish this up and put it on the Christmas tree this year. So send some stitching mojo my way and maybe I can get it done!

Well...time to get to the store. Until next time, remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa

Crazy Crazy morning and an exciting stitching project called the Torah Stitch by Stitch

A day in the life of a hockey team manager...6am, my alarm goes off...time to get up in order to get everyone around. No, the boys aren't going to school today for both have a hockey tournament in opposite directions of the US. Robert going to Minnesota and Matthew flying off to Texas. 

But wait...my email box is filled with emails. Not all are ads for holiday savings at local stores and internet website...there is one from VirginAmerican...Matthew's flight to Dallas is cancelled due to forecasted winter weather coming. Ugh!

Not only does this affect him, but all 15 of his teammates, 2 coaches and 5 chaperones. So many phone calls, emails, texts...researching other options...talking to the tournament director...the decision was made to change the flight to tomorrow in hopes that things will be fine. Emails sent out to all the players' families to alert them regarding the flight change (they all were able to change and get on the early Friday flight - yeah!)...phone call to the hotel to change reservation for arrival tomorrow...phone call to the van rental to change the reservations for the team vans...all done.

Now we wait to see what transpires with the Dallas weather and if it will affect our early morning Friday flight. 

Nothing like a little scramble of chaos to start one's Thursday morning. None of the players were happy, of course, because they had to go to school today..ha, ha, ha.

__________________________________

On another note, something much more exciting...

A few months back, one of my stitching Facebook friends posted information about a really neat cross stitch project called the Torah Stitch by Stitch - an international project. She posted a photo of herself, sitting in her favorite stitching chair stitching hebrew letters on a piece of fabric. Intrigued, I followed the link and read about this international project and was totally fascinated...so I registered to be one of the stitchers. 

When I registered, I received confirmation of my registration which stated that "...I was in the queue". As soon  as soon as my 4-verse section from the Torah (the Old Testament - the 5 Books of Moses) was formatted (pattern created, converted to a pdf and formatted), I would be sent an email with instructions for payment. As soon as payment is received (via paypal) I would be sent all the materials and the pattern. 

Well, yesterday I received the email with payment instructions and notification of the verse I will be stitching in Hebrew. Payment has been made...now I am just waiting. In the meantime, my Torah/Bible portion is Exodus 5:12-15:

12 So the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt, to gather stubble for straw. 13 The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, the same daily assignment as when you were given straw.” 14 And the supervisors of the Israelites, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and were asked, “Why did you not finish the required quantity of bricks yesterday and today, as you did before?”

15 Then the Israelite supervisors came to Pharaoh and cried, “Why do you treat your servants like this?

So, as soon as I receive my materials I will be stitching these verses in Hebrew and be one of 1463 stitchers from all over the world. How cool will that be. I will keep you posted :)

Well, got to go. Until next time remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

Winter Windy December Day

My parents called from Minnesota to let me know that it has snowed and it is cold, so I guess I don't have anything to complain about when it is 50 degrees here in the Bay Area of Northern California...but the winds are beginning to howl and the forecast is for dropping temps to the scheduled nightly lows of 28-35 degrees. Although, I guess I still don't have too much to complain about :)

I had a nice 9 mile walk/jog this morning. The wind wasn't quite in my favor today as it was hitting me in the face when I was going up hill and pushing my behind when I was going down. But it felt good to get outdoors; something that I really haven't been able to do for about 2 weeks due to business.

Walking exercises the whole person.  It exercises the body-- it gives the arms and legs a workout.  It stimulates the flow of blood; expands the lungs.  It is gentle and relaxing.  It exercises the mind-- it shakes up the brain cells.  It fills them with oxygen;  drives out the cobwebs.  A famous scientist says he does his best thinking on the two miles of sidewalk between his home and office.  Walking exercises the emotions.  It gives you a chance to observe and enjoy the world.  Open your eyes to beauty.  See the homes, the trees, the gardens.  See the shining faces of little children.  Listen for the church chimes, singing birds and the laughter of happy people.                ~ Wilferd A. Peterson

 Nothing else really exciting here, so I won't bore you too much!

Until next time, remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa

Happy December

Wow...I haven't been very good about posting this year and we have just entered December, the last month of the year. Holidays, school vacations, hockey weekends and lots of busy business days. All good stuff, but just hard to believe that we are already facing the end of the year. I had a feeling that this year would fly by fast. Mainly because my older son is a senior in high school...the last year that he is at home for it will either be college, a post-grad prep school or playing jr hockey somewhere else. Well, can't start thinking along those lines year...we still have from now until June, when he graduates from high school and then a few months of summer.

Anyway...how was your Thanksgiving holiday. Mine was pretty good. My time was mainly spent in one of our stores, making sure that all the chocolate dipping of strawberries, apples and pineapples got done so that the fruit arrangements were able to be delivered for everyone's Thanksgiving get-togethers. I did manage to make our own homemade pumpkin pies for our dinner:

I make the crust from scratch (for that is the only way to go, according to my great-great grandmother. I remember watching her make the crust from scratch when I was a little girl. I still remember her cussing under her breathe when the crust would crack a little when she put it in the pan. I watched her patch up the cracks with a little water and dough plugs). The pumpkin pie filling is from my mother-in-law's recipe...for my husband is the only one who eats the pie...gotta please him :)

Anyway, aside from baking and working, I did manage to get in some stitching over the holiday weekend...I have started "April" (Monthly Samplers from LHN) - please excuse the bad lighting and the wrinkly appearance:

I, also, have pulled out an old piece of 25ct fabric and have been "messing around". Sometimes I like to just play with colored floss and little designs, kind of making a sampler of my own. I find going through old magazines, stitching books and different websites and just picking a color or colors and making x's without worrying about placement on the fabric relaxing. Here is what I am talking about...

It is just a hodge-podge of random designs, shapes and colors. No rhyme and no reason. Just things that peak my interest when looking through my plethora of stitching stash...and different color combinations.

We will see where this takes us and what other things I can find to add to my sampler.

Well, time to take the kids to school.

Take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

January, February, March and now onto April...as well as other things

It has been a few weeks since my last post. With the hockey season underway, the boys seem to be traveling every weekend...Robert one weekend and then Matthew the next. Robert, my older son, travels with the team and we get to watch most of his games via live stream through the interview. Matthew, my younger son, also travels as a team...but as the team manager I tend to still travel with him and the team. Last weekend was a trip to Chicago with Matthew & team where they had a pretty good hockey weekend - won 3, lost 2. This weekend, Robert's team is in Chicago; they have won 2 - lost 1 and have another game in 30 minutes (so I better hurry and finish this post so I can watch).

Due to travel, I find time in the airport and on the plane to get in some X's on my LHN Monthly Sampler and have finished the month of March. So, here are some snaps of what I have so far:

And here is the whole thing all together...

Monthly Samplers - Little House Needleworks

Last night I started April, locating it under January...so it will be 3 across and 4 down. 

Well, it is just about time to sign off and set up the computer to watch Robert's last game of the weekend. But just wanted to leave you with this...

Until next time, take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa

A day off

On Fridays, I typically get a "day off" from the store and take the opportunity to get in a good run (or very long walk). Today I just wasn't feeling up to one of those...just wasn't feeling 100%, so putting on my running shoes and heading out wasn't something that was really appealing to me.

But, since there was a little crispness to the air, I had an itching to make home made bread...honey challah to be exact. My fingers were aching to do some kneading and I was craving some of that nice, fluffy sweet egg bread.

So, down stairs to the kitchen I went to collect the ingredients: eggs, honey, water, flour, oil, poppy seeds and yeast. Since I was in the mood for this activity, everything seemed to go smoothly...the yeast/water/honey mixture seem to bubble...the flour mixed in well and the kneaded dough was smooooooth...

Here is my kneaded ball of dough...ready to rest & rise for a couple of hours.

Once kneaded, the ball of dough got to rest and rise for a couple of hours until it was double its size. Then, I took that big boy and punched it down and kneaded a little more before dividing it up into 6 smaller balls. These balls were rolled out into long "snakes". I grouped 3 "snakes" together and braided them...creating 2 loves of braided honey challah.

A braided loaf with a egg white wash and a sprinkle of poppy seeds

Each loaf was brushed with an egg white wash and sprinkled with poppy seeds. Into a 325 degree oven they went for an hour or so until...

they were golden brown and the crust was crispy & sweet. YUM! And my house smells so good. Wish that I could add the smell of home made bread to my post!

Homemade bread, grilled beef ribs and fresh green beans...the perfect family dinner!

And to end my "day off" I even got in a few X's on LHN Monthly Sampler-March - finished the green grassy hill and got a start on on of the 4 leaf clovers.

Well, I did manage to get in a short walk. Bruno, our 11-year old puppy needed to get out and see if there were any new smells around the neighborhood.

When we got back, he was pooped...that is kind of how I have felt all day.

Well...until next time, take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often

Lisa

Catching Up

Life has a way of moving, moving and moving. Always something to do, to drive to, to get ready for. Definitely keeps me hopping!

So, what has gone on in this household? Well...

There was homecoming, which my younger son went to the homecoming dance with a couple of his hockey teammates:

My son, Matthew, is the one in the middle.
Handsome young men, don't you think?

Girls going with girls and boys going with boys to the dance seems to be the going trend now-a-days. Too much pressure asking the other sex to the dance...better to go with your "buds" and meet up with your friends at the dance.

Then, as always, there is hockey. Last weekend we had game after game to attend as both my boys played. My younger son, Matthew, and his teammates won the championship of their division:

North American Bantam Tournament Series Champs!

My older son's team played a series of games...they have the season to go before any playoffs or championships.

With all of that going on, I have managed to put a few X's into LHN's Monthly Samplers - March. Here is a status snapshot for you:

"March"
Little House Needleworks

The little lambs on the grassy hill are so cute. There is one more on top of the hill I will need to stitch.

Anyway...that is a little update on life. Hope you all are doing well.

Until next time, take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa

Sad and deep in thought

Pumpkin Heaven

As most of you have heard, the blogging-stitching community has lost a member today - dear Cathey. I was struck with sadness, when I went through my morning routine of checking my emails upon waking up and seeing my "...daily feed" from Bloglovin'. Three new posts in several blogs, all stated the same sad news.

I was amazed at my reaction...I sobbed...the tears flowed easily down my cheeks. My heart ached. Prayers of love were sent to Junior and his father.

I have never met Cathey. I have never spoken, emailed, or texted Cathey. But, yet, there was this connection I felt. After finding her blog many years ago and reading each and every post...all about her stitching projects, her pregnancy and her cancer. If felt like I knew her. She let us into her life and her thoughts.

There is something so wonderful about the internet - how it connects so many of us - near and far. Creating a community.Some days the world seems so big...and other days - very, very small.

So on this day, with a heavy heart - I send my thoughts and prayers to Cathey's family, to her friends and to the blogging community that we all belong to. May her memories live through all of us.

Until next time, my blogging friends...I wish you much love. Take care of yourselves.

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa

OMG...where have I been and what have I been up to?

Wow! I can't believe that it is October already and that it has been almost 2 months since I have blogged. Things have been so crazy busy...but that is the story of my life, isn't it?

After getting back from the East coast, it was time to get ready to send the boys back to school - which started the end of August. Robert is a senior in high school now and Matthew a freshman. They both love the fact that they are attending the same school.

Left to Right: Matthew (freshman) and Robert (senior)

Once school got going...the hockey season really took off too. Two to three practices a week (x 2 because both boys play) and have both started traveling for tournaments. Matthew's team went to Vancouver the 2nd weekend in September and Robert's team went to Minnesota the weekend after. I got to travel with both.

In Vancouver, I found time to go for a nice run and these are the sights I found while running on a really neat running/biking path...

In Minnesota, I got to hang-out and visit with my family. I love when the boys have tournaments in Minnesota for it gives me a great opportunity to catch up with my family.

In the back: my younger sister Jamie, Me in the middle and the middle sister Debbie
In the front: my mother and father

Me and my sister Debbie

Now back at home, I am back in the routine of working in our store(s) and driving the boys to the hockey rink while trying to fit in a good run/walk. We are also dealing with a small issue with our dog. Seems that he has a growth on his tail (poor puppy). First, diagnosis is not cancer...so we are trying some meds. But if the growth doesn't get smaller...we'll we will determine the action. He is 11 years old, so not sure how much we will do.

Bruno after getting groomed. He loves riding in the car and looking out the windows.

Or just laying down and relaxing.

So that is what I have basically been up to. I miss x-stitching and the needle is calling my name, but just haven't found the time to sit my @$$ down to stitch. Hopefully soon!

Take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa

Home Sweet Home

Robert and I got back home Saturday evening. And boy, traveling from East coast to West coast was somewhat difficult to transition back into. Today is the first day that I feel like myself. I didn't have any problems going out east with the 3 hour difference, but for some reason coming back home I just felt spacey Sunday and Monday.

The trip with Robert was great. He is now ready to go to college tomorrow, if he could. Unfortunately, he needs to finish his senior year in high school as well as get working on the college applications and essays...lots of work ahead of him.

Something that really made the trip extra special, was the fact that we were able to visit with family. As I mentioned in a previous post, my cousin David lives out in Middlebury. He and his girl friend had Robert and I over for dinner on Thursday evening. It was really nice of them to have us over, especially since Robert didn't get off the ice until 8:30...so it was a late dinner. Throughout the evening, over Oysters and Kansas City burnt ends, David and his girl friend answered many of Robert's questions about being a college student at Middlebury as well as got some insight into the applications process. The next afternoon, after Robert's hockey camp was over, David met us at the campus and gave us a behind the scenes tour.

From left to right: my son Robert, my cousin David and me. We are standing outside one of the buildings on the Middlebury College Campus

Now home...we are in the "get ready for school to start" mode. My boys don't start until Aug. 28. Yesterday was the "check-in" day at the school, where you drop off all the contact information and pay for all those PE clothes and donate to all parent-teacher groups. Now, with all of that completed and both the boys have their official schedule, I can officially say:

I am a mother of TWO high school boys -

a FRESHMAN and a SENIOR!

Yikes!

Where did the time go!

They are looking forward to this year. It will be the first time in a long time that they both were in the same school.

Well...off to get everyone ready for hockey! Until next time, take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa