first day

Cameron started his first day of daycare today. He won't be going everyday. Just one or two days a week to start, but he was extra excited this morning.

Once Cameron saw where we were he got so tickled. He actually posed for me so I could take his picture.

Such a big boy! He went up the stairs. Knocked on the door and off he went with one of the teachers to his classroom. Even held her hand. He's never been to a daycare before and never played with children his own age so Mama was very proud and not at all surprised.

Cameron and I visited this daycare two times before to make sure THIS was the place for Cameron and he had his set on the giant school bus from the get-go. So of course when we arrived this morning the first thing Cameron looked for was the giant school bus and the Elmo doll to go inside it. The pictures are a little blurry, I know, but this just goes to show how busy 2 year olds are. They never stay in one place for too long. LOL

Here's my little tyke home from his first day at school. He had so much fun and he was a good toddler for them. He ate all his breakfast, lunch and snacks and even took a nap like everyone else. He cried for about 3 minutes when I left, but that was it. He had a very productive day. Some stickers came in the mail and you can tell he was happy about his day and getting smiley stickers too. I love my Cameron!

Btw, here is the backing fabric and 3/8 ribbon I've picked for Winter Love. I haven't really had an opportunity to sit and put it together, but I will. Talk soon!

winter love

I finished stitching a JCS 2007 ornament called Winter Love by SamSarah Designs using Belle Soie silks. Very smooth and fun. Loved the fabby. It'll be made into a hanging pillow ornament. Now for picking the backing fabric...

Talk soon!

still "dreaming"

I’ll soon be calling her Witchy Woman (my own name for her) before long, but for now she’s still Dreaming of Halloween by Stacy Nash. She’s turning out quite nicely on the pearl grey linen and I can’t wait to pick out backing fabric for her.

There is something about the 1782 date that I just like…not sure what it is. It looks really cool on the pearl grey. Maybe it’s the pearl grey linen that’s so striking with 1782. Hmmm…I have one DMC 844 row left to cross at the bottom of Witchy Woman’s dress and onto the cloud below her, but HAD to photo her now b/c the sun came out and I HAD to take advantage of that…well…b/c it’s still raining here and the sun hasn’t been present in weeks.

This finally came today…….and I couldn’t be happier (being that I’m the last person on the planet to receive it and mom too) that I have something to read over tonight in bed. Yay!!! I also know whose ornament I'm going to stitch up first. Yep! That be my girl, T! :o)

Lastly, I’m feeling sad that I have to change my summer basket into fall. I love summer way too much to let it go to fall. I do have a Stacy Nash Halloween pillow that I finish-finished earlier this year and I’ll finish my Witchy Woman for it as well soon. So that is a ‘check’ for the basket. I’ll have to come across something else to fit snug. Oh well, plenty of time I suppose. Tonight’s dinner is Tilapia with Rotini pasta with Parmesan sauce ~ Yum! Talk soon!

PS: Mom, thanks for the "doom-and-gloom" comment. I needed the reality check. Love you!

walking action

It rained really early this morning, but stopped long enough for another walk, actually TWO walks. Part of the Greenway was closed again so I couldn't get more than half a mile in at this location. Since it has been raining non-stop for what seems like forever the river is tremendously high. The first three photos are of the Greenway. Just imagine it with the sun shining, the river low, and bustling with people. It's so peaceful and a thought-provoking place. I go there just about everyday now and one of the first things I do when I wake is check to see if there's rain. I didn't stop at the Greenway though...

After leaving the Greenway, b/c the half mile walk just wasn't satisfying enough, I went to another nearby scenic park called Two Rivers. It has everything. A wave/water park. Skateboarding park. Frisbee golf. Trails for biking, walking, etc. Places to cook out, a couple of playgrounds for kids, and since we're near lots of lakes and rivers you have plenty of water to see. These trails go for miles and miles. In fact, I believe these will take you as far as downtown Nashville which I would love to partake in someday when I have lots of time and no where to be.

Look at this little guy that decided to pop up on the bridge post to say 'hey.' He quickly jumped down though, but at least he stayed long enough for a snap shot ~ such a good sport.

Wide open spaces are nice sometimes, although I still prefer the Greenway. This place speaks to me. There is just something about the winding narrow pathway and the slow running river that calms my soul and eases my troubles. I hope to have stitching to share shortly. I'm noticing so many wonderful finishes that you are all producing. I need to get cracking. Talk soon!

prayers answered

Okay, maybe the sun gods didn’t show, but the rain clouds did part long enough that Cameron and I made it to the Greenway for my much needed and craved for walk and afterwards we went to the nearby park so Cameron could run around and get crazy. Besides Cameron was such a good sport during the stroll he deserved it. We came home and Cameron had lunch and now he's napping.

I wanted to take full advantage of no rain and the sky acted as if it wanted to allow that hidden sun some face time so I decided I better get Jose’s camera and start the progress photo shoot.

The progress I’ve made on Mayflower Landing since last Saturday even though I haven’t really picked it up at all this week b/c I’ve been working on and off on

…a witchy pinkeep by Stacy Nash from her new Merry Hallowe'en booklet. I have forgotten the name of it right now and am too lazy to get up to go check. I’m stitching it on 32 ct. Pearl Grey. Very neat.

That’s all I have for now. It appears it’s going to thunderstorm shortly. Those damn clouds are back. I don’t want fall to arrive. I know everyone else does, but I don’t like cool/cold weather. Winter is even worse for me – too depressing. I just don’t enjoy it anymore. I much prefer the hot, hot summers. Just send me to the sun. Talk soon!



Thanks for the prayers and well wishes! It worked.

vent much

It has been raining non-stop for days. I haven't been able to take one reasonable photo of any stitching all week b/c of the damn rain. I started one of the new Stacy Nash pinkeeps from her Merry Hallowe'en booklet and I'm further along on Mayflower Landing by LHN, BUT I can't share them with you. It's very frustrating.

And as of early last week I started to take really, really long walks on a nearby trail called the Greenway - a bit of cardio imagine that. I've even managed to change my diet and I've stuck to it. In the last few weeks I've managed to lose 12 pounds due to all the changes. I've been in such a rut for so many months the motivation just kicked in one day. BUT b/c of all the rain I haven't been able to do any walking and my body is craving it. That is a good sign that my body NEEDS the exercise and I'm completing the hurdle of my limbs hurting from the workout. I can't stop now.

We have a tread mill that I could use for when it rains, but dh thought the 52" broken TV should sit better there than anywhere else, like the floor, so I can't manipulate the tread mill and I can't move the TV myself and it isn't priority to dh.

I notice my body taking a different shape and I want to stay at this pace so it better not be raining tomorrow or else mama is going to be very unhappy and crabby. In fact, more unhappy than usual these days. So please ladies, pray to the sun gods and tell those mean ole clouds to go away and come again some other day b/c Julie is tired of venting and she wants to go walking THIS day not another day. She wants to play now dammit!!! And she wants to share some stitching with you. :o) Talk soon!

"bumbling"

"bumbling" = to move, act, or proceed clumsily

My interpretation is that bumbling means 'wandering around without purpose.' Cameron does this. Chevy Chase does this as Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation as he wanders the house looking at knick knacks. Lately I've been diving deep within myself; a sort of soul searching if you will. Not sure of this inward reflection, but it's happening and it's taken me by storm. I'm not myself and I'm trying to find ways to enjoy doing nothing...like bumbling. I just need to breathe and take one day at a time.

where i’ve been; where i am; where i’m headed

Where I’ve been...

The boys and I went camping during the Labor Day weekend with some friends and had a blast. I’m not talking campers or lodges even though there were a ton of people all around us with campers. I’m talking tents, sleeping bags on the ground, sittin’ around the fire, the whole nine yards. The only thing we didn’t do was our business in the forest. The camp grounds had a shower/bathroom house for that sort of thing.

Red tent was for our friend Dave and his entourage. You could park a mini van in this tent it was so big.

These two tents were ours. Surprisingly Jose slept by himself in a tent (left). Cameron, Dh and I were in the other.

Just around our site.

Friday evening was spent setting up our site and the kids just messed around. Cameron didn’t know what to think, but he cozied up immediately to the idea of being outside all the time and was in heaven. Cameron is one brave baby. He wandered off twice; once in the dark. We had to find him with the flashlight which didn’t take long. He was behind our site with the campers. The next time he wandered off he was two sites down sitting on a child’s tricycle. Other than this, he kept wandering off like he was one of us. He just didn’t get it so that was frustrating, but lucky for us Dave and his girls were good about helping us.

My boots came in handy especially in the wee early mornings - glad I brought them.

The view from inside my tent.

It was so beautiful to pop our heads out from our tents in the morning and have these trees looming over us.

Our friend Dave had this hanging from a tree and the only thing that crossed my mind was, “Ahh, what do we need this for?” Dave is quite the outdoorsman so he had some excuse as to why he needed this butcher blade but I can’t remember what that reason was. If you knew Dave you’d understand – LOL.

The strangest mushrooms I had ever seen but so pretty - picture worthy in my opinion.

These little wooden bridges were spread out all through the trail - very cool.

We went for a mile hike the next day which was great. This was the first time I went on a hike and I really enjoyed myself. We saw all kinds of nature enticing sites, at least for me b/c I've never really done this before. I had a really nice time collecting acorns with Dave's daughter Devinee. We chatted and ooh'ed and ahh'ed over the size of some of those acorns (the squirrels must not have been doing their jobs). The kids played in the creek of course and I watched. I think it's true that it isn't so much what you're doing that is enjoyable but that the company we keep that make it so.

We had a good time...That is until Cameron had one of his meltdowns on the middle of the trail. [If you can click on the picture and enlarge it he has his mouth wide open letting all the wild know he's beyond pissed off.]

He decided he wasn’t going any farther. Dh had to carry him the rest of the way which was no easy task b/c Cameron wiggled like a worm the entire time. And wiggle is really an understatement.

Of course, here’s the happy camper once the hike was over ~ little rascal! At least we all survived.

Dh did a terrific job at keeping the fire going the whole time we camped. It even burned through the night enough that there was no flame going, but underneath the log embers were kept so that by morning he could throw another log on to reignite the flames. At one point Cameron decided since daddy was keeping the fire lit by throwing logs into the flame that his Blue Bear should help so in Blue Bear went. Blue Bear escaped with 3rd degree burns.

Somewhere….in a forest far, far away…Smokey the Bear is mourning Blue Bear’s injuries. We pulled him from the flames just in time before too much charring took place. We mended his injuries though and he continued to sleep with us in our tent even though he stunk to high heaven. BB made it home and Cameron continues to love him just the way he is – burnt and all.

We arrived Friday afternoon and left Monday morning. Each child got sick at least for a moment and I turned into Nurse Betty and a pretend mom but it was well worth it. I loved every minute of it and would do it again if I could. It rained our very last night which called for an extremely looooooooooooooooooooong night in our tents, but funny thing is that dh had his laptop (he was on-call for work) and we were able to watch some of Cameron’s cartoons – I know, not camping related, but welcome to 2009, right?

Not a fantastic picture, I know. Jose is being a weirdo and I'm taking the photo myself. Oh well...we're camping, what do you expect?!?! Glamour shots? :o)

Where I am...

Since I finished my Jane Austen sampler and she’s off getting framed I needed another sizeable design to stitch so I decided to begin a new one. Like I don't have enough WIPS...

I fell in love with Mayflower Landing and verse from Diane of Little House Needleworks. I believe I’m quite patriotic and the older I get the more my love grows for my country. US history intrigues me and I really want more pieces in my home that represent the homeland. I thought this design was very appropriate since it is about one of the earliest pieces of our history, and the colors are beautiful.

I changed the linen to 28 ct. Light Mocha instead of 32 ct. Putty, but I’m sticking to all the called-for threads which are a combination of Crescents and DMC. I started this a couple of days ago so it’s proving fun and fast. However, I’ve run out of DMC 3051 so I need to pick some up this evening when I’m at my LNS.

My mom is the sweetest mom in the universe. Right before the camping trip I received a piece of mail. It was the new Stacy Nash Merry Hallowe’en pinkeep book. My mom bought it for me. Isn’t she the sweetest???!!! I can’t wait to start one of these pinkeeps…and then the next and the next and the next. LOL

Where I’m headed…

This evening mom and I are attending moonlight stitching at our LNS with all our friends. I wasn’t able to attend the stitching night in August b/c my FIL was having his birthday on the same evening so I’m really looking forward to hanging with the girls and getting some stitching in. Good munching food too.

I know this is a long post but I haven’t been in the mood to do any daily blogging. Part of that is b/c my laptop is still out of commission so it’s difficult to sit at the actual PC and get anything done. Cameron has become awfully demanding these days and doesn’t allow it either. Plus, I've felt bottled up and preoccupied. Anyhoo...Talk soon!