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!

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!

lately

~ I watched the movie Emma (It was so-so.)
~ I watched the movie Pride & Prejudice (It was okay; disappointed in the abrupt ending
with no kissing between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy.)
~ I watched the movie Charlie Wilson’s War (It was funny and politically driven of
course, but funny.)
~ I charted my first cross stitch piece
~ I started drawing my second cross stitch design
~ Jose started 7th grade and it was difficult to watch him take the bus
~ Cameron passed his hearing test
~ we all had sushi for dinner and tried a new roll called Florida (yummy!)
~ I began an audio book called Tick Tock by Dean Koontz
~ my dh has been traveling and commuting a distance for work
~ I have made plans to visit with friends and mom this Saturday (yay!!!)
~ we finished getting school supplies
~ my parents’ mailbox was stolen; pole and all
~ I’ve had too many migraines; doc prescribed preventive medicine finally
~ Cameron and I watched a butterfly flutter around our patio
~ we’ve mostly stayed indoors b/c it is bloody hot outside
~ I went to my LNS to pick up some linen
~ I stitched on my JA sampler (what fun and almost done - I'm a poet :o)
~ I really miss my friends

candy

Yesterday my parents and their friends went to Lynchburg, Tennessee to tour the Jack Daniels Distillery. They had a blast! Said it was a terrific time to be had and that my mom would love to babysit the kids so dh and I could take the tour. Mom said the history is amazing. My mom brought back some atomic fire bombs (candy) for Jose and me some taffy. I love taffy!!!

Cut box, ugh?

Yum-Yum!!! I've already eaten too many and I just got them this afternoon. Talk soon!

who's that girl???

I was up late last night stitching. I have been going back and forth from Little House Needleworks to Susan Greening Davis. I was in bed stitching when it dawned on me how cute this little girl is from the Traveling Stitcher design. Isn't she cute!? Before I continued I had to take a photo of her sweetness.

Today I'm going back and forth from Stacy Nash's Country Sampler Velvet Bag (with a blue peacock motif) to my Susan tin. That's all on the stitching front.

As we speak, me and mom are planning to bring my Aunt Pam here for a week-long visit and I'm getting very excited about that. If my aunt will let me, I really want to take photos of our visit. We are going to take little adventures to the local quilt shops and to the LNS. It's going to be soooooo much fun ~ I can hardly wait!

I'm on page 31 of The Rosewood Casket. It first told of Indians in the Appalachian in the 1800's and now I believe we're in present day. It's keeping me interested. (Thanks Sally! - I hope you're enjoying The Host.)

Our dishwasher has died on us and I'm actually okay with that. I'm just glad it isn't the furnace, water heater, stove, refrigerator, etc. Those are a necessity but the dishwasher is not. I used to hand wash dishes years ago so it isn't as bad as it could be. I'm not as upset about it as dh is. Is having a dishwasher a nice thing? Sure! But it isn't necessary and I'm okay with such things.

Cameron is napping so I'm off to stitch. Talk soon!

toto???

In my previous post today I mentioned that we were to have extreme thunderstorms with the possibility of tornado and boy did we ever! Me and the boys got home just in time before the "crud" really hit the fan. It was before 5:00 CST and the weather was intensifying. According to the radar, the storm was heading in a northeast direction ~ we were right in the path. Unfortunately, the majority of homes in Middle Tennessee (and maybe other regions) don't have basements. Middle TN sits on rock so if you want to dig you have to blast your way through using dynamite. Anyway, lightening was intense, the rain was pounding, the thunder crashing and every 5 minutes seemed to get worse.

Cameron and Jose were standing at the front door and I at the dining table. It was pretty loud and all of a sudden it got extremely quiet ~ a very strange kind of calm came over the house. I yelled for both the boys to be quiet so I could hear something, anything, but I didn't. From where I was sitting I could see the TV and out the front of the house. The tornado sirens began to scream and scream loud - even Cameron stopped to observe the noise. The weather lady, Lisa Patton, demanded with urgency for people in our area to "take cover." I immediately went to the front door where the boys were and all of a sudden a white wall of water and wind dropped from the sky and was racing to our left. Jose and I shouted, "OMG!!! CLOSE THE DOOR!!!" There was a loud howling noise and tremendous lightening. We couldn't even see out of our house - nothing but a white sheet. We went into the interior of our house, which is merely a hall and just kind of stood there.

Within one minute things settled down. It wasn't until about 20 minutes later did we watch on the news that a tornado had touched down on the street behind our house which is Murfreesboro Pike. It tore up the McDonald's, Advanced Auto Parts and other various structures. The storm tore down light poles and knocked out all the power to this area behind us. Big trees were down, but not on our stretch of road. The UPS guy shows up at our house to deliver a package (those guys are amazing!) and rushes to the house and I meet him on the covered porch. He asked if we were okay and if we still had power. Yes! Yes! He just came from the street behind us and adjacent to us and said 'no power up there, really large trees are down and the main road (Murfreesboro Pike), well, there is something really wrong up there.' He left.

We focused on the TV again and already the news crews were out on M'boro Pike and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Not total devastation, but enough to make the weather people say that a tornado touched down on Murfreesboro Pike. O--M--G!!!! Tell me she didn't just say that a tornado touched down behind my house??? Tell me this isn't so??? Sure enough! Me and my boys had just witnessed the outer bands of a tornado impeding towards the ground. It basically surfaced in our front yard. One second nothing was there and the next this white racing wall of white began hitting our front door. This same storm hit a town a little further south of Nashville called Franklin (Historic Battle of Franklin during the Civil War) and touched down. It also started a fire at a nursing home. Then it came our way and touched down. Then proceeded on its original path and touched down in a town a little further northeast from us called Donelson near the Nashville International Airport.

We are expected to get more thunderstorms either tonight or in the morning I think. I'll be watching the news at 10:00 tonight - you can count on that! I'm glad we're safe and sound. I've never seen anything like this and even though I'm not completely comfortable saying "it was a tornado," that is what it was and I don't want to see that again. Whether it was the outer bands, the eye of the storm, the squall line or the tail, a tornado is a tornado...and my husband better be home next time this happens (praying to God it doesn't).

Thanks for listening!

busy girl

I haven't posted in awhile and I hate hate hate it when this much time goes between posts. Ahhhh...The hand gun class took a lot out of me - very tiring it was! It was lovely out that day though. It was 75 and sunny. I even got a little sun. I passed, btw.

I’ve been stitching a little here and there, but not as much as I’d like. I've started a cleaning regime just like my stitching rotation. A couple weeks ago I tore up my crafting/sewing area. It took me days and days to install two different sized wire shelves. I didn't even use a leveler, which my DH was completely surprised by and confused as to how I did it. I just eyeballed it and used a little clear cup of water as my leveler. (I didn't know where he put the actual leveler, so what's a girl to do...I improvised of course.) Finally the shelves are up, but nothing is on them.

Right now I’m going through my quilting/finishing fabrics and getting those organized, which is taking longer than I thought it would. I’m slowly getting my area “together”; finally! I just can’t work in a mess, you know. I have to have some order or I'll go nuts, and in this case nothing is getting done: NADA!!! I have so many thoughts whirling around in my mind and I can't act on them. Ugh! I don’t have a lot of stitching progress to show right now. I'm hoping by next week I'll have something worth bragging about - it's worth mentioning but not worth showing.

I punched a little last night and stitched a teeny tiny bit this afternoon, but I’ve been cleaning my house as if the Queen were coming and that’s taken me away from my stitching time. I’ve also been updating my mom’s master inventory list. She has quite the stash and I need to get it done for her so I’ve been working on that in the mornings mostly. I’m having some medical issues with my spine and neck. I’m in a bit of pain and discomfort and dealing with it is a top priority most days, but I manage to work around it.

Cameron still isn’t talking and I keep my fingers crossed hoping that one day he’ll just start talking - sound familiar to anyone? He’s been doing this jumping thing lately~so cute! He jumps in one place or runs and then jumps and yells “O-LAY!” but it sounds like ‘oyay' (his brother taught him this). Jose is struggling in school right now. He turns 12 at the end of May and I think this is part of it. He’s changing so much now and his attitude gets vile at times. He's a tween for sure and I don't know how to handle the pre-teen and teenage years. I'm just not ready for this yet!

The agenda tomorrow is to clean the kitchen and wash half the laundry - easy enough! The stitching agenda is my Christmas ornament. Of course, I also have my and mom's RR to stitch on and continue organizing my crafting area. I've been taking photos of my progress, so I'll post those at some point when there looks to be more light at the end of the tunnel. Jose's spring break starts Friday so he's excited that tomorrow is his last day for at least a week.

bang! bang!

Tomorrow I'm off to a hillbilly town over an hour west from Nashville to take my handgun carry permit class. I took the class in 2006 and passed, but never went and actually got my license to carry a weapon. In Tennessee after passing the qualifications you have 6 months to apply for the carry permit through the federal government and I didn't do that. I had a miscarriage during the six month period and lets face it, got depressed. Getting my carry permit wasn't at the top of my list so the six months expired and I could no longer get it.

Well, tomorrow is the day I go back and retake my test which lasts all day long. My DH has his carry permit along with a dozen other tactical and defense type qualifications under his belt. He is merely going with me to watch (and he's taking pictures too :( ~ he loves this stuff! Ever since DH became a United States citizen he has wanted to exhaust all his rights under the Constitution, and I don't blame him. It took at least 7 years of hard work and a ton of money to become a citizen.

Anyway, thankfully I already know how to handle a gun. I'm just retaking the class because 'its the law' in order for me to get a carry permit. I'll be shooting a Taurus PT 24/7 9 mm, which I love. It's a mean gun, easy to control, and comfortable. This is a photo of that gun. I'll probably go down to a revolver or a smaller caliber once I can carry because the Taurus is a big gun for a petite girl like myself. However, I like that this weapon holds 17+1 round which means if I should ever need to defend myself (Lord blessing that I won't ever have to) I have 18 tries. LOL (I know, no laughing matter really.) That being true and I am a good shot, it won't take that many to wound a person.

Let's switch gears! I have no photos to show of my stitching progress. There is some but not a whole lot. I've been trying to catch up on house cleaning, which I am being successful at. The laundry is complete, the house is dusted, the kitchen is clean, and tomorrow I shoot a pistol all day. Sunday resumes bed linens, towels and bathroom cleaning. So I can't say that this week has been wasteful. I started my block on Shores and it is difficult getting used to 40 ct linen - OMG! It's so pretty though. I've been reorganizing my craft area. I've installed 1 large wire shelf and am half way through with installing the second smaller shelf. I did something really neat with that white shelf I bought at the antique mall, but I'll show you that later.

In the meantime, enjoy your weekend. I'll talk soon!

current cleaning rotation

I have postponed housework and need to get back on board around here. Since my current rotation for stitching is coming along splendidly I decided to do the same thing for housework. I figure if I feel so accomplished with my needlework why not feel the same way about my home. I've been so busy organizing, crafting and chasing after Cameron I have neglected my home. I do pick up each room everyday because it's just part of the routine around here and Cameron is in on it. Nothing is ever left just sitting around waiting to be moved or picked up. But the housework of dusting and so forth need tending. Here's the Current Cleaning Rotation:

Sunday ~ bathroom, wash towels, wash sheets, sweep
Monday ~ day of rest
Tuesday ~ day of rest
Wednesday ~ sweep/vacuum, collect trash, mop
Thursday ~ kitchen, 1/2 laundry
Friday ~ 1/2 laundry, dust, sweep
Saturday ~ filing, office work

I think for now this will do ~ looks promising enough. :D

winter blues maybe

It's still cold ~ 15 degrees and sinking still. No matter how much lotion I use I can't seem to escape this dry skin. I think I have figured out why I'm in a stitching slump, among other things. I think it's winter. I have the winter blues. It's after Christmas and things have died down. My skin is dry and itchy. It's way too cold out, therefore, I'm cooped. The sun isn't warm ~ I think I need spring and I need it now. Times are difficult, things are changing, and money is scarce. It's dead outside from the chill and I feel imprisoned as a result. I'll feel much better once it feels more like something that resembles winter instead of the Antarctica. I do much better in warm weather (hence living in the south). It can be 115 degrees out and I'm much happier with that temp than how it is right now. This weather is truly pesky, isn't it?

I can't wait for 3:30 Saturday to roll around. Me and mom will be at our moonlight stitching evening from 4:00-10:00. I so need this outing. I'm going to meet someone new that my mom has known for many years and is quite fond of her. Her name is Melissa, aka Doodle-head.

Today's Stitching: Lovebirds by RDBBoCSD

craft storms

Where do I begin??? Let's see...I went to Michael's Sunday afternoon. DH stayed home with the boys and I was able to have "me" time, which is rare these days. It seems I'm always with my children. Do you have the same problem I have? I can't seem to leave Michael's in a timely manner. I end up going down every aisle even if I have no clue what kind of craft I'm looking at. I always figure that I might see something that'll spark an idea for a project or that it might stretch my cross stitching into some other dimension. I just don't know what it is. I stayed at Michael's for at least an hour. Hey, when I have time alone I'm going to take ALL the time I can. Time is priceless, right, and with an 11 year old and 17 month old I will use that time as wisely as I can. In this case, it was with Michael's. LOL

I was driving my little cart down an aisle I have no business being in and all of a sudden this little guy called out to me, "tweet-tweet!". I couldn't resist. I had to make him mine and he flew home with me. :o) Isn't he cute?

I want to do better at celebrating special occasions and holidays. If not for me, for my children's sake. I was inspired this past week, as I often am, and it was by two of my Stacy Nash Groupie members. Michelle posted about a small Valentine's Day project she conjured up in 2007. She used a white metal tree and hung handmade hearts from the limbs. I was really taken with the project and wished that I had one or had thought of that myself. Here was Michelle's Valentine's Day tree last year. It's such a pretty display! But this isn't all...oh no! Tanya posted a similar theme in her home and I was even further inspired. Tanya gave me permission to add her photo to my blog (Thanks again, Tanya!). So looky-look...here is Tanya's tree! Aren't her samplers gorgeous too!!!

Tanya's Valentine display is so sweet and precious ~ and one I thought I could semi pull off. Maybe not as well as Tanya, but somewhat similar. :o) Tanya took sticks from her yard and adorned it with hearts.

And this one is mine.

I know...it doesn't compare to Tanya's and Michelle's, but can't blame a girl for trying. I had fun setting this all up. Jose played a little pretend and put the sticks up above his head. I swear, he looked like a deer! LOL It was funny. [Note to self: In case I need antlers, check in back yard and use Jose as a prop.]

Here are some more displays; some for Valentine's Day (I know early, but ahhhh) and some for just because I was in a mood to craft...it...up!

The two primitive hearts were displayed during Christmas and I think they were intended as ornaments, but I didn't use them as such. So, I've brought them out once again. I think they work for Valentine's Day too, don't you think? The round pink pillow was mine as a young toothless child. My Aunt Pam used her Viking machine to embroider "Julie's Tooth Fairy Pillow," a bunch of "Julie's" running across the back, and the little pocket in front says "Julie's Tooth." I remember using this too. I would put my pearly whites inside and lay it next to me at night. Morning would come and quarters would be in place of the tooth. I think it looks Valentine-y, don't you think? It's sweet and I thought it should be displayed out in the open. I normally have it in my glass cabinet, but this year it makes its debut. LOL

Here's a display on my dining room/kitchen wall that has been ongoing. (By the way, I plan on changing the blue wall. It's a faux finish I did 3 years ago. Anyhoo...moving along---) The little apron was made by my other grandmother, Atrelle. She was never a seamstress, but it's a keepsake and I simply adore it. It has little imperfections here and there, but it's still great, nonetheless. She made it for me when I was a little girl. My mother has had it all these years and she just gave it to me over Christmas. I completely forgot all about it, but I'm glad I have it in my home now. The needlework belonged to my very creative grandma, Annamae. The verse, as we all know, is When you see this, remember me. And naturally, I do! The red checkered print is paper I bought from Michael's in the scrapbooking area. It was just plain ole cork board underneath and it was stained and yucky. It needed a face lift and I was happy to oblige. I drew the bird myself! Heehee

I didn't stitch on Sunday or today and I'm really bummed about it. This morning, though, Cameron had to go back to the doctor for a re-check on his ear infection. He's had 5 ear infections since July 31 and been on 4 different antibiotics. The doctor has referred us to an ENT so we'll be going there in 2 weeks. Cameron will probably need tubes. My oldest had two sets of tubes put in his ears when he was a toddler. I'm a little concerned for Cameron. He isn't talking yet and I'm starting to wonder if it's because he isn't hearing properly due to the ear infections. This is something I'll definitely bring up at the ENT appointment. Cameron also got the second dose of his flu shot today and he didn't even cry!!! I was oh so proud of my baby boy!

I mentioned I have been sorting through my WIP and Current Rotations and I've started to think about my list of stitching goals for 2009. I will post this sooner rather than later. I finally organized everything today though and I wanted to at least show everyone my progress on the Ages of Man by Long Dog Sampler. This is a big-in! I'm probably about 70% done with it. Here's a look.

This bad boy has taken way longer than I thought it would. I've been stitching on this for nearly a year and a half. Of course, it is in the Current Rotation basket but has now jumped into the WIP basket. This thing almost takes up a whole basket all by itself. It's huge and there is a ton of floss. So much thread that I have 3, yes 3, thread control systems. One is floss bags to hold the skeins. Two is the thread cards to hold an entire ply of a specific color. And three is the thread & needle organizer; therefore, I don't have to constantly retrieve a needle and switch threads every time I need a new color. Because let's face it, there is an insane amount of color changing in this piece. Anyhoo, it's going to look fantastic all stitched and framed up. I can't wait!!!

A few evenings ago it was pleasant enough to take Cameron outside. He needs outside every now and then because the boy just get so cooped up ~ he gets crazy! Our biggest problem outside is that he is constantly wanting to head for the street. Unfortunately, we live on a cut through street so it sees lots of traffic. It used to be 40 mph, but bc of complaints and concerns the county reduced the speed to 35. Oh boy - big whoop! People still go way too fast. In 3 years, we've had 3 deaths by car accident and 2 other car crashes where no one was injured. Anyway...Cameron is always heading for the street so this makes it difficult for us to enjoy the front yard. We have a big wooden swing on the front porch and a beautiful magnolia tree. The backyard is dog territory and we own 3 cars, so needless to say there is poop (we have 3 dogs) like land mines and car stuff. It just isn't always the ideal spot for Cameron to play at the moment. Okay, so it was getting tiring chasing him up the driveway so we headed for the back. Luckily we have a fence so we closed it. He didn't like being put behind bars.

This boy will stop at NOTHING!! I've never in my life met a baby as determined as this one. He just doesn't quit.

I'm off to bed. My head is hurting ~ had this stinking headache all day and my back hurts. Goodnight!

friday morning delight

Here was our view this morning. Snow rarely happens this early in Nashville. I was shocked! School was called off as well so I have both boys today. Tonight me, the parents and kids are going to Goten, a Japanese restaurant, to celebrate my mother's birthday and my own. We've all been fighting some sort of battle this week and it's been difficult to arrange a meeting. My DH won't be joining us because he's too ill, but I'm going to bring home salmon and sushi for him for whenever he can get some food down. Mom and me still have to exchange birthday gifts. I can't wait to give her my gift! I'm so excited about it. I can't wait to have sushi too! Yum Yum!!!

See the 2 birds playing around in the snow. Those two were flying all over the place this morning; chasing each other ~ having the best time. They happened to be in the shot when I took it.

the latest...

I can't believe it has been one full week and a day since my last post. I've been so so sick since the 4th. I went to the doctor on Friday with a high fever, shivering with chills, headache, body aches and pains, and chest pain when I breathed in deep. The Doc did a flu test and it was negative. He believed that this was the start of pneumonia and started me on medication to treat it as such. I progressively got worse as the day went on and the into the next. I was so weak that I wasn't able to stitch or read; couldn't even watch TV and didn't eat. My poor mother doted on me and came to my home and nursed me back to a more functional self. She became "me" literally. She took care of my kids and my home. God Bless her! I was in bed for 2 days and on the 3rd I couldn't tolerate being in my bed anymore so I moved to the recliner. Here I am a week later and still have the crud. Only now I have a terrible cough with chest discomfort (with production), horse sounding, and minor headaches. And I'm still getting run down. I've had pneumonia before; twice and it took weeks getting over. I'm much older now with lots more responsibilities. I just don't want a relapse.

Cameron has changed so much in the last week (I've been sick not gone but he's different nonetheless). He was so concerned for me when I was ill. It's funny how young children respond when mama is sick. But Cameron was great considering Mama was out for the count. Unfortunately, I had to take him to the Doc's office today. He's coughing, but no fever, nothing like that. But he does have an ear infection so we have meds to administer.

Jose is getting over his cough from weeks ago. Maybe he's the culprit in spreading this germ around. Nah...I'm just kidding! He has no school tomorrow because of snow. Can you believe it!?!? It never snows in Nashville around this time and all of a sudden, out of the blue, it snows this evening. It's amazing! He'll be pretty ecstatic tomorrow morning when he wakes because Metro didn't call school out until after he went to sleep. I put a little "no school. love mama" note next to his bed. He'll like that.

Yee~Haw...I get to sleep in tomorrow because there is no school which means Cameron won't be up when the alarm sounds because Daddy won't be up at his usual time because no one has school. Ahhh snow! I knew it had a better purpose than to get in my way. lol

Now onto DH. He's getting sick now too we need to call the Pope for this. He hasn't been sick in 8 years. You heard that right...8 big ones. He's running a fever, a little congested and achy. He had some leftover antibiotic from a sore ear so he's been taking that for 2 days. Hopefully, it'll do the trick. Tomorrow he has a huge computer install at a very big client and CANNOT take off work. If I were him, I'd take off, but then his work ethic is more stable than mine. When I'm sick I stay home. When DH is sick, he doesn't care. He still treks on. If his mother were alive she'd say "Suck it up!" and he would do just that.

Thursday, the day I started feeling cruddy, me and Cameron met up with Mom at Joann's. What a heavenly place! I haven't been there since going with Aunt Pam which was at least 2 years ago. In fact, its been so long I really can't recall the exact number of years. It's been too long. Me, Mom and Cameron spent a lot of time looking around. We probably looked in every department. We were there for 2 hours and at first Cameron wasn't too patient, but after some Cheerios and juice (I'm so prepared), he was off to a better start. I picked out some fat quarters of fabric. I don't know what it is about fat quarters I love. I'm drawn to them in some alluring way. I think if you click on the photo it'll enlarge ~ maybe get a better look at the fabs.

Got all this at Joann's. Look at my little cardinal pincushion. Me and Mom both got one. We just couldn't pass him up. Also found these cute little plush, folk art trees and those primitive type hearts had to come home with me too. The heart on the right reminds me of an old pillowcase. The basket was a must too, but I have no idea what I'll use it for. It was half off and can't beat that. It was a steal! We got lots and lots of stuff at Joann's. Actually, too much money was spent. After our Joann's shopping spree we headed to Rafferty's Restaurant and had a great little lunch. Cameron was such a remarkable little eater, as he usually is. He was definitely ready to chow down and he even learned to eat (oops, color) with a crayon.

I think this is all she wrote...for now! :0) Happy Birthday to me and my Mom!!!

Nighty-night!

newest addition

My friend, Dave, had a table that he wasn't using anymore. Now it isn't anything real fancy, but I thought I could put it to good use since his use was a catchall and wasn't being used properly. I like the table because it has a nice big surface and a great full length ledge underneath. Right now my crafting area is small. I use a combination of a folding card table and a folding TV tray (not really a TV tray, but you get the idea) that can be adjusted to many heights. I push them together and I am able to lay my rotary cutting mat on it and I can also spread things out. BUT, this just isn't working anymore. I need something stable and sturdy with a great working surface. Thanks to my pal Dave I have what I need now and he has one less piece of furniture getting in his way. Here's my newest addition.

And here's what I've been working with. Please forgive the mess. This table is going to help with this problem ~ more room to make even a bigger mess. No, just kidding. It'll help curve the clutter.

A lot of this crap are things I've bought and haven't put in its designated spot. Some are empty boxes and plastic containers I need to store until I'm ready to use them or find a use now, and the rest is my ongoing mess of cross stitch charts that I'm trying to get into a permanent inventory list. That white shelf looking thing used to belong to my late-Grandmother. She had it, then Mom had it, then I had it, then Mom got it back and now it's back with me. I'm sure it's tired by now. I'm going to paint it because I'm not fond of the white. In fact, I don't own any white furniture. The only thing white in my house is my kitchen cabinets and appliances, come to think of it.

See how there are two tables pushed together? This is where my new friend (table) is going to go. It's sitting outside under our patio right now. My DH just picked it up Sunday. I can't move it myself. It is way too heavy for me. I'll hurt my back.

thoughts on the matters

Movin' on up! Cameron officially met a major milestone over Thanksgiving and made it onto the dining room chair without assistance. Yay (complete sarcasim)! Me and DH were sitting at the dining table and Cameron was quietly pushing one chair around which is normal for him to do. I guess we were in la-la land, or our hearing impaired, but the next we knew Cameron was much louder and really close to my ear. I turned my head to the right and there he was 6" from my ear with the biggest most accomplished grin to date for him. I was surprised and happy for his triumph, but my mood fell immediately to dread. I said to DH that this wasn't good; we're going to have to start putting the chairs on the dining table. Ugghhh...so far we haven't had to do that, but give him time that Mr. Cameron...give him time!

Black Friday ~ we did not observe this day. Even though I initially wanted to do a little shopping I felt a little under the weather in the morning. I felt better as the mid-morning, afternoon kicked in but I had to get Jose from his Nana's house. While at Mom's I did get to eat Thanksdiving dinner for lunch...and it was GOOD!!! Afterwards, I spent about 2 hours going through all her charts while slamming down a brownie. Mom has soooooooooo many charts! It's heaven. Then Jose and I headed home.

Now my mind is focused (more like overwhelmed and flooded) on the Christmas/Winter season. It'll be here before we know it and I haven't even attempted to shop for gifts. This is my family's second year picking names from a hat. The kids are excluded of course, but us "big kids" pick a name and set a spending limit. Last year it was $25.00 which we thought was reasonable and we'll probably implement again this year.

We purchased a very small artificial tree from Home Depot for $4.99. I believe it is a 2-3 footer. Sad, I know. In fact, I think it is really intended to be a table-topper decor item. It isn't what I necessarily have in mind to take the place of a Christmas Tree, but with Cameron's monkey-ing ways we'll be miserable for a month with a 6-7 foot tree embellished with all the trimmings. It'll just be a complete mess and a disaster in our living room. Ornaments will get broke and torn, lights mangled and removed, and garland in places I don't want to imagine. We'll probably get a glimpse of Cameron dangling from tree branches if we're lucky. In the end, it just isn't worth all that chaos. Jose is disappointed but we all are. We figure though it is just a tree. The real blessing is each other...and presents! :-)

mombiz and just chatting

Me and the boys were driving to my Mom's house Tuesday and her neighborhood is set in the woods on narrow roads. It's gorgeous out there, nonetheless. We all notice what happens to leaves on the road when a car sweeps over them. They blow all over, don't they? That's how I always noticed them before, but this experience was different. While driving to Mom's there was a vehicle in front of me and every time he drove over the leaves they danced like there was no tomorrow. I paid such close attention to the bouncing that the last 1/2 mile was a blur. I was so mesmerized by the actions of the leaves. It was simply beautiful.

It has gotten cold around here. Monday it rained and it was miserable outside. Grey and dreary, windy and cold, and I had to take Chloe back to the vet. My mom was kind enough and offered to come watch both the boys while I ran around with the dog. Jose is off school this week for fall break. He goes back to school Dec. 1, then 3 weeks after the 1st he's off for winter break.

The boys act silly when they are couped up in the house and can't get out...or is it just because they are boys?!?! Cameron has had no accidents lately and that's a beautiful thing. He finally got over his little cold. Jose has a terrible cough, but is happy to be on his break. Cameron and Jose have been playing a lot together lately. I think it's because Cameron has hit a milestone of game playing. He's playing hide-n-seek and chase with Jose. He has started to play with specific toys we've had but he never took much interest in until now. And for some really odd reason, Cameron has been putting a small bucket on his head and it stays there. It's like a shirt for him or something. It's a scream!! He's changing so much ~ time just flies by.

Here's Cameron playing with Daddy. He's really starting to like this shoulder thing. Check out his cheesy little grin...both of them. lol

Here's the 'bucket-head' himself. We don't know why he puts this thing on his head, but he loves it. He becomes a different baby once this thing is placed upon his bruised little noggin. It's not even a bucket. I think it's an old plastic container or something like that. Enjoy these photos of my extremely, like-dad, Mr. Cameron. Cameron even thinks he's a hoot!

And again...climbing on things that will cause injury. I can't tell you how many times he's slipped off the back of his highchair. He moves the chair out from the wall in order to mess with the straps on the back and climb on the lower pole. Check out that old bruise in the center of his forehead. He's still recovering from hitting his head.

He puts this thing on his head and thinks he's pretty hilarious. It's like he does it to make us laugh. Hey, maybe he'll be the next Jerry Seinfeld or Friends creator. You never know...

Here is Cameron yelling for fun (maybe for him).

He was actually scooting his bum and hips with this one. He was doing that sweet baby babbling.

Baby of a 1000 faces.

I asked Cameron to give me a smile and this is what I got. A screeching, open-mouthed little monkey ~ now climbing up the front of the highchair.

These boys had such a dandy little time together. They played for a good solid hour. It is these moments I'm proud I became a mama. And don't ask me about Cameron's helmet. He likes having it on.

Sorry about Jose's eyes ~ he's creeping me out!!! His eyes remind me of Tanya's raccoon (you had to be there - heehee).

Don't ask me why Jose is throwing up hand gestures ~ he more than likely has no idea what he's doing...and that's okay by me. He's cute anyway though...Jose is being Jose and that's all I ever ask.

Best buds ~ hanging out near Mama.

DH is sitting back and watching Helmet-Head (aka Dark Helmet) run around in a circle through our house. He is actually chasing Jose accompanied by his popper which sounds awful after 20 minutes of constant popping action.

Cameron, again, running around the house chasing Jose and knowingly entertaining the rest of us. He runs around, screaming, yelling and laughing while his chubby little cheeks shake about his face. In the meantime, we keep telling him "careful Cameron!". Hence, why we have the helmet on his head. When he starts running, we get to action and get that handy little bike helmet. You don't know how many times this child has fallen and hit his head since we started putting that helmet on. Too many to count. The helmet has actually helped quite a bit. He only has it on when he gets a wild hair (or Jose comes home from school) and starts jumping and running. Better safe than sorry.

He'll be comin' around the corner when he comes...he'll be comin' around the corner when he comes...

Such a focused little guy. He used to not play with that popper before and now he won't put it down. On Tuesday he was holding it up above his head with one arm and making this funny little grunting noise. He must have thought he was a weightlifter or something. It was cute.

(3 photos above) Cameron has found a little hiding place for himself. This little floor niche is in our kitchen (duh! - hit myself over head). At first he was crawling in here. Now he runs in there so it looks pretty weird when you're looking at him from the side. It reminds me of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.

Well, that about raps up the latest pictures of my boys. You even got a itty bitty glimpse of DH. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I cannot wait to be around family and eating a delicious feast that my Mother is preparing. Jose has been spending the night at my Mom's since Tuesday so when we ALL go home tomorrow evening, I'm sure Mom will be exhausted.

I hope everyone has a blessed and memorable Thanksgiving. Be careful if you're driving and traveling. It gets pretty bad out there on the roadways. As far as Friday shopping...shop till you drop!!!!

Good night Everyone! Sleep tight.

Happy Thanksgiving! Going to Mom's tomorrow. Mmm Mmm Good!