27 December 2005

All done for now


Christmas has come and gone, and let me just say I already miss it! I love being able to go out and get gifts for my loved ones and watch them open the gift up... It's really cool... But, alas, it is over for a year... My kids had a blast... My daughter informed me though, that she got too many clothes this year and not enough toys... So next year will be a little bit less for the older kids... My youngest son, however, had a great time opening gifts! He received one of those popper toys that pops as you pull it along... He's tried to take that thing everywhere!! It is really too cute!

I didn't get any stash for Christmas, but I'm not complaining... As you can see from the previous posts, I've been getting my fair share of it, and I'm not done receiving yet... :) I've been stalking my mailbox waiting for my order from Stitching Bits and Bobs... I know it will come soon... That's what I keep repeating at least! LOL!! I'm trying to get my WIP's done before the New Year, but I don't think that I will be successful on all of them... But that gives me a goal to complete next year! Always look to the bright side!

22 December 2005

Just about finished...




I'm so excited, I've just about got my brother's new babys gift done. I chose to do Lynne Nicoletti's Design "Baby." It is such a cute envelope when it is stitched up. I just have to add all of the addresses, but I want to confirm what the baby's name is, so that I can address it properly! I'm just hoping that they use it for keepsakes, but I have this deep down gut feeling that it won't be good enough and it will be thrown away... I know, that's being pessimistic, but they are the type who expects expensive presents... And well, I have 3 kids and my husband is the only one that pulls down a decent paycheck, so... Maybe I'll tell them that the fabric is expensive, so that will make it count... :) I stitched this cute design on Dyeing4U 28ct linen in Blue Slate, as he and his wife are expecting a boy...

Other than that, not much is going on around here. Today is the kid's last day of school until the 3rd of the new year. They are having parties and going to see the Chronicles of Narnia! I'm very jealous. We don't have hockey practice for the next 10 day either, so that will be a nice reprieve!

I received a beautifully written Christmas card from a friend also :) Ever since I've had my last kid, I've had a fit of the girlies and been prone to emotions alot more... And this card set them off... :) LOL... A great card for a friend is an alright reason to make the eyes well up, but geez, I'm starting to get all mushy watching CSI nowadays... It needs to stop!!!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!!

20 December 2005

Gifts for me...


Here it is the week before Christmas... It is so wonderful, I love the anticipation! My kids are doing really well, not peeking at the presents already under the tree, but me, heck I can't wait! LOL... This is also the time when I am getting all of my after Thanksgiving sale items in the mail. It was a wonderful day! I placed an order from Stitches, Bits and Bobs that arrived, carrying some of the necessary floss and charms to complete two of Jeanette Douglas's samplers, A cabin the woods and Northern lights. I'm very excited to do either chart, now if I can only finish my current WIP's...

But, the weather is not cooperating and bringing that Christmas feeling yet. We have had the very cold temperatures, right now it's 19 degrees F, and that's the warmest it has been since Friday last. But, there is no sign of snow in sight... We need snow!! Maybe if I start chanting that, it will happen... We are having the family over for Christmas day, so it will be very busy around here, with lots of food... This is probably the worst time of the year to worry about weight issues... But what can you do?

15 December 2005

Is it the weekend, yet?


This week has been terribly busy! At least all three of the kids are doing better. Everyone has pretty much got over what they were sick with, thank goodness... And now that hockey practice is done for the week, I'll be happy to get on the internet a bit more, as well as get some stitching done!! Right now I'm taking a break from my Angel of the Morning, because my newest nephew is due in a month and I sort of forgot... :( I know, I know... But I am fast at work on his gift!!! I am making Lynne Nicoletti's Baby Envelope for the little guy, I'm using the DMC it calls for, but changed the fabric to Blue Slate linen from Dyeing 4 U. It's a lot darker in the picture... But, it is coming along nicely!! I am really, really hoping that Dyeing 4 U comes back after they work through their troubles, because they dye the most absolutely beautiful fabric!

Here's a picture of my oldest... He's a big 9 year old and loving hockey alot! I just hope that we can afford to do it again next year, it is a way expensive sport... He is doing so well for his first year also, as is my daughter! She is the most girly girl I have ever seen, liking to be in fancy dresses and shoes to go to school, but she loves to play hockey, also! Way too funny, it goes to show that she does take after me just a bit!

12 December 2005

Wonderful mail day!!!


Today, started off so terribly, with 3 sick children... Oh, it was not a good time for any of us... But then the mail came... What a wonderful pick-me-up... Only one bill, and two parcels of cross stitch goodies. I received my Birthday Club gift, although my special day was last month, it kind of prolongs the fun. :) I received a lot of wonderful patterns, some very beautiful floss, waste canvas, a cool pansy kit from krienik, stitchband and some fabbie, with a cute card...

And then, I received my order from Stitches n' things, from their after Thanksgiving sale. I ordered a few patterns and some RG fuzzy floss, for an exchange that I am in. I really love the Britty Kitty pattern, I am making an afghan out of the Britty Kitties for her, and of course, This House Believes speaks for itself...

What a wonderful mail day it was! Now if I could only have a few more of these, with no bills! LOL!

And it started off so well...

It's been a long few days... My son came home sick a few days ago, and has managed to pass whatever it is along to my other two children... That is definitely not good. We ended up missing 3 hockey tournament games on Saturday because of it, and now my kids will be missing practice for the first part of this week, at least... We started off so well, avoiding all the flu's that are going around, but I guess luck will only hold out for so long... I'm hoping that it goes away pretty fast, since I have all of them home and in bed, but it is exhausting keeping up with them this way...

On a positive note, due to his illness, I got to go Christmas shopping! Billings is about 2 hours from where I live and is the closest major city that has big name stores in it. So I spent all day Saturday going from store to store trying to find the perfect gifts for each. I'm just about done getting everything, I just need to find something for my spouse, as he is the most difficult to find anything for... So, if you have any opinions I'd like to hear them! :) Anyways, now all I have to do is wrap everything and voila, we are ready!! Yeah!!

08 December 2005

It's getting better...

The weather is finally turning a bit warmer here. While the thoughts of a white Christmas run through my head, I would like it to be warmer than -9 degrees F. Yep, that's where the temperature sits right now. My loving husband fixed the frozen pipe fiasco, so now I am all but guarenteed to have running water!! Yeh!!

We also finally got our Christmas tree!! It is a cutey, and I've never seen a Alberta Spruce before, but it will look nice once it's decorated by the kids. We haven't had time to do that quite yet, with hockey and everything else going on... But I promise to post a picture of the little thing as soon as it's all spruced up! Yeah, I know, that was a realllllllly bad pun.. :)

Christmas shopping, however, has not happened yet... The kids just don't realize that you can't take them with you when it's done. They want it to be a surprise, but they don't see why they can't go along... Christmas shopping takes place in the big city, Billings, so it's always a treat to go there! All of the cool shops and restaurants are wonderful, just things that you don't have living in a population of 5000 people.

Sending you all warm thoughts, as I stock up on some more Hot Cocoa...

06 December 2005

Way too cold

You know that it is way too cold outside, when you wake up and your water pipes are frozen solid. And when I say this, I mean that there is no water coming out of your faucets. This is not a good way to start the day off. It is -2 degrees F outside right now, but with the wind chill it is -14 degree F outside. Wow, is that ever cold!!

This is our first winter in this house, as we just moved in this summer, and let me tell you I am not impressed at all! Someone put the outside vent right next to the main water pipe... Arghh!! But whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? At least the heat still works! That way we can have warmth and whatever doesn't require water... Oh, what a day...

Maybe I'll just read and stitch today, just to keep my mind off of the fact that I can't do much else until it warms up some. Oh, the frustration I am feeling...

On the positive note though, the wind isn't blowing as much and it is a new day, filled with new challenges... And it's one more day I get to enjoy with my family and friends.

Sending you all warm thoughts during these cold days... :)


UPDATED: WE HAVE WATER!!! My loving spouse climbed below the house and heated the pipes up!!! It felt good to be able to get a drink of water from the sink, as opposed to melting ice cubes... :)

04 December 2005

Becoming a Wyoming Wife - Step 4 Part 2

It has been exciting so far! This time of the year brings about all new changes from Mother Nature, from cooler weather to snow to hunting season! Yeah, the winter is great, except when it stays below 0 degree for too long. Then, well, it can be a bit too cold. Not the type of weather you want to be out in all day. But, this is also the time when I had my next lesson in becoming a Wyoming wife.

As you recall, I learned to shot a rifle last time. Sounded like a lot of fun right? Well it was, even though I bruised my shoulder... But it gets better. The next time I went out I learned another important lesson... Kick-back...

Yeah, there I was, all excited... I found a herd of antelope about one mile from my house... So, I did what every other female would do... I drove home as fast as I could to get my husband! After all, I can't lift the thing once I do get it, that's man work!! So, we snuck up on them, diesel truck rumbling as quietly as possible... Yeah right!!! I got my orange on, grabbed a few extra cartridges and slung the t7mm magnum over my shoulder. My loving spouse was waiting by the truck for me, as our infant son was sleeping at the time! So I started walking towards them, then past them and then back towards them... Somewhere in my mind, I thought that they would think that I was lost and just ignore me. Yeah, like I would ignore someone in hunter orange with a rifle! So they spotted me... The jig is up, right? Now most of you know that an antelope can run about 50 miles an hour in about 3 seconds. And most of us, can't run that fast even if we wanted to... So, what's a girl to do?? Well, I did what any other hunter would do... I found a deep ditch and climbed in it... Yep, I was going to do a little surprise attack!! So, I stayed in this ditch until I found the perfect place! I found an old fence post that had a notch, perfect for a rifle barrel! So, I rested my gun in there and did a little pop up to check out the situation.. Turns out, the antelope were very curious, as I was there one moment and gone the next, so they started to check out the situation... Very lucky, or so it would seem. So there I was drawing the antelope to me! Perfect!! So, I like up my site on a beautiful doe that would help to feed the masses at home. I aimed right where my spouse said would be perfect, the neck. Well, I didn't know that that's the perfect spot, but not necessarily the spot to aim for... So I squeezed off a shot.... And there they went, fast as fast can be!!

Yep, they were gone! But I tried to sneek up on them again, this time though, there was no where for me to hide... So, I crouched behind a tiny hill. Lined one up again and fired. Well the kick-back on the gun landed me on my butt! Yep, and I didn't learn the first time, so I had to try again. Yep, it had the same effect!! So I get up and go after them again. I don't even get close enough to count them, never mind take a shot at them. So I head back to the truck... My two mile walk gave me time to rehash and think about what I did wrong...

My loving spouse welcomes me back with open arms! He is so proud of me! No, I didn't get my elusive oantelope... He told me what a wonderful sit-down shooting position I had! Well, I couldn't let him continue to believe that silly nonsense any longer! I told him the truth!! Turns out he didn't see the whole thing, just me on my butt! So my proud man does the unthinkable... He begins to scold me about the fact that I could have dropped his gun while trying the crouching position and possibly knocked the sit out of whack... Yeah, it's a good thing that I have an ego built in...

Anyways, we tried a few more times after that, but we couldn't get close enough to get one for the rest of the season... And yeah, this season came and went... I didn't put in for anything as my toddler isn't keen on sitting in a truck for hours on end looking for the elusive antelope... However, as soon as hunting season got over, I just about ran into a herd of them about 4 different times!!! Can you believe that??? Or how about during hunting season, I was actually chased by a herd of 5 buck antelope for about 3 miles... Yep, they were right beside me for the longest time... I couldn't even try to get one, because my tag was for a doe!! That is typically my luck! Oh well, maybe next year! Then I'll have another funny story to tell you!

02 December 2005

Becoming a Wyoming Wife - Step 4 Part 1

What an exciting journey this has been so far! I've learned a lot and had some experiences that, well, to be honest, were less than spectacular! But, like the saying goes, "Whatever doesn't kill you, will make you stronger!" I firmly believe in that phrase, it helped me make it through 7 years of my ex-husband's pancakes! Let me just tell you that definitely made me stronger! LOL! So, I bet you are wondering what could be next? We've already covered fishing, gutting a fish, and christmas tree hunting, what's left? Well, let me just tell you... There are two types of people that live in Wyoming, those that hunt and those that do not. Well, my loving spouse is part of the former group, as opposed to the later. So, therefore, I must continue my education and learn the intricacies of hunting. Now, I am a person that up until 3 years ago hadn't fished much and considered a cow, pig, or chicken, one of the major food groups, besides chocolate, of course! Then I married survival bear, as he loves to be called! LOL! Anyways, survival guy needs to have a wife that is willing to go along with pretty much whatever he comes up with for fun, right? So, I must learn to stalk and hunt the elusive wild game found in the flat lands and mountains of Big, Wonderful Wyoming!

Now, most of you are thinking that a little knowledge of firearms are a good thing, and I am inclined to agree. After all, guns don't kill people, people do! So, what do you think the right way to go about teaching someone about guns, rifles and such?? Okay, here goes... First, you show the person a variety of equipment used for shooting. You go over all of the basics, like handling, fire arm safety, the use of ear muffs, proper handling and such... Then, being a person over the age of 12, at least my driver's license says that I am ... Okay, being a person over the age of 12, you have to take a hunter safety class. It lasts like 4 days and is like 4-5 hours each day. You learn quite a bit of stuff, like all that was mentioned above and more... Like how to distinguish between different types of bears, don't drink the water unless it's boiled or purified, and be careful that you don't do your business on poison oak or ivy... Ehhh... And then the guy tells you that if he doesn't see you with proper hunter orange (yes, this IS a color here in Big, Wonderful!) on, he will call the game warden on you personally! That means no orange hat bands or single sleeves or such... After all this learning you take a test, if you pass you get this cool patch with an Antelope on it and a card to carry in your wallet, just in case your friendly warden wants to check you for proper documents... According to a friend of ours, it's just a bit less than a full body search... LOL! So now you are ready to go, right?

Well, almost... They teach you the book stuff, but someone has to teach you the field stuff! Enter dear loving spouse, who wants to see you succeed... So, when I first moved to Wyoming he took me out once to go learn to shoot his .22 rifle. Now, I know that most of you are thinking that isn't really big, and you're right! My son, who is a lot younger, than me can fire it! But that's not the point!!!! It gives you an idea of what to do without bruising your shoulder first off... Once again, enter dear, loving, survival skilled husband...

Okay, first thing you do is put in for tags. Now, you look to someone with experience to get you an area that isn't too big or too rough for your first time! And baby, I had it!! Right off the road I lived, north of town, in the county... I could put a glass on these little guys from the road, pull over and get into position... No two track roads to make you sick!! or get lost on!! Anyways, here is my experience the first time hunting... Tell me if this sounds normal to you....

I've got my tag for an Antelope, a doe, in fact. But I haven't had much luck finding one in BFE, so here I am antelopeless... But, always looking for an opportunity to give the little wifey some pointers, my loving spouse has me take a rifle when I have to go for alfalfa to feed the horses. Yeah, it's like a 40 mile drive from where I live to where I buy my hay, so lots of opportunity... So I have my truck, hooked up to a twenty foot car hauler, heading down the highway... All of a sudden, he shouts to pull into the next area I can turn into... Has to be an emergency right? Nope! He found a herd of doe antelopes about 200 yards off the highway... So I pull in and drive over some sage brush, and try to get a little closer... But there is NO WAY that you can sneek up on anything when you are driving a diesel truck!!! So now we have to hurry, they've spotted us... Big shocker, right?! So he yells to jump out of the truck, put my orange on, sling my rifle across the hood of my truck, take aim and fire... Easy enough... Yeah, well it would have been a little easier if I had actually tried to fire his Remington 7mm Magnum before, but hey, I should have already known how to do this, right? So, having never fired this rifle, or aimed at a moving target, I was getting nervous, as well as a sore arm... Hey that thing was heavy, I only way 125lbs and am 5'4", the hood of my truck is almost taller than I am... Anyways, I got off track... So with his ever so patient guidance, I squeeze off a shot... According to him, I shaved her chin... According to me, I couldn't feel my shoulder very well and couldn't hear a thing he was saying for a few seconds... Well, I guess what he was saying was to try again... Yup, aim the rifle right in front of her nose and follow her, then squeeze off another shot. Well, needless to say, we came home empty handed, except for the hay... And well, I wasn't much help loading it... Had a sore shoulder...

Guess, I need just a little bit more practice... Wait til part 2... You'll see...