My First Day of Freedom!

Yes, this is the day that I no longer have to log into email accounts and online networks to check for new assignments and results of old ones! This is definitely a cause for celebration!!

I know that I have not been around much at all, so hopefully with the end of my semester that will all change. School took up way more of my time than I actually had available, so I am glad to be able to get back to some of the things that I love, like cross stitching, reading and most importantly, spending lots of time with my family! :0)

However, while this day is cause for celebration, it has not been perfect... I can't believe that four days before my husband's company Christmas party, I broke one of my toes on my left foot. Here I had the perfect outfit, with some great heels, and I will be wearing slippers instead... UGH! How is that for luck?

Has it been this long?

I cannot believe that it has been almost a month since my last post. Where has the time gone? I have been so busy with work and school that all of the days seem to just run into each other nowadays.

School is going really well, I think. I had to drop one of my three classes, as that was just too much to juggle with working 60 hours a week. But the two I have left definitely keep me busy as well.

I'm still looking for a job that has less hours than the one I'm working now. I'd really like to have more free time with my family and to get school work done at a reseasonable hour. :)

Other than that, I have finished a few small projects for friends. I sent this daisy needle holder to my Mom for her birthday.

I remember when we were kids, we used to pick her daisies from one of our fields. It is a great memory and I hope that she enjoys this little dedication to my childhood. She used to stitch alot, but not so much lately, maybe it will inspire her to pick up a needle again. :o)

Whew!

It's been a busy week. School started last week and I have 3 classes, which is not really easy to do since I work 12 hours a day, but I'm getting it. My textbooks have finally all arrived. That in itself was quite the chore to accomplish. I ended up ordering 1 book 3 different times; it finally arrived on the third try. Can you imagine!

Anyways, I've been busy with that and my older 2 kids started school this past Monday. Thank goodness, we were starting to really get on each other at the end. :0) So, woohoo!!!

I'll get a little more in detail next time around, I promise!

How Frustrating!

Okay, this is just going to be a short rant, but I have to get it out.

I ordered my textbooks through ecampus.com, paid for 2 day air, as classes were starting and I needed the books. Well, I get the confirmation that they were sent and guess what.... They sent them by ground! Instead of arriving yesterday, they are set to arrive tomorrow. Now I know that doesn't seem bad, but my first assignment is due on Friday for two classes and I don't even have the books yet! URG!!! Do not order from these people unless you have lots of time to spare. Oh, and they haven't refunded me the difference. I guess that I should be grateful that I'm even getting my textbooks in the first place.... What!!!

Hope the rest of my day goes better than this! And I hope that your day goes better as well! :)

What a day!

Wow! Who knew that the first day of classes would be so weird. I am taking 3 online classes this semester through 2 different colleges. The Natural Resource Ecology class was ready to go first thing in the morning. I was able to view assignments and know what I had to do by when. My other two classes didn't come up at all. But, I woke up this morning to one of them being ready. That class has a lot of team projects, hopefully they will turn out better than most of the team projects that I have had in the past; you know one or two people doing all of the work while the rest of the team gets credit... But my second class has still not come up yet... While I'm glad that there is not as much work due by Friday, it is still a bummer to know that I have one day less to complete whatever will be due... Hopefully, this semester will just go by fast and it will all be over with shortly, with me much more informed than before... :)

I have also finished a small little project for my friend, Lisa. It was her birthday last week and I sent her this lovely emory filled pillow to store her needles and keep them sharp. I know that the picture does not do it justice, as it has many beads, but I think that you all can still see it's beauty.

Summer's just about over

I can't believe that another summer is just about over. I'm starting classes today and my 2 older children start school next Monday. The year is just flying by.

I know that I haven't been around much. I have had a few problems creep up that needed fixed and then I had a few bad experiences with people not following through on their online committments. That whole experience just kind of soured me to wanting to be on the internet. I was punishing myself for not being a better judge of character. But, I'm slowly coming around and I am looking forward to re-establishing my online friendships. So, please forgive my lapse of judgement.

Growing Up

To me the end of being a baby and the beginning of being a kid is the first haircut. I postpone it as long as I can, always. The fine hair and curls are just wonderful; they make me believe that they can go on staying little forever. Then reality hits you when you actually have to cut the hair because they can no longer see clearly... Well that has finally happened. My littlest one went from being my baby to being a big kid...
I had to sit him down and do away with all of those wonderful curls. His hair was starting to look like he had dreadlocks in the back and it was coming over his eyes. So now my little man can see where he is going.
Doesn't he look older now?! I can hardly believe that they are the same kid. Aww well, he won't stop growing, this was inevitable. Doesn't make it any easier though...

First of the bounty we planted

We have finally started to get some of our vegetables up in the garden. We've been keeping an eye on them, just waiting and waiting. Well our wait is finally over! :)

Here is the first of our radishes and peas. There weren't too many peas for the first round, but we are now inundated with radishes. I have no idea what I'm going to do with all of them! I am going to try to pickle some of them, though. My husband got crazy planting these, but I don't want them to go to waste. Last time he planted so many, my horses got the excess... And yes, they loved them!

Here is our giant radish! My husband is a big guy and this is definitely a big radish! I hope that everything else comes up just as good. I already know that the carrots won't be in such a hearty abundance, as my loving Jeff sprayed them with weed killer! Yep, couldn't believe that either. :)

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day!

Stay safe and enjoy the show!

Everything is just GREEN!

Our homestead is starting to look like a beautiful place again! It's amazing all of the hard work that goes into making a house a home. I cannot take credit for all of this beautiful work. No credit must be given to my better half, Jeff. He has blinders on when yard work needs to be done, forsaking all other chores so that our lawn will be green and lush. He truly loves working out there and making the whole place beautiful. My littlest son, Joe, takes after his dad in that respect. It doesn't matter what the temperature, he wants to be out there playing or working... Me, I'm not that type. Once the weather gets below30 degree Fahernheit, I don't spend too much time outside. But, I admit that I don't like the hot weather either. The heat seems to bring out all of those bugs that hold a buffett on any exposed skin. I could really do without them!

Farmer Joe is hard at work here, helping Dad to clean up the backyard. He is my only child, out of 3, that will clean anything without being asked. It's really too cute! Just give him a rag and some water and he's out there scrubbing the tables, the slide, the porch, his tractor, anything. His grandparents love it! Especially since his dad doesn't clean anything that isn't truck related, and never has. :) I guess there is a bit of me in there after all!

Bad things come in 3's

Well, it's true... Bad things do come in 3's. It's been a week so far and it's only Thursday... Yes, I'm still excited that I've been accepted into the MA program. That is still very exciting for me. The rest of the week could use some work though!

First bad thing - We're getting a fence installed in the backyard and well, the guy using the auger to dig all of the holes completely mangles our leach field for our septic system...

Second bad thing - Just received yet another turn down letter from yet another company who says that they enjoyed my resume and such, but I'm just not what they are looking for... Well that was obvious since they didn't call to proceed any further...

Third bad thing - Our mortgage company neglected to pay our property taxes and we received a notice that our property was going into tax foreclosure... So we paid them out of our pocket... And they aren't going to reimburse us for them, seems that that is not their problem...

I know it gets better, I'm just waiting to see when... :)

Hope you all are having a better time than we are!

I'm IN!

I just found out this morning that I'm IN! Yep, I've been accepted to the Environmental Studies program at University of Illinois to begin work on my Master's degree. I've been looking for a program that would inspire me and at the same time enable me to find a good job in the community that I live in. Being in Wyoming, it is very limited on degrees that you can use; educational opportunities are even more limited as there is only one 4 year college in the state and other than that there are only two year colleges spaced around the state. I've already got all of my classes picked out. It should take me about 3 years to get my degree. While it's only 13 classes that I need, I don't know if I can handle a full load while working fulltime and being with my family. The difference between carrying a full load and going part time is only 1 year, so I think that is well worth the wait, my family is much more important!

I'm so excited! I'll keep you all informed of my progress as time goes by. My first semester is Natural Resource Ecology offered by Washington State University, as well as Environmental Social Sciences and Humanities through U of I. Let's hope that this is a bit easier than it sounds. :)

Another year has past...

Yes, it's true, my littlest angel is now another year older and wiser. Being two years old has brought on an onslaught of responsiblilities and acheivements. Joe now is pretty vocal on his wants and desires and is really starting to get some important words out. On Father's Day, he actually started to say Da-da for the very first time. :) I let my husband know that the little one was sucking up so he could get a Tonka Truck, but that did not succeed in getting him one. Obviously, Jeff, my loving husband, is a bit immune to the cuteness of his offspring. Me, I would have gone out of my way...
For Joe's birthday, we searched long and hard for the perfect gift. We decided that a rough and tumble boy needed to have his own John Deere tractor, so that's exactly what we found, except it is kid size. He has been very busy learning to drive and getting around the lawn. He has even found time to give the Corgi pups a ride around the place

!

I just have to wonder what the next year will bring. His important words that he has spoken in the last few weeks are: Da-da, tractor, Tater (one of our corgis) and Hhheeeyyy! I know it will only get better!

Sad news

I guess that some things happen for a reason, even if we do not actually know what that reason is. I have a firm believe in a higher power, I believe in karma, and I do believe that you are eventually rewarded for your good deeds. But, it still makes you wonder why some things happen. Our kitten that we rescued from the back of a pickup has crossed the rainbow bridge. I don't know what happened or why. He was doing so well on formula, and he was showing signs of growth, but when I went to look in on him, he had already passed over. I don't know what I could have done differently, and I know that he was living on a hope and a prayer when I found him, but it still saddens me greatly.

Oh, the heat

It's hard to believe that it has been a few weeks since I've posted. We have been working around the house ever since the weather turned nice. It's 81 degrees F right now and it's 6pm. I can't wait for Fall to arrive, bring the cooler weather with it.

My pups are getting bigger, it's hard to believe that they will be going to new homes in the next few weeks.

Here's my Joe, surrounded by the little ones.

Another birthday

Yes, it's true. My oldest child has offically reached the double digit years. It's hard to believe that ten years ago I brought this angel into the world.

It's amazing how time flies. He used to be so dependant on me, and now... Well, only if he wants to be fed or clothed.

One of these days I hope that he will slow down in growing up... But, he is showing more affection now than he did a few years ago. Maybe Mom isn't as bad as he first thought!

But what Mom couldn't love a face like this!

Happy Birthday Jake!

Puppies!

We have puppies! Yes, Spring is here in the country! Our Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Tater Tot, has given birth to her second litter. Three boys and three girls make up this colorful litter. We have 4 tri-colored and 2 red and whites. They were born on Tuesday, May 2nd. Tater is a great mom, she is actually too good of a mom and allows the little ones to nurse as long as they want to... And if that wasn't awesome enough, did you notice the stranger in the picture?

Yes, we also have an adopted baby kitten! My husband found it in the back of his other truck. It had been abandoned by its mother. So we have been feeding it, and Tater has been caring for it. We don't know what the sex is yet, but it is very healthy. He was about 12 hours old when we found him and his sibling, who didn't make it, that's how we knew it had been abandoned... :(

Happy Spring, finally!

Did someone say Spring?

With April almost over, I thought Spring might offically be here, but... This was what it looked like standing on my porch this morning.
I know that the bulbs are supposed to be blooming, and I do have most of my trees getting leaves, but Spring in Wyoming is always an experience. The great thing about this, is that it will help to water my lawn and pasture, since our water hasn't arrived yet... For those that don't live in the country, we get our irrigation water from the end of April to the middle of October. So we do not have any way to water our greenery until it arrives, unless we use the house water, which is a bit expensive.

Here is our grass trying to peek through to peek through and let us know that Spring really is here, but Winter just had to make at least one more stop at our house! :)

Easter happened!

I love Easter, I really do. My kids are never too old to do an Easter Egg hunt. We have an egg hunt for the kids every year. This year was the first year in the house that we live in and we have soo much room! My soon to be 2 year old had such a blast! I could not believe the amount of eggs that he found. He naturally found all of the easy ones, but he also found some of the eggs that were for the big kids, as they were a bit harder to find. It was a really fun day for the kids and us, watching them. My neighbors, who don't have small children or grandchildren actually called us up and wondered if it would be alright if they hid some eggs on our property also, so that they could watch the kids find them! How cool is that?

I'm sorry that I haven't been on here much updating. I have been trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up. It is a very time-consuming process. I know that I posted earlier that I was gravitating towards nursing or industrial engineering, but I have completely veered off that path. I found a degree that I can do entirely online, that way I don't have to quit working or move away for a few years. I have been spending my time applying for grad school at the University of Illinois. I am applying to their Environmental Studies program. I just finished my application essay, which took 4 days to write, scheduled my GRE test and enrolled in the one prerequisite class that I was missing. Hopefully, I will be able to find time to prepare for the GRE and spend a bit more time updating this blog!

I love this weather!

It has been so beautiful outside lately. I'm so glad that winter is finally on its way out! :) As much as I love the snow that comes in winter, we didn't get very much of it this year. Mostly we had cold with wind... Not much moisture. With spring here, we have had a few good rain storms, which have really greened up everything. We are hopefully planting bulbs this weekend, just to really get the season going for us. :)

I also received the cutest mail art envelope from an exchange on SanMan Originals. Darlene did a wonderful job matching my likes! She also included some size 26 needles and project cards. You can never have enough needles... :) I love flowers and blue is my favorite color. I have posted my envelope out to my partner and as soon as I know that she has received it.

Spring in Wyoming!

Yes, I think that it has arrived! We have been busy trying to do away with all of the signs of winter, like broken tree limbs, fallen leaves and dead weeds. It is amazing how much work all of that is. Our lawn is still brown, but we are seeing wonderful green grass poking up! :) We were just at the store on Sunday buying bulbs to plant in some of the space that we have, so when it starts to bloom, I will take a picture and show you all how wonderful my home and property look when it is all green and lush!

I have also experienced one of the great joys of spring up here, the annual 50% off sale at my local needlework shop! The Iron Kettle has their anniversary sale the first Saturday in April. I actually did really well and only spent $57. I just had to have a handmade box for trinkets and such that has a black area up top to put stitching in! That was my major splurge, other than that I just purchased the Lizzie Kate christmas ornaments that just came out and some floss to finish a few projects... I should have made a list of all that I *needed* but I wasn't that forward thinking at 5am... :)

Well that's all I've been up to recently. Hockey is finally over! :) So we have been able to just hang around the house and work on it and a few other projects. Right now I am also contemplating going back to school, and I am trying to decide on a career that I would like. So far I've got it narrowed down to nursing or industrial engineering. So if you would like to give me your comments on either, I'd appreciate it!

The Wyoming Project...

I received a comment from Daniel Hoffman-Gill regarding what life in Big, Wonderful Wyoming is like. So here are his questions and my answers:

Wyoming is very empty - Wyoming is very open and uncrowded. The entire population of the state is less than the wildlife population. We have more antelope, elk, deer, bears, horses, and other wildlife, than we have people. Most of our land is federally protected, used for recreation and mineral extraction. Wyomjng is not empty, it is just not a full or crowded like other states.


Wyoming is very Republican - Yes, this is true. Except in counties that are rich in mineral extraction. We do have a Democratic governor, Dave Freudenthal and you are in a minority if your are a Democratic. I am a very conservative Democrat, so we aren't that hard to find!

Wyoming is very white - Wyoming's majority population is white, yes. We do have represtatives of all nationalities however. Rock Springs proudly claims to be the home of 51 nationalities. It is no surprise, because Wyoming has the cheapest out of state tuition of most of the colleges in the nation. We have a very large population from the East because of this!

Wyoming likes Dick Cheney - He has roots in Wyoming, therefore he is well liked here, regardless of all of the bad. Wyoming is a place where you support your own.

Wyoming doesn't like booze - Very wrong! I read your blog, you're a bit off base on this. Wyoming has a very large population of LDS members and while they are adamantly opposed to the consumption of liquor, it is not the belief of all. Wyomings legal drinking age used to be 19 year old. It was changed in the last 10 years because the Federal Government blackmailed the state by withholding highway funds. If no for that, it would probably still be 19 years old. Oh and by the way, most all of our liquor stores have a drive up window, so you don't have to get out of the vehicle! :)

Wyoming hates Bill Clinton - Yeah, but we hate Hilary worse! She already had her 8 years in office and yet she wants to run again! Me personally, I liked him, but that is not the general concensus of the population...

Wyoming would be a bad place for me, Daniel Hoffman-Gill, to live - Probably. (edited due to mis-understanding) Especially if you like amenities not typically found in smaller towns. This is a great place to live, especially if you are raising a family! We have abundant indoor and outdoor activities to include: hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, mountain biking, 4-wheeling, archery, skiing, snowboarding, and motocross. We also have some wonderful museums and opportunities of all sorts. We also have very low amounts of crime and pollution. We also have some of the most beautiful skies because of the lack of pollution!

I live here because I choose to. I like the fact that my neighbor can't see in my backyard and that I can walk outside in my PJ's and not offend any one. I have to drive about 80 miles to get to the nearest big city, and as much as I love the shops and restaurants there, I wouldn't live there if I had to! I grew up in the Los Angeles, California area most of my life, and while I enjoy going back to visit now and again, I would NEVER live there again! I know people who would never leave though, including the majority of my family... Too each his own, right?

So I hope that I have answered your questions to your liking. But we are all not like you "pretending to be someone else, hiding behind a wall of alter - egos." Some of us would just as soon invite a person in for dinner that would like to have a conversation. I have met many individuals who have shown such random acts of kindness since I have lived here, that it can't help but infect a person to do the same...

Great day!

Today has been wonderful! I wish I had more like today! All of my kids behaved excellent, except for the one who sprayed me with mixed vegetables... :) Ah, well, can't win them all... I had a wonderful mail day, as well... I've been so good, so I think that I deserved my treat that came in the mail. I ordered some of the new Lizzie Kate ornaments and another Jeannette Douglas sampler. I would love to get a few more of them, as I think that they are just wonderful!

Today is also my husband's birthday! He is getting old! So I made him a special dinner of sausage and chicken gumbo (really delicious and filling), a white cake with triple chocolate frosting (okay, I admit, this is more for me! ) and put some shamrock shaped sugar cookies in his lunch... So help me in wishing my loving spouse a very Happy Birthday!!

Hugs to you all!

What kind of Ice Cream are you?

You Are Chocolate Ice Cream

Dramatic. Powerful. Flirty.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

I knew I loved chocolate ice cream for a reason!

Round 2

Yes, round two came about last week. I had a house full of sick people, and it was not fun considering most of them were under 2 years old. There is some nasty virus going around and it found our house last week... Needless to say, I didn't spend too much time doing anything productive, just taking care of children, my husband and me... :( I know that this week will be better! It has to be better!

The weather here has decided that winter is definitely going to happen, finally. We have had high's in the teen's, with the windchill and right now it is 10 degrees F. But still no sign of snow or rain or anything else that resembles moisture... As much as I love winter, for the snow, I wish that spring would arrive and give way to these terrible temperatures that we have been having!

So now that the household is feeling better, I will make every effort to keep my blog more up to date. Sorry for that!

Sending you all thoughts of warm weather!

Frustrating day!

I'm just about at my wit's end. I provide childcare for a living and have just recently thought about getting out of it. Right now I've been stiffed for about $600 last month from two different parents, I've had one decide she is going from full-time to very part-time, and then I get the people who want me to provide care for them for 2 or 3 days a month and not charge them for the time that I can't provide care for others because of their "flexible" schedule... Arghh! So now I am looking for a job and I'm giving up. These parents just don't get that I'm not doing this because I'm independently wealthy, I do actually have to be paid what little I ask for... One parent actually keeps her child home when she can find someone else to watch her for free. No regard to me or my situation... So now, the job search begins. I really enjoy staying home with my son, but when you are losing money doing it, I just don't think that it is worth it any longer. How very frustrating!

Hopefully, I'll be able to keep you all updated with my progress, as well as my projects, but please remember that I am experiencing an awful lot of stress over this right now... :(

It's been busy around here!

WOW has the time been flying! We are just wrapping up our hockey season for both kids, I have accumulated yet another child to watch, which brings the total up to 8 on non-school days and 5 on school days, and if that's not enough stuff, we have been fixing fencing and doing a bit of home improvement. I love when the warm weather hits! I just can't wait until I can go out in it more than what I do now...

I finally got my envelope sent off to my new nephew, Gavyn... I can't wait to see what kind of reaction that gets :) My postman is so cute, he didn't want to cancel the stamps. He was trying to convince my Jeff that it needed to be put in an envelope to protect it! He had to explain that part of the novelty is receiving it just like it is... I'm also in a mailart exchange from SanMan Originals, so I have been busy working on that! I've chosen an nice Silkweaver Solo, a mix of blues and pinks, to stitch it on.

Here is my latest finish, just in time for St. Patrick's Day. He is too cute, but I went through an entire skein of WDW to stitch his hair... :) The beard was all done with french knots using WDW and Wisper Thread. It was definitely alot easier to do than it looks!

Well, I'm off to stitch for a bit while all of my children are still sleeping! This is a very rare treat! :)

Oh, how I dislike being sick...

This past week has been better than the last one, that's for sure! I had to go to the emergency room on February 15th, because I thought I was having a heart attack... Needless to say, I'm only in my 30's, so that scared the heeby jeebies out of me... Well, after all is said and done, it turns out that I have a thyroid issue, as in it's not working! They think that it is burning itself out right now, and then I will either become hyper- or hypo-thyroidic... It hoping for the former as a opposed to the latter!! So now I am on medication until I can get in to see the specialist up in Billings, Montana... Nope, we don't have those kinds of doctors down here in the Middle of nowhere, Wyoming! I am just happy that they finally figured out what's wrong with me! It has been a rollercoaster of emotions for the last week and a half! My poor Jeffrey has been through way too much with me since we have been together... I'm hoping that this is it for awhile!! I've been told that this condition can have the nasty side effect of awful mood swings, so if you happen to see some salt in my posts, please FORGIVE me!!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our anniversary!! It's hard to believe how fast the time is going! We were married three years ago, it was a Friday night... I know a strange night to get married, but we were moving to Wyoming the next morning. I had all of my stuff packed up already... Had sold the house and was preparing to start a new life, in a new place, with my new spouse. Here is our wedding picture... We had a really fun wedding. We were married on Friday night at 9pm in the restaurant/bar that we met at. I used to go dancing every weekend, it was a blast! We were surrounded by about 100 acquaintances and 5 really good friends. Alot of people have said that we did it the right way and had a great party to celebrate... But, in another 7 years, we are going to renew our vows for our 10th anniversary. I've already got the spot picked out... Hopefully, it will all come to fruition! :) I'm hoping for a nice castle in Scotland, with my Jeff in a kilt!!! I'm planning it now!

My Wedding: James, the guy above with me, was our best man, as you can see, he was drinking beer... We were married by a friend of my husbands, who happened to be a minister and a bouncer at a gay bar... He was late to work that night because he was marrying us! The guy in the white t-shirt, below, is my brother in law, Brian, who was visiting California for the first time. During the vows the band was playing, Another one bites the dust by Queen, very softly... My soon to be spouse was in jeans, shirt and hat. Me, I was wearing black leather, floral tank top and hat, with a pink maribou hat band... :) The best man was cracking jokes, and our marriage was part of the entertainment for the evening... I'm hoping that James can be there again for us when we do it again, this time a bit more formally. But, I wouldn't have traded this night for anything, it was us.

So, Happy 3rd Anniversary Jeffrey! I love you, always!

What a day!

Yesterday's post was way too serious for who I am... I'm sorry if I offended anyone, that was not the intent. But today, WOW, what a day...

In the mail I received some wonderful stitchy goodies. This always makes the whole day better! After seeing the new Lizzie Kate ornaments, I "had" to order them, and while I was at it, I also put Northern Shield Sampler from Jeannette Douglas in my cart. I also saw some of those curved beading needles and thought I'd give'm a try. I don't do a ton of beading, but I did have to order some to do a few projects, so the needles became a necessity! LOL! I wish there were more days like this, as opposed to bills...

I also received a letter from a good friend. I haven't spoken to her in years, but I miss the friendship that we shared, so I sent her a letter. There is nothing like hearing from someone who knows you well enough to have lots of dirt on you! LOL :) Anyways, the reason I brought this up is that in this day and age of convienence I have found myself distancing from people. Everything I need can be done on the internet just about, and my Jeff does most of my errands for me... I just don't interact with people the way I used to... So, I made an old friend a part of my introverted life again. The feeling was very refreshing when I received her letter. The moral is don't let your friends fall out of your life because you are too busy, you just have to make time... :)

Charity begins at home

I've looked at other sites on the internet that ask you to donate to their cause or support something that they believe in. I have found many wonderful organizations that help so many people, it is wonderful. The hardest thing to teach kids sometimes, is that it is good to give away items, time, money, whatever, to help someone less fortunate! I'm trying to set that example, here in Wyoming, where I live. Sometimes kids just need to see who they are helping... Much like other cities, we have an animal shelter here, but there are very few people who work there for pay, most of the caretaking is done by volunteers. Their budget is also very small. So the local recycling center has set up a program where you can donate your recyclables to Caring for Powell's Animals. What a great way to teach your kids to help others and recycle at the same time! I just had my Jeff take a load of aluminum cans down to the center. What a great way to help such a worthwhile cause.

Another thing that I do is to donate the clothing that my kids have grown out of. Usually I just take it to the Presbyterian Church in the next city, as they run a second hand store. But even then, I wish that others didn't have to pay for the clothing that I gave away. So now I have tried to find individuals in my community that could really use the clothing and that want it. It is amazing how many people will not clothe their child in hand-me-downs, it's either a brand name or nothing! We donated my daughters old winter jacket to the second hand store, and she saw one of her classmates wearing it to school a few days later. I told her that she should not embarass the girl by saying something in front of others, as we all know how cruel kids can be, but I did tell her to let me know the name of the girl's family, so maybe I could give them Jace's clothes once she grows out of them...

Hopefully, the kids are watching me and learning how good giving to others can be... I always believe that karma plays a role in our lives and that to you have to give to get... Whether it be a full live, a good feeling, or maybe the random kindness of an individual, it all comes back to you!

Well, hopping off my soapbox...

Another day

It's amazing how fast this year is going! I cannot believe it at all. I've been making slow progress on my Angel of the Morning, but her dress is finally just about finished! Yeah! Happy Dance! As much as I love the color blue, I'm really just tired of looking at it... :( I'm going to start working on her cape next. I'm looking forward to using Needlepaints for the first time, they are very lovely and have a wonderful depth to them.



I have also finished my Baby envelope for my new nephew, Gavyn. It turned out pretty good for my first attempt. I know next time that I can't use my sewing machine to do everything. But it is so much easier and faster if I do... LOL... I hope that it is well received by the family. I just have to go and get a gift card before I mail it off. But it is beautiful. I really enjoyed making the envelope, it was a wonderful thing to finish. My husband was making fun of me this weekend, because it took me four hours to address the thing, with both the addressee and return addresses. Hey, good work takes time, and Rome wasn't built in a day!

New baby in our family!!! :)

This is so exciting! I love babies! Especially if I'm not the one who has to get up with them in the middle of the night! :) My brother and his wife just had their first son a few weeks ago. They are both very excited, as we all are! This is our first new addition since my son was born a few years ago... It's amazing how the time flies! So now I will need to finish stitching my Baby envelope and get it out in the mail. I'm glad that I waited to finish it, because they decided to spell his name differently than how it is usually spelled and I would not have like to have frogged that!

One of my favorites

As part of an exchange of sorts that I participated in, I received some beautiful colors of Dragon Floss from MichelleTN on SanMan... This floss is quickly becoming one of my favorite flosses, so colorful and beautiful and it is soo soft, very easy to fondle! :) Of course, I would have to say Vikki Clayton Silks are also very wonderful, I just try not to fondle those so much! LOL! It's hard to imagine that I never knew hand-dyed/overdyed floss and fabric existed when I lived in California for 20 years. I used to get all of my kits/materials from Michaels, so I was limited to LA leaflets and Gold Collection kits... It was not until I moved to the middle of nowhere, Wyoming, that I discovered all of the wonderful notions available to me! I guess that when I was forced to shop by internet, I discovered alot of things... :) Now, my wonderful other half, Jeff, doesn't think like I do... So to him I just have a lot of string and material... He used to ask me what I was going to make out of it! He is just too cute... Now he knows better! LOL!

Thank goodness the internet has been here to introduce me to the wonders of cross stitch supplies and notions and that I may have to keep working to pay for them all!

Valentine's Day finish

This is a cute little kit from Faithwurks. It is part of their monthly spools kits. This took just a few hours, but I think that the end product is really cute! It makes a neat decoration on my table.

My L&L Angel of the Morning is coming along great, just a few more colors of blue to add and then I can move on to purple... I didn't realize how long this one would take, but I can see progress each time I look at it. I am still hoping to have it done in time for Mother's Day... Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Furbabies

Today was without incident. The kids and my husband spent the day building a fence to keep the horses in their pasture and out of our lawn. There is nothing quite as frightening as walking around a corner and seeing two hooves coming at you... Well, needless to say, that happened to me this past week. These are my babies, well two of them, at least. The one on the very right, is my old man, he is 21 years young... Just as feisty as the other two... But the middle one, Amber, is the master of fence destruction! She has managed to end up in the neighbors garden, our lawn, our haystack, the neighbors corral, pretty much anywhere... So we are getting that problem solved on Tuesday, when the electric fence charger arrives! :)

Now if only these three could be as good as my other babies... This is one of my Pembroke Welsh Corgis. Chief is seen with his pups, he was a great Dad, but very territorial, I always had to make sure that he was being a gentleman with them. These are themost loving, well behaved animals that we have... They are truly as much of a part of the family as one of my children. It would be very hard to not have them around.

When I grow up...

I stay at home with my littlest angel, simply because there is no good, quality, affordable childcare where I live. So, I've been taking this time to get some stitching done and do what needs done around the house. I watch a couple of other kids as well... But, I've been trying to come up with a career that I would like to do once my angel goes to school... Now it won't be for a few years, but I figured that I could take some online classes and get a jump on the whole situation! Pretty forward thinking, huh! Well, last night it came to me... So I informed my husband of my decision...

We were laying around just kind of shooting the breeze and the conversation went something like this...

Me - "I've decided what I want to do when Joe goes to school."

DH - "That's good. What did you decide on?"

Me - "I've decided that I am NOT going to work."

DH - "Why?"

Me - "Because you should support me in the lifestyle in which I want to be
accustomed to!"

DH - "No, seriously, why?"

Me - "Work interferes with valuable cross stitching time! So, I don't want to work!"

DH - laughing uncontrollably - "It sounds like you need an intervention or
something!"

Me - "It's a good thing that I don't know to many people up here, then is it?!"

So what do you think??? LOL!

Tagged...

4 Jobs you have had in your life?

1. Network Technician
2. Night Billing Clerk
3. Dispatcher/Truck Broker
4. Domestic Goddess

4 Movies you could watch over & over ? ( in no particular order )

1. Breakfast Club
2. Dirty Dancing
3. Beauty and the Beast from Disney
4. Phantom of the Opera

4 Places you have lived ?

1. Washington
2. California
3. Wyoming
4. California... It's a BIG state... :P

4 TV programmes you love to watch! ?

1. Numb3ers
2. CSI: Las Vegas
3. Law & Order
4. Scrubs

4 Places you have been on Holiday ?

1. Ireland
2. California... It's a big state!!
3. Washington - after I left!!
4. Texas

4 Websites you visit daily ?

1. 123stitch
2.Yahoo
3.SanManOriginals
4.Paperback Swap

4 of your Favourite Foods ?

1. CHOCOLATE!!!
2. Steak
3. Baked Potato Soup
4. Dill Pickles

4 Places you would rather be right now ?

1. Edmonton Mall
2. Banff
3. Maine
4. Hawaii

4 Bloggers you are going to tag? ( Hope they don't mind :) )

1. Annette
2. Sally
3. Kristen
4. Helene

Finally, an update!

It seems like the days all run into each other! How can February be here already? I've been making steady progress on my L&L Angel of the Morning, but the blues are really starting to get to me, isn't there any other color to be found?? But it is looking great, if I do say so myself! I can't wait to move on to my next project, but that won't be for a bit... I don't know if I will do such a big one so soon again.

On a side note, away from stitching, my lovely daughter played her first hockey game and tournament this weekend! It was very exciting for all of us! She played 5 games in 3 days, each lasting about one hour. She got an assist, but the elusive goal eluded her... She has a great time playing and skating. It was a really good experience for her! I'm so proud of both of my kids how they have taken to this sport. I really hope that we can afford for them to play next season. It's $400 a player, plus equipment, plus diesel to the rink... It adds up fast! But here is a picture of my little starlet!

I'll get Stitchy's message tag done in the next few days and get that posted up here soon! I hope that you all are having a great week!

It's been that long...

I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted. I really have no excuse, but I've come up with a few that just might work. :) I have been working on my L&L Angel of the Morning most days and nights, there are about 10 different shades of blue and right now, I'm kind of tired of looking at blue... But, I will be diligent, as I want this project finished!

I've also been reading non-stop, so it seems. I have read the second book in the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson. It was just as good as the first! I've also read Memoirs of a Geisha, another really good book. It was a great love story, not in a Nicholas Sparks kind of way either. Not that he is bad, but his books are tearjerkers and this one was not that at all. I've also read Through the Grinder by Cleo Coyle. This was a really good mystery. If you have not read anything by her yet, they are wonderful mysterys set in a coffee shop in New York... Nice reading and very enjoyable!! :)

Other than that I've been doing hockey games on the weekends, which can be very long... The last time we were at the rink for 6 hours or so... Not the easiest thing to do with a toddler, let me tell you! But only a few more weeks and then we get our nights and weekends back, so Yeah!!

Well, hopefully, it won't be so long between posts again! I have to get batteries for my camera and then I will upload a current picture of Angel of the Morning... And anything else I happen to get accomplished :)

Hugs!

WIP's ~ I've made progress!

Works in Progress or WIP's are the one thing that drive me nuts. I try to work on my project until it is finished, but for some reason I get bored/disgusted/etc... And then they get put into THE DRAWER... It's definitely not a good thing, as I don't go into THE DRAWER unless absolutely necessary. That's where my New Year's Resolutions come in...

My first WIP I will shamefully admit is 2 1/2 years in the making... I started it in 2003, thought it would be neat for Thanksgiving. But, I found I don't like working with perforated paper, so it was shoved way back into THE DRAWER... But, now that it is finished, I can say that I like the way it turned out! This was a buttoned and beaded kit from Mill Hill called Turkey in the Straw. I dreaded doing all that beading, but thankfully I found a Tacky BOB at my LNS. If you do beading, this thing is wonderful! I will never be without one again, it's like fly paper for beads! :)

My second WIP is entitled "Jeffrey's Universe." It is so true. For any of you that have had a Jeff in your life, no matter how they spell their name, their personality is pretty much the same. At one point, I had two Jeff's in my life, and let me tell you it was never boring! This picture probably explains it all. While it was a small design, and only took a few hours to complete, I just couldn't get excited about it..

Now I have two down and I have two to go. I don't think that I'll be as quick with those as I was with these, as one is L&L's Angel of the Morning and the other is the Malcolm the Moose monthlys by The Stitchworks. I am doing the monthly moose as an afghan, and I've completed up to March... Only 9 more months to go.

Well, I'm off to stitch some more and punctuated by eating... :)