Finally! A Creative Update!!!

I feel as though I've been lagging in the creativity department.  I can't believe that May is already right around the corner!  What does May bring?  My birthday month!!!  Yep, a whole month to celebrate me!!!  I'm just picking!!!  One week is good enough for me!!! :)  LOL

Work has kept me pretty busy.  Lots of conventions, meetings, and such.  In fact, today I spent 8.5 hours straight making, printing, and laminating badges for a disaster boot camp.  Yeah, I do some very interesting things for my job!!! But it hasn't quite stopped me from stitching and reading. Not completely!

On to the creative stuff:

A Finish!
I am proud to post that I do have my first finish for 2010!  It is one that I've been working on for my Mom.  She actually requested it "if I had time."  So here it is, Mill Hill's Olive Oil:

I ordered the Mill Hill frame this weekend to finish it off.  As soon as I receive it I will post a "final" picture.

Mary Engelbreight Baby Quilt

As much as I loathe stamped cross stitch, I have been working on the baby quilt.  You would think that stamped cross stitch would go so much quicker than counted, but it doesn't!!  At least not for me. 

Here's what I've completed to date:

Close up of the two different scenes:

Cow Jumped Over the Moon

Humpty Dumpty Fell Off the Wall

As aggravating as the stamped cross stitch is to me, this piece is actually very cute and the colors are the only things that keep me motivated on it!!  In addition, to the cutey patooty 1 year old girl I am making it for!!!

Reading

The first few months of the year I was buying books constantly!! I kept adding to my pile of books to be read.  I finally put a stop to it!!!  Made a "promise" to myself to not buy anymore books until I've read at least some of what I have!!!

I recently finished Peter and the StarCatchers.  This is actually a child's book but it was very interesting.  It is a "prequel" to Peter Pan.  I put prequel in quotes because the book is written by different authors than the original.  I have to say that while it took me a while to get into the book, once you did it started rolling right along.  As you got near the end, you started to see things in the story that tied it to the original Peter Pan.  It was very interesting.  I might consider reading the other books in this series.

I have had A Lion Amon Men on my nightstand for well over a year now.  This is one of my books in the pile that I aim to finish reading.  I recently picked this book back up to read.  (It had been sitting so long, that I am ashamed to admit, it was covered in dust.) I've made some progress on this book and am less than 100 pages from the end!!!  Woo hoo!!!!  This is the 3rd book in the "Wicked" series.  I've heard that there are supposed to be a book on the Tin Man and the Scarecrow also planned but I'm not sure if I will read them.  I adored Wicked.  Son of Wicked took me a while to get through and this book, well, its dusty cover can tell you what I think of it!!!

I must finish reading what I have as there are many books by favorite authors about to be released over the next few months.  Now that it is summer (spring always skips right past us) I see much time at the pool reading a good book!!!!

I hope everyone is well!!!  I look forward to hearing your comments!

Oh My!!!

Where have I been?  I haven't posted a blog since April 6!!  Hmm, doesn't seem like that much has been going on, but maybe so.

I am well overdue with a posting about my trip to Houston.  Seems like it was such a quick, short trip, but of course, jamming as much as possible into it!

Houston
I left early on Saturday morning so that I could be in Houston before lunch time. Can't get up during the week in order to get to work on time but I can get up on a Saturday morning to be in the car before 7 am to get to Houston.  Priorities!!! Priorities!!!!

Made it to Houston right before lunch time and was immediately whisked off to lunch with Stacy and the kids.  Well, two of the kids.  Marly and Parker.  We went to Zaxby's.  It's a chicken place.  That's all they do.  Chicken.  Grilled, fried, nuggets, sandwiches.  Just chicken.  Yeah, I didn't pick it, the kids did.  Then off to the local needle store.  It was so much fun to just look!!!!  Of course, I always forget to make a list of things I may need before I get there.  I did buy a new pair of scissors, a needle minder, and this cool thing for your finger that helps you to pick up beads.  I also purchased a beginner's stitching kit for my nephew.  Yep, that's right, my nephew.  He asked me if he could have it so I didn't see a reason as to why he shouldn't learn. 

I wasn't the only one in town for the big weekend.  Stacy's mother and 2 aunts were also there.  That made for a very full house.  So I stayed at Jeff's parents house.  Best decision I could have made.  I had a bedroom to myself with a huge 4-poster bed that was so high I had to jump to get into it and a private spa bathroom.  Yep, I was living the high life for a few days.  I really didn't want to come home!!! Even harder when they said I could stay as long as I wanted!!!

So we celebrated a birthday and a baptism that weekend for Marly Grace.  She is now 9 years old.  I can't believe it.  One of her gifts was a cell phone.  So now I get texts from her all the time.  Morning, afternoon, and night.  It is sweet but I don't think I quite approve, but then she is not my child!!! Parker is also getting to be a big boy.  He'll be 8 in August.  Cassady just turned 1.  She isn't talking or walking yet but give her time.  She makes a lot of sounds and show her where her walker is and she can zoom off!!!  She is into everything!  Such an inquisitive little thing!

Parker and Marly

Cassady

Jeff baptizing Marly

Parker, Cassady and Marly

Marly, Cassady, me, and Parker.  Let it be noted that I was hurrying up Shug to take the picture because Cassady had kicked off her diaper. I just knew she was going to pee or poop on me!!!  Luckily she didn't!!

It was so much fun to see everyone.  I really didn't want to come back on Monday but I had to.  Needed to pick up Duke from the vet.  He was not a happy camper!!!

I Can't Make This Up

This past Friday I took off work a few hours early to get some things settled with my car.  I was in desperate need for an oil change and tire rotation plus I still haven't gotten a quote done on the damage so that I can start the process to get my car done.  So I went to the dealership and had my car's oil changed and the tires rotated.  Then off to the body shop.  That was a waste of time.  Having a check wasn't good enough for them.  They needed some other type of paper work that the insurance company hadn't given me.  Back home I head.  When I get in the apartment, I notice this buzzing noise.  I see a few wasps in my windows in the living room, but that's typical at times.  Sometimes when I open the patio door I get a few wasps in the apartment.  I knew I needed to walk Duke so I sprayed some wasp spray, killed them, and off I went to walk Duke.  Now upon my return to the apartment, I let Duke loose and head to the bedroom to get on my "comfy" clothes.  When I entered my bedroom, I heard a VERY LOUD buzzing noise.  I had a swarm of wasps in my bedroom. 

Yep, that's right.  Wasps were in my bedroom.  How?  Who knows?  It took 2 cans of wasp spray to kill them.  No, I didn't do it myself.  The apartment handy man came over and did it.  I packed up Duke and took him to my parents house.  I didn't want him around all the chemicals.  Well, my mom insisted I stay too as she wanted to make sure everything was dead and didn't want me around the chemicals later.  When my dad and I came back to the apartment to do a preliminary cleaning and pick up some clothes, we found between 70 and 100 dead wasps in the window sill. 

Saturday was spent cleaning up even more dead wasps and trying to get the chemical smell out of the apartment.  I had wanted to do some cleaning over the weekend but not that intensive!!!!  Duke was able to come home that afternoon and we slept in the bedroom that night.  No bugs since then!  Keep your fingers cross!!!

Stitching

I have been stitching.  Just no new photos to show you! But I hope to soon! I have been working on the Mary Engelbreight quilt and the Mill Hill Olive Oil projects.  I'm doing the beading right now on the Olive Oil one.  I like to do that when it is sunny outside as I can see better.  So I typically end up beading only on the weekends and when I am watching an LSU baseball game.  Well, then I get sucked into the game, get distracted and not much beading gets done but it is coming along!!!!

Well, I hope to have a stitchy blog soon!  Everyone continue to have a great week!

Easter Weekend and Beyond

Friday
There were only two of us working in the office on Friday.  When the boss came to us at 11:30 to say that he was leaving for the day at 11:45, we looked at each and said "WTF is wrong with us?"  So we left early at 1:30.  :)

Friday evening I went to the LSU baseball game with my Daddy.  It was a good game.  Game 1 of the 3 game series against Georgia.  We won! :)  Daddy got us awesome seats along the 1st baseline.  You can tell by the pictures I took with my phone's camera how close we were to the field!!  I love baseball!!!

Anthony Ranaudo warming up for his first start since being hurt.

Pre-game warm ups

Saturday

Saturday morning I went out shopping.  I indulged and bought myself a few new shirts but my main objective was to get my niece Marly a birthday present.  She is going to be 9!!!!  Wow!  How time flies!  So a trip out to the outlet mall to visit her favorite shop was necessary.  Justice for Girls.  A little too girlie for me but it is what she likes!!!! 

I even visited Cabelo's for the first time ever.  I've never have had a reason to go there so I was out there so I went in. I'll probably never go there again.  LOL!  I don't do anything outdoors and if I do, I just use my grandfather's equipment.  So, unless I go back for a gift card for my grandfather, it really isn't my kind of place!!!

Spring came and went pretty quickly around here.  We are now heading toward the hot, humid, muggy days of summer!!!  Saturday afternoon was quite warm, so before the LSU baseball game came on, Duke and I headed out for sno cones.  There's a place not far from my apartment who has yummy flavors and does "puppy" cones too!!  (Basically just plain ice formed into a sno cone in a little Dixie cup).  Duke and I got our sno cones and then came back home to enjoy them while watching the game.

Duke enjoying his sno-cone!!  Ooops, it spilled!

Sunday

Sunday was, of course, Easter.  Now, for some reason, I didn't sleep a wink the night before.  As I was still awake, I got up and went to early Mass.  By the time my parents called me to join them for Mass, I'd already gone and come back and was cooking breakfast!!!

Went to my parents for Easter dinner and to watch the 3rd game of the LSU series against Georgia.  It was a really pleasant afternoon! 

Now, I was really tired as I had not slept the night before, I went to bed super early.  Not just because of lack of sleep but because I was to meet the boss at 6:30 am on Monday morning!!!

Monday

Ohhhh, how I was anxious about Monday!  On Monday I took a trip to Orange Beach, Alabama with my boss.  We went to visit a resort where we are holding our summer convention in June.  It is 4 hours one way!!!  4 hours in a car, alone, with my boss.  A total of 8 hours in a car.  No radio. 

To be honest, it wasn't bad.  He was very well-behaved.  I'm not saying I had a blast but we both came home alive! :)

Now, let's talk about the resort.  This place is awesome!!! 2 and 3 bedroom condos.  Full kitchens.  Each bedroom has a private bathroom.  Huge balconies.  I cannot wait to go!!!  Since I am to have my own 2 bedroom condo, my sister and friend Celestine will be joining me for the weekend.  We may not see each other much as I have to work but why waste a 2 bedroom condo that we don't have to pay for????  Now don't feel too bad.  I will have off at least 1 afternoon where I can enjoy one of the 3 pools and the 980 feet of lazy river.  :) 

Upcoming

I have a trip to Houston coming up for my niece Marly's birthday.  I'm excited to go see everyone.  Might even run into my sister as she will be in Houston for a birthday party also that is literally just a few miles down the road from where I'll be. 

I'm also excited that my BFF Sarah is coming into town this month.  But not only this month but in June too!!!!  I hope we manage to catch up with each other!!!  It is rare that we see each other once a year let alone 2x within 6 months of each other!!!!  In fact, it has been 6 months since I last went to Houston to see her!!!  Wow, I think we might be setting a record!  I can't wait. 

Hope everyone is well and enjoying this fabulous Spring!!!