The Cadet

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, I put my Cadet onto a plane bound for Ellsworth AFB in S. Dakota. He will be there with about 499 other ROTC Cadets for Field Training. Field Training is a euphenism for BOOT CAMP. That's right, the boy is on his way to Boot Camp for the entire month of August.

Needless to say, I need to visit my hairstylist for a coloring as my hair has gone completely grey from worry and stress and just plain being the mother of a boy bound for the military. Please don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the military. I am very proud of my son and all the others who have gone to serve our country. But....I'm a MOM and Mom's worry. It's hard wired into you when your child is born. Sorry...when a child is born, his or her Mom is given eyes in the back of her head and a healthy dose of WORRY.

The biggest thing is that I will not have any contact with him for the entire month. No phone, no emails...only snail mail that takes, well a snail's pace to get to S. Dakota. I know that he will be yelled at, he will do eleventy-dozen million sit-ups and run as fast as he can during PT. Plus, drill, drill and drill. His day will start at 4AM and end at 9PM. They will break him and then rebuild him.

He will become a soldier.

And when he returns on August 30th, he will be a man.

SO...please, for all those who pray, remember him and all of his 499 buddies in your prayers. Pray for their safety and for their protection. Cause, kids, in a few years, they will be protecting US.

So I leave you with a photo of my Cadet and his best friend, my second son, Charlie.

I love them.

My Boys

Mike and Charlie

July 31, 2007

Where did my stitching mojo go?

Has anyone seen my stitching mojo? I think I misplaced it. Or maybe, it went to Aruba on holiday. Anyway, it seems to be lost. If you happen across it, please send it home, as it's owner is missing it. Terribly.

I haven't stitched anything in at least a week and a half. Just don't feel like it. Is it the Dog Days of Summer? Or just a needed break? I finished off a giftie and that's about it. For a few days, I looked for the fabric to M.Pollard cause I misplaced her. But I found her hiding out with another WIP this morning. Now she is snuggled up with the pattern and silk in her own little project bag. Guess she needed a vacation too.

I have been perusing blogs though and I must say they are keeping my creativity and desire to stitch alive right now. That and the embarrassing amount of stash that I bought recently. Shall I tell you about my Prairie Schooler binge?

Work is still the Land of the Drama Queens. I want to get off this project soon. Have to chat with Mr. Manager about it though, but I think he wants me to corral the misfits. Blech. I don't want to mother 50yr old women who whine for their supper. Mr. Manager, I am not up to the task. Nor, Mr. Manager, am I paid enough to take them on. It makes me tired....

Well, I thought I'd post just to say hey, I'm still here! Did you miss me? And to say, thanks for coming by the most boring blog in blogworld. I am glad you are here though. I appreciate all of you very much and welcome your comments.

Oh, and when the recipient of the giftee receives it...I'll post a picture, I don't want to spoil the surprise!

We interrupt cross stitching for this important event

Harry Potter!

I admit it, I am a Potter fan. Today, when I opened up my mailbox, there was the box from Barnes & Nobles...Harry arrived! How I love new books! Especially hardcovers. I don't buy many books really. But I've bought all the Potter tomes.

So I opened the box and cracked open the binding. And I began to read. I read all day and into the evening. I am just about 1/2 done with the book now and I must say it's a good read. No, I am not going to spoil it for anyone and give away anything that I've read today. Honestly, I wish that this wasn't the last Potter. I'll miss the adventure.

I stitched a little on Thursday. I called in sick because I just needed NOT to be at work. A mental health day. The drama queens have gotten to me and I just didn't want to deal with them another moment. Plus, the Cadet is giving me a headache, as well as, our house woes. So, I pulled out a Wip, Prairie Schoolers, Autumn Winds. I started it last year with Patti and Cathy. We didn't keep up with the SAL and when I looked at my spreadsheet, I hadn't worked on it since last Fall. It's coming along. I am almost done with the center panel, I decided to stitch the pumpkin. Almost 1/2 way done.

Anyway...I believe I'll be spending time with the Wizards. for a few days...

When the going gets tough, the tough go...

SHOPPING!!

General Disclaimer: Yes, I KNOW I said I wasn’t going to buy any more stash because I have enough to stitch for eternity. But, I was stressed, ok?
So there!

In the last few weeks, I have been very stressed with my big work project. Although the migration went fairly well, as with all big projects, we had some bumps in the road and some grinding of teeth and renting of clothing from those who had to be dragged into the new system and are mourning the death of the old system. To those I say...CHANGE IS GOOD!! EMBRACE THE NEW!!! But of course, the sky is falling and will continue to fall for these folks until they finally give up and just get on with it. That may happen when it gets cold and freezes somewhere south where the devil and his buds hang out.

I’m not holding my breath.

So to alleviate the stress - I WENT SHOPPING!! Boy, did I ever! The packages keep rolling in from the postman, actually, it’s somewhat embarrassing and the amount of packages left in the mailbox caused the DH to raise an eyebrow...he asked which lifetime I was planning on stitching the new *crop* (as he calls my ever-growing stash.)

Ok, I know that you are wondering what I actually bought...here’s the list...read it and join me as I roll in stashy-goodness!

Plymouth Sampler - Sampler Company
Kind Fond Love - Sampler Company
New England Sampler - Sampler Company
Remember Me When This You See - Fingerwork
Elizabeth Savilles 1841 - Fingerwork
Hellen Bell’s Multiplication Sampler - CHS
Scripture Collaboration - Faith - Little House Needlework/Cresent Color Collaboration
Rebecca Blake 1809 Ackworth Sampler - Needleprints
Trousse Fleurs Bleuses - C Mon Monde
2007 Prairie Schooler Sampler - Prairie Schooler
Thanksgiving Comes Again - Prairie Schooler
Pumpkin Patch - Prairie Schooler
Good Things - Lizzie*Kate

On Saturday, the Cadet turned 20. 20!!! I certainly haven't gotten older, so when did he get to be 20? For the last 5 years or so, the DH and the Cadet go away to PA to play paintball to celebrate the momentous birthday event. This year, the trip fell on his birthday. So, even though I didn't share the day with the Cadet, I had the house to myself for 2 full days and I was estatic cause I needed Silence. Me and Chrissy the Wonderdog lived it up...we cleaned up the garden, reduced a mountain of laundry to a small foothill, played with the horses and cleaned the bathrooms. It was a nice break. I stitched a little too (actually, a lot of a little). I bought linen banding awhile ago and decided to make a small pouch. I am stitching an alphabet (one of my favorite things) in Vicki Clayton Garnet silk.on the front. I am a tad perplexed on how to go about finishing it. It’s coming along nicely. And I worked a tad on my Stitcher’s Wallet. Not much but a little. I’ll be moving on to the second page soon!
And I finished up a giftee...

So, I hope you all had a lovely weekend and are rested and ready to face the new week. Thanks for coming by to visit. It's so nice to see you!

Oh new Prairie Schooler designs!!!!

Have you seen these new designs from the Prairie Schooler? There is a passel (just love that word) of new designs on Hoffmans site! But these 2 are my favorites!!! I love Halloween, so I can see this one jumping into my stash, no question about that!

Pumpkin Patch

Prairie Schooler Designs

Thanksgiving Comes Again

Prairie Schooler Designs

I don't have many harvest designs, so I think this one will come home with me too!

I just can't resist...Autumn is my favorite time of the year. I love the colors and the smells and sweaters...

Thanks for your comments about my Americana Samplings...I finished it. Just have to take some pictures.

Red, the pattern is yours....I'll be sending it to you next week.

Well, I 've worked 32 hours in the last 3 days. I am bushed but I believe that my software project is a go. Only 24 hours left before it launches. Yeah!

Thanks for visiting, I am so glad you stop by!!

Happy July 4th!

Happy Birthday USA!!!!

First of all, I want to thank everyone for their well wishes on my birthday! Thank you so much remembering me. You've made this milestone birthday a memorable one! And thank you again to Carol and Wendy for the coolest gifties! What pleasant surprises they were for me!

Today, I am off work. Tomorrow begins the BIG software move. To say I am nervous about it is an understatement. I do have complete confidence in the consultant...but it's the fear that I forgot something MAJOR that scares me. Oh well, we will take it all in stride and work through all the issues. This weekend is a big one for my team and come Monday, when everyone is back to work, well, that's when the rubber meets the road. The following 2 weeks are critical.

Since it's the fourth of July (and it's raining....of course), I am planning on working on a semi-UFO. It's Little House Needleworks, Americana Sampling. It was an exclusive kit released in 2005. I began it right after I bought it and I remember working on it last year around this time too. Maybe this year, I will finish it and by next year have it framed (LOL!!!!). I think I am going to frame it myself and paint something patriotic on the frame. Given my track record, it will be next year when I decide on what to paint and actually do the painting.


Once I am finished stitching this sampler, I'm going to give the chart away to the first person who asks for it, so if you want it, drop me a comment. The pattern is OOP. I will warn you though, I had a coffee accident on the page with the floss and fiber symbols. It's readable but not pretty. The pattern is in good shape cause I kept it in a page protector.

Last night, I worked a little bit on my birthday gift and on Blackbird Designs, Their Song, too. Should have taken a pic to it to show you but silly me, hindsight is always 20-20. I'll snap one when I start on it again.

So, I hope you are having better weather and can see some fireworks on this July 4th. Be safe traveling and if you are having a picnic or party, have a great time!!! Eat a hotdog for me!

Thanks for stopping by~ :-)

Birthday Exchange!!!

Today I received the most wonderful surprise from Wendy (Wendy Home at Work)!!! It's beautiful! She made me a terrific stitching purse and Prairie Schooler bird fob! I tried to get all arty with the photo, obviously I missed that mark, but you can see how lovely her work is!



This is the interior of the purse. There's little compartments to put stitching accessories around a puffy pincushion.

The fob is a Prairie Schooler design from one of the new charts, Birdsong I. Wendy personalized it with our initials and year. What a generous gift, I will treasure it and you can bet I will be using it to organize my travel projects!

In the card that she sent, Wendy said that she's been reading my blog, trying to figure out what I liked. Well, Wendy, you hit the mark cause I LOVE what you sent to me. I hope that she will continue to visit.

Thank you very much, Wendy!

Gee, this birthday is never ending!!!

I'm still here!!!

HI everyone...thanks for stopping by! No, really, I mean it. It's nice to know there are cyber-friends out there checking up on me.

Unfortunately, there ain't a whole lot of stitching going on at Chez No-stitching. Why, you ask? Because I am now into crunch time with my big project at work. 12 hour days, fighting fires and dealing with all the drama (and drama-queens) really make me tired! So, I've just come home and crashed. However, it doesn't mean that I've stopped buying stash...no sir...my credit card is wheezing from the work out. So far, I bought the latest Quaker offering from Needleprints, Sarah Spence. I bought the remaining AVAS for My Home Town, a spring/summer biscourne pattern, some CHS's, a Prairie Schooler off the bay of evil, my FOTM from Shakespeare's Peddler, some Lizzie*Kate, Brenda Keyes, a sampler that's on Tempest Fugit's blog and, well, I know there's more but I can't think of them! Chock it up to birthday $$ and an indulgent DH.

Today, was the first day that I picked up a needle in 2 weeks and I am stitching a gift so I can't even share the progress with you.

Yesterday was our 28th wedding anniversary. David and I spent the day at the air show watching all the jets do their thing...the F-17A Hornets and the AirForce F-15 jets just make me marvel...they are sexy planes. To think that my Cadet may fly one of those someday (if he gets a pilot slot and gets through the physical part of the training) just makes me smile. Do you think he'd take me up for a spin? Anyway...it was a great day. Cool but sunny, fair food, jets, helicopters and large cargo planes. We spent the entire day there and loved every minute of it. We topped off our anniversary with take-out pizza from Pizza Hut.

The Cadet is coming home tomorrow for the week. He's going back to his apartment at the end of the week cause he has a date with the lovely Jenna and an Arnold Air Society volunteer function. Then he's coming home for the rest of July. In August, he goes to South Dakota for field training. And then the summer is over and it's back to the books. WOW, when you think through the time line, it's pretty short!!!

So, again, thanks for sticking with me and the most boring blog in blog world. I've got to go feed the ponies so stop by soon...there may be pictures of the air show and some stitching too! :-)!!

Oh..btw, this is the week my project launches at work...please keep good thoughts and PRAYERS for a successful conversion and migration...thanks!