Hello, World!

Yes, it's me! I've surfaced but sadly without photos. I know, I know, I will lose readers if I don't post pictures soon of my crazy life or my stitching progress but you will have to be patient cause it's been RAINING for the last 4 days. I am seriously considering asking God if he wants me to start building another ark. No light for pictures.

Let's see...where to begin. Well, you all know about the tragedy that happened in my little city. Tonight the paper ran little bios of those who were killed. So sad, so sad that I cried. A newlywed who will not see her first anniversary. A husband who did his best to shield his wife from the shooter's bullets only to have her die in his arms as a bullet passed through him and into her. A Mom and Dad who weren't at the bus stop to pick up their 6 and 9 year old after school. All who just wanted a better life, all who wanted to provide for their children. A retired teacher who just wanted to give back to her community after years of service in the public school system. There are many more stories that are sure to be told as these souls are laid to rest.

My DH took his last state test for his teaching certification. He said this test was hard. He'll find out if he passed in about a month. Now, he's sending out resumes. He knows only of one district that has 2 math teaching positions open. I am praying hard that he gets an interview. I don't want to think what will happen in the fall if he doesn't find a full time job and has to resort to student teaching.

The Cadet and the Lovely Jenna are well. Both are exhausted. Jenna is working 2 jobs and the Cadet is holding down a full time job, a full credit load and ROTC. And now, we are pushing them to finalize some of the wedding plans cause it's 5 months away!!! We need them to get registered. I am planning a bridal shower in July. I have to get busy! But I feel like I have all the time in the world. NOT!

We will be going to Rochester to the Military Ball in a few weeks. It will be a lovely time! I enjoy this dinner so much. And then there are rounds of graduations, showers, birthdays and weddings! WOW!

On the stitching front, this week I am focused on This Is The Day. Michelle and I are working one week out of the month on it. I love the colors but I am not loving the stitching behind the alphabets or numbers. It's mindless stitching. Which is good when you are listening to the TV. I've been blog hopping and I've noticed many stitchers have worked and finished this little sampler. I like the alternate colorway too that some of you've used to stitch your sampler.

And on Bea, I am down to 4 motifs. I will be frogging out one of them though cause I misplaced it. But fortunately, not much is stitched, only the outline.

And! We have 20 talented stitchers signed up for Round 1 of the Blackbird Designs Exchange Blog. The response was greater than my wildest dreams! Thank you to all the talented stitchers that signed up for it! I know we will have a lot of fun and I can't wait to see what everyone creates!

Well, that's it for my corner of the world. Hope you are well and thanks for stopping by my little corner of creation!

Happy stitching and have a wonderful day tomorrow!

Hi Everyone!

No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth. There is so much going on in life at Chez Crazytown that I have been a tad overwhelmed. Many, many things are tugging at me to do and to deal with, so much that I haven't even stitched at all in the last week, hence the lack of blogging. After all, this is a stitching blog (or I try to keep it to that but I don't always succeed). I was going like gangbusters to finish my Prairie Schooler, Autumn Winds, and I think I am just about 3 hours away from finishing it up but my stitching mojo was sucked up in the vortex of work, home, finances, worry, stress, audits...life. So, maybe, just maybe, I'll find enough *umph* to siphon out a little stitching energy and finish it up. At least, I hope so!

I did join Vonna's Me, Myself and I Round Robin blog. I've always wanted to stitch one of these but I can not keep up with the pressure of a deadline right now. No pressure with this round robin! I've chosen to stitch a Prairie Schooler town and have it be perpetually in Autumn. I am plotting out a fairly elaborate border right now and thinking about my house placement. It's going to be great fun. Construction begins on December 31st, so stay tuned for updates. I can work on my border before then so you'll get a peek at it when I get something concrete down.

Have you seen this little gem? It's a Just Nan piece called Boo.

I almost bought it from ABC Stitch Therapy last night but I held firm. I am not a Just Nan fan, I think I was taken with the tin more than anything. Tonight, I lost my resolve and I broke down to buy it, but it's gone from the website. Oh well...you snooze, you loose! Actually, I saved myself $50. Good thing too.

On the home front, the DH is on leave from work, hence the financial worries. He is student teaching. He goes back to work in January until August, then he *retires* to his *encore* career as a Math teacher (Middle & High School). He's good at it. He loves it. But it means a GREAT reduction in cash flow. Like a creek that shrinks down to a mere trickle. I'm nervous about it, particularly if he doesn't find work right away. Prayers, please.

My SIL was diagnosed with breast cancer on Friday. She saw a surgeon today and she will have a lumpectomy on Oct 3rd. They tell her if there is no complications, she'll be back to work in 2 weeks. Two weeks! Geez, no recovery time there! Prayers for her too, please. And for my brother too, who was let go from his job of 18 years a couple of months ago. They really need prayer.

At work, we are preparing for the biggest audit of my career. It's been a zoo and will continue for the next 3 weeks. We will get through it but it will be stressful.

On a lighter note, the lovely Jenna has returned from her Australian adventure. The Cadet is so happy to have his love home. They are joined at the hip whenever he's not in school or at work. She had a great experience Down Under. What an adventure! Anyway, I believe wedding bells will ring this time next year. I am so happy for them.

Anyway, that's the latest news from me to you. I want to thank all of you who've hung in there with me and I do appreciate all of you. I am so glad you've stopped by and I hope you'll continue to visit. I like the company!

Hopefully next time, the post will be filled with stitchy pictures. I don't think that my mojo is completely gone, it's just taking a back seat to a lot of other things. I could never give up my stitching...they'd be coming after me with that white jacket if I did! Hey, have a great day tomorrow...everyday is a blessing and a gift even when the days are filled with things I can not control.