Monday, February 22, 2010

Weekend follies

Hi Everyone!

It was a lovely weekend here! I guess everyone was out enjoying the lovely weather too! We had made plans a long time ago to go and see the Terracotta Warriors. You can find out more about them here http://www.nationalgeographic.com/terracottawarriors/ We had a really good time but couldn't take pictures inside the exhibit, so here are a few of the guys in places where we could take pictures.


Someone sent me this link about a funny song. If you want a giggle...take a peek! Make sure to turn the speakers up! LOL http://home.comcast.net/~singingman7777/SOY.htm

Forgive me for the "potty humor" but as we were walking from the metro to the museum I passed by this window. We had a moment of hysteria and for some weird reason I thought my Mom might enjoy this picture. Ben mentioned that if it had Bill Clinton's picture on it we could buy some for her. (My Mom is NOT a fan of Bill Clinton) So, Mom, this one's for you! LOL

I had a lovely surprise in the mail today. A few weeks ago I sent for the Rose Quaker and the Christmas Quaker Bellpull. I was beginning to give up hope when they arrived in the mail today. I'm so excited, and maybe one day I'll be able to get them started. For now they'll sit in my stash pile until a sale when I can get the fabric and fiber. They are are pretty! You can check out their picture here. http://designs4times.com/bush/component/page,shop.product_details/flypage,flypage.tpl/product_id,3439/category_id,151/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,1/vmcchk,1/ and here. http://designs4times.com/bush/component/page,shop.product_details/flypage,flypage.tpl/product_id,3464/category_id,151/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,1/

Not much else going on...I did work on a few UFO's I've had sitting around. I decided I'm going to refrain from starting anything else until I finish some stuff sitting around in mid-stitch so to speak. I realized earlier today that I missed the anniversary of my blog. So, I decided I'm going to think a little bit about this, and have a give-away as soon as I get my act together. It may be a week or more before I decide what to do. I'll send a message through the yahoo groups I belong to when I'm ready. Soooo....watch this space!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Thomas...

I had to share this little story about Thomas. Last night I was chased out of the family room by the guys wanting to watch something boring on TV. So I took my stitching upstairs to my bedroom and was watching something I wanted to see on TV when I heard all this commotion in the basement. It sounded like someone had thrown a bowling ball in the dryer and turned it on! Then I heard some shouting, then pathetic meowing. I then heard pounding on the stairs as DH came running breathless into my room. It seems they had to rescue poor Thomas.

Thomas is always getting into small spaces, weaving in and out of boxes and trying to get behind appliances. Apparently he squeezed behind the washing machine, then tried to "hop" over something behind the machine and got hung up on the cord to the washer. It had wrapped around his body just behind his front legs and his back legs were dangling. He had no way of getting himself out of the fix he was in. I hope he's thankful his owners were home!! I guess he was panicked by the time the guys reached him and was kicking and clawing by the time they tried to rescue him. They finally released him from his predicament only to find him trembling and his heart pounding. Good thing it was be kind to your pet day yesterday, or DH probably would have left him hanging! LOL

My guys are ALWAYS a source of entertainment! (By the way, Thomas has been particularly sweet to DH ever since! LOL)

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Be Kind To Your Pet Day

Today is Be Kind To Your Pet Day...and it's driving Thomas and DH crazy. Why you ask? Because DH is trying desperately to be kind to Thomas...in his on weird way. DH has been petting Thomas all day, not always the softest petting if you know what I mean. Poor Thomas will start cleaning any part that DH touches as soon as he thinks DH has finished touching him. His tongue is going to be raw by the end of the day...LOL

I try to keep the two of them apart, but I'm only one woman and can't watch them ALL day...and as soon as I start taking Thomas' side, DH then tells me it's Pet your own kind day. (That was probably TMI for most of you...so I'll stop there...) Let's just say Thomas and I are both going to find someplace to hide for the rest of the day! Too bad I won't fit in this box too, Thomas...from the looks of things, it's barely big enough for you! LOL

Those UFO days that the Friendly Stitchers group hosts on Thurdays is working wonders! I finished something today that I started November 11, 2009. Granted I have other projects that have been circling my chair for much longer...and I'll get to one of them soon...but I was anxious to finish this one for some odd reason...and I think it came out nicely. I think it's because I wanted another finish right away to make it seem like I am finally accomplishing something after all those weeks I spent on Camelot Sampler.

Looks like we're off to see a movie "The Tooth Fairy". The last movie we saw was "The Blindside" and it was really a good movie. If you haven't seen it, put it on your list to see it soon. It was one of those movies where you laughed, you cried, and you came away feeling good about humanity.

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

A Stitch A Week...

Hi everyone!

I'm thankful for this morning off! I worked another 10 hour day Monday and I didn't realize it when the schedule was written, that it would be a holiday and I would be there totally alone all day! As always happens, my lunch was interrupted with a 2 1/2 hour "rush" of folks. I never left the design table except to move artwork to the back room and make room for more! I was afraid I would be sitting there staring at walls all day but I was pleasantly surprised. I have to say though, that I'm bushed today!

Between yesterday (Sunday) and today I was able to finish the rest of the little squares in the ASAW SAL. I still have the center square to finish (so I guess you CAN "encourage" me a little, Gillie) as I haven't quite decided what to do with the middle yet. While I'm thinking about it I'll probably move on to something else for just a little bit. Stay tuned though, I know through Gillie's "encouragement" that I'll be back at it to finish it very soon! So here are pictures of the fairy ring, the squirrel, the reindeer, the Christmas tree, the partridge and the whole thing.


I have a co-worker who I rarely see, she comes in at night to work on the books. I showed her the finished Camelot Sampler because it's at work right now waiting for framing and she told me that she has a HUGE stash of cross stitch supplies that she probably will never use and asked me if I would like it. LOL WOULD I LIKE IT? IS SHE CRAZY? So I made her this offer, if there is a pattern that she would like to have made for her, I would gladly make any of her choice in return for whatever she wishes to gift to me. I have no idea what I'm in for here, but I thought it was a fair exchange. What do you guys think? I hope I don't have to eat my words! LOL

Ok, I have to go in to work this afternoon. *Sigh* I don't get a day off until Thursday, that will make 7 days in a row. And I thought the boss was going to cut back my hours!?!?!?! I'll have to have a little discussion with him I think...LOL

Off to the daily grind. Hope all is well in your little corner of the world! *Hugs*

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'll be working today, but I hope you enjoy your day with your special someone!

I feel especially spoiled because I received something very special at work yesterday. My Valentine sent me 18 roses!! I couldn't believe my eyes as I haven't received flowers on Valentine's day in a very long time. This year was especially sweet though, as my DH sent MY mother flowers as well. She called in tears when she received them, and was especially grateful as this was her first Valentine's Day without my Dad. How can you NOT love a man who is so thoughtful and caring as that. Just typing this I have tears in my eyes for his sweet compassion.

I've been busy at work (it was a 10 hour day yesterday) and I've been trying to play "catch up" after all those days off because of the snow. We had a lot of "last minute" Valentine's Day surprises to frame and thankfully for our boss, he had a financially productive day as well. There are days I wonder how he stays in business with the economy the way that it is, but thankfully there are still people out there who can still afford framing.


Even with all that going on, I had time to watch the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics (GO USA!) (I had to DVR it LOL) and stitch the next square in the ASAW. Here's a little picture of my Hedge Hog.

Ok, time to get ready for work. Hope your special someone spoils you rotten today.

*Hugs*

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Blue skies and happy dancing!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood *humming* It REALLY is! Today was a great day! I finished the Camelot Sampler, I got to stitch on a UFO (UnFinished Object) and I got out of the house for a little walk and dinner out. Can it get any better than that? I don't think so!

So, where shall I start? First, let me show you my accomplishments...

I finished the Camelot Sampler. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief *sigh* Now all I have to do is get it framed! Here are pictures of the finished product, a close up of the corner where you can see the specialty stitches and beading, and a close up of the center "sword block" with the beading done too. I'm sure you're as sick of hearing about this as I am stitching it! So, this is my final word on the subject! LOL

Today is UFO stitching day at Friendly Stitchers Yahoo group. I've been given a reprieve from the "wet noodle" that is brandished if we don't stitch on UFOs on Thursdays until I finished the Camelot Sampler. I decided since I finished it earlier today that I would pick up on the ASAW SAL. I only have 6 more blocks to finish along with the center block, so that is my next project to finish. Gillie said she would be "encouraging" me to finish it next, so to save her fingers and voice from commenting, I'm going to work extra hard on that. Here's a picture of what I accomplished on that today.

Are you sick of snow pictures? Sorry, I have a few more to show you! LOL I got out of the house today and took a little walk around the neighborhood. The sky was so beautiful today, such a pretty shade of blue, that I couldn't resist showing you. Here are a few snowbanks, and cars buried. Even street signs are hard to see, and if you look closely, you'll see the top of a stop sign. It truly is unbelievable the amount of snow we have.

I wonder how long these cars will stay buried? It may be next spring before we see these out and about on the streets. This little blue sports car probably wouldn't do too well on the streets anyway, as the ruts in the roads are so deep, it would probably take out the undercarriage after the first hit! LOL You'll have to look close to see the car in the second picture...can you see it? It's like that "Where's Waldo" game LOL

DH listened to his ipod today while shoveling. To keep warm, guess what kind of music he was listening to?!?!?!?!?! Hawaiian! LOL Having lived in Hawaii for 4 years right after we were married, it brought back warm memories and it planted a smile on his face. This little "stash" he had in the snowbank was his snack stash. Nothing like ice cold water on a frigid day to warm the cockles of your heart! LOL I would refresh his stash as the day went along so he wouldn't track snow into the house every 5 minutes!! Hey, shoveling is HARD WORK!! LOL


The wind was pretty brisk today and the blue skies in the pictures don't really show how COLD it really was! But I guess that Hawaiian music warmed his soul, because he was out there most of the day.

We shoveled our neighbor out again today, then invited her and her two girls out for dinner. She's from Texas and was a little afraid to drive in the nasty roads out of our subdivision. She hasn't left her house in over a week, so I'm sure she needed a break. I think she appreciated the short trip to a nearby Italian restaurant and we had a nice evening out.

I have a confession to make...LOL Today was a scheduled day off for me. I know the person who was supposed to work was probably not going to make it in, but I decided I WASN'T going to call in and ask if they needed me. I know I'm awful, but I just didn't want to go in to work. No one is scheduled for tomorrow...but I'll probably call in and ask if they want someone. Part of me doesn't want to as I want to watch the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics and I won't get home from work until after they are over if I do go in. Decisions decisions...whatever shall I do? There's an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other...LOL Maybe I'll flip a coin. LOL

Looks like the weekend is going to be clear of snow. *Whew* I must say, I'm tired of the stuff. But Monday is another story. I see more stitching in my future...I'll keep you posted! *Hugs*

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Broken record!

For fear of sounding like a broken record...We had another record breaking storm today!!!

This storm lasted 29 hours, with blizzard force winds that produced some whiteout conditions. If I can get outside tomorrow I'll take some pictures, but since it lasted 29 hours, I didn't have the heart to go out after dark and try to see what the damage was like. I have to admit, I'm getting sick of snow. And there is ANOTHER storm predicted for early next week.

The totals for this area today were 19 1/2 inches of snow bringing the seasonal totals to 79.9 inches. Since this season started we've had almost 80 inches of snow. That broke the record of 62.5 inches. I would love to give Al Gore and his global warming theory a piece of my mind!!! LOL

I know there are other areas of the country that have been having their share of winter weather and are calling us here in the Mid-Atlantic states wimps...but let me just say this...we are not used to having this type of weather. We are not equipped to handle this amount of snow. The fleet of plows they have here in Maryland doesn't compare to the fleets in other areas that get a lot of snow, not to mention that many of them have been vandalized recently. On top of that, we are getting storm after storm after storm within days of one another and there is no place to put the snow. They have begun dumping it into the Chesapeake Bay and especially in Baltimore, they are dumping it into the Inner Harbor. I grew up in Northern NY and have lived through a few blizzards. I remember winters when the snow was higher than the eaves of our houses. But the roads were always taken care of, they were able to "dig out" almost as soon as the snow ended. They cannot do that here and it is a nightmare. There have been a few deaths attributed to these storms. One person died in her home due to a fire that firemen couldn't reach her home in time.

On a more "personal" note...I'm a little worried about the store I work in. I went to work yesterday for 7 hours, it took me 45 minutes to drive 4 miles. When I got there I learned that the Safeway grocery store 3 doors down was closed due to a partially collapsed roof. Keep in mind that their roof and the frame shops' roof are connected!!! I could hear them shoveling off the roof as I was working away and also hear odd noises, it was nerve wracking...and all I could think of all day was that I had to drive home!! This most recent storm started an hour before I left work (5:00PM) and lasted until 8:00 PM tonight. Schools have been canceled for the rest of the week, and even DH has been home all week and will be home again tomorrow. I'm the only one that got out for a days' work! LOL

One good thing that has been happening though...we've gotten to know our neighbors! Seems that whenever we go out to shovel (keeping cars, decks and heating vents clear) our neighbors head out too. We've been gathering in the shoveled areas, talking about the storm and reminiscing about green grass and sunshine LOL. The kids have been sliding in the snowbanks, and having snowball fights, it's like a giant block party! One of our neighbors' husband is in England so we've been trying to keep her shoveled out while he's gone. He "accidentally" put their shovel in storage before he left the country! LOL They are originally from Texas and have no idea how to handle this amount of snow so we've been helping them out. Last night they graciously brought us brownies! (I'll be working those brownies off as I shovel off more cars and sidewalks tomorrow! LOL)

And my last comment for today...I think they should have moved the Winter Olympics to Baltimore Maryland! Either that or we should ship some of this snow to Vancouver, Canada! Something is wrong with the weather patterns...I can't believe it's warmer in Canada than it is here!?!?! Eh?

Monday, February 8, 2010

The aftermath

Well, here we are! We survived this storm. Did you know we are about to get MORE? There is a forecast for more snow tomorrow from 3 to 6 inches. And then...there is more on the forecast for the weekend! YIKES!

I didn't make it in to work today. Don't let these pictures fool you! Our street was clear to the pavement, but the roads out of our subdivision and beyond were snow covered mush! When I got to the corner the snowbanks were so high I couldn't see if there was any traffic coming and when I turned (slowly) onto the connecting road, I slid quite a bit. My van is NOT made for snow, and I was truly afraid to drive to work, so as soon as I got to a good place to turn around, I did and came back home. Isn't it strange how you can stay in your home for days on end if you WANT to, but when you CAN'T get out, you are dying to! I keep thinking of all the work to do at my job and how much I really did want to get there. I was just too afraid of the drive to work. Oh well, there's always tomorrow...but WAIT, there is supposed to be another storm coming Tues afternoon. *sigh* School was canceled today and has been canceled for tomorrow too. DS is in seventh heaven! (Until he loses his mid winter break that is!)


The neighborhood kids were out in force today, so DS made his appearance and had a little snowball fight of his own....of course...he wore shorts! LOL


Can you see how tall the snowbanks are? Just for perspective, DH is 6 feet tall!


The neighbor's husband is in England (of all places!) and is missing all the snow. We spent a good hour and a half outside today shoveling her car out just in case she needed to go somewhere. They are originally from Texas and really don't know how to handle this amount of snow. Not to mention, her DH left their snow shovel in storage before he went away. They are good neighbors who are trying to transfer back to Texas, and part of me knows they miss their family and would like to go back, but the other selfish part of me wants them to stay here. It's strange how people don't know how to be neighborly any more.

The good news in all this is that I've been able to get quite a bit accomplished on my Camelot Sampler. At this rate I'll be finished in a few days and I'll be able to work on something different. When Gillie was here she made some suggestions about the wedding date (which I took, thanks Gillie!) but wanted to find a place for their name. After discussing it with DH I finally decided to put their name across the sword. What do you think? Is it legible?

Guess that's all the news that's fit to print. I hope you are safe and warm wherever you are! *Hugs*

Saturday, February 6, 2010

There's Snow Place Like Home

Where do I begin?

The storm is finally over and according to the National Weather Service, we received 26.8 inches. It wasn't a record for this area, but it was only off by 2 inches! We have broken a record in the amount of annual snowfall for this area and there are two more storms on the way. So far this year we've received over 60 inches of snow!! They've given this storm two names so far...Snowmageddon and Snowpocolypse. I have a name too, but it's not fit to print! LOL No matter what happens...there's snow place like home!


We woke up to snow piled up against our doors and windows. I couldn't believe the scene outside the windows! I'm sure we got more snow than the 26.8 they officially recorded, don't you?

The men in my life have been a constant source of entertainment today. Between the two of them and the snow, I think they'll have to admit me to the nearest loony bin if the situation continues. I'm not sure when we'll be able to leave our subdivision as it's a wild mess out there and we don't have chains or all weather tires...Who would think you would need them in this area? Certainly not I! I used to think that DS was a chip off the old block, but today they proved their individuality. DS dressed in shorts and a t-shirt with sneakers and no socks to wander out and make a snow angel. DH dressed in layers, with thermal underwear, two pair of socks, plastic bags on his feet with snow boots, ski pants, a denim jacket and a ski hood/mask that covered most of his face too. Talk about Yin and Yang! LOL

Even Thomas (our cat) attempted to stick his nose outside, but thought better when he was hit in the face with falling snow. Me? I had the good sense to stay inside and keep warm! LOL

Let's see....the first thing that began my journey into insanity was my little darling DS trying to prove he is an angel. I hate to break it to you sonny, but this is NOT the way to heaven...unless you are planning an early departure due to hypothermia and your heart is in the right place!


With all the snow, we were afraid of the weight on our deck in the back yard. So...DH bravely went where no man has gone before (and left the footprints to prove it) to shovel off the deck. You can see the the snow was well above his knees. It took two hours to shovel a good portion off and there is still a lot of snow left.

Half way through his chore, he took a little break. Doesn't he look like a poor homeless waif. We should have propped a sign up that said..."Will work for food"!

Here are a few pictures of our neighborhood, you can see that the street, though SLIGHTLY plowed, only has one lane carved out. I'm sure it will be a few days before we are able to leave the subdivision! The snow was up to the swings at the playground, almost covered the fire hydrant (the little yellow cap you see is the tippy-top of the hydrant), completely covered people's decks and the only indication that there are cars parked on the street is the windshield wipers that people prop up when it's supposed to snow so they don't freeze to the windshields! LOL A newscaster today said the trees looked like they were dressed in their bridal gowns, and isn't it true?

Just to give you a little indication of the snow we received, take a look at this.

In the midst of the storm I decided to call my Mom in Northern NY to let her know we are still alive and kicking. All I heard her say was the sun was shining but it was a bitter cold. Hm...I guess I'll have to let her slide since the temperatures are much colder there. If she had told me it was a balmy 40 degrees I would have had to find a way to travel there and give her a piece of what little mind I have left! LOL

The only good thing to come from this storm, is that I'm accomplishing a lot on my Camelot Sampler (in between Wii games and cleaning up snow after the guys tramp in and out). I'll be posting pictures when there's sunlight out there so I can get a better picture. Hopefully I'll have a good portion of it done before I am able to venture out of our little nest here in the frozen tundra.

Hope you are all safe and warm wherever you are. *hugs*