Suzanne's Shambles

February WIPocalypse Update

2012-02-07T07:29:00.000-08:00

Time for the February WIPocalypse update!

I stuck with Shores of Hawk Run Hallow. I am REALLY enjoying this piece again, and am bound and DETERMINED to get it finished...Sooner rather than Later. I think it's been a WIP for 4 years now (really)?!!

I finished block one:

and am now working on block two:

The rest of the piece is pretty wrinkled on my Q-Snaps or I would have taken a picture of the whole thing. After block two, I have four more blocks to go. The final block, I will be changing to more of a local, personalized block.

I can't wait to visit more blogs and see your progress as well!

Suzanne

A Little Stash

2012-02-06T16:35:00.000-08:00

I hit up Amy at Down Sunshine Lane's Super Bowl Sale Saturday night at 9:05 pm (started at 9:00 pm). This afternoon (Monday), my order showed up. How is THAT for service? I always receive this type of service from Amy - I highly recommend her and DSL.

My purchases were:

"Our Love Nest" - Country Cottage Needleworks. I may stitch this for DS and "future" DIL.
"Vintage Christamas" - Country Cottage Needleworks. I just love this one
"Chincoteague" - Carriage House Samplings. What can I say, I live in SE Virginia, by the Chesapeake Bay. Chincoteague and Assateague Islands are part of local lore, and the annual pony swim is still held each year.
"The Flood" - Plum Street Samplers. Reminds me of the church camp song "Arky, Arky". The back sheet lists Genesis 6:5-8. Such a lovely design from Paulette.

On the stitching front, I *have* been stitching. Tomorrow is the day for a WIPocalypse update.....so you will see my current progress then :)

DH and I took today off from work, and tomorrow is my regular day off, so we are enjoying a nice long 4 day weekend! We had the kids over last night for the Super Bowl and of course yummy food! DS and his girlfriend now have a roommate. That will help with their house expenses and the roommate cooks and cleans, and he is a gamer like DS. He is a few years older than DS, and seems very level headed. I think "J" will be a good fit with them.

WIPocalypse Update

2012-01-10T12:59:00.000-08:00

January WIPocalypse Update time! I don't have much of an update, since it's only been 9 days. My stitching time is usually on the weekends. After being gone from home approx 12 hours during the day M-F, after I get home, workout, fix dinner - my brain is dead for cross stitching.

This weekend I wasn't able to stitch at all - we had my BIL, SIL and nephew in. So, of course, spending time with the nephew came first. He is growing like a weed and talking more and more. He's 4 and just started pre-school back in September. It has really helped him with his speech and showing his personality! SO good to see.

I started working on Shores of Hawk Run Hollow. Here was progress Jan 1, 2012:

And here is the current progress Jan 9, 2012:

I had to frog some of the white (for the waves) and re-do, so that took a bit of time as well. Hopefully next time I will be able to show more progress - given that it's only been 9 days, and really - this is only about 1 Sunday afternoon watching a football game worth of stitching time! LOL

Hope everyone is having a great New Year! DH and I also started back on the "new year, new you" way of eating. I am following Weight Watchers and lost 5 lbs at my first WI. :)

Til next time!

Suz

WIPocalypse Final List

2011-12-31T11:31:00.000-08:00

1. Shores of Hawk Run Hollow- Carriage House Samplings
2. Mermaids of the Deep Blue - Mirabilia
3. Alhambra Garden - Chatelaine Designs
4. Little House Neighborhood - Little House Designs
5. Holly & Ivy Sampler - TW Designs
6. Titanic - Dimensions (this is my oldest WIP)
7. Personalized Sampler
8. Lady of the Flag - Mirabilia
9. Egyptian Sampler - TW Designs (not feeling this one - may need to find a new home for it) LOL
10. Winter Queen - Mirabilia (need to find pattern - have everything else)
11. Royal Holiday - Mirabilia (found pattern, floss, beads, but no fabric) I don't think I've even started this.
12. **Reserve for New Start
13. **Reserve for New Start
14. Heart of America - Little House Needleworks
15. Beach Cottage - Country Cottage Needleworks
16. December Delivery - Pine Mountain Designs
17. Land that I Love - Pine Mountain Designs

In gathering my WIP's and supplies together for this WIPocalypse - I have come to the realization that I am living in a very unorganized and cluttered world. I SERIOUSLY need to purge through some things. I just went through the computer/stash room and gathered one whole trash bag full of *JUNK* in under 5 minutes. Now to keep that momentum up. ***I seriously need to stop - I've had to edit this Final list 3 x now. LOL

2012 WIPocalypse List (in progress)

2011-12-30T06:52:00.000-08:00

Working on my 2012 WIPocalypse list. Hoping this will help me get my stitching mojo back!

Start of list - I need to dig through my WIP's and get them organized.

1. Shores of Hawk Run Hollow- Carriage House Samplings
2. Mermaids of the Deep Blue - Mirabilia
3. Alhambra Garden - Chatelaine Designs

4. Little House Neighborhood - Little House Designs
5. Holly & Ivy Sampler - TW Designs
6. Titanic - Dimensions (this is my oldest WIP)
7. Personalized Sampler
8. Lady of the Flag - Mirabilia (need to find)
9. Egyptian Sampler - TW Designs (not feeling this one - may need to find a new home for it) LOL

There's more, these are the ones I could get to/remember. I KNOW I have more Mirabilia and TW's as well as some smaller Pine Mountain WIP's.

2011-11-23T04:38:00.000-08:00

Oatmeal Cookies with Orange Soaked Cranberries
(clickable link to Coastal Living website)

One of the neighbors brought these cookies to our neighborhood Thanksgiving get-together last Saturday. I passed on them the first time to grab one of the homemade creme horns that we had made that morning. As the neighbor was leaving, she passed around her basket of cookies....OMG!!! Then she said the recipe was in the latest Coastal Living magazine (which I JUST started a subscription to and my first issue had arrived a few days earlier). I went home and SCORE - I had the right issue! I later found the recipe at the website online - and thought I would share. If you have a cookie exchange to go to this year - take these. They are THAT GOOD.

The picture doesn't do these justice....just sayin' LOL

Oatmeal Cookies with Orange Soaked Cranberries
Ingredients

3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup orange liqueur
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup uncooked regular oats
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped

Preparation

1. Combine first 2 ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Drain and set aside. (To quickly steep cranberries, combine cranberries and liqueur in a small bowl, and microwave on high 30 seconds; cover and let stand 2 hours.)
2. Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk together flour and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually beat in granulated and brown sugars. Beat in egg, orange zest, and vanilla. Add flour mixture, and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in oats, chocolate, and cranberries.
4. Drop mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased or parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake, in batches, 10 to 12 minutes or until edges just begin to brown. Cool on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks, and cool completely.

Jackie Mills, R.D., Coastal Living NOVEMBER 2011

2011-09-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

The reason I can't get anything done............

Where ever we are, that's where she wants to be! LOL

2011-09-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make....but I'll get to that in a bit.

I wanted to show you this painted buoy that one of the gals in the neighborhood painted. When DH and I would fly kites on the beach, our sweet girl Nina used to run and chase after them. I had taken numerous pictures of her doing this, and I gave one to our artist neighbor to see if she could paint me a buoy with Nina on it.

One of the 0riginal picture's I sent:

The artist rendition:

(crappy light I know). I actually had this done before Nina passed away, but it just means so much more to me now. Even though we have Lexi, I still miss my old girl.

Now for the confession - I haven't stitched in months...MONTHS I tell ya! Just have NOT been "in the mood" or "the mood hasn't hit me", as my grandma used to say. This has really been a rough year - With my father-in-law's health at the end of last year, and then Nina's cancer, surgery and passing. Then with my job change and Nate moving out this year. I have been in a bit of a funk (and yes, I had a breakdown in the doctor's office when she asked "how are you doing"- and I now have a wonderful little happy pill to keep me sane).

I think the cooler weather, the return of something to watch on TV in the evenings, and my "happy pill" have given me the urge to pick up my stitching again. I have been working on Shores of Hawk Run Hollow FOREVER it seems (my stitching buddy, Susan, has long left me in the dust and completed her Shores already).

I have pulled it out from the depths of my stitching bag, set up the Ott light, and am getting ready to put it back on my q-snaps. Before doing so, I snapped a few pictures. Here is the block I'm working on:

and where the entire project is:

Let's see how far I get this winter on it!

2011-09-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

Our lazy hound dog! She is a mess - but we love her to pieces.

Grandview Beach yesterday, as Hurricane Katia is offshore.

Grandview Beach tree with part of a rainbow in the background.

2011-09-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

What is everyone doing this fine Labor Day? I'm doing laundry, and still trying to get my house back in order. Samantha and I have a date for pedicures at 2:00, and I still need to shower.

We survived the hurricane......we evacuated to the in-laws, and lost power there early on. Go figure. According to all the Facebook posts I was reading on my iPhone, our little corner of the world kept power the ENTIRE time. DS was NOT amused, he was ready to go home within one minute of the power going out at Grandma's. LOL

We did flood, which is normal - had about 9 inches of water in the garage and yard. Debris of course from the neighborhood (if you know it's going to flood, WHY don't you pick up the crap in your yard first)??

It's been a nice weekend. My family reunion was canceled, so we had laid low. It's back to work tomorrow, and then I'm off Friday, so it's a 3 day work week for me!

2011-08-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

For those of you that I'm not in contact with on Facebook, we are evacuating due to the Hurricane. We live in a very low lying area, and are under mandatory evacuation. We will be going a few miles inland to my in-laws house. Hoping to leave tomorrow (Sat morning) and return Sunday.

For reference, here are some past flooding pictures. I thought I had Hurricane Isabel pictures, but it was before I started blogging....and my November 2009 Nor'easter pictures are on Facebook! During Isabel, we had 33 inches of water in the garage....and yes, we evacuated then too. LOL It should be interesting, my mom and father in law, Nate and his girlfriend, DH, me, 3 dogs, 2 rats, and a hedgehog, plus umpteen computers, cell phones, ipads, etc. (you know, the IMPORTANT STUFF)!! LOL

Ernesto

October 2006 nor'easter

Stay safe everyone in the path of the storm.

2011-07-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

My husband just posted this on FaceBook - I am still LOL - as he and I differ when it comes to music. I LOVE praise songs - and can sing them over and over. As you can tell, he has his own opinion:

The Problem with Praise Songs

by Rusty Belcher on Sunday, July 24, 2011 at 9:15pm

First off, don't get me wrong. I love praising the Lord in song. I don't care if it is a classic hymn or a modern tune. My problem is praise songs that only have one verse that is repeated over and over. Would it have killed the author / composer to take a little more time and come up with a second verse? How hard could it be? Well i decided to find out for myself.

After singing today's praise song in church this morning, I decided to see how many additional verses I could come up with before the service was over. Here you go.

Great and Mighty

Great and Mighty is the Lord our God.
Great and Mighty is He.
Great and Mighty is the Lord our God.
Great and Mighty is He.
Lift up your banner, let the anthems sing,
Praises to our king.
Great and Mighty is the Lord our God.
Great and Mighty is He.

Great and Mighty is the Lord our God.
Great and Mighty is He.
Great and Mighty is the Lord our God.
Great and Mighty is He.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God,
That's what we believe.
Great and Mighty is the Lord our God.
Great and Mighty is He.

Great and Mighty is the Lord our God.
Great and Mighty is He.
Great and Mighty is the Lord our God.
Great and Mighty is He.
God gave us his only Son,
Who died for you and me.
Great and Mighty is the Lord our God.
Great and Mighty is He.

Great and Mighty is the Lord our God.
Great and Mighty is He.
Great and Mighty is the Lord our God.
Great and Mighty is He.
Jesus is the way, the truth and light,
The only way to God is He
Great and Mighty is the Lord our God.
Great and Mighty is He.

Great and Mighty is the Lord our God.
Great and Mighty is He.
Great and Mighty is the Lord our God.
Great and Mighty is He.
He coming back to take us with him,
Will you come with me?
Great and Mighty is the Lord our God.
Great and Mighty is He.

Great and Mighty is the Lord our God.
Great and Mighty is He.
Great and Mighty is the Lord our God.
Great and Mighty is He.
Praise Songs should have more than one verse,
It not that hard you see.
Great and Mighty is the Lord our God.
Great and Mighty is He.

2011-06-27T06:22:00.000-07:00

I should go on road trips more often! I actually finished something on the ride up to N. VA this weekend. Here is Pine Mtn Designs Summer fun. Forgive the picture quality. I took it a few minutes after I finished it, in the truck, with my cell phone. LOL

We had a nice time with the nephews this weekend, seeing CARS 2.

Here are Tristan (l) and Cartney (r), waiting for the movie to start. The pictures I took of Dylan were too dark :(

Lexi h ad her first road trip and we won't be doing THAT again any time soon. She managed to pee and poop in my BIL's house within 30 minutes of getting there (after already doing it outside). She barked, ran off once, and annoyed the heck out of their dog Nevis. She did manage to get in the pool:

although it wasn't her choice. But at least we know she can swim - and good too!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week! I am off work today, and Friday, so only had to work 3 days this week - and have a 4 day weekend coming up!! YAY

2011-04-21T04:08:00.000-07:00

Big Changes!

Well, the past few months have brought BIG changes to the Belcher household. DH and I are now empty nesters. Yup, and I SURVIVED it! Not without a few tears hear and there (and they still pop up every now and then). DS had dropped the hint a few months ago that he and his GF/fiancee were "looking at apartments". The girlfriend's dad has a new lady friend and wasn't home much, so he offered to have DS move in there. Their house is about 3/4 of a mile away, so it's still close, but we rarely see either of them. Their schedules are different - he starts work at 7 a.m., and she doesn't get off work usually until 9:30 pm. I'm not too thrilled with the fact that they are "living together", but I have to get over that I guess. I can't tell them how to live their life. I am thankful they are in a committed relationship though, and DS truly loves her and has told me on more than one occasion "Mom, she is THE ONE for me".

So, DH and I are figuring out a new relationship on our end. It's kind of nice to be able to do what we want, when we want. I've had to learn to "let go". It's nice not having as much laundry to wash. The first time DS did his laundry after he moved out, it DID result in not one, but two phone calls to me with questions. I did laugh over that.

On a professional level, I have a new job that I start on April 25. After 29 years, I left my employer and will be working for good ole Uncle Sam (or Uncle Obama as my good friend Geni told me - since she knows my feelings about him lol). I will still be working in credentialing, at a naval hospital in our area. I will have a longer commute (45 mins approx vs a 15-20 minute one), I'm hoping it won't be too bad, but I will have one tunnel to go through. Luckily, it isn't *the* busiest one here in the area, which is prone to backups and delays - so I'm hoping most days are smooth sailing.

I'm off this week and "unemployed". I'm trying to get the house decluttered and in order. Sadly, it's going much slower than I anticipated. LOL Monday and Tuesday I didn't do much of anything - just enjoyed being home, and having DH home. His work schedule has been absolutely CRAZY. Last week he was in Sioux Falls, SD (and DS happened to be in Kansas City) - both gone on the same week - and it was an emotional week for me, since it was my last week at my former employer. DH has made a point to work from home this week and we have lunch dates, and taking a few breaks during the day to sit on the deck and relax for a few minutes. I did have an amazing Tastefully Simple party Tuesday night (almost $700 in sales so far). Tomorrow (Friday), DH and DS have off, so we are going to hit up Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and DH's partner at work is treating us to lunch there. He invited us to go with his family. Busch Gardens has an awesome B1G1F ticket - so it worked out great for us. DS needs to find a friend or we have a $15 off any ticket deal for him.

That's all for now!
Suz

2011-02-26T01:15:00.000-08:00

Say it ain't SNOW!.................

Our day after Christmas snow! It actually started snowing Christmas night - woke up the next morning to a winter wonderland! It was beautiful!

I'm trying to catch up on posts and get info/pictures up that I want to keep. Those of you following me on Facebook...sorry for the repeat!

2011-02-26T00:58:00.000-08:00

And now we have Lexie.......

Lexie came to us via Craigslist. A young (very young) military couple had her in small apartment over in Norfolk. After several phone calls, one of which in the background I heard the male owner say "if she wants her tell her to come get her...RIGHT NOW". Apparently several people had called about Lexie and set up a time to meet her, but didn't show up. So, off we went and we brought her home. She's MUCH happier here. She will now leave food in her bowl - when we first got her, she wolfed down food like she had never had any before.

Guess who is is her favorite?

Where ever DH is.........Lexie is usually right beside him. He worked from home the entire month of January as he was writing a training manual. So, they were home all day together!

She is really TOO big to be a lap dog.

Such a goofball

We need to get her in a training class. She's right now just a year old. Also, she spazzes out when she sees other dogs (especially when they are loose and running around the neighborhood). Her bark is really LOUD and annoying. Nina was bigger than the beagle next door, but Lexie is huge. Much longer and taller. I think she's more walker coonhound or Harrier....but whatever she is...........I think we will keep her!

2010-12-18T17:05:00.000-08:00

Where Did the Time Go? -

(this post was originally started on Dec 18 - The day we put Nina down)

I'm not sure where the fall of 2010 went. It started in September, when we discovered our sweet Nina dog had a mast cell tumor on her front paw. After having it aspirated and meeting with our vet, and referred to and meeting with a surgical vet, instead of amputating at the shoulder, we opted to amputate 2 toes on her paw. She was 10, our lifestyle and where we live would have made it difficult for her to get by on 3 legs. Anyway, the same day she had her surgery, my father-in-law underwent double bypass surgery. Recouperation on both took weeks...

December brought us to our much planned for Disney vacation. 23 people total from my husband's side of the family. In-laws and out-laws so to speak. It was fun and we totally relaxed and had a great time. Mom-in-law and Father-in-law tooled around Disney and Universal on scooters.

The week after we came back, we noticed a knot on Nina's neck. It literally grew overnight and by the time we got her to the vet and had it aspiration, it was the diameter of a softball. So not good. Again, it was mast cell tumor and the vet said there was really nothing to do but make her comfortable. I found out on the way home driving thru snow (which around here causes havoc no matter how little or much snow we get). That same night, on the way home, DS ended up spinning out and putting his car in a ditch. NOT a good day.

He went the next day and traded in his car for a BAT (Big @** Truck) Ford F250 4X4. Yes, he bought it himself, we didn't have to co-sign for it. :)

We made the difficult decision to put Nina down the Saturday before Christmas. I still cry (and am now) just thinking about it. Such a sad day. Our neighbors came over the night before and spent some time with her, we all just cried together while loving on her. She was on mega pain drugs and you could still see the waves of pain move through her. Can I just say, I HATE CANCER.

I cried for two days before hand and for days and weeks after wards. I still miss her desperately. I can't bring myself to change the picture on my phone and i-pod. So I see her every time I pick those up.

Now we have Lexie - who, is quickly stealing our hearts. Although she has become DH's dog. He was out of town last week and she was NOT happy that he didn't come home at night. She would look out the window and whine and pine for him. I'll share the story of how she came to live with us in a future post. The picture below is her on Christmas night, laying on DH's knee. She was tuckered out from all the nephews and people that had come by to visit.

2010-06-21T16:49:00.000-07:00

This guy was hanging out on one of my flower hangers. He was so cute, and even let me touch his wings. Then he moved around and faced me, so I could get some really cool shots.

Yeah, it doesn't take a lot to thrill me! LOL DS's girlfriend is great at photography, and she has been giving me a few tips. But, I just love dragonflys.

2010-06-04T01:10:00.000-07:00

I'm having a House Party!

My neighbor is a member of houseparty.com and a few months ago she was selected to have a Digiorno pizza party during the basketball playoffs. Houseparty.com sent her coupons for free pizzas for the party, party favors, games to play, etc. DH and I went and had a blast! She has also been selected for a Hasbro game night party in the next few weeks.

I signed up (it's FREE), and have been applying to host some parties that looked interesting. When I was a little girl, my grandma canned every summer the fresh produce from her garden. One of the parties was to host a Ball Fresh Taste of Summer party. Guess what, yep, I was selected to host!

My party is Saturday. I received a huge box last week, with a Ball Elite canner, along with the utensils, coupons for 4 dozen Ball canning jars (THAT went over well at the grocery store LOL), coupons to share with my guests, recipes, along with fruit pectin boxes and some nice recyclable bags to carry your groceries in for goodie bags. We will be making salsa and pepper jelly. It should be fun! I did buy all 4 dozen canning jars, and since we will be using only 2 dozen - I'm going to give the other two away as door prizes, along with the extra Ball Blue Book on canning.

Do any of you can? My grandma made the BEST green beans. I can remember huge mason jars of green beans down in the basement lining the shelves. Oh they were SO GOOD (even my DH misses those green beans).

Check out houseparty.com and see if there's any parties you would be interested in! Not everyone that applies gets selected for the party, but it sure is worth it when you are selected! I LOVE all the freebies!

2010-06-02T22:48:00.000-07:00

Dolphin day at the beach

Yesterday was dolphin day! DH and I worked on some house projects in the morning, and in the afternoon we snuck down to the beach with the dog. There was a wonderful breeze, just a perfect day (and a nice way to end his vacation). While there, a school of dophins came by. It was so cool seeing them. One guy on a jet ski out in the bay was going really slow beside them. I bet that experience was AMAZING.

I would have loved to have been on the back of the jet ski!!

Another shot.

Sadly the trip had to end about 3:30. DH managed to fly one of the kites for a little. The dog had ran herself half to death by then and she just sat and barked at it. It was hot unless you were under the shade of the umbrella, even with the breeze.

We had a business meeting at church last night. It was crazy. Last year we partnered with another church in our Association and have been meeting quarterly with them. Their style of worship is different from our traditional service....some of us really enjoy their style and love being together in the sanctuary together. Some (older crowd) are not enjoying it as much. The sister church approached us about making this a monthly event - so that's what we were voting on. Well, you would have thought they asked to merge churches, change the name and move. There were words said last night that I have NEVER heard in a church meeting before....and yes, even race was brought into it. I just couldn't believe it.

In the end, we voted to have a joint service once a month for 5 months and evaluate after that if we continue or not. It's not what I want, it's not personal preference for someone else either....our main goal is to win souls for Christ - whether they be white, black, hispanic, gay, straight, rich, poor....it doesn't matter.

Now, it's 2:00 a.m. and I can't sleep! So many thoughts running thru my head. I think I just needed to get them written down.

2010-06-02T06:53:00.000-07:00

OK, I'll switch it up a bit with some stitching.

I did get in a bit of time Sunday evening during the Nascar race to work on Shores of Hawk Run Hollow. I'm working on the middle block on the left (the one with a bunch of rocks).....YUCK - I'm sure when I get to the lighthouse, I will like it a LOT better! LOL Since I'm on vacation this week, I'm going to try and put in a few stitches each day on it.

On payday last week, I did order the last of the series - Autumn of Hawk Run Hollow. So, I have Shores, Christmas and Autumn. That's really the three that I wanted, so I'm happy. Bought them all on sale, and hopefully paid a better price than I would later down the road from Ebay! LOL I'm not going to start stitching this one any time soon, but at least I have it - since the company is going out of business soon.

Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow by Carriage House Samplings

Today I am working on the house, doing laundry (you can sure tell it's summer around here, I'm on my 4th load of towels in 2 days - mostly beach towels), and DH wants to make a run to ACE to get some paint for the upstairs bathroom. It's starting to show mold, so we need some Killz. We need a new fan in there too, and then DS is going to get a nice reminder to "TURN THE FAN ON" when he gets into his steam shower at 5:30 a.m. I know he likes a hot shower, but good LORD he can steam it up. Of course, this bathroom is very small, both of ours are, but dang it's like a sauna in there when he gets out. Maybe my hot flashes just prevent me from wanting that now! LOL

I went to the podiatrist yesterday and have been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. It's been bugging me off and on for several months now. Every time I stand a long time, or get on the treadmill and walk, the next day it is painful. The pain was getting increasing worse, so I made the dreaded appointment. He did an ultrasound on my foot, said "yes, that's what you have", discussed treatment options, gave me a cortisone shot and a nice, lovely boot to sleep in at night to keep my foot straight. I wore it last night and didn't get much sleep - kept the boot on until 1:00 am, took it off and slept till 4:15, then put the boot back on. I'm sure the cortisone shot plays a lot into it, but my foot feels AWESOME today! He also told me not to wear flats or flip flops anymore. Shoes with a bit of wedge heel is good. I haven't worn heels in years, most of my work shoes are flats and I ***LIVE*** in flip flops or go barefoot year round. ~sigh~ So, now I'm on the hunt for shoes.

Off to get something done!!

Suz

2010-06-01T16:53:00.000-07:00

We had a lovely Memorial Day weekend. Yes, it's picture time again too, since you know I LOVE the beach. I've taken about 400 pictures lately. No, I won't post all of them. LOL For those of you on Facebook, I've posted a lot there.

This is a picture of the beach tonight. Totally tranquil and beautiful.

This is my handsome DH on the beach flying one of the kites. He is now up to 115 lbs lost....and he looks HOT if I do say so myself. LOL He wants to lose about 35 more pounds.

Here's to a great start to Summer! I'm on vacation the rest of this week and am SO looking forward to it!

2010-04-12T07:34:00.000-07:00

I'm home today, and not moving around much (I fell yesterday at church - I'm fine, just a bit sore). I went out on the deck to sit in the sun, but had an unwelcome visitor. He seems to want to hand around, in mid-air, just hovering...... I took a few pictures, but wish he would just GO away so Nina and I could enjoy the sunshine! LOL

He is pretty!!!

2010-03-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

FINALLY - a stitching update (I know, don't faint). I finished up the top left block in the picture (which I still have 6 more blocks to go on this). The last time I posted a stitching update on this, was in September, and I had about half the house done. Yes, it's taken me that long. I didn't get a lot of stitching done over the winter months and in the past few weeks I've had the urge to pick it up again.

I'm sad to hear that Kathy @ Carriage House Samplings won't be designing anymore. I guess I need to go ahead and order Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow.

2010-02-05T23:30:00.000-08:00

We have a Nor'easter going on outside. It's 2:34 a.m. and I've been awake since midnight. The wind is HOWLING and the house is shaking. Our bedroom is on the 3rd floor and well, when you are laying in bed and feel it shaking - ummm, it's not a comforting feeling. LOL

I heard the blinds rattling downstairs, to find one of our windows had blown open. We have the Andersen windows that latch on the side. Called DH down and it took us 15 minutes to get the window closed to latch. The wind was working against us. Said window is broken, and he had to pull the broken slide latch off at the bottom of the sill. Nor'easter 1, Belcher's 0.

High tide is soon, and yes, it's flooding outside. The weatherman said minor tidal flooding - 3-4 feet above normal high tide. We start flooding around 4 feet, just minor stuff. Ummm, yeah....

While the rest of the East Coast is receiving an abundance of snow, we are getting monsoon rains and wind. I'm dreaming of these days again......

it's either that, or we move to the desert. LOL or New Mexico maybe???? They are usually nice and dry!

Suz

2010-02-03T16:57:00.000-08:00

We had a great relaxing day on Sunday. Church was canceled due to the snow/ice. After running around outside, Nina spent most of the morning doing this:

Sunday morning sunshine

DH and I went for a walk on the beach in the afternoon. The treadmill broke and he's still walking his 2 miles every day. (new part should be here soon).

Another beach shot

Beagle on the beach - notice the snow on the top part of the beach

2010-02-03T16:48:00.000-08:00

It's no secret in our family, that I LOVE snow. Growing up in WV - I had a wonderful childhood FULL of wonderful memories of snow. Here are some pictures of our snowfall from this past weekend.

Yes, SNOW on the beach!! Gorgeous!!

DH and DS on the beach.

An anchor in a neighbor's yard

Snowy pine tree

Nina in the snow

2010-01-02T15:32:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!! and an update of sorts..........

I'm trying to dust off the old blog and get motivated again - but, well, you know how that goes! LOL

It's been a wild couple of months. November was pretty busy for me work wise. I had several Tastefully Simple parties - and hit my highest month sales. I also had a $1,000 party for sales, which was AWESOME.

The Monday after Thanksgiving, DH fell down the garage steps and broke his wrist. He was lucky he wasn't killed or paralyzed. It was bad enough that he had to have surgery and has just this last week been working a bit from home. He goes back to work Monday but still has physical therapy appointments 3 times a week. The orthopaedic doctor has already told him his wrist will not ever be 100% and not to expect it.

I'm not sure what happened to the month of December - it just sort of came and went fast. I think we were dealing with the above and Christmas was here before we knew it. I ended up putting up a small tree, and hanging 2 wreaths outside on the windows. That's about all the decorating I did. Luckily, we had already decided to only buy for the nephews, and DS and his GF and DS's friend V, we gave money to. It worked out well, and was a lot less stressful! We had the in-laws over for Christmas dinner and it was SO nice just being together.

DH and I celebrated our 26th anniversary on New Year's Eve. We splurged with funds from my Dad, and went to The Melting Pot. It's a fondue restaurant and was just FABULOUS! A cheese fondue course with apples, vegetables and bread, then salads, a meat course and then dessert. Four of us went, so we were able to try 2 different styles of each course. It was just a WONDERFUL night! DH was not looking forward to it - he has been on a diet since August and has lost 74 pounds. But he ended up enjoying himself and just did a double workout on Friday!! He wants to hit the 75 pound mark tomorrow (weigh in day). The fact that he lost weight during Christmas week just tells of his commitment. I am SO very proud of him.

Notice I don't have a stitching update. Well, I haven't stitched in months - I take that back - I DID stitch some during the Tournament of Roses parade yesterday. But before that, nothing. Shhhh, don't tell DH, but I did order Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow (and it arrived today). I haven't opened the package as yet - but I am looking forward to fondling - and hope it helps my mojo to come back!!! LOL

I need to run clean up the kitchen and make some brownies. The youth from church are coming over tomorrow evening and they want snacks!!!
Suz

2009-10-22T04:54:00.000-07:00

Those of you on Facebook, sorry for the duplicate pictures. The sunrise this morning was breathtakingly beautiful. When I opened up the door to let the dog out, the sky looked like it was just on fire. So I quickly put on sweats and shoes, grabbed the camera and walked up to the end of the road. These are what the camera captured. I played a bit with the lighting i.e. flash or no flash, but other than that, these are straight out of the camera. God's handiwork continually amazes me!

2009-10-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

I feel like I'm in the land of Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. We haven't seen the sun since Wednesday this past week, and it's been raining, cold and windy. Today going to church, we had to drive thru the water over the road, the tide was up that hight. Can you say nor'easter....yes, not one, but apparently two have come up the eastern seaboard. Hopefully by tomorrow we will see that big ball of sunshine. When I got up this morning, I turned the heat on, it was so cold in the house.

I can't complain too much though. I only have to work Monday and Tuesday this week, and them I'm off. Since my vacation for the holidays has gotten royally screwed up, I decided I would take a few days off now. So, I'm really looking forward to it. DH has taken off Wed and Thursday....he has to work Friday, which will give me a day to get stuff done around the house. DS and his GF leave Friday for the Outer Banks. She has never been, so he's taking her for her birthday. So, DH and I will have the weekend to ourselves.

I'm plodding along on my stitching. I decided last night I REALLY need to get my eyes checked. Even with my reading glasses it's getting difficult to see the stitches. That is NOT good. ~sigh~ It sucks getting old! LOL My eyesight has never been the best - I think I started wearing glasses in 3rd grade. So, I need to remember to make an appointment this week with the optometrist.

I'm off to chime choir at 5:00, and have a few loads of laundry to do first. DH is watching the Deadskins....excuse me, the REDSKINS.......WOW, there are lots of empty seats in DC today! If they lose, I bet Mr. Zorn says goodbye to DC this week.

S

2009-10-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

My friend Jane gave me the sign above. Doesn't that just fit me to a "T"? I've been meaning to post it, and never did. Sadly, our beach days are just about over for the year - well, except for the occasional warm day when we can sneak down. The wind off the bay just bites into you in the winter, so a walk on the beach during that time is not a great idea! LOL

Here's my Nina girl from one of our last visits down. Can you see how gray she is turning around her snout and her eyes? I realized the other day we have probably had her longer than we will in the future. She is still such a wonderful watchdog, and can still be playful too.

DH and I continue on our quest for better health. We've been walking on the treadmill in the evenings. He is down 38 pounds since starting - I have been able to tell that he is losing weight, it's showing in his face and in his clothes. I'm having to fight for every .2 of a pound that I can lose. Why is it men can lose so much faster than women? At some point I keep thinking my metabolism will kick in, but I think it's on vacation still! LOL

We had our nephew Cartney here this weekend and he was just such a joy. It's so nice to see the world thru a child's eye. He kept saying "tractor, tractor" and pointing outside. His dad took him outside, and he went down to the garage, pointed to the golf cart and said "tractor" and then "water". LOL So, off they went to see the water on the "tractor". Too funny. I guess he remembered it from the last time he was here.

Nothing else is really going on, except for work. DH and I are enjoying our time in the evenings together. DS is in school 3 nights a week, and I know it's preparing us for the empty nest. DS wants to be in his own place by the time he's 21, but I'm hoping he stays home until he at least finishes up his classes, which I don't think will be by next summer. With working fulltime and then going to school, by Thursday of the week he is dragging tail. I just pray every day that he leaves at 6:15 a.m. for the Lord to keep him safe and get him where he needs to go without incident.

I came home with a migraine today, laid down for a little nap and am feeling a bit better. I think I need to dose up on some meds though, and get to bed early tonight!

Suz

2009-09-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

Day two of a new way of eating...I refuse to use the "D" word. LOL Yesterday and today, I've managed to eat within my points range (following Weight Watchers) and spent 30 minutes yesterday on the treadmill, and over 35 minutes today. DH is on the treadmill now.

DH has been having some health issues lately, and while they started out what we thought were serious issues, come to find out it's stress related. He's been to a pulmonologist, cardiologist and his regular physician, and had numerous tests run. In the interim, he has given up all caffeinated beverages (his drink of choice was diet coke), changed his eating habits and has lost 26 lbs so far. He was given the all clear today by the cardiologist and given the go ahead to work out, so I'm glad to see he is doing so. I stepped on the scales this morning, and while I don't know exactly what my highest weight was, I know what it was the last time I weighed...and I am down 7 lbs from that weight, so that's what I'm going to start at.

I also managed last night to get in a bit more stitching, probably 15-20 minutes or so, not much....but my goal is to at least put in a few stitches each night. It's 6:12 now and we haven't had dinner, which will be salad and grilled chicken (already done, just need to cut it up), so hopefully I can get a few stitches in before heading to bed - I'm an early to bed, early to rise gal! LOL

S

2009-09-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

Hello......is anyone here??? I'm dusting off the cobwebs, and pulling the dustcovers off the furniture.....yes, I know I haven't blogged in a month and a half, and the last time was truly pitiful. It's been a wild and busy summer (I'll do an update on everyone one day this week).

As for this weekend, I have been stitching!! Yes, I know, it's hard to believe that too.....but it's TRUE. Here's proof. See my last picture of Shores over on the right hand side (current progress), well, here's a new current progress pic (please excuse the wrinkles, I'm putting the q-snaps right back on).

and a close up of the block I've been working on:

I've been reading Kathy's blog (of Carriage House Samplings) and she has been showing blocks of the new Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow. Well, that is a MUST HAVE for me. Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year - I just love it and love to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas (my Savior's birth). This will definitely be an addition to my stash at some point when it's released. I HAVE to finish Shores before starting it though....so I'm hoping the thought of Christmas will spur me on!!!! I know Susan is working on her SOHRH too, so hopefully we can bring both of our projects to an end this year.

Isn't the little guy up top (praying mantis) just adoreable? He was hanging out on the deck railing Friday, and I had to snap his picture.

Suz

2009-07-25T16:50:00.003-07:00

Still alive and kicking.....busy summer........all work and no stitching make Suz a cranky girl.
LOL

Suz

2009-07-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, I realize I've been seriously negligent in blog posting lately. I've discovered Facebook however, and am keeping up with some of my stitching buds and other folks there. It's seriously addicting! LOL

Since, DH is in Virginia Beach and will be stuck in this HUGE MESS this afternoon, I thought I'd do a blog post.

Work is crazy busy as ever. We are in the middle of a reappointment cycle and are trying to get applications in as well as processed in the timeframe we have. DH's work is busy, although his company went thru a 20% layoff again last week. He lost some good friends in that layoff, but thankfully he still has a job. DS's job is going GREAT. He had his 30 day evaluation this week, was told he was AMAZING, had surpassed their expectations, and they want to make him a full time employee with benefits as soon as possible. Not sure what their timeframe is on that (he already works full time but is a temporary employee)....so hopefully at 90 days they will make him permanent.

We've been interviewing youth directors at church. We have found an interim, but no permanent person yet. Well, we have one in mind, and some of us want to give her more hours and pay, others don't, and we don't know what the church would say....so we are in limbo right now over that. It's always something. Some people don't want to step out on faith. SOMETIMES you have to do that.

My Tastefully Simple business is going well. I sold $1800 last quarter. The new quarter started July 1, and I already have $255 towards my $400 per quarter needed to stay active. I have 3 parties so far in July, plus a fundraiser for a group at work. In September the fall/winter products come out, so I'm planning a fall/winter kick-off party to sample those.

We don't have a lot of plans for the holiday weekend. Some beach time, hopefully some stitching time, Nascar race and church, but just laying low. It will be nice to have a quiet weekend - or quieter than normal!

Have a safe and happy 4th!
S

2009-06-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

Mirabilia - Mermaids of the Deep Blue

This is what I've been stitching on this weekend!

2009-06-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

My Dad's wife has this gorgeous butterfly bush out in their yard. I fell in love with it once when I was at their house at it was in full bloom. Back in April of this year, I stopped off at a local nursery and bought 2 of the bushes for my yard. One of them has just taken off and is growing like crazy...... here's a picture of one of the blooms. I LOVE how purple it is.

The other bush hasn't grown as much - it's not that far away from the other bush, so who knows. While the purple bush has lots of blooms, this one is just starting out, and is only about half as big as the other. It's definitely a different color, which is fine.

I can't wait to see how big these 2 will grown this year! Then of course, I will have to trim them back so they can do it all over again next year! LOL

2009-06-14T04:22:00.000-07:00

Worship and Praise Sunday

Head on over to Brittany's blog , Sweet Nothings, and join in!!!

Shout to the Lord

I've missed being a part of Worship and Praise Sunday the past few weeks, so I HAD to join in today. Hope each of you are having a wonderful weekend, and a Blessed Day today.

Suz

2009-06-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

Sunset on the beach tonight. DH and I have been working our tails off today inside the house...dusting, dishes, laundry, carpets, etc.....so we took a ride down the beach tonight with the dog to unwind a bit. The sun was just getting ready to set - and the DOLPHINS were out playing in the water. The picture above is not the best, it was taken with my cell phone. It's difficult to wrangle a hound and take a picture at the same time. LOL

DS's GF graduated from high school today. He went to graduation and then out to dinner with her parents. He met her mom for the first time - she apparently LOVES him, they talked about Nascar and wrestling. LOL

Stitching alert!!! I actually STITCHED today! on Mirabilia's Mermaids of the Deep Blue! I went over to one of the Mira boards today and there's a new Mermaid coming out (no picture yet), and well, I felt my mermaids calling to me!! LOL

Suz

2009-06-06T04:27:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday morning and the house is still quiet. Except for the hum of my washing machine. I've already loaded it up with the first load (of many today) and it's working its charm. LOL

DS is supposed to go help his friend, V, move. He and his mom are moving from their house behind us, back over to their house here on our street. With the death of V's stepdad, they can't afford the house they are in. Luckily, they still owned the one on our street - although it's a lot smaller.

DS received his first paycheck yesterday - for 32 hours. He was excited and went straight to the bank. Fridays he only has to work until 10:00 (4 hours), so he was texting me at 9:00 saying "one more hour" ..... the dog. LOL I'm glad he is enjoying his work, and getting a nice paycheck makes it even more rewarding.

I have a busy day today. My house is a wreck - I was gone last weekend remember.... so I have plenty of housework, plus a Tastefully Simple party at 4:00. The deacons/wives from church are going to dinner at 6:00 tonight. We will go late, unless my party goes long. It was on the schedule first though, so if we don't get there, oh well.

It poured rain Thursday night and yesterday. Our yard has standing water in it. DH won't be able to do any yard work today, so I'm hoping to coerce him into helping me inside the house! LOL

S

2009-06-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

The neighbors next door have opened their pool, and a pair of ducks have taken up residence. LOL I think it's hilarious.....and cute! I think it's a salt water pool, so hopefully it's safer for the ducks.

We had a beach visit yesterday after work. The first day when DH could get in the water. It was still too cold for me. DS has been going in the afternoons after work with his GF and her friends. DH and I worked in Va Beach yesterday and on the way home, as we were sitting in traffic, DS sends us a picture of where he was sitting on the beach - we did get him back though - he had to come and pick us up - since he had taken the golf cart! LOL

Still no laptop - it's fried - so now I've been researching netbooks. I have this computer if I need to do anything major, but to surf around and check e-mails etc, a netbook might be just what I need. We'll see........
Suz

2009-06-02T02:21:00.001-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in over a week. I was out of town this weekend. MIL and I went to visit the nephews and my SIL hosted a Tastefully Simple party, with me as the consultant. It was fun seeing the nephews, and the TS party was great - over $600 in sales. YAY

DS is on his second week of the new job. He's finding out how tiring it is getting up at 4:30 a.m. to be at work by 6:00. He's learning he can't stay up as late as he used to. LOL

I have a bit of stitching progress, so I'll try and take some pictures by this weekend and show.

S

2009-05-24T03:17:00.000-07:00

Worship and Praise Sunday
Head on over to Brittany's blog , Sweet Nothings, and join in!!!

Thy Word, Amy Grant

We are off to church, where DS is bringing "the girl". Then we are home to watch lots of racing!!!
Suz

2009-05-22T16:43:00.000-07:00

No, that streak in the sky isn't a plane, it's the TacSat-3 rocket, which was launched from NASA's Wallops Island on Tuesday evening this week. They had been trying to launch for several days, but bad weather always got in the way. Tuesday evening was perfect!

It's been a really BUSY week at work, and next week I'm only working two days, so it's gonna be NUTS. At least it's a long weekend - LOVE 3 day weekends! Today was a work at home day for me too, so it was nice NOT having to fight traffic or anything else.

DS asked this morning if we wanted to meet "the girl". LOL They headed out to the movies this afternoon, and she picked him up (her vehicle has a/c, DS's doesn't). LOL He said they are not BF/GF just yet, but still "getting to know one another"....yeah, whatever.....he's met her parents and she's met his, so I figure it won't be TOO long before they become a couple.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend! Here's to lots of fun in the sun, good food, fun drinks, some REALLY GREAT RACING - (ya'll know what I'll be doing after church on Sunday - Indy 500 & Coca-Cola 600 - can it get any better than that).....

Suz

2009-05-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

What a Week!

aka: Nate's Best Week Ever!

DS has been offered a job! a real honest to goodness paying job. He starts May 26 and will be working as a designer/drafter for Synerject. The sad thing for me, is....he's almost making as much per hour as I AM....and I've been working for 27 years!! It's full time, temporary (no benefits) for right now......however it can become permanent with a few criteria being met, one of which is his attaining his degree. Which is fine - for right now he's covered on our health insurance.

He's also enrolled for 2 classes this summer. Since they are 8 week classes, it's much easier to get them out of the way now, than in the fall or spring semesters. He's going to be pretty busy until mid-July, but hey, he's 19 - what else does he have to do? LOL One of the other stipulations for his job was his instructor that recommended him for the job is now his advisor. He will be keeping a close eye one Nate to make sure he's not overloaded, and also that he's keeping on task with his school and his job. It feels kinda like a co-op program, but DS is the only one in it. LOL

DS has also been on *two* dates...his third will be tonight. They are going to the movies. No, I haven't met her yet, although I have seen a picture on Facebook. Apparently her parents are as protective of her, as we are of him. LOL

Yesterday, at the softball game, DS hit a home run. He was (and still is) thrilled over that accomplishment. I think he just wants to rub it in the rest of the team's face. Also, they won the game - the first this year.

It's rainy and dreary here this weekend. I'm in a funk. Oh yes, the hard drive on my laptop is toast. The laptop won't even boot up anymore.....this happened Friday night. So, until that is fixed (and no plans nor $$ for that in the near future), I'll be sharing this computer with DH and DS. It's the main one in the house, that everyone has easy access to.

S

2009-05-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

Worship and Praise Sunday
Head on over to Brittany's blog , Sweet Nothings, and join in!!!

This is an oldie, but I still enjoy singing it:

“We Have Come Into His House”

We have come into His house and gathered in His name to worship Him
We have come into His house and gathered in His name to worship Him
We have come into His house and gathered in his name
To worship Christ the Lord. Worship Him, Christ the Lord.

Let’s forget about ourselves and magnify His name and worship Him.
Let’s forget about ourselves and magnify his name and worship Him.
Let’s forget about ourselves and magnify His name
and worship Christ the Lord, worship Him, Christ the Lord.

2009-05-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

DS received his grades for this semester. To say I'm proud of him is an understatement!

2009-05-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

My girl's getting old. Look at the white on her face. She has another lump growning on her front leg. It's more like a mole. The vet said she would get more of these. She's now up to three. It's so hard seeing an animal grow older. Although, she can still run and play like a pup, and she can certainly growl and BITE when she wants to. LOL

I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day. I missed my Mom-in-law. She and Dad (FIL) are on a cruise. She called me at work today though, since we were at lunch yesterday when she called. They are in St. Thomas today and enjoying the life of cruising.

After lunch yesterday, I tried to sit out on the deck and get in some stitching time. Wouldn't you know it....here came DH and DS.....for about 30 minutes, just shooting the breeze. It was fun, they just didn't want to leave me alone for a moment. Finally DH had to get some work done, and DS and I went to Barnes & Noble. Once we got back home....well, DH was still working and DS had books....so I managed to squeeze out a little "me" time. LOL

I stayed up way too late last night watching the Celebrity Apprentice, and paid dearly for it today. Tonight will be an early night.

2009-05-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

Worship and Praise Sunday

Head on over to Brittany's blog , Sweet Nothings, and join in!!!

The song I picked today is You Are My King (Amazing Love).

I'm posting early since I know tomorrow will be a crazy day.

2009-05-09T14:36:00.000-07:00

Now that spring is here, we have all sorts of wildlife around. I've seen a possum twice, waddling around. Nina saw it one morning around 6:15, and decided the entire neighborhood needed to hear about it. LOL There's nothing like a beagle bay, especially THAT early in the morning.

This guy was hanging around one evening too. He had a sibling on the other side of the grass, but I wasn't able to grab a picture of him. They are hiding out in the pampas grass.

This is our neighbors pool that was covered for the winter. We've had so much rain, that the DUCKS decided it made a great duck pond. LOL Sadly, the neighbor took the cover off the afternoon I took this picture. Too funny, huh?

It's been a busy week at work, what else is new. DS heard back from the job he interviewed with (about a month ago). They want him to come back in on Thursday to discuss the job description, and salary/benefits. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

He also had a (shhhhh date) on Thursday night this week. A gal from the neighborhood. They went to the movies together, although they drove separately - I don't know why - but I think it has something to do with DS's LOUD truck......anyway, he finally opened up a bit about her today. I'm trying not to pry, which if you know me, is REALLY HARD. LOL

ALSO, on the DS front, he has his grades from this semester at school - 3 A's and 1 B. Two classes were for 4 credits, so I'm thrilled that he's doing so well. If he gets this job, he will have to transfer to night classes, which is fine. He only has about 6 more to take though to get his associates degree. A full time job will probably delay that a bit, but hey, at least he would be working in a field of his study, which would encourage him to keep taking the classes.

Hope all of you have a WONDERFUL and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY tomorrow!!!

Suzanne

2009-05-04T09:35:00.001-07:00

I had a killer sinus headache this weekend, so no postings from me. We didn't do a whole lot, mainly because I felt so bad. Saturday DS had 2 softball games, which DH went to. I turned the TV off and had some peace and quiet. It was wonderful!

Yesterday was Sunday School (I had to teach since our regular teacher was out of town)..and church (I had nursery). DH's new class (this is week three) went from 5 people, to 11 people yesterday! We know the numbers will go up in the summer when the college students are home too. He was thrilled and apparently got a shout out from the Pastor during the worship service.

I picked up my Shores of Hawk Run Hollow Saturday night, while watching the Nascar race. No, we didn't go this year, and I was very thankful - especially with the deluge of rain that we had over the weekend (probably another reason my head was hurting, the barometric pressure is horrid). I do not want to be at the race track in the rain....nope, no WAY. LOL Anyway, back to the stitching, I stitched *maybe* 100 stitches, before deciding my eyes just couldn't take the glare from the Ott light, so I quit.

It's overcast and rainy one minute, and the next it's sunshine. Supposed to be like this thru the week. Everything sure has turned GREEN though....you can almost see the grass growing it's so happy. LOL

Hope everyone has a great week.
Suz

2009-04-27T04:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday evening Sunset at the Bay

DH, DS and I made a quick dash to the beach Saturday night to catch the sun going down. Well, that's what I wanted to do. DS wanted his dad to help him practice softball, which they did (it's fun on the beach). While they were doing that, Nina and I walked around, and of course, a few pictures were taken! LOL

The canal where the boats come in and go out of is being dredged. They are pulling the sand out, and putting it back out into the bay. Here's the setup for that.

Once we started seeing the mosquitos buzzing around, we quickly headed home. They are as big as horseflies around here!!! LOL

Suz

2009-04-27T04:31:00.000-07:00

Pictures from a Sunday afternoon on the deck.

We live in the same city as Langley AFB, and every year the USAF Thunderbirds make a stop for the airshow. Luckily, where our house is located, they fly right over us, as they are turning to make the run into Langley. Here are a few pictures from Sunday afternoon. These were all taken from our front deck.

Susan, I hope your DH had a great time visiting here! Unfortunately it was really HOT this weekend. The heat and humidity we had this weekend, is what it is like in July and August here, but NOT April!!

2009-04-26T03:26:00.001-07:00

Worship and Praise Sunday

Head on over to Brittany's blog and join in!!!

For my song this week, it's "I Am Free" by the Newsboys (I like that group, can you tell) LOL!! Head on over to Youtube to view the video I found http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWv-UOHzaIc.

Yesterday was fun and exciting. I had my Tastefully Simple kick off party, which ended up being a success! Over $500 in orders and 3 bookings, plus I already have one booking for May and my neighbor wants to do one over the summer sometime. Maybe I really CAN make this happen!

It was SO HOT here yesterday, supposed to hit the 90's, which is NOT normal for us in April. At 9:00 a.m., DH said 'we need to turn on the a/c'. I had both ovens going and it was definitely getting warmer, so ON it went.....there goes the electric bill! LOL

Today is church, then the Youth are coming over for dinner (tacos) and fun tonight. So, a busy weekend for us, and I wanted to give a quick post for Worship and Praise Sunday before the day starts. Hope everyone is having a great weekend! I'm off work tomorrow, so I hope to be able to post pictures. We headed to the beach last night, and I think I managed to get some good shots.

Suz

2009-04-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

You may have to click on the picture to see it, but it's a double rainbow! Taken on Monday evening. The weather has been crazy this week - clouds and rain one minute, the next it's sunshine, then back to clouds and rain. Crazy!!!

Today, the USAF Thunderbirds have been flying around. They have an airshow this weekend here at Langley AFB. I LOVE the Thunderbirds.....so did my mom....she loved going to the airshow. Since she was handicapped, we always had really great seats.
Suz

2009-04-21T16:46:00.001-07:00

DS called between classes today, around 10:30. He usually comes for lunch with me on Tuesday, then heads back for a 12:30 class. I asked him if he wanted to run to Joann's for me, as I needed some DMC floss (for THIS PROJECT). Luckily, he was in an agreeable mood. I texted the #'s to him, and he only called once, from inside the store, saying "is it embroidery floss you want"? LOL

Apparently the check out clerk asked him what project he was working on. He told her it was for me....luckily he didn't tell her I have plenty of projects, I just don't finish them. LOL

As work goes this week, our IT dept switched our programs we use to a dedicated server last week. Since then, we haven't been able to run our application, which is in a report format. We get 2 pages to show up, the app is 22-23 pages. We have 955 application packets that were supposed to be mailed out by now....and none have been mailed. I talked to the company that produces the software today...ummmmm, yeah, THEIR tech support doesn't know why the report isn't running correctly. At this point, we can only laugh.

Suz

2009-04-19T03:00:00.000-07:00

It's Worship and Praise Sunday! Go over to Brittany's blog and join in!

I'm not the most savvy of bloggers, and can't figure out how to get a YouTube video put in here, It seems like everytime I get in the car, it's playing on K-Love. (Edited to add, DH just helped me, he's awesome like that! LOL)

Here are the Lyrics

In the Hands of God - Newsboys

We have raised our hopes and our cities high
We have followed fragile dreams
But only One could take the measure of our goals
And we've stumbled over the trials of life
And we've wrestled the unseen
But only One can calm the storm inside our souls

In the hands of God we will fall
Rest for the restless, and the weary
Hope for the sinner
In the hands of God we stand tall
Hands that are mighty to deliver
Giving us freedom

When our strength gave way to the weight of guilt
'Til we strained for every breath
Only One could lift our shame and make us well
And when all is finished and we face
The fearsome power of death
Only One has overcome the gates of hell

In the hands of God we will fall
Rest for the restless hope for the weary
Hope for the sinner
In the hands of God we stand tall
Hands that are mighty to deliver
Giving us freedom

You're amazing
You're amazing, You are
You're amazing
You're amazing, You are
And we praise You, Lord
For what Your hands have done
You're amazing, You're amazing you are

We are off to SS and Church. DH's new Sunday School class starts today. DS is even going to attend!! It's a college and career age class.

Suz

2009-04-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Weekend! It's gorgeous here today! I just LOVE where we live - well, I could go for a bit of snow in the winter, but this time of year, it's wonderful.

MIL and I had to run to Bed, Bath and Beyond this morning for a wedding shower gift (shower is tomorrow after church). I could do some serious damage to my bank account in that store. LOVE IT! DH and DS went to what I thought was going to be DS's softball games. DH ended up playing too, which I was surprised at, but pleased too. He needs to get out and get more exercise. We actually met on our church softball team back in the day, and we have both spent many a day out on softball fields.

I'm trying to get some household chores done - laundry and things put where they below. Why and how do things always seem to get out of place? LOL

Not much else going on really. Work has been really nice the past few weeks. I have my Blast Off Party for Tastefully Simple NEXT weekend, so I'm in the process of planning prep for it. My SIL has already booked a party in May, so I'm hoping to get a few parties booked through the summer months.

Tonight is the Nascar race, so I'm hoping to fix a few wings and maybe, just *maybe* pick up my stitching.

Suz

2009-04-12T05:15:00.000-07:00

Worship and Praise Sunday
What better day than to praise and worship today!
He is Risen, He is Risen, Indeed!!!

In my haste to post this morning, I forgot to link to Brittany, over at Sweet Nothings. She hosts Worship and Praise Sunday! Go pay her a visit and plan to join in!!

Then Came the Morning

They all walked away, with nothing to say, They'd just lost their dearest friend.
All that He said, now He was dead, So this was the way it would end.
The dreams they had dreamed were not what they'd seemed, Now that He was dead and gone.
The garden, the jail, the hammer, the nail, How could a night be so long.

Then came the morning, night turned into day;
The stone was rolled away, hope rose with the dawn.
Then came the morning, shadows vanished before the sun,
Death had lost and life had won, for morning had come.

The angel, the star, the kings from afar, The wedding, the water, the wine.
Now it was done, they'd taken her son, Wasted before his time.
She knew it was true, she'd watched him die too,
She'd heard them call Him just a man,
But deep in her heart, she knew from the start,
Somehow her Son would live again.

Then came the morning, night turned into day;
The stone was rolled away, hope rose with the dawn.
Then came the morning, shadows vanished before the sun,
Death had lost and life had won, for morning had come.
Then came the morning, shadows vanished before the sun,
Death had lost and life had won, for morning had come.
Morning had come.
~Bill and Gloria Gaither

2009-04-11T09:35:00.001-07:00

I know, I haven't been here in what seems like forever! I've been busy - and just haven't had a lot to say. Work has been busy, and my spare time has been devoted to decluttering the house (still a work in progress), and my Tastefully Simple business.

The picture above was taken one night this week. The moon was rising over the Chesapeake Bay and the way it looked thru the trees was just gorgeous. The picture doesn't do it justice, but oh well!

We have a busy weekend on tap. My nephews are visiting with their parents (LOL) and "T" is coming over later to dye Easter eggs. What fun! I also made cupcakes and hope to let him decorate a few with jelly beans. "D" is too little to know what is going on as yet. Next year should really be fun!!

Tomorrow is church and then Easter dinner here at the house. I am off on Monday to recouperate.

2009-03-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

Well, the rain did go away, and we had a gorgeous day today. This is sunset down by the beach tonight. We pulled out the cart and drove down to hopefully get in a nice sunset. I've seen prettier, but it still was nice to get my feet in the sand and walk with the dog.

This has been a busy weekend for us. We've spent it decluttering. We started in the laundry room, since we had an issue with the dryer vent needing cleaned out. So, everything came out, a lot was tossed and things put back in nice order. Then I started with my kitchen cabinets. The bottom ones with all the pots, pans, mixing bowls, etc. I don't have a lot of cabinet space, and since I've been to all these Pampered Chef parties lately, well, I needed some space. I have a pile ready to toss - old pots and pans that had definitely seen better days, lids that I don't have the bottoms to anymore, plasticware, etc.

Today I worked on the hall closet and managed to get a bin full of stuff to have the DAV pick up on Friday. I haven't touched the computer room, or the top kitchen cabinets. After I get those 2 areas done, I will feel like I've accomplished something. Then, it's to the bedrooms upstairs!!

My goal is to have all this done by Easter Sunday. DH's family is coming for dinner. I'm hosting my blast off party for Tastefully Simple on April 25 and then the youth group from church will be over on the 26th for dinner, games and fun. April is going to be a BUSY month, and it's not even here yet!!! LOL

We had a wonderful day today at church. Our service started with the praise song "Come, Now is the time to worship", it starts out:

Come, now is the time to worship,
Come, now is the time to give your heart,
Come, just as you are to worship,
Come, just as you are before your God,
Come

No matter who you are, what you are, or how you are....JUST as you are, you will be accepted by him.

We then had communion (we have this quarterly), and DH was part of the service and was one of the servers. This is his first time since becoming an active Deacon again. I was very humbled and proud to see him serving again. Yesterday morning we went out to church and went thru the preparation of the Lord's Table, finding out where the supplies are kept and how exactly it's set up.

So, it's been a busy weekend, and tomorrow is a work day!!!!! I've had no "me" time, but that's OK - I needed a weekend to get things accomplished around the house, and it's been a GOOD weekend. Sometimes I wish I had the luxury of being a stay at home wife and mom, so my weekends wouldn't be as full, but then again, I know I wouldn't be happy doing that full time either.

Hope ya'll have had a great weekend and you have a wonderful week ahead of you!
Suz

2009-03-28T02:40:00.001-07:00

Rain, rain, go away........come again, another day!!

2009-03-25T18:14:00.000-07:00

I figured I'd make a quick post. I've been spending my extra time this week learning my way around the Tastefully Simple website. I took the plunge and am now an Independent Consultant. I've already received my first online order too! YAY If anyone is interested in more information, or would like to have a book or online party, drop me a note or comment and I'll catch up with you.

DS had a phone interview today and apparently it went really well. He was told they want him to come in for a face to face interview....so that's exciting!! It's in his field of study and he can work part time now and full time once college is finished!
Suz

2009-03-20T16:42:00.000-07:00

Busy week!

My day off Monday, I didn't do a whole lot of catching up from the weekend of stitching and no housework. LOL It felt good not to do a whole lot too.

Tuesday back to work. Had a meeting that night with a group of women in the area that are independent consultants for a company. I've actually decided to become an independent consultant myself and will be talking more about that at a later date. They were very welcoming though and made me feel right at home.

Wednesday, hit up Curves on the way home from work and then did a mad dash thru the grocery store. $174 later, and today I heard that there's nothing in the house to eat. Methinks someone else other than ME should start grocery shopping - LOL

Thursday - In the evening I went to a party that my mentor for the new business was having. I had only been to one party previously and wanted to see how she presented the products. Tasted a few of the items I hadn't tried before - YUM!!

Friday - Didn't hear the alarm go off at 5:15, crawled bleary eyed out of bed at 6:00. Made it to work on time though! LOL Luckily I had my clothes ready to jump into after shower and hair drying. Hit up Curves on the way home again - TWICE this week - YAY. I only ned 5 more visits to reach 200. It's spending time with the family night - so we 3 go off to Buffalo Wild Wings where we help each other in the Trivia game (2). DH wins both games. After dinner, we go to Barnes & Noble - DS buys 2 books - a teenager reading is a GREAT thing! I buy a few books and a new journal for church, DH buys a book on tape and a hardcover. $100 later (I splurged and got a discount card, and saved $21, which almost covered the $25 discount fee). Our B&N in our town opens on the 25th, so I know we will be buying more books over the next year.

Now we are home and I'm trying to get caught up on blogging. I have a whole LIST of things to get done tomorrow, which includes a trip to the bank to make a deposit and open up a new account for business purposes. I'd like to get in a workout at Curves too while there. We shall see. The first order of business, is grabbing a new book, and curling up in bed. I really need to catch up on some sleep. LOL

Suz

2009-03-16T06:18:00.000-07:00

It was a rainy, dreary weekend. DH wasn't feeling all that great, so we stayed inside - I don't think I left the house from Friday evening until this morning! Mostly, I just stitched! I finally finished the block (lower left) of Shores of Hawk Run Hollow that I was working on. Can I just say, those rocks - they are a PAIN. I know some of them are still wrong color-wise, but I grew really tired of frogging those things. On to another block now! YAY Yes, I know, my fabric is wrinkled - I'll fix that when I get finished with the stitching.

I'm actually off work today. My car had to go to the body shop for a fix. Since I had to get a rental car for 2 days and I wasn't sure exactly where I had to go to drop off the car and how long it would take for the rental, I just decided it would be a "mental health" day. Wish the weather was nicer so I could enjoy it more, but that's ok!

S

2009-03-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was rainy, cold and dreary, with the snow and ice on Monday. This weekend, wow what a difference. We've been in the 70's all weekend. The windows are open, the ceiling fans are running, and I can hear the birds chirping outside.

We had the in-laws over for dinner last night, including BIL/SIL and nephew who were in town for the weekend. We grilled chicken, and had salad and corn on the cob.

Today was the time change (snore), also, our church services changed time. Sunday School has moved from 9:45 to 9:30, and worship from 11:00 to 10:30. So, we had to be up and ready to leave earlier than normal. I had nursery during worship service. My friend Barb usually keeps it with me, but she was celebrating her birthday - so I enlisted 2 of the youth girls to help. We ended up with 3 little ones (between 1 and 2 years of age). Since it was so nice, we took them outside to play on the playset. It helped make the hour go by a bit faster! LOL

The father of DH's best friend from high school passed away Friday morning. He was a Methodist minister and has served in the community since the 60's. We will be going to visitation tomorrow evening. I see his wife, Miss Sarah at the hospital each week - as she is one of our volunteers. I know she is going to miss her Henry, moreso than we will. He was a very sweet man.

Hope y'all are having a great weekend!
S

2009-03-02T06:02:00.000-08:00

This is what we woke up to today. What fun! It's not much, but enough to make me happy!!!!! It's freezing cold though, and the wind keeps howling - the power has blipped on and off during the night (and this morning) causing DS to NOT be happy. Each time it goes off, he has to reset the modem for the internet. LOL

Happy Monday!
Suz

2009-02-28T04:16:00.000-08:00

It was sunny and warm (although windy) yesterday, so DH and I took off down the beach to let the dog run. Today it's cold, windy and rainy, but I have my pictures to keep me warm! LOL

Canal where the boats come out and enter the Bay. It was really low tide.

I've always wanted to go inside that huge house and see what it looks like. Can you imagine??

There were only a few others out walking the beach.

Clouds were rolling in, but the sun was still peeking out!

Hope ya'll have a nice Saturday. I got up early to clean house (instead I've spent it on the computer LOL), and my neighbor is having a Pampered Chef party at 11:00. She booked off me, so I need to go - plus I get an item 60% off too for this being one of my bookings. It's my last PC party for a good while. My checkbook will definitely like the break!!

Hubby and I have been reviewing the budget. At least we were given a month's notice to his 10% pay cut. I've called insurance companies and have a quote saving us almost $200 a month on our car insurance for the same coverage - right now we pay $400+ each MONTH with Nationwide. So, it's definitely something we are going to switch.

Hope ya'll have a great day!

Suz

2009-02-24T14:17:00.000-08:00

I had a GC left over from my birthday last year (actually was given to me just in January, but that was fine with me).....so I did a little stash shopping last week. Good thing too... since those days are gone for a bit! Luckily, I have PLENTY of stash to keep me busy for the rest of my life without every buying anything else.....just not enough TIME to stitch it!

I LOVE the new Country Cottage charts. Beach Cottage and She Sells SeaShells. There's one more that I want to pick up, but will probably wait for a nice sale on it. I saw Free Bird (Plum Street Samplers) on the designer's blog, and just fell for it. I love anything patriotic.

I managed to get a 15 min workout in on the treadmill....part of that was jogging - so even though it was a short workout, at least I got moving. I'm hoping to go a bit longer and/or farther each time. Man, I am SO out of shape!!!!!

S

2009-02-23T16:17:00.001-08:00

Look what happened at our house yesterday! Yep, for a brief few minutes, we had a burst of snow. LOL One minute it was raining, the next it was showing. Unfortunately, it didn't last long enough for me.

2009-02-23T16:11:00.000-08:00

DH's employer announced a 10% reduction in pay across the company today. Quarterly bonuses - GONE as well.

We will be doing a nice review of our own budget and slashing accordingly.

WOW

2009-02-21T14:36:00.000-08:00

I saw my neighbor this morning about 10:00, and she told me the neighborhood was having a Mardi Gras parade at 3:30. I hadn't seen the flyer, but mentioned it to DH. Since it was a decorate your golf cart and ride around type parade, we ran to Dollar Tree, bought a bit of bling, and away we went. Below are some pictures from the parade.

DH, Nina (tucked between the two of us) and me!

4 guys dressed like women in a mustang

I know these kids were frozen when they finally got home. It was 40 degrees outside when we were doing this.

Neighbors out waiting for goodies. I bought bracelets and necklaces that glow in the dark and threw them to the kids. A few beaded necklaces, and candy.

These guys were a hoot, but man did the cigar stink.

This guy was drunk from the start. His fingernails and toenails were painted a nice shade of ruby red.

We had fun, but boy were we C O L D when we made it back home. We drove all through the neighborhood (took about an hour). It was fun, but I'd rather have done a July 4 parade! LOL

2009-02-21T10:17:00.001-08:00

This is a bag I received in an exchange on one of the message boards I visit. The bag was chock full of goodies - a mug, tea bags, candy, stitching gadgets, charts, threads, fabric, a cool purple pen, note cards, scissors - just SO MUCH. It was a great exchange!

2009-02-18T13:47:00.000-08:00

I am SO behind in posting. There's just not enough hours in the day. DH has been monopolizing the computer room with work related "stuff". I've been trying to stay out of his way. LOL I'm using this opportunity to clear out the upstairs corner, which was piled with "stuff". The corner is now cleared out and hopefully our treadmill will make it's way up there. If not, I may just have to sit me up a stitching corner there! LOL

DH surprised me with yellow roses for Valentine's day. Isn't he a sweetie! I think I'll keep him for another 25 years!

We are off to church tonight. Dinner and service. Since DH has become an active deacon again, we are trying to get to services more than just on Sunday mornings. At least I don't have to worry about dinner on Wednesdays! Not to mention, I'm chair of Personnel Committee (HOW do I get myself into these messes), and yeah, you wouldn't think a church would have personnel issues, but lo and behold - we DO!!

Suz

2009-02-15T09:58:00.001-08:00

Life is good. Nascar is BACK!

2009-02-08T12:49:00.000-08:00

It's been a really *busy* week at work. Last Sunday started out with DH being sick, some sort of stomach bug - he missed all of the Super Bowl. Monday we both stayed home from work, he was still running a fever and had an upset stomach. DS didn't feel much better, and my head was pounding. We all slept until around noon time, and I then felt like I was back among the living - I love my migraine meds! LOL

The work week was crazy - DH is on a HUGE project that I hope to be able to spill the beans on sometime soon. He is so excited that he was picked to work on it - the software manufacturer actually contacted DH's company about him doing this job for them. With both of our work being crazy at the moment, the weekends are what we live for!

It's been really nice here this weekend. Yesterday it was in the 60's and today it's been in the 70's. We came home from church, packed a lunch and went to the beach. A lot of other people had the same idea - but we didn't care - it was so relaxing and wonderful to feel the sun on my face.

The water was really calm.

Dogs playing in the water!

Buoy (he and Nina are the same age - look how gray he is)!

Another one of Buoy

A shot looking up the beach towards home

It's hard to believe it's February with this kind of weather!!!

Suz

2009-02-01T08:28:00.000-08:00

GOOD LUCK MIKE! This is Mike Tomlin's neck of the woods - he grew up here and attended the College of William & Mary. So, that's one reason why I'm rooting for the Steelers in the Super Bowl.

Does everyone have their 3-D glasses for the ads???

2009-01-31T09:43:00.000-08:00

Happy February (a day early) - I doubt if I will get on to post tomorrow. It will be a busy day with church in the morning and then it's the Super Bowl all afternoon and evening! LOL

We were out early today as I had a 10:00 appt to get my yearly mammogram. See the lovely pink shawl in the picture? That was my booby prize. LOL My employer is a healthcare organization, and when employees come and get their mammograms, they receive a gift. My last gift was a pink travel mug. It's just an incentive, and our names also go in the pot to win prizes and cash during the year. I've never won any of that, I'm just happy to get the shawl this year! LOL

The new mammogram machine was really COOL though. The tech (Pam, who I have known for 20 years) showed me one of my films from 2007. It looks just like an x-ray does. The new digital film was SO much clearer and defined. You could see so much more than on the old x-ray film. Also, the radiologist has buttons that he can move the image around and zoom in on areas that may need a closer look. Very cool! and while the compression was a big uncomfortable, it really did not hurt, which I was thankful for.

DH went with me and stayed in the car. On the way back home, we stopped by a farmer's market and bought some meats, veggies and a few other odds and ends. I bought some hamburger and fresh ground sausage. Wow, what a difference in taste of the sausage. I cooked up a little and used it in the chili I made for dinner tonight. Definitely a nice taste.

DH and DS just left to go to the movies, so I'm going to get some laundry going, and then sit down and pick up my stitching. Hope ya'll have a wonderful weekend!
Suz

2009-01-30T05:15:00.000-08:00

We are saying goodbye to January already! WOW! It seems that just last week, we were celebrating Christmas! The time does fly! It's been a busy month for us -work related. DH has been working on a special project for the past 2 weeks (today is deadline day) and barring any unforeseen circumstances - he submitted the last of the project yesterday! So, we can hopefully enjoy the weekend coming up.

Who are you rooting for in the Super Bowl? DH is rooting for the Cardinals, I'm rooting for the Steelers - I've liked them since Bill Cowher was the coach. So, it should be fun at our house! LOL I'm trying to decide on food for the game....it's either make your own boboli pizzas, chili and beer bread or wings with veggies and dip. Chili and beer bread may be Saturday and the wings Sunday, we will see.

Today is work at home day for me! DH has an appointment at a client site, so he is leaving soon. My work day is over about 1:45 p.m. so guess I should get started!

2009-01-27T16:25:00.000-08:00

I wish the mouse that was in our house last night, was as cute as Mickey! But no, it wasn't. LOL DS went out to the store last night for mousetraps at 9:30 p.m. LOL Sorry, I'm not going to catch it and put it back outside....mice are like snakes....the only good one, is a dead one (in my opinion).

Mouse met his/her demise today. Traps are still set just in case there is another one (or more) hanging around. Now to just keep the dog out of the kitchen. I guess the peanut butter smells good to her too. LOL

2009-01-24T03:01:00.000-08:00

The picture above reminds me of the song "Morning has Broken". DH snapped it one morning this week as he was leaving. We've had some great sunrises this past week!

Yes, we do have heat again..finally and thankfully! Sorry to leave you hanging. Heat was repaired Wednesday. We hadn't been spending a lot of time in the main part of the house while the heat was out, so no computer updates from me!!

Wednesday night, as I was cleaning the kitchen up, I heard a strange hSSSSSSSSSSSSSing sound. It was coming from the laundry room. The hose to the washer broken - I guess it froze up and cracked. So, that is on our list for this morning to fix. There's a boatload of laundry needing done, so it's a *must do* for today!

Last night was family time for us! DS needed a book, so we went to Barnes and Noble. Then we walked to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. We had never been there before, but WOW! DH proclaimed the wings were some of the best he's had - I can't remember the 2 sauces he had them prepared with. I had a chicken tender wrap which was yummy, along with onion rings which were piping hot and really good. DS said he now has a new favorite chicken sandwich! The place was cheaper than Ruby Tuesday's when we eat there, and they offered us refill diet cokes to go before we left. DH was in heaven with that! LOL

Have you ever bought anything from Etsy.com? I made my first purchase this week - it's already arrived and is really nice! I'm in a stitching exchange and needed a bag to put everything in.....I was looking for particular colors and found something that fit perfectly. I also ordered a few goodies from an online cross stitch shop. As the days passed, I was getting antsy that my order wouldn't show up in time for me to put together and mail. Well, yesterday the e-mail came that the order had been shipped! YAY So, I may have a bit of extra time to get it together before mailing - I'm so excited and hope the recipient likes everything. I'll try and remember to take pictures before mailing and then post after she receives it!!

Hope ya'll have a great day!
Suz

2009-01-17T07:13:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: Well - the good news is the heat exchange is broken - however, it's under warranty - so all we have to do is pay a set rate for labor. The bad news is...they can't order the new exchange until Monday, and it will be a few days before it comes in. So, we are without heat in part of the house until then.

We did get a fire going in the fireplace, and the sun has been out today and it's really warmed up inside to a decent temp. Tonight will be when the chill sets in. Note to self: set faucet on drip so the water pipes don't freeze!

We woke up this morning to no heat downstairs. The 2 bedrooms upstairs are on a separate unit, which is blowing hot air continually, since the thermostat is on the outside wall of the bedrooms - and therefore is feeling the cold air from down below.

We had a fire in the fireplace last night, so DH thought he would start a fire this morning. The living room immediately started filling with smoke from the log. The flue is open, nothing different since last night, so he put that out really quick.

There was no cold water in the kitchen earlier, but it has since started running. I think the hot water from the dishwasher must have warmed up whatever was frozen.

We put the dog out this morning, and 30 minutes later I realized she hadn't asked to come back in. Her leash had broken and she was off the front deck. Luckily she was still in the yard, she wasn't telling where she had been though.

Luckily, we have a repairman coming today for the heater - and oh yes, we have little flakes of snow coming down outside. It must be bay effect sprinkles, because according to the weatherman, it was clear and sunny. The sun IS shining, the flakes look like specks of glitter or fairy dust falling. That was enough to brighten my day.

I need to go to the store since I'm hoping to make a big pot of soup and bread. However, given the way things have gone this morning, I'm not sure I should start the car!!!!! LOL

Suz

2009-01-15T19:07:00.000-08:00

5:30 a.m. update...

The dog is *not* amused this morning. She was out long enough to pee and is now burrowed under a blanket on the couch. LOL

Seriously, if it's gonna be this cold - we need some SNOW

I know, what I consider cold may be balmy to some of you...but normally it's not like this 'round here!

What's it like in your neck of the woods?

2009-01-12T14:56:00.001-08:00

DH had to work in Williamsburg today. He called when he was leaving the client site and asked if I had started dinner. Since I was on my way to Curves, that would be a big NO. LOL

So, he's stopping off and bringing THIS home for dinner. If you've never had Pierce's pit cooked BBQ, you DON'T know what you're missing!

2009-01-10T17:39:00.000-08:00

I just finished block 10 (the one with the ship inside the bottle) of S0HRH. I accidently left my camera ON last night, so no picture as yet. I'll take one tomorrow after the battery is recharged. I didn't notice I had left the camera on until I picked it up to take a picture. LOL

It's been a busy week for us. The re-entry back to work was crazy. DH had a quick trip to Baltimore, leaving Monday afternoon and came back Wed night. DS starts classes back next week and we had books to order, pay for and get picked up. He's taking 4 classes this semester and will be in class from 8 am - 8:15 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This was his decision to schedule his classes like this, and NO AMOUNT of me saying "that isn't a good idea" would change his mind. So...whatever...he's got to learn the hard way.

Not much going on for the weekend. Errands and football today (along with our daily mile plus walk) and tomorrow is church and more football! I'm on countdown for the DAYTONA 500. LOL
Suz

2009-01-04T16:48:00.000-08:00

Shores of Hawk Run Hollow - Current Progress

I thought I'd share a current progress pic of my Shores of Hawk Run Hollow (SoHRH). I had hoped to have block 10 (bottom left) somewhat completed today - at least the ship inside the bottle finished. However, I got sidetracked and not much stitching done today. It's our last day of "vacation", both DH and I head out to work tomorrow, and we spent some family time together this afternoon after church.

We just finished up watching Mama Mia. Oh how I love the music of Abba! LOL DS was like "what the heck"....he made it through half of the movie.

For those of you returning back to "normal" life tomorrow - I so feel your pain! Hope the re-entry into reality is a good one!!

Suz

2009-01-01T04:28:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Waiting for the New Year to arrive, I actually picked up a needle and thread. I only had a little bit left for a finish on Pine Mountain's Be Merry. Here is the finished product. It needs ironed a bit, but I couldn't wait to show it off. I realized once I had finished the big green ornament, that I transposed the colors. It should be in the lighter green, and the "e" should be darker. I think it looks OK though and really didn't want to frog. LOL

Below is a picture taken off our back deck Tuesday evening. The colors through the clouds were just gorgeous.

Since it's blustery and cold today, my plans are to snuggle on the couch with the dog and watch the Rose Parade. I may pick up a needle again too, who knows.

Suz

2008-12-31T04:42:00.001-08:00

Dec. 31, 1983

My, how far we've come!

Happy 25th Anniversary to my hubby! You have and always will be my bestest friend!!

2008-12-30T06:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was quite FUN! We shopped till we dropped.

MIL and I headed to Williamsburg to the Outlets. Coldwater Creek was our first stop (it usually is)! The whole store was 50% off, and some items were 70% off. We racked up the sales. I bought 3 jackets and 3 blouses there. MIL bought a few things too. Mine I can wear to work, so I'm thrilled - since my wardrobe lately has been severely lacking in things that fit.

Next up was Kirkland's. I bought 3 picture frames (4 x 6) size for $7.99 for all three. MIL bought BIL/SIL's anniversary gift or Christmas gift for next year (it's PERFECT for them), and picture frames. I hit up a shoe store and bought a pair of comfy black shoes I can wear to work with pants. They are Naturalizers and feel SO DARN GOOD on my feet.

We then hit up Liz Claiborne. I bought 2 pairs of gloves and 2 scarves. They were 50% off of the marked price, plus buy 3 get 1 free. I got all of those for $20.

We then left that mall (Prime Outlets) and headed up the road to the indoor mall. We went to the Lee jeans place - didn't buy anything there, Vanity Fair where MIL bought, Hanes/Bali where we both spent $ and Sag Harbor (yes, I managed to find a few things there too). We browsed thru a few other stores, (Avon, Christmas, Dress Barn) and had lunch.

I had $200 cash when I left, and came home with $31.00. It was a GREAT day! LOL I was surprised that some of the stores weren't having big sales, while others were. Dress Barn was really disappointing, they had a few racks of sale items, but everything else was regular priced. Coldwater Creek was by far the BEST place, plus the sales ladies were super nice and helpful - even when the store was really BUSY.

MIL and I try and make this a semi-annual event at least. Usually during the week after Christmas, and another time during the year when I take off work. It gives us some much needed gal time, away from the husbands for a day.

S

2008-12-28T11:19:00.000-08:00

Guess where we've been today? After church, the temp gauge in the car said the outside temp was 72 degrees. So we came home, changed clothes and went to the beach for a while. Lots of other folks were there too!

Seagulls:

Kite flying:

View of the beach:

View to the other end. Notice the golf carts lined up by the rocks. The wind was really blowing the sand, but no one seemed to care. Looks like a freight ship is leaving port.

Now we are home and getting ready to settle in for some football. DH went to get late lunch/early dinner (Jane if you are reading....it's Smitty's) LOL He said I had cooked too much lately and therefore is treating for food. I think he just wanted chicken wings to eat.

Tomorrow MIL and I are headed to Williamsburg for one of our fun days of shopping at the outlets.

Suz

2008-12-27T16:49:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely Christmas, and reading online, it seems a lot of others did too! Some of you had some family drama, and for that, I sympathize with you...truly I do. That is NOT a fun time, and not what Christmas is about!

I do have some pictures for you! This first one was taken on Christmas Eve. The weather here was nice (although a bit cool). DH and I took the dog for a much needed run on the beach. I snapped a few pictures, and really like this one:

This next one is of baby D. He was born Dec 1 - our newest nephew. He was hanging out after being fed. I managed to give him his bottle of mom juice 2 days in a row. What FUN!

Next we have T (D's big brother). He was playing with his new Little People farm that Uncle Rusty and I gave him for Christmas. It sure was fun having little ones around throughout the holidays. We saw our other nephew, C last weekend - and that was a fun time too.

Here is DS, watching C. DS actually got down on the floor and played with C and his farm. LOL Not having any siblings, DS sometimes has a hard time interacting with the little ones. But the older the nephews get, the more DS gets involved. Yeah, his shirt says it all! LOL

Here, DS is opening one of his presents. I bought him some night vision goggles that he had seen. We all had fun going out and looking in the woods out back to see what we could see. The dog looks really weird thru the goggles. LOL

We went to Christmas Eve service Wednesday night, then the whole family came over for snacks. Christmas day my MIL cooked breakfast for the clan. I woke up with a migrane, so stayed home, got some of the dinner going, took a migraine pill and went back to bed for a bit. Felt much better after that. Everyone came over for dinner around 4:00 and we all had a fun time together. It was great being with the family.

Yesterday I did NOTHING - and it felt wonderful!!! I finally did a few loads of laundry today and we went out tonight to Target. Not much else going on.

2008-12-24T15:18:00.001-08:00

2008-12-19T04:55:00.000-08:00

Random musings

I'm ready to see the sun shine. It's been hidden all week, and probably will be thru the weekend.

For those of you getting snow, I'm envious (I know, I'm crazy, right)? We rarely get snow here and since I grew up in WV, well, I really miss it at times. If it's gonna be cold, dreary and rainy, I'd rather have snow....and I want enough to where I can stay home and not have to get out and go to work in it! Which around here, it doesn't take much snow for the roads to become parking lots. LOL

So far this year, we've received lots of presents from various doctors. Some want to make sure the credentialing people stay happy. The ED docs sent us a huge basket of goodies, which we divided up; the radiology group sent each of us a Harry and David 3 tiered goodie box, I also received a Christmas CD, and a Rowena's lemon pound cake. Really, they can stop now, my 10 pound weight gain over the holidays is rapidly approaching! LOL

DH made it in to GA last night and will be traveling home today. It's a good thing he's not flying, with the airport delays all over the country due to the weather. He's in love with the rental truck they gave him (Ford something or other).

With my fender bender, I'm responsible for the first $500 (deductible). I have an appt on the 31st to get my car looked at.

Need to get my Christmas dinner menu finalized. Found out last night other BIL/SIL who weren't coming down for Christmas, will be here now on Christmas Eve. They are the ones with the new baby, and T. I have no idea what to get BIL for Christmas. DH is goin to have to take care of that M-W next week. LOL

I need to get off here and start on carpet cleaning. It's 5:46 a.m.

2008-12-18T14:43:00.001-08:00

Proud Mom moment!

DS found out his final grades for the semester: 3 A's and 1 B. YAY. One class he was re-taking as the first one he received a D in (online class) vs this time being IN class So his D was dropped and an A put in its place. You can re-take classes once in college I guess. His GPA went up greatly and I am just SO PLEASED and proud!!! DS is pretty excited too. He even came and had lunch with me today at work, and brought me the printout of his grades! LOL

Tomorrow is a work at home day for me! YAY. My usual work at home days are Wednesdays, and the past few I've been training some new employees over at our home office location at another hospital. For the week I'm over 2 + hours in time, so I also get to clock out early too and start the weekend early! Which is good since family is coming in this weekend! LOL

S

2008-12-18T01:59:00.000-08:00

I ordered this a few weeks ago from a local neighbor that is an artist. She hand paints bouys, mailboxes, adirondack chairs, paintings, glass, etc. She had an open house and well, I placed a special order. If you've read my blog for even a short time, you know we love our walks on the beach and kite flying with the beagle. I e-mailed the artist a picture and this is what she came up with - I'm SO pleased with it.

This has been not a fun week. DH has been gone - his trip is actually going really well! The weather here has been dreary and drizzly, raining off and on. I was in a minor fender bender on Tuesday evening on the way home from work. No injuries, just to my sweet Murano. It's just the pain of having to deal with insurance companies and the hassle of getting the car fixed....but, that's why we pay the $$$ for the insurance I guess.

We are *almost* ready for Christmas. I did manage to get a few cards sent out, buy at least one present for family (except for BIL - haven't a clue so I made DH responsible for it - LOL). The grocery store had the spiral sliced hams on sale today, so I picked 2 of them up YAY - I'll do a bigger grocery shop in a few days.

I've been so dang tired at night, by 8:30 or 9:00, I just can't hold my eyes open. With DH gone, I don't sleep as good, so I'm up and down all night - that could have something to do with my tiredness! LOL Luckily DS is here and he's a night owl, so he's good company! LOL

Hope everyone has a wonderful week leading up to Christmas! We have one BIL/SIL coming in this weekend to celebrate with. I'm looking forward to Tuesday, Dec. 23, at 3:30 p.m. - that's when my vacation until Jan. 5th starts. YAY!!!

Stitching??? What's that???

Suz

2008-12-13T15:15:00.000-08:00

I finally managed to get the computer to see the camera again, so I'm posting a few pictures that I've taken over the past few days.

A few ornaments from our tree. This first picture is DS's ornaments that he made when he was in pre-school and Sunday School. The reindeer on the right was made with help from a very dear friend who has gone on to heaven! Miss Betty, I wish you were here to see not only Nate, but your wonderful grandchildren too!

This ornament is of a beagle! (of course) I have 2 of the same ones....I bought one at Hallmark and one of my friends at work gave me the exact same one. The head bobs up and down....remember those dogs people put in the back of their cars years ago where the heads bobbed up and down? This ornament reminds me of them! LOL

Below is the White House Christmas Ornament from 2007. My SIL's parents give these out every year and last year, we received one. I was thrilled!!

This picture below was from my last "work at home day". I saw the squirrels thru the window of the computer room and they were just hanging on upside down on the tree. They stayed in this exact spot for 10 minutes or more. The sun sure must have felt good! LOL

This is my pal, Leah, from next door. Yes, she is a beagle too. She waits for me to get home and then whines and barks until I bring her 2 treats....yes, she IS spoiled, why DO you ask? LOL Just like Nina is spoiled. I've been trying to get a good picture of her though, to put in a frame for her mom and dad for Christmas. This was the first day I went out to take a picture....she did NOT like it. I mentioned to her mom later that week that Leah was NOT happy with me when I came out with a camera. Unfortunately, she was abused in a previous home, and she is not very trusting of new things. A camera is something she does not like.

Suz

2008-12-09T22:39:00.001-08:00

A raccoon vs a beagle at 12:30 a.m. is so NOT what I espected tonight. Now I can't go back to sleep.

The coon was on the top rail of our deck and not backing down....neither was my hound. I yelled loud enough that both DH and DS woke up and came out. I'm surprised my neighbors didn't hear me!! LOL

Everyone is safe and the hound is back inside. My nerves are shot and maybe at some point I'll get back to sleep tonight! LOL

2008-12-03T07:11:00.000-08:00

Big brother Tristan, and baby boy Dylan

Dylan with eyes open

2008-12-03T03:31:00.001-08:00

Visit Nina over at her blog, for a really nice stitching giveaway. I LOVE her blog and her stitching. She is where I first saw these really cool scissors that I had to have! LOL You have until Dec 7th

Also, since I haven't shared stitching pictures in a while, you can enjoy her beautiful pictures. I have been stitching some lately, not a lot though. Just too much going on!

DH is in Seattle, WA this week. DS and I are having fun without him, although we do miss him. DS is actually spending time with me in the evenings after I get home from work. He had class last night and didn't get home until 7:30. It sure was lonely in the house - just me and the dog! I've already told DS when he moves out (WHEN being the operative word LOL), that when his Dad travels, he's going to have to come stay with me while Dad is away!

Today is a work at home day for me. I haven't had one in a few months and I have been missing them. However, I do have WORK to do, so guess I'd better get me a shower, and a cup of tea, and get crackin!

Suz

2008-12-01T15:35:00.000-08:00

Our newest nephew was born today: Dylan James. No pictures as yet - he was just born this afternoon. Weight was 7 lbs, 11 oz. He joins big brother Tristan.

This is 5 grandchildren for my in-laws - all boys...........