It's been awhile...

So, so sorry...I have let myself get swept up in other things lately and my blogging, stitching, and even reading have suffered.. I know I keep saying it but I really need to set a timer when I get online. I think there is a timer on my cell phone; I need to start using it!  I'm hoping to do some stitching when I get done with this post- just have to do a bit more cleaning in the living room and I'll be ready. 

I have been stitching on "The Alamo" at least a bit each week.  I will post a pic at the end of this post, as it is on my phone.

The fall leaves are nearly gone now, but here are a few photos of them while they were here-

 

The week before Thanksgiving was kind of crazy. One night Rob and I were getting ready to go to bed and Rob's heart started beating very fast, and he started having chest and arm pain.  We took him to the ER and they tried to get his heart rate slowed down and stabilized.. it slowed down a little but was still beating fast, so they admitted him to run some more tests.  He was in for 3 days and they found out he has atrial fibrillation.. so he will have to stay on medicine now to regulate his heartbeat as well as medicine for cholesterol and high blood pressure.  He is doing well since. He is back to work and feeling better, thank the Lord.

 

Every year our town has a little celebration downtown to officially turn on all the Christmas lights on the downtown streets.  I took David(Hanna had judo) and we went for a little while. It's always so neat to see all the lights turn on at the same time. I have videotaped it before but I forgot to this year.  Here are a few pics though. Ok, well, more than a few.

The quilt shoppe in their new location- see all the fabric inside?

The magnolia tree in the traffic circle/roundabout

This gives you an idea of how big the tree is!

City Hall

 

a downtown view

 

As you can tell by my son's hat, Krispy Kreme was there. We were a little disappointed because they usually give out a doughnut to each person who wants one but this year they only gave a donut hole to each person. Sign of the economy I guess. But they did hand out coupons for $2 off a dozen doughnuts.  Which reminds me, I have to use that before it expires.

 

I had been wanting to get Ginger a "Mr. Bill" toy for quite some time.. I hit the jackpot when I found one on clearance at Target for $2.  She loved him, but as always he didn't last long.. he was made pretty sturdy overall but she still managed to get the stuffing out of a foot. And the foot was not sewn off from the rest of his body so I couldn't just take the stuffing out of the foot and let her keep playing with him.  :( But here she is with him while she had him.

 

 

We got our Christmas tree up, not as early as usual but up nonetheless.. the kids helped me decorate it. In fact they ended up doing most of it cause Rob and I ended up going grocery shopping. :/

 

 

There is an angel on top of it now, her wings were broken and I had to glue them back on.

 

I have some other big news (no I am not pregnant. lol) .We are trying to get pre-qualified to buy a house.  I had a couple of errors on my credit report that we are trying to get fixed.. I am really so impatient to get moving (no pun intended). Now that I have house fever I just can't stand waiting to get out there and find one.  We have rented our current place for probably about 15 or 16 years. It is entirely too small for our family  now and I am so anxious for some more space, and to do some of the things with our living space I have not been able to do here due to lack of room.  So please say prayers for us, that we will get approved for enough to get our family a nice home and find the perfect one for us.  It has been a long time coming.  Thank you. ♥  And that is one of the more recent reasons I have not blogged.. lunch breaks are spent making phone calls trying to get this credit issue worked out, and when I am online I am scouring realty websites looking for that perfect place. 

 

And last but not least, here is the Alamo - I think I have done a bit more since I took this, I can't remember.

 

I really appreciate you all sticking with me even though I am so sporadic in posting sometimes!! I will try (again) to post more often!

 

 

 

 

I fell off the "stash diet" wagon...

But only slightly and for a minute!  I saw this pattern by The Primitive Hare and I had to have it .  I doubt I will have stitched for this Christmas but maybe next.  Now it's back on the diet. :)

I had hoped to finish my ornament last weekend, but didn't quite make it.  I think I am going to finish it sometime this week.  I thought about working on it tonight but I need to get working on the LK sampler. Not that I can finish it by Halloween or anything...sigh... It's my own fault.

I have been moving along on The Alamo bit by bit. I didn't have a chance to work on it this morning but hopefully tomorrow.  Here is my progress as of yesterday.

Ginger turned one year old on the 18th! I can hardly believe it.  We didn't do much for her birthday but we tried to make her feel extra special all day. :) The day before an order from Petco came in with  antlers and a new Kong for her, so at least she got presents. :)

Getting old is hard!( hee hee..)

Ugh, can't think of a post title tonight..I am ready to start a new week! I didn't get much stitching done last week- made a bit of progress on The Alamo- I think I've done a little more than this since I took the photo but it's been coming along bit by bit. I usually work on it in the mornings but it seems I was running around a lot in the mornings this week. At night, I'd get on my computer and have trouble getting off again. ;)

I did do some stitching last weekend at the quilt shop on the LK Mystery Sampler- but found when working on the 2nd row I had made a mistake in the first row and there wasn't a way to just let it go without everything being off, so I spent part of the time there pulling stitches out and re-stitching them.. so nothing new there.

Another giveaway over at Victoria Motto Sampler shop- this time for hand-dyed floss!! Click here to enter!
You  may have to scroll down just a little bit! :) And I'm super excited, just went there and found out I am a winner of one of her other awesome giveaways!

This was a sad week for me- a good friend of mine from high school died of cancer.  She was only forty years old and a mom and wife.. she survived breast cancer last year but the cancer returned in her liver and lymph nodes. It was very aggressive and she fought hard, but lost the battle this last week.  Now she is no longer suffering and will be with her Heavenly Father. She was a very special lady.  Please pray for her family- her name was Jen.  Now go and hug your loved ones and make sure they know how much you mean to them!

Here's to a happy and stitchy week-
Tracey ♥

Progress..

Well, I lied and I didn't mean to- I said last time I would post again soon. Sorry about that! First some stitchy pics- I have started working on The Alamo in the mornings- I have some wait time between when DD goes to school and when DS goes to school- so I've been working on it then, when I am more awake. LOL It's coming along slowly but surely-

It looks a little random- when I am using one color and finish an area, I try to find other places using the same color so I don't have to keep switching colors. :)

I haven't posted a pic of this one yet- it's from a Just Cross Stitch ornament issue- it's Snow Wishes by Victoria Sampler-Designs by Cathy Jean.

Not much longer on this one! :)

 

I've been listing more items on ebay- I have a box full of patterns to get rid of and I have been so lazy about posting them.. but if you keep checking I'll have listings from time to time..right now I have a Lavender Wings pattern "Stitcher" and a Charles Wysocki leaflet- most of them will be oldies. :) My ebay seller id is hannasmom1198. :)

 

We had some crazy weather here today- I knew there was a chance of rain but when I got to work it didn't look like it was going to anytime soon, so I left my windows cracked.  Then I happened to look up a little while later and it was pouring rain. Then it cleared off...then it clouded up and rained again, and it went on like this all day! We were actually under a tornado watch until 5pm, thankfully none came. :) When I left work it was pouring down rain and by the time I got home it was hardly raining- and I only live about a mile from my office! I sure am thankful for the rain though. I am impatiently waiting for my mums to bloom. :)

 

I have posted my progress on my LK sampler on a 2nd page(see tabs above) so that way I won't ruin it for anyone who doesn't want to see it before they stitch it. :)

 

Oh! I don't know if I mentioned it- but we did some pet-sitting for our neighbors- they had a family emergency and had to go to Alaska on short notice- so the kids and I would go by a few times a day and let the dog out, make sure they're fed, etc.  We couldn't keep them at our place cause they have a male dog and whenever he sees Ginger he goes crazy! And they have cats .. and DH and DD are allergic. So anyway they've been back for a little while, and they brought us some goodies-

Some homemade goodies as well as chocolate rocks for the kids, and two mugs- I love mine- it of course is the one on the left, and some Alaskan coffee- Santa's blend- can't wait to try it!

Well, the washing machine calls.. will post again soon! (this time I really will. ;) )