Monday, Monday......

The past two weeks have been so busy around here. We are in the process of finalizing the sale of my Mom's house from the estate, making 6th grade course selections for Becky and just generally trying to keep our sanity. Throw in some spring cleaning, family events, and everyday activities and there are days I have fell into bed just exhausted!

I have managed to make a little stitching progress and I'm hoping I can keep up the mojo! The March leprechaun from Lizzie Kate made the homepage for my Yahoo Group, Every Stitch Counts. No one knows how much it made my day to find my stitching on the front page of the group and this was a first time honor for me. I have been working on April and have made some really good progress on this design. I may end up being a full month ahead before the end of March. Wooohooo! In fact, the green in May was just screaming, "Stitch Me!" so I started the border the other night for some mindless stitching.

Kind Fond Love has been worked on quite a bit although to me it doesn't seem like the picture does justice for the amount of work. The original pattern was printed on 2 pieces of paper and unlike other designers; this did not have the shaded area printed on the 2nd page which showed an overlap of the design. It was very hard for me to stitch the outline of the center medallon earlier so I decided that in order to complete this area; I would make a working copy of the pattern and tape it together to make stitching a little easier. I also sketched in my first initial in another part of the design which I am hoping to be working on next. The dog is a design which usually represents fidelity and watchfulness. I am hoping to make some more progress on this piece and to hopefully soon reach the halfway mark. Slowly this piece is starting to come together and I am still loving every stitch! Keep your fingers crossed.

It is soon time to pull out my Blue Ribbbons Design piece out and make some progress on that. I have decided my rotation will not be very scheduled but I'm hoping to bounce between the BRD (Blue Ribbon Design) and KFL (Kind Fond Love) about every other week or if I'm really enjoying working on one or the other I may continue on one for a while longer. I've been working on my LK series at least twice a week during the UFO SAL (UnFinished Object Stitch-A-Long)days and I've been very happy with the progress on this.

Along with all the hustle and bustle, I did find a few hours to go the local ceramics store and make a few Easter decorations. It is called Pic-N-Paint pottery and you choose your greenware, paint it and pick up the fired and glazed piece about a week later. I painted both the chick posted at the beginning of this post along with the little brown bunny laying in front of our Wii. I have always enjoyed painting ceramics and have decided that I will make a few decorations for around the house every few weeks just for fun. Hopefully I can get my kids to enjoy this as much and there can be lots of memories and cute mementos of their childhood created for all to enjoy!

One year

Reba McEntire has a song, "If I Had Only Known". The lyrics goes like this....

If I had only known

It was the last walk in the rain

I'd keep you out for hours in the storm

I would hold your hand

Like a lifeline to my heart

Underneath the thunder we'd be warm

If I had only known

It was our last walk in the rain

If I had only known

I'd never hear your voice again

I'd memorize each thing you ever said

And on those lonely nights

I could think of them once more

Keep your words alive inside my head

If I had only known

I'd never hear your voice again

You were the treasure in my hand

You were the one who always stood beside me

So unaware I foolishly believed

That you would always be there

But then there came a day

And I turned my head and you slipped away

How fitting....... exactly one year today I spent my last day with my Mom. Looking back, we didn't do anything spectacular on March 7th 2009; but it is a treasured memory now just the same. Most days, I catch myself saying to myself, "I gotta call Mom!" only to realize that is not an option anymore. I miss having her around to talk to when I am mad, feeling blue, sick or happy. There are so many moments with the kids that my heart aches when they look at me and say, "I wish Grandma was here." I can only smile through my tears and tell them I wish she was still here too.

March 8th was when I lost Mom. I will never forget walking in to find her passed peacefully in her sleep. I can only hope that my passing when my time comes will be as gentle as hers appeared to be. The past year has been a hard one for me and my family. I have dreaded this anniversary for most of the year and still feel like I am torn apart.

I would like to thank my friends I have that have reached out and just been a shoulder to lean on, a smile, a kind word, or other thoughtful expression. Tomorrow I will be going to put flowers on Mom's grave and to sit beside her and reflect on the life of a wonderful mother and best friend. I will go out with friends of my Mom and Me and enjoy a lunch and hopefully some laughs. Deep down, I know my Mom wouldn't want me to grieve forever; but to live.

I received this last year from a friend about a month after my Mom's death. I think it is very fitting to share with all of you. May it provide comfort to those who have lost their Mom like I have or if you are still blessed with a Mom, may it help you appreciate her.

The young mother set her foot on the path of life. "Is this the long way?" she asked and the guide said: "Yes, and the way is hard and you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning."

But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams; And the sun shone on them, and the young Mother cried, "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."

Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, "Mother, we are not afraid, For you are near, and no harm can come."

The morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary. But at all times she said to the children, " A little patience and we are there." So the children climbed, and when they reached the top they said, "Mother, we would not have done it without you."

And the mother, when she lay down at night looked up at the stars and said, "This is a better day than the last, For my children have learned fortitude In the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage. Today, I've given them strength."

The next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the mother said: "Look up. Lift your eyes to the light. " The children looked and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the darkness. That night the Mother said, "This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God."

The days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old and she was little and bent. But her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage. When the way was rough, they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide. And mother said, "I have reached the end of my journey. Now I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them."

The children said, "You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates." They stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said: "We cannot see her but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a living presence..."

Your Mother is always with you... She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street; she's the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks; she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not well. Your Mother lives inside your laughter. And she's crystallized in every tear drop. She's the place you came from, your first home; and she's the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love and your first heartbreak, and nothing on earth can separate you.

In Memory of Helen Marie Boyer (21 August 1927 - 8 March 2010): a beloved Mom, Grandma and most of all, my best friend.

Just what the doctor ordered.....

Sorry I have been so remiss in updates. We managed to sell our house in Stevensville mid-February but until that time it was a whirlwind of activity around our house preparing for the big day. Of course, Maryland experienced one of the worst snowfalls in state history during that time! Here is an extended update of what has transpired since my last update and will hopefully help me get back in the game of blogging!

Fondue and Friends

Beth H from CrossedPurposes celebrated her birthday on February 21st. To celebrate a few of us got together and went to The Melting Pot in Annapolis for fondue. Fondue is a Swiss communal dish shared in at a table in a pot over a small burner. Diners use forks to dip breads, fruits, vegtables, etc into a fondue sauce. Since it was restaurant week in Annapolis, we received a 3 course meal for $30. Desert was $5 extra per person and so worth it. Here is a picture of the stuffed group after sitting, talking and laughing for 3 1/2 hours. If you haven't tried this yet; go for it! We had breads, apple slices, carrots and celery with a cheese sauce for our first course and a wonderful salad with dressing for our second. Steak, chicken, shrimp and vegetables cooked in a wine sauce at our table for our third. Our desert was strawberries, banannas, pound cake, brownies, toasted marshmellows, and cheesecake that we could dip in milk chocolate. Yum.....

Stitching

What would a girl do in the midst of the biggest snowfall in state history??? A little stitching therapy to remind her that summer is right around the corner! These little flip flops are from a pincushion book I purchased last fall while walking around the closest fabric shop. There are several cute designs and I decided in the midst of the storm that the day had arrived to start one.

I did start another small piece for those moments of encouragement. This is a Santa ornament which I have made once before for a Christmas card exchange. I am going to finish this one for the Christmas tree this year. The colors of this piece is so bright and cheery!

I also managed to finish up another Lizzie Kate Monthly Flip-it. Here is March. I have started April will hopefully get going again on this at least twice a week during my Yahoo groups UFO days.

I have dusted off my BRD and Kind Fond Love piece and will hopefully have some great updates on both of these soon! I have done some gridding on the BRD piece but that isn't exciting so why take a picture at this point. While writing this update, I have Kind Fond Love in my hoop and have been working on it for a few hours. Gosh I love this piece.

Reading

I have been reading between a few books in my spare time. Currently, I am working on 'One Wore Blue' by Heather Graham and 'Julie and Julia' by Julia Powell. There are so many books on my to read list right now I could easily curl up with a big pot of tea and enjoy a quiet day to myself. Yeah right!!!! Sometimes it is hard to find 5 minutes to sit in the bathroom without someone coming to the door looking for me. Oh, the life of a Mom!

Violin anyone???

Becky performed with a group of 4-6 grade string students for a exhibition of the county's music program. During the first practice, while I was explaining to her some parts on the music arrangements; one of the teachers overheard me and asked, "Do you play"???? Before I could answer, Becky's teacher said, "Oh yes she does! She has came to school with her violin and played with the students." Next thing I knew, I was being asked to bring in my violin for the next go around. My daughter and I ended up playing together onstage and it is a memory that I will never forget.

Tigers and Wolves and Bears..... Oh my!!

Ray has successfully made the rank of Bear in Cubscouts. Next year he will become a Weblo and will be moving on in the Cub Scout program. I am so proud of my little guy because not only did he earn his progression of rank; he also earned his Whittling Chip and his first pocketknife as well. You may wonder why his Bear badge is upside down? It is a tradition that the Cub Scout must do a good deed in order to have the badge turned right side up and sewn on his uniform.