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!

 

 

 

 

Busy busy busy!

I know, I'm not doing so well at keeping my word, about blogging more often! I'm sorry! I haven't forgotten, it's just been a crazy month.  Rob was on a business trip to WI for a week, so I was on my own with the kids. I am so thankful for a great boss, who let me go get Hanna every day so I wouldn't have to pay the day care to keep her! The kids both had things at school that week too- Hanna had a chorus concert, and David was in a pirate play.
My stitching has been slim to none- I need to get my stitching mojo back! I did however assemble some ornaments to give the kids' teachers- their last day of school before Christmas break is tomorrow. We had an 'ice' day today- not much snow, just ice and sleet, so school was called off. So I got to stay home most of the day with the kids, and it was a blessing because I would have been up late tonight doing those ornaments otherwise! I shouldn't have waited til the last minute. I will confess that none of these were stitched recently- just assembled recently. :)

I am also a bit embarrassed about the wrinkledness( that a word?) of this last one, granted the light does highlight them a bit, but I ironed and ironed this.. I thought I had gotten them out, or at least pulled it tight enough to smooth them a bit, but I guess not. :( Well at least it doesn't look this bad in real life. I was just trying to remember the designs of all of these- the first Santa was from an older magazine or leaflet I think- not sure of the second designer either. :( The third is Homespun Elegance I believe and the last one is Lizzie Kate I think. :)
I am nowhere near ready for Christmas- have almost all my shopping to do yet-but I am trying not to stress out! I will post a picture of the Christmas tree soon. Oh and I almost forgot-every year our town has a 'town lighting' night.. I don't think I have posted any pics from this yet. I want to get some better ones of downtown when it's not so crowded because it really is pretty. But here are some for now.

The snow is not real, it's a snow machine! :)

my tiny angel, Christmas lights, and more..

Hanna and David (with a little chocolate on his face)

Tonight was the annual lighting of the Christmas lights in our historic downtown area.  I took the kids for a little while- Krispy Kreme was giving away a free doughnut to anyone who wanted to wait in line.. lol.. he was even dipping them in chocolate and putting the sprinkles on right there! So the kids and I grabbed a doughnut and waited for the lights to be turned on, and the kids also mixed up some reindeer food (glitter and oats) to leave on the lawn for Santa's reindeer. :)  These pics were taken with my phone so they aren't stellar, though I like the one of the kids.

A shot of "Main St"

the (magnolia) Christmas tree

I've also been working on my Brightneedle Christmas ornament at lunch- I am subbing overdyed threads for the DMC and finally have my conversions all worked out I think- except for one that I missed.

I couldn't get a good pic of this- if I turned my flash on it was too washed out, so I had to use this one. It is one floss thread over one fabric thread- this is sometimes a little nervewracking but I love the dainty stitches. What needles do you use for tiny stitches? I think mine is a little too big.

And last but not least, the bookmark I did for my mom for her birthday- she loved it. :) Some of you may have seen it on the Freebie Gallery blog already. It's by Linen Flowers and it's a freebie! It can be found here . They have lots of really lovely freebies on this site.  Happy stitching!