Great mail day!

I participated in an exchange in one of my yahoo groups and received my exchange package from Rachel today! She stitched a wonderful Bent Creek Patriotic piece for me and framed it! I love the piece and am thrilled to have it as this is the only patriotic piece I have to display for the 4th. I hated to email her to tell her I had received it because I had to tell her the glass she had mounted the stitching on was shattered so I was gonna have to re-mount it on mat board. She had that thing wrapped very very well so I'm really surprised that it was broken. I'm betting at some point on it's journey it ended up underneath some heavy packages and got crushed. I'm still surprised though because she had it wrapped so well. She was telling me a while back that she mounts her stitching on the glass that comes in the frames instead of matboard. She does this so she won't have to cut mat board for it and she doesn't like glass covering her stitched pieces anyway so she'd might as well put the glass to good use :). Luckily I have plenty of mat board on hand so I was able to re-mount it and frame it quickly. I love the red frame she picked out for it! She stitched this piece on 40 ct. fabric. My poor sad eyes would never let me stitch on a count so small...LOL! Besides the wonderful stitched piece she sent me, she also sent me a wonderful kit from M Designs called Checkered Liberty...this is a really great kit! I plan to start it soon...I LOVE the gingham fabric that it came with and am really looking forward to stitching it :). She also sent me a skein of Weeks in Independance Day and Old Glory...really great colors! I especially like the Old Glory :). She also made me a wonderful pair of patriotic earrings! Rachel's in to beading and is very very good at it! I love long earrings and they're perfect! They have a pretty red star on them with 3 blue crystals dangling from them. Thanks so much for such a wonderful package, Rachel! My new framed flag is proudly being displayed in the living room :).

Her package came on a really good day. I've been feeling blah since I got back from Chicago. Mike's been applying for jobs when he has time for a while now. Unfortunately the hiring process for things he's been applying for take a really long time. I really wish it would just be done. I was actually a little depressed to be coming back to Texas after my trip. I've lived here since I was 5 and I'm just ready to go somewhere else. Don't get me wrong, I'd never want to live in Chicago, it's just that I've been to several different places and well....Texas is just Texas to me these days. I'm still hoping that whatever he gets will be close to the ocean. I'd be happy as a pig in slop if I lived near the ocean :). I hated to leave Florida last summer because I love the ocean so much and I hated to leave Chicago because Lake Michigan reminded me of the ocean. Of course all of this feeling blah could totally be related to PMS and I may be all better in a few days...LOL!

We're not going on a vacation together this summer because we're saving up for a big one next summer. Our tentative plan is to go on a cruise. I REALLY want to go on that Disney cruise but it's pretty expensive. I guess it's not so bad to do the 3 or 4 day cruise but when you take in to account that we have to fly in to Orlando it is. After the 23 hour drive from hell to Orlando last summer, that'll NEVER happen again...LOL! I wish Mike could take time off in December! You can cruise really cheap in November and December! Postal employees here (or could be anywhere for that matter, I'm not sure) aren't allowed to take any time off in December. If he could, we could go when the kids are out for winter break. We're hoping to cruise to Mexico I think. Wherever we do decide to cruise to, the plan is to leave from Port Canaveral so we can spend a night on Cocoa Beach again. My heart belongs to the ocean...I hope when we're old we can retire at Cocoa Beach :).

I've got to finish folding the laundry. When Mike gets home from work we're gonna watch Ghost Rider :).

Bad storms

Last night when Mike got home from work he was telling me about a really large storm that was fixing to move through Oklahoma City. It was moving south but I thought for sure it would dissipate before it made it to us as it usually does. This time it didn't! We were woken up just after 2 this morning by really high winds. We have large trees, one right behind our bedroom and I though for sure it was coming down. From the inside of the house you could hear poles, trees, and tree limbs snapping. We turned the news on and the highest recorded wind speed was 94 mph! We only lost power for a minute but over 16,000 people in town lost it and didn't get it back. As of this afternoon there are still 12,000 people with out it. Unfortunately most of the people in our families are in that 12,000. I'm hoping my parents will bring their little dogs over here and stop by for dinner. My mother's very upset as her items in her freezer are starting to thaw. She called the electric people back to ask how much longer they thought it might be and they said it could be up to 48 hrs. :(. That's not fun at all in Texas in the summer. Mike had my camera out earlier and snapped a few pics of what the wind did to some trees. Most people around here have spent the day cleaning up. Luckily we just have a lot of broken limbs. I noticed our privacy fence is leaning and I think Mike needs to go check the roof to make sure our shingles are intact. I really hope so. I don't feel like the hassle of filing a claim. A lot of trees fell on cars. I'm really glad we didn't have to deal with that. What a pain that would have been.

Part 2

Let's see...so I left off at the end of our second day so let's start on the third, shall we?

On Saturday we got up early so we could get ready to make yet another journey on that EL train. This time we were headed for The Museum of Science & Industry. This ride seemed to be exceptionally long and I was getting rather irritated that it was going unbelievably slow this time because we had timed tickets and had to be on the U-505 at 11:00! We left plenty early enough the train was just going much slower than usual. We had to switch from the train to a bus that would take us right to the museum. I really liked that drive because we rode all along Lake Shore Drive which is right by Lake Michigan. When we did finally get to the museum we had to practically run to get to that submarine. When we did get to the point where we needed to be with tickets in hand, we only had about 5 minutes to spare. Talk about cutting it close! It was then that they informed us they were running behind and it would be about another 20 minutes...pfffttt....all that running I did was for nothing...lol. While we waited we looked around at the outside of the sub and looked at the other exhibits surrounding it. My dad wanted to take this pic of me in front of this really big gun. No, I did not plan on wearing the camo top for the occassion, it just happened to be what I pulled out of my suitcase that morning...LOL. It was finally our turn to go on the tour inside of the sub. That was very neat! I'm all in to history and thought it was super cool to be inside of it. the thing is just huge!!! I thought the kitchen was really cool. After we left the sub exhibit we gandered around until I came upon a really cool chick hatchery exhibit. That was really neat! I hung out for quite some time and got to watch 2 chicks hatch. I think that was one of my favorite parts of the museum :). We had tickets to pasrticipate in the 1:30 CSI experience. I was really looking forward to this but have to say I was really disappointed. I didn't think it was worth the $14.00 for the ticket. It was nothing like I expected it to be. I'm sure a lot of people really liked it, I just wasn't one of those people...LOL. We did a lot more exploring after that and found some pretty neat things including this giant heart...lol. That was a pretty neat heart! You could hear it beating from a long ways away...LOL. I looked for the body slices because I really wanted to see them but just couldn't find them. I know I probably passed them I did find a real set of lungs which was pretty gross...lol. The exhibit was showing you what lungs look like that have inhaled a lot of polluted air and smoke. If you would've seen these lungs and you smoke, I'm certain you'd quit!! They were very very dark and just looked horrible. Poor poor lungs. I tried to not go to the prenatal exhibit when I came close to it but I just couldn't help it. I was far too curious to not go look. There were a lot of babies starting from a fertilized egg all the way to a 37 week old fetus. I thought it was very interesting although incredibly sad. It didn't occur to me until I was looking at them that it might bother me a little since I've miscarried before. I guess I could've done without knowing what mine looked like when I lost it. Seeing the 37 week old baby was really shocking. Moving right along....I really liked seeing the exhibit of ships from the past. That was pretty neat. While we were there we saw a whole community of Amish people! That was soooooooo cool! I had never seen Amish people in person before! They look just like they do on TV! LOL! It didn't occur to me that they might not want me taking a pic of them but I found that out really quick! LOL! I snapped a pic of them thinking they didn't see me until I heard about 40 gasps. Out of respect for them I deleted the pic so no pic of the Amish people to share....lol. I really had a good time at the museum, but honestly I think I would have enjoyed the Field Museum more. We each picked things we wanted to do while we were there and this wasn't my pick. My favorite parts were the U-505, the chick hatchery, and the Amish people even though they weren't an exhibit...LOL. I did quite a bit of shopping in the store in the museum and then we left. I'm telling you the second we got off the bus in downtown it started pouring. There wasn't even a chance of rain when I looked at the weather. We headed back to the hotel since I looked like a long haired wet dog...lol. I knew my dad was really exhausted. We had him all over that city and we were mostly on foot. I don't mind the walking at all but we climbed so many stairs my calves were killing me. We got back to the hotel and my dad just crashed...lol. My brother and I found another Giordano's close to the hotel so we went back there for our last night's dinner. We got another deep dish pizza but this time I also ordered some Brushetta and it was sooooooooooo good!!! I found a recipe and thing I'm gonna try making some of it for my mom. After dinner we came back to the hotel and I started to pack all of the goodies up that I bought for everyone. We got up early the next morning and headed to O'Hare to catch our flight out. I thought it was a lot quicker getting through security and such at O'Hare than it was at DFW. Our plane was really late getting there though but we were only a little late departing. They told us that somehow our flight got overbooked and they were giving $200 travel vouchers to anyone who would give up their seat and take a flight leaving 4 hours later. I'm wishing that I would have taken that. I'm ready to go somewhere agin.....lol. The flight back was pretty rough. We flew through several storms and it was pretty turbulant. The plane dropped quite a bit on one occasion and scared the terror out of me. I was really happy when we landed until the captain came on and told us we'd be on the holding pad for at least 45 minutes. He said there was a major power outage at DFW that morning which ended up causing huge delays in take offs and landings. We had to wait in line for our turn to pull up to our gate. I was so sick of being on the plane at this point I nearly told him to just let me out and I'd walk the rest of the way...lol. We still had to make the 2 hour drive back home and I was really worn out from the whole weekend. We finally got off the plane and then had to wait forever for our luggage. We finally got home in the evening. The kids were waiting out front for me and were both really happy that I was home. My sweet husband had the entire house cleaned and had also done all the laundry so I wouldn't have to do anything when I got home :). It was a really good trip and it was really nice to get away and I'm really glad I got to spend so much time with my dad :). I've decided flying isn't that bad after all and is so much better than driving. I got my airline ticket on Priceline and got such a great deal that I definately plan on using them the next time I plan on flying which hopefully isn't too long from now :).

I'm home!!! Part 1

This is going to be very very long so if you only have a few minutes you might want to read this when you have a little more time..LOL. I got back from Chicago yesterday evening! I'm glad to be home although I do wish I could've stayed a couple more days. I really wanted to go to to the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, and the Lincoln Park Zoo but there just wasn't any time left. I did get to do and see a lot of things that I wanted to. I know Mike and the kids would really like those things I wanted to do but didn't so we'll probably head up there together some time. I have a lot to tell and a lot of pictures, so here goes!

I left home for Chicago at 4:00 a.m. on Thursday. We got in to DFW with no problem. It was too early for very much traffic so we got there at about 6:20. Security in the airport wasn't what I expected it to be. I was really happy we got through it pretty quickly. I was fine until we got to the airport and then my tummy worked it's self in to knots. I actually ended up making myself sick and ended up in the restroom for a while :(. Good thing I didn't eat much of anything. Our flight was right on time and uneventful, thank goodness. I didn't stitch on anything on the flight because my eyes were glued to the window :). The flight was exactly 2 hours long. We arrived in Chicago just before 11:00 a.m. As soon as we arrived at O'Hare and got our luggage we caught the shuttle to our hotel. We checked in, took our bags to our room, and were all set to head downtown! I was sooooooo excited! There were so many things I wanted to see and we still had a whole day ahead of us to do it....or so I thought. I did not realize how far we were from downtown. Chicago is huge! We each got 3 day CTA passes for the busses and the EL train. It took us 45 minutes to get from our hotel to downtown on that horrible EL train...uggggghhhhh. I don't mind the 45 minutes but I do on that EL train! There were about 15 stops between our hotel and where we needed to get off. It seemed like I spent way too much time on that thing. I really wish they would have chosen a hotel closer to downtown. The EL isn't completely horrible I don't guess but the stations are, in my opinion. One time when I was meeting my dad and brother somewhere and I had to wander through a station alone I felt like I was in a bad movie...LOL! Anyway, we got downtown and the first thing I looked for was the Sears Tower. You can't miss it!!! My brother wanted to eat at Giordano's and as luck would have it there was one right across the street from the Sears Tower :). So we ate lunch at Giordano's and wow was that some deep dish pizza! I couldn't even finish 2 slices and I was stuffed! After we ate we went up to the Sears Tower Skydeck. I LOVED it! I loved being able to see the whole city. My favorite view was of Lake Michigan. It reminded me of being at the ocean because you can't see where it ends :). I took this pic from the Skydeck. Isn't it beautiful?! Downtown Chicago is definately not like any place I've ever been. It's very fast and loud and those are the most horn honkinest people I have ever seen! If they even think you're gonna step out on to the street when they're driving they honk at you! I heard more horns honk in the 3 days I was there than in my entire lifetime here! LOL! I saw a cab almost take out 6 people...sheesh...In case you're wondering if I got honked at yes I did but I couldn't tell you how many times because I lost count...LOL! Anyway, after we finished up at the Sears Tower we took off on foot and headed for Buckingham fountain. It was a beautiful fountain and I especially loved being there because I could see Lake Michigan from where we were at. After we finished up there we headed over to Millenium Park. When we got there I found a huge bean! LOL! Check out this bean! Isn't it cool?! You can see your reflection in it! I wonder how they made that?! And how much it cost them to do so..LOL! I looked and looked and couldn't find a seam in the bean..LOL! It was a really fun thing to see :). After we left the bean we headed towards Michigan Ave. so I could find that Hershey store :). On the way I found the new Trump tower that's being built. That was really neat! I don't know if you can tell in the pics but there are Trump banners all around the bottom of the building. After looking at the Trump building I noticed the Chicago Tribune Tower. I was really excited to see that! I was wondering where it was before I stumbled upon it :). We continued on until we got to Michigan Ave. and found the Hershey's store. What a neat place! I bought some gifts and got a snack from the bakery for my dad and I to share. That was a yummy cupcake and the singing baker was a lot of fun too. After we left Hershey's we were pretty tired so we made the never ending EL train ride back to the hotel and called it a night. At least my dad & I did. I was really looking forward to Friday. My dad and brother were going to Cubs game and my stitching friend Jodi was driving down from Wisconsin to see me :). Her birthday is in a few weeks so when she arrived I gave her gifts to her. I stitched a piece from Blackbird's With Needle and Thread book called "My Pink House" and made it in to a flat fold. For some reason the pinks came out really bright in the pic. They're really a lot softer in person. I also made a pincushion for her from the "Victorian Needles & Pins" chart from the same book. This one was a bugger to finish but I think it turned out nice. The pic is a bit blurry I think. My mom is in to playing with beads so she made the pins for her. After Jodi opened her b-day gifts we caught the EL train and headed for downtown for lunch. We ate at The Cheescake Factory in the lower level of the Hancock Tower. We ordered 2 sandwiches and split them as well as a piece of turtle cheescake. Those sandwiches and that cheescake were both REALLY yummy! I asked the waiter to take a pic of us while we were there.

After we finished up with lunch we wandered around downtown for a bit. We had a really great time and I look forward to seeing her again :). After finishing up with Jodi I caught up with my dad and brother. My brother was set on having dinner at Mike Ditka's so we headed over there. Mike Ditka's wife was sitting at the bar near us sipping on wine so that was pretty neat. I sipped on a soda while my brother and dad had dinner. I was still stuffed from lunch. As a matter of fact, I didn't eat anything else the reast of the day because I was so stuffed! I don't know that I would have ordered anything anyway. My brother's steak dinner cost $49.00. I just can't justify spending that much on one dinner....lol. I think the only time I'd make an exception is for an aniversary dinner. After dinner we headed down to the Navy Pier and took a cruise on Lake Michigan. That was very cool! I got to see my first lighthouse while we were on our cruise. As you can see in the pic our captain obviously wasn't too eager to set sail. What a grouch he was! LOL!

I did a little bit of shopping while we were there and then we headed back to our hotel. Downtown Chicago is a very interesting place to be at night especially if you're on foot..lol. Ok, kids this is to be continued. I've been typing and uploading for a long while but still have lots to tell so I'll add a part 2 when I have time. I'm working at the flower shop the rest of this week so will post the other half as soon as I can. I'm baking bread and it's about done so I must scamper off :)

Packing my bags!

This time tomorrow, I'll be getting ready to hop on a plane for Chicago! I think I've got just about everything ready. The suitcase I'm taking is bigger than I need but that's so I have plenty of room to bring lots of goodies back :). I've got my batteries for my camera charging and plan to take loads of pictures. I should have quite a bit to post when I get back :). I'm quite a bit less than thrilled about getting up at 2:30 in the morning to drive to Dallas. Hopefully there will be a Starbuck's on the way....lol. Even if there is, I'm kind of doubting they'll be open during our drive time. We'll see. I still have a lot to do so better get to it. I promised Joshua I'd make them a chocolate cake before I left and I need to get the house cleaned. Think good thoughts for me for a nice on time & uneventful flight :).

I can finally post some pics

I just got an email from a stitching friend saying she received her gift so I can FINALLY post pictures! I've really been anxious to post these. I stitched "A Present to my Friend" from Blackbird Designs. This chart came from their "Tokens of Friendship" book. I finished it in to a flat fold. If I remember correctly, the finished size of the flat fold ended up being about 7 1/2" x 9 1/4". I think it turned out really great!












It looks like we've had a change of plans tomorrow and won't be going to Oklahoma City after all. I'm a little disappointed that I won't be paying The Cross Stitch Haven a visit, but on the other hand am relieved that we're not making the trip. I'm leaving for Chicago at 4:00 Thursday morning and don't want to be scrambling on Wednesday to get everything done. We're gonna do some other fun things in town tomorrow instead. I did pull out my luggage earlier and have started sorting out my clothing choices and such. I've decided my carry on bag isn't big enough so I need to do some creative rearranging...lol. Since I'm not going to the needlework shop I'd better go dig through my goodies and find a good stitching project to take along :).

My little guy and his cherry pie

I really like to bake but one thing I don't bake (or at least haven't tried to make) are home made pies. My parents and brother like pies. Especially cherry pies. I've never like cherries and neither does Mike. Joshua likes them though. He had a piece of cherry pie at my parents house on Thanksgiving and decided he loves them. He asked me yesterday if I'd make him one and when I told him that mommy doesn't like cherry pies, he asked me for the phone so he could call his Memaw. He called her and worked his magic so this afternoon he got a special delivery. His very own little home made cherry pie. How happy does he look to have his own pie?!

It looks like we're driving up to Oklahoma City on Tuesday. We're gonna take the kids to the Omniplex Science Museum http://www.omniplex.org/index.htm Afterwards I want to stop back by the OKC Memorial. We didn't have much time the last time we went and I'd like to go inside the memorial museum. Since we are making the trip you know what that means don't you?! Yep! We're making a slight detour over to The Cross Stitch Haven! LOL! My good excuse for this visit is I need something new to stitch in the airport and on the plane. You don't expect a girl to stitch something she already has do ya?! LOL!