Everyone...Really?

I thought I'd take a little break from all of my on goings to write a bit. I've been busy getting ready for Joshua's birthday. I can't believe my baby will be 8 on Saturday! I just don't know where the time goes, I really don't. One minute you're at the hospital in labor, the next minute, they're playing baseball. We can't have his party on Saturday because he has a baseball game and ball pictures. I feel kind of bad that the whole baseball thing is going to suck up most of his birthday. He loves playing ball and never asks to skip practice or a game. He did ask this morning if he could skip the game on his birthday. Since he asked, we just might do that. He decided this year that he wants a dog party. We're having it at our house. It's only now that I think I've completely lost my mind. In our past experiences, I've found that when we send out invitations, typically about 1/2 of the kids come. I've also found in the past (in Texas) that if you have the party at your house rather than some other expensive place...ie: Funland, Chuck E Cheese, or a bowling alley that even less kids come. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered last night that every single mom of every kiddo that was invited has already called to RSVP. Most of them called Monday and Tuesday while I was out and about and Mike was at home teleworking. Every time I left the house and came back, there were notes left for me from people who called. Good thing they've all called because he told me when I got home last night that if anyone else called he was going to tell them he was sorry but we are at maximum capacity LOL!!! Too funny! I think it's hysterical myself, because I can handle all of these kids, but he already seems to be nervous. He should be. He has pinata and pin the nose on the doggie duty. Good luck! LOL!! I'm taking 2 other games. A dog and cat match game and a guess how many doggie bones are in the jar game. Joshua picked out his cake...it's actually 24 cupcakes arranged in the shape of a dog face. Super cute! For fun I bought everyone dog bowls to eat their ice cream out of. Too fun! I'm betting money some of them won't want to use a spoon. I'd bet a lot of money on that...lol. Today, I filled the pinata, made up all of the prize bags for the games, and counted out the dog bones and put them in the jar for the guess how many game. I'll work on some more birthday stuff on Friday. I've got some cleaning that I must get to here in a bit.

Tomorrow, the 5th grade is going on a field trip to Petersburg. I signed up to chaperone but so did everyone elses mom, so they had a drawing. Only two people were chosen per class, because there wasn't much room left on the bus. I didn't get picked, but I'm probably going anyway and taking my car. Sure, I have to pay for gas but honestly, I'd rather take my own car than ride in a bus filled with 5th graders....lol. I think Petersburg is about an hour and half south of here, past Richmond. I'm just waiting to hear from Mike if he can telework tomorrow. If he can, I'm going. If not, then I won't because I won't have anyone to take Joshua to school and pick him up. I hope I can though because Cassie starts middle school next year, and I have a feeling my days of going on field trips with her are numbered :(.

The flowers are blooming and they're so pretty! Here are some pictures of flowers that are in our yard. Not planted by me of course because if they were I can assure you that they wouldn't look like this LOL! I really am trying to turn my brown thumb in to a green one! I planted tons of petunias a few days ago. I planted a few last year and they did very very well. They were in bloom until late November.

Play Ball!

Joshua's first ball game of the season was yesterday morning. This year, he's an Oriole. They didn't win the game, but my little slugger scored the first point for his team!

Spring break was good, and I can't believe it flew by so quick. I'm kinda bummed they're going back to school tomorrow. I haven't been doing a lot of stitching but did finish up stitching on a friend's Quaker round robin. I stitched the bottom left section starting at the heart and going down. We were to add our initials along with the initials of someone who inspired us in our creative endeavors. I added mine along with my mom's. This is not the color of her fabric or her thread. My camera washed the colors out, big time! You can see what I stitched anyway. I'm all caught up on my stitching commitments...now I'm stitching for me!

The New Faces of Krispy Kreme

We started off our day at Krispy Kreme. Mike's dad hadn't been to a Krispy Kreme shop before, so off we went. Great photo opp. Should these faces be in a KK ad, or what?! I love this picture!

Afterwards, we split up and the kids and I went shopping for goodies for Mike's birthday. It's Thursday, but since his dad and his wife are going home on Thursday, we'll be celebrating for the next couple of days. Tomorrow night we're eating dinner at Joe's Crabshack. That's one of his favorite places, and on Tuesday nights, kids eat for $2.00 :). Cassie's not the least bit amused since she's an advocate for crabs.....she thinks they should be loved and not eaten. I was going to make a b-day cake for him on Wednesday, but instead he's requested another one of those scrumptious apple pies like I made the other day (see previous post for a link to the recipe). I'm off...I've not stitched in over a week and my needle's crying for me.

A Day There and a Day Here

Mike's dad and his wife flew in on Thursday for the week. We started the week off with a trip to D.C. yesterday morning. Our first stop was Arlington National Cemetery. My FIL wanted to see the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. That was more than fine with me because I've wanted to see it since the first time Mike & I went. We've been to the cemetery before but never to that tomb. It's a very long walk from the entrance and we could never find the time. We finally went, and I'm so glad we did. It's very moving. When the guard taps his shoes together, it seems very haunting to me.

After we left the cemetery we hopped on the train and headed in to the city. The flowers are in bloom and everything was so pretty!

We spent most of the day looking at the Memorials since he hadn't seen them before. He really wants to go to the Smithsonian Museums. we ran out of time yesterday so we're going back tomorrow. Many miles were walked yesterday...many, many, many miles.

They wanted to go to some antique shops so we headed to downtown Fredericksburg to do that today. I took them to my favorite shops that I frequent often. Mike bought this really pretty Martha Washington plate for me. It was made in the 1940's and is in perfect condition. With a price tag of $13, we couldn't pass it up. I think I've found another treasure :).

At another shop we went to, Mike's dad and Charlotte bought this wonderful little Annie doll for me. Isn't she precious?! I love that she has her own little dolly.

I found a recipe on allrecipes.com for an apple pie that got rave reviews so thought I'd give it a try. I've never made a homemade pie, by the way. I made it today and was worried about how it would turn out since I hadn't made one before. It could have looked a little prettier, but the pie was fantastic! It was SO good!! The recipe is here if you'd like to try it. If you like apple pie, then I'd highly recommend it. It's the best apple pie I've ever eaten, and Mike and his dad both loved it.

I must scamper off, the Easter Bunny should be here soon!

Random Things

So, it's been a bit since I've posted. I intended to before now, but that thing called time keeps slipping away from me. For a wee bit there I was bitten big time by the re-decorating bug. Except for the occasional small thing here and there, I think that phase is passing...a tad..for now...maybe. Mike's dad and his wife will be flying in on Thursday and will be staying for a week. I've been busy getting ready for their arrival. We're planning a lot of fun things while they're here. I'm really looking forward to spring break. I need to get you caught up on a few things first...

Right after my last post, Laura and I went to the needlework exhibition at Woodlawn. I finally remembered my camera so I could take a picture of the house for you. We had a really great time, and like last year loved looking at all of the wonderful samplers. We also got to see my Abigail piece on display. She didn't win a ribbon, and that was fine with me. I was honoured just to be a part of the exhibiton, and I'll be looking forward to participating many more times. I've already had ideas swimming around in my head for what I can stitch for next year's exhibit. I do think I want to enter 2 things next time. A sampler of some sorts, and an ornament for the Christmas room. Maybe even some sort of needlework accessory that would be displayed in the front room. That's my goal...to get a piece in the front room. This year, Abigail was in the master bedroom, which was really nice, too. Laura's planning on stitching something to enter too. Hopefully, it'll be a piece that she's working on right now. If so, it's gonna be wonderful :). I picked Abigail up from Woodlawn last weekend. I was surprised when I got there and they handed me some comment cards from people who visited the exhibit. Very nice indeed, when someone else appreciates what you've done. I know you've seen here a couple of times already but here she is again, finally hanging on the wall. I really do love this sampler!

I haven't done too much stitching since I've been busy doing things with the house. I have been working on a round robin, and I did manage to stitch up this little piece from The Sampler Girl. It's the Inauguration Day Sampler. The saying on the piece came from this:

“Before I end my letter, I pray Heaven to bestow the best of Blessings on this House and all that shall hereafter inhabit it.
May none but honest and wise Men ever rule under this roof.”
John Adams wrote in a letter to his wife, Abigail, Nov. 1800

As you can see, I have a wee interest in John and Abigail Adams :). I made the piece in to this cute little pillow that sits on the guest bed. I love how it turned out!

For a good part of last year, we had these ducks that would come to the front door nearly every day. One day in the fall they just disappeared. I'm pretty sure it's my long lost feathered friends who have flown back. Last week the kids opened the door and there they were, sitting in front of the door as if they lived here. At least, I think it's them. If not, then there are some very friendly ducks around here. They ran out with some bread, and Cassie filled up a bowl of water for them. They've been back nearly every day since. Yesterday, I was out running errands and when I got home they were waiting in front of the door. They didn't even flinch when I walked by, and when I turned around, I noticed they had followed me clear up to the door as if they wanted to come in. Now this guy here is pretty funny... he looks like a turkey duck....lol.

I'm off to bed. I have lots to do in the next couple of days. I'll try to post while our visitors are here, but if so, the posts will most likely be mostly pictures from our outings. I'm so glad spring break is almost here :).

Going to See Abigail

Early tomorrow morning, Laura is driving up from Richmond. We'll be making our annual outing up to the Woodlawn Needlework Exhibition in Alexandria. My Abigail's Sampler to John is on exhibit and I'm looking forward to seeing her again. She didn't win a ribbon, and that's ok with me. I'm thrilled that I'm a part of it and hope that I'll be able to enter many more pieces in the future. Next weekend I get to go pick her up and I'm really looking forward to that, too. I can't wait to get her up and hanging on the wall. I'm really looking forward to our day tomorrow!

Yesterday, I had to stop by Borders to pick up a gift card for one of Cassie's friends for her birthday. When you first walk in they usually have displays of bargain books. Right away I noticed and illustrated encyclopedia of the Presidents of America. It's a very large hardcover book and at $7.99, I had to snap it up. When I was a child, my dad bought a book about all of the presidents for my brother and I to share. I looked through it often and this book reminds me of that one. I've really enjoyed looking through it and hope that Cassie and Joshua like it as much as I liked mine when I was young. In my quest to make myself read, I bought myself a book. It's not that I don't like reading, when I was little a read often. It's that nothing seems to interest me. The only thing I'm the least bit interested in reading are books about history, in particular books about women in history. I didn't realise just how many of those would interest me until the minutes were ticking away in Border's while I looked through tons of them. I could have easily bought 50 books but only let myself get 1. Once it's finished, I'll get another. The one I bought is called Founding Mothers by Cokie Roberts. It's about the women who raised our nation. I'm really looking forward to reading it. I had a hard time deciding between 4 books. The one I bought, Ladies of Liberty, Mrs. Lincoln, and Mr. Jefferson's Women. I REALLY want the Mrs. Lincoln book but think the next one I get will be Mr. Jefferson's Women. It's much smaller and the title intrigues me...lol.

I had a little finishing project someone asked me to do for them that I delivered today. I don't know the name of the piece, but it's an Easter piece from the Sweetheart Tree. I believe this was a kit. She asked me to make it in to a flat fold for her. She loved it but decided she didn't want the one bow in the middle. I thought she might not so I just pinned it down. We pulled it off and made 2 smaller bows for the corners. It looked much cuter with the 2 bows. I took this pic before I left so it has the first bow.



After we deliver Cassie to a friends house, the rest of us are heading out to dinner. Our John Adams disc 3 has arrived from Netflix and I'm REALLY looking forward to finishing up the series. It's a really great series and I've thoroughly enjoyed watching every second of it. I think I'm going to get something about either Lincoln or Jefferson next.

Happy Spring!

It doesn't feel like spring today, it's quite chilly. I did notice the trees are budding though! I was ever so happy to kiss winter goodbye. Now if it would only warm up a tad and stay that way.

The Cherry Blossom Festival starts in D.C. this weekend! I'll be looking forward to hopping over to gander at the sea of pink in a couple of weeks when my father in law and his wife come for a visit. I'm so looking forward to spring break.

I rarely ever toot my own horn or pat myself on the back...ever. But I so need to make an exception this time. We bought a bed for a small room that's only use up until now has been to store our junk. In my quest to give every unused space a purpose, we decided to make it a small guest room. One can never have too many places for people to sleep. We bought a bed for the room on Friday and then Saturday I went shopping for bedding. I found a quilt at Kohl's that was exactly what I had in min so snapped it up. My next order of business was to buy curtains for the little window. After a couple of hours of looking and finding nothing I liked, I finally had enough and went to Joanne's and bought 3.5 yards of a print that couldn't have gone with the quilt more perfectly. I had this brilliant idea that I'd make the curtains myself. Never done that, by the way. I'm really not a sewer. I can do the basic stuff but if you give me a pattern I get all sorts of confused and overwhelmed. I called my mama and she told me how to make them. It took me a bit, but they're done! And perfect! Everything's even! I was worried that since I was making two panels that the second wouldn't look exactly like the first, but it does. I double and triple measured everything. I don't know that you can see the print but it's really simple and there are little tiny flowers on it. I am maker of curtains! Which is great because I have the hardest time finding curtains I like. No trouble at all finding fabrics though. My next order of business is to get a side table for beside the bed, a lamp, a chair, and some things for the walls. I do think I might ask Mike to move the brackets out a little more on the rod. I have a bit of the fabric left. I think I might make a pillow or two for the bed. I really want it to be a simple little colonial looking room. I love that stuff.

I have a dentist appt. in the morning. Wish me luck. Ever since my wisdom teeth extraction from Hell a couple of years ago, I have terrible anxiety when it comes to going to the dentist. I'm having an issue with a tooth.....an issue that I didn't have until after said oral surgeon whacked away a lot of my gum by this tooth *sigh*.