Back to work blahs.....

I love the fact that I actually got 2 days off for the weekend!  I have been working sooooo much, it was a fantastic break.  I am looking forward to after the 19th, so that I can take a week of VACATION!  Who cares if it's winter and cold out......I just need some "me" time.

Anyhow....

I got the first half of my nephew's huge pillow done.  And started on the 2nd.  It's purple and orange

And, I went back to doing some cross stitch.  My hands are going to be in continuous claw-form from holding the knitting needles, so I figured I would take a break....

The snowflakes are supposed to be white, but I changed them to DMC 4025.  I am loving the lambswool linen.  I never thought stitching on linen would be enjoyable, but I really like it.

All that being said, I am back to the gym today.  YAY!!!!!  I have missed it.  This fat is gonna be blasted in 2012.....have a great day all!

The Real Wordless Wednesday Post - Mom's Christmas Present, framed and finished

Not-so-wordless Wednesday :p

Cross stitch update above.  I'm still not going to have it done by Christmas, but that's ok.  She'll be surprised when I give it to her any time.

This past week has been wacky.

Last Thursday, we celebrated Jean's (my mother-in-law) birthday.  We went to Four Winds Cafe in Forest Oaks.  If you are in the Piedmont-Triad area and want something truly unique, I highly suggest it.  It's a little hole in the wall place, but the owner was the chef at the White House when Reagan was in office.  It's FANTASTIC.  Every meal is 3 courses.  He never makes the same dessert twice - I'm dying for him to make his Irish Cream Parfait again.

Anyhow, that's what we did Thursday.  Friday was the 3-year anniversary of my dad's passing :(.  Saturday was our 21st wedding anniversary.  We again ate at Four Winds - both for breakfast and dinner :)

That all is mostly why I have been so quiet this past week.  I've just been in a REALLY REALLY bad funk and I can't get out :(

Running to Hobby Lobby here in a few to get a frame to finish mom's present.  Will take a pic after it's framed so you all can see.

Hope you're having a great week!

3 years ago today.....

I lost my Daddy.

Yes, even at 40 years old, I still call him Daddy.  Because that's what he was.

One of my first cross stitches I ever did was one that said "Any man can be a Father, but it takes someone special to be a Daddy".

I miss you.....I love you.....and I will never, ever forget you. 

You were my champion, my biggest fan, and the one who could always, no matter what, make me laugh.  You worked 2-3 jobs all your life so that we would never go without.  I thought we were rich when we were barely above poverty level. 

I never knew velveeta existed until I got married.  And I just found out, after 40 years, that mom NEVER used cheddar cheese on tacos, but sliced American.  I never knew the difference. 

Pop or soda was never in the house - it was either tea or cool aide. 

Dinners out were a once every few months thing.  I still remember when we would to go to the restraunt at the Holiday Inn and then play putt-putt, because that was our "fancy dinner of the month".  

Family vacations consisted of either Cedar Point, Geauga Lake, Hershey Park, Busch Gardens or driving somewhere to walk on a nature trail or tour old historic houses.  In Nashville, we once drove back to a McDonalds after driving 3 hours because I forgot my stuffed dog.  I will always cherish the 1982 Worlds Fair in Knoxville and camping at Grandfather Mountain.

You taught me how to stick weld and how to drive a tractor.  You taught me how to hang barbed wire fence and mow the grass.

You took a chance when we left Pennsylvania in 1985 to go to Oklahoma. 

And when I left Oklahoma in 1990, a bit of my heart stayed behind. 

No matter what I did or how I hurt you, you were always there for me.  I was always your "Yittle Yynn".  You put up with my friends every weekend.  You made them laugh.  I always had the "cool parents".  I will always remember Mahatma Havinagoodtimewishinyouwerehere, 10 little elephants and "yadayadayada".  And my magic word will forever be "Hucklebuckle".

You fought through lung cancer, diabetes, and obesity.  You fought congestive heart failure and numerous other conditions.  And in the end, it was a staph infection from a hospital that took you from us.  Something that could have been prevented.....

In loving memory of David Eugene Morrison, Jr - June 3, 1948 to December 9, 2008 - loving husband, most awesome father, and fantastic granddad.

My Christmas Present

Merry Christmas to me!  But, I can't keep it yet.....I have to give it to my mother-in-law so she can wrap it :(.

I wanted either this or the Kindle Fire for Christmas.  When my mother in law asked what I wanted, I kinda off-handedly mentioned the Nook Tablet or Kindle.  Not that I expected her to get either for me or take me seriously.

Honestly, I don't care what I get.  I don't NEED anything.  Yeah, I could use a new laptop, clothes, stuff like that, but I don't NEED it.  The past 21 years Michael and I have been married, Christmas has always been for the kids and family.  We rarely, if ever, exchange gifts.  We give each other stuff through the year. 

Well, dear mil calls Michael and tells him she looked up the price and as much as she wished she could get it for me, she had to stay in her budget.  She does, after all, have 3 sons, 2 daugthers-in-law, 4 granddaughters, 3 grandsons and 2 great-grandsons to buy for.  Not to mention, 2 ex-wives of said sons and random boyfriends of the granddaughters.  I told him I did not tell her that is what I wanted.  I told her it would be nice but I realy didn't need anything.  So my most wonderful hubby says "What if I go in half with mom on it" I said YAYAAYAYAAYAYAYAYA!!!!!!

Then, he says "So, you go buy it and give it to mom so she can wrap it". 

Me - **blink**........*blank stare*

Him - "Really, go get it and we can give it to mom when we have dinner with her on Thursday"

Me - "Why can't you go get it"

Him - "You want it right?"

Me - "**sigh** ok."

So, that is what I did at lunch today, I went and bought my own Christmas present.

Then, I went to Starbucks because when I got back to work, I couldn't finish setting it up becuase we don't have wi-fi at work.  I needed extra lunch time anyway :p

All I have to say is ......IT'S AMAZING!!!!   I can't wait til I get it home on Christmas Eve to play with it.  The graphics are breathtaking, and the video is outstanding.  Super fast loading time.  I'm stoked for the in-color knitting and crocheting books I'm going to get for it.

YAY for fun Christmas presents!

It's soooo fluffy! ... or, the yarn I love to hate

December is such a crazy/stressful time for me.  I am coming down to the wire on projects.  I am in no way going to get my mother-in-laws cross stitch done :(.  I'll give it to her as a random gift.  We have a backup - she wants a blu-ray player, so that'll have to do.  My brother's scarf is almost done.  Gotta get mom's cross stitch framed this weekend so I can send them off to Oklahoma.

Mother-in-law's birthday is the 7th.
3rd anniversary of my daddy's death is the 9th.
My 21st wedding anniversary is the 10th.
Both my work and hubby's Christmas dinners on the 16th.
Christmas eve....Christmas....New Years......need I say more?

Top that off with I have been working 60-70 hours/week since May.  I'm pooped.

I haven't been to the gym regularly in 3 weeks and it's KILLING ME!!  I LOVE my gym time.  We are coming down to the wire on our January 19th audit and I work in regulatory affairs at a food flavoring company.  If you've had a frappachino from a place with golden arches, you've had our products.  If you use cake mix....you've used our products...same with biscuits, cookies, dog food/supplements, fish bait, vodka, rum, flavored water, you've used our prodcts.....get the picture? lol..  I haven't had a day off since May and I still have 7 vacation days to use before March.......

Anyhow.....this wasn't a gripe post, really.

I have discovered a new yarn!  Well, new to me.   It's eyelash yarn.  All  I can think of when I use it is the little girl from Despicable Me with the big fuzzy unicorn shaking it and saying "IT'S SO FLUFFY!!!!!".  I love this stuff....or rather, I HATE it because when you drop a stitch, you can't find it....and you can't take it apart because it knots like CRAZY!!! UGH!!

This is the PERFECT color for my hubby...if you follow football, it's Carolina Panther colors!!  I'm going to make a 3-strip lapghan for him.  Then, I am going to make a body pillow for me, lol!!! I freaking love how soft this stuff is!  The swatch above is longer than it looks.  It's squished up on the needle.  It's 70 stitches wide. 

Have you ever used it?  What did you make with it?

The first post of hopefully many :)

Good afternoon!  My name is Lynn and my daughter Megan and I love to sew!  Be it cross-stitch, knitting or crocheting, we love it all. 

It's been a passion of mine since  I was about 8 - I started with knitting 100's of tiny squares and tried, unsuccessfully, to make a quilt.  I took apart and put back together all those squares more times than I can count. 

Now, I at least try to actually finish what I start :).  Sometimes, I am successful, sometimes not.  But, it's my escape, so I keep on doing it.  It's my realease at the end of a long work day.

Currently, I am working on "Bird Seasons" by Elsa Williams.  I'll post a picture later this evening.  I'm almost done with the main body and then will do the backstitching.  It's my mom's Christmas present this year.  Then I have another bird one to start for my mother-in-law.

I would like to learn how to do Hardanger (like doilies and table runners and such) and needlepunch projects.  Those are next on my list.  I tried quilting before, but since I dont' have a sewing maching, that didn't work very well.

Anyhow.....I'm finishing up my day at work, then heading to the gym for a session with my personal trainer, then home to stitch!!  I look forward to reading other sticher's blogs!

~*Lynn*~