I'm Back!

Guess it's finally time to update this blog. I wasn't planning on taking such a long break. I wrote entries in my mind just about every day but sitting down to actually write them just kept slipping by. So now I'm going to do my best just to do a long update and then keep it up again from here on.


We never found Gilligan. We do however feel in our hearts that he is somewhere in our neighborhood (or surrounding neighborhood) just as happy as can be. He will always be missed and I will still always look for him but I just can't keep up looking for him every day at three different shelters. It just wore me out physically and emotionally.


Since I stopped blogging Sam has been one busy boy. He has built a bird house with his boy scout troop. It was a great afternoon of "male bonding" with some of the fathers and the use of power tools! At one point when they started to paint their bird houses some of them took off their shirts in the sun to paint. Sam made his so fast that I didn't get a chance to take pictures of him actually putting it together but I did get some pictures taken. Here are a few pictures:





Sam also ran the Cowtown 5k a few Saturdays ago. At his school they have a running club which Sam begged to be involved in. I couldn't say no. Every Monday after school he participates in the running club and has really learned a lot. He loves his coach and it doesn't hurt that his teacher is also involved in the club. I also made Sam a hat for him to wear at the marathon since it was quite cold when it started. As usual I took pictures!





Check out that stride!



I have also finished some knitting projects this past month too. I didn't get a chance to photograph one project as I did it so quickly. One of our good friends was in a play at his church and asked if I could knit up a scarf and beret in red. I did both of those in the time frame of 3 days. Whew! I'm hoping that some day I'll be able to get a photograph of them. I have also finished two hats for Sam and have still been working on my socks. Again...here are some photos:






Last but not least....SAM TURNS 8 TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe that he is going to be 8 already. It seems like just yesterday we were picking him up from the agency and stuffing him into his car seat. That is a story for tomorrow.

Not Yet...

Just an update....

We have yet to find Gilligan. We are all pretty torn up about him not being here. Sam told me the other morning, "It's just not the same around here without him here". We all agree. I have been busy this week looking for him. I've gone to four animal rescue centers daily (one being the humane society and the other three were what you would call the pound), two vets offices that are near us, two PetCo stores, two PetsMart stores, posted on Craigs List, have put up signs in three neighborhoods, have posted on PetFinders.com and a few more websites like that along with getting emails out to a lot of dog rescue groups. I don't know what else I can do except for going to the shelters every day. In fact this afternoon while surfing on the computer I found yet another shelter that I can add to my list. The sad fact of the Humane Society of North Texas is that they get 150 - 200 dogs DAILY! So sad.

I know that I shouldn't live in the "what ifs" right now, even my my reminded me of that on the phone the other day...but...I keep thinking in the back of my mind, what if I had just let them in a little bit earlier to feed them. Maybe this wouldn't have happened. I was the only one home that morning and I keep replaying those last thirty minutes in my head and wonder what I could have done differently. Then there is the fact that I'm out there every day looking at all the shelters and seeing all of those lost dogs. I get back into the car and just cry. Not only for my own dog but for all those other dogs that don't have a warm place to call home.

I'm just so heart broken. We all are. Especially Sam. He's helping as much as he can by hanging the posters. I won't take him to the shelters at least not yet.

Lost

We have been having very windy conditions today. It has been gusting anywhere between 25 and 30 mph with a steady wind around 17 mph. With that said....This morning at 9:20 I found out that the gate to our back yard had flow open. It had to happen between 8:45 and 9:20. I thought that I was letting both of our dogs in to be fed their breakfast but only one came inside. I have been driving around our neighborhood since then and I can't seem to find him. The dog that is lost is Gilligan. We've had him now for about a year and we are so sad. Sam of course has taken it the hardest. We're still looking and will keep looking for a while longer.

Pinewood Derby

Last week Sam and I spent most of the week working on his pinewood derby car. He drew his design on the wooden block and then we proceeded to cut it. We didn't have access to someone with a jigsaw so we cut it by hand. I let Sam do a little bit but it was taking quite a long time so I ended up sawing it by hand. He then helped with the sanding, painting and of course decorating it. Since this was our first year participating in the race I didn't plan on us placing so I prepared myself for a huge let down and a very disappointed son. I didn't prepare for him winning though

HE WON!!!!

He came in first place for his rank! Then it was time to sit and wait for the other ranks to have their races before the finals. He didn't place in the finals but he came in 7th out of 35 racers. Not bad for our first try at it! I was so proud of him and as you will see in the pictures below so was he.
After cutting the car we needed to sand it. Here it is pre-sanding.
Sam sanding away on the car. It was a lot of hard work and we both took turns.
The car after several coats of paint. Quite a few more to go before the night was through.
Sam's car winning one of the 6 heats for his rank.

He placed first in 5 out of the 6 heats.
Receiving his trophy for first place!

The car and trophy.

Here is a short video with more pictures that I took during the making of the car and also the race. We all had a lot of fun and are already planning next years race. You will have to pause the music on this blog to the left so that you can watch this video. Also I couldn't change the speed at which the pictures change but there is a pause button with each picture if you need to use it. Enjoy!

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

You Too Can Help!

You have heard me talk about Bernie over at A Place to Bark before and now I am going to plead to all my friends and family out there for your help. I have contemplated about putting this on here but I know it is for a wonderful cause and I know that you will all be able to help. Bernie is competing to win a $50,000 grant and she needs every ones help. I've added her donation badge in my left column and hope that you will help promote this too.

I am asking you to do the following: Go to her site and read through her posts for all of January at least, watch the video below (there are a few more videos of hers on her site if you want to watch those too) and then you do what your heart tells you to do. It's really amazing as they rescued over 400 animals last year. She is truly an amazing person.

Are You Listening?

This last Wednesday at choir rehearsal we were rehearing a song called In The Calm for this Sunday. We sung through it once and our director stopped us and spoke to us. He was saying how so many people will pray and then are done. They say that their prayers are never answered but have they ever stopped to listen for the answer. The words of this song explain what we all need to do. Forget what you need to cook for dinner, what the boss wants you to do, where your kids need to be next, etc., etc. Just clear your mind and listen. It really hit home to just about every member of our choir. Thought I would share the words of the song with you.

In the calm of Your presence

I am listening, Lord

I am still, I am quiet

I am Yours

Let Your Word speak to me

Let Your Spirit draw near

I will obey

The truth that I hear

In the calm of Your presence

I am listening, Lord

I am still, I am quiet

I am Yours

There's a thirst in my soul

For Your wisdom divine

I long for the peace

And life that I find

In the calm of Your presence

I am listening, Lord

I am still, I am quiet

I am Yours

Written by Scott Krippayne and Tony Wood

Arranged by Tom Fettke

Let's Have It Again!

With it being cold outside I decided to make a Chicken Pot Pie for dinner tonight. The last time I purchased a pot pie for Sam he turned his nose up at it so I wasn't to sure how he would react tonight. I searched my recipes and the Internet for a good recipe to use. Found several that I liked and decided to make up my own after reading those. It turned out so good that they have asked to have it again! I took mental notes for the recipe so I'm writing it down here so I know what I did and I am sharing it with all of you!

Chicken Pot Pie

1 box Pillsbury Pie Crusts (follow the directions on the box to bring them to room temp)

2 cups frozen Mixed Vegetables thawed

1 small Yellow Onion chopped or diced

Pepper

2 Chicken Breasts

2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup

1/3 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook the chicken breasts and then cut them up to bite size pieces. In the same pan as you cooked the chicken cook the chopped onion with a pad of butter till transparent. Place one of the pie crusts in your pie plate and then place the mixed vegetables and onion on the bottom. Next put in your chicken. On top of the chicken layer sprinkle with pepper. Next you will place the cream of chicken soup on top of the chicken layer. Pour the milk on the top around the edges. Sprinkle with pepper again. DO NOT add any salt as you will not need it. Place your second pie crust on top of and crimp the edges. Poke holes in the top of the pie crust for venting. Place either a cookie sheet or a sheet of foil under the pie pan to catch any drips. Cook for 30 - 40 minutes. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving. Before

After

Once it was cut into you can see that we were to hungry to let it sit. But once it did sit it wasn't so soupy.

Mizzou Wins!

2008 Cotton Bowl Champs!

Mizzou wins the Cotton Bowl!

Go Tigers!

Socks!

This past weekend I started on two different pairs of socks. The first one pictured here is my first pair that incorporates a little bit of lace. So far so good! The pattern, Dublin Bay, can be found here.


The second sock that I started is just a good ole Stockinette Stitch sock.


I hope that I can finish both of these in the next couple of weeks. We'll see!

2007 In Review

Found this fun meme at Mother, Daughter, Sister, Friend...Me, who found it at D...'s blog, who found it at Patois' blog - so I had to get in on the action!

Post the 1st sentence (or 2) from the 1st post of each month of 2007 - This should be a great way to look back on the year. I did however link the whole month and then linked the first post of each month. Enjoy!

January 2007
January 1st: I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! May 2007 bring you joy and happiness.

February 2007
February 2nd: I've started on Bunny's Tail.

March 2007
March 1st : I have finally finished the "Ruffled Scarf". It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

April 2007
April 1st: I'm off again. I know that I said that I might take a break this week in my walking but once I was here my Mom stated that she wanted to walk every day.

May 2007
May 2nd: I have finally started my first sock. I started it last week and Sam's soccer practice and I've been mainly working on it at his practices.

June 2007
June 1st: I did it! I can't believe that in two months I have walked/biked 101 miles! I still have a full month left to go.

July 2007
July 3rd:Here are some more pictures of our time at VBS last week. Sam and I both had a lot of fun.

August 2007
August 3rd:What is it about a child in just his shorts with some pants on his head singing "We Are Family" and dancing around the living room.

September 2007
September 2nd: We are here in Texas now!

October 2007
October 6th: I've missed blogging but have been either busy with Sam, running errands, going to activities for myself, keeping up with the house, unpacking, or getting sick.

November: I didn't post in November...bummer. But here is something that happened in November that I blogged about in December: Last month Sam and his second grade class put on Seussical the Musical Jr. They had a lot of fun putting it all together and we had a blast watching them all.

December 2007
December 11th: Welcoming Home the Troops

I've had fun going back through this past year. It's always good to reflect. I hope to do more walking/biking this year, craft more, finish unpacking either this house or another one depending on what happens with that, blog more, and of course stay involved not only in my family but also in my church.

This Christmas...

This Christmas was a wonderful one. This year we didn't have a sick child. This year we didn't spend a good part of Christmas Eve or several days after in and out of an urgent care and doctors offices. This year my son enjoyed Christmas the way a child should enjoy Christmas. This year I enjoyed watching my son enjoy his Christmas. This year...I enjoyed Christmas.

Enjoy the pictures:

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Santa Cookies

I asked Sam the other day what kind of cookies he would like to make and leave for Santa this year. He told me that he wanted to make peppermint chocolate chip cookies. Okay, I've never seen a recipe for that kind of cookie. I told him I would look on the Internet because I had never seen a recipe for them before. Lo, and behold, there were many recipes for peppermint chocolate chip cookies. We made them today and I have to tell you...WOW! They are some cookies! I found the recipe that I used on Home Baking Association's website. The cookie recipe will follow below. But first, there are pictures to share with you!


Here is Sam putting out the cookies for Santa. The note that he wrote to Sana says "Santa! You Rock" on the front.

This is probably the last year that Sam will believe in Santa so I'm trying to make the most of it. He is such a sweet and loving little boy and it will be a part of his childhood that will be gone forever once he doesn't believe in him anymore. Of course, I still believe in him!

Peppermint-Chocolate Chip Cookies

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup margarine or butter, softened

1/3 cup shortening

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

1½ cups all-purpose flour or whole-wheat flour

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

½ cup chopped nuts

1/3 cup crushed hard peppermint candies
1 package (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix sugars, margarine, shortening, vanilla, and egg in bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack. Provided by General Mills Serves 42.Approximate Nutrition Analysis (per serving): calories, 95; protein, 1 g; carbohydrate, 12 g; fat, 5 g; cholesterol, 5 mg; sodium, 55 mg.

My notes: I used all-purpose flour, omitted the nuts, and increased the chocolate chips to 1 1/4 cups. I cooked them for 9 minutes on parchment paper and then cooled them for 2 minutes before putting them on the rack to cool the rest of the way.

ENJOY!

Finally Up!

Finally have our tree up! I know I'm late in getting it up but with everything happening with us not knowing if we have a place to live and when anything will happen about it I kind of put it off. That and we've just been terribly busy. So, yesterday and today we got the tree up and decorated! We also finally did something that I have always wanted to do. We strung popcorn and cranberries! Sam even said, "Mom, this is really fun!". Boy was I surprised. I will have to say that I did most of them but it was still time that we spent as a family. Even Andy strung some of them. (Remember that if you want you can click on the pictures below to seem them full size.)

What started as this......

Slowly after much limb arranging turned into this...

Which finally today turned into this wonderful looking tree. At least it is wonderful looking to me. Sam and I worked on it for quite some time. I'll admit there were times where I got agitated at where he was putting some of the ornaments but I got over it and guided him to where some of them should go. He was wanting to put them basically all in the same area. Half way through decorating he asked if he could have a break. I said yes and kept decorating. We've waited long enough to get it up and I didn't want to finish it later this evening. So it is finally done!

Here are two more pictures of the tree close up. Enjoy!

Dinner and Singing!

Last Friday evening my dear hubby took me out to a wonderful dinner at Rockfish Seafood Grill. It was so delicious! My favorite item there is one of their soups.

It's the Red Pepper Crab Bisque. In fact it is so good that I am going to search for a recipe similar to it and fix it here at home.

After dinner we went to the Christmas Show of The Vocal Majority. WOW! Those men can sing.

We were going to go out for dessert afterwards but we had to sit in traffic due to an accident on one of the highways. Oh well. It was still a wonderful evening.

Thank You Andy! I love you!!!

Pay It Forward

I read this on Pink Knitting Adventures blog (who read it elsewhere) and thought it sounded great!

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

I love the pay it forward idea and I love that it gives you 365 days. ;)

Harry Potter Scarves

I know I'm late in posting pictures of the Harry Potter scarves that I knitted for my nieces but here they are finally!

They got there just in time for them to wear for Halloween this year. I didn't know if I was going to get them done in time or not. In fact one of them isn't quite the "real" pattern. But it works and that is what counts. Not to mention that they loved them.

What's Going On.....

Boy do I have a lot to update you all on!!!! I hope that you have a minute because this may get long.

Last Tuesday my husband checked his voice mail to hear that the guy that owns our house is having it foreclosed on. I must tell you that I was a wreck! The lady that is our agent here in TX, and manages the property, has been just wonderful with helping us. We are trying to get the bank that now owns the note on the house to give us the amount that it would take to purchase the house as we have quite a few interested parties that would purchase it and let us rent it from them. The big down side to all of this is that there is still a chance that we will have to move again. Now remember that we just moved here a few months ago! The up side to all of this is that we are currently living rent free!!! We haven't told Sam as of yet mainly because if we end up staying here then he never needs to know.

The same day my mother-in-law went into the hospital severely dehydrated. They couldn't do any tests until they hydrated her but once they did they found a blockage in her lower intestines. They did surgery and took out roughly 8 inches of her lower intestines. After surgery she went into the ICU as her heart was fluttering and they were having a hard time getting it to stabilize. She is now in a private room. She is recovering well from surgery but is still waiting for the lower half to begin functioning. Her heart is now in a good rhythm. But now she is battling fluid in lungs which has now turned into pneumonia. She is getting antibiotics, physical therapy and inhalation therapy to combat that. We haven't been able to make it up there to visit or help out but Andy's big sister did get to go down along with one of his younger sisters going up to help out.

Okay...let's move ahead to last Friday. I was frantically running around the city trying to find an all black dress as I was singing the Messiah Sunday evening and we were all wearing black attire. Finally found a dress with just a few minutes to spare before I had to head back across town to pick up Sam from school. On the way there my temperature light went on in my car. I called my husband to let him know what was going on. As I'm pulling into the school parking lot the car dies. I had two people help me push it into a parking space and Andy met me over there to put some coolant in it. He followed me home with Sam and we tried to start it again. When we did everything in the radiator poured down our driveway. Had to have the car towed the following morning and ended up spending a bit over $400 to get it fixed.

With all of that last week you can only imagine my stress level went way up and my body said that it had had enough and I started to get sick. So I just took it easy for a few days and got myself in order. Never did get sick but I can still feel the stress in all of my muscles.

I think that is me in a nutshell as of right now. Oh, yeah, I got a new computer! So I've been trying to reload everything back on to this one but it's okay because it runs so much better than my old one.

It's cold here and looks like it will stay cold for a while now. I still need to decorate my house for the holidays which I am hoping to do this weekend. As soon as I do I'll take some pictures to share with you.

We've been busy since we moved here getting involved in just about everything. I am going to get back into the groove of blogging and have missed it terribly. I do want to thank all of you that have either left comments or have emailed me asking if everything is okay because I stopped blogging. It meant a lot to me.

Sam in Seussical the Musical, Jr.

Last month Sam and his second grade class put on Seussical the Musical Jr. They had a lot of fun putting it all together and we had a blast watching them all. There were risers on the stage and two sets of risers on either side of the stage on the floor. They did a fantastic job and I'm so proud of them all. Here is just a little snippet of one of the songs. Sam was also one of the narrators for the musical. In fact he had most of the narrator lines memorized and could say them all for me on cue before the show.

Sam is on the front row towards stage right. I love watching him towards the end of the song when his arms are up in the air and they are moving them up and down. He puts his whole body into it.

Welcoming Home the Troops

Make a scrapbook!

Small Update & More Recipes

For all of you that have emailed me asking....My voice has pretty much returned to normal! It only gets scratchy at night after using it through out the day. My singing voice is another story. It will take a bit longer before it is back.

Sam received his first report card for 2nd grade and I am proud to announce that he has all A's and one B! We are so proud of him.

I have been trying out quite a few new recipes since we moved here and have two more to share with you.

Beef Taco Bake

1 pound ground beef

1 can (10 3/4 ounce) Tomato Soup

1 cup Salsa or Picante Sauce (I used the Black Bean and Corn Salsa that Wal-Mart makes)

1/2 cup water

6 Flour Tortillas (8 inch) or 8 corn tortillas (6 inch) cut into 1 inch pieces (I used the flour tortillas)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (since we love cheese I used 2 cups)

Cook beef in a skillet until browned. Pour off fat. Add soup, salsa, water, tortillas and half of the cheese. Spoon into 2-quart shallow baking dish. Cover. Bake at 400 F for 30 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Easy Shrimp Pasta

1/c cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing

1 lb. shrimp, cleaned

2 cups chopped tomatoes (about 4 medium)

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped, divided

4 oz. cream cheese, cubed

3/4 lb. fettuccine, cooked, drained

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Pour dressing over shrimp in small bowl; cover. Refrigerate 20 minutes (or longer if needed) to marinate. Remove shrimp from marinade; discard marinade. Heat large skillet on medium heat; add shrimp. Cook 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, stirring frequently. Remove shrimp from skillet, using slotted spoon; cover to keep warm. Set aside.

Add tomatoes and half of the basil to same skillet; cook and stir 3 minutes. Stir in cream cheese until well blended. Add shrimp; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Place hot fettuccine on large serving platter; top with the shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped basil and shredded cheese.

Winter Wonderland Coffee Swap

Coffee and Yarn....a great combination! The Winter Wonderland Coffee Swap will open up it's registration on October 24th, for those of you that are interested.

Sloppy Joe Casserole

Had a great entree for dinner this evening and just had to share it with all of you. I got the recipe from the CDKitchen Yahoo Group which I belong to. It's a wonderful place to get and to share recipes. Everyone here loved it!

SLOPPY JOE CASSEROLE

1 lb. ground beef
1 c. catsup
1/2 c. water
2 tbsp. instant minced onion
1 tsp. instant beef bouillon or 1 bouillon cube
2 c. Bisquick
2/3 c. milk
Paprika

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cook and stir ground beef in 10 inch skillet until brown; drain. Stir in catsup, water, onion, and bouillon. Heat to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Mix baking mix and milk until soft dough forms; beat vigorously 20 strokes. Spread half of the dough in ungreased square pan, 8 x 8. Top with beef mixture. Drop remaining dough by spoonfuls onto top, sprinkle with paprika. Bake until light brown, about 25 minutes.

The recipe can be doubled also.

Soccer, Tap, Bells, and Crafting Update

I've missed blogging but have been either busy with Sam, running errands, going to activities for myself, keeping up with the house, unpacking, or getting sick. In fact my allergies (which I still think is what is wrong with me) has stolen my voice. I can talk in a scratchy hard to understand voice and I can't sing at all.
Sam has started up soccer again. He played his second game this morning and as usual is having a lot of fun with it. His team hasn't won a game yet but I know they will soon as they are a great bunch of wonderfully talented kids.

I have started something new. I'm taking tap dancing lessons! I haven't taken tap since I was a little girl so I feel like I am a beginner. I'm having so much fun with this group of ladies. Our ages run from the 30s to 70s! We meet every Wednesday and we are all learning so much. I can't wait for the next lesson.

Since starting at our church I have not only joined our church choir I have also joined 2 handbell choirs and am also in a handbell quartet! I am quite bummed as this Sunday afternoon is auditions for the Women's Ensemble but since I have no voice I won't be able to audition. Oh well...maybe next time.

In the crafting world I have finished my first pair of socks. I haven't taken a picture of them yet but I have already worn them. They have got to be one of the most comfortable pair of socks I have ever worn. I can't wait to get going on my second pair.
I have also started on my nieces scarves for their Halloween costumes. They are Griffindor scarves and I'm about half way through on the first one. I guess you know what I'll be doing this weekend. Sitting on the couch, watching some football, knitting and trying not to use my voice so that I can get it back.

I have been lucky to find a wonderful yarn and cross stitch stores here and have already been welcomed by not only the shop owners but also those that were in there shopping.

I'm going to try to update this blog a bit more often like I used to. Just need to find my balance here. Until then...

Yee-Haw Boy-Howdy!

My boys took me out last Friday evening for my birthday present and I had a wonderful western evening. We had Texas BBQ for dinner and then it was off to see the Vocal Majority with special guest Max Q perform their Fall Show "How The West Was Won". Songs that they performed included: Deep in the Heart of Texas, Home on the Range, Big D, The Eyes of Texas are Upon You, and How the West Was Won WOW! What a wonderful show. I can't find a current video to share with you but I did find one of the songs that the Vocal Majority did during this show that they performed back in 2003. Before you listen to these make sure that you pause the music that is playing to the left.



Here is one of Max Q. The video quality isn't the greatest but the sound is wonderful. They did this song last Friday too.



Andy and Sam....Thank you so much for a wonderful evening!

Good Read

If you're looking for a good blog to read I would have to recommend one of my best friends in the whole world. Here's the link!

Socks And Birthday

What started out as this:
Turned into this:

Then slowly, after starting over a few times, it turned into my very first sock! Here are some pictures:


Well today is my 40th birthday. So far it has been very uneventful. Andy went to work this morning and I probably won't see him until late this evening. I took Sam to school and I don't think he even knows it's my birthday. I'll pick Sam up from school later, have dinner and then head on over to church for bell choir and choir practice. Since we just moved here no one there knows it's my birthday and I'm not really the one to announce it.

I did receive a beautiful card in the mail from my parents yesterday along with an e-card from them today. THANK YOU!!!!

I think I'll go bake myself some cookies, switch the laundry around and then watch some TV and take it somewhat easy today. Still have a lot of unpacking to do but...hey....it's my birthday.

UPDATE: Received a wonderful card from my in-laws today. THANK YOU!

Don't Worry...We Really Are Alive!

It's been a full week and a half since I've been on here to add anything. Wow! Has it really been that long since I've updated? I've just been so busy trying to unpack and set up our new house that I haven't had much computer time. I've haven't even been visiting my favorite blogs out there. I am hoping that will change this next week.

Now for updates! Sam is loving school! After spending this past year going to a school that wouldn't offer music or art to the 1st graders he finally has a fully rounded enrichment classes comprise of art, music, library, P.E. and theatre!!! The school system here is more than I could have ever asked for. Sam has also made a ton of friends here not only at school but on our street and the church that we found. In fact today he and his friends on the street have spent the day taking the empty boxes we had in the garage and have made a fort in our front yard/walkway. They are having so much fun together.

As mentioned above we have found a church. A wonderful church! Andy and I have both joined the Chancel Choir, I've joined two bell choirs and one bell choir quartet and Andy has joined one of the bell choirs. Sam is having a lot of fun doing their PRAIZE program on Sunday evenings.

Today I spend the morning/afternoon up at church attending the WE3 Picnic. It is a wonderful women's ministry program that they have there. Check out this video that explains the whole program. We all received our Junior or Senior partner today at the picnic. I'm excited about my Junior partner (I'm her Senior Partner) that I have. I can't wait for our relationship to grow and I hope it flourishes into a wonderful friendship.

We are all really excited about moving here and hope to be here for quite some time. It's a great place.

Christmas Around The World Knitters Swap Questionnaire

(If you are looking for my moving story please see the post below this one.)

I am participating in the Christmas Around The World Knitters Swap and below is my questionnaire. This swap is taking place worldwide and it will be interesting to see how so many different people celebrate Christmas.


Are you religious?
Yes. I am a life long United Methodist.

How long have you been knitting? Would you consider yourself a Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced?
I have been knitting for almost 3 years now and I guess I'm right between Intermediate and Advanced. I don't know if I'll ever get to be advanced but it is a goal.

Do you have any other hobbies besides knitting?
Yes. I cross stitch, crochet, sew, quilt and do a bunch of other crafts.

Favorite color(s)?
Blue, Burgundy, Greens. I also love deep fall colors along with rich colors and jewel tones.

Do you collect anything?
Yarn. Oh, you mean besides something that deals with knitting. I would have to say that it would probably be Carnival Glass or Depression Glass. Antiques and anything to do with Americana too.

Are you allergic to any fibers or animals?
Nope.

Do you have any pets?
Yes. I have 4 dogs and 2 cats.

Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate?
Yes to all the above.

Cookies or Sweets?
Yes to both. Can you tell I like the good things in life?

Do you knit socks?
Yes.

If not socks then what? (tell us about your favorite knits)
I have knitting everything except for an actual garment (not counting socks). But I am really starting to branch out now. I have also really gotten into felting and love watching something that I knit turn into something else.

Do you put up a Christmas tree? If not then what do you do?
Yes we sure do. In fact this year I am planning on putting up at least four! Can't wait for it.

Favorite holiday treats?
Cookies.

Favorite holiday smells?
Evergreen and cinnamon would have to be the top two.

Do you celebrate Christmas in a traditional or unconventional way? Please elaborate.
Traditional. We celebrate Christmas with all the trimmings...tree, stockings, manger scene, advent candles, wreaths, etc.

What are your favorite holiday traditions?
Putting up the tree/decorations. Holiday cooking and of course going to church during the holidays is just wonderful!

Finish the sentence: “For me Christmas is all about....”
Family.

If you were a Christmas ornament you would be…….?
Just a basic old ornament that sits back in the tree. But it is one that is cherished more than the newer ones out front.

What was your favorite gift you've ever received? Or given?
I would say that the best gift I ever gave was when I surprised my sister. When she and her family were stationed over in Germany her storage locker was broken into and all of her Christmas ornaments were stolen (along with some other things). I was really mad at whoever could have done this. So I emailed her good friends over there and got them involved in my plan. I emailed friends and family, told them what happened and asked if they would be willing to donate an ornament of their own or to purchase a new one. Also if they would enclose a story about Christmas or a background of the ornament they were giving to her. I ended up shipping two huge boxes over to Germany to her friends. They in turn were doing the same thing there. Once everything was received they asked my sister to be home at a certain time and surprised her with all of these huge boxes. I had them read a letter that I had sent to her explaining what was going on. I think that she now cherishes these ornaments more then some of the ones that were lost. I think that the best gifts anyone can give are those of the heart.

When do you start your Christmas?
Shortly after Thanksgiving. I am a true believer that Thanksgiving needs to have it's holiday before moving on to Christmas.

Do you send Christmas cards? Do you make them or buy them?
Yes and Yes. I send, make and purchase the cards. Just depends on the year.

What is your favorite Christmas dish?
That is a hard question for me because I love food. Especially during the holidays.

Carolers are at your door. What do you do?
Open the door, listen and if the house is neat I will invite them in. But this has never happened to me so I can only dream.

When do you open presents? Christmas eve or Christmas morning?
Christmas morning. It was the tradition that I had growing up and we are doing it now with our son.

Do you celebrate with family or friends or both?
We celebrate with both friends and family. To me that makes the holiday.

Our Adventurous Move

So...you want to know about our move....here it is:


Before we get started on the actual move I need to start on the evening before (Tuesday) we were scheduled to have our truck loaded. I would say at that point we were 98% done packing. We had put Sam to bed and wanted to relax before we finished up some final boxes. Before sitting down with Andy I wanted to do one final load of laundry before moving. I've moved before with dirty clothes and I didn't want to do it this time. During the spin cycle I hear water sounds and not the normal water sounds. I went running to our laundry room and there on the floor was an inch of water covering the entire room. Not only was the floor flooded but the sink in that room was also backed up. Here it was 9:00 at night and I had a flooded room. We had already packed up all the towels and only had one mop and a bucket to bail us out. Next we discovered that the room where the hot water heater is (which was out in another room off of the garage) was flooded and had gone into the garage where we had staged a bunch of boxes. Now not only did we have to clean up the room inside the house but that room along with moving boxes. Finally around 10:30 we had it all cleaned up and were headed to bed. Forget packing those last boxes as they would have to wait until morning. Not what I had planned!


The next morning (Wednesday) after we get Sam off to school we start packing those last boxes that we had wanted to do the night before while we were waiting for our loaders to show up. They didn't show up and didn't show up. Finally we called and found out that they had forgotten about us. So luckily he had 2 guys standing around waiting for work and sent them over. We had originally scheduled 3 guys for this so we were happy to at least get 2. They got there around 11:00 in the morning and started to work. They were not the greatest loaders but they were not the worst either so that was a plus to our day. They finished around 2:30 and Sam was due to arrive home from school around 3:00. At this point we realized that we had packed everything so differently this time around that we needed to get a trailer to attach to our truck. Great. So back to U-Haul yet again to see what we could get. Once we had the trailer and truck back at the house we realized how hungry we were and also remembered that we told Sam that he would be able to swim at the hotel we were staying at that night. So we did a little bit of last minute cleaning and then headed out to run some last errands and to get dinner. Once at the hotel Sam did get to swim for a while which was good for him as he got some energy out. We ran back to the house one last time to check on the animals and to also get our truck with trailer turned around. But wait...it doesn't work. The trailer keeps jack-knifing so luckily we have a neighbor that drives a truck and trailer all the time. He was wonderful and got it backed up for us. It made us feel better we he told us that he had a hard time with it too. Now back to the hotel for some much needed sleep as we had the drive ahead of us the next day. If only we knew what was coming up next.


Thursday was the actual moving day for us and we had no idea that we would not be having dinner until 10:00 that night. Left the hotel in the morning and went back over to the house to finish cleaning the house and load the trailer. Our intentions were to leave by 10:00 that morning but needless to say we ran into more interruptions along the way. Once the trailer was finally loaded we had last minute errands to run. It was getting so late that we ended up eating lunch there and it was already 11:00. Once back home we realized that there were two more errands that had to be run. One of them being returning the cable boxes which takes awhile because they have to check each item in. Back to the house to make sure we have everything and then to load up the car with the animals. Once everything is loaded and we have done a final, final cleaning of the house we are ready to hit the road. Pulled out of the driveway at 2:40 in the afternoon. Not even close to our target time. Oh well, it's only a 3 1/2 hour drive from there to here. But wait...there's more!


Our 45 minute drive to the Texas line was uneventful. Once in Texas we stopped at the "Welcome to Texas" road stop for our first bathroom break. Found out that Sam was already hungry and thirsty for a snack. Okay, I could do that too but of course there was nothing there. So we go down one more exit and get our snacks. Back on the road again. We stopped a few more times before getting into the Dallas area only to find out that there is a truck that was hit by high winds from a storm that we had just driven through. He is leaning on the guard rail that is over the highway that we are on. They shut down said highway and diverted 5 lanes of traffic onto another highway. We sat there for 2 hours! During this 2 hour wait/crawl Andy tells me that the truck is now sitting on empty! Great! Now I'm hoping that it doesn't run out of gas and we are the ones that would cause another traffic jam as we waited for gas. But lo and behold we got through it. Once we were on the other highway we got turned around and ended up pulling over to finally get the much needed gas for the truck along with getting directions. Finally get to the house and unload the car so that the animals can spend the night in the house. We go to the hotel, get checked in and then finally, finally head out for dinner. It was 9:30 at night when we got there and around 10:00 when our food arrived. That meal couldn't have tasted any better! Took the leftovers and our very tired child back to the hotel room for the night. Andy did run back to the house to check on the animals one more time and to get a lock for our trailer.


Friday morning and it is the first day in our new house. We have the guys to unloaded the truck scheduled to be at the house at 8:30 that morning and they were there exactly at 8:30. I thought that this was a great sign to the day. Nope. Found out after watering some plants and the animals that our kitchen sink is backed up along with a garbage disposal that doesn't work. Call to the property manager and the plumbers come on out. They call us and schedule to come on over at 2:00 in the afternoon to work on it. This will work great because we need to be at the house between 1:45 and 5:00 to get the cable installed. We also had a handyman show up to look at our garage. Why you ask? Ends up that the previous person to lease this house was evicted but came back through the back door and stole the garage door opener and the springs to the garage door. Now we have to prop our garage door open. This particular handyman told our property manager that he couldn't do the job so now she is trying to find someone to fix it for us. At this point I decided to take Sam back to the hotel so that he could swim and then we could pack up and check out. Get there around 10:00 and get him changed. Go out to the pool only to find out that they just put chemicals into the pool and it wouldn't be ready to swim in for another 2 hours. Oh well, back upstairs to the room to get a very disappointed Sam changed again and to get packed up so that we can check out. While we were back up in the room packing my cell phone rings. By 11:45 the truck was unloaded and handymen were all finished. This made us happy because we could go get some lunch before the plumbers and cable guy were to be at the house. Get back to the house at 1:45 to find the plumbers waiting. Great. One down and only one more to go. Once the plumbers look at the sink they determine that we need a new garbage disposal because the one that was in there was so clogged up with gunk that even the plumbers said that it was gross. While they were there we had them look at the master bathroom toilet because we had noticed that it was constantly running and ended up with all new works inside of it! Plumbers did their work and were out of the house by 3:00 or so. Sam was outside playing and riding his bike getting to know the neighborhood and all the kids while we waited for the cable guys. By 4:50 we still hadn't seen them and Andy called the cable company. To make a very long story short we ended up getting our cable installed by the technician supervisor and two others at 10:00 that night.


Let's move on to Saturday morning. After a fairly restful first night in our new house we wake up ready to tackle a new day yet again not knowing what laid in store for us. Get up, have breakfast and sit down to watch a bit of Saturday morning TV. Then our power goes out. Come to find out that the power company that we had signed up with had "lost" our order and the previous company came to turn out the power. So here we were in our new house for the first full day with no power. I kept Sam entertained while trying to unpack the kitchen while Andy made phone calls. The power company that we had originally picked said that since things got messed up they would have to consider us a new customer all over again and wouldn't be able to get the power turned back on for 3 business days. Now remember this is Saturday and Monday is Labor Day so that meant that we would be out of power for 6 full days. This was not acceptable. Andy asked to speak to someone else there higher up to see if there was some way to make it happen that day. Nope. They didn't want to work with us. So we called another power company and had it turned on by later that afternoon. In the meantime we went out for lunch and ran some errands. When we came home there was an afternoon thunderstorm that made the power go out for a few minutes. After that happened our cable was acting up. This cable is for our TV, computers and our phone so more phone calls. On the phone we could hear a local AM radio station while we talked. Not fun to hear the other person on the line while you have a radio station in your ear. Again, to make a long story short it took until around 8:00 that night to get it all straightened out....or at least we thought it was.


Sunday morning....what a wonderful morning it was. No, really, I'm being serious. We had found a church online that we wanted to try first and it was just wonderful. Met the choir director and the bell director after church and talked to them for quite some time and can't wait to get started with rehearsals and to attend church next Sunday. Ended up going out for lunch at a pizza buffet and ran into another couple that was in the process of adopting and talked to them for close to an hour and found some friends and a place that we are considering using to adopt another child. Get back home, change clothes and again we find out that there are problems with our cable. Andy gets back on the phone and ends up talking to 10 people and promised phone calls back before he finally gets a manager that stays with us on the phone until every issue is resolved. We now have two different managers direct lines and names should anything happen again with our cable service.


Everything is now fixed except for the garage door but at least we know that is in the works. We are in the wonderful process of unpacking. It was a big deal, at least to me, to finally eat at home and off of real dishes last night. We took Sam to his new school this morning and we are really impressed so far. Andy is out working right now and I am finally getting this chance to sit down and write all of this down. I know that I have probably left somethings out but these were the major glitches that happened to us and believe me when I say that this is the short version.


If you have made it this far you are to be commended as it has taken me a hour and fifteen minutes to get this all down! Please leave me a message and I would love to hear your moving stories.

We're Here

We are here in Texas now! I'll update a bit more later as it is late and I am very tired...and boy do I have a lot to share with all of you!

FFBE Contest Questionnaire

1. What is your favorite yarn for felting, and why?

Since I've only felted a couple of items so far and used the same yarn for those projects I'll just have to pick what I used. It was a wool/mohair blend. Loved it!

2. Name one person in the swap who is not from the U.S. and tell us where they are from, and link to their blog.

I would pick NotSoCarbonNeutral. She is from the United Kingdom and has a wonderful blog. I only hope to be able to knit socks as well as she does.

3. Find one person in the swap who has a dog, and let us know the name of their dog(s) and link to their blog.

Strings and Purls has two wonderful dogs. Their names are Jayda and Flex. You can see them here.

4. Find one person in the swap who has a child or grandchild and link to their blog.

Lesley at Yes, I Knit has three children and a great blog.

5. And finally, tell us if you like October or November more, and why! (Yea, I know part of September and November are technically fall, but for this question, only October and November matter!)

I personally would have to go with October. But November is a very close second. I like October because school has really gotten underway and fall is really in the air. Not to mention Halloween. Now that I have a child Halloween is just as fun now as it was when I was a child. It's like getting to relive it all over again. I like November because that is when the weather really starts to turn crisp and with Thanksgiving at the end with family gatherings during this month how can one go wrong?