Monday, May 31, 2010

The Three Days Flew By!

What a wonderful weekend. Today was a perfect ending of a great weekend. I had a couple of errands to run in the morning, but that was okay. At 12 I went over to my daughter and son-in-law's house for barbecue. My son-in-law is a master of grilling and lunch was fabulous! He made steaks and grilled asparagus. My daughter made bruschetta with goat cheese and tomatoes. Oh my goodness. It was a great lunch and we had such a nice visit. It was even nice enough to eat outside.

I came home late this afternoon and got the crazy idea while I was vacuuming that I needed to rearrange the furniture. I am still setting up a little stitching corner, so that was part of it. So I got out my furniture slidey things and went to work. I got every thing moved around, vacuumed, then decided it was not working. I ended up moving everything back were it originally was. I am hoping that at least I may have burned enough calories to be able to eat chocolate.

So my little stitching corner is coming along. I have a little bookshelf that I have moved over where I stitch. It is making it less crowded now. Now I have to figure out what to put into it. I may put all of my scissors into a flower frog to display them. They are so pretty and make me happy to look at them.

I did not get to garden today, although when I was throwing the ball for Liesl I was picking at some weeds while I was waiting for her to bring it back. I am still hurting from weeding all weekend, and I am kinda doing the Frankenstein walk. LOL

Well, I am off to stitch for a while.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Posting Early Today

I am posting a bit early today because I am going over to one of my best girlfriend's house for dinner and an evening of stitching and laughing. Liesie is coming along, too, to play with her dog buddy over there. I am looking forward to it.

I am totally aching today from my gardening bonanza yesterday. But that did not stop me from weeding the front yard today. I have piles of weeds now waiting their turn to go into the big green bin. As I suspected, they will not all fit. Yikes. I still have more to do tomorrow, and probably the rest of the week. LOL But the weather has been so beautiful which makes it easy to go out and work in the yard.

The Nascar race started at 2pm here, so I took the opportunity to sit and stitch. I am still working on Dog Lessons for People. It has been very nice to stitch. I have been sitting on the sofa with Liesl napping with her puppy legs tucked between my back and the sofa. I do not know why she does this when it is hot out. LOL

Liesl is due a steak dinner for an act of heroism Yesterday morning at about 8 am, I had let her outside to play in the backyard while I was getting my cup of tea. All of the sudden I heard her just barking manically outside. I looked out my front window to see two men and their bicycles in my front yard moving quicky to get the gate back opened and get out fast. Luckily they could not get into the backyard gate where she was. They were obviously looking for trouble and Liesl was not having it. She must have been a scary sight to these guys. I heard from my next door neighbor that someone had come in his gate, too. This is a really nice neighborhood, and all I can think is that they were looking for a house that had people away for the long weekend that they could rob. I called the police who are now doing extra patrols. It looks like Liesl may have scared these guys out of the neighborhood.

Liesl is less than a foot tall but can look like a big ferocious dog. These dogs were bred as watchdogs in Germany and can sound a loud and very vicious sounding alarm. They are also pretty fearless and very territorial (no one messes with Liesl's momma.) They were groomed to look like the devil so that people would take them seriously. Liesl has a bit more of a puppy cut, but still has a very stoic expression. I am just glad that theses guys did not make it into the yard or worse, the house. Thank goodness, she was not in a position where she could have been hurt. It was pretty brazen of these guys to do this at 8 am on a Saturday morning. So Liesl will get a nice homecooked dinner tomorrow.

Ah, well off to my friend's!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Gingher Mia!

In what can only be described as pennies from Heaven, I am now the proud owner of Gingher Mias. Even up until last week I was still kicking myself for not being able to get these months ago when they came out. Now I believe that they are retired. Mia was a special pair of scissors that was only released through Jo Ann stores. They were not available online, and the nearest JoAnn is about an hour away from me. Only recently I saw somewhere that these are selling for about $70 on eBay.

So last week, I was minding my own business and saw that there was an email in my box from one of the internet stores that I used to order my Ginghers from. The email said that they had just gotten in a shipment of 50 pairs of Mia. They were offering them for $22 plus a discount, so I got them for $21. It is my big splurge for a while. When I was ordering them, I envisioned someone else trying to buy them up to sell on eBay. I was sure that by the time I got to place the order that they were not going to be available anymore. I am really, really lucky!

I have had an awesome day today. I did alot of gardening. I had some major weeds going in the yard, which have been removed. I am afraid that I have too many to fit in the yard waste can that Waste Management offers. Yikes! It may take two or three weeks to get it all out of here. But all in all, it looks so much better. Liesl got to stay outside and loved snoozing in the sun. She is proud of the way her yard is looking. It was such a beautiful day, and it was nice spending it out of doors.

I got to take a really long nap today too. When it got too hot to work, I went inside and laid down to read my book for a while. I quickly realized that the sofa was not totally comfortable so I went and laid down on my bed. The next thing I knew, I woke up an hour later. It was so nice.

I loved being home today. I got my house mostly cleaned, did all of my laundry, played with my puppygirl, cooked a nice dinner and just enjoyed the beautiful day.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Three Day Weekend!

Oh, my goodness, it is finally here. I have been so busy for weeks so this is such a treat. A certain furry girl and I are going to get some exellent rest and fun this weekend. Our big plan so far is to stay up as late as we want tonight (which is probably another 15 minutes.) Then we will sleep in. It is supposed to be beautiful here this weekend, so we will probably start with a long walk by the water in the morning. Then back home for a nice breakfast and an afternoon of gardening, or coffee with a friend, or reading, or stitching. I am going to leave it open to what ever I feel like doing.

Liesl and I have done the grocery shopping for the weekend. We are ready. I have several invitations to meet up with friends, but I may just want to stay home with my little furbaby. It would make her happy, too.

I was taking the groceries out of the car tonight and heard the California Sea Lions barking on the beach several blocks away. It really struck me as very cool. They have been having babies down there and much of the beach area is cordoned off so that humans do not interfere with them. I still find it so exciting when I can hear them.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Life is Good

Do you ever just stop and think how good your life really is? One of my very best girlfriends called and asked me to dinner tonight. I love talking with her. She is really smart and funny. We were talking about all of the great things in our lives. Of course, we have problems, frustrations and sadness like everyone else, but it is really cool to sit with someone and count all of the positives in our lives. We both talked about our families, our friends, our dogs, our jobs, etc.

We both like to talk about needle arts. She talks about her knitting and needlepoint, and I talk about my stitching. Then we usually talk about how beautiful the hardanger from Norway is. It is very expensive though. I do a little hardanger and have offered to teach her. She reminded me tonight that she is going to Norway this year with her family. (Her husband's family is in Norway.) She said that if I make a little list of hardanger supplies, she would be happy to do a little shopping for me. I know that suitcase space is limited so I am so grateful that she would offer to pick up authentic Norwegian supplies for me. I do not even know what to put on my shopping list or how much money to give her. I am so excited.

The other thing that we talk about is our beloved dogs. She has a beautiful English Springer Spaniel, who is a joy. He is very young and is adorable. We were talking about how amazing they are. We also talked about how your dog just knows when you are sick or hurting, and will do what they can to nurse us. They are such beautiful creatures and know a lot more than we give them credit for. I am so grateful for my big dog in a little outfit. She is less than a foot tall, but a really big spirit.

Life really is good.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Getting Ready for the Three Day Weekend!

I am getting ready. I will be hunkering down this weekend. I live in a tourist destination so traffic gets pretty ugly here. Plus the weather should be beautiful, which really gets people out. I have been in two horrible car accidents which were caused by other people, both on holidays. One was this past Christmas, and the other about 20 years ago on Memorial Day. I will be pretty much staying home. Except for a barbecue at my daughter's house, which is 7 minutes away. (I know, I am really lucky to have her so close!)

So here is my plan: I plan on gardening, getting my tomatoes in the ground, and pulling weeds. Liesl will like hanging out in the yard with me! Tonight I went to the library and loaded up on books and magazines, and I have my stitching ready to go. All I need to do is go to the grocery store and get Cheetos and M&Ms to make it through the weekend. LOL I plan on sleeping in, napping, gardening, reading, stitching, cuddling my dog, and maybe doing a little baking. I am really excited. Other than going to the BBQ, I may not even put makeup on.

I need to look through my fabric this weekend as well. There is a little stool that I keep in my kitchen that was my son's from when he was about four years old. I have been thinking that it would look so cute covered in red gingham with a red rick rack accent. I think it would look very nostalgic and very cute in my red kitchen. (I am totally regretting not getting the red KitchenAid when I bought mine!)

Sunday, May 23, 2010

A Very Good Day!

It has been a really good day! Liesl and I got to sleep a little late this morning, and it was a little bit of Heaven. We woke up to sunny skies and just a beautiful day. As always, the church service was wonderful. I really appreciate my church and the folks that attend it.

I came home and put my finishing touches on my research paper for my online class. I only have my Powerpoint final project and my final exam left to do over the next two weeks. After that I just got to sit quietly for a while and play with little Miss Liesl. She has been such a patient little soul the past couple of weeks while things were really hectic. So we played, which made her really happy.

I got to go to a symphony reception this evening. It was lovely, there was wonderful food, and I got to visit with some wonderful friends. I was talking with one of my closest girlfriends who was there. She said that as soon as she got home, she was going to put on her warm jammies, microwave some popcorn for her dinner, and watch television. I agreed that it sounded awesome so I came home, put on my jammies, microwaved some buffalo chicken strips for dinner, cuddled my dog, and got out my stitching. It was a wonderful evening. I got to work on Dog Lessons for People and hopefully will be able to post a photo later this week.

I tried to take a photo of Liesl's haircut today. I was cracking up because due to the delay on my camera, I have all of these odd shots, of an ear, a tail, or nothing at all. She would be posing nicely, and just as the shutter would snap, she would trot off. It just made me laugh, especially when I saw the photos.

Hope you have a wonderful week!

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Day At Home!

Yay! A great day. I had a short meeting this morning, but got to come home for pretty much the rest of the day. It was so nice. I got my little abode all cleaned. Liesl got to nap on her spot on the sofa. I even got to take a nap. So nice.

I had to work on my final paper for my class tonight. It just has some fine tuning to be done tomorrow, but it is, for all intents and purposes ready to go. I have another project to do this week and a final, but I am close to the end of this class.

After I get this paper cleaned up, I am going to do a little gardening, and try to propogate some "Fried Egg" poppies that I have cuttings off. They are dramatic flowers but notoriously hard to start. But I am up for the challenge! I also have weeds to pull, ugh!

Lastly, I plan on stitching my heart out. I do have plans in the early evening, but other than that I will be stitching on my "Dog Lessons for People" and watching the Celebrity Apprentice finale. Life is so good. I am so glad to have some time at home with all of my toys and my sweet little dog. I shall have to get a photo of her to post tomorrow. She went to the groomers yesterday and is looking way too cute!

Friday, May 21, 2010

Whoohoo! Friday!

Oh my goodness. This is the first weekend since late April that I do not have a weekend packed full of activity. Life has been so busy, and I have been out every night this week except for Monday. Tonight though, my son took me out to dinner at my favorite sushi place. It was awesome to have the time with him. Plus dinner was really yummy.

Tomorrow I have a quick meeting in the morning, then I need to work on my final assignment for my class. It will be nice to be home for the afternoon and evening. I am hoping to stitch, too. Plus I need to propagate some flowers in my garden. Sunday I have church and a reception but that will be terrific.

Next weekend is the holiday and I am stoked! I plan on doing a lot of gardening and stitching. Hopefully, I will be able to get together with friends for barbecue, too. I have a lot of beads that I have collected over the years, so I am thinking that I would love to make some pretty necklaces to wear. I have been meaning to do this earlier, but I look at the beads and then I get overwhelmed. So I am going to cowgirl up and make some necklaces!

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The Summer of Patti

By next weekend I hope to be done with all of my evening responsibilities! I am on hiatus from my chorale group until September, my final project for my class is due May 30th, and another church responsibility will be done. This is going to be awesome. I was wondering what I should do with my summer, but I think I am just going to have fun, be with my friends and family, gardern and do my crafts. I think I may have to go through some Martha Stewart magazines just to get some ideas. One thing is for sure, I will be so glad to have my evenings free again. One of my gal pals said that she would also like for us to go hiking with our dogs after work. This will be awesome.

I will be really glad to get my garden totally underway. It has so much potential. I got a rather late start on it since I was recovering from the car accident for several months. Now I am just busy. Memorial Day weekend though, it is on! I have big plans for this garden and my front yard. I really would like to host some dinners in my awesome yard for my friends. I wish I had one of those long tables like in the magazines with candles in jars and my friends all around.

Well, I am off to dream and plot my summer fun!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Tomato Plants!

Whenever I start seeds I feel like I am a little kid starting the bean plant in a dixie cup. I am still excited when I see that first little sprout from a seed. My little tomato plants are coming along quite nicely. I also have to start the heirloom tomato seeds that my daughter and son in law gave me for Mother's Day. This is very cool. I can not wait to be eating a tomato sandwich. Yum!

I can not believe it but I woke up at 9 am today. I have not woken up that late in about 7 years. Usually if I sleep in it is usually until about 7:30 pm. Even so today, I only woke up because Liesl, who normally likes to sleep in, was nudging me with her paw and staring at me when I opened my eyes. Her expression said, "Enough already!" LOL. I got to clean up the house, stitch and play with my little furgirl. I have been so busy lately, so I was happy today when she brought me a toy, that I could play with her. She is such a beautiful little soul and she was so happy today.

I worked on Dog Lessons for People today. It is a very easy, fun stitch. I am thinking it will actually be a quick stitch, too. I will share a photo late this week.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Life is Good!

Whoohoo! What a ride, things have been busy. Like way busy. I had a meeting last night and early this morning at church. Had to go to Target to pick up shampoo and stuff, back home to do a little cleaning. It was a crazy day.

With all of the buzzing around like a bee, I did get to indulge in my guilty pleasure The Real Housewives of New Jersey. I am totally caught up with the season. This show is something else. I just can not take my eyes off of it after it is on. I started a new project today while I was watching RHNJ. I am working on Lizzie Kate's "Dog Lessons for People." I would like to put it up in my office. I have mentioned in the past that the windmill picture is so small that I can not stitch very long. Now the stitches on Dog Lessons look absolutely huge.

I got to go to a great concert tonight. It was the Durufle Requiem, as well as some other pieces. It was outstanding and I am so glad I went. It made me so happy. Then I came home and put on my jammies to watch television with my puppy. It was a good day, but I am glad to be home and relaxing.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Wednesday

The other day my daughter and I decided that since it is still so light after work, that we should meet and walk twice a week. Liesl and I meet her on a path by the beach. We did our after work walk yesterday and today, taking different routes each day. Tonight we got to see baby goslings and baby harbor seals along the way. It was very cool. I must say that I am a bit tired and will sleep really well tonight. Liesl came home a little overly tired which equaled her being really wound up. She had picked up some hard-to-remove stickers in her fur at lunchtime on our walk, so she had to have a last minute bath. The bath makes the stickers a little easier to remove. Now she is out like a light. She cracks me up because she sleeps with her puppy legs up on the armrest of the sofa.

I was able to stitch for a little while tonight. I worked on my little windmill picture. I can only do a little at a time because the stitches are so small. I am afraid this is not the most relaxing piece I have ever stitched, but it will be quite beautiful. But hey, it is the journey, right?!

I am reading a really fascinating book right now called, "Letters From the Hive." It is about bees. I have always been fascinated by bees. I am really interested in their social structure and how the work is organized in the hive. I also like the part that bees and honey play in history dating back to cave paintings and in ancient Egypt. Honey has long been known for its medicinal qualities. I just think bees are so very cool. Although I believe in buying local honey, I have no interest in beekeeping though. Sadly, though I am fascinated by this illustrious creatures, I am a deathly allergic to their stings.

Off to get my beauty rest!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Bring On Summer!

It has been cold, windy and rainy here on the Monterey Peninsula. I am ready for warmth, drinking iced tea in the backyard with a good book, and being surrounded by my lovely flowers. Life has been pretty hectic around here with several responsibilities like school on my plate. Hoever, things are winding down and will be finished by the end of May. I was talking with a friend of mine, and was saying that I am not sure what I will do with myself this summer. LOL As we talked about it, I decided to make it the summer of gardening, quilting, cross stitch, walking on the beach, cooking and friends. I am really excited about it. Liesl will be happy to be home a bit more often.

I am also thinking that I would like to arrange a freebies notebook. Right now, I download them to my computer, but forget they are there. Plus you have to work through the document files and open the documents to open them. So it would be nice to have a little file of things that I will most definitely stitch.

Conversely, I need to go through my files and start selling some of the patterns I know I will never stitch. I am pretty picky about what I buy, at the same time, however, there are some things I know I will never stitch just because my decorating theme has changed. So, I am sure that someone else could use the pattern. So I need to make my list and see what the best venue for this would be.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Happy Mother's Day!

What a wonderful day. It was a bit stormy this morning, but that was okay. I put on a warm, wooly sweater and went off to church. I was the assistant minister this morning, which was really an honor on such a special day. I also got to talk to my mom and wish her a Happy Mother's Day.

I dashed home afterwards to straighten up my little house before my DD and DSIL got there to work on my computer stuff. In the meantime, my DS called to let me know that he and his girlfriend are going to take me out to dinner next week, so I have something to look forward to. Yay!

DD and DSIL got to the house at 1pm. Liesl was so excited that they were here. Of course, they were here to see her. LOL They arrived with some of my favorite sushi, which was delicious. My DD also had a present of some new gardening things for me, along with some heirloom tomato seeds, summer squash and sugar pumpkin seeds. Best of all, she gave me the sweetest card, with a beautiful message she wrote inside. It made my day! DSIL fixed up my computer and network and did a super job!

I think that Liesl must have known on some level that it was Momma's Day, because she decided today that she was going to be my lap dog as her gift. You have to understand that this is totally not her thing. Usually, if I try to hold her on my lap, she will humor me for about 30 seconds, all tensed up, then back off my lap. She is a busy little dog, and when she crashes and lays still, she wants to stretch out and do her own thing. Sometimes she will lay against me, but lap dog she is not. Yet today, she slept on my lap for about an hour, really snuggled up. Then she provided the comic relief for the afternoon. DD said that she is more entertaining than television. LOL

I finished my day stitching my little windmill picture in the quiet evening. It was a good day. I got to talk with my mom and my kids. I got to laugh with DD and DSIL. I am thankful for the time I got to spend talking with each person in my family. I am thankful for the cuddle that my little dog gave me as her gift. I am truly blessed.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Saturday Stuff

Today I ran the gamut of emotions. I woke up slowly today for a change and enjoyed watching the room gradually turn from dark to light. It is a magical time. The morning holds so much promise for the day. I was happy to drink a leisurely cup of tea and Liesl was happy to continue her sleep on the sofa while I sipped my tea. She loves sleeping in and will take it to extremes.

I got to putter around the house and got to finish my book. It felt really good after all of the rushing around I have been doing for weeks. I had to go to a memorial service at two. It was such a beautiful service for such a really good person, who believed in service to his community. The church was absolutely packed with people who loved him. I can only hope to live such a loving life and leaving a legacy that inspires others. I feel inspired to be an even better person when I hear stories such as his.

I played just a little bit with my cross stitch patterns today. With them being packed into a file box, I tend to forget what I have in there. I pull them out so rarely. I did get to look at a few, but did not get to stitch at all. I am hoping to after church tomorrow. I get to be the assistant minister tomorrow for the Mother's Day service, which I am looking forward to. Then my DD and DSIL (the IT guy) are coming over to look at my wireless router and computer and are bringing me lunch. It will be so good to see them. Liesl, of course, will think that the company is here to see her. LOL

Well, I am off to get my beauty rest!

Friday, May 7, 2010

Friday!

Today was a really good day. Busy as usual, but really good. I did have to run by Costco after work, but that was okay. I have to attend a memorial service tomorrow at church, so I needed to pick up a dessert to bring. I found a beautiful red velvet cake. As I was wheeling my cart along to head towards the checkout, I smelled a beautiful thing. 'Twas the siren song of the Costco rotisseried chickens. Oh, my goodness! They smelled so good. I was planning on leftovers tonight for dinner, but had to shift my dinner plan.

I had to put the chicken in the trunk, because it smelled so good, and my little furrygirl in the shotgun seat, was lifting her little puppy nose in the air. She was looking desperately at me, like, "Where is it?!" I got home and she stayed glued to the area where the chicken was. I made some quick potatoes, then brought our plate over to the sofa. Notice I said "our plate." I shared my chicken and my potatoes, with a little dog that was sort of hunched over my plate. (Think Snoopy when he is being a vulture. LOL) She will never eat on off of my plate, and waits to be hand fed, but she makes sure that I know she is there. LOL

I got to work on my little windmill picture tonight. They are the tinest stitches I have ever seen, so I can only work on it in small increments. I will work on it tomorrow for a while it is light. I also need to catch up on my guilty pleasure, Real Housewives on NJ. I love this show. I see that Bravo carries full episodes online. I shall have to watch the season premiere.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Marvelous Monday!

What a good day! I got a lot of work done today. Came home to leftovers, which were delicious and made me happy.

The weather promises to be beautiful for the next 10 days, according my handy little weather.com app on my Blackberry. I got myself all inspired to do some heavy duty gardening at about 6:15. I strapped on my little gloves and headed to weed my front yard, which had been really neglected. I messed around with the easy to pull oaxalis at the front then headed over to the lily bed. There were some ugly, clinging to the earth weeds in there, but I kept persevering. The lily bed is cleared and is ready to bloom. Yay!

I worked for over an hour and only got about a quarter of the yard done. Actually, I did not work all of that time. The nice thing about the gorgeous weather was that my neighbors were also out too, so I got to chat with them. I even got to meet a neighbor that I had not had the chance to meet yet. I live in an awesome neighborhood and have really great neighbors who look out for each other.

I finished out the evening by pulling out a pattern that I remembered that I had stashed away in my bookshelf. It is a 1952 pattern of a windmill scene. I bought it at Thumbelina in Solvang last year. I saw the stitched and framed piece which had an antique look to it. I asked on a lark if the pattern was available and the proprietor handed it to me for only $8. Then he set about cutting a piece of silk gauze for it. I was getting ready to stitch it tonight and then realized that the DMC colors have changed in the past 58 years. Yikes. I put it back away for a time when I am not overly tired so that I do not make a mistake, particularly with the color.

I am excited about stitching this piece. My family ancestry is Dutch, so windmills are a bit special to me. Can't wait to post a photo of progress!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Ordinary Day

I am finding that the more ordinary my day is, the more I treasure it. It has been a hectic few weeks, but after I finished work at about noon yesterday, I got do a little housecleaning, took a nap and read a book. I went to bed absurdly early at 8pm. Do I know how to party or what?!

Church was really good this morning, it was a beautiful sunshiney day and I got to wear a dress for the first time this season. I have felt so blessed all day long. After the church service, I was talking with one of my church girlfriends who just got back from a trip. She said that she had been reading a book about the importance of female friendships in the lives of women, so we started a conversation about the depth of friendships amongst women. We support each other so much through talking and sharing. I do not know what I would do without my girlfriends. Each of my friends is a smart, caring and wise woman. Most of them make me laugh like heck. I was really blessed today because I was able to talk on the phone today with a few of my friends this afternoon. Totally clears my head! Plus I got to laugh alot.

It was nice to spend time yacking with my friends. I also got to take a long walk with Liesl on the beach. She looks so happy when she is on the beach. Then she will let me know when it is time to go. She got her puppy feet wet, then we came home so she could take a nap. I worked on a paper for my class (three more weeks to go!) and relaxed. I made homemade macaroni and cheese for dinner, watered my yard which is in full bloom, and came in for the evening. Now I am in for an evening of Steven Hawking on Discovery, a little warm dog laying next to me, and rummaging through my pattern box. Such an ordinary day and I am so blessed.