Family Tree

While I have mentioned that I have quite a few interests and hobbies, the one area of interest that I do not mention much is my love of doing genealogical research.  I have been working on it on and off for about 10 years now.  There are parts of the family tree where I just hit major brick walls so I stop for a while and turn my attention to other things.  The journey is really rather fascinating.

A few years ago I started posting my family tree research on line with Ancestry.  I totally forgot about it and went on about my business for the past couple of years.  Until around January of this year, that is, when I got an email from someone who said that she thought we might be related.  She provided some detailed information and it indeed turned out that her great grandmother and my great great grandfather were brother and sister and had traveled to this country together from England.  Our family were generations of silk workers who made the transition from the silk industry in Macclesfield (Cheshire) England to Paterson, NJ during the Industrial Revolution.  

My cousin and I shared a connection from the beginning when we started communicating.  Most phone calls are about two hours.  The similarities between us are truly uncanny (almost eerie), right down to our birthdays.  Although she is a few years younger than me, her birthday is the day after mine.  We both are crazy about our dogs, love crafts, and have the same sense of humor.  We both say that we feel like we have known each other for years.  She is a real treasure to me and is a very wise, and super fun person.

Right now she is on the trip of a lifetime.  She and her hubby have traveled back to England and Ireland to do some family research there.  She invited me to come along, but I figured a new job would not be down with it.  So I had to pass.  She is walking in the same places our ancestors were and I have been so excited for her.  I can only imagine how powerful it must be to stand on the same earth as them.  She plans on going back in a couple of years and I am in!  

One thing that we agree on is that it is because of the decisions of our ancestors to take the chance to come to America that we have the lives that we do now.  They left an extremely economically depressed area at a time where there was opportunity in America.  They also left a family, knowing that they would never see them again, and all that they had ever known, to come here.  Who knows what our lives would have otherwise been like?  It was pretty courageous and I have to wonder if they could have known the positive impact that their decision would have three and four generations later.  So I honor them.

So now I am looking forward to my cool cousin coming back home to the USA (she lives in the midwest).  It will be fun to catch up and hear about her travels.  And talk about our dogs, food, life and all of the good things we know.  It is funny how the blessings just rain down.  And you never know if the gift of a family member or a new friend is right around the corner, waiting to connect.  

An Old WIP

I have been having a problem with my stitching mojo.  I do not know if it is the projects I have been picking up or what.  I pick them up for a few days but they are not speaking to me.  So I went through my cabinet today to see what else I had.  This old WIP was calling to me.  It is MLI's Lady of the Thread.  I put it away in 2009 because there is an error in the mirror somewhere.  I feel a bit more patient about looking for it now.  She is beautiful and would look so cute in my craft room.  So I think I will play with this for a while.

We had some excitement around the cozy cottage today.  I have mentioned that my neighborhood is under attack by gophers.  I have a few hills and holes in my yard and they are attacking the roots of a couple of my plants.  Liesl has not even been a deterrent.  So I have been researching some safe ways to discourage them include some yucky (but safe, non poisonous, non-toxic) smelling stuff that you put down the holes to try to encourage them to pack their bags and leave.  

It was cold and gray today.  I did not feel like being cold outside, so I just ran errands.  I figured that I would get back to the gopher battle when it was warmer after work this week.  So after I got home I puttered around the house.  I thought I might trim up the hair on Liesl's legs so I set up her towel, scissors and brush on top of the washing machine in the garage.  Then I got the cheese out of the fridge and crackled the plastic.    Cheese helps to make the haircutting process go a bit more smoothly.  Liesl's love of cheese is legendary and she can hear a package of cheese being brushed up against in the fridge from the backyard.  When I crinkle the package I swear she can fly because she just appears and I do not even hear her coming.  

So I crinkled the package.  No Liesl.  I went to the back door and crinkled the package loudly and said, "Liesl, want some cheese?!"  Still no Liesl.  This is totally not normal.  I got a little freaked out and went looking for her.  She was behind a hedge in the yard and her attention was focused on something behind a flower pot.  That was when I saw the gopher.  A literal blink of an eye later, she had it and was violently shaking it.  (It is one of the things mini schnauzers are bred to do, hunt vermin.)  I freaked out a little bit and yelled at her to drop it (I am terrified that neighbors have used poison and she could be secondarily poisoned.)  She was pretty proud of herself.  I realized that I needed to tell her she did a good job, even though my heart was pounding in my ears.

Ol' Patti here does not deal with death well.  Not only can I not remove anything that is dead, I can not even look at it.  But, it had to not be in my yard anymore, due to Liesl.  So I called my neighbor across the street, who is a super nice man, and is also a mortician.  So I figured he would probably not be squeamish.  He came over right away, armed with a bag and rubber gloves and took it away.  

It is really interesting to me how dogs are hard wired with certain traits as part of their breeding.  As you may have guessed, Liesl lives a pretty cushy and spoiled life.  This is the same dog that was limping due to a slug being on her leg and would not walk until I removed it.  After she took care of her little hunt today, she came in and played with her toys, had her dinner, let me know she was ready for belly rubs, and chewed her bone like it was a normal day.  It is interesting that no matter how comfortable and removed from farm life she is, she still performs the duties of a farm dog, just like her ancestors.  I still can not believe how fast she was...

Liesl Stories

I can not begin to tell you how much I love this little dog.  Anyone who has known a mini schnauzer knows that they are total characters.  They are very opinionated, dramatic, smart, stubborn, a little mischievous (in more of a funny way) loyal, and have great senses of humor.  Liesl knows she is funny.  Sometimes after she does something she thinks is funny, she will get a big grin, like "get it?"  Either that or she will be totally stoic, which only makes what she does funnier.  These dogs have really BIG personalities, but will also try to push your limits.  For the most part, Liesl is pretty mellow for the breed, and for all intents and purposes, she goes with the flow.  However, if she thinks that what she is doing is more interesting than the reason I am calling her, she will totally pretend like she does not hear me.  sigh.

So I thought I would share a couple of her stories.  Liesl loves chewies and gets a few a week.  She loves bully sticks but they are expensive and stink.  Usually she gets compressed rawhide.  (As a general rule, regular rawhide is not so good for dogs as they can tear of large pieces that can cause blockages in the intestine.)  So Liesl has grown up on compressed rawhide.  

Generally if I catch her trying to chew on a toy, I will redirect her, and will ask her if she wants a bone.  She usually jumps up right away and will go wait in the kitchen near the cabinet where I store them.  She will never take the first bone I offer her.  She has to sniff each one that I have  like a fine cigar.  If she does not like the first one offered, after she sniffs it, she will nudge it away with her nose.  At this point, she expects another choice, whereupon she sniffs it end to end.  This will go on until she deems one worthy.  I have tried to spare myself the role of her butler, offering her bone selections by figuring out her criteria.  I can not seem to see a pattern.  Only Liesl knows...

Okay, next story.  Liesl has many toys but there are a few that are her favorites.  One is her stuffed ladybug. She has had Ladybug since she was a baby.  Ladybug is bigger than Liesl's head.  Ladybug no longer has a face.  (Liesl did not like Ladybug looking at her.  LOL)  And Ladybug has a few spots where stuffing is coming out.  But Liesl loves her.  

It is very rare that Liesl takes her toys outside.  Last Sunday, however, Liesl decided that Ladybug should enjoy the sunshine in the backyard.  She left Ladybug out there most of the afternoon.  Until, I decided to water.  I was watering the flower beds near the house.  I was coming down the row as I watered each plant.  My backdoor and path, intersect this row.  Ladybug was on the doorstep.  As I came close to the backdoor/path, all of the sudden, with a big dramatic flair, Liesl quickly came and picked up Ladybug and moved her into the safety of the garage, while giving me the hairy eyeball (my cousin calls it "the whale eye"), like I had a diabolical plan of soaking Ladybug.  

Now this made me think.  One would not assume that a dog would care if their toys got wet.  It was interesting that Liesl made sure that I knew that she was moving Ladybug to safety.  For some reason, she did not want her toy wet.  Which made me think as usual, "Dogs know a lot more than we think they know."

She is such an interesting creature.  I am so blessed to have her little bearded self in my life.

Marvelous Monday!

Today was a pretty good day.  I got a lot accomplished at work.  I am still settling in and getting to know everyone.  I have gone through an accounting cycle and like I am getting my rhythm in the job.  I am so grateful to have such a wonderful job.

I had such a wonderful weekend that as I was driving to work, I was thinking about what I could do during the week to have that same blissful feeling.  I was thinking that the most important thing is keeping positive things as much as possible during the day.  I was thinking about what negative things I have control over that I can remove.  

First and foremost, I have decided to take a news fast.  I usually have the news on from the time I get home at 5:30 until 7.  Usually I am doing other things while it is on, but many times I just crash on the sofa.  Our news is terrible, too.  The anchors tend to offer their opinions or snarky comments, which just adds to some of the yuckiness.  Plus the the news is just horrible.  I figure I can take ten minutes to just just peruse what is happening on a website.  I just tend not to feel very good after I watch the news.

So tonight I came home and did not turn on the television.   Instead I put on my gardening clothes and went outside while the dinner cooked.  I played with Liesl, watered the plants, cooked a healthy dinner, and did a little tidying up.  Instead of having the evening go by quickly, it has been a bit more leisurely and has felt a bit longer.  I figure if I can keep it up, I will gain 7 1/2 hours a week.  Maybe as the weather gets really warm, Liesl and I can get in a few mid week hikes.  That would be so awesome.  

Overall, I think it comes down to putting emphasis on the things that matter to me and removing the things that do not matter or are negative.  I think it creates a much more purposeful life.  I think it would also contribute to an even greater sense of gratitude.  

So tonight I am grateful for the extra hour and a half, and that I got to spend that time on things that matter to me.  Liesl got her belly rubs, a healthy home cooked dinner, and the ball thrown.  I got a kiss out of the blue.  Those are so awesome!

Another Perfect Day!

 We awoke to another 100% perfect Monterey Peninsula day.  So off we went to Carmel Beach.  Carmel Beach is Liesl's absolute favorite place in the world. (Mine too!)  It is a dog beach, so all of the doggies are off lead and running free.  For the most part everyone gets along.  We take Liesl's favorite ball.  She runs like the wind to get it, then drops it where she stands so she does not have to bring it back to me.  LOL

As you can see it was a breathtaking day.  The surfers were out in full force.  The dolphins were frolicking in the waves.  If you look closely at this photo, you can see two dorsal fins of dolphin.  

Liesl loves to watch the waves and all of the activity on the beach.  We usually stop at one point and sit down so that she can have her quiet time.  She likes to sit so that I can rub her back.

Here you can see that sandy, wet beard and sand encrusted nose.  She is smiling the smile of a very happy dog.  She was nice and sleepy from her adventure, so we went home where I could get some things done.  

Whilst Sleepy Beauty snoozed away, I did a bunch of cooking for the week.  This included a large quantity of Strawberry Lemonade, Martha Stewart's Soba Noodle Salad, Tuna Salad and an awesome pasta sauce. This helped me to use up a bunch of stuff in the fridge before it went bad.  Plus, during the week, I am generally not feeling it for cooking, so I think it will help to plan ahead.

After cooking palooza, a nap was in order.  I laid down on my bed and read my book and just enjoyed the quiet.  Liesl was up for more napping so it all worked out.  

After an hour of peace, I decided that it was time to do my yard work.  I got my a lot of weeding done and my plants planted.  I was chatting with my lovely neighbor while I worked.  She has a beautiful yard and is a genuinely beautiful person, too.  Last week I came home to a new collard green plant on my front steps.  She said that it would keep me healthy.  :)  She had given one to my neighbor across the street but the snails got it.  So she advised me to put aluminum foil around the rim of my pots.  She told me that the snails can't get across it.  I will definitely have to try it.  I was so happy to get my tomatoes and herbs planted.  My front yard has my new flowers planted and they look awesome.  It makes me happy to look out of my front window.

So, it has been a full, delightful day.  The dishes are washed, the laundry is done, Liesl is in bed.  The only things left for me to do is paint my toenails and do a little studying for work.  What a glorious weekend!

Oh My Gosh, What A Perfect Day!

Today was so perfect.  We are headed into a warm spell.  The sun was shining.  The sky was a brilliant blue.  It was warm with just a bit of breeze.  We woke up late.  Liesl went out to raise heck with the gophers while I got the coffee started.  It was a nice leisurely morning.  I even got to give Liesl her Spring haircut, which is mostly shaving her shorter.  Then I trimmed up her face.  She started losing patience so I will do her legs another day.  She gets bored but is overall very cooperative.

I had made a massage appointment for after lunch today.  My neck has been hurting all week and I could not turn my head to the right.  I had taken Advil, used hot packs, etc.  My neck feels much better and I feel much more peaceful, too.   It was so beautiful out that I decided to stop by my favorite nursery to look for a couple of plants for my front yard.  I am working on a lovely cottage style garden.  I have not been to the nursery for a while because they are a little out of the way and they are much more expensive than Home Depot.  However, they get in some really unique items and they are super nice and helpful.  I bought four new plants, two of which will grow into lovely bushes.  

On my way home, I thought about the gardening that I would like to do tomorrow.  Then I remembered that I needed to pick up a lavender plant because I had one that did not make it.  So I decided to run into Home Depot.  Home Depot was having a sale on herbs and vegetables in bio-degradable pots.  They were five for $10.  I went a little crazy.  I got a few heirloom tomato plants.  Yum!  It was a beautiful day so the place was packed.

As I was leaving Home Depot, my best friend called to see if I was available to meet for coffee.  I told her that I had to go take my car full of plants home and then I could meet her.  She said that she would just pick up Starbucks and meet me at my house.  When I got home, I unpacked the car and told Liesl that my friend was coming.  Liesl knows certain peoples' names.  She believes that my BFF is actually her BFF and is only here to visit her.  She immediately ran to the window to watch for her company.  My best friend brought Frappucino's and we settled on the sofa and chatted away.  She is so wise and we just get to talk about really cool stuff.

After she left I started making dinner.  I wanted to do something special for Liesl because she is such a good girl all week.  So I made chicken breast, potatoes and broccoli.  These are three of her favorite foods.  She was pretty happy.  

So, word to my fellow schnauzer moms and other short hair doggie moms.  A few weeks ago, I was at a doggie boutique in Carmel and found a super soft brush.  It was uber expensive, so I was not a purchaser of said item.  I have been thinking about something comparable to use when Liesl's hair is shorter.  When it is shorter her regular brush is to harsh for her.  So I considered a baby hairbrush.  But then I found this bad boy on Amazon.  (I so love Amazon.)  It is about the size of my hand and is an equine facial finishing brush made of goat hair.  Liesl loves the way it smells, LOL.  It is soft enough for her back.  I also found that it is so soft that she does not resist when I brush her beard with it.  (There is a little static.)  She is also a lot calmer about my brushing her legs.  Usually she will stand still for that for a couple of seconds then goes trotting off.  She actually stood still today.  It is magic!  Best of all, it is only $8.99.  

Lastly, another little Amazon goodie.  This has been around for a while, but every time I read it I crack up.  It is not the product itself.  It is one of the over the top Amazon product reviews that come out from time to time.  There are about 4,000 reviews of the product and they will make you laugh out loud.  Hutzler-571-Banana-Slicer  If you are really bored or need more laughter (who doesn't!) here is another one for those Bic Lady Pens:  BIC-Cristal Pens  Enjoy!

Prayers For Boston

Prayers being lifted up for our neighbors in Boston.  Unfortunately, evil truly exists.  And sometimes it is closer than we think and wears a friendly face.  We pray that evil is kept far from us.  

I was pretty stunned when I saw the news today.  It reinforces the thought that life changes in the blink of an eye.  It is all so precious and fragile.

It was so good to come home tonight to my furry girl.  It is so cold and windy here.  There is something about high winds that just make me feel tired and irritable.  So I was so happy to come home to a big bearded sloppy wet kiss.  When you see evil happen it is so good to come home to a soul that is so pure of heart.  I headed into the kitchen and made a yummy pot of tortilla soup.  Afterward, Liesl worked on a chewie while I snuggled into the sofa with my heated blanket.  I have not even turned the lights on.  

So it is quiet.  I am grateful for this evening, for food in my tummy, for the unconditional love of a sweet little schnauzer, for warm blankets, and that I made it home safely.  I say prayers for those who lost a loved one today, or were in harm's way.  The mightiest of angels are with those tonight who were hurt today, standing watch, their whispering wings sounding a soft lullaby to those who need to awaken tomorrow to a day filled with hope and peace.

Where Did The Weekend Go?!

This weekend just flew by.  Friday was my super son-in-law's birthday and there was a great little party at a local restaurant.  He is such a great son in law and I was so happy to share his special day!

Saturday I was so tired that I could not pull it together and do everything I wanted to do.  I even took a two hour nap in the afternoon.  (Liesl always thinks that naps are a splendid idea!)  I was shocked that I slept that long, but it was obviously needed.  I got a little stitching in, but not enough to really speak of. 

Today was awesome.  I had church in the morning then off I went to have lunch (Mexican food!  Yay!) with my friends.  We have not had a chance to get together since my birthday.  With my new job and all the things going on in the last month, we just could not get it together.  It was so great to sit with my girlfriends.  They feed the soul.  We always talk about really deep stuff and we are all so supportive of each other.  I always feel so happy after I get together with my friends.

My friends have always been super supportive of my buying a home.  So they always ask me what is next on my list of things I want to do on my house.  This is particularly so now.  My big plan for later this year is to put radiant heat in my kitchen and bath.  Home Depot sells the kits, which includes like a wire mat that you put under tile.  I hate cold floors so I really want to get this done by next winter.  The hard part in all of this is going to be picking the tile.  I would really like granite or quartz, but that is pretty slippery for little puppy feet, so it will have to have a little more traction.  My daughter laughed as she said that she could imagine that Liesl will constantly be molding herself to the floor once the radiant heat goes in.  

The other project that I have in mind is finally painting the interior.  I did paint the kitchen with my best friend last year.  It is a beautiful gold color.  The rest of the house is still kind of off white.   After renting all of my life, and having white walls, I told myself that I would never have white walls again.  However, now having options is overwhelming, so I have not picked anything at all.  Maybe I should start with something small like the bathroom.  So many choices.  The funny thing is that it is just that I can not pick a paint color.  I have offers of help.  My best friend is a nurse practitioner and paints like a surgeon.  Plus we giggle while we work.  Alas, the color thing is getting me all flustered.  

Well, I have to do a little studying for work before I go to bed.  Hope you have a happy Monday!

Still Life With Schnauzer

Oh, my gosh.  I am exhausted.  The other night we had the wind that kept me up all night.  Last week, my neighbor's car alarm kept going off in the middle of the night.  Last night, Liesl decided "Oh, hey, we should really get up and see if there is anything going on in the backyard."  It was so hard to get back to sleep.  Hopefully, Liesl will stay in bed tonight.  

It was a really good day at work today.  I am in the middle of a really big project right now.  I love big accounting projects.  It is like a big puzzle.  After work, the sun was shining and it was gorgeous out.  I went to my mailbox and was so happy to see that my Just Cross Stitch magazine arrived.  It made me happy.  I wasn't hungry when I got home, so I sat down and opened up my magazine.  It was so nice to sit down and enjoy my magazine rather than putting it in a pile for another time.  There are some pretty things in it!

I made myself a light dinner, then settled down to play with Liesl.  She was tired from her late night partying.  I decided it was a good time to trim her eyebrows and around her eyes.  I have to do her haircuts in short parts.  It was eyebrow night.  

So I finally got to stitch.  The silk gauze is a new experience for me.  It does take some getting used to.  It will be interesting to see what the finished product looks like.  I like the colors that the designer picked, so far.  It is nice to have my stitching mojo back.  

If you could say a little prayer for my sister tonight, I would appreciate it.  Her beloved pug, Yin, went to the rainbow bridge last night.  Her pug brother, Yang, and my sister are pretty broken hearted today.

Windmills Of My Mind...

Well, here is my stitching project.  It is a very old pattern (copyrighted 1952) that I bought at Thumbelina Needleworks in Solvang, CA.  It is stitched on teeny tiny silk gauze.  The pattern itself is so nostalgic that it brings me back to stitching in my youth.  My family is of Dutch heritage, so I have sort of thing for windmills.  This makes me happy. 

I am sitting up all alone tonight watching the Voice.  Liesl already put herself to bed.  As all schnauzers, she has an independent mind.  She is not always a lay-near-mom kind of dog. A lot of nights she will make sure that I know she is going to bed.  She walks kind of dramatically, then looks back at me over her shoulder with a look that says, "I going to bed" then heads to her Golden Retriever sized bed.  (She likes to fully recline.)  

We have had voracious winds today.  It started about two o'clock this morning and kept Liesl and I up. The wind just pounded the house.  At one point it was doing such a high pitched howl that both Liesl and I thought an animal was in the house.  I woke up to palm fronds all over my front yard and there are no palm trees on my street.  The high winds tend to make people grumpy.  There is a theory about negative ions being stirred up, which affects people's moods.  In any case, I am over it.

Well, I think I will go tuck the little one in.  I am tired from the lack of sleep last night.   

Another Day Of Bliss

Liesl and I had another wonderful day.  I needed a little extra rest, so I missed church today.  I slept in until about 7:45 and woke up slowly.  Had a nice couple of cups of coffee then made some scrambled eggs for Liesl and me.  She even got a little extra cheese on hers for being such a good girl.  We had such a nice quiet morning.  

I watched part of the race, then saw that it was going to be 500 laps.  Not much happens until about Lap 200.  Plus it was sunny outside, so off I went to work on my front yard.  The front yard was starting to get a vacant lot look to it with all of the weeds, plus I had some demonic looking foxtails growing there.  Since they are super dangerous to dogs, I try to get them out as fast as possible.  I swear they grow about a foot and half over night.  

I do not like working in my front yard as much as the backyard.  My front yard has stinging nettles and much as I try to avoid them, they always get me.  They even creep up my pants' leg.  They smart like heck.  I got some of them out and planted my lavender plants that I bought this week at Home Depot, along with a couple of hydrangea bushes.  It was pretty fun, other than the nettles.  As soon as I finished up, the sun disappeared for the rest of the day, so I am glad that I took that time outside.

I puttered around the house the rest of the day, watched the rest of the race and stitched a bit.  I am working on a project that I had put away for while and I am remembering why.  I am wondering if this one will ever really be completed.

We had a near disaster last evening.  Around 10pm last night I took Liesl out for the last time of the evening.  I always do a check of the yard to make sure there are no critters that can hurt her.  I looked and there was nothing there.  So I let her out but left the door open while I went into the kitchen for some water.  Usually, I stay with her, but all was quiet.  Suddenly, I heard her making some really excited noises and running really fast on my gravel path, so I bolted outside. 

I live on a hill, so my neighbor's house sits above mine.  The total height between the retaining wall and fence is probably 10-12 feet.  Liesl was running for the fence.  That was when I saw the hugest raccoon ever on top of the fence, looking like it was going to jump down on Liesl.  I was beyond angry.  Raccoons can easily do damage to a dog, including killing them.  I ran up to that fence and using my best angry momma voice and shaking my finger at it, I said, "You GO AWAY!"  I had no stick, nothing to fend it off,  but it obviously understands an angry momma.  It hesitated for a moment, looked at me like I was nuts, them lumbered off along the fence.  Then I told Liesl sternly to go inside, whereupon I picked her up and thanked God that nothing awful had happened.  Thank goodness I heard her excitement before anything bad happened.  I am really overprotective of her, but I will be even more alert from now on.

Super Duper Saturday!

I have been really looking forward to this weekend all week.  I have nothing on the calendar and was craving a weekend of puttering around the house and hanging out with my favorite furgirl.  It was all nearly in jeopardy but as always it all worked out.

Last night, I came home from work, fed Liesl, then the two of us piled into the car to run errands so that it would not be necessary for me to leave the house if I did not want to. When I was out my check engine light came on and within seconds my car started bucking.  When I got home, I went online to see if my super great mechanic was open today.  No dice.  For some reason, in this area mechanics are not open on Saturday.  I would think that it would mean missing out on a lot of business, since people are off and can coordinate a ride and all.  Anyway, I was worried until I remembered that the dealership is nearby.  

I called them first thing this morning.  They told me to come on by.  They were super nice and fixed the problem (replaced a camshaft sensor), gave my car a big software upgrade, and even washed my car.  It was all done in an hour.  I was stunned.  The guy said that he was glad I came in because it was their very first time being open on a Saturday.  I am glad, too!  I have a commute, and I was worried that I would have to deal with this while I am still new at my job, (particularly during a very busy time of year!)  

I was so relieved and grateful!  I was so happy to get back home.  I weeded my overgrown yard, then snuggled with Liesl for a really good nap.  I finished reading my book, cleaned up the house,    rough housed with Liesl, and painted my toenails with an awesome China Glaze glittery red polish.  

It has been an awesome day.  Almost like a mini vacation.  A day at home just feeds the soul.  I now have all of my stitchy stuff ready for me to sit and stitch.  So I am going to play stitching tonight and during the race tomorrow.  

I have big plans tomorrow of cooking, gardening and stitching.  I hope to have photos for you!  Enjoy your Saturday night!

One more thing I forgot to mention when I posted this last night - I have had to tighten my comments monitoring to not include Anonymous posting anymore.  I love comments and love when someone takes the time to post.  So I apologize anyone that this affects.  I am being inundated with spam through comments.

Spammers, this is for you.  I delete your comments as soon as I see links or that you are commenting to a really old post of mine.  They are not read, nor are they posted.  So you are wasting a lot of your time and productivity posting to my little blog here.  There is no payoff in it for you.  

Ooo bla dee, ooh bla dah, life goes on...

Today was a beautiful day.  This is accounting busy time closing the month of March and the first quarter.  So I am up at bat on the new job.  A month of getting prepared has paid off.  I am understanding everything pretty well and getting my projects completed.  I am still adjusting and I still have so much to learn, but I am in a really cool industry.  I smile all of the time.

Of course, after a wonderful day at work, I get to come home to the best part of my day - puppy kisses.  Liesl is such an amazing little girl and is really settling in well.  She has gotten better about eating during the day and plays with her toys.  I think she also naps much of the day.  

I am trying to get my stitching mojo back.  I am so tired when I get home that it is hard to find the energy to stitch.  I know it is only a matter of time before this all works out.  As the weather warms up I anticipate that I will also want to spend time gardening and such.  I bought some really nice  fragrant lavender plants the other day at Home Depot.  I have envisioned lavender in a line in my front yard for the past year and a half.  I am thinking it will eventually be like a natural fence.  Plus I will be able to use the lavender for sachets and gifts.  The bonus is that the color will totally look amazing with the color of my house.  Yay!

It is a dangerous thing to go into the Home Depot garden area.  There are so many beautiful plants and I see all of the pretty colors.  I want all of them.  I love the garden and I really want to make my yard a place where I can't wait to hang out there.  I need a plan.

Well, I am off to sleep.  I have put clean sheets on the bed.  Clean sheets are one of the best things in the world.  I know I will sleep well!