Well, I'm here in Spokane, spending some time with my boys.  We had a lovely holiday together.  Kyle, who I had not seen since last December was very sweet and loving...until right after Christmas presents were opened....then he became his usual not very nice self...but it was a good break from his norm...LOL

Christmas presents were fewer this year due to the economy.  Anthony and Brandon were great, but as soon as Kyle was done opening his presents, which included a $100 authentic Falcons jersey, he was complaining about what he didn't get.  Sigh....at least it was better than some previous Christmas' and birthdays where he threw a fit and threw the presents in my face!  Quite an improvement I'd say!  We must be thankful for small miracles w!here Kyle is concerned.

It's after Christmas now, obviously, and we are just laying around today, enjoying each other's company.  Part of me wants to stay right here in Spokane and not go home, but that's not realistic. I just miss being with my boys on a daily basis.  The first day I got here I slept hard and had some very interesting dreams based on the fact that I was talking loudly in my sleep.  Brandon and Kyle woke me up laughing at me and their dad said "Wow, you don't even swear in your sleep"!  I was so very tired from my long bus ride.  It did the same thing the next night, but not as much.  Last night I didn't talk at all, but today when I took a nap I had one of my normal nightmares and woke up screaming...well, Anthony actually woke me up...but screaming nightmares are part of my normal sleep pattern.  I scared them, though, because they haven't heard it before.  I started having screaming nightmares about 2 years ago.  Don't know why, don't usually remember the dreams for very long...so, yeah...ummmm...what can I say?

I got here on Wednesday the 19th.  The next day we went to see the Hobbit.  I really loved it.  So much action.  The next day was Brandon's 14th birthday, and I was so very relieved that the world didn't end!  I was so very concerned about it.....NOT!  But it was a good joke for the last few years.

I haven't seen any friends since I've been home, and I don't know if I will.  I just want to get as much time as I can with my boys before I have to go home.  I plan on coming  back for spring break, so I have to start preparing for that now.  Then Brandon and Anthony might come to Arkansas for the summer again.

Craft wise I have been busy, but not in my usual sense.  I have taken a bunch of t-shirts no one wants any more and have turned them into t-shirt yarn.  I want to make a rug or maybe some dishcloths.  T-shirt fabric is so absorbent...I thing it will make really good dishcloths.  What do you think?

Until next time...

Tracy

I was asked where the picture of my niece in her tutu dress was so here it is...

Also pictured is her mama Alicia (the other scarecrow), Aunt Shila, and cousin Milo (the pirates)/
Her dress needed to be steamed and straightened. but Alicia ran out of time, so Zoey is a messy scarecrow. LOL

Today I went to check the mail, as usual, expecting junk and maybe bills....bills are never ending around here.  Imagine my surprise when I opened the box and found this book!  I was so very excited. The other good news was....No Bills!   LOL

This is the beginning of a blanket I am making for my son Ryan, who is in Afghanistan.  He says it's pretty cold over there at night so decided to make him this one to put over the top of his other blankets.  Hoping to get it done and sent to him for Christmas.

Mr. Ryan James Ellenberger

This is my beautiful son, Sgt. Ryan James Ellenberger.  This is a recent photo, only about a week old, taken in Afghanistan.  I love this young man more than my own life and I pray daily that God protect and shield him during this deployment.  It is very cold in the desert at night so I am in the process of finding just the right crochet pattern so I can make him a new blanket to help keep him warm.  I love you, my beautiful son!

Scarecrow Tutu Dress

We got the materials in the mail today to start making Zoey's Halloween costume.  I couldn't believe how fast it was to make it.  It only took about 45 minutes to get to this stage:

And about 30 minutes to get the leaves, flower and ribbon on.  I love it!  I can't wait to see her in full costume, with her scarecrow make-up on.  She'll have on leggings and a shirt underneath.  It's going to be so darn adorable!!

I just ordered the fabric and floss for a SAL I'm joining that starts December 1.  I haven't joined a SAL for years so I'm excited to be getting in on the beginning of this one.

Lately I haven't been stitching at all due to health problems.  It's so hard for me to be unproductive because of my health.  I guess it's just part of life as I get older.  I'm starting to have those medical problems that have plagued my family in the past.  I have high blood pressure, I'm bipolar (and have been treated for it since my late 20's), and now I'm having thyroid and cholesterol problems.  And all of this comes from my family history.  The cholesterol thing completely surprised me.  I don't eat fried foods often, I rarely eat fast food, I don't eat a lot of red meat.....It's very frustrating, but this is the hand I've been dealt and I have to learn how to live with it.  Lately I've been so fatigued over the last month that I've not been able to do any stitching or crocheting.  I barely have the energy to walk from one room to another.  I often stop a chore to sit down because I'm panting so hard and my legs feel as if they are going to give out.  I just started the thyroid medication and I was also put on iron because I was found to be anemic, and after about a week and a half I'm starting to feel better.  Today I was able to finish 4 loads of laundry and empty and load the dishwasher.  Last week I would not have been able to do any of this.  So I'm hopefully on the mend....but I'm taking 8 medications a day now and it really irks me!

Enough about that.....I'm hoping to be caught up on my chores enough to get some stitching done tomorrow on my Spring Floral Cross.  I also ordered the materials to make my 2 year old niece her Halloween costume. It's a tutu dress in fall colors.  Her mom is going to dress her up like a scarecrow.  Hope the stuff gets here soon.  I'll post some pics when I have some progress!!

Bible Study and Stitching

Yesterday I hosted my first bible study group.  Five people from church came, including my sister, and we had a lovely time. We started a study of Mark 1:1-18.  It was great to read together and discuss the various points in those verses.  We decided that we'd like to meet every week on Thursdays.  I'm so excited!  I love fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Today was a busy day.  I got about 4 hours of stitching in, and last night about 3, so my floral cross is coming right along.  I also made a big pot of red beans and sausage.  Oh man I love that stuff!  I had a battle with the cats, trying to keep them off the counters.  The run like crazy when they see me get up and come after them with the fly swatter!  LOL.  All I have to do is bang the fly swatter on the couch or counter and they high tail it off.  I just can't keep them off my counters and out of my sink.  I ended up buying safety locks you normally buy for child proofing to keep them out of the cupboards.  It's like having a couple of 2 year olds in the house....and my niece, who is 2 doesn't get into nearly as much mischief!  I also did a couple loads of laundry today, so it was nice and full.

I've been looking around the stitching sites for a new large project.  Not sure what I want to do yet, but the Names of God sampler from MBTD looks really nice, and so does the books of the bible.  I think I may go with one of those.

Happy Stitching to All,
And God Bless!

Tracy

No stitching today.  I had Zoey (my beautiful great-niece) until around noon, then I went to bed because I couldn't sleep the last 2 nights.  Then I got up and did a little house cleaning, burned the paper trash, Cathy came over to help me move boxes from dining room to the back bedroom, and put a new toilet seat on the toilet, but it was the wrong size.  We needed the oblong seat, not the round.  Sigh....Nothing I can do about it right now.

One WIP down.....

It's finished!  Woo Hoo!  And it's only 1:00a.m.  I was insistent that I get it done today, and I almost made it.  I got it done by tomorrow, which is now today!  LOL

I am really going to try and get some stitching done.  I'd like to finish up my Flowers Need Rain because it's small and would only take a short time to do.  Then I'd like to get going again on my Floral Cross.  It's going to be very nice when it's all done.

    And if you can't tell, I'm having a heck of a time getting my pictures in this blog post correctly.  About to pull out my hair, so I'll just stop right now.  LOL

Have a Safe and Blessed day!

Tracy                                          

My first post.  I had a blog a long time ago.  I have no idea where it is.  It's long gone so I thought I'd start again.  

I lived in Spokane, Washington for about 22 years.  Then in September 2009 I got married and am now living in Arkansas.  This is a TEMPORARY move, at least it had better be.  It's pretty here, but it's not home.  I need my mountains, my pine forests and snow capped mountains.  

Here in Arkansas I don't really have anything to do.  I live pretty far from town and I don't have a vehicle.  I left mine back in Washington with my kids and their dad.  So I have unlimited spare time.  To fill this spare time I've started stitching again.  I've done a lot of stitching in the past, I just got tired of it and stopped for about 3 years.  Now I'm jumping back in.  I joined a couple of stitching groups on Yahoo and I even tried my hand at designing a sampler.  It wasn't too bad, but I did it on notebook paper (all I had at the moment) so it's not even.  I'm gonna get some grafting paper and try it again.  

I have some pictures of my older work on my photobucket page: http://s1304.photobucket.com/albums/s537/TracyJ1127/
These finishes are no where near the number of finishes I have, just the one's that were on line.  Everything else is in my storage unit, where?.....back in Spokane!  LOL
I have 1 of my WIP's pictured on my photobucket page.  It's the Flowers Need Rain.  The other WIP I'm doing right now is a bit bigger....quite a bit bigger, but I haven't taken any pics of it yet.  Maybe I'll get to that tomorrow.  

What I think I'd really like to do is try my hand at more design.  I don't think I'll ever make any money at it, but I think it would be really satisfying to stitch up my own designs.  Any advice would be welcome!  I'm also interested in doing some model stitching, so if anyone needs my hands and needles, I'm available!

God Bless Everyone.....

Tracy