How Can it be November Already

Where does the time go. I can't believe it is November. We are deep into wedding plans and now it is time to put that up for awhile and get ready for the seasonal holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm not sure where we are going to put "Christmas" since our home right now looks like wedding central!!

Planning for a wedding is so much fun. Alot of work, but alot of fun. I'm enjoying the side of being the mother of the bride. Of course, being a stitcher, I'm having a blast making all the things that the bride and groom want made. Pew decorations, quilt for signing (rather than a guestbook - isn't that a great idea!), table runners for the tables, jackets for the mob and gmob because the bridal store discontinued our colors!!!, wedding sampler, etc. I felt alittle emotional when I stitched their names and dates into the sampler!! Are they old enough, are the responsible enough, can they afford this, - you know, all the thoughts that would go through a mothers head at a time like this.

The laterns for centerpieces are done, my dress is hanging on a closet door, her dress is hanging in my room, grandmoms dress just came, the engagement party has happened - I think we are pretty much on target.

Now, Christmas. We have to get all this put away and get started. The Christmas table is going to have a snowman theme this year - snowflakes and snowmen will abound. So, can I get myself into the groove? Can I remove myself from wedding mode? Probably NOT!! Christmas will be fun but will definately have "there's a wedding happening in this family!" overtone to everything we do!! So, will we do red and green or just plain white!! Maybe I have the perfect theme for this Christmas!!

As a mom, the thing I've prayed for since my daughter was born was her future mate. I wanted her to find a man that would love her, respect us and be, you know, just right!! Well, she found him. We are all so excited. He planned a sunrise beach proposal but, it poured rain!! So, a beach proposal on the porch of the beach house was the place at 6 AM!!! July 16, 2009.

Now, let the games begin. Pick a date, a place, a dress, decorations, favors, oh yes, and I hope to wear the dress of my dreams that makes me look good too!!! After all, I too have waited 23 years for this day!

Congratulations Sandie and Dan!!

MAR Mini Seminar - It's In The Bag

What a great weekend. Stitching is my life. I love to be creative and I particularly love to stitch. A friend and I spent the weekend in Camp Hill PA at a "Stitching Mini Seminar". It was a wonderful weekend. We drove up on Friday night got our room and than quickly got unpacked and into our PJ's so we could stitch on the projects we brought with us. Than it was up early in the morning and off to class. I took a class called "M'Lady's Bag". It was a blackwork and beadwork little bag that is a necklace. There were 7 in my class. There was actually a lady from Maryland who was 90 years old and she was working on 27 count linen. God love her. I hope I can do this when I'm her age!

All in all, the weekend was a total success. It was a time to relax and stitch, a time to renew old friendships, a time to make new friends, a time to hear and a time to get in touch with the bigger picture of MAR/EGA. I was impressed with the depth of planning for the seminar and impressed with the MAR board and all that they are doing.

No Good, Very Bad, Horrible Weekend

It all started with the Hot water heater going. That was ok though because we got almost 20 years out of it. So, we called PSEG, with whom we have a contract, they came out and said it is shot you need a new one and it will be $900. We were shocked but the worst was yet to come.

We set an appointment for that and accepted that news. Than on my way home from work the next day my engine light went on in my car. Now, mind you, my car is 10 years old so we expect problems. It was the catalytic converter - which we all know as the politicians way of sucking money out of it taxpayers and feeding the hand of the environmentalist. So, that cost $1000. So, now we think we are looking at $1900. An overwhelming amount.

What more could go wrong you say? Well, when they came to put in the waterheater of course, there was more. Because of new regulations for carbon monoxide and epa regulations (again, another political hand to feed) we had to have the core in our chimney taken out (drilled out - what a mess) and a new one put in. So this bill went for $900 to $4150. Yea - pretty bad right. Oh, this is only the beginning.

We stayed home on a Sunday while all this work is done at our house. Decided to run out for dinner. We were gone for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Came home and some of my jewelry was strun down our front steps. The front door was unlocked. WE HAD BEEN ROBBED!! The took all my jewelry. Smashed the sunroom door and came through the house.

Yes, God is in control of even this. However, I do have that sick pit in my stomach. Sin is a horrible thing and is getting more and more control.

SNOW!, Beautiful Snow!!!!

Snow has to be my most favorite thing in the whole wide world. I truly believe it is the most beautiful thing that God has created. Well, we finally had that night-time snow that is sooo beautiful.

We had a sunroom put on our house two years ago. Our house is such that the sunroom is really on the second floor, I couldn't wait to stand and look out and see snow. It funally happened!!!

Isn't it beautiful!!!

The Christmas Tree Contraversy

Christmas is definitely my favorite time of the year. I really do spend all year doing things to get ready. Picking the theme for my table than finding things to support my theme, looking for gifts, making ornaments, stitching stockings and tablecloths, etc.

The first thing I do every year the day after Thanksgiving is decorate the trees. We have three trees. One big family tree in the living room, a Barbie tree outside our bedroom, and a Disney tree in the sun room.

I watch alot of HGTV - in fact, I'm addicted to those design shows. This year, as I watched the "Christmas Decorating" shows I was struck with a theme that running through them all - YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE SHOULD HAVE A THEME. Having lots of random stuff on your tree looks like clutter!! Wow, stop there. I firmly disagree. When I decorate my tree it is a time that transports me to another world - the past. Each ornament, which there are probably close to 300, has some meaning and each ornament is one of a kind with the exception of a few that are in sets of four. I remember who gave me the ornament and pray for that person, I remember the people that painstakingly made ornaments and pray for them. There are ornaments that Sandie made when she was little - you know macaroni and pipe cleaners!! - I pray for her. It takes me forever to decorate the tree but when I'm finished I've visited more points in time than during the whole previous year. When I look at the decorated tree it is packed with wonderful memories. When people visit, they love to look for the ornaments they gave us or look for one that they really like. Does it look cluttered?? Absolutely not - it looks festive and beautiful.

So, what do we do with this themed thing. OK, I admit, I had to at least address the idea so I have two small trees. One with all my Christmas Barbie ornaments and one with all Disney ornaments. There, I have satisfied those designers and I have satisfied my creative, nostalgic side.