Epcot Birthday Celebration (picture heavy)

So this month I celebrate my 47th birthday. Ok, it was this past Tuesday. I decided to spend this past Saturday with my sister at Epcot. I purchased annual passes last year and they expire soon, so I'm getting the most out of them, lol.

Anyway, my sister is a floral designer and the International Flower Festival is happening at Epcot. Great combination! We had so much fun together! We hardly get to spend time together anymore, so this was extra special. Here are some pics from our day:

Took me almost 30 years to get a picture with Goofy!

All of the characters are made out of flower/plant materials; except Goofy, he's real! 

I am going to Epcot one last time this month and then the passes are done. I'm looking forward to the final visit (for a while). 

My Baby Girl is 8!

Busy Busy Busy

Sorry I've been away for so long! I've been so busy with work and church. This past weekend we had our Annual Kick Up Your Heels event at the local Lions Club. It's a fundraising event for our new sanctuary building. This was my first time going and I put my camera into overtime!

Here is a collage I made of some of the pics I took:

Lots of great entertainment, pie, strawberry shortcake and fellowship!

At work last week, I spent half of the time in meetings, speaking with employers, and speaking to the staff of a local P&P office. Now it's February 4th! The time seems to be zipping on by!!

Grandma and me June 1, 1990 - Orlando - My High School Graduation

In family news: my grandma would have celebrated 90 years today. I am sure she is having one heck of a party with Jesus, family and friends! It's really hard to believe she's been gone more than 20 years.

Ariel and me in Tarpon Springs during her Spring Break - 2013

And, my niece turns 16 this weekend! Sure wish I could be in Michigan to celebrate this milestone with her, but I will see her soon enough!!

A BIG Birthday for me!

I am 40! Yup, just turned the BIG 4-0 today. It was official around 12:30pm est. I know I was born around lunchtime, I just don't feel like digging out the 'ole baby book to get the exact time for ya, lol! Anyhooo, here is what I looked like at 39:

And now, at 40:

No, not any change really. Just another number, lol!







I did get some beautiful flowers from my mom today:

And the winner is…

TERRI!!!!

Congratulations!

Using the random integer wizard on random.org, I plugged in the number 1 and the number 12 (there were 12 official entries taking into consideration that I could not accept international on this giveaway due to one of the prizes). The wizard chose number 4. I will host another giveaway later this year that will be open to international followers as well. If you asked to be entered in this one, I will automatically enter you in the next one. I feel this is the best way to make it fair for all who entered.

I have contacted you via email for your snail mail info.

And in other news…

My mom sent me a bouquet of flowers for my birthday.

And the winner is… VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Please disregard the distractions in the above photos (the junk on the table, lol).

And finally, this is what 40 looks like:

Yeah, not much different than 39, lol. Thought you could use a laugh!!!

~~~Until next time~~~

And so the 30s…

…come to an end!

Tomorrow begins a new decade in my life. It is also the day I will draw a winner for “My 40th Year” Giveaway! Have you entered yet?? Well, if you haven’t, please click on this link to enter. Entries will close at 11:59pm EST.

I have spent much of the weekend working on Colon Cancer Awareness Ribbon by Ink Circles (well, it’s really Breast, but I changed it up for Colon). Here is my progress as of a few hours ago:

I may put a bit more into it this evening while I continue to watch my “Star Wars” marathon. I am up to Episode IV. I should get part way through Episode V by the time I go to bed tonight. Then I will finish it and the last one tomorrow evening. It’s a birthday tradition. Afterall, it is the same weekend every single one premiered!

May WIPocalypse check-in and a Giveaway

Well, it’s almost here! I am almost 40!! Why do I sound so happy about it you might be wondering. Most people get to this age and act as though their world is coming to an end. I choose to look at it in a positive way: I am STILL ALIVE!!! I know HE has a plan for me and my life. I am thankful everyday that I wake up.

I am also thankful for my stitchy friends here in bloggy-land. Just because we don’t know one another on a personal level doesn’t mean we don’t know one another, right?! So, I am going to celebrate my birthday with you all. I am going to do a giveaway. Yup! I will call it “My 40th Year Giveaway”. What will be included in this giveaway you might ask? Well, stay tuned! I plan to reveal that a little later on, but first here is my check-in post for WIPocalypse:

I put a few stitches into Coming Home for the Holidays (my SAL with Joy):

I plan to work a little more on it this evening.

I also put some more into Cancer Ribbon Awareness by Ink Circles:

I think I am going to finally be getting back into my stitching. It’s been a while and it felt so good to do a little yesterday. Now that things are calming down for me at my job, I am not as tired on the weekends!

Now, a little more about My 40th Year Giveaway. this post will be the official post for entries. The rules are very simple:

You must make one comment on this post!

That’s it! Nothing to it!! Oh, let me know what your birth month is (date too if you are so inclined, but month is all I need).

I will close entries at 11:59pm EST Sunday, May 20th. The actual drawing will be sometime during the day of Monday, May 21st – MY BIRTHDAY!

Be sure to include an email address so I can notify you. Unfortunately, because of one of the prizes I am including, I can only take entries from the U.S.

You can expect something stitched by me and a gift certificate to my favorite restaurant (the item that cannot go outside the U.S. as it is not located abroad), and a few other goodies.

~~~Until next time~~~

Cirque des Carreaux and a Birthday!

First of all, I want to wish (yet again) my mom a

VERY HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY!

I have almost finished page 2 of CdC and so far I like the way it is turning out. Here are some progress pictures:

Cirque des Carreaux VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Not sure what I will be working on this weekend.

On the job front: I had an interview yesterday morning for a really good position. It is a State job and I really want it! I won’t know anything for a week or so, but am hoping to get the offer and will start late October. In the mean time, I will continue to apply for jobs and see what comes of it.

Until next time ~~~

Job Hunting

Well, I have been looking for a new job for little over a month now. The changes made to unemployment require me to show proof of at least 5 contacts each week. That said, I did have an interview today and I think it went rather well. I won’t get into too much detail at this time, but I am really hoping to be selected for the position.

In other news, my mom turns 60 tomorrow!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

I know you read this from time to time, lol.

And my kitties are playing so well together now!

A Start & Finish, Progress, and stuff

Sunday, my sister called and asked if I would come down for the night. Of course, I went! Since she is still getting settled she doesn’t have cable yet so I had to take a bunch of movies with me. I also took a couple of projects with me to work on. One of them was The First Day by Plum Street Samplers (from the JCS Christmas Preview issue):

Since I didn’t have all of the necessary recommended floss and fabric, I improvised. I used WDW Williamsburg and Loden and stitched on 28ct Antique White Evenweave by MCG Textiles. I think it looks beautiful!

 

Remember this piece (JBW French Heart):

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I finally finished it and it’s on it’s way to my mom as this:

She turns 60 on Friday and I thought this would be perfect since I can’t do what I originally planned on at this time.

 

 

A progress picture from last week that I forgot about…I did put some stitches into the second vase. I am still not too keen on metallics, but I am finding some going through the fabric easier than others. Hopefully I will have enough to finish the project:

I will be happy when this one is finished, LOL!!!

And finally, Ink Circles Cirques des Carreaux:

I am about halfway finished with page 2! I may just continue working on it this week until Page 2 is done.

And the stuff is really a cool picture of my sister’s dog Sheppo:

I took this yesterday afternoon while at her house. We were waiting for her to come home from work. Doesn’t his face look pitiful?!

2/4/1924

That is the date that she was born

She would be 87 years young today

But her life ended too soon

And all I have left are the memories

		Barbara Anne VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The days spent with her during my youth

The nights cuddled in her arms

The weekend or week long trips to the Lake

And posing for pictures that she took

A woman of great strength

But not too proud to ask when needed

2/4/1924

That was the date that she was born

They say it's your birthday!

Today is my sister's birthday. The big question is what do you get a florist for her birthday? Well, this is what she got:

Sorry that I didn't get a picture of the front! I will try to remember to get it next time I am at her house.

I saw it in a local Dollar General and just couldn't resist buying it for her. That was waaaay back in June after we returned from our trip to Michigan. I have been dying to give it to her! She absolutely loves it!!! She loved the card too, as you can see:

Happy Birthday to my big sis!!!

And now she’s 1!

Yup, my Sandy is 1 year old now. She has been a joy and sometimes a pain, but hey what cat isn’t? I adopted Sandy from a local vet last summer, about a month after the loss of our beloved Mrs. Beasley. I want to take a moment to share a slideshow of our first year together:

In stitchy news…

I have been sick all week. It started last Friday evening while eating Jordan Almonds. I managed to chip a tooth (#14 for those who know their teeth names!). On Monday, the 19th, I went to the dentist to see about getting it fixed. What I hoped would be just a filling turned into a crown replacement. I am wearing a temp right now and get the permanent crown on May 5th. Can’t wait!!! I am so afraid that the temp will fall off and that I will swallow it. Plus, it’s inconvenient when I eat as I have to chew on the “wrong side”. LOL ! Guess this means I am getting old.

Well, as the novocaine wore off, my throat became sore. I thought it was par for the course, but NOOOO! I have to go and get sick. So, I didn’t accomplish much on the stitchy front, and even less on my thesis. I did manage to get a few pages written this morning to make up for the bad week. What I did accomplish on the stitching is shown below:

 Progress photo on Comin' Home for the Holidays

 

Start on Ink Circles' Cirques des Carreaux

28ct Lakeside Linen Tarnished Silver

2x2 Carrie's Creations Epiphany

I have decided to stick with the Lakeside on Cirques. After cleaning out my stitching stash, well organizing it a bit more, and finishing a couple of pieces I am now able to better utilize my q-Snaps and the Lakeside stays more taut now. Woo Hoo!! Also, I am in love with Carrie's Creations Epiphany! The colors are just gorgeous (as you can see in the close-up). Now, can I get this done in time for Christmas this year?!?! We'll see! It's going to be framed for my mom to go on her "French" wall in the living room. For some reason, she is really into all-things French. I don't know if it is her dad's heritage seeping through or being around my best friend (who is from Nantes and should be back in the US soon).

And one month later…



Here are some pics of what my orange blossoms look like:

They are starting to form into little fruits! Maybe my dad will catch them early enough to try one and if they are good to eat, then we may have some fresh fruit in a few weeks/months, LOL! A friend of mine in PA already called “dibs” on some, so we’ll see.

And now she's 12

My niece, Ariel, turns 12 today! I wish I could spend the day with her, but alas she is too far away. She lives in MI with her dad (my bro) and I live in FL. So, I wrote her a poem and mailed it in a card that I created for her using a small cross stitch pattern. Here is the card and poem:

Flutterby Butterfly

Beautiful little girl

Unpretentious, but with style

Truly amazing,

Talented, and bright

Epitome of her daddy, but

Really coming into her own

Feel the wings behind you

Leaving a childhood too soon

You really shouldn’t let life

Be a flutterby.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Today is the anniversary of the birth of my grandma. To be precise, the 86th anniversary of her birth! I miss her so much every day, but fondly remember the times spent with her. Whether it be at the house in St. Johns or the cottage on Lake George, I always loved being with grandma. You see, this woman taught me how to really live. She taught me about music and cameras. She taught me how to have an open mind. She gave me the courage to do what I wanted, what was right for me. I may have made some mistakes through the years, but at the time it seemed right to me. SO, to honor her memory, here is a little something from me to her:

Me and my grandma on June 1, 1990 - Boone High School Graduation - Orlando

A beautiful woman, through and through

Auburn hair, tightly curled

Always with a smile on her face

Always with arms open wide

A gal full of sass, through and through

Bright red lips, wrinkled with time

Always ready to share a good laugh

Always ready to comfort wet eyes

A lady of talent, through and through

Camera in hand, stories to tell

Always aiming to shoot a pretty flower

Always aiming to snap a cute bug

In memory of my grandma, Barbara Anne Langlois

On the 86^th anniversary of her birth