One gnome is home...

Yes, I'm home! I've been pouting and working. We had a lovely trip barring the long traffic delays through Birmingham, Alabama and Atlanta, Georgia...both due to accidents. We arrived in Orlando on Friday around noon. We checked into our hotel, got a bite to eat and collapsed. I'm afraid we did nothing else that day. I was rather freaked out about all the traffic there and on the way Thursday...I'm just a small-town girl!

On Saturday morning we caught the courtesy shuttle to Magic Kingdom and had a blast! I loved Haunted Mansion and It's a Small World and Pirates of the Carribbean! The Philharmagic show was awesome too. We ate pizza, turkey legs and pretzels and walked around until our feet fell off. We caught a cab back to the hotel, had dinner at the hotel's restauraunt and as we were both exhausted we went to bed early.

On Sunday we spent the morning in and resting our aching feet. I wanted to try driving a bit to see if it still frightened me so we looked up an antiques shop and added the address into the TomTom. I drove right to it with no problems-did I mention how much I love my TomTom??? We spent a few dollars...two wooden cats and a book for me, Jessie didn't see anything that took her fancy. We also drove to the Medieval Times to pick up our tickets for that evening, had a bite to eat and got ready for the show.

Jess LOVED Medieval Times, I knew she would! It was grand fun and we both loved seeing the horses and show. Jess insists we must go back one day so Rick can see the show.

On Monday playtime was over and we got Jess to her check-in early. She went off doing her stuff and I went to the parent's tent for coffee and info. I took a walking tour of the apartment complex and the rep answered questions and explained routines and such. The complex is nice and seems quite secure. There are buses that go everywhere for the interns so Jess wont need to drive too much. I helped Jess put her stuff into her assigned apartment and she had meetings to go to. I walked back to the hotel to wait for her to finish.

I cross stitched all that afternoon; I got quite a bit done on les Moutons! After Jess had her meetings she drove to pick me up and we went for an early dinner (she didn't get lunch) and made a trip to Walmart for some food and other needed items. I helped her unpack and chatted a bit and walked back to the hotel...leaving my kid there for seven months. Wahhh! It was hard not to cry!

I flew home Tuesday morning, Orlando's airport is very nice. I sat in the food court for a long time cross stitching on les Moutons and listening to my iPod. I had a long wait in Dallas (I like that airport too) as my plane was delayed. More stitching time! After I landed in OKC we had dinner with my parents and then drove home. Ahh, home was so nice! I miss the kid like crazy.

Jessie has been uploading videos to her youtube account of her adventures...see them here!

Tupelo

Hey, we're in Tupelo, Mississippi...just about half way! Had a nice drive here today and made good time. We had lunch at Cracker Barrel and dinner was a pizza delivered to our hotel. Been thru Arkansas, Tennessee and now Mississippi. Free internet at the hotel was a nice extra! I LOVE the TomTom...we had no problems keeping the correct road. We are having a blast so far! I hope to keep this updated as we go but I'm not sure of our internet access...

Hugz to all from the roaming gnomes...

I'll be home soon

I'm off in the morning for Florida with Jess. We have decided to go a bit early so to enjoy the trip and spend a day at Magic Kingdom. Rick is staying home to work and baby-sit the pets but I promise to bring him a surprise.

I'm recovering from the flu which I came down with last Friday evening. I got to the doctor early enough to take the flu-fighting medicine and get Jess started on it so she doesn't get it. I do feel much better, although weak as a kitten! Then...Rick came down with it Sunday evening!!! Off to the doctor with him too. It's been loads of fun at our house this week!

Will I have empty-nest syndrome when I get back from Florida? What are the symptoms? I must do research...see y'all in a week or so!

It's the big 20

Wishing a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my darling daughter. Pressies are wrapped and waiting...

Violent pocket lint.

It was a small piece of pocket lint and it had sat quietly in the middle of the kitchen floor for two days. Denim blue, fluffy; it seemed innocent. Nobody in the family perceived its menace except Taco. She glared at it from the shadows under the dining table. Eventually Taco gathered her courage to make several mad-cat dash and pounce maneuvers in an effort to drive it away. These attacks were ignored; the pocket lint refused to be intimidated. Stronger measures were employed and the ambushes included severe bites with furious kicking of hind claws when the lint threatened to overpower. Tail shaped like a bottle brush of fright Taco felted the lint in her mouth with irate passion until it was a subdued blue lump. Menace cowed. All is safe again in the kitchen.

Free Cross Stitch Pattern

As I mentioned before, I received PCStitch Pro for Christmas. After a bit of playing I have created a pattern. I still haven't figured everything out and I have no idea how it will stitch up but I wanted to share...

Here is Teeny Crab:

Title: Teeny Crab
Copyright: Daffycat Designs
Grid Size: 20W x 20H
Design Area: 1.43" x 0.71" (20 x 10 stitches)

Legend: Stitches
! DMC 310 black
' DMC 699 christmas green
( DMC 801 coffee brown - dk
* DMC 3045 yellow beige - dk
2 DMC 809 delft blue
8 DMC White white
" DMC 817 coral red - vy dk

Legend: FrenchKnots
DMC 310 black

Legend: BackStitch Lines
DMC 310 black

I've edited this post to resize the pattern...it took me a while to figure out how!!!

Happy 2008!

I had such an incredible surprise this evening...a phone call from my friend Joan in the UK! Oh, we had a lovely chat and spent nearly an hour talking and gabbing. I haven't heard Joan's voice in over a year so it was lovely to catch up. Snail and e-mail is great but nothing beats an actual phone call. Thank you Joan, it was wonderful!

I thought I'd better say what I had from Santa before it gets to be stale news! Here is a quick photo...PCStitch-pro, Burberry Brit Red perfume, a GPS for my Florida trip, Voyagers! on DVD...(my favorite TV show as a teen...giggle...) and Seasons 1 & 2 of Supernatural on DVD.
As you can see I had a good Christmas! I also ate too much, didn't get enough sleep, left shopping until the last minute and the wrapping even later! Seriously, it was a good holiday with family and friends; I am incredibly fortunate.

Did you stay up to usher in the New Year? Not me. I went to bed at 10:30 as I had to work this morning. It was slow at work too, every phone call was someone asking if we were open today! Jessie celebrated with girls' night out with friends...She is itchy having suffered a severe case of hives since Boxing day. The doctor gave her shots, steroids and an epi-pen in case she starts having trouble breathing! We still don't know what she got into that she was allergic to...

Happy New Year!

Last day of 2007

I'd forgotten about receiving these bookmarks for Christmas from Barb. Aren't they luscious? I had them lost on my stitching area which was simply trashed from holiday stitching! I knew there was confetti in the envelope too, ended up with a lap full of sparkly hearts anyway...giggle!
The other day it snowed just enough for love notes from Rick...I found these when I left to work!

A Christmas Surprise!

Here is what I found in my mailbox yesterday from my friend MHP in France! I love this sweet snowman wall hanging...wasn't that a great surprise?
In other news...I survived a DAY OF HELL at work on Friday. Three people (or was it four?) didn't show up for one reason or another and it was CRAZY busy. Everyone seems to panic when bad weather is coming and flocks to the grocery. We were only forecasted an inch or two of snow...how long can one get housebound with that? Calm down people. This is Oklahoma; we won't run out of food and you won't get stuck at home for weeks on end, I promise!!! SIGH.

However, those that did show up did a fantastic job for me and I thank them. A LOT!

Finally, it is snowing. It's just starting to cover the grass and look pretty. I'd rather a foot of snow than the bit of ice we had last week! So many in Oklahoman are still without power; it's been nearly a week! Thankfully, our electricity only went off for a few hours one night...many were not so lucky. Me? I'm counting my blessings.

December already?

How can it be December? I've been in a fog since Thanksgiving I guess! I'd had a dreadful cold and lost some time there...add working and keeping house and I think I've lost track of myself!

Here is a picture of the counting sheep. I got it out last night to work on a bit. I've been stitching Christmas cards but can't show any pictures as they haven't been received yet. These sheep are adorable...I'm stitching them on 32 count blue evenweave with Gentle Arts overdyed threads. I am tweeding the overdyes so I get very subtle shading and variation in color...


Here are a few very special cards I have received...from Joan and from Rachael, both in the UK...
This one is from Barb in OZ...
And this one is my EMS exchange from Annemiek in Holland...