Made to Slow Down...

Well, the past month has really been a whirlwind and not all good, but I have hung on to God and this past week was a real eye opener for me! I have been keeping busy to avoid dealing with things, especially my health, and my body finally decided to NOT forgive me and I got sick, very sick. I have been to the ER and am now taking my antibiotics.... and the most important thing I have learned is that I need to slooooooooooown doooooooooown. Way down! So, I guess I will only be doing one thing during the week besides Bible study on Monday nights, and some weeks that will be the only outing during the week, since I am now averaging 10 hour days every day and some longer.

In any case, I am glad the holidays have started and even though I only have Christmas off, I will love it and enjoy every minute of it doing nothing.

Happy Stitchin'

Shannon

Long time no see......

That was a favorite saying of my dad's that I remember from my childhood... and even though we don't "see" each other here, I still feel I have been absent too long. No excuse really, bc that is all those are, excuses. I just have had some life changes and am dealing with them the best I can, lots of decision without allot of choices. Please, pray for peace for me and my family. Also, for my friend and co-worker, Amanda, whose father is having quadruple by pass surgery this week, my friend, Amy, whose life is filled with sorrow for her dog and pending adoption of her future daughter in Kaz, and for your intention, please leave them here. I have recently gone to join a new small group due to work times and location challenges and we are reading/studying/praying along to Bill Hybel's book, Too Busy Not to Pray . It is very good so far and I cannot wait to meet with the group.

Well, that is it for now...

Happy Stitchin'

Shannon

Where have I been?

Busy, like always... year is just humming along and getting busier as the holidays approach. Boys are fine. Marc is as always, bringing me joy and Jay brings joy (sometimes). Jay leaves for Iraq in April (maybe March though...). That is it. What is new with you?

Happy Stitchin'

Shannon

Mystery Photo

Sorry I was not able to get this to post on the group thread.... enjoy and happy stitchin'

Shannon

Fal...

Here in the Midwest the leaves on the trees are changing color and falling from trees. Their colors are bright and vibrant reds, oranges, yellows, greens, and purples and really a delight to my eye, even though I am not really big into nature. And at the moment I slow down enough to really appreciate it, I thank God for this beautiful sight that I have so often taken for granted, and for loving me.

Fall also brings out sweater season, and I am making a chunky one! Yeah! And quilts too, cannot forget my first love. Working on my UFO list still, but, as always, need to be more consistent in that area.

What are you doing now that Fall has come?

Happy Stitchin'

Shannon

Home, Sweet Home.... AT LAST!

Well, the 15 weeks were very long for me but in the end they did fly by and Jay is home! TY, GOD! We just sat around last night, eating tapas (which was really just an old favorite of finger food and appetizers that we started when the kids were younger) and watched a funny movie. He said he enjoyed being on the couch (the ugly old one I am dying to replace) and he is still sleeping, so I guess he feels like home also. He only has 7 days so we will also have a busy day today and then he will have the week to hang out with friends and Miss Ashley (GF). Then onto Fort Campbell for jump school (scary), but at least he will be closer for 6 months, till he deploys in April.

It is still hard to believe he has grown up so much, seems like just yesterday he was a baby in my arms.....

Happy Stitchin'
Shannon

Graduation....

Most of the time we think of graduation as the end of something, but really it can be the beginning of a "next" in some one's life. Like last night, 10 men graduated from the Master's Touch program, part of Wayside Cross Ministries, where I work, www.waysidecross.org . It was truly humbling to hear their stories, their songs, their laughter, and give and receive hugs. I realized how amazing God is to provide the resources to help these men and many that have come before them and the many that will come after them. And He does it not for them or us, but for Himself, just because He can and I think to exercise Freewill and prove that man does choose Good over evil. Yeah GOD!

Happy Stitchin'

Shannon

TGIF!

Not very often do I get a Saturday off~ so this weekend will be so great because I do! I am spending the whole day sewing! Well, a big part of it! I can hardly wait. And I have not been very good about my daily challenge of 20 minutes/day on UFO's so I think I will post a ticker on that (to remind me to do it daily!)

Happy Stitchin'

Shannon

Groups Help with a Challenge

Hello, so I have not been walking much, but Scott promises to walk a mile with me daily, that coupled with 2 quick half mile walks at work will get me closer to my year end goal. In addition, I really will be making some positive choices in diet and eating habits and to help I have joined Miss Lundie's Healthy for the Holidays challenge. (Lundie's spot is over there on the side~ there is a link ;-) I will lose 28 pounds by Christmas Eve~ And that will just be the beginning. How? You say, I will be using the ThinWithin philosophy of only eating when I am hungry, easting soup and salad for one meal, and lots of other healthy habits I should have been acquiring all along. Want to play along? Go to Lundie's spot, get a post going, and let me know, so I can watch your progress.

Happy Stitchin'

Shannon

A Spoonful of Sugar

May help the medicine go down, but it does nothing for bad news. I know some people eat for stress, but that does not seem to be helping me at all. We have received the bad news that Jay has received his platoon assignment and will be joining them in Iraq in about 5 months. :-( There is no amount of sugar, carbs, or anything else that can lessen the heartbreak, pain, or concern I (we) are feeling and I know it is really up to God, but I feel like I should be doing something to prevent or fix this. Not this time. It is his choice and he has to listen to God for direction. Consider this an advance invitation to come for a welcome home invite on Sunday the 14th of October. We will find a place and have a party for Jay... If you know us or Jay, you are invited to come and celebrate with us. Please, e-mail me your addy and I will get you all the info as time goes on and we are able to make the arrangements.

Happy Stitchin'

Shannon

Time to go back yet?

Even though we have just returned from seeing Jay I can hardly wait for these next 4 long weeks to pass when we go back for graduation and get to bring him him, even if it is only for 2 weeks! We had a great time and just spent the time, talking, Jay told us lots of funny stories, we played games, watched movies, swam in the hotel pool and basically just hung out. Darn I miss that kid! For those of you going to graduation, the first part of the ceremony is on Thursday and their is a family briefing that day at 11:00 at Sand Hill. Jay gets to leave then for about 8 hours and the next day graduation is at 10:00 AM and lasts about an hour. After which Jay goes back to his area, secures his paperwork and home we'll go with our big soldier in tow. If you are attending graduation, please, e-mail me so I can send you some directions about getting on base and Sand Hill (they are separate and you need a visitor's pass from base entrance and then drive back to Sand Hill to enter the area. If you are planning on visiting Jay while he is home, better make plans soon, his dance card is starting to fill up fast! Here's a picture of us, obviously from the first day, as we are still smiling and not thinking about taking him back yet.... and a picture of Marc in the pool (he needs a hair cut!). OK, so I need some instructions in adding pictures, but you get the idea....

Keep Stitchin'

Shannon

Appealing to your market....

in what I do we really do have a market but not in the sense most people think of. When ad companies think of ads and demographics they make the ad appeal to a certain group they have in mind. In youth programs, we do too.... but it can be a little more challenging to figure out their interests as they are at an age when even they changetheir interests daily! I started thinking about this as I prepare to form the book clubs for the two middle schools I will be at this year and suddenly realized that will be my biggest challenge. Engaging young people that sometimes change and reinvents themselves regularly, sometimes more than once a day! Yikes!! :-0 So I will be spending part of my 3 day weekend, finding out what are the "hip" (they probably do not even use that word any more), new trends for teens are.... If you happen know, please, share those with me. I will be forever grateful (and may ask for your advice and help in the near future).

Keep Stitchin'

Shannon

Mistakes in the Media...

Does TV programming count as "media"? I am guessing yes so I will proceed.

For the last few months I have been watching what has become one of my favorite shows, Army Wives on the Lifetime Network. I like the story line, characters and actors. Someone told me it is similar to Desperate Housewives (which I do not watch yet) but set on an Army base instead of Wisteria Lane. The only thing I really do not like about it is the misrepresentation they constantly give that soldiers in basic training can have visitors~ They cannot! One of the Wives has a son that has just entered basic training at Fort Benning and another Wife has a daughter that repeatedly goes to visit him, how real is that? NOT! Otherwise I would have just showed up at Fort Benning to check on my son whenever I chose. Very poor writing.

Anywho, In just a little over a week (which will pass like an eternity) we leave to go visit with Jay for a couple of days (which will go by too quickly). Please, pray for our safe travel and a good visit.

Graduation is two days of events that start on Thursday, October 11th and end on Friday, October 12th. then home he comes with us for a couple of weeks. If you need the specific info for graduation, please, e-mail me.

Bye for now....

Happy Stitchin'

Shannon

For me....

Like most women, I put me last on the list of things to do today... and have for years. But recently my small group and I have been reading a great book by John & Stasi Elderedge called Captivating, Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul. I know, you think it is a guide for men, but it is not. And if I was a little more techno savvy, like my friend Lundie, I could embed the Amazon.com link here, but you'll just have to go look for it yourself. One of the things I noted weeks ago, was that I miss being feminine. Really I do. I long for the days when I took the time to fix my hair and make up just so and these small things made me feel pretty. Please, do not send me a deluge of e-mails or comments telling me beauty is on the inside, I already know this. But consider this, how do you feel when you get dressed up for a special occasion? And did you know that on picture days at grade schools the kids are dressed up and there is notable difference in their behavior and attitude? So, I have decided to spend more time on (drum roll, please...) ME! Now a few of you have seen me today and know that I looked the same as always, shorts, tee shirt, flip flops, hair up in scrunchy.. but the difference is I walked this morning! Two whole miles and I feel great still! While I know the walking will make me look better I have decided to walk twice a day (not 2 miles both times:-)) and this will really help me feel better on the inside and out! My friend Lundie, the techie one (as if I have two friends named Lundie), showed me where I can chart my progress and put it here on my blog page, hope it works.... but if it doesn't, I'll post.

What are you doing for YOU today?

Happy Stitchin'

Shannon

P.S. Sweater is almost done, only a few rows to go! Then back to the D#%n Tablecloth and quilting UFO's.

More time coming!

Well, not really MORE but MORE free time, since this is my last crazy work week! Yippee! I cannot hardly wait to get my quilting UFO's out and start working on those daily, one motif daily ( I think) on the D*#m tablecloth, and work for 15-30 minutes daily on a sweater (only one at a time so I do not create UFO's in my new hobby. It is hard to believe but once you try it you will see that just 20 minutes daily really does add up to a finished project! It is incredible and God is great to give me these gifts and the time to do them.

Also, which will be a priority, I will start walking each AM and PM, only 20 minutes each time but that will help me (heath wise) and the dog (who loves walking but will only get to go on the evening walk). This week, so far, has been a preview of what's to come, since we have not had to leave the house till 8:30 each day I have 2-3 hours from the time I get up before we have to leave to do things! Wow! I love that and plan to make the most of it. May actually get to finish the Bible in a year plan I have started several times but gave up... Anyone want to do that with me?

Well, onto work.

Keep stitchin', walkin', prayin', and lovin' others,

Shannon

26 Days and Counting...

ok, only 26 more days till Marc and I go to GA to see Jay!! I am so excited! And I am sure Marc is too, but it is not cool to show that much emotion, so....

On another note, Jay's platoon had earned a pizza party but he asked instead if he could make a phone call, so I was able to get a call from him on Saturday! It was great! We talked for about 6 minutes and he sounded so much better. He asks that everyone keep writing, send pictures and short articles of interest. And he said to tell everyone he misses them all.

Well, I have lots of work to do, but keep posted here for new things happening in my crazy, functioning-at-light-speed of a life soon.

Keep Stitchin'

Shannon

Missed....

Oh, today of all days to miss a call from Jay! What a wonderful son to try to call me on my birthday, and I miss his call, twice! I was in a crowed large room and did not hear my phone ring! I am so bummed all I could do was wait for my time to leave, listen to his messages a cry...Still crying... like a big baby. I miss him much more than I though I would. Even though I have been preparing for his growing up since he was a baby, it still hurts so much. If you have been writing Jay, please keep doing so and send any pictures you have. He can also get single sheets of news articles, but not magazines nor books, so send him something interesting to read. No puzzles....last week I sent him a ripped out Sodoku puzzle from the news paper but they would not let him keep it. it helps if he gets mail daily, they really run them ragged and the heat and humidity there is worse than here. Pray for him too, please, he could really use God's help.

That is it for now... I am signing off to finish my crying in peace.

Shannon :-(

Tired, too tired to realize just how tired....

So, camp ended last week, and you'd think I would be recuperated after a few days of rest; but I'm not. In fact I have come to the conclusion that I am no longer in my 20's and fit for working so many hours... so, all though I love all the work I do, I will be saying good bye to 2 of my part time jobs as my true passion and calling from God turns into full time work on the 20Th! And just as I was thinking all of this I felt like a fool! God does not want us to be busy rushing around to take care of "things", He wants us to lean on HIM. So today I will take a real leap of faith, give up all extra jobs and things not necessary for life (except the one at Fringe, bc I really do love being there amongst all the yarn) and by this time next week I will see the end of business in my life! Say yeah! (And maybe the end of some of the clutter, dust bunnies, piles of laundry, dishes, ect too). This has always been an ify spot for me, bc someone, I truly admire, once told me that I was the only person I could count on. I now realize this person is not the Christian I want to be when I grow up, I want to depend upon God for all my needs, true needs. And ask Him to show me that which do not need... (probably lots there to work on). Pray for me. LOTS

Happy Stitchin'

Shannon

Growing up during the warm days of summer

So, all summer i have been working like a crazy person, too many hours and lots of driving from one job to another! But at the beginning of the summer I promised Marc I would take off today to take him to the Vans Warped Tour, an all day concert featuring many bands, kids of all ages, fun, and independence from Mom and Dad miles from home! At first I was not sure I wanted him to go without his big brother as chaperon, but he convinced me that he and his group of friends will be OK and safe. And then I remember my first summer concert. I was 16 or 17 and drove myself and several friends to Poplar Creek to see the Cure and several other bands we loved at the time in our lives. I remember how great it felt to be an "adult" and travel around in my car having fun... So, even though Marc is not driving himself, yet, he is getting his first taste of being a young adult... They grow up way too fast! What favorite thing did you do over the summers of your youth that made you feel "older"?

Shannon

Counting Days!

I remember the summer I turned 5 (my birthday cometh); I ran around for weeks and told anyone within hearing distance the my birthday was in XX days! Yeah Me! (As if I had accomplished anything at all~! I should have been praising my parents!) Well, this summer will not be much different, except I am not counting the days till my birthday (YET!) ~ I am counting the days till I get to see Jay!~ 51 to go! I am so excited! We will get to spend 2 days with him! I miss him lots and can hardly wait! (Except thinking of the humid heat in GA in the first week of September- better rent a car with air conditioning.)

Keep Stitchin' (sweater is coming along well...)

Shannon

Found Treasures

Your know that great little feeling and smile you get when you put your winter coat on for the first time, put your hands in the pocket and find a dollar? That is how I feel today. While doing some decluttering I found a roll of film, pictures taken but not yet developed. I was not sure how old it was, but I figured if it had expired that was ok, at least I had tried. So, I dropped it off on June 1st, my sister's wedding day and I was there buying more film... I know, get a digital already! Anyhow, I forgot about it till yesterday when I was cleaning out my wallet and found the receipts, then I thought, oh, I bet the store tossed them because it was more than a month ago! But they had not! And what a surprise! They are pictures of one of Jay's first drill performances from JROTC in high school. If I can get the darn things loaded I will post a few here. Anyhow, it was bittersweet, but nice to see them. And it dawned on me then, and yet again, that even though Jay just left for basic training 6 weeks ago, he really was preparing for his life then.

Enjoy!

Shannon

Jay Update!!

People who blog, and I include myself here even though I am really new at this, think about how they will title their entry and how they will phrase it, ect. I can not think of anything cute, funny, witty, wise, ect. other than to say we have new news!

We have recently received a few more letters, all stating that he is feeling better, has an inhaler to use as needed, and will be staying. (Mixed feelings) I have also received a form letter from his Battalion Commander giving us the dates for family day and the graduation dates. I will be going for both. The form letter also states to not send boxes yet, even though Jay keeps saying that he can receive them... Gosh I hope he calls today so I can ask him about that.

Well, that is about it. Oh, there is a web site where they post general pictures of his platoon, except it has not been updated and the last groups' pictures are still there. I will post a link on here somewhere so you can see it and hopefully they will update soon.

If you are writing letters, please write often, send pics of you two if you have them.

Thanks,

Shannon

Address and Update

Wahoo! I have mixed feelings about Jay being gone. Mostly now I am worried about his health (asthma) and I miss him terribly. We have an address for him now, so we are able to write. If you want it, please e-mail me at my address on file and I will send it to you, providing we know you. If you know Jay, please write encouraging letters often, he could really use them.

Thanks,

Shannon

Direction....

Hey all! I am eagerly awaiting for Wednesday, bc it will be a day off work, a day to spend with my family, and a day to get so much needed sewing in on the QT! I have two deadlines I am working against, that are quickly closing in!!!!

SO, I am finishing those and back to UFO's! Gotta get some more of those done and actually have finished one, and almost 2 more. NEXT!!

And I will be working on a flyer to hand out about tee shirt, memory, and photo quilts to kids in camps, walkers and runners that participate in the weekend fundraisers, ect.... I am really going to get something of a schedule down for this, because I would really like to build that up.

Lastly, we have had such a great show of help for the craft donations, thanks to everyone that has help or is committed to helping. This pas weekend I spoke to a staff teacher at the school I am at and she told me the only kids who get regular art classes are 4th graders, once a month. Ughghg, how discouraging. I was never great at art, but really enjoyed it and all the ugly things I made. AND more importantly it showed me to be creative, trust in myself, and take a risk once in a while. So, the little gears in my head have been turning trying to figure out how I can help change this so that the kids can get art more frequently, especially when the district budget barely covers the education part. Any ideas? Any volunteers who have a special talent that they would like to share? Post here.

Happy Stitchin'

Shannon

P.S. The darn tablecloth is coming along....

WOW

That is the only word I can come up with to explain the phenomenon of yesterday. I asked for help and God sent many wonderful people to my aid. Thank you, Lord. Thanks to everyone who has helped and to those who have committed to help, you are all so wonderful and kind and we (the kids and I) appreciate your generosity.

Just WOW and THANKS.
Shannon

Brotherly Secrets....

Well, this is one of many posts about Jay, and today about Marc. As I have told many people, you can find out the updates on Jay by coming to my blog and searching "Jay" in the search engine in the upper left hand corner.

Tomorrow will be 10 days that Jay has been gone... and really I did not expect to talk to him for a few weeks, but I have spoken to him on 2 different days!

On Sunday, while I was helping out at the shop (Fringe), which was just a one time thing, I was petrified that I would miss his call because I had my hands full, no pockets in which to put my phone so I left it open on the counter with the ringer cranked up! And he called! 1st thing he says is that he only has just 3 minutes and so we have to be brief. BRIEF?!?! I have not seen him for 5 days and have so much I still want to say, 3 minutes isn't even gonna scratch the surface. But we cover the following:
1. He has sent us letters but still does not have a return address and won't for another week, but promises to send it when he gets it. Which is good because I have been jotting down schtuff and adding daily to a letter that has grown to over 7 pages and am wondering if it will be a novel by the time I get that address?
2. He says not to come for family "day" bc it is really just 3 hours. But in my Mommy mind I am thinking "Don't tell me what to do, Mister. I will find the cheapest overnight flight and I will be there." So, we will see how that one turns out.
3. He is missing all of us and his life in general, but knows that this is just for 4 years and will be getting allot of great things from this, so he keeps going. Please, if you are a praying person, pray for his continued strength.

So, today I forget to my cell phone with me to a meeting thing, and guess who calls? Yup! Jay!! I have been tethered to my cell phone since he left, fearful that he would get one chance to call and I would miss it, and sure enough as soon as I do he does! Marc told me he had called and left him a message and I tried to call him back, no luck. Then I insisted on hearing the message (bc I just wanted to hear that he was okay) but Marc said "no" because it was private and too bad for me! UGHGHGH. For years these two have been fighting like a cat and dog and they pick NOW to have brotherly secrets! Darn near drove me crazy till I finally got a message from Jay. Luckily, he had his phone for the whole day, so he sent text messages while I was at camp and we talked at 6 and again just before he went to sleep, so I could croak out a lullaby (my voice is still bad...). No new news except that he had his phone because they are moving to the barracks and he had to take all personal things with them.

So that is it. I know he called allot of his friends today and even his Grandma (who was so happy to hear from him). So, this update may not be necessary, but will remind me to post them here when they happen.

Keep in touch and let me know if you need Jay's address once I have it, via e-mail I will send it to you.

Shannon

One of a pair....

Well, the day has finally come... The day I have known about for months (probably really have thought about for years since Jay joined ROTC and loved it) and still do not seemed really well prepared. But how does one prepare for the final growth path of a child? I know he will be coming back, but today he leaves to take the final journey of becoming an adult... on his own.... without me to guide, push, pull and direct along the way... which is good for him because it is truly his. Bad for me as I try to deal with all this heartache and extra emotion. All the cliches' in the world do nto describe nor compare the pain of my heartbreak and even though I have known this was coming, I want to postpone it until I am ready, which, would be never. So, God, in his infinite wisdom, has made Jay strong enough to decide and stick by his convictions. And I realize (at this unGodly hour of 4:30 AM) that as this will be one of his final growing stages into a man, it will be one of my many lessons in life about pain, grief, heartache, submission, acceptance, patience, and many more things I am not even able to think of at this time. Later will be Marc's turn and my heart will break all over again, but I am putting that away for now, one heartache at a time please. All I can do now is pray, entrust him completely to God, write (which strangely does seem to help)and cry when it hurts, bc holding it in seems to hurt more? I will update here about Jay, because he says he will remember to write everybody but has asked me to keep everyone posted when I get his letters, so I have found another useful reason to blog and maybe will remember to blog more often. If you are looking for info about Jay just type in "Jay" in the search area of the main page and the blogs about him will come up and you will not have to wade through all the other ramblings of my mind when it goes out without a leash.

Since I am up this early, maybe i should go work on something? I know I am not going back to sleep anytime soon and it is too early to get ready for work... ho hum.... maybe some fresh coffee and that Dee Henderson novel can help me forget my heartbreak for awhile.

Happy Stitchin'
Shannon

To Please or Not?

A little more than a week ago I was chatting with my DH and mentioned that I had started noticing that people rarely say "Please, Thank You, Or Your Welcome" anymore, not anyone, younger than I nor older than I. I have always tried to say please and thanks, bc I think it is one of the last remaining threads of manners that I grew up with. (And there were several rules that my Step Mom made us follow, such as: no passing gas in public, please excuse yourself and if you are not able to, please say, "please, excuse me"; do not interrupt, softly touch someone on the arm to let them know you would like to speak with them; do not chew with your mouth open and do not talk with your mouth full of food, these go hand in hand and do not need further discussion... just to name a few). When I was a kid, I thought she was just being callous with us, but really she was trying to teach us to be educated in a non formal setting so that we would be able to cope politely and respectfully in life. Another reason to say please and thanks is to show the other person that I do respect, appreciate, and care for them, even if they are strangers they are still God's child. So, to proceed on, I started really listening and watching people as they went about their days, and I mentally noted that only about 10-20% of the people ever said please when asking for something and almost nobody said thank you except for some of the same 10-20% that remembered to say "please". During the actions of my busy day I come across allot of people, young and old, formally educated and not, those making 6 figure incomes and those who live at the poverty level, and the results of my 10-20% were not completely from the affluent end of the scale, those folks also stated their requests without a simple please on a regular basis; and not just to their employees, but to their children and acquaintances. This leads me to think that no longer are parents teaching their children about simple manners and makes me wonder why? Are manners out of fashion? Is it politically correct to be rude? I think that manners are an important part of our civilization and of being civilized (not who has the most technologically advanced cell phone), so I will make it my point to infer please and thank you every chance I get and hopefully those I come in contact with will "get it". ....

Early Morning .....

I love early morning around my house..... I am the only one up, except for the 4 legged kids who are just nagging to be fed. Anywho, I am the only one up, coffee is making, and today I just stood on my patio and wondered and all the beauty God gave me to take in daily. I have never really appreciated nature until recently. When I was younger, I hated to be outside (still do not care for bugs much). Now, I like early morning, dew on the grass (hard to believe that was how God watered the earth before the Fall, huh?), the sun is an orangey-red color that I like, the birds are singing in the large tree that provides great shade for our home, and all is right in the world. (Almost asking for trouble there, huh?)

AND some mornings, it gets even better, I have a few minutes to sew before I take the boys to school! Yipee! Today I opted to post here, but this is still good, as I have off work today, so I will sew for 15 minutes when I come back.

So, have a great day, enjoy your early morning, no matter when it starts, and praise God for all that HE is given!

Happy Stitchin'
Shannon

Memorial Day~ Present, & Future

Yes, yes, I know it was yesterday, but I had to get some time to get out some tears and compose my thoughts about it before I could sit down and type.... so here goes my two cents worth:

Monday was Memorial Day, which most know as the day in which we recognize and give thanks to those men and women who have served in the armed forces, some of whom have given the ultimate sacrifice of their lives. I love Memorial Day and I have always been a patriot and fully appreciate all these men and women do. Even when the orders given may not be what the soldier think is right, they still do as commanded, and that takes great strength and discipline. I also love parades. My family groans every year on Thanksgiving as I wake them early to go downtown for the Christmas parade, but I do it bc I just love parades, the floats, marching bands, big balloons, and the closeness I feel standing next to my family watching all go by..... Yesterday we went to the Memorial Day Parade in town I grew up in and in which my mom still lives. I fully expected a somber parade and some moments of joy as the bands would march by; but was I wrong! In the middle of the parade was a float that 3 families had sponsored together for their 3 young sons/husbands/brothers/uncles/(how to go on with all these titles these men must have had...?) who grew up in this town and died in Iraq. At that very moment I realized exactly what I had been dreading all this time..... MY son will be leaving son to go to the Army and most likely to Iraq, and maybe he will not come back. And if he does return he will not be the carefree joyous 18 year old boy whom I have loved a little bit more every day. Even as I write this my heart spills over to tears and I feel somewhat ashamed because I know I am not the only mother to go through this, yet at the same time I am wondering how, HOW do mothers get through this? The women in my family are regular Irish Catholic women who just accept what God gives us as is, so the overflow of emotion is strange but welcome... and darn I am gonna have a whallop of a headache in the AM! Mostly I just needed to get this out and also wanted to give appropriate appreciation and memory to the 3 young men from Aurora, IL who paid the ultimate price in the cost of freedom and democracy that we enjoy. I hope that I have remembered their names correctly (as I am going from memory) and that if read this that you will say a quick prayer for their families and loved ones for them to feel God's healing love. Eduardo Lopez Jr. Jesse De La Torre. Hector Ramos.

I know this is not my usual upbeat banter, but hey, even a mom deserves to cry every now and then...

Shannon

Snow Days In May!

Those who know me know I love snow!! Not just to play in but to watch and see it covering the tress, and all of its beauty. I do not even mind driving in it. The more the merrier. But I think this past weekend I realized another reason why I like snow so much: Snow Days! And those are not just for kids! I have been particularly busy this week and have been looking forward to a day of no work and no to do list! A day that I can fritter away doing nothing if I choose. So, I decided today is my Snow Day! I do not have a car today and I will not be venturing out for any reason, except maybe to go for a walk if I choose. In a few minutes I will get my second cup of coffee, have my cheerios and then decide what, if anything, I will do next. Yipeeee! I may sew for awhile, and then move onto something else. I am not sure! And I will just let the day unfold that way. I may not even get out of my jammies, we'll see.....

So, I am off to enjoy my snow day, I hope you get one soon too!

Shannon

Many Days.....

Ok, well, I have been crocheting up a storm! And in between remembering to sew some and knit some. Mostly the knitting is so I can keep practicing until I actually start an easy sweater pattern. I have one from the shop I work at part time www.fringeknitting.com and one free one from Lion Brand but not sure which I want to do; and I am not doing both!

Only two more weeks of working full time where I am and there my really crazy schedule starts. I will bu working part time at the container company (4 hours a day) and 5 hours with the kids, through Wayside, www.waysidecross.org , but wait! The 4 hours at the packaging company is split and will be before and after the kids! Thank God Scott and I still work near each other and can car pool!

And only 2 more weeks of driving the boys to school! But Marc will start football camp so he'll leave when we do in the AM for that. I think I miss those long lazy days of summer that meant doing nothing but playing outside all day and sometimes babysitting at night. Now Marc is talking about football camp and working part time this summer and I did caution him against it, but he really wants to earn some money to save throughout the year, so.... Wonder where he gets that business thing....?

Well, off to get ready for work! Keep Stitchin' or whatever you do that makes you happy!
Shannon

Day 1!

Well, I did it! I managed to get up early and work on one UFO for 15 minutes this AM before taking the boys to school. And I took the d#*n tablecloth with me to work and worked on it twice! At lunch for 15 minutes and my afternoon break for 10 more! I have decided that on Mondays I will take my project bag with the DT in it to work and maybe leave it there during the week and just bring it home on Fridays (kinda like my old gym uniform...). Then I know it will always be there for my breaks and I am sure I will get in 15 minutes daily!

Other than that. It is Friday and I am glad. Right now it is late, as I am just arriving home from a visit with my friend Nensi. The drive home was nice, I put the windows down and listen to old school music from my high school years (80-84), and let the wind blow my hair around! That was fun, and it is true what they say about music triggering memories, I felt like putting on some roller skates and dancing!

Ok, time to stop showing my age off and get ready for bed, the morning will come quickly and I have TONS to do, including the 15 minutes on my UFO.

'Night from the Brook, Shannon

New Habits....

Sew, as you can see... I do not always remember to come here and post, even when I think about what I would write, something else just comes up! So, my new habit will to post daily even if just for a few minutes.....

I am only 2 weeks away from switching my one full time job to 2 part time ones, which will be staying where I am part time and working at Wayside part time. I really wish I could just work full time at Wayside and focus on that, but they do not have the funds for it, so.... I am making up the difference. Oh, and the yarn shop! How could I forget that?!?! I am having fun, am learning to knit (slowly) but only so I can make a sweater. I am a looong way away from that! And there are so many patterns to choose from I can hardly wait but will for some time, bc the other habit is getting in those 2 15 minute sessions on my d*@n tablecloth and my quilting UFO's.

So, gotta go finish dinner and then I will post just before bed if I made my other 2 daily habits happen!

Shannon

Help a Friend....

Ok, so I am starting to "get" the blog thing a little bit... and while cruising around ( I know they say "surfing" but I like to drive) I was amazed at the wonder of the web to help others! Very cool. My friend Lundie has a friend named Heather and she is not doing so well. In addition to prayers and $$ help, I have added to my blog some click thru "spots" so you can see her web, read her story, and possibly help. All the time we hear that the www can be a very troubled space, so I think this is a great opportunity to use it for good.

Yesterday I took a class on making a quilted jacket. I had sewn cloths before, years ago, but thought this would be an interesting turn on my craft, wearing my handy work around for others to see.... hmmmm. SO, it was interesting, the pattern was not really one I would have chosen, but easy for everyone to do. So, I still have to finish it but it is started. Anywho, at this class yesterday, the teacher, Joann, tells us she has no stash, no UFO's, does have one or two WIP's (works in progress) and some PIG's (Projects in Grocery Sacks). She said a UFO is something we are never going to finish can stay a UFO forever so that our grand daughters, nieces, ect. can find them after we pass and have the same treasures some of us have found at the passing of loved ones. I thought that was interesting and am now going to sort out some of what I previously called UFO's into WHIP's, trades (for fabrics on one of my e-guild groups) and the others get left for "whomever" to find... (Oh, I hope my sons marry nice gals and have at least one granddaughter for me to spoil up in true "girl" form! Not soon but someday..)

Speaking of sons, I can hardly believe Jay graduates high school in about 5 weeks and two weeks after that leaves for the army.... seems just like yesterday I was pushing him in his stroller and on the swings. Even though he gives me such grief sometimes I am sure gonna miss him, :-( Please, remember to pray for him and all the men and women serving in all the branches of the armed forces.

Well, it is a beautiful day here and close to supper time, maybe we'll grill out.... been a long time since we've done that...

Happy Stitchin'
Shannon

Long time No Change....

So, I am new to this blogging thing and also to remember to make posts.... usually I just e-mail my friends over and over the same news to each one of them, but it is easier to post here.... semi incognito.....

Old News:

Just came back from a 3 day quilting retreat with my mom and 10 other gals from my quilting guild, Riverwalk Quilters Guild of Naperville. http://www.riverwalkquilters.com/ We went to Racine, WI (just 2 hours away) to the Siena Center. Had lots of fun and are planning on going again in November. Since it will not be a guild event that time just a group of gals getting together I am going to invite my stitching friends to come along. I cannot express how much fun we had. :-)

Job is the same, very stressful and challenging. 3 more people in my dept quit and they have only hired 2 of the first three that quit months ago! The original dept was only 12 people, so we do struggle some days to keep the work flowing. This has prompted some new news:

New News:

I will be having a job change soon. I am answering God's call to go work with urban youth in ministry programs that I have helped develop and volunteered in for years. This is a great change, and does bring some challenges... namely salary. I am confident God will provide for us and because God cannot direct a ship that is not moving I will be actively promoting my quilt business, http://www.yourmemoriesquilted.com/ . Don't bother to stop there, it's not built yet; so I will start here and with my friends' help move there. I am still challenging myself daily to work at least 20 minutes in my personal quilts (the UFO's) and that is some days easy and some days more of a challenge, but it is still a goal.

I also have gotten a part time job, to help with the transition. I am doing bookkeeping (my old gig) 5 hours a week at a local yarn shop. Boy is that trouble! I only have quilt type UFO's and the Damn Tablecloth to work now, but working around all that beautiful yarn makes me want to start a sweater! NO! I am resisting but it is hard! I am going to earnestly try to crochet one motif/day and see how that goes.... if I am making good progress and feel I can keep it up when I start my new job, I will start a summer sweater.

More about my new job: I am really excited to be working with kids, even if it is only 25 hours/week. Such opportunity to help them grow and learn in a fun relaxed atmosphere. Wahoo!

Well, I will close now and surf the wen for a few more minutes linking up my friends blogs..... (TY Lundie for showing me how this works.....) and later put some pictures in..... poor Lundie, she has volunteered to help me and doesn't know that I know absolutely nothing about all of this!

Happy stitching! Shannon

UFO's

So, what is a UFO? For quilters and others that do crafts, UFO's are UnFinished Objects that get started but not finished, set aside for other projects to be worked on, and then wait to be finished. I have lots of UFO's, I thought I was at 15 but then found 6 more in a bin with some backing fabric I was looking for! The last 6 may remain UFO's forever or be given away to be UFOs to someone else. SO, in addition to returning to making quilts for others, I will slowly, but steadily work off my UFO's this year, all 15! How? In 20 minute increments! I have been working on a Feb challenge with one of my groups and every day have been sewing on one project for just 20 minutes. I was making real progress so added 2 more sets of 20 minutes for 2 other projects!

Now some of you very organized folks will ask why? Why not work straight through till you finish one? And I think that is because I always have way too many things going, also love variety in my work, and want to make as many quilts as humanly possible, so I will stop and start quilts, over and over! But this is my year to finished and then I will still work on 3-4 quilts at a time, but not collect UFO's.

Any of you have UFO's? Post them here.

I will see if I can "Pretty Up" my UFO list from my group post and put it here.

Well, off to start my first 20 minutes this morning!

Happy Stitchin! Shannon

New to Blogging

Ok, so I am new to this, and my very hip friend, Lundie, told me all about blogs, ect. so I will be "growing" my internet knowledge here...