…Deb can enjoy!! She can breathe free and happy!!!

Though it is not yet ironed, you can see the finished result.

Mimi modeling my scarf for me.

Detail of the color of the scarf. I love it!

So there you have it, my first finishes of the new year, one knit and one stitched.

Now I have to dig up something else to work on…. *sighs*

Lauren had her 15th birthday Friday. Last night we did ice cream cake and had friends out to play cards. Lauren spent Friday night with her bestie and for the most part, things passed quietly. She doesn’t mind as next year is the BIG ONE and she expects to have a really good time. I have a few ideas in place for next year

Things have been quiet this week. I baked a bit, cooked and now I am menu planning! We have such a restricted budget that I am struggling to make ends meet. So I thought in an effort to improve my shopping and impulse buying, I would start menu planning to make the week run smoother.

Since Tues, Wed and Thurs nights at least one child has practice, I am making those easy dinner nights. Either the kids heat up soups, raviolis or ramen noodles. The other 4 nights a week, I make dinner and try to plan in advance. I am using All Recipes as an aide to making dinners with things I have here and going through cook books at home and reading several blogs to get ideas. I recently got a 7qt crockpot for Christmas so I am big on using it as much as I can. If anyone has a good crockpot recipe, please feel free to email it ameregirl at gmail dot com.

The menu planning was spawned not just from the budget, but so many of the blogs I read (mainly submissives etc) the women use menus to make the house more manageable. I really liked the idea of running the house more efficiently and not having to stand in the kitchen and wonder what I am going to make for dinner each night. If I can plan a head, then I can minimize the stress of keeping the house running smoothly and use my free time for other things.

I have been stitching the last few days but I keep forgetting to talk about it and I’ve not posted a picture. Deb and I are still planning our 1 hr a week of stitching time together, but with the recent things in my house and her own happenings, we’ve yet to make that time together happen. We have both stitched but haven’t had a moment to do it together yet. I hope that changes next month since this one is half over already. I was going to post a picture of my current project but I lost it :/

This week will also bring about finally implementing a cleaning schedule! The only room I refuse to do is the kids bathroom. Otherwise, I will be cleaning one room each week and trying to keep the dust and such down to a minimum by doing things this way.

I am using Google Calendar to keep my menu going and will start adding the room/area for that day in the calendar as well. I hope to become more organized this way. I am also using The Declutter Calendar as a guide to help organize things as well. I keeps me on track and helps me weed out junk. Having just had the holidays, there are plenty of new things the family got and we can toss out the old stuff without anyone really noticing. That’s key when you have Logan around and he can’t seem to let go of things. I have to do it with Lauren too sometimes but since I am becoming all about organization, then they will too.

Shawn recently went through all his clothes and emptied out more then half his sweaters (that he never wore), weeded out a bunch of his sleeveless t-shirts and ditched dress shirt and pants he has but has never worn. In total, he dumped more then 3 laundry baskets worth of things off at the local Goodwill and made room for things he had stored under the bed and such.

We have emptied out clothes for the kids, ditched old towels, thrown out torn sheet sets and finally gotten rid of all the extra old comforters that were taking up space. Slowly but surely we are making the most of the space we have here. (It’s a REALLY small house!)

But for now, we head off into the great snowy yonder to hit Wal-Mart to grocery shop, get Logan’s meds and come back so I can make Chicken Alfredo for dinner tonight.

P.S. Pinterest has become one of my new obsessions! Care to share? Leave me a msg

So before I go off to my recliner to completely veg like I should, I thought I’d toss up a quick post.

So I finished my most recent stitching project, picture coming this week.

Lauren’s birthday (she’s 14 now) was quiet. She had Amy over, she got a hair cut from Amy’s mom (who owns a salon) and taken to out to lunch. We did cake and ice cream, relaxed and she had a few friends over. Amy stayed the night, so did her friend Kathryn and fun was had by all.

We went sledding recently at Lake Cora. I think we are going again this weekend, if the weather cooperates.

This weekend is a joint pool party for the kids. We are going to Surfari Joe’s for the afternoon. Each of the kids gets to take 1 person then we are likely going to play cards for the night, just not sure if here or at Mike & Hopes.

I’m off work until next week Tuesday and thank God. I could use more hours but all we are doing is “cleaning crew” and all the dust in there kills my sinuses to throbbing. My allergies go crazy enough as it is.

I’m currently working on a few projects for my 2011 Pay It Forward. I am knitting and stitching gifts to fulfill it and going to try my hand at knitting with more delicate fibers. Jo and Deb inspired me on this and I’m looking forward to showing off my work.

As for tonight, I can hear my recliner and blanket calling me loud and clear. It’s freezing cold. So I’m going to focus on crafts and be mellow.

Ta.

It’s amazing how suddenly I keep finding mice! It’s Deb’s favorite thing, and I found this one this morning!
Lizart Needlepoint

YAY! For you Deb! But don’t stitch it. I’m going to, for you!

I love you!!!!!!

PS
For fellow crafters like Deb and Jo and Mija! Love you ladies! xoxoxxoxo

It’s been a restful day.

Lauren and I watched “Eclipse”. It was an early Christmas present. I got the special 2 dvd that also came with “Destination Forks”. We will watch that another day.

Logan got “Shrek The Final Chapter”, that is tonights “dinner and a movie” movie for our boring Monday.

I made egg salad today. I stitched quietly during the movie and I’ve done laundry. It’s the first day of break and I’m happy to report that the kids haven’t fought yet. Tomorrow I work, that’s when all hell will break loose.

Lauren is struggling with issues with her boyfriend. She’s considering breaking up with him. Lauren sat back and told me her reasons and such, explaining in perfect clarity why she feels the way she does and what her plan is. It’s moments like this I don’t ever fear her doing drugs, drinking or having sex. She tells me everything. I have access to her email and her FB. She doesn’t fear speaking to me openly. She enjoys my life experiences and takes ideas from them and thinks before before she acts.

Tomorrow after work I have to tackle correcting an error in my cousins’ wedding piece, iron Mike/Hope’s present, wrap Shawn’s gift and Mike/Hope’s after I get boxes from work. I also have to whip out a quick Christmas ornament for our potluck at work. Some of us are doing an ornament exchange.

Then I get to work on the letters from the M Designs series I’m doing. I’m finding “excuses” to do every letter for someone I know. The only one that I don’t need an excuse for is T, that one is mine. I did L’s for both kids and have to iron those as well, but I won’t be able to frame them until after the holidays. I’ll give them to them for their birthdays I think.

To date I have completed:

J x2 for Shawn’s parent’s then one for his brother. (I never got the one from his folks house when they passed)
C for Luna and KM. (At her request)
L x2 for the kids
O for my mother
R for my aunt M
S for my aunt J

To do:
A for Lauren’s friend Amy
D is for Deb and she already knows
T for myself
K for a friend that doesn’t know about it because I JUST thought of who do to it for
S is suspended for now but I was doing a repeat for someone

If you are interested in the M Designs Alphabet Series please email me. I am always looking for a reason to stitch. I enjoy these. They just call out to me. I will gladly discuss making them as a gift for you or if you know someone else that would like one as a gift, I’d be happy to help.

Below is an example of my work:

These have not been ironed yet, obviously. But I thought I’d showcase myself abit.

Have a merry Monday. I’m off to curl up until Shawn gets here, hit the store and watch Shrek with my kids.

The routine at home is calm and sedate right now.

Shawn and I have spent much of the last few days working on the yard. We had sprayed down a good layer of Pasture Pro earlier this summer and we have no weeds in the yard anymore. You can actually walk on the grass.

We have a miniscule pad of cement that goes out from the backslider. We had some wood laying around and we are building a small flat deck finally. There was no place for the outside table and grill and it was taking up too much space in the garage. So a deck is being added so there is a reason to actually start using the backslider.

School can’t start soon enough. Laws in Michigan prevent the kids from going back until after the Labor Day holiday is over. I wish they could go back sooner but sadly I am waiting. Lauren is driving me nuts and Logan is anxious to see his new classroom. Neither of them are completely prepared for school but there is little left to do. Logan just needs shoes and Lauren gets nothing more until she finds out if she needs special things for any of her classes.

Work is work and thankfully my hours will be shifting with the school year. I am off freight now as well. My poor knees can’t take it and I don’t like being there that late when I know I have to be up early in the morning with the kids.

I’ve been stitching away at my gifts. I am loving the feel of the perle cotton and the look is lovely and gives it more depth then normal floss does. I think I’ll have to do more perle cotton stuff later on.

My latest read is Our Lady of Babylon by John Rechy. It’s been interesting so far and I’m not far into the book. This is one I think kaya may want to read once I’m done with it. She and I are considering a book swap. It will be another way to keep my mind busy. Of course, right now shes off at spankfest being used a ring toss. I’m so jealous LOL!

It’s been raining on and off for 3 days here and my joints are killing me. I’m going to have to see a new Dr regarding my knees. My boss’ boss gave me the name of his ortho in Grand Rapids and I will be calling soon to see if they take our insurance and see if they will see me. I don’t know yet if I need a referral. Hopefully I can get in and get this mess dealt with. I am in pain on a regular basis now and in need of something more then just pain pills to keep it managable. Until I get that, I keep icing and keeping my knees wrapped up as much as I can, and taking the least amount of meds I can to keep myself walking. The coming winter will not be pleasent if I can’t get a resolution to it soon.

On another note, I am joining up with a couple of others to form a private support group. We are all interested in dropping a few pounds and need the support of others. I am smaller then I was but I need the drive of other women that are like minded to help nudge me along, just like they do.

Now it’s time to go stitch, wrap some heat around my knees because they are stiff and cold. I am going to rest and take the day to enjoy a few movies.

P.S.
I still need to update this damn thing. I want to make some changes but I’m so not good with WordPress. HALP!