Happy Holidays!

Wow! This year has really gotten away from me the past month! We all went to the Phoenix zoo the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and Tommy and my nephew had such a great time seeing the animals. Tommy still talks about seeing the orange tiger at the zoo and how it was LOUD. That kid really enjoys animals, but I'm glad to see he has a healthy respect and isn't tempted to try to get close. He's really a look but don't touch kid when it comes to new experiences. Right now it's nice, because he's a bit afraid of dogs, and I don't have to worry about him approaching strange ones, but I'm hoping he'll start to grow out of this fear and be more comfortable around our relative's pets. Someday we'd like a dog in addition to our kitties! (He loves the kitties btw - he hugs Pica and tells her he loves her, and also tells me she's "his kitty")

We're gearing up for the end of December and Christmas. I've been sewing and painting when I get a bit of time, but I'm still not quite ready with presents. Mentally I'm not quite in gear yet either. The one thing about living in the Valley of the Sun is that it's hard to convince yourself that yes, it is indeed winter, and the holidays are approaching fast. It's been colder and rainy here the past few days, and that has helped, but I really do prefer the sunny, non-gloomy days. We've been watching the snowstorms in other areas of the country and hope that all of our friends there are keeping warm and staying safe.

My best friends will be visiting soon from Wisconsin, and I'm trying to plan a few things to do while they're here while still having time to relax and spend time together. We had talked about visiting the Desert Botanical Gardens to see the luminarias, but it seems a bit expensive - we may wait for next year to see it. There are so many things going on here for the season that it's hard to choose! I'm sure it will be a fun visit regardless of what we do.

How are you preparing for the holidays? I'd love to hear about your traditions, and how you celebrate. We're trying to instill some old traditions and make some new ones just for our family. How do you make the season special for your loved ones?

Have a blessed season and enjoy the times with friends and family!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wow! What a whirlwind the past few weeks have been! I'm actually looking forward to the next month because it is shaping up to be a slowdown from November. :-)

We thoroughly enjoyed the Beatallica shows, we even were able to take Tommy along on Sunday because it was early enough in the day. He looked so cute in his ear-protection headphones, and the band had a blast seeing him again after several months. Wishing them the best in December as they travel in Europe.

The weekend following Beatallica's visit, my mom and I attended the Attic Needlework Sampler Symposium. I haven't had much time to stitch lately, and it was a pleasure to have some time to do just that. I had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful people and starting a few exciting new projects. We got to hand dye our own linen fabric on Friday, and worked on a Christmas themed project that covers a wooden book-shaped box, small projects to go inside the bow (such as a tree-shaped holder for a little mother-of-pearl ruler and a scissor case) on Saturday. On Sunday were invited to view a collection of samplers including several Mexican samplers. We then had a class on specialty stitches. Wonderful people, wonderful time. I already can't wait until next year!

I've been working a few days a week at Attic Needlework, it's felt great to be out and feeling productive again. I'm still working on building up some web-design skills, and am currently building a site for a friend who has recently started designing. I am really excited about all of the possibilities in my life right now, but have some decisions to make about pursuing further training. I'm trying to find a balance between time I can dedicate to Tommy, private time, work time, and maybe school time. It's a tough decision. I enjoy working at the Attic though, and the people there are great. It's fun to see all of the new patterns and I love seeing all of the projects that people bring in (if I can't find time to stitch, at least I can see what everyone else is working on!)

Last weekend was the Attic's annual silent auction to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Fund. This year was a great success, as of early this week, the total was at $15,300, with some donations still coming in, and one item still up for silent bids. We can't wait to see what the grand total will be!

My sister and her family are here visiting for the weekend. Two little boys in the same house are challenging, but proving to be a lot of fun! Last night they even both fell asleep in their own beds in the same room, without a lot of complaining and crying (or playing). Tommy's up and doing his daily whining now, but hopefully he'll get caught up in the day and we'll all have a good time.

To everyone - have a safe and blessed holiday -

Beatallica!

Several years ago, a couple of our friends in Milwaukee recorded a CD of Beatles songs sung as they thought Metallica would perform them. What started out as a 'Spoof Fest' joke grew into something much larger when another friend created a website promoting the band he named 'Beatallica'. A full band was put together to create a second CD, and over time began touring the world.

We are excited that Beatallica will be playing both days of the Southwest Brew Fest - we can finally see them here in Arizona! They will be playing at 5pm on both nights of the festival which takes place on November 7th and 8th. We hope that if you're in the Phoenix area that you'll come out and support them!

Quilt pattern

I found the information on the pattern I'm using - it's "Homeward Bound" from Bloom Creek. I'm going to be using various neutrals instead of one background color, and blues instead of greens, but here is a link to the pattern so you can get an idea of what I'm working toward: Homeward Bound Quilt.

I'm still working on a collage of the fabrics but will have it ready soon! Let me know what you think!

Apryl

Busy Busy Busy!

It's been a hectic week here at home - I had an interview(!) on Tuesday that I think went very well - it would be a position that allows me to make a huge difference in people's lives and I hope to hear back from them soon. Not only would it be great to be working again, I would really enjoy meeting new challenges and setting out in a new direction!

Wednesday we had a bit of a scare about the pending sale of our old house, but as of right now it looks like things are going to work out and we're still on target for the 30th - if it all falls apart we'll have to go from there, but I'm hopeful that it will all go well.

Tommy's home today (he's only at daycare three days a week), and he's been such a pleasant boy today for the most part ( I think that 'for the most part' is the very best you can get with a toddler, and I'm thankful for some relative peace!) this morning we listened to his Kindermusic CD's, he sang and danced while I worked on a sewing project I've been trying to finish. He's now napping and I'm getting caught up on some research for a history post I'm working on for the October Priscilla's Pocket release. I'm writing an essay on The Battle of Saratoga and how that ties into the website is a surprise for next month!

I have my quilt cut out and hope to start sewing soon - but Mom's been fighting off a sore throat and I've had some other projects to work on, so I'll probably start this weekend. I have a ton of photos of all my different fabrics (the quilt is a pretty simple pattern, but I'm doing it in a patchwork style using Civil War era fabric patterns) that I hope to put in a collage and post soon. I'm not sure how it's going to look and I'm just trusting in the fact that all of the patterns tie together. It's going to be in varied neutrals with red as the main color, and blues and golds as accents. I'll try to get a link hooked up to the pattern if I can find it when I post the fabric shots, and you can all tell me what you think. I'm nervous but excited, because even I can't visualize how it all will come together!

Slowly working on my cross-stitch too - I'm going to take advantage of a little of Tommy's nap-time to get a bit more done. One of the patterns is a 4th Anniversary gift to John (and myself) that I need to have done by December if I'm to have it framed by the 30th. It may just be stitched by then and I'll get it framed afterwards!

The other pattern is the Christmas Cat and I hope to start it soon (but the other is taking precedence!) It's for myself so as much as I'd like to finish by this Christmas, I may have to settle for next.

I have my practice piece done for one type of Christmas gift I'm working on, and I have to say that it turned out great! I have some prep work to do for the real things, and then I expect that they'll come together quickly. I hope everyone on my list likes them! It's nice to feel like I'm making something useful but attractive, and I'm able to customize them a bit for each person. I can't wait until the holidays are over so I can share what they are and some photos, as you can tell I'm pretty excited!

We're going to be baking this weekend, and taking photos of our goods for the Priscilla's Pocket website, recipe to be posted along with my history essay, and some new items. I'll have to let the rest remain a surprise until then -

Best wishes!

Apryl

Success!

Today was a banner day - Tommy had a much better day with drop off at school, not melting down at arriving home, not screaming at dinner, and going to bed without a peep! We're hoping that this is a glimpse of things to come ( even in occasional doses it is a much welcome change from the way the past few weeks have gone! )

He didn't eat much at dinner, but didn't scream from hunger and crabbiness either - I think he genuinely wasn't hungry. We've started to just give him the food choices and if he eats fine, if he doesn't eat, we try to ignore it. He's not losing weight or anything, and he has a lot of energy, so he must be getting nutrition somewhere - right? It's been a bit better the past few days, and much better today. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed!

My cross-stitching is going well but slowly. It's taking a bit of a backseat to learning to quilt - mom is teaching me! I also picked up some materials to make holiday gifts - I have some cute ideas and look forward to diving in, but since holidays and birthdays are approaching quickly, I'm devoting some of my stitching time to those projects. I can't post what I'm making here or I'll give away some surprises, but I'll take photos and will post after they're given - ok?

New website!

I am excited to announce that my mom's new website is up and running! It has been my design project for a few months now, and we have officially launched it today. I'd love for you to stop over for a visit at www.priscillaspocket.com. I'm pretty proud of how it turned out, for my first site. Here's a sneak peek at one of our frames and cross-stitch designs:

We're hoping that the pattern will be ready in the near future - it's the first in a series.