Archive for October, 2009

zoning out

10.29.09 at 4:50 pm · Filed under kids, moving, round robins, stitching

A feeble attempt at total relaxation was needed to deal with the unexpected stress from work, so I’ve been out to eat, watched the BBC version of The Tenant of Windfell Hall, finished Karen V’s Quaker RR and stitched the Rose Basket by Niky’s Creations since I last visited with you here.

The dining out was actually due to it being the 9th anniversary of our first date. :D The dinner was fine, but the company was much better!  My, how much we’ve packed into nine years!!

Here’s Karen’s stunning version of the Ackworth Friendship Book for our round robin. I just love this group of stitchers, and I hope we’ll do something together again in the future. Karen, your RR was posted today and will hopefully arrive quickly. :)

KarenV's Quaker RR

Karen V's Quaker RR

And while watching The Tenant at Windfell Hall on my laptop because it would not play with sound in the DVD player (I don’t even pretend to understand this stuff), I stitched the Rose Basket, a wee kit I bought from Niky’s Creations. I’ve stitched it with one thread over two, using the supplies that came with the kit. If (or when, more likely) I stitch it again, I’ll leave the date off I think. Interestingly enough, it took exactly the length of the film to stitch this. Useless factoids ….

Rose Basket by Niky's Creations

Rose Basket by Niky's Creations

(LOL!! Look, I forgot the handle on one side! Oops!)

As for the blow dealt by our employer, Niek went back in yesterday and talked to them again and feels cautiously optimistic that we’ll regain at least some of the lost ground. We’re supposed to have everything in writing (again) by early next week. Arden, as you can see, is ready to go now. ;)

Arden on the go

Wishing you a wonderful week!

Comments (28)

why don’t people just do what they say they’ll do?

10.28.09 at 12:22 am · Filed under moving

Feeling pretty darn low here at Chateau Chaos at the moment. Niek finally had the (many-times-delayed) meeting at work in which they provided everything regarding our move to Maine in writing. Only the writing they provided was a totally different story than the promises they’ve made the past several months. We’re talking differences here that emcompass thousands of dollars a month, so I’m not whining over peanuts. Niek’s worked for this company for over 8 years – unpaid overtime, work through the holidays, international travel, you name it. He’s been Mr. Reliable every minute of all those years. I’ve been there for over 6 years and honestly my role is miniscule in comparison, but I’ve always done my work to everyone’s satisfaction, and usually faster and cheaper than anyone else can do. And now this …. Why? Because they know we’ve gone too far to simply stop the process? Because they know how much it means to us to relocate? Because, simply, they can get away with it? If that’s the case, you know, no wonder no one gives a crap about company loyalty and doing the right thing. Sorry to be so negative, but I’m just so disappointed. :(

Comments (44)

coming clean, and other silliness

10.27.09 at 12:13 am · Filed under Stash, furbabies, give-away, kids, moving

Thanks for all the well-wishes regarding today’s showing. The realtor was enthusiastic about it, and complimented us on how well the place showed. Hooray for insane cleaning! The lookers are at home, discussing the house, while we sit here with crossed fingers. ;)

It was a very hectic day, which isn’t particularly pleasant, but things got a lot nicer when I found out I’d won Beth’s giveaway via her FB group. Yay! And thanks, Beth! I love her designs and now I get to pick one of my choice! :D

And speaking of great designs, I took the plunge and ordered a couple of Niky’s designs. I’ve long admired her blog, though I’m a lurker. She sent them incredibly fast. I really love how she packages her charts – aren’t they adorable? I’m a little less enthusiastic about the layout of the charts, however, because there’s no stitch count and no center point marked. I’m lazy, I’ll admit it – I want someone else to do the work for me. ;) But these are super-sweet designs that I look forward to stitching up once my obligations are done.

Niky'sCreations

Gilbert seems to think he needs his own Daylight lamp. When he was having some free time yesterday, he let me know that I’ve got the angle all wrong. LOL!

Gilber collage

And to close on a very silly note, here are my three younger kids acting up in the tub. Nick and Rowen are into Halloween this year and were trying to pull their most dreadful poses. With some help from Picnik, I made Nick into a proper ghoul.

bath collage

I hope you’re all doing something fabulous on this rainy end-of-October day! Thanks for visiting!

Comments (17)

when it rains

10.24.09 at 4:48 pm · Filed under furbabies, kids, moving, weather

rainy saturday

Our weather has taken a turn for the worse – although given what a gloriously sunny autumn we’ve had, a day like this feels more cozy than confining.

Rowen used the quiet time to make a new book. This one is about a little lost dog who is found by two nice kids. :) (She doesn’t have a black eye, but has been bitten by mosquitoes. Naturally, she’s scratched the bites and now has a nasty-looking red area under her eye and along her nose.)

Rowen the author

However, rain does result in muddy footprints that need to be cleaned up.

what muddy prints before
“What mud?” asks Lola.

And while that was being cleared up, the phone rang … the realtor called to say that there’s already interest in our house, which hasn’t even been online for 24 hours yet! So I opened a new can of elbow grease and cleaned up all three levels of the house to prepare for a Monday showing!  Still have to tackle the interiors of a few kitchen cupboards, but it is nice to only need a couple of hours to whip the place into shape instead of a few days!

what muddy prints
Rigby and Lola approve my efforts.

Here’s hoping that your weekend is full of coziness!!

Comments (29)

go on and pull the other one!

10.23.09 at 10:39 pm · Filed under family, kids

Over Oma laughing
This woman is 89 1/2 years old. Seriously!

I know it doesn’t seem possible, but it’s true. This is Oma Sanders, the kids’ great-grandmother. Like my Dad, she’s proof positve that living life with enjoyment will keep you young. :D

We had a great day with Over-Oma (great-grandma). Arden warmed up to her remarkably quickly, and Nicky and Rowen just picked right up where they last left off with her. (I have to say they are two remarkably outgoing kids, and I’m not just saying that because they’re mine.) We hung out at her place for awhile, then headed over to our usual pancake house for a huge lunch. There’s an indoor play area so the kids could bounce off some of their pent-up energies. Arden, unfortunately, fell and cut his mouth but he’s okay. As always, the day passed far too fast and before we knew it, it was time to brave the traffic jams once again. Here are some very happy photos of our day.

the kids share a laugh with over oma

with over oma october 005

Nick and Over Oma

with over oma october 002

I hope your weekend will be great. Mine is going to involve a whole lot of relaxing! :D

Comments (15)

sandpaper hands and all

10.22.09 at 4:15 pm · Filed under Stash, friends, kids, moving, round robins, stitching

Despite the damage done to my hands by all the intensive cleaning, I’ve managed to pull out some stitching and really enjoy it. First up is Karen V’s Quaker RR because there’s a deadline coming up next month that I don’t want to stress over. A fine group of us have done Ellen Chester’s Ackworth Friendship Book Sampler together and this is the last round. Karen’s is the only that isn’t monochromatic – isn’t it stunning?!

KarenV's Quaker RR progress

I also splurged a little bit on this threadholder from The Gift of Stitching monthly magazine shop. Kirsten comes up with the coolest things, and despite the fact that I’m supposed to be packing and getting rid of things, I simply had to have this. Check out the shop for this and other goodies! (Hint: The kits are fabulous!)

Threadwinder from TGOSM

Sadly, this is probably about the extent of my Halloween decorating this year – that’s a no-no with the house up for sale. No showing off the beautiful Halloween goodies I’ve received in the past from Su, Becky SC, and Mylene (among others!) or those I’ve stitched myself. Speaking of the house, the realtor was duly impressed with the tremendous changes wrought since her original visit 2 weeks ago. The property pamphlet that she created for the house is very nice, and now it’s time to cross our fingers and hope for the best!

Even if we have to keep the place gorgeous, playing must be allowed, and here are the kids with a particularly elaborate train tracks and city they built this morning. (We also enjoyed a nice visit from Marlies, but I neglected to take my camera out. Oops!)

civil engineers have to start somewhere

Enjoy a wonderful day!!!

Comments (18)

time out for fun!

10.21.09 at 5:12 pm · Filed under kids, life stuff

kinderboerderij fall flowers

I’m so glad that this phase of cleaning and packing is behind us. And now, with only a few days remaining in the kids’ autumn break from school, it’s time for some fun! This morning we went to the kinderboerderij (or petting zoo) bright and early. We were some of the first people there, but by the time we left 2 1/2 hours later, the place was really filling up. We petted the animals, admired the plants, and played on the playground. My favorite was feeding the ducks and geese. Rowen’s favorite was “talking” to the horse. Nick enjoyed the swings. Arden just had fun tottering around. :D

duck duck goose collage

Rowen and the pony

Nick swinging

arden at kinderboerderij

After lunch, it was time to pull out the board games. What school break would be complete without seemingly endless hours of game-playing? Here we are playing Nick’s choice, a maze game.

playing board games

Naturally, the Wii came out of retirement for some serious usage, and I suspect that before the bedtime gong rings, the XBox will also come into play. Let the good times roll!

There has been some stitching, too. Hooray! Pictures in my next post. :)

Comments (23)

the last crazy day

10.19.09 at 11:10 pm · Filed under give-away, kids, moving

Tomorrow the realtor will descend upon us with the photographer in tow, so today I’ve tried to re-do all the cleaning of the past week to ensure that the place is picture-perfect (literally). Nothing like redoing a week’s worth of cleaning in a day. LOL. What do you think? Would you buy the place?

here's our spotless home

The kids have the week off school, so hopefully once this horrible housework is done, we’ll be able to relax and enjoy some time together.

During my little rest breaks today, I checked in at The Crafty Crow (one of my regular stops) and they’re having the coolest giveaway. I can just imagine how much fun my kids would have with these setups. If I don’t win, I just might have to buy one anyway! Once we’re where we can happily make a mess again, that is! LOL!

arden cleans up

Enjoy a wonderful week full of laughter and love and licking cookie crumbs off the table!!

Comments (24)

first day in the bubble house

10.17.09 at 12:04 pm · Filed under kids, moving

If you’re around my age (which isn’t the topic here, LOL) you may remember the Boy in the Bubble stories from your childhood. My house feels a little like that. Anyway, here we are right after breakfast on what I’m calling Day One. 

kids just wanna have fun

Not really a very good start, is it? Measures obviously had to be taken. Start ’em young, I remember my parents saying when I was a kid. So I did.

you're serious about this?

I am so NEVER doing this as a grownup

does it bite, mommy?

oh, here are the teeths!

Spin came for one of his increasingly more regular visits and seemed more than a little confused by the changes wrought since his last visit.

spin collage

Today’s big task is the removal of the (seemingly tons of) hedge and garden debris. Please keep your fingers crossed that the rain will hold off a bit longer.

Comments (21)

check her for a pulse!

10.16.09 at 5:49 pm · Filed under moving

I’m okay. I just fainted from the unaccustomed smell of all these cleaning agents.

clean house 003

Yikes, that stuff’s not for the sensitive! But after two days of back-breaking cleaning (following the many days of back breaking packing), the house is now just about ready for the realtor. There is that wall I want to repaint and there are still a few things drifting around that we don’t want to move to the storage unit but which don’t have a hiding place either. But by Tuesday, when the photographer comes, we will be ready. Knock on wood, barring any bizarre events, etc., etc. My rubber gloves have molded to fit only me, I’ve had them on so much. Frankly, I’m sick of the whole thing and am ready for a vacation. I actually miss my clutter! LOL! Here’s a quick glimpse of our “new” living room and some hall doors that are so shiny you can see your reflection in them.

clean house 001

clean house 002
Wishing everyone a weekend full of whatever makes you happiest. For me, that would involve sleeping in a house that didn’t reek of cleaning stuff. :0

Comments (24)

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