Tuesday, December 30, 2008

New Cell Phone Numbers!!!!!

Hello and happy almost new year to everyone!!!
Geoff and I will both have new cell phones beginning the first of the year. Please STOP using the one with the 708 area code. Please e-mail me is you need them or if I forgot to add you to the list of people I e-mailed:)
Have a great NEW Year!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Snow Monsters

So, we all know I craft. i craft more when it's cold. And more when it's cold and we need to make Christmas presents. So while the snow looks like this
(I know you can't see it well, but the snow if very steadily falling here) We're supposed to get around 10 inches by tonight. Michael and I walked to the ear doctors for a hearing evaluation (his hearing is perfect BTW) and there was an inch and a half on the ground when we came out of the office. The roads were already getting bad too, only going to get worse. So happy we got those snow tires!!!!!!
Anyway. I make these when I get bored. You might remember the ones I did last Christmas, well, there are new kids around us this Christmas, so new Monsters. I love making these things. it's just so nice to have them looking back up at you when you're sewing them together:) Michael has certainly gotten plenty of use out of his this past year....The little yellow one is for a 1 year old girl. The pink one is for a 5 yr old and the blue one is for a 2 year old boy. All new neighbors. i do hope they enjoy them:)

And for Michael? Monster PJ bottoms! I love this flannel fabric, though it did make me long for a serger, maybe after our house sells and we get a new house:)


Close up of one of the monsters..
That's really all that's going on in the Stock household. We're just about ready for Christmas! We leave on Monday when Geoff gets of work for St. Louis and Little Rock. So excited!!!!
If I don't write again....Merry Christmas!!!!!!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

6 to 8 Black Men

You NEED to watch this. Friggin Hilarious! I had never heard of this before, but David Sedaris makes it quite humorous:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCUHTDrca4s

Friday, December 05, 2008

A NIGHT OFF!!!!

Who could ask for more. Tonight I'm driving to Buffalo to meet up with Jamie. She's there for the Nuttcracker and we'll have dinner and talk and be alone for the first time in FOREVER!!!It's about a two hour drive, and I get to do it all by MYSELF:) Listen to music and talk to myself and all by myself:) We all know how much I love my boys, but this is all so exciting!!!!
The other night we went to Lights on the Lake and had a great time. Two miles of Christmas lights, and my camera doesn't take pictures well at night while moving. You drive up Lake Onondaga and see the lake and the beautiful lights at the same time. Here's a pic that turned out "decent" just to give you a little hint.

A pic of Michael in the backseat, he loved the lights.

Afterward, we went to the Sainte Marie of the Iriquois Museum, there were trains

and Santa

That was as close as he would get. he wouldn't sit on his lap, but he did offer his lop-sided grin:)
And there were yarn spinners there. So gorgeous, but I didn't get any pics.....They also taught Geoff how to make a drop spindle, so maybe i'll get one of those for Christmas:)
We put up our Christmas tree. It's a little one this year, our big one doesn't fit in this apartmet, but here it is

And here's a close-up of the skirt. The Austin's made it for Geoff and I for our wedding. I love it so much!!!!

I had an infusion yesterday, not a minute too soon, but I feel pretty good today and they only had to stick me one. It was amazing, the very first poke and out came the blood and in went the saline and drugs!YAY!!!!!!
No News on the house yet, so keep praying, I hope I don't go crazy before all this is over....




Tuesday, November 25, 2008

When he was in the womb

I think about this so often, but when Michael crawled his 41 pound self up on my lap this morning and said "scratch my back mommy" I instantly thought about it again. Michael likes to be scratched and rubbed, but only when he requests it. S I pretty much jump on the chance. While lightly scratching his back this morning, I took notice of his curving spine. That's the same spine that was curled up inside my womb. The legs that were beneath him. Those are the same legs that kicked the heck out of my ribs. His long body. That's the same body that would stretch so far that I thought he would break out. But now, now that's the curved spine that helps him do somersaults, those legs make him jump very far and very high and that stretch tells me he's tired.
I sometimes long for him to be back in the womb. To be able to protect him and make sure he gets the right things to eat. To make sure he doesn't jump off something to high, or get dropped on his head by his daddy (yes, that happened two weeks ago). He's growing at a speed I didn't think possible and I sometimes wish I had more control of it. But I don't. He is such a kind, loving, energetic boy, I'm glad I get to take care of him.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

SNOW!!!!

OK. Most of this post will be about snow. First, I want to tell you all about the love spoons. heather (a friend of mine who lives in Britain, who comments here often and who I am very glad to have met during the owl swap on Craftster) left this link http://www.thelovespoongallery.com/index.html in a comment. I love beutiful woodworking (probably because of Geoff, YAY) and these spoons range from simple to very intricate. Gorgeous work, and everyone should look at them. We all know I'm not a spoon collector, but these may change me, so look!!!! Thanks Heather!
OK, so yesterday we got around three or four inches of snow, so Michael and I went to feed the Ducks that haven't migrated. boy were they hungry. They really get a little forceful when it get colder, and the sea gulls get down right mean!















A dead frozen spider was on the bench. I hate spiders, but I had to take this picture:P

The Soccer field was full of geese.

And then Michael kept eating the snow. I warned him about yellow snow, but he's not a very good listener. He'll find out some day!
Maw-Maw made him that hat and it makes me so happy. He walks with a jump to his step, so the fringe bops up and down with him. he gets so many smiles from the passing by cars and people:)
Then, this morning at around 9am we went sledding. I woke up to the usual Michael jumping on me and telling me it's time to get up. Added to that was "It's time to go sledding Mommy!!Daddy and me made muffins and we're ready to go!!" He's so cute! But getting heavier by the day, and my back still isn't perfect, so it cause a little pain...oh wel, the price you pay!
This is what we had outside this morning and it was 15 degrees when we left the house

Michael and Daddy just before Michael's first time down the hill. This was his first time sledding and he loved every minute of it. Even the parts where he fell!!


Went down the hill alot!

Which meant Daddy had to go down and get him ALOT!



Geoff went down once by himself and had a little trouble...

I then went down, but Daddy very rarely takes pictures, so I escaped that humiliation:)
Then Daddy and Michael came down together

And we walked home




When we got home, we all stripped out of our coats and hats and gloves and Michael out of his snow pants. We're all warm and toasty now, and michael is begging for more:) He loves the snow, thank God, because if he didn't we might be in a little trouble. i think we're in a little trouble anyway:)
And yes, I woke up to fresh baked blueberry muffins. I love weekends!!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Giveaway!

OK. There's a give-away going on over at The Work at Home Designs Blog http://workathomedesigns.blogspot.com/2008/11/win-it-wednesday-our-second-giveaway.html They're giving away fabulous Mushrooms from Mushroom Delight http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5097981. So cute!!!!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Bragging on my Husband

So, Geoff has a lathe (wood turning machine) and he made this rattle. I love the stuff he does on this machine. He uses wood carving tools and the machine turns the wood for him. this rattle is made out of one piece of wood and the rings get formed with him and his carving tools. Then he finishes them with tung oil, so babies can chew on them, and they make such a beautiful, quiet sound. LOVE it!!


Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Weather and other oddities

We got back from the wedding yesterday afternoon. It was such a beautiful wedding, unfortunately, I got NO pics of the bride and groom or wedding party. I was a little off my game. But I did get a pic of a couple of very cute cousins laying on the dance floor:)

That's obviously Michael and the little cutie girl is Jessica. They love each other! I did a bad thing. When they were leaving, Jessica asked if Michael could go home with them. I said yes laughing, but she thought i meant it. I tend to forget that 5 year olds don't know what to do with sarcasm:( I felt/feel soooooo bad. I think she'll be mad at me for a long time:(
On the way home, we stopped in Bellville Ohio to sleep for the night. Thank goodness! It was about 10 and the snow was really coming down. We got up and got on our way at around 7 (after a wonderful continental breakfast, they even had a waffle maker there:) love those waffle makers!!!
By the time we got just a little past cleveland, snow was really coming down and there was already around 6-8 inches on the ground. We were going about 30 miles per hour in our little kia, but the big rigs were passing us by very quickly! Got a little scary, but once we got through Ohio and into PA, it was just regular snow. Then New York didn't have hardly anything, hope this is the way the winter goes, everything getting dumped somewhere else but here:)Here's a look at some of the snow on the way. This was after we had passed through the really bad part, so we were a little more at ease.



Michael started one of his fevers while we were there, but it didn't slow him down any. Now hes just got a head cold, that he's passed on to me. We'll get over it:)He had no desire to have his pic taken while in the back of the car, but I did it anyway..

As most of you know, I did something to my back last week, had x-rays, no fracture (Thank God!!) After about 5 days of Muscle relaxers (only at night) and not lifting the boy and other meds, seems it's getting a little better. I can now move, just a little slow.
My ipod is broken. really broken. if anyone has an extra one that they no longer want, I would be more than happy to take it off your hands. Without an ipod, we have no music in our car, since all our cds are packed up in the basement somewhere:( So keep that in your mind. Extra ipod=extra good friend for Daina:)I also have no music to listen to during my infusions. So I'll get to listen to the beep beep beep of all the IV machines instead...
Also, before we left, Michael and I went to the library and stopped by the duck pond to give some bread to the ducky friends. This is what happened....


They seem hungry, huh? I really thought they would be gone by now, but I'm starting to wonder if they leave. It was about 30 degrees outside and they started hovering. Michael loves his friends, looks like we have a few extra mouths to feed this winter!
We're having fun here and had a great time in St. Louis. We won't be traveling again until Christmas, but we're excited about that too!!!

A couple surprising things about being home:
No one broke into my house and cleaned. Very upsetting.
Gas is nearly a dollar higher up here than it was further south. We were paying about 1.80 during the whole trip. Here, we're running about 2.50.
Michael isn't so bad in the car anymore. Still doesn't sleep much, but not so much crying or whining.
Donato's Pizza doesn't sound nearly as good during a snow storm when you're driving on the highway. Guess I'll have to wait until Christmas for my pizza:(
Do I need to unpack? I mean, I'll be packing up again in a few weeks anyway:)
Much love to all!

Friday, November 07, 2008

Follow Me

Ok. I added the Follow me thing on here. So you should. So I'll feel important. Please:)
And...Had my infusion yesterday and feel about 80 percent better today than I did yesterday morning. Still a little nauseous, but it's not bad right now and will be gone by tonight (from past experience). So, seems like this drug cocktail is really doing it. Puts everyone in this house in a much better mood I tell ya! The doc is talking about putting a port in, to make the IV process easier on me and the nurses. i got stuck three times and the last time they had to thread the needle only half way in and use industrial tape and I couldn't move my wrist for three hours or it would fall out. Needless to say, not the most comfortable position and and IV in your wrist, not all that fun either....so, we'll see about the port, just a risk of infection (everything is with me:)
We go to St. Louis next weekend for Jen Jen's wedding and we're all very excited!!! Can't wait to see everyone!If the weather cooperates tomorrow, we will be going back to Chittenango Falls and taking pictures!!!!!I did get some pics of the acorns we found (finally!) Who would have thought that oak trees would be such a hot commodity??

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Because I have other things to do with my time

I keep on saying "I need to put that pic on my blog, I need to remember that for my blog, etc...." Oh well. here I am and I will put a hundred pics on today, because I forget things. Forgive me, i know not what I do.
I'll start with last week. geoff went out of town to vegas on business. For a convention. And left the boy and I here all alone with no one to entertain us. So what dod I do? Friday morning I wake up and ask Michael if he wants to go on a field trip fro the waterfall. He says yes so I start looking up water falls in the area and Niagara falls comes up (only two hours away) And he wants to go there. So....we do! How's that for spontaneity???We pack a lunch and some snacks and hit the road. Two and a half hours later, we're there. AWESOME!!! A day trip to Niagara falls! Neither of us had ever been so we were both a bit over-whelmed and we will be going back!!Sooooo great! Michael did so well and listened well and loved the water and the trees and buildings with cars in them. He really is a great kid!











The birds wouldn't leave the boy alone. i think they were looking for food. They're all crowded around him...

A friend of mine sent Michael a hand made stuffed animal. It's a Super Dragon Robot Monster Mash-up. Part Super hero, part dragon, part robot. All of Michaels favorite things:) He immediately took the cape off and told mommy "Mommy, he doesn't need the cape, he has wings" Silly Silly mommy.....
Thanks again Tisha!!!He is soooo loved:)
Then there was Halloween. michael was a Super Hero, "Super Michael" To be exact. i made his cape and applique for his tee shirt and little shoe cover-ups that looked like boots. he loved it, so I was very happy:) He was very nice on Halloween saying both trick or treat and thank you, such a nice boy!

The pumpkins were decorate instead of carved this year. The decorations were a halloweeny gift from Great Grandma in St. Louis. Thanks!!!We all loved them!

The next morning, we woke up and found a duck in our back yard. Michael and I quietly went out and sat on our back stoop and fed him some bread. He was right up on us and Michael was sitting there quiet as can be. Such a nice morning!

then, yesterday we voted...
Michael was very excited about getting ready to go vote!
And while watching the results I made "Bunny" Michael isn't very original with names yet, but what can I say? this is definitely one of my better stuffed animals. I was actually a tester for the willowtree. here's the Etsy shop where it will soon be available:) Such a great pattern!! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5236586

There are other fun pictures of the bunny and other crafty stuff on my flickr site (link at side of page) I love doing all these little animals, and I'm getting better, yay!! I really liked being a tester for the pattern too (brings out that little editor side of me) so if anyone needs a tester person again, let me know:)
We also went hiking this passed weekend. We went here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chittenango_Falls_State_Park. I kept walking around saying "I can't believe I forgot my camera!!" So beautiful! Depending on the weather, we may go back this weekend when I'm feeling better..But i should remember to do that stuff the week after, not the week before an infusion. i'm still feeling it and I can't wait until tomorrow when i get to go sit in that chair for three hours and come away feeling better! Yes, the meds seem to be working now, but when they stop, they really stop. But they are working.
House hasn't sold, keep praying!