Springtime In The South

 I do know that it is January...

I don't think that the shurbs and buttercups know it is still Winter.

They are blooming away. We have not had a freeze yet. It has only been below 32 degrees 2 times this winter. The yellowbell bushes are also blooming. The buttercups in the 1st picture usually bloom about the end of February. They are thinking it is Spring here in the South. Is anyone else having an early Spring where you live?  Or is it just Alabama?

Till Later....

Stitching & Tornadoes

 This is January 23rd isn't it?  Once again Alabamians have been in the path of tornadoes. I was up all night watching our area newsman, James Span.  I mean from 11:00 pm till...he is still on the air with the destruction pictures. It is 73 degrees outside. Nice spring day IF, it was Spring.. It is Winter! It was scary last night, The wind was howling and James (weatherman) was saying where these tornadoes were hitting and what damage they were doing! It is something how much feedback they get now from their Weather Watchers out in the field. I mean as soon as he is saying that that tornado is bearing down on a town, someone on twitter or facebook is letting him know it hit a house or building and if anyone is injured. I was hoping everyone was awake and aware of what was going on.. They gave a Tornado Warning for the town my mom lives in.. I picked up that phone so fast and called her.. Get in your closet! She has this little closet in her hall, center of her house. Now she has to round up the cat, ( who weighs about 50lbs pounds!) get her purse, and cell phone.. But first she has to empty that closet out!!  In the mean time I have hung up with her so she could get it together and Raeanne ( my daughter) has called her checking on her.  I think Meme needed to get off the phone in get in her closet!!!  lol  We called back and she is fine, came close.
I have been watching the TV all morning. Only 2 lives so far.. 2 too many... They are thinking everyone else has been accounted for. It is sad with lost lives and destroyed homes and business. My prayers are with them.
I did get a lot of stitching done of the model stitch design.

I got this in the mail from Michelle at The Raspberry Rabbits, Home of Harrington and Hannah Bunnies. I am going to be trying to quilt my first ever quilt project with her. I do model stitching for Michelle also. I have never quilted.. She has started a new craft called Folk Art Fusion.  She is designing Blocks Of The Month (BOM) This year they are all about Harrington and Hannah, her Bunnies. I call it the Bunnies Of The Month Club!  lol  Check her web site out! She has cute designs!!!   http://www.theraspberryrabbits.com/
Going to wrap this post up.. My neck is killing me.. I think I had my neck all tensed last night while stitching. Ouch.... Till later....

*** COUSINS & AUNTS ***

Please stay with me here... I am stitching on that model for Brenda and I don't have any stitching to post.
So today... My cousins have been on my mind.. all of them, even little Matthew.. He is not little anymore - former Marine and 30 years old.
Our family is close. We all grew up together. We each have our own families, kids and grand kids.
With Valentine's Day coming up. Last year I posted about the Valentine's I received when I was little from my cousins here:
http://aprilmechellesdulllife.blogspot.com/2011/02/happy-valentines-day.html

Today I found these pictures, my cousins.....

 

Andrea, Donna and me !  I am in the print outfit. I have skinny legs and knee caps.. I almost didn't recognize myself!! lol  This was taken in 1970 in the Old Cahawba Cemetery. Yes, we are in a cemetery... When family comes to visit with us, no amusement parks or water parks for this family!! Remember back then.. I bet there is even packed sandwiches and Golden Flake chips to eat, in the back of Aunt Gloria's station wagon. You know the one... the back glass goes down in the door and we were all piled in the back hanging out!! lol Oh.. What fun we had!

 Here we are at Aunt Judy's Birthday lunch this year 2011. 41 years later! I am in the middle. Where did my knee caps go?  lol  We had just finished eating Pasta and Cake!  What is better in life!  lol
I need to mention I have 4 boy cousins and 3 girl cousins. I will now introduce you:

These are my  cousins Todd and Toby. Year is 1970. Toby is the young one on the right. There is a story to go with this picture. See him pointing to those Love Beads?  Those were Todd's beads. He had to give them to Toby. Why? He pitched such a crying fit! He cried a lot as a child....  lol  Ya'll keep looking at how my hair is in these old pictures. I have a surprise at the end...

 This is the First Born cousin Fritz and me one Christmas. I have called him Fritzie since I was little. His dad is Fritz.. others in the family say Big Fritz and Little Fritz. But he is Fritzie to me. My dad loved the outdoors and Fritzie would come fish with him some. I guess Fritzie still loves the outdoors.. We missed him at Christmas, he was down hunting in South Alabama.

 Isn't he handsome? Matthew is my baby cousin, but him and my daughter Raeanne are the same age. They grew up together. I still see him as the blonde little boy with glasses.  So proud of him!  He is in San Diego now. Having the time of his life!!  He has a right to.. He is young. Did I say he is also Smart and Handsome?  He is single too! lol

 ...And these ladies are where we began! We are the people we have become, because of their love and guidance. I think we are a special family.. why?  Because we have each other through good and bad times. Each one of them was there when my dad had his heart attack. Stayed with my mom and us when we needed family most when one life ended and we were left to continue without daddy. I now know my whole family will be there for anything...

 This beautiful lady is Frances Duncan. She is Grandma to me... I guess it really started with her. All those Rememberence pillows I stitched for the aunts and uncle Phil is to remember her by. She had 8 grandchildren. Fritzie, Donna, Andrea, Todd, Me, Toby, Trey and Matthew.

This is my brother Trey. See that bowl haircut?  I think my mother had a passion for this look. Girl or boy, her two children had the same hair!  lol Go back up to the top.. See me!! Yep! Same hair as this picture of my brother, some 4 years later... after my do! I can remember several times ladies commenting on him. That sure is a cute Girl!!!   hahahaha
Well, I hope I did not bore you to much?  It was raining here today and I could not think of anything else to blog about.. I do have a picture of my organic eggs in a carton. I bought them at the grocery store.. I say they are fresh!  Why... They still have chicken poop on them! How fresh is that!!  lol  I didn't think ya'll wanted to see a picture of chicken poop on an egg....  Till later.....

I BLEW IT!!!

WELL...... I blew it!!!  Yes... I did it big time!!!!

I had lunch at OUTBACK. 

It is hubby's fault!

He ordered The Bacon Cheddar Fries right off the bat..
I was good till they brought them out of the kitchen hot and cheesy!
Then they sat that bowl of Ranch Dip down!  I lost it!!!  lol

I don't know if the bread was wheat... But it was brown and so good!  I was so bad!!! 
Of course... When we were finished and to stuffed to move.. I declared that there would be NO MORE EATING OUT!
I can not be temped!  I failed the test!

So back to detoxing my body of The White Stuff!
I was feeling so good! Had so much energy! 
So back on the wagon I go....  Till later.....

MY STAND AND FALL!

I decided this morning I needed to get my Stand out of storage. My hubby made this stand about 10 to 12 years ago. At the time I couldn't afford those stands so he made one with leftover shop wood. I just showed him a picture and he went to work. This is what he came up with.. He even cut out a groove in the top holder thing to hold my Q-snap frames. It works great when I use it... Now I have more reason to use it.....
Guess What?
I went to get the stand out of the storage shed over at daughter's house. After visiting with her.. walked out on the porch to go around to the back steps.. Took that first step.... WHOOSH  --- That is all I heard before I felt the steps with my butt, back, and neck... Of course I was trying to hang on for dear life to the banisters! After bouncing down four steps I finely came to a complete stop... on my back.  I got up adjusted my jacket and walked on to the shed.... Came back into house and told Raeanne what had happen.. She told me she heard a noise... duh!!!  She is used to me falling down the steps.. We used to live there.. This was not the first time.. It hurt more this time.. Last time I was on my way out to work... All dressed up in a skirt and nice sweater. Had on my gorgeous black slick bottom boots.. (slick bottom boots are killer ladies!) I was looking Good!! lol  I took that first step and whoosh---- out into the gravel and landed in a pile of Dog Crap!  lol  My family still laugh about that one... So you see I am a pro at falling down steps.. I may apply to the Professional School For Stunt Women...  This happened about 3 hours ago.. I have a stiff neck, middle of back across my shoulders, and top of butt checks are hurting. oh yeah... Left leg in three places is bruised not to mention inside of left wrist has a bad scrape. 
After the fall I decided a trip to the Dairy Queen was in order.. Josh and Zoe wanted ice cream and I wanted the grilled chicken sandwich. Yes... I caved and eat the white bun.. I will just do better tonight..
Right now my shoulders and neck is hurting.. I can at least use my stand to stitch. Do two handed stitching for awhile.
Aunt Judy... I did say a prayer this morning to the Lord to help me with the cravings and eating... He listened, I know!  I just forgot to ask him to watch over me and keep me safe.... My prayer will be longer tonight.

VALENTINE FINISH!

This is my BOAF finish. Valentine Holiday. I have not decided how to finish it off. Frame or pillow?  I will put it aside till this weekend. I received my Model stitching from Brenda. It is so Cute!!

If you liked this design? You will also like the one I am stitching. I can't give anymore clues.. Just to darn cute!  I will be a busy bee for awhile.  That is ok, because it is raining here in Bama.

Thinking of Bama

ROLL TIDE ROLL !!!

I heard that the LSU team was still in New Orleans - Someone had painted a 50 yard line in the front of their bus!  hehehehe

If you did not see the game, LSU only once got to cross the 50 yard line. Bama has the best defense.

Cute joke from my friend Jane, we went to CVA together for the 1st and 2nd grade. I reconnected with her through facebook.  FB is good for some things, like finding old friends!

I need to get back to stitching!!  Till Later.....

CROSS STITCH !

 This is the what I am stitching on at the moment. It is designed by Birds Of A Feather. Called Valentine Holiday. It reminds me so much of being in Elementary School. We would decorate cigar boxes, shoe boxes, and paper bags for Valentine's Day. ( different containers for different years in school.) When the day came we would bring in our Valentine's and put them in each other's boxes. Then it was time for the party!!! Cupcakes and snacks!! Sugar High Time!!!  lol

 These are some boxes I got after the Holidays at Hobby Lobby. The silver is a music box. It cost all of 1.79. The little box was 1.29. Can't beat those prices for future cross stitch. The minute I saw the silver box, I thought Blackbird Designs - Joyeux Noel. The big design would not fit, even if stitched on 48 count... I guess I will try the Love Letters with the bird in the blues on white linen. The box is a music box and plays The First Noel.  I had not thought to try stitching over one!  It just came to me!!! I sure would like to be able to stitch Joyeux Noel and mount it in that box!! I will see...

 These are some frames I purchased at Michael's. I can already see something Valentine in that red frame!!  I need to stitch all I can this weekend. Brenda, With Thy Needle and Thread/ Country Stitches has put a design in the mail for me to stitch!! All she said was Spring!!!  I can't wait to see it!!
I did get front porch cleaned up today and Christmas put in shed. Still a little winded from the Pneumonia, but feeling alot better. I am taking breaks.. It is now lunch time!! I love lunch time!!  This New eating 2012 is going great!! I need to weigh today. It has been one week. I am getting the hang of this proportion thing. I checked out 2 books from the library by - The Biggest Losers Tv people. I have read both and they will not let the people on the show eat White (starches) too! The cookbook has exercises and recipes. Has stories of the Year 1 thur 12 people. Real interesting that almost all contestants have Type 2 diabetes and other health issues.  Shows me that it all goes together, heart disease, blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes.  I can know add Thyroid problems to mine. Got call from nurse at doctor's again today. I am now on thyroid medicine for an under active thyroid.  All my medicine will not fit in those little Monday - Sunday pill boxes!!!  lol  I will fix that!!  I will Lose weight!!!

I will leave yall with a picture of my grands! My inspirations! 

Till Later......