tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68385654986133193212024-03-13T22:38:57.670-04:00Navy StitchingThe stitchings and hobbies of a Naval Officer.Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-10600323271964693512014-06-19T00:30:00.000-04:002014-06-19T00:30:00.865-04:00Throwback Thursday: Hip Dysplasia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm linking up with Jessica at <a href="http://themomcreative.com/">The Mom Creative</a> again this week for #TBTStories. Since we are headed to the hospital today for a follow up from my daughter's surgery to correct her hip dysplasia, I thought I would share a picture from her first open reduction back in Aug 2010.<br />
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Caitlyn was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at her 4 month appointment. I think she was about 5 months old when we finally got to meet with the pediatric orthopedic doctor. The initial step in treatment was to put her in a Pavlick harness, which has a great success rate when DDH (developmental dysplasia of the hip) is diagnosed early. Since she was on the older range of age for it to be successful, it was not.<br />
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Since the Pavlick harness was not successful, Caitlyn was scheduled to have a closed reduction in August of 2010. She was scheduled to be in a spica cast for 12 weeks but when she had an MRI done the following day, her hip had already slid out of joint so they removed the cast and she was scheduled for the open reduction a couple of weeks later. The picture was taken in the hospital after her open reduction. The one benefit of the doctor actually having to go in was that it reduced her time in the cast to six weeks.<br />
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After the cast, she was in a brace for months. After a couple months, she was able to wear the brace for nights and naps only. At this point I don't remember the whole time frame. However, her hip was still not exactly where it needed to be, so she was scheduled for a femoral osteotomy in February 2012. Thankfully that procedure did not require casting, just some down time to heal. Last May she had a follow up surgery to remove the plate that had been put in her leg. When we followed up in December, her external exams looked great but her x-rays were still showing that her hip was out of place. So she has just had her second open reduction as well as a pelvic osteotomy and another femoral osteotomy on June 9th and is in a spica cast once again. Thankfully we have had the same orthopedic surgeon for all of her procedures, which has been such a blessing. As a bonus, here is my sweet girl in her spica cast currently ... rocking the purple cast this time. She is my trooper and anyone who has known her would not suspect a thing since when she is not in the cast she is rough and tumble, loving to climb trees, run, dance and play.<br />
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<br />Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-73543782325917082892014-06-12T00:30:00.000-04:002014-06-12T00:30:01.252-04:00Throwback Thursday: Father's Day Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In honor of Father's Day, I thought I would post a picture of my sister and I with our dad for Throwback Thursday stories with <a href="http://themomcreative.com/">The Mom Creative</a>.<br />
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This picture was taken in January 1985. Since my parents are currently here, I could ask the location of the picture. It was taken at our first home in Charleston, SC about a month after my sister was born, so it is probably one of the first pictures of the three of us. I hope you enjoy :)Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-23143290079380755502014-06-05T15:14:00.002-04:002014-06-05T15:14:55.582-04:00Throwback Thursday Stories: Engagement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Once again, I am joining in Throwback Thursday Stories, hosted by Jessica at <a href="http://themomcreative.com/">The Mom Creative</a>. Yesterday marked the 9 year anniversary of my engagement to my husband. So I thought I would share the first picture we took after it happened.<br />
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So the story behind the picture: we were spending the day in New York City on our way home from a wedding in Massachusetts (one of my husband's roommates from college). We had gotten tickets to see Wicked on Broadway. We decided to go on a carriage ride through Central Park (this was of course after we walked around the entire park since we thought there would be another place to catch a carriage other than just in the front). My husband surprised me when he asked on the carriage ride. I had known that it was coming at some point, and somewhat expected it later that summer when we were scheduled to go on a trip to the British Isles.<br />
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My sister is in the picture because she happened to also be in New York that weekend with friends. We met up with her shortly afterwards and it took her about 5 to 10 minutes to notice the ring. I was on the phone with my mom when she walked up, so kept the phone in my right hand so that my mom could hear my sister's reaction. After this picture, we went out to dinner, and changed (in some random store) before going to see Wicked (for the first time). I'm so blessed to have this man in my life. Thanks for stopping by.Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-76927964330440810772014-05-29T00:30:00.000-04:002014-05-29T13:52:30.622-04:00Throwback Thursday Stories: Graduation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today you get two throwback pictures for the price of one :). One is from 9 years ago and the other is from 33 years ago.<br />
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So the story behind the photos: I am a second generation graduate from the United States Naval Academy. What I find amazing about these photos is that they took place 24 years apart (to the day) and that my father shook hands with and received his diploma from then Vice-President George H. W. Bush and I had the opportunity to shake hands with and receive my diploma from his son, President George W. Bush. The president, vice-president and Secretary of State rotate between the three service academies' graduations each year so not every class will have the President at their graduation.<br />
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I just remember that I had to walk across the entire stage to receive my diploma and commission from the President. Oh - a little more to the story behind the actual picture ... the official photographers were in a really terrible location to get good photos of the first 100 or so graduates. My husband found this and another photo taken by some of the yearbook photographers, so that I would have a much better photo of the occasion.<br />
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I can't believe that nine years has passed since I walked across that stage. We'll see if there are any future generations that will follow in our footsteps.<br />
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<br />Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-13829350578291294542014-05-22T08:22:00.000-04:002014-05-22T08:25:41.612-04:00Throwback Thursday Stories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: left;">It's been a few weeks since I participated since Thursdays always seem to sneak up on me. I thought it would be appropriate to share a more recent Throwback Picture ... just going back a couple days less than a year to when my son was born since his birthday is tomorrow.</span></div>
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This is one of my favorite pictures of my daughter and husband with my son, James. This was the second day we were in the hospital and Caitlyn had fallen in love with her baby brother. James was about a week early, but waited for his daddy to get home from a close to two month underway to make his appearance (not long after his daddy returned). He arrived much quicker than his sister did ... about 5 hours after we arrived at the hospital. James was just eager to join the family :)</div>
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Happy Birthday (one day early) to my sweet James.</div>
Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-60013071892177353812014-04-24T01:00:00.000-04:002014-04-24T01:00:02.160-04:00Throwback Thursday Stories: Wedding in AnnapolisIt has been a couple of years since I posted. There has definitely been a lot of changes around here and the blog may take a new direction, should I become more active again. However, I did want to link up with <a href="http://www.themomcreative.com/">Jessica at The Mom Creative</a> with her new link up for Throwback Thursday Stories (#TBTStories).<br />
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Since our 8 year anniversary is next Tuesday, I decided to share one of our wedding photos for Throwback Thursday.<br />
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My husband and I met while we were midshipmen at the Naval Academy. We got married a little less than a year after graduation in April 2006. Since we were both graduates (and neither of us really claimed a hometown), we decided to get married at the Academy chapel in Annapolis. My mom did a lot of the leg work with planning the wedding since I was going to grad school at MIT and my husband was going through the nuke pipeline in Charleston, SC.<br />
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This is one of my favorite photos from that day. It was taken just as we finished passing through our sword arch. We are both laughing since we had just gotten the "welcome" tap from the end members of the sword arch (you can see the sword on the right down). For those of you that don't know the tradition, the bride (typically) will get swatted on the behind by the last sword bearer as that sword bear says "Welcome to the Navy (or which ever service)". In our case, since we were both active duty at the time, we both were swatted. My good friend from high school (a year behind us at the Academy), Dave, welcomed me to the submarine force, while Justin was welcomed to the Surface Navy by one of his friends, Rebecca.<br />
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I loved the perfect balance of our sword arch - we had 8 people total. There were 4 Marines and 4 Naval Officers as well as 4 females and 4 males (equally distributed between Marines and Navy). It was such a blessing to have them all participate in our wedding. The photo was taken by a good friend of mine from graduate school.<br />
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I look forward to sharing many more stories behind the pictures.<br />
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<br />Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-52742528465326481382011-12-23T21:30:00.004-05:002011-12-23T21:48:09.219-05:00Christmas ProjectI know that I have been very quiet on this blog. Hopefully I'll have a bit more time to post once in awhile. I haven't been doing a lot of crafting recently but have managed a few things.<br /><br />So here's my big home made gift for Caitlyn this year and the big craft project that I have been working on:<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pjkFrK7JnpA/TvU6lXkwU1I/AAAAAAAAAw8/XRFRGa3HA7M/s1600/DSC_0018.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pjkFrK7JnpA/TvU6lXkwU1I/AAAAAAAAAw8/XRFRGa3HA7M/s400/DSC_0018.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689518117910238034" /></a><br />I decided to make Caitlyn some counting bean bags. I used <a href="http://chezbeeperbebe.blogspot.com/2010/01/tutorial-and-pattern-counting-bean-bags.html">Chez Beeper Bebe's tutorial</a> for the bean bags. I had originally gotten Sweetwater's Make Life charm pack to make bean bags but decided to use Andover's Maisey fabric instead since Caitlyn absolutely adores "Maisy Big, Maisy Small: A Book of Maisy Opposites" by Lucy Cousins. I had a lot of fun doing the hand embroidery on the numbers.<div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JPSz2R-QvmY/TvU6llrOTSI/AAAAAAAAAxI/MypCePU1RBk/s1600/DSC_0019.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JPSz2R-QvmY/TvU6llrOTSI/AAAAAAAAAxI/MypCePU1RBk/s400/DSC_0019.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689518121695464738" /></a><br />Here's a closer peek:<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PDM4oGJhY0A/TvU6mLhylfI/AAAAAAAAAxU/ndPIqemytLw/s1600/DSC_0020.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PDM4oGJhY0A/TvU6mLhylfI/AAAAAAAAAxU/ndPIqemytLw/s400/DSC_0020.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689518131856446962" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u38sBDSYH34/TvU6mtJsDmI/AAAAAAAAAxg/7h77I1pS2AM/s1600/DSC_0022.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u38sBDSYH34/TvU6mtJsDmI/AAAAAAAAAxg/7h77I1pS2AM/s400/DSC_0022.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689518140882161250" /></a><br />I think they turned out well and I can't wait to see Caitlyn's reaction when she opens them tomorrow. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas! May God bless you and your family during this season of remembering when Emmanuel (God with Us) came to earth as a baby who arrived in the little town of Bethlehem.</div>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-44293821298380493582011-10-02T16:06:00.004-04:002011-10-02T17:19:45.925-04:003rd Quarter 11 - Top 5 Photos<div align="center"><a href="http://ambocullum.blogspot.com/" title="Amber's Articles"><img src="http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx298/ambo14/QuarterlyTop5Sept11take2.gif" alt="Amber's Articles" style="border:none;" /></a></div><br />Well, another 3 months have gone by without me posting much. Things will probably be changing around here, when I actually get some time to spend looking at what I want to do and share. I know that there are probably few people who still come by, but that's alright. I like having the space to share and link up with various posts that I'm interested in (like this Top 5 pics of the quarter). Anyways, without further ado, here are my pictures from the last three months of our Pooh Bear. It was a bit easier to pick pictures since I had fewer to chose from (many haven't been downloaded yet). These are my favorites from the ones I had on the computer.<div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cLAPeG81jPQ/TojSuKhZAlI/AAAAAAAAAwA/bcrqXxxuSHI/s1600/DSC_0269.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cLAPeG81jPQ/TojSuKhZAlI/AAAAAAAAAwA/bcrqXxxuSHI/s400/DSC_0269.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659004622331249234" /></a> This one was taken in downtown Portsmouth after we went to the Children's Museum with my in laws. I love her daddy in the background.<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xgw4AtHvMrg/TojSudS0zHI/AAAAAAAAAwI/P8Z44aJdUcU/s1600/DSC_0293.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xgw4AtHvMrg/TojSudS0zHI/AAAAAAAAAwI/P8Z44aJdUcU/s400/DSC_0293.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659004627370429554" /></a>I love this picture and little one helping her daddy stir up ingredients (I don't remember what they were making). She had scrapped up her nose the day before while visiting me on the ship. I just love the apron and her intense expression.<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oYhEYsENvQI/TojSuhGmP8I/AAAAAAAAAwQ/0ZE5DGDyKHw/s1600/DSC_0366.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oYhEYsENvQI/TojSuhGmP8I/AAAAAAAAAwQ/0ZE5DGDyKHw/s400/DSC_0366.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659004628392886210" /></a> This was one evening when we were hanging out in the backyard. She was saying "ball" as she would bring the ball back to me or her daddy. Love the colors in the evening.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bKMgYxX70NE/TojSuj2NutI/AAAAAAAAAwY/SekmNxnpZq0/s1600/IMG_0671.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bKMgYxX70NE/TojSuj2NutI/AAAAAAAAAwY/SekmNxnpZq0/s400/IMG_0671.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659004629129476818" /></a> This one was taken at the Children's Museum in our area. Just love the expression on her face as she tries to listen to two different headsets.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S5z9raU-dBw/TojSvKgrVlI/AAAAAAAAAwg/LV6oBGgrehQ/s1600/DSC_0959.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S5z9raU-dBw/TojSvKgrVlI/AAAAAAAAAwg/LV6oBGgrehQ/s400/DSC_0959.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659004639508125266" /></a>This last photo is from just a couple of weeks ago. Little one was climbing in and out of her toy box in the family room, so I wanted to snap a picture of it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for stopping by! Hopefully I will have time to share a bit more frequently in the future.</div>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-66608192357540007622011-07-03T12:46:00.002-04:002011-07-03T12:50:26.215-04:00Narnia Reading ChallengeCarrie @ <a href="http://readingtoknow.com/">Reading to Know</a> is hosting the Narnia Reading Challenge again this month.<div><br /><a href="http://www.readingtoknow.com/2011/07/chronicles-of-narnia-reading-challenge.html"><img alt="Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge" src="http://www.bluecastlephoto.com/misc/chronicles-of-narnia.gif" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br />C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia is one of my favorite series and I plan on reading through the whole series again this month as part of the challenge. In addition, I am reading "Aslan's Call" by Mark Eddy Smith and "A Field Guide to Narnia" by Colin Duriez. I look forward to sharing more with you as the month goes on. Would you join us?Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-41417186337111521402011-06-30T22:13:00.003-04:002011-06-30T22:30:57.762-04:002nd Quarterly Top 5<div align="center" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="http://ambocullum.blogspot.com/" title="Amber's Articles"><img src="http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx298/ambo14/QuarterlyTop52nd.gif" alt="Amber's Articles" style="border:none;" /></a></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center" style="text-align: left;">It's been a long time since I posted ... in fact the last time I posted was last quarter. I'm definitely thinking about doing some changes to what my focus is since stitching has taken a back burner at this point in my life (still working on projects but not nearly as many at a time to talk about). So for now, here are my top 5 pictures of little one for the months of April, May and June. Click on the banner if you want to link up and participate :) Can't wait to see everyone's pictures.</div><div align="center" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div align="center" style="text-align: left;">Without further ado:</div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dA-SoMHv74s/Tg0uuvKfH7I/AAAAAAAAAvg/7s0ajoNoHuE/s1600/DSC_0893.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dA-SoMHv74s/Tg0uuvKfH7I/AAAAAAAAAvg/7s0ajoNoHuE/s400/DSC_0893.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624202890124926898" /></a>This first picture I just love the backlighting and the smirk on her face. This was just one day taking pictures in her room.<div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zjrzk9_DvV8/Tg0utZKL7BI/AAAAAAAAAvY/mBDTTAgzDYw/s1600/CSC_0931.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zjrzk9_DvV8/Tg0utZKL7BI/AAAAAAAAAvY/mBDTTAgzDYw/s400/CSC_0931.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624202867038219282" /></a>I decided to play with editing the color on the camera for this one ... love her looking around the shower curtain. She loves bath time.</div><div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HFfzAIX7Xj0/Tg0utKOYSqI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/x6eVuvFJ9ts/s1600/DSC_0525.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HFfzAIX7Xj0/Tg0utKOYSqI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/x6eVuvFJ9ts/s400/DSC_0525.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624202863029275298" /></a>We went to the beach for a week at the beginning of May. This is one of my all time favorite pictures from that trip. Her daddy and granddaddy are in the background fishing and she is just staring at the ocean ;)</div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3sx0ONSNNnQ/Tg0usqdsD2I/AAAAAAAAAvI/xvxmkFAs9dw/s1600/DSC_0219.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3sx0ONSNNnQ/Tg0usqdsD2I/AAAAAAAAAvI/xvxmkFAs9dw/s400/DSC_0219.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624202854503550818" /></a>We went strawberry picking at a nearby farm. She enjoyed picking the berries (didn't eat many though) and had a great time.</div><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0r-JYmQ3f4c/Tg0ur59yEcI/AAAAAAAAAvA/WJZud_L77-0/s1600/DSC_0070.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px; " src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0r-JYmQ3f4c/Tg0ur59yEcI/AAAAAAAAAvA/WJZud_L77-0/s400/DSC_0070.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624202841484825026" /></a></div><div>This last pictures is at the children's garden at the local botanical gardens. She has so much fun whenever she is around water. I love the water in the foreground of this picture.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was hard to narrow it down to 5 pictures from the past three months. I hope you enjoy a small glimpse into our lives. God Bless!<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-91980067783461619692011-03-30T18:30:00.008-04:002011-03-30T18:50:27.342-04:00March Quarterly Top 5<div style="text-align: left;">It's time for the first Quarterly Top 5 of 2011. This is hosted by <a href="http://ambocullum.blogspot.com/">Amber's Articles</a>, <a href="http://www.clickitupanotch.com/">Click it Up a Notch</a> and <a href="http://naptimemomtog.com/">Nap Time Momtog</a>. It's a chance to showcase our five favorite pictures that we have taken of our children during the months of Jan, Feb and March.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ambocullum.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Amber's Articles" src="http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx298/ambo14/QuarterlyTop5.gif" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As usual, it is hard to narrow down to my favorite pictures since we do take a lot of my daughter. Here are the five that I chose for this go around:</div><div><br /></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L082VnIpDG4/TZOxzfhw5SI/AAAAAAAAAus/5dZ9n4dlUnU/s1600/DSC_0450.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L082VnIpDG4/TZOxzfhw5SI/AAAAAAAAAus/5dZ9n4dlUnU/s400/DSC_0450.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590007060691477794" /></a>This first one showcases what a goofball Caitlyn can be. She was making faces out the door in the kitchen so I decided to go around and get pictures from the other side of her. There was a whole series but I loved the pucker face in this one.<div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T0s_UdeeZUo/TZOxzLEYr8I/AAAAAAAAAuk/WauBfFWYTFw/s1600/DSC_0499.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T0s_UdeeZUo/TZOxzLEYr8I/AAAAAAAAAuk/WauBfFWYTFw/s400/DSC_0499.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590007055199547330" /></a>I take monthly pictures of Caitlyn in this glider in her room. This just shows how hard it is to get her to sit still these days. This one was taken on her birthday. I love the lighting in the picture and how it softens it.</div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zf5nSga-5pg/TZOxy62JidI/AAAAAAAAAuc/E6rsOueRKW4/s1600/IMG_0071.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zf5nSga-5pg/TZOxy62JidI/AAAAAAAAAuc/E6rsOueRKW4/s400/IMG_0071.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590007050844867026" /></a>I chose this picture because she decided to climb in the box herself. She started to bring the toys in with her.</div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zvUibhf5RRY/TZOxysWKZOI/AAAAAAAAAuU/XuvViemKtYo/s1600/DSC_0428.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zvUibhf5RRY/TZOxysWKZOI/AAAAAAAAAuU/XuvViemKtYo/s400/DSC_0428.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590007046952608994" /></a>This one was taken at a local park that our family enjoys on nice days. Unfortunately it's gotten cold again recently but I am looking forward to heading back again. This is just one of my all time favorite pictures ... I love the backlighting and the expression on her face.</div><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BE3Q305ERTk/TZOxyEhz_1I/AAAAAAAAAuM/X0x9ICRaB9M/s1600/DSC_0524.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BE3Q305ERTk/TZOxyEhz_1I/AAAAAAAAAuM/X0x9ICRaB9M/s400/DSC_0524.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590007036264054610" /></a></div><div>This last picture is from our visit to my parents. It was a beautiful day so we headed to the park. I love the wind blowing her hair as she comes down the slide with her daddy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for stopping by! I'm looking forward to sharing more in June.</div>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-55600867575215197722011-03-10T19:10:00.002-05:002011-03-10T19:16:51.106-05:00Smile!<center style="text-align: left;">At the end of last year I participated in the top 10 of '10 hosted by <a href="http://ambocullum.blogspot.com">Amber's Articles</a>. She has decided to do something similar this year. However, instead of choosing 10 photos at the end of the year, we share 5 photos every quarter (so we'll share 20 throughout the year). Click on the button for more information and if you want to participate as well.</center><center><a href="http://www.clickitupanotch.com/2011/03/march-quarterly-top-5-photos/" target="_blank"><img alt="Click it Up a Notch" src="http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc368/clickitupanotch/Picture5.png" /></a></center>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-53176710097290577482011-03-07T21:18:00.003-05:002011-03-07T21:35:44.126-05:00Recent ProjectsBlogging has definitely taken a back burner right now. I just started a new school in preparation for a new job. I have been crafting and such. I am finally able to show you the sampler that I stitched for my sister and her new husband as a wedding present. I had it framed at my local LNS as I usually do and it turned out great. Without further ado:<div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PMKfaNH2wMs/TXWTM7RQREI/AAAAAAAAAtE/TBRKMHJhQ5w/s1600/DSC_0250.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PMKfaNH2wMs/TXWTM7RQREI/AAAAAAAAAtE/TBRKMHJhQ5w/s320/DSC_0250.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581529163473372226" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">"Wedding Blessing"</div><div style="text-align: center;">Designer: Cathy Bussi (from the Cross Stitcher July '10 Issue)</div><div style="text-align: center;">Fabric: Silkweaver 32ct Autumn</div><div style="text-align: center;">Threads: DMC (converted to my sister's wedding colors of coral and green)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I have also been able to start my daughter's stocking. I am hoping to be able to complete that before Christmas. I definitely don't have as many projects in progress at the moment (other than as ideas in my head). I have one other cross stitch project that I am currently stitching on and hope to finish soon. It is a gift for our nanny in appreciation for how she takes care of our little one and has really become part of our family. I hope to be able to share that with you soon.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In addition to cross stitch, my sewing machine has also been getting a workout. I made my first attempt of making clothes for my daughter. I decided that I would make her a Valentine's Day outfit rather than buying one this year. I used a L'amour honey bun from Moda (the line is designed by Sandy Gervais) for both the skirt and the applique. I decided to use the strips to cut a heart from rather than a solid fabric so that it would coordinate with the skirt. I think it turned out alright for my first skirt.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1T-iW8eRoWg/TXWTNI3A0FI/AAAAAAAAAtM/1wpi1BqC9so/s1600/DSC_0004_2.jpg"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1T-iW8eRoWg/TXWTNI3A0FI/AAAAAAAAAtM/1wpi1BqC9so/s320/DSC_0004_2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581529167121403986" /></a><div><br /></div><div>So I think that covers most of the crafty stuff that I have done lately. Hopefully I'll be updating more frequently with more projects and other types of things. Have a great night!</div>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-8096035024659394372011-01-01T10:50:00.003-05:002011-01-01T10:58:20.068-05:00Christmas StitchingI just wanted to do a quick post to share the gift I made for my mom this Christmas. I shared a sneak preview earlier in the month but here it is all finished:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR9OOBWmOvI/AAAAAAAAAs4/Xw7kbNSwO2U/s1600/IMG_3554.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR9OOBWmOvI/AAAAAAAAAs4/Xw7kbNSwO2U/s320/IMG_3554.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557246467986832114" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Little Women "Baking" Threadpack</div><div style="text-align: center;">Designer: Diane Williams</div><div style="text-align: center;">Threads: Included Crescent Colors</div><div style="text-align: center;">Fabric: 32 ct Cocoa Belfast Linen (Silkweaver)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I thought I had a picture of the cube I finished but can't find it right now. I know I have pictures of my mom opening it. I picked out a nice fabric with poinsettias on it to go with the stitching. I hope you are all having a Happy New Year and may 2011 bring you much joy!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-35595109347271842202010-12-31T14:37:00.007-05:002010-12-31T22:56:59.829-05:00Top 10 of '10<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NbB1EtmU7t0/TR4uFxw603I/AAAAAAAAC68/r4yY3Yik-sA/s1600/Top10of10.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 125px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NbB1EtmU7t0/TR4uFxw603I/AAAAAAAAC68/r4yY3Yik-sA/s1600/Top10of10.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I saw this linked on <a href="http://caltoncorner.blogspot.com/">Rachel's</a> blog and decided that I would participate as well. If you would like to join me you can link up <a href="http://ambocullum.blogspot.com/2010/12/top-10-of-10.html">here</a>. Caitlyn joined our family at the very beginning of 2010 and many, many pictures have been taken of her through out the year. Here are what I have chosen as the 10 I would share in chronological order:<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>1. This was taken about a week and a half after little one was born (January). I was taking pictures of her laying on my lap and just really like how she's looking at the window behind the couch.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5IFjNLBuI/AAAAAAAAAsw/EesaZerqa48/s1600/DSC_0332.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5IFjNLBuI/AAAAAAAAAsw/EesaZerqa48/s320/DSC_0332.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556958250408806114" /></a><br /><div>2. I love, love, love this picture. I love the look on her face as she watches her mobile in her crib. I took this in February while I was still on maternity leave and spending all day with the little one.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5IFYT7HOI/AAAAAAAAAso/Ufa6u14gNJ0/s1600/DSC_0530.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5IFYT7HOI/AAAAAAAAAso/Ufa6u14gNJ0/s320/DSC_0530.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556958247484333282" /></a><br /></div><div>3. Another of my favorites. This was taken at the end of April in our backyard. It was a gorgeous day and we were watching a bunny or two that were hanging out in the backyard. I think I had her propped up on my knees when I took this picture.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5IFAkjTjI/AAAAAAAAAsg/gZKtQ7dt0l8/s1600/DSC_0887.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5IFAkjTjI/AAAAAAAAAsg/gZKtQ7dt0l8/s320/DSC_0887.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556958241111625266" /></a><br /></div><div>4. I had to include this picture from June. My husband was on his last underway before detaching from his sea command. We watched videos of him reading to her often while he was gone.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5IE_s_y8I/AAAAAAAAAsY/RDHQ_wv7Xe8/s1600/DSC_0191.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5IE_s_y8I/AAAAAAAAAsY/RDHQ_wv7Xe8/s320/DSC_0191.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556958240878611394" /></a><br /></div><div>5. This photo is from July ... we were hanging out in the office. She has the greatest expressions and I just love how she looks like she was caught red handed doing something.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5IEmGXLrI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/La7fRoxM0vU/s1600/DSC_0630.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5IEmGXLrI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/La7fRoxM0vU/s320/DSC_0630.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556958234005679794" /></a><br /></div><div>6. Caitlyn had to be put into a Spica cast back in August ... this photo is from shortly after that. You can just see it in the photo but I wanted to include it since this demonstrates her personality and just how happy and well adjusted she was even in the cast. Nothing can get this girl down.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5HzmxPUpI/AAAAAAAAAsI/Iete1JZK0ok/s1600/DSC_0958.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5HzmxPUpI/AAAAAAAAAsI/Iete1JZK0ok/s320/DSC_0958.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556957942127743634" /></a><br /></div><div>7. I took this picture during one of our many visits to my parents this fall. I love the look on her face and how excited she is with her book. This particular picture is from early September.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5HzZYHJWI/AAAAAAAAAsA/1_qoDioJi-8/s1600/DSC_0046.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5HzZYHJWI/AAAAAAAAAsA/1_qoDioJi-8/s320/DSC_0046.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556957938532689250" /></a><br /></div><div>8. This photo is from a session that we did in our back yard in the fall. It was a fairly warm day for November and we had a lot of leaves on the ground. Her intense study of the leaf in her hand is what made me chose this picture out of the many I took that day.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5HzC1CzvI/AAAAAAAAAr4/o5o349QrkVo/s1600/DSC_0691.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5HzC1CzvI/AAAAAAAAAr4/o5o349QrkVo/s320/DSC_0691.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556957932480024306" /></a><br /></div><div>9. This is just a random picture from December when she was climbing on her bean bag chair. I love the pictures I take when she is looking over her shoulder back at the camera. You can see some parts of what we like to call the results of Hurricane Caitlyn.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5Hy2mvdRI/AAAAAAAAArw/99TxRJUoXbE/s1600/DSC_1076.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5Hy2mvdRI/AAAAAAAAArw/99TxRJUoXbE/s320/DSC_1076.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556957929198810386" /></a><br /></div><div>10. We love to rip tissue paper. We went to my sister's house for Christmas and the first day she was there, one of the packages caught her attention and she just needed to pull the tissue paper out and start ripping.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5HyvHVN2I/AAAAAAAAAro/V6skNp_Dch4/s1600/DSC_0118.JPG"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TR5HyvHVN2I/AAAAAAAAAro/V6skNp_Dch4/s320/DSC_0118.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556957927188019042" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It was very hard to narrow down the many pictures that I took this year to just 10. I hope you enjoy a small glimpse into our year. Thanks for stopping by. Thank you to <a href="http://ambocullum.blogspot.com">Amber's Articles</a> and her fellow bloggers for hosting.</div>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-81854646904403463682010-12-23T12:54:00.002-05:002010-12-23T13:00:12.170-05:00DPP - Day 16 -23<div>December 16 - Snow in Virginia Beach ... still had a few pumpkins out from the fall.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TRONhp1LLTI/AAAAAAAAArg/kuI3z5L4JEg/s1600/DSC_1096.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TRONhp1LLTI/AAAAAAAAArg/kuI3z5L4JEg/s320/DSC_1096.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553938374782037298" /></a><br /><div>December 19 - Hanging out with our cousin!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TRONhC_Af8I/AAAAAAAAArY/xqKmmizks2c/s1600/DSC_1144.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TRONhC_Af8I/AAAAAAAAArY/xqKmmizks2c/s320/DSC_1144.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553938364354297794" /></a><br /></div><div>December 21 - Cookbook for Christmas cookies<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TRONhAmnRMI/AAAAAAAAArQ/5EXjMnb7b1Q/s1600/DSC_0092.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TRONhAmnRMI/AAAAAAAAArQ/5EXjMnb7b1Q/s320/DSC_0092.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553938363715110082" /></a><br /></div><div>December 23 - Stockings at my sister's house<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TRONgzaTqBI/AAAAAAAAArI/fvh4R0UwL1o/s1600/DSC_0136.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TRONgzaTqBI/AAAAAAAAArI/fvh4R0UwL1o/s320/DSC_0136.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553938360173832210" /></a><br /></div><div>Trying to catch up ... unfortunately we have a few days with no pictures since we have been on the road a lot. Merry Christmas!</div>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-78143789310059239682010-12-15T20:37:00.003-05:002010-12-15T20:53:59.156-05:00DPP - Day 9 -15<div>I have been taking daily photos but haven't been able to post so here's my catch up.</div><div><br /></div><div>December 9: The centerpiece at my command's Christmas party.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TQlwTq9cHcI/AAAAAAAAAq8/WsY4Q6a2qSQ/s1600/IMG_3639.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TQlwTq9cHcI/AAAAAAAAAq8/WsY4Q6a2qSQ/s320/IMG_3639.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551091498962656706" /></a><br /><div>December 10:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TQlwTaUn1sI/AAAAAAAAAq0/TMjeHb6sxYQ/s1600/DSC_0911.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TQlwTaUn1sI/AAAAAAAAAq0/TMjeHb6sxYQ/s320/DSC_0911.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551091494496491202" /></a><br /></div><div>December 11: The table at my MIL and SIL cookie exchange.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TQlv4xV4DpI/AAAAAAAAAqs/lkKW0QHDQc4/s1600/DSC_0953.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TQlv4xV4DpI/AAAAAAAAAqs/lkKW0QHDQc4/s320/DSC_0953.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551091036819295890" /></a><br /></div><div>December 12: My little one playing with her first puzzle.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TQlv4k1O93I/AAAAAAAAAqk/ksZWPIodhLg/s1600/DSC_1023.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TQlv4k1O93I/AAAAAAAAAqk/ksZWPIodhLg/s320/DSC_1023.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551091033461159794" /></a><br /></div><div>December 13: Snow!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TQlv4WXgauI/AAAAAAAAAqc/-Hn6Z0hyrOY/s1600/DSC_1034.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TQlv4WXgauI/AAAAAAAAAqc/-Hn6Z0hyrOY/s320/DSC_1034.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551091029578377954" /></a><br /></div><div>December 14:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TQlv4M8O55I/AAAAAAAAAqU/y6ZHw1DZYgU/s1600/DSC_1054.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TQlv4M8O55I/AAAAAAAAAqU/y6ZHw1DZYgU/s320/DSC_1054.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551091027048064914" /></a><br /></div><div>December 15: One of the ornaments I made from little one's left over birth announcements.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TQlv3z17jOI/AAAAAAAAAqM/RxuXk3p7F8A/s1600/DSC_1085.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TQlv3z17jOI/AAAAAAAAAqM/RxuXk3p7F8A/s320/DSC_1085.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551091020310744290" /></a><br /><br /></div>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-66330862330856554022010-12-09T14:59:00.002-05:002010-12-09T15:03:44.713-05:00My "Grown Up Christmas List"Today's question for the <a href="http://www.wivesoffaith.org/">Wives of Faith </a>Christmas Carnival is:<br /><strong>Write your own “Grown-Up Christmas List” (taken from Amy Grant’s song of the same title)</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />-For no separations<br />-Love for every child<br />-Food, water and shelter for every person<br />-For everyone to have their basic needs met<br />-To really understand the meaning of Christmas<br /><br />This was a hard question for me to answer and I'm still afraid that my answers are the stock answers. Thanks for stopping by.Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-72907555364633432862010-12-08T20:39:00.002-05:002010-12-08T20:44:01.097-05:00DPP - Day 8<div>The results of a hurricane called Caitlyn and playing with the settings on the camera for color accent of the greens in the room.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TQAzoUjxJpI/AAAAAAAAAqE/mt91d-iFuoQ/s1600/IMG_3632.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TQAzoUjxJpI/AAAAAAAAAqE/mt91d-iFuoQ/s320/IMG_3632.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548491508726965906" /></a>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-27231791196641216312010-12-07T19:58:00.004-05:002010-12-07T20:16:35.739-05:00A Stitching Post ... Finally<div>This blog has been becoming more than just my stitching blog and that's alright by me. However, since stitching is one of the main reasons I started this blog, it's only right to show case what I've been working on once in awhile. I haven't been doing too much stitching recently since I have other projects to complete for the holidays. The first thing I have is a sneak peak of a Christmas gift (so I don't want to show too much). I'm sure some of the veteran stitchers may recognize the design. </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TP7Yvn36F3I/AAAAAAAAAp8/HZgdVhpFBuw/s1600/IMG_3556.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TP7Yvn36F3I/AAAAAAAAAp8/HZgdVhpFBuw/s320/IMG_3556.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548110103635957618" /></a>This has been finished into a cube and I look forward to sharing the complete project with you. Next up is the ornament I stitched to exchange with <a href="http://thetwistedstitcher.blogspot.com">Vonna</a>. I enjoyed doing this exchange and it sounds like she likes the ornament.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TP7YvOgPGKI/AAAAAAAAAp0/sDqC4aLq-kk/s1600/DSC_0597.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TP7YvOgPGKI/AAAAAAAAAp0/sDqC4aLq-kk/s320/DSC_0597.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548110096825784482" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Design: The Christmas Cross (JCS Ornament Issue 04)</div><div style="text-align: center;">Designer: The Stitchworks, Ltd.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Fabric: Unknown from stash</div><div style="text-align: center;">Threads: DMC substitutions</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In return, Vonna stitched this beautiful angel for me. I love the finish and it has a prominent place on our tree.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TP7Yut_0pmI/AAAAAAAAAps/p2yfGO3JjKU/s1600/DSC_0831.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TP7Yut_0pmI/AAAAAAAAAps/p2yfGO3JjKU/s320/DSC_0831.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548110088099898978" /></a><br /><div>In addition to exchanging ornaments with me, Vonna also finished a few stockings for me. I've shared pictures of them before but here they are in all of their finished glory. Both were designed by Joan Elliot as part of her annual series in the Cross Stitcher. Now I just need to stitch one for our daughter.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TP7YuTtSGmI/AAAAAAAAApk/iGTb9n4On-s/s1600/DSC_0907.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TP7YuTtSGmI/AAAAAAAAApk/iGTb9n4On-s/s320/DSC_0907.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548110081042815586" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Hubby's stocking</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TP7Yt5B3QoI/AAAAAAAAApc/ScJ-vA8VxC8/s1600/DSC_0908.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TP7Yt5B3QoI/AAAAAAAAApc/ScJ-vA8VxC8/s320/DSC_0908.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548110073881379458" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">My stocking</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I currently have three things that are in progress: a birthday present for my sister in law (that I need to finish the beading on which is why it's still in progress), my sister's wedding sampler (that needs to be finish in Feb) and the third of LHN's ornaments from this year. I stitched the first two over one but am thinking that it takes me a long time to finish them stitching over one so I might just start over and stitch them on high count over two. Let me know what you think. I hope you are all having a wonderful December! God Bless!</div>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-15471853878651655942010-12-07T19:56:00.001-05:002010-12-07T19:57:57.204-05:00DPP - Day 7<div>Our mantel :)</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TP7X7T5jX_I/AAAAAAAAApU/a9NcxhicJV0/s1600/DSC_0909.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TP7X7T5jX_I/AAAAAAAAApU/a9NcxhicJV0/s320/DSC_0909.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548109204920950770" /></a>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-46796247892252214412010-12-07T08:00:00.002-05:002010-12-07T08:00:08.319-05:00Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without ...<div align="center"><strong><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:180%;">LOVE!</span></strong></div><br />There could be so many answers to this topic, but Christmas is still Christmas even without many of the traditions that I have come to love and expect. As a military member and spouse, it is not uncommon to be separated from family during the Christmas season. Some of my favorite traditions are decorating sugar cookies with my sister, opening presents on Christmas Eve, going to Christmas Eve services at church, reading all of our Christmas books and so many other things. However, those don't make Christmas what it is. Christmas is about love ... love for our family and our friends, our neighbors and others around us. Not to mention, the greatest love of all ... God who came to earth as a little baby to redeem us from our sins. This season celebrates his birth. Jesus took on the trappings of human form to be savior for us all. Remember this Christmas, whether you are surrounded by family or separated by time and distance, God's love is greater than any thing else.<br /><br /><br /><em>This post is part of the </em><a href="http://www.wivesoffaith.org/"><em>Wives of Faith</em></a> <em>Christmas Carnival</em>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-39634453859048021922010-12-06T19:14:00.002-05:002010-12-06T19:15:39.750-05:00DPP - Day 6Playing with Momma's cover :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TP18l23VpEI/AAAAAAAAApM/18vy9qRYmbA/s1600/DSC_0877.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TP18l23VpEI/AAAAAAAAApM/18vy9qRYmbA/s320/DSC_0877.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547727305814942786" /></a>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-30581154061846768812010-12-06T08:00:00.009-05:002010-12-06T08:00:03.745-05:00My Favorite Christmas DecorationThis week I am participating in the <a href="http://www.wivesoffaith.org/">Wives of Faith</a> Christmas Blog Carnival. The first topic is to describe our favorite Christmas tree ornament or Christmas Decoration. I don't know that I can pick a favoritee Christmas tree ornament. That is one tradition that I loved growing up and have continued since moving away from home. Every year, my mom got my sister and I an ornament for Christmas. We collected other ornaments as well through the years so we both had a significant ornament collection when we moved out of the house. I love the memories associated with each ornament. Some I don't remember the exact years that we received them, but I could tell you most of the ones that were our yearly ornament. I still continue to get an ornament every year for our family and started to do the same for my daughter this year. Here are our ornaments for 2010:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TPg2MvPbiTI/AAAAAAAAAok/WCQbvSzzOO4/s1600/DSC_0824.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TPg2MvPbiTI/AAAAAAAAAok/WCQbvSzzOO4/s320/DSC_0824.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546242533574281522" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Caitlyn's First Christmas Ornament</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TPg2MQvdKTI/AAAAAAAAAoc/6ZW8Gm4rc3Y/s1600/DSC_0825.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TPg2MQvdKTI/AAAAAAAAAoc/6ZW8Gm4rc3Y/s320/DSC_0825.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546242525387106610" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">The Family Ornament for 2010</div><br />Since we have so many ornaments it is hard to pick a favorite one. So in addition to telling about our ornament tradition, I will talk about my favorite Christmas decoration. My favorite Christmas decoration is my Nativity. I have one of the Willow Tree Nativities, which was a Christmas present about five years ago. Setting up the Nativity is one of my favorite activities. In addition to it being a beautiful set, I also love it for its display of the reason for the season. It is not elaborate and has simple colors. It is hard for me to put into words how much it means to me. So instead I'll let a picture do the rest of the talking for me:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TPwnQWY07lI/AAAAAAAAApE/H_Hky1lSeas/s1600/DSC_0846.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TPwnQWY07lI/AAAAAAAAApE/H_Hky1lSeas/s320/DSC_0846.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547352002854710866" /></a>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838565498613319321.post-12422713458034176172010-12-05T18:45:00.002-05:002010-12-05T18:56:13.172-05:00DPP - Day 5<div>Sneaking a peak through the door before getting little one dressed for church.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TPwmcYP_B0I/AAAAAAAAAo8/ZFpcVGGlucY/s1600/DSC_0863.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FBfK-84qBUM/TPwmcYP_B0I/AAAAAAAAAo8/ZFpcVGGlucY/s320/DSC_0863.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547351110001297218" /></a>Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08360314407439787462noreply@blogger.com0