Late night visit but A FINISH!!

This is a two sided ornament I did for an exchange. I am now off to bed but wanted to post it before I went to sleep.

Night Night

This one made me cry

A Different Christmas Poem
The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,

I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.

My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,

My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,

Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,

Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.


My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,

Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.

In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,

So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.


The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,

But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.

Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the

sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.


My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,

And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,

A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.


A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,

Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.

Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,

Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.


"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,

"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!


Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,

You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"


For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,

Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..

To the window that danced with a warm fire's light

Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,


I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."

"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,

That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,


I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,"

Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."


My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',

And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,

But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.


Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,

The red, white, and blue... an American flag.

I can live through the cold and the being alone,

Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,

I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.

I can carry the weight of killing another,

Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..

Who stand at the front against any and all,

To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,

Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."

"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,

"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?

It seems all too little for all that you've done,

For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,

"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.

To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,

To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,

To know you remember we fought and we bled.

Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,

That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."


PLEASE, Would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S.service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.

LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN

30t h Naval Construction Regiment

OIC, Logistics Cell One

Al Taqqadum , Iraq.

Stitching the nights away....

So the holidays are coming and stress levels are high and I've been stitching the evenings/nights away. However I can't post anything cause I have finished anything(lol) and everything is a gift that could be seen here by the person getting it. So no pictures. I did start the big zip for me and can't wait until January to start wooded wingding or whatever it is called. Stitches just called and told me my thread was in so I can start Frank's present now. How many stitching days till Christmas??? Not nearly enough....
This week has been difficult for some reason. Lots of headaches but I am calling a new doctor tomorrow and getting an appointment. Hopefully they will be able to get me back on a feeling good road in 2008.
I am looking for a New Year's chart but I can't find one I like much..suggestions?

I LOVE the mailman!!

But only cause he brought me stash and a book. Today's mail was wonderful. I got a book from pbs which is A Stranger for Christmas. From ebay auctions I got Mother of Boys and Baby Shoes(can NOT wait to start this.) Plus from Stitches 'N Things I got

snowman zipper bag
cards to figure out where to start a project...these
http://tinyurl.com/33vyhe

thread straighteners
Bent Creek The Big Zipper and 2 next charts

Plus a couple freebie charts.

So all and all a good mail day for the day before my birthday...lol!

Happiness is....

I almost lost my mom this summer. I was no where near ready. She had been living alone and falling alot. She ended up in the hospital and nearly died. She was placed in a nursing home and then assisted living. It was the HARDEST decision my family had to make. This is a picture of mom from the assisted living November newsletter. She looks like a new woman and I don't know the last time I saw her making cookies. My sister was kind enough to send me this picture and it made my day. I am still hundreds of miles away from her but sleep so much better know she is doing well.

I had a trip to the stitch shop as well today to pick up things for exchanges and my snowman thing(winged wordling)which also made me happy.

My son told me tonight that he wouldn't trade me for anybody else in the world(big praise coming for an almost 8 year old)

A client told me tonight that I really made a difference in her life and she has taken positive steps to improve things.

All in all, I am very happy tonight and pleased that I now get to go stitch!

Is it really almost Monday?

So this weekend went fast. I really miss Frank and we are only halfway from last visit to Thanksgiving. What am I going to do when he goes to Afghanistan? On that note, he is going to try and request to leave in March so he will be back in the fall for the holidays. So today I got some work done, cleaned, did laundry, etc etc and now at whatever time it is I am still up. I started his Christmas present tonight but of course I can't say anything..he may be reading...lol! So far it looks cool. The best news is tomorrow evening I get to go stitching and Matthew asked me today when Nov. 5 was. When I answered tomorrow, he replied "Great I get to go back to that lady's house!" So hopefully it will go well. Keep your fingers and anything else crossed..lol!
This week will be busy with work. On Monday, 2 clients; on Tuesday, nurse meeting; Wednesday, 3 clients; Thursday, 3 clients and Friday only 1 client but I am doing a ride along and M is off school. Friday night will be kids night out at gymnastics and I will need it by then..lol! Frank may be home next weekend but I doubt it. It is Veterans Day so he may have a long weekend. At this point though he doesn't have a plane ticket and getting one this close would be expensive. But to do the 7 hour drive for a few days isn't worth it either.
Well I am off to read for a while and then to sleep..oh watch Desperate Housewives I taped earlier as well.

Have a WONDERFUL week!

A FINISH!!!

I finished the dump truck tonight. It will fly off to Australia tomorrow if I can get to the post office. If not, Monday. I didn't do too bad as I wanted to finish it by 11/1 and on 11/3 about 1am it was done. I hope the little guy I made it for likes it.

Now on to stitch something else....but which one waiting in the wings?

The last 24 hours

I am SUCH an puter idiot! We have 2 printers and last night I was cussing at the one. It all started cause I wanted to print The Gift of Stitching magazine in color. One printer is laser and black and white, the other is a regular printer and will print in color. I tried for hours to get that thing to print without success. Finally I basicly threw everything off my desk, turned the printer around and plugged it into a different place. Amazing it worked. So then I went to bed. I did work on my dump truck some. Did not sleep much cause Matthew was coughing. This am, he was exhausted and not feeling well. I kept him home and took him to the doctor. He has a sinus infection. At least he is now on amox and will get better. He is also very crabby! We then stopped by my work cause I had agreed to do a special project over the weekend to earn extra money. I can do it here at home while watching tv..lol! Now we are home and I am stuffy with a headache. Hope M is not sharing his bugs with me. Plans for tonight are very low key...plan to (hopefully)finish the dump truck and relaxing. I will post a pic when it is finished.

Hugs!