And the winner is...

Thank you to all who left a message on my blog and on my Yahoo groups!
My niece drew a name and RANAE is the winner of a 13x18 piece of Expressions fabric from Silkweaver's.
Ranae, I have sent you a private e-mail from my dwooleybooger address. Please e-mail me with your choice of count, fabric and color and I will in turn send your fabric to you!
Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Lunch with friends and a pic of my honeybuns!

Today we had a potluck at work. Good friends, who just happen to be co-workers, met to break bread in the office.
The food was great!



The laughter was even better! Here are some of my friends:
Stephanie, who always looks so put together and today had a beautiful cashmere scarf on:

Dawn & Kristin, who are two peas in a pod!

Janet & Deb, who brought most of the laughter to the room. And Deb brought most of the food! The girl can cook!

And then here is a pic of Deb and her son Kirk. I found out SOOOO many secrets about Debra from her son today. It was great!

My boss Jim, who is more like a father to me, and his beautiful prayer warrior wife, Elda. Seriously, when I was in the hospital the last time, I physically felt Elda praying for me!

And then there is Will. Have you seen his pic on America's most wanted? I am sure it probably is there. If so, contact me and we will share the reward. Just kidding Will!

And last but not least, my husband James was not able to be at the lunch, but this picture was so good I just had to share it. He is my honeybuns! Love you James, better than bread and butter!

All in all, a great time was had by everyone and our tummies were full and our smiles were wide!

The family and some stitching

Today our whole "local" family went out to lunch to celebrate my BIL birthday. Mom, my 2 nieces & one's bf and my sis & BIL and my husband and I. We started at Texas Roadhouse, but they were too full for a table of 8 so we ended up at Logan's. The food was really good and the company was even better. Here is a rare group photo of us all:

One of our local firefighters was killed by his son this past week. It was terribly sad.
My mom has a lifeline button and so when she falls & I can't get her up, the station this firefighter was at is the group that comes and helps her. This particular firefighter was always so nice to Mom and even remembered her name when he would come out.
After his death I spoke to the fire chief about how sad we were at his loss. The local TV station got word of that and asked that Mom & I do an interview for the news.
You can see the interview at KWTX.com and then look on the right side where it says video. We are the one that says "Waco residents remember"
And finally I have started stitching again. I am working on a square for my SFAC project. Here is a picture of the start:

All in all it has been a nice weekend. The weather has been wonderful. Maybe this means the week will get off to a good start. Hope your weekend has been great and your week is even better!

Thank you to all the Veterans

I want to take a moment to personally say thank you to all the veterans and all the military personnel and their families for the job they do (and have done) in keeping us safe and living in the best country in the world.
My dad was a veteran. He hurt his back in Korea and always walked hunched over as long as I can remember. I had just been born when he returned from overseas in a body cast. He was my hero in many, many ways and his being a veteran was one of them.
My boss Jim served in Vietnam. He was a Navy pilot. That took a toll on his back also. Many days I see him in pain even now for what he did for our country. And unlike the soldiers that return to the US now, he wasn't greeted with parades and people cheering. Like this war now, many people disagreed with us being there. But unlike now, they couldn't support our soldiers without supporting the war. Thank you Jim for all you did for our country!
Our Community Relations Director, Keith served in the military and while I don't know exactly what he did, I am thankful he served and helped keep us safe.
And we have two fine phlebotomists, Billy and Eddriel, who have served recently. Billy is going back in March and it will a big void when he leaves. Thank you to you two for what you have done and what you will do for us.

Another crisis and another outpouring of support

I have been in blood banking going on 20 years now. I love my job. I love the fact that I am making a difference each day.
But when a crisis happens in our community, it is the outpouring of blood donors to support those victims that gets me through the crisis.
I first witnessed this years ago during the raid on the Branch Davidian compound here close to Waco. When I saw on TV the officers being shot at I immediately called our blood center to see how many units of blood we were shipping to the hospital. And as the scheduling coordinator for staff, I knew my next thing was to mobilize all our collection staff to have them come in on that Sunday to help collect blood for the emergency.
Imagine my surprise when I arrived at the donor center before the doors were even open and saw over 100 people there. They continued coming until the compound burned down, even though they were aware that no one was using blood after the first initial strike.
I saw this happen again and again. The Oklahoma City bombing, when we went to war during Bush, Sr. presidency, after a Class 5 tornado and of course when the Twin Towers were struck.
On Thursday, when the largest military base, Ft. Hood, that is just 45 minutes from here, was attacked by an armed gunman I saw it happen again.
Thursday evening we saw about 120 donors. And again yesterday we saw over 100. We sent out 190 units in the first day. Every one of our blood drives all over our territory are seeing an increase in blood donors. So much so that at this time we are asking folks to wait a couple of weeks to donate more.
Why do these donors come out during these tragedies? I mean, if you look at the big picture, there is a tragedy happening somewhere every minute. Someone needs blood every 3 seconds. It could be a surgery patient, a cancer patient, an accident victim. And the truth of the matter for those big tragedies is that if someone hadn't donated blood BEFORE it happened, there wouldn't be blood to save those lives WHEN it happens.
Here is my thought (and you know I have lots of thoughts!): People need to do something PHYSICAL when a tragedy happens. They can pray, they can cry, they can wring their hands, but for a healing to occur in a community, they have to do something that comes directly from them. Like donating food for a food shortage, donating blood during this time makes them feel a part of them has actually become a part of the victims. And that they have really made a difference.
If you ever witness one of these type blood drives (and I pray that you don't!) you will see the emotions on the faces of the donors. And if you stuck around after the doors close, you will see the emotions on the faces of the staff. And it is at that time a healing begins. Emotional wounds are healed during a blood drive.
The one thing that each blood donation center would like to be able to get across to donors is that they can be a part of a healing everyday. Those patients in the hospital needing lifesaving blood may not have been the victim of a gun welding insane man, but they are victims none the less. Victims of illness, victims of accidents, victims of violence.
And they need you, everyday. When you donate blood, try to imagine your neighbor, your child, your spouse as the one needing that donation. Because you never know who is the face on that blood bag.
As the holidays approach, donations drop. And after an outpouring of support like we have just seen, during the weeks after donations drop.
We need donors. Just not today, but everyday. We need you in the weeks to come.
Give blood. Often. You can make such a difference. You can be a part of healing, a part of something great!

November

Well, November kicked off with a bang. I have felt really bad for several days. No fever, coughing or runny nose, but plenty of general achiness, sore throat and ear ache.
Feels like the flu, but with no fever or coughing.
But right now, I feel better. Just a sore throat and a slight headache.
I started a new SFAC project. It is always so exciting to start a new project to raise money for cancer patients.
And now I need to start a ornament for an exchange party I have here. But what to do, what to do?!
I guess I will dig through my patterns and fabric and decide. And probably look online and find a new pattern and then rush to get it done. This year I just can't seem to get into the whole "holiday" thing. Usually by now I am planning for Thanksgiving and Christmas. But Thanksgiving is less than a month a way and I don't have a clue what we are doing.
And Christmas? I haven't bought a single present and have no idea what my grandsons even want. All I know is that they will be here the day after Christmas and will stay with us for a week by themselves. I know they want to go bowling and the oldest wants to make a snowflake craft of some sort.
How are you all doing on your holiday plans? Anyone else in this same sort of standstill that I am in?

Happy Halloweenie!

Just wanted to wish all of you a Happy Halloweenie!
Whether you are trick or treating with little ones or going to an adult party please have a simply marvie time but also be safe out there!
And don't forget for those of us in the States, we get an extra hour of sleep on Sunday due to the clocks rolling back for a hour.
So party til the cows come home. You have an extra hour to catch up on those zzz's!
BOO!
PS: Check out my SFAC blog for a new project! Click on the link on my right sidebar!

A night to remember

Last night was Relay For Life. If you have been following my Stitching For A Cure blog, go over there and see all the pictures of the tree. Quite spectacular.
Relay is a fundraiser for American Cancer Society.
Every year I go to Relay I get inspired to go back out into my world and make a difference. Since most blood collected is used by cancer patients and I am in the blood "business", cancer touches my life almost daily.
And I am a 23 year cancer survivor.
This year I participated in the survivor lap. I never thought of myself as a survivor since I didn't have to undergo the chemo, radiation, etc. that most patients have to go through. And since it was so long ago, I hardly think about it.
But last night, WOW! There were 450 survivors that made the first lap. Everyone else goes to the sides of the track to cheer them on, give them high 5's and clap.
As I write this I still get chills. The support for those who have fought the battle and won or are still fighting is AMAZING.



This year I had my daughter and two grandsons with me. It was wonderful. We also had a team there.
I danced with my grandsons while there. Here are some pics of Craig & I. It was so much fun to dance with them!


I also had the opportunity to speak before the crowd and to announce the winner of our annual blood drive challenge. This was wonderful! Over a thousand people heard the message that blood donors were needed to help in patients' cancer treatments.

And finally, this is what we gave those in the midst of their battle:

It was a night to remember!

The Boys Are Back In Town

Have you seen this pattern?

It is by Just Another Button Company and is free with the purchase of the button pack. It can be found at several ONS or at your local shop. Just too cute!
Next Friday is Relay and is the debut of the tree. If you don't know what I am talking about you must be living in outer space because it has consumed me for the past year. Check out my SFAC blog link located on the right side of my blog for my final countdown.
I have committed to another Relay For Life at the end of April. I am going to do a quilt and will be offering up squares on my SFAC blog for anyone who wants to stitch one of nine squares. Check it out in November for details.
As for me, I am holding on. My MIL is doing better, but still has not been able to get any real financial help. SSI is still pending and food stamps said since she worked some last month she is not eligible for emergency food stamps. Crazy. She didn't earn enough before she got sick to hardly make a living and they want to deny her now?
My DD and grandsons are coming next weekend to help me with Relay. I can't wait to see them. I told the oldest I was going to give him lots of wet kisses. He hesitated and I said "how about a big hug instead?" That seemed acceptable to him. He is 7 and the other one is 5. Soon they won't want hugs or kisses at all. They grow up so, so fast!
Hope this fall is finding you all well. Thank you for following my little blog!

Blogversary

I can't believe it has been a year, but on Oct. 6 I started this blog. Wasn't sure what I would say and if anyone would care to read what I had to say.
Out of this blog has came the biggest volunteer project of my life, Stitching for a Cure.
I have met some wonderful friends along the way. Friends I wouldn't know if it weren't for this blog.
Along the way I learned about Yahoo groups and Facebook. I learned about ways to finish ornies and flatfolds. I learned about Carrie's threads and hand dying your fabrics.
I have shared stories with you and you have laughed and cried with me. I have shared photos of my stitching and my family.
Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for reading my blog. Here is to many, many more years of sharing friendships along the way!

Lunch with the family

Today my oldest niece came into town. She is out of town finishing her degree. My sis, 2 nieces, Mom & I had lunch out. It was a good time for all and a good time for photos. Mom looked beautiful as always.



I can't believe how fast these girls are growing. The oldest will be 21 in December and the youngest will be 14 in August. Unreal.
For all of you who wished good thoughts to my MIL, I am happy to report she is doing better. She is at home with some help. We are still working on financial stuff for her, but at least she is home. Thanks for all the prayers and good thoughts.

The perils of falling

My mother in law fell last night. She broke her hip in two places and had to have surgery today to put a rod in it.
She went to answer the door, looked out the peep hole and didn't recognize the person, jumped back and tripped over a fan. I don't know how long she was in the floor before her landlord heard her and broke in the door to get to her.
I think this is everyone who lives alone nightmare. I don't live alone, but I do have a fear of falling and breaking something. My MIL is only 59.
She has no insurance and is going to be out of work for several weeks. She has no savings or a 401K to fall back on.
I worry daily about my own sweet mother falling. And she does, but she has learned over the years how to fall. And she has LifeLine, which calls for help if she falls or any other emergency.
If you are a praying person, I ask for prayers for my MIL. Thanks.

Hot Lips lives on

I can't believe it. Hot Lips has bloomed again. I saw the beginnings of buds on a really thin stem but thought there was no way it would really bloom again.
And we have had so much rain the past week that any possible hope I felt had been washed away.
But today she bloomed and has another bud waiting to open, possibly tomorrow. The stem is so thin that the bloom just droops way down. And the blossom isn't quite as spectacular as in the summer. But still, it is a beautiful blossom.
I think probably this is the end of her season. I am going to split the plant into two, but I have to wait until I am REALLY sure she is through for the year. Who knows, that might be February!

For the love of stitching and a little baby

Well Folks, I am stitching again. It seems like ages since I have had the desire to stitch. Perhaps it is all the frantic stitching I did for my Stitching for a Cure project.
Speaking of Stitching for Cure, we are coming down to the home stretch. Check out my blog, Stitching For A Cure tomorrow for some news!
So what got me stitching again? A tiny little baby. One that has already been through more in the 14 days he has been on this earth than most of us would through in a lifetime.
I am stitching a little block that has a flamingo design on it for a quilt that will be given to this little angel. I have a short deadline, so I must get back to stitching. If any of you would like to know more about this little one, go here
I want to thank each of you for your encouragement to me during this stitching hiatus!

New Pictures & my niece's graduation

Monday night my Mom & I attended my oldest niece's graduation. It is hard to believe she has now been in college for 2 years. Seems like just the other day she was 2 and telling me "I don't yike you, I don't yove you, yeeve me alone Aunt Donna Wooyee". Which would then be followed by me instantly grabbing her and hugging her.
My sister (her mother) was there of course as were members of her father's family. It was good to see them all.
I don't have a picture of the graduate, but here are a couple of pics. One is of my Mom & I and one is of my sister, my Mom & I.


Doesn't Mom look beautiful? I haven't seen her in that dress since my wedding nearly 5 years ago. She wanted to dress nice for her granddaughter's graduation ceremony. And boy did she!
Congratulations Ms. Sabrina! You dun good!

An honorable company

Ok I know you heard about KFC where they go onto Oprah and offer a free coupon for a free grilled chicken meal. Then they say "whoa" we will go broke if we give all these people who saw this and printed this coupon off a free meal. So they offered something to appease the customers.
But what were they thinking? I mean it was Oprah for freaking sake.
Then the other day Best Buy mistakenly offers a TV for $9.99. Several people actually purchased it through their website. Paid for it. Then, whoops, we made a mistake and we are refunding your money.
These companies leave a bad taste in your mouth. I understand business. And I understand that in this economy to actually make good on that promise is hard. But how many potential customers did they lose by going back on their word.
I didn't print the KFC coupon, but when I drive by there, it is one of the first thoughts I have when I see the place.
Tonight I was shopping on a clothing site for large women called Roaman's. They have the slacks, the jeans and the underwear I like to wear.
I had a promo coupon for free shipping. And my jeans were buy one pair, get the next pair free.
So I thought I would through in a package of underwear. $32.00 for 10 pair. And then I saw it. In red print, BUY ONE PACKAGE, GET ONE FREE.
Wow! 2 pairs of jeans and 2 packages of underwear for the price of one each and free shipping??? I, being the bargain clothes shopper that I am, had hit the mother lode.
But when I moved the underwear to my shopping cart, it wasn't giving it to me for free. Oh no.
So I called them. A nice young man named Steve helped me. I told him my problem. He said they weren't buy one get one free but to hold on for a minute. He came back to the phone and said they were going to honor the price. He took my order and put it on hold.
Monday morning the customer service dept. (after I call them) will take care of fixing the problem.
A company that honors it's promises. That is something. You can bet I will shop with them again. And you can bet I will tell all my large size friends about it, just like I am doing on this blog.
Good customer service. A thing of the past? Maybe not!

Oh Christmas tree...

It is hotter than Hades here in Texas. Today it was a mere 101 degrees, with a heat index (whatever that is) of 106 degrees. Too hot to go out, too hot to do anything but complain about the heat.
But here I am in my air conditioned house (thanks again Mom & Brenda for fixing it). And I am in my favorite Christmas t-shirt. Yes t-shirt. Here in Texas you can wear a short sleeve t-shirt with penguins and snow flakes and Christmas wreaths on it at Christmas time because we only have one day of winter and that is on January 26th or February 2nd depending on when I have scheduled a pedicure that I have to wear sandals to.
You may also ask why I would be wearing a Christmas shirt in July. Two reasons. One is that the thought of cooler weather makes me think of Christmas and the second is that this is Saturday, the day before laundry day and this is what I have to wear around the house. Really, it is just a comfortable shirt that I enjoy wearing around my house.
But back to Christmas. It dawned on me that this is August. A week into August, nearly half the month has passed. Soon it will be September, then October, then November and THEN! December! And Christmas will be here.
Now actually my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. It is the start of the "holiday" season and before I get tired of Jingle Bells and a thousand decorated trees. It is a time to reflect on family and giving thanks for what God has given us. Cooler weather is here and there is a Christian group that has a children's festival every year the weekend of Thanksgiving that I love to go to.
So for all of you that are going through the dog days of summer here is a thought:
THERE ARE ONLY 10 MORE PAYDAYS (if you get paid every 2 weeks like me)UNTIL CHRISTMAS!
Have a good weekend. As for me, where is that fan???

New hair

I told you that the gray streak would be disappearing from the middle of my head. And yesterday it did. Then today my daughter went blond!
So here is a picture of my daughter, Jen and I with our new hair!

This has been a fun week! The boys went to VBS each morning and Jen and I hung out. Then in the afternoons we went out and about, bowling, swimming, movies, all sorts of things!
Tonight is the VBS carnival and then tomorrow they will all be gone. Whew! I will be ready for another vacation to recoup from this vacation!
Just kidding. I will miss the little boogers until their next trip here.

Having fun with family

I started my vacation at 12:01pm on Friday. My mom went to a Mary Kay party with her hairdressers and my husband was out on the road on Friday night so I had the house all to myself for a couple of hours. First time in I don't know how long!
Then my dd and her husband (and of course my 2 grandsons) arrived at 10:00pm last night. Let the partying begin! We all got to bed around 1:00am and then were up at 7:00am to go to Austin to a Pizza Park.
This place is about one and a half hours from the house. We loaded up two cars with my mom, my dd & her husband, my grandsons, my husband and myself and off we went. The park has just about everything you want to do and more from putt putt, to go carts, to bumper boats and lazor tag and video games.
Here is a pic of the entire family before all the activities:

Now the gray streak that is going down the middle of my head will be going away this week.
My grandsons and DD are here for a week. My DH is also off most of the week. Our plans include the boys going to VBS every morning, and then all of us going to the movies, bowling, the spray park and then those that are brave enough, going on the slip and slide at the house in the evenings.
I don't think I will get much stitching in...

The Toy Society

I am a member of The Toy Society amongst other things. I say I am a member. I just did my first toy drop yesterday.
If you are not familiar with The Toy Society, here is the link: The Toy Society
Basically you make a toy and then place it out somewhere that someone will pick it up (hopefully a child that will fall in love with it!).
I did a hankie baby. Some of you might remember me asking for a pattern for hankie babies. Well after searching and not being able to make one from the directions, I purchased one on Etsy and then took it apart and made my own.


You place the toy in a ziploc bag with a note from TTS that explains everything along with a tag on the outside of the bag that says "Take me home. I'm Yours".
Then you "drop" the toy off somewhere and pray that someone picks it up.
Mine was picked up within the hour. I had a "spy" watching out for me.
Hopefully the person that picks it up will then send an e-mail to the Society (directions are in the bag) and I will know who got it.
Let me tell you something. This was about the most fun I have had in a lot of years. It was like being a secret Santa in July. My heart was beating and all day I wondered who picked up my toy.
To see what I dropped, go to the blog. It is about the second or third one down.
If you are a crafter, I encourage you to try this. It will make you smile and that my friends is a good thing!