Jingle, Sparkle, Joy Update & Other News

Last week, I sorta fizzled out on stitching, so I didn't get much accomplished from Wednesday to Friday. I did pick this back up yesterday and have gotten a bit more stitched on it. Here's my progress as of this morning. I hope to get a little bit more done before heading to work this afternoon.



I'm still planning on either tea bagging it or using coffee grounds on it once finished. I have no experience with either, so it'll be interesting to see what happens!

In other news, Mark & I will be heading south for Thanksgiving. We've not seen my family for over a year now, we usually make at least 1 visit to them a year, and my 96-year old grandmother isn't doing so well. This will be our first long trip since Mark's accident last October, so it'll be interesting. Should be a great visit, though. We'll get to meet my cousin's wife and little baby. They've been married for a few years and their baby was born just before Hurricane Ike hit on the Texas coast. I'm hoping to see a few of my other cousins as well. It's been many years since we've all been together. Our plan is to head out this coming Saturday and return next Saturday. That will give me Sunday to do laundry and rest from our trip. We'll be traveling with the kitties, who always do great in the car. They have beds and stuff at my dad's so it'll be like a home away from home for them. Of course, Callie will hang out in the closet on the mound of blankets and Hannah will be scouting out the house and seeing what kind of trouble she can get into! Should be a fun visit.

We'll also talk with my dad about moving up here with us. He brought the subject up last week, which freaked me out, but if he's open to it, we'll be glad to have him in our home. He's in his mid-70s, has some health issues, but I think his major issue is loneliness. There are lots of things to take into consideration, mainly leaving a lifetime of familiarity behind and unloading the house he's lived in since 1972, not to mention other family members. Thankfully, it's not a decision that has to be made immediately. I think in the spring, we'll bring him up here to visit for a couple of weeks so he can decide if he really wants to move. I think he's ready for a change and some company. Seems like life is all about change.