Thursday, March 27, 2014

Spring Break Excitement



Ah, spring break!  I use the term "spring" loosely here since the first few days were icy and freezing!!  I was not off that week, but the kiddos and Branson were.  We usually don't plan any trips for spring break mainly because I try to save my days off for the summer.  Anyway, I did spend a day at home after I woke up with a migraine that made me sick to my stomach.

That day, we had a bit of excitement...our house was almost broken into.  It doesn't seem like that big of a deal now, now that more time has passed, but I was terrified.  I kind of pride myself of being pretty tough, take-charge-in-the-face-of-danger kind of person, but you honestly do not know how you will react in that situation until you're there.

Around 10:30 ish in the morning, the girls were watching cartoons (did I mention it was FREEZING outside??) and I was in my sewing room, petting fabric, trying to feel better.  Dayna was heading to a b-day party around noon, so Branson was out getting a gift card and running a few errands.  Two men pulled into the drive way, one got out and came to the front door.  Mind you, the girls and I are in pj's, the lamps are on because it was so overcast/dark outside, and the TV was on.  One guy rattled the front windows a few times, I'm guessing checking for a dog? or to see if someone would come to the door?  I don't go to the door for people I don't know, especially in my pj's!  Anyway, he got back in his car and they left.

A few minutes later, they came back, backing their car into the driveway.  I told the girls to go to the bathroom and lock the door, keep quiet, do NOT come out for any reason.  Honestly, I wanted to hide in there too!!  I ran back to the window in our laundry room, saw the back of the car, and ran to the counter to write down the license plate number.  I have no idea what made me do that.  I called Branson at this point, told him I thought someone was trying to break in and he told me to get off the phone and call the police!  Well, sure, DUH!  Before I could dial, I heard the screen of my back kitchen window being cut by a box-cutter.  My stomach dropped.  I went to the kitchen drawer and got out the only weapon I could think of....my Pampered Chef meat lifters.  Those suckers are heavy and look like mini pitchforks.  I went right up to the window he was trying to get into and screamed "I'm calling the police!!!"  Thankfully, it scared the crap out of him and his buddy and they ran.  I don't know how I had the seconds that I had, he should have broken the window by the time I got there.  Maybe he was taking his time, trying to be quiet, or maybe he thought he heard me talking?  I don't know, but THANK GOD he stopped trying to come in.  He is a lucky guy too....because that meat lifter was ready to sink into his chest.



I called the police after I yelled and they got to my house in a few minutes.  We have 2 deputies that live on our street which helped response time.  About the time they showed up, I remembered the girls.  I was so caught up in just keeping those guys out that I couldn't think about them.  They were so good!!  They stayed quiet, Emma took her kindle fire into the bathroom and was emailing her friends, which kind of cracks me up!  I don't think they really knew what was going on until they came out.  I am so proud of them!

I didn't cry until Branson got home, and only then I just got a bit hysterical......until I saw Dayna about to lose it.  She is a sympathetic crier and cries every. single. time she sees me cry, so I held it together.



Branson left the house with the girls, took Dayna to her party, and brought home a shotgun.  I didn't want to leave the house unattended, so I stayed behind.  Brave?  Nope, just didn't want my stuff getting stolen!  Cuz I just KNEW the first thing they would try to take was my sewing machine!! Or my OOP, HTF, VHTF collection of fabrics!  Here we are, a week later, and the criminals were arrested yesterday while trying to break into another house about 10 miles away, idiots.

The deputy in my neighborhood told us that bands of burglars have been really hitting our town hard.  LOTS of break-ins, random selection, different men but all connected together.  They are connecting with each other on Facebook, of all things, posting about what streets are good to hit, if people are home, etc.  They are selling the stolen goods on FB too, avoiding pawn shops, which makes catching them so much harder.  Our sheriff department has a few undercover deputies that have friended these people on FB and have been able to track their movements.  I'ts just crazy....stuff I had never even thought of until last week.

If you're still reading, sorry for the long post!! The only crafty photos I have for this post is to show what I was working on the rest of the day, after all the excitement...ruffled zipper pouches!  We are having a ladies meeting at church the first weekend in April and I have a vendor table....so I made about 35-40 pouches for the event!  I've got about a week left and still have so much to do, but super excited!




Friday, January 3, 2014

Groove is Finished!!

I finally finished the Groove quilt I started for the hubs about a year ago!! and just in time for Christmas!!  I forgot to post about this before the holidays, such a busy time.  Branson chose this pattern and the colors to match the San Diego Chargers...I'm convinced this is how they made it to the play offs this year...it's the ONLY way, for real.  We have stunk it up this season.  Anyway!  I loved making this quilt!


The only thing about this pattern is that each size is oversized, which is plainly stated on the patter, but I had no idea the size would be such an issue with piecing the backing, quilting, wrangling that thing through a machine.  I ended up quilting it on a long-arm machine at a local quilt shop.  It was my first experience and I loved it!  My next big purchase, when I hit the lotto, is to buy one!


Thanks for letting me share!

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Hello 2014!!

I have been thinking about 2013 for the last few days, trying to wrap my head around all of the wonderful things that have happened this year.  I am so utterly thankful for every part of my life, the good and the bad. I just wanted to write these down, as a way to look back.

Things I learned in 2013:

I'm so much stronger than I thought I was
I am okay with people not liking me, even when it hurts like nothing else
That people deserve second chances
That I really love my kids, even when they drive me up a wall and I feel at a loss at what I'm doing as a parent.  But you keep trying, keep trying, keep trying until you figure things out
That I really love my husband, more today than when we first met.  And 15 years of marriage just isn't enough.
I've learned that my sister and I can see each other every single day and still not run out of things to talk about.  I am so thankful she lives so close and works with me every day.
That praying for and wanting something so badly doesn't make it happen and that I need to be content and patient, even if God says no.
That relationships can be mended

My goals for 2014:

To run a half marathon, come hell or high water :)
To lose the 70 lbs I committed to losing last year and only lost 15
To give more to others, putting my family first.  They usually take a back seat to other committments

2014, you are going to be an amazing year!!