Again, its been ages since I've updated my blog. Life has been a total mess, but it started with a lovely and fascinating vacation. Our trip to Branson, MO.
We left fairly early on Tuesday morning, and headed out. I felt like I had overpacked but guess what? I think my Mom packed even more. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel for lunch, which was a lot of fun. I always enjoy that place. Not long after we got back on the road, we got a phone call from Mom and Dad, they were stopping at a Cracker Barrel for lunch in Effingham. Great minds and all that, eh? They had come from Michigan, us from Indiana so they were nearly caught up to us by St. Louis. We met up just outside of Springfield and by then, it was time for dinner. We headed for Lamberts, the Home of Throwed Rolls. That was a real hoot and the food was just excellent. Then, on to Branson.
It seemed like the further we drove, the more out in the boondocks we were. Around and around, and suddenly, there it was, all laid out beneath us, like a jewel. All bright lights. We checked in to our motel, Comfort Inn West, unpacked and collapsed. Okay, hubby collapsed, I got my stitching out and worked on LHN Prairie Moon. By the time I had threaded up a needle, hubby was sleeping and snoring to beat the band, so I didn't stitch long.
It was a great vacation. We saw several shows, hit all the Outlet Malls, ate at fantastic places, and I found the stitching store. We kept on the run the entire time, going, seeing and doing as much as we could in the time we had. The most fantastic show had to be the Shoji Tabuchi show. (hope I didn't butcher the spelling of his name). Shoji is Asian, a brilliant violinist who fell in love with country music at age 18. His show was the best we saw. But even before the show started, we were amazed. The rest rooms were palatial. I heard, but didn't see, that the Men's Room had a pool table in it. The Ladies Room was like something out of a dream. All the stalls had solid wood doors that went to the floor, so once you were inside, you had total privacy. The wash room was a separate room, with about 10 separate sinks, with mirrors over the area, wall sconces with lovely clear and lavender crystals hanging from the bottom, and each "vanity" had a vase with an orchid on it. Over the entire room was a huge crystal chandelier, clear and lavender colors, matching the wall sconces. A burning fireplace at one end and at the other end, a pretty stained glass table, with an under light that warmed the glass, and made it glow. The show was almost anti-climactic. I'll try and post a few pictures of this room.
Another really lovely "show" we went to was on the Branson Belle. It's a huge paddle wheel boat where we had lunch and saw a show. The food was good, but the show was way better. And the day we went aboard was my Dad's birthday.
I got really tired of shopping the outlet malls but we had a good time, brought back gifts for all the kids and grandkids, and I found the cross stitch store. It's called Cecelia's Samplers and its a really cute shop. Okay, yes, I bought stash--and my Mom bought me some too. I got several LHN charts, a piece of fabric for one of the charts, 3 small kits for my daughter in law and two granddaughters, a cute pair of swan scissors, 10 skeins of Belle Soie silk by Crescent colors, and a few other things. At Cecelia's, they give you freebies with every purchase--not just freebie charts but little gifts, a tape measure, a calendar, a ruler, etc. I liked the place so much, we went back again before leaving town.
We bid a good night and good trip to the parents the night before. They were headed to Alabama for another few days of vacation, and we headed home. We took our time, but this trip, stopped at Steak and Shake for both our meals before getting home. The dog was happy to see us, the cat acted miffed that we'd been gone so long. And since we did get home on Saturday, dh had Sunday to rest up before hitting the road again. Then came the shocker of the century.
Did I say shocker? It was worse than that. Dh called in for his dispatch and was told that since he showed such a lack of concern over his job by taking a vacation after only 4 months, (even though he gave them a two week notice--who can say no to a paid vacation?) that he could find another job. He obviously didn't think the company was very important. What a total jackass!
Which brings me to why I haven't updated for ages. Dh has been home, or had been, for over a month, trying to find a new job. Of course, it had to happen this close to Christmas. It was almost like the boss used this as an excuse to get rid of dh--he was working too hard and making too much money. I'd sure love to give that man a piece of my mind. Last week, dh spent it taking a class on tankers, and is now back to work but we have no idea when first paycheck will arrive. It's not a happy household right now. I keep thinking, if we had known ahead of time, we could have saved all the money we spent in Branson. But on the other hand, it was our first ever vacation, we had a great time, made a lot of memories, and how do you put a price on that? I also got to spend Dad's birthday with him. If its true that what goes around, comes around, Dan had better watch out. I see a lot of bad Karma in that man's future.
Thanksgiving was great, we all ate too much, we have a lot of leftovers but the dh is home, the kids have gone off to their respective homes, the animals are sleeping, and so is dh. Guess I should apologize for my bitter feelings expressed, and for taking so long to update. I need to get back to my stitching, I have a Christmas exchange that needs mailing out real soon, several things that need to be stitched for gifts (I'm doing the Lady Scarlet's Secret Garden for my dil, and a scissor fob and pincushion for a granddaughter) but I really want to get back to Prairie Moon. I'm almost done and its being stitched with Belle Soie. I can't say enough good about this silk floss. It's absolutely the best silk I've ever stitched with, covers great, beautiful colors, and it feels so soft--doesn't get fuzzy either. If anyone has a conversion chart, Crescent colors to Belle Soie, please let me know.
Enough rambling. Off to stitch. I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving, or a really lovely Thursday.
