Our Trip to Chicago Illinois!

Our Son's PIR , Boot Camp Graduation was on July 20, 2012. We drove to Great Lakes, Chicago Illinois.
It was a 13 hour drive to reach our destination. I could not wait to see our Son Patrick!
I was just imagining how handsome he would be in his Navy whites. The past two months seemed to drag and I could not believe the day had finally arrived that his graduation was finally here!
We saw many things along the drive, beautiful mountains, cows, barns, and even a hot air balloon!
I had ordered special ribbons for us to wear to our sons graduation that had his name and Division number on them..we wore them with pride! :)
Here is a slide show of our travels and pictures of the sailors during the ceremony..it was AMAZING! The sound of the marching and drums was so inspirational and emotional.

It was so wonderful seeing our son again..As they stood in formation...I tried so hard from the bleachers to spot my son. It was a sea of sailors all dressed in white! We finally spotted him..once I did, I felt the tears start to flow. I could not wait to wrap my arms around my son again.
Then, at the end of the ceremony, they announced "Now Hear This! , Now Hear This!, Liberty Call, Liberty Call!"
Everyone ran from the bleachers to find their Sailors!!
I found mine..............

It was so wonderful getting to hug my son again. I have missed him so much!! What a wonderful moment it was to see his handsome face again. :)
I would have traveled to the ends of the earth if I had to for his graduation day. We are so very proud of his accomplishments and the man he has grown up to be.
He was the cutest little boy, especially when he wore his little sailor outfits when he was younger...
here he is
Then and Now :)

 We only were able to spend one day with him..then he had to fly off for A school to his next location.
One day surely didn't seem like enough time to spend with him..but we are grateful that we had that one day. It was glorious.

 Looking forward to the next moments we get to share with our son.
Holding onto each and every moment we have in our hearts!!
I love you Patrick,
"The World"
Mom

I am a Sailors Mother

I Am A Sailors Mother

I am a Sailors mother; I sometimes march alone And yet I stand with many, trying to be strong.

You may not recognize me as you pass me on the street;
I may look like any other that you by chance might meet.

Like any mother, in a lot of ways I still remain, But watching my son become a Sailor brought a forever change.

For deep down inside where you cannot see
My own battle rages that’s as real as it can be.

It starts with feeling pride in all he has become, But often worry creeps in before the day is done.

Then there is his absence that never will seem right -
The days without a word that causes many sleepless nights.

And at the sight of another Sailor, my heart skips a beat,
For it reminds me of my own, and that face I’d love to see.

And I have a deeper sense of the sacrifices our heroes make;
I can see the hardships on the families – the loneliness, the heartache.

But in spite of all that’s raging, this mother’s love holds strong
As I’m wrapped in God’s peace and comfort and given strength to go on

United States Sailor!!!!

We received the long awaited call...our Son called us to let us know he is now a United States SAILOR!!!!!
We are overjoyed and so PROUD of him!!
I knew he could do it, and boot camp is almost over for him. We are beaming with PRIDE!
God Bless you Patrick, you are AMAZING and we LOVE YOU!
Can't wait to see you ..we have missed you so MUCH!

Letter Number Four!

We had received letter number four from our Son last week. I didn't mention it because it was a very touching and emotional letter for me to read and take in. It took me many days of reading it over and over to fully take in this latest letter! I think I am ok now, well, for this moment anyways..but it truly makes me realize some very important things.
My husband and I have done a very good job raising our Son Patrick. He has grown into a wonderful young man, and we are extremely proud.
Every time though that I think I am ok, I think of him and tears begin again. I have joined a couple of groups for Navy Mom's (my new way of life!)..and am happy to find out I am not the only Mom feeling this way..was happy to find out there are some feeling even worse than me! How can that be!!
So, it is calming to know this is all a normal process and part of life.
I thank my good friends that have kept close to my side without judgement and are very understanding. Listening to me and always being there for me anytime I need to talk. I appreciate you all so much!
This is all so new to me, letting go for the very first time!
It has been a full month now since that ten minute phone call we had received to talk to him.
I think that is the worst part of boot camp. :(
No contact for such a long time. I understand they break them down to build them up..but I don't think they realize they are breaking down their Mama's in the process too!
This has been a long learning process for all of us.

Graduation day cannot come soon enough.

I love you my son Patrick, more than words can ever express on this darn computer screen.
I look forward to being able to hug you again.

The World,
Mom

Our Backyard Visitor

Thought you might like to see who came to visit us today. Such a peculiar looking little creature!
So graceful and very interesting to watch..I snapped a couple of photos..but liked this one the best! :)

Winnings in the mail and Thrift Store Find :)

My goodies have arrived from Miss Linda Lee of  Cross 'N My Stitches! She recently had a giveaway and my name was picked! How exciting to receive such wonderful goodies in the mail. Thank you Linda, it certainly made me smile to find such a wonderful package filled with all sorts of wonderful things inside!

I decided to take a drive today to mail off a letter to my son and to stop off at a shop called Grandma's Attic. They don't have an internet site..I sure wish they did! They have a lot of neat stuff in there..lots of treasures..mostly country/prim things. All resale things and very reasonably priced.
I spotted something really neat and decided it was to come home with me. I am thinking of painting it perhaps, it is made of pine wood I believe and very sturdy and solid.
Perfect for my stitching supplies! :)

Isn't it beautiful!! It measures 10 wide x 14 1/2 inches long! Much bigger than it appears in the picture.
I will certainly get a lot of use out of this wonderful wooden box :)

The one little hummingbird let his secret out and has told all his friends and family about the wonderful spot where they can get fresh fixin's! LOL! We are now up to 4 hummingbirds fighting daily over a spot on the feeder..it is quite amusing to watch these amazing little creatures from God! :)
Here is a picture I snapped of two of them...

Not sure if I have told you the latest on the weight loss front..but I am now up to 45 pounds lost..holding steady...still walking every chance I can get. The past couple of evenings I have walked 2 miles each night (well, except last night..it was just way too hot outside!)...I feel so much better to have all that weight off of me!!
I have been unpacking all the craft boxes up in my sewing room and I cannot believe how much "stuff" there is that has accumulated over the years. Way too much. We have to figure out some sort of system of how I will be able to store things...a shelving system or cabinets will have to be put in the room being as there is none up there at the moment..for now I am just putting things in piles and trying to organize.

I hope you are all doing well and having a great summer so far!
Louise

Letter Number THREE! :)

What a surprise I received today when I went to my mailbox. Letter number THREE from our wonderful Son Patrick!! I cannot even explain the happiness I felt inside and I am sure my smile was bigger than it has ever been before. It seems as though the past couple of weeks have just dragged to hear of any news from him. I watch everyday for the mail lady to arrive with such anticipation, and then, as I walk to the mailbox with my heart beating so fast, feeling such disappointment upon not seeing any small envelope from our Son.
It is so hard to explain if you haven't had a child leave for military boot camp. Not having communication with the child you have raised from birth is one of the most difficult things I believe in this life.
I did not know it would be this hard until I was faced with the situation having no choice.
It is extremely hard!
Patrick sounded really good in his letter. He said they are moving very fast paced now. He achieved sharp shooter! He only has a couple of weeks left of Boot Camp..then onto schooling.
He was issued uniforms and will have to complete final tests to be considered a United States Sailor.
I believe we will receive a phone call at that point from what I have been hearing.
 I am glad I received his note in the mail today...hopefully it will sustain me for a bit longer :)
Cannot wait to see our son in full uniform..I cannot even imagine!!

AAAAAAhhhhhhhhhh.........Soon...SOON!! :)

Please, if you will, keep Patrick in your prayers that he can get through all the final tests and keep up the strength to continue to the final goal of graduation. We love you Patrick, We are so PROUD of you!!
:)

Who knew when you were little and we took this picture that your future would include becoming a United States Sailor! God had a plan :)

Counting the Days till we can hug you Son,
Louise

Giveway! :)

Stop over at The Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe for a chance to win her wonderful giveaway!
What a beautiful blog Nancy has! :) I am so glad I found her little spot on the web..I am sure you will be glad too! :) Happy Birthday to Nancy!

Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe Giveaway!

Raggedystitches,
Louise

Sunday and missing my Son!.........

Hello Friends!

I am not sure what is up with me..I am feeling very tired as of late. I mean feeling REALLY tired. I am sleeping fine, and actually cannot wait to get in bed each night. I sleep through the night pretty good lately, but during the day I feel like I am dragging. I have been taking vitamins for a while now, so not so sure why I feel so tired. I feel like I am totally exhausted even just after being up a couple of hours!
If I lay on the couch, I fall asleep.
I hope this passes soon. I hate feeling like this! (I have had tests done recently, thyroid, etc..and everything is fine)
It has been two weeks since I have heard from our Son. I miss him :(
We have received two letters so far and just one phone call.
I know that not hearing from him is ok and that it is good news..as the saying goes..but still, I cried today again thinking of him. I want to hear his voice. I stayed home all day today thinking he would call and didn't want to miss it. You just never know when he might call.
He has a couple of weeks left of bootcamp..he is almost there!
We cannot wait to see him. We are so proud of him! What a reunion it will be. I just know how handsome he will look in his Navy whites!!

I was sorting through boxes up in my sewing room...things I haven't seen in years! We have moved around so much that there were things that haven't been looked at in so long.
I am going to need some sort of shelving up there or perhaps counters and cabinets, I guess that will all come in due time. Hubby just hung blinds on the windows and a curtain rod..the cutest curtain rod ever..it has a bird on each end!

I am already feeling that it will not be convenient living here with no Hobby Lobby close by! I am glad I purchased Navy themed fabric in Florida before we moved away. I am planning on making my son Navy pillowcases for when he comes home to visit. :)

There is a very small quilt shop here, Quilters Haven and they do have fabrics which I am glad I will have something near by my home, but I don't think she has novelty fabrics like Hobby Lobby does. I have already visited the store and met the owner Delorise, and we had a wonderful chat! I have to call tomorrow and see if she carries wool for applique. Thinking of doing something along those lines soon..something primitive perhaps? :)

I have also stopped in the local knitting shop "Time to Unwind". It is a little shop filled with pretty yarns. The owner Lou is such a sweet lady and so helpful! I purchased a ball of yarn in my favorite berry color :) They have get togethers on Thursday evenings to sit and crochet or knit, or if I want to, I can bring my stitchery..this might sound like a plan! I need to get out a little bit I think. I am feeling couped up lately with all this hot weather.

I have been thinking...I notice as I go through boxes, I have so many projects started but I am not very productive. Are a lot of you like this? Most of the time the only projects I follow through with are when they are gifts for others and I am on an extreme time crunch because I have waited so long (or until the last minute) to get something done! *sigh*
I know one thing that is constant though, I will never change! Ha! Is that a good thing though? ;)

Blessings to you!
Louise

Free sweet stitchery :)

I was hopping around the internet and found this sweet little stitchery I thought you might like...
you may have seen it before, but it is new to me.
It is a darling little design with a bunny and a posy, and it does say Spring..guess I am a little late..better late then never..but just glad I found it!
I absolutely LOVE this magazine and I have ordered it for myself. So many neat things to make and look at..couldn't pass it up. :)
I am sure if you look around the blog you will love it too!!
enjoy!
Create and Decorate Freebie


Blessings,
Louise