I just realized that I never posted a picture of this fabulous fall stash exchange I received a few weeks ago. We have been having seasonal stash bag exchanges with the Stitchers Timeout group, and this is the bag I received from Murf for the fall exchange. I love orange and pumpkins, so this was perfect for me. She also included a beautifully stitched pinkeep which I absolutely love. Thanks again Murf!

I finished two small pieces this week. One is my exchange piece for the PS Small Santa exchange, but I just mailed it to my partner this afternoon, so I can't share a picture yet. The other finished piece is this scissor fob done for the Monthly Challenge. I had stitched the piecew some time ago and decided to finish it as a fob. It is the mermaid bit of "Seaology" by the Trilogy. I love mermaids and always thought this one was cute. It is stitched on a light blue evenweave, even though it looks more white in this photo.

Well I never was very good at staying on a diet...not even a stash diet! These photos show some stash that I have gathered over the past month or so...geesh! I'm pathetic! Anyway...sorry the photos are not very clear, but top to bottom;

• The Need'l Love Company: Ship of Life
  
• Lizzie Kate: Good Things
  
• My Big Toe: Quaker Seasons
• Carrie's Threads
  
• Blackbird Designs: Blessings & Kind Wishes
• My Big Toe: Faith
• Midnight Stitching: Quaker Faith Hope Love
• Glendon Place: Five Simple Rules for Happiness
  
• Lizzie Kate: Housework Never Killed Anyone
  
• Lizzie Kate: All Things Bright & Beautiful
  
• The Sampler Girl: Return to the Sea with Jane Austen
  
• The Sampler Girl: Sweet Things
  
• The Sampler Girl: Hope Perches
  
• Little House Needleworks: Yesteryear
  
• Little House Needleworks: Little House Neighborhood
  
• Little House Needleworks: Garden Pleasures
  
• Little House Needleworks: Home of a Needleworker (too!)
  
• A wonderful selection of Carries Threads & 2 Crescent Colours
  
  

This is so cool! I was awarded this blog award by both Sherry and Connie this week. Thank you both so much! I would like to share this with all the fabulous bloggers out there. I so enjoy reading all your blogs. Here are the rules for this award, and links to some new-to-me blogs that I really like alot.

1. The winner can put the logo on their blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links to those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of those you nominated.

Paula
Tracey
Staci
Carla
Rob
Amy
Laurie

I hope you'll visit these blogs! And thanks again to all who read my blog and leave comments. I really do appreciate it.

It's been a week since I've posted and sad to say...not much stitching has gotten done.
I've been spending lots of time just sitting and holding my grandson...I could just gaze at him for hours...and do!...but it's hard to stitch at the same time!
I've been working on a small Santa exchange with the Prairie Schooler yahoo group and should have it finished and ready to mail for tomorrow. I received my exchange from Debbie in yesterday's mail and I just love it. I can't wait to hang it on our tree this year.

I also updated my cyberstitcher's gallery....finally! I added a few WIP photos as well. I really wish blogger would offer some 3 column templates. I'd love to be able to add more stuff here. I'm sure there's a way but I am not that computer savvy!

It's been so hot these last few days...100 degrees....which is not normal for this area. Temps are supposed to cool off next week ...it will probably feel like winter after all this heat! I wanted to stitch last night but my stitching light was giving off even more heat so I just gave up! Hopefully I'll get some stitches in today.
I wanted to share this adorable block that I received from Monique in our STO monthly block exchange. The theme for July was Mermaids. I'm not sure how I'll finish this yet, but it's so cute.

It's funny...when I went to the hospital with my daughter last week I brought all kinds of stitching to do, thinking I would have lots of sitting around time. Well, I did have lots of time, but somehow only managed to put a few stitches in anything! I guess we were just concentrating on other things!
Anyway, I finished this little square yesterday. It's for the monthly block exchange with the STO group. The theme for August is trees, and I stitched this Quaker Tree freebie from the Workbasket. Also started a small Prairie School Santa for another exchange, but no pictures of that one yet.
Thanks so much to everyone who takes the time to read this blog, and for the wonderful comments. And thanks for the good wishes for Asher...he is truly a joy and a blessing.

It's hard to believe that exactly one week ago tonight I was on the way to the hospital with my daughter. She was to be induced, and, crazy optimists that we are, we were sure we'd have a baby by nightfall! Of course, things didn't work out that way...nothing was working...and on Tuesday night she had a C-section and delivered this beautiful baby boy....Asher Reid...5 lb. 7 oz. of pure delight! He is our first grandchild, so we are, of course, over the moon with joy and happiness. Mother and baby are doing wonderfully and we are very very grateful. Here are a couple of pictures. My daughter took so many when she was visiting, but I don't have copies of those yet. Don't worry...there will be many more in days and weeks and months and years to come!

Quaker Christmas progress

Here is my progress so far on this piece. I am stitching in a SAL, but have been very neglectful of it for the past few months. So far, I have finished 2 pages, so I am about one-third finished. I have somehow misplaced my red thread, so I ordered more from Carrie this morning. When it arrives I will be able to fill in the "Merry Christmas" portion. This is a very relaxing piece to stitch and I really do enjoy it when I am stitching on it. I am hopeful to have it completed for the holiday season!

July results and August goals

I did pretty well on my July goals. The only piece I didn't touch that I wanted to was "Three Things". But I did get some done on Quaker Christmas which has been seriously neglected these past few months. I completed my first round in the Fair and Square exchange which was lots of fun. Jill was a great partner. This year's round robin is also finished. I haven't received my piece back yet but should be soon. This is the 3rd (or 4th????) year we have done these as a group with Ally and all of the robins have been wonderful. It is a great group of very talented stitchers.
My daughter is flying in from Boston tonight. She will be staying until Friday so I'm not sure how much stitching will get done. It's hard having her live clear across the country. We just don't get to see her often enough.
August goals will be posted in the sidebar.