january 30 - Sunday already????

I can't believe it's been a whole week since I last posted...this has been a crazy busy week, so very little computer time (but I did make sure I made time for at least a little bit of stitching each day...it truly has become my sanity!) We are entering into the "programming" phase of our new library...working with architects to decide what we want and need in the design. We still don't have a site...that is in the works...but the process is moving along, which is positive. It also means lots more meetings...and they just tire me out! They're very informative, but tiring just the same! And budget time is also almost upon us, and my director will be out of town most of next week...so we have to fit lots into a little bit of time. I t does make the days go by faster though!

So, let's get to stitching! I started my SAL on Apple Tree Sampler last Sunday. This is what the design will look like when finished..

and this is how far I got last week...the fabric is more yellow than it appears here.


I hope to get at least a little bit more done before the day is done!

I also stitched and finished my ornament for January. It is a freebie from Samplerbird Stitchery called Holiday Spirit. I have seen it stitched so beautifully on many other blogs and yahoo groups and decided to do it too. It was a quick stitch and fun to do. I added some white beads but they are hard to see in the photo.


We had a "Snowman Kit Exchange" on the Stitchers Timeout group...anyone participating was to send a kit to their partner, including a pattern, fabric and threads to complete the design. I received Heart in Hand's Mr. Byrd from Mar and she was kind enough to also include a piece of finishing fabric, so after he was stitched I made him into a little no-sew cube. I had some snowman ribbon in my stash and it worked out perfectly. I love snowmen designs, but I really don't like stitching with white thread...so this obviously causes problems! But I loves stitching this chubby little guy...he was lots of fun.

Last up is a photo of Clare's finished sampler The Hunt. We have been doing this as a round robin and I finished my bit this week and it is on its way back home to her. Her's is stitched on a white evenweave with Silk n Colors thread in "faded ink". I hope she likes the way it's turned out. It looks much nicer in person!


We are off to the store in search of a room dividing screen thingy...the one we have has shutters and they are starting to fall apart. Also, it is kind of tall and Asher loves playing with the shutters. I'm afraid it may fall on his little head!

So off to shopping, and then some stitching!

Thanks for visiting!

january 23 - a lazy Sunday

My grandson just went home after a fun sleepover at grandma & grandpa's house. He is so much fun. Here he is enjoying a bagel....

I did a little bit of stitching this week...some work on Clare's round robin which I hope to finish and mail off this week, a bit more on Waiting for the Harvest, and some more on Three Things. I only have a photo of Three Things...sorry it seems a bit slanted...I had to tack it to the wall to get a photo!

Today I am starting a SAL with Babs...Apple Tree Sampler. So I am off to watch some football (Go Jets!) and get started.

Thanks for visiting!

january 18 - the tale of the e-readers

Back to work today - I decided to bring one of my small pieces - Waiting for the Harvest - with me and actually have had a few moments to take a break and stitch a bit! I think I will just leave it here for the week and see how much I can accomplish.

Yesterday, we I rearranged the furniture in the living room (the second time since we took our tree down this year!) and was able to make room to bring my stitching lamp back downstairs. What a treat! I love stitching in that room and it has been such a hassle not having the lamp there for the past couple of years. I was working on Three Things yesterday, and forgot how much I love working on this piece. I don't know why I keep putting it down! But this year I am determined to finish it and so I have put it number one on my "UFOs to finish" list. I will post a photo at the end of the week to show how far I've come along.

So, I know that many of you love to read, and I'm sure that some of you have e-readers, right? I received one last year for Christmas (a Sony Reader) from my husband, and I was really enjoying it, but somehow, after our trip to Maui in April, it stopped taking a charge. Jeff thought that maybe it had water damage. Of course, this is the one gift that he has ever paid cash for, and we couldn't find the receipt anywhere. 
Fast forward to this Christmas, and guess what? Jeff buys me a new improved Sony reader for Christmas. Except that it wasn't so improved. I had so many problems with it from the first day that they ended up sending me a new one within the first week. But it still wouldn't work properly. So I decided to stop being frustrated and just return it and get something else. 
They were very nice at the Sony store, gave me back my money, and off I went to Barnes & Noble to get a Nook. I brought it home (not the color model) and began playing with it. Troubles again. I couldn't get a consistent connection to purchase books and the library download was giving me problems as well. And my fingers were too big for the keyboard...I kept hitting all the wrong keys. So, back to Barnes & Noble I went and got my money back. 
I finally decided to give the Kindle a try. My main reason for not wanting to get a Kindle was because Kindle does not support Overdrive, which is the system that gives us our library books to go. But after really looking through the books available from the library, I realized that there really weren't that many that I wanted badly enough to suffer through the craziness I had experienced with the Sony and the Nook. 
So off to Amazon I went, and within one hour of opening the box I had downloaded 2 books with no problem. I now have about a dozen on there, most of which (including all my Jane Austen's) were free! I am so happy! And I even have a little Vera Bradley bag that it fits perfectly in. So I am now a happy Kindle camper and would recommend these to anyone looking for an e-reader. (it will even read the book to you!...I'm excited to try this while stitching. How nice it would be not to have to stop and change the CD all time!)

I want to thank everyone who has been leaving such wonderful comments during the challenge. Please keep after me to finish all these new starts!

Thanks for visiting!

january 17 - challenge wrap-up

It's hard to believe that January is half-over and with it, the crazy 15 new starts as well. I have really enjoyed seeing everyone's new starts...I found that I am stitching some of the same designs as others, but I have also found so many more really wonderful designs to add to my wishlist...and even a couple that I had in my stash and had totally forgotten about!

My day 14 start was Olde Shaker Tune from Homespun Elegance. This was a design I had for so long that I forgot I had it and bought another copy! It is one of my favorite hymns...one I find myself singing at the strangest times. Anyway, here is my start...



And for the last day, day 15, I started Dickens' Mittens...The Last Word. I had hoped to do this one last year, but never got around to it. In our last round robin group, my partners each stitched one of the Dickens' mittens for me. I hope to finish this in such a way that I can hang the mittens from below this piece. It doesn't sound like it makes sense, but I have a picture in my head! Here is my start...



Yesterday was football Sunday (Go Jets!) and I pulled out Ellen Birdseye to work on. This was my January 1st start. I am really enjoying this piece.



Happily, I do not have to go in to work today, so after some early morning errands, I am hoping to meet hubby for lunch and have the afternoon to stitch. I have pulled out my Three Things Sampler to work on today. This is where I left off last time...


I hope everyone is having a great day.
Thanks for visiting!

january 14 - tgif

For some reason, this has seemed like a very long week. Maybe because it is the first full week I've worked since before Christmas!

So last night I heard that my zodiac sign has suddenly changed...what's that about? I've been an archer all my life and now I'm this new "Ophiuchus" thingie...what is it anyway?

This morning my director and I went on a little field trip to another library to see how they do things there...very interesting. They have a completely different work model where staff does much more "roaming" and much less time at actual desks. It's very customer oriented which we love, but I know that selling that idea to some (most) of our staff might be very difficult. This is all part of our process to find a site to build a new library, and discover what we really do want it to look and feel like. It's a time consuming process, but fun at the same time.

Last night I put the final stitches and the little button on Flying Monkeys from Glory Bee. I started this one last July and don't know why it took me so long to finish it. It's a quick stitch and a cute design. It is stitched on a melon colored evenweave with GAST and Weeks threads. I'm not sure how I will finish it yet, but I think I want to have it at work with me...love that saying!


My start for Wednesday night was Ira Rae Crow, the companion piece to Ida Mae Crow from The Goode Huswife, which I started one other day during this crazy challenge. Same fabric and threads. I hope to finish these and hang them in our bedroom. Even my husband thought they were a cute pair!


This was my little bit of progress from that night.


Last night's start was Thirty Birds from Hands to Work. I first saw this on a blog and fell in love with the design. I don't really like the fiddly little birds all over though...they are stitched over one and that is difficult for me, and they don't look like much when they are being stitched...but once done I think they will look good. I am stitching this one on a white evenweave with DMC threads.


This is my progress from last night. My scanner wouldn't work for me this morning and the room was kind of dark so this doesn't look white, but it really is!


So only two more days to the challenge. I have more than 15 projects on my list, but I think I know which two I will be starting. Of course that might change! I think I will keep the list up anyway, just in case I happen to finish so many things that I am looking for more to do...yeah...right...

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend planned. We have a dinner to go to tomorrow night, and lots of football to watch all weekend. It's supposed to be really rainy, so hopefully many stitches will be stitched!

Thanks for visiting!

january 12 - update

Well, the Ducks lost the game in the final seconds...a real nail-biter, but they'll be back next year!

I didn't get much stitching done since Monday. I've been really tired and a little bit dizzy (dizzier than usual, I mean!), so it's been hard to concentrate. But I did make tiny starts on two more projects. I started "waiting for the Harvest" on Monday, and I tried to stitch it on the black linen...I really did...but it just wasn't working. The weave was very uneven and I could barely see what I was doing. I may get a piece of black evenweave and try again some other time. But in the meantime, I found a piece of brown fabric and am still using that pretty autumn thread.


Last night, I decided to start another design from primitivebettys, "Live Laugh Love"...


I have loved this sampler since I first saw the pattern and finally bought it, and have now started.


We didn't get all the snow and ice that was predicted, just lots and lots of rain, but the temperatures are getting warmer, at least for the rest of this week. And only 4 more days to this challenge...and then on to finishing everything!

Thanks for visiting!

january 10 - game day

Today's the day of the "Big Game" - Oregon vs. Auburn for the BCS national championship. So everyone (or nearly everyone) in Oregon is a Ducks fan today. Can't wait to get home, grab a sandwich and settle in with my stitching and football! So today's start is Waiting for the Harvest from Blackbird Designs. I received a piece of black fabric and beautiful autumn colored silks in an exchange last year, and I thought they would be perfect for this design. We'll see how far I get tonight! My grandson spent a good part of the weekend with us, so not many stitches were stitched, but he is such a joy and we had a blast together. He makes me laugh all the time! On Saturday, my start was this Lizzie Kate design from the "boxer" series...Did you ever stop & think... Sunday's start was Olde Pewter Letters from primitivebettys. I love this design and have wanted to start it for quite some time. And finally, these are two blocks stitched for a block exchange with the Stitchers Timeout group. We do one block every other month. I wanted to get a head start on these because I knew I had signed up for these crazy challenges and would be busy busy busy. I actually stitched these two at the very end of last year. We can use any kind of fabric and threads we want...I stitched both of these on fiddler's cloth. January's theme is "chocolate" and this is a Lizzie Kate design. March's theme is Prairie Schooler.



Go Ducks! Thanks for visiting!

january 8 - bring on the weekend!

It is looking pretty gray outside...we are due for some nasty weather this week. I'm not a fan of snow and especially ice, so hopefully it will not be as bad as predicted.

For now, I have a few things to share. My Thursday start was 'Tis Better from La-D-Da. Here is what I accomplished right before bedtime. Please excuse the hoop marks!


And this is my Friday start..Ida Mae Crow from The Goode Huswife. I wish I had more time last night, but again...just a few stitches before bedtime.


And the reason I have not made much progress on any of my starts this past week...my first finish of 2011...Gabrielle Rose from La-D-Da. I am really pleased with the way this turned out. It is stitched over one with one thread on 25 ct. ecru evenweave and DMC threads. And the best part is that I finished it on time to mail it and have it received before the Christening...happy dances all around!


We are off to breakfast, and then late,r my grandson is coming to spend the night. I think there will be plenty of football, playing with trains and puzzles, and probably not much stitching...but my start for today will be one of Lizzie Kate's Boxers - Did You Ever Stop to Think - so I may get a few stitches in after all!

Hope you are all having a great Saturday!

Thanks for visiting!

january 6 - silver linings & a winner!

This post may be a little long because I didn't have time to post yesterday. This cold/flu/sinus infection/whatever has really knocked me out...again. And as a result I took yesterday and today off from work. So, in between sleeping...a lot...I have been getting in some extra stitching time this week that I didn't expect to have (the silver lining!) As a result, I am almost finished with the birth sampler! I've only had to do a little bit of frogging and readjusting a few stitches, but I love the way it is turning out. This is where I was as of bedtime last night. Sorry it's a bit crooked!



I also kept to the challenge, and put a few stitches in another project... The Lighthouse Teapot. This is one of the Silver Needle Night kits that I purchased a long time ago. I collect both teapots and lighthouses, so I thought it was perfect. It is stitched on 10ct. blue tula with mostly perle cotton threads. Everything was included with the kit.


And, in keeping with the challenge, this is my new start for today. It is another design from La-D-Da, the last one in the Stitch Your Heart Out series. I started out with the intention of buying all of these but it didn't end up that way. I did buy my favorites though (I think I even bought one twice!) and will just stitch those (eventually!) I may not post a progress picture of this one until tomorrow because I don't want to start it until I have finished the sampler.


And finally, the twelve days of Christmas are over, and I have put all the entries for my little giveaway into the basket. And the winner is...Bonnie! I just emailed you, but in case you don't get the email, please send me your address and I will get your package out as soon as I can get to the post office.

And now I'd better get back to bed!

Thanks for visiting!

january 4 - first new moon of the new year

It's the first new moon of the new year, and that means it's time to post our "Totally Useless SAL" or TUSALs. I emptied my jar from last year (which had pretty slim pickins!) into a larger container and am starting fresh for this year. With all the new starts this should start filling up pretty fast! You can still sign-up here, but you have to hurry!


Thanks for all the lovely comments on the baby sampler. I really like the way it is turning out. I finished one of the birds last night and started on the flowers. Until this is finished, it will be my main focus, especially since I put myself on this ridiculous deadline...that was I thinking?

But I did make a small...well, tiny...start on a new project this morning...Pumpkins and Peacocks from The Goode Huswife.


When I say a tiny start, I really mean it...there are maybe thirty stitches here! But I don't think I like this fabric. It was a piece I had in my stash and I thought it would work, but I'm afraid the two green threads will just vanish into it. It's a very dark green fabric. You might be able to see a bit of it in this photo...probably not. So I can either change the greens or start over on new fabric. I'll think about it some more today.



And finally, I thought I should probably start on one of the UFO's, so I am starting with a small one...Flying Monkeys from Glory Bee.



It was so cold this morning...I still have a chill even though I've been inside for hours! Think I'll make some hot cider and take a break (I've been so hard at work!) and stitch for a bit before the library opens!

Thanks for visiting!

january 3 - the best laid plans

I was all set to start a third project from my list today, when I realized that I have less than two weeks to stitch up a baby sampler for a christening gift for my nephew's little girl. Ack! So I (luckily) found a perfect pattern that I already had, ran to Michael's on my break for some threads that I needed and will get started tonight. I wanted to stick with my challenge, so I just added this design to my (already too long) list. The design is called Gabrielle Rose and it is from La-D-Da.



I will be stitching over one on 25ct. ecru evenweave. so it will be rather small. I'm not sure yet whether I will frame it or finish it some other way. I guess I should just worry about stitching it first! This is as far as I got so far.



I also brought one of my UFOs to work on while on my break, but that didn't happen either. Oh well, tomorrow is another day!

Thanks for visiting!

january 2 - second start of the new year

Well, it is official. Now both my husband and I are battling this sinus infection/respiratory bug and it is no fun. The meds help me feel a little better as far as the congestion goes, but I feel groggy and a bit sick to my stomach at the same time. Icky.

We did some errands today and then I came home to watch football and start my second project.


This design is from Midnight Stitching. I am stitching it on a peachy colored fabric called Bittersweet Lite. The fabric was a gift and I am not sure who makes it but it a very soft jobelan and such a pleasure to stitch on. I am using Crescent Colours "Barn Door" for the thread.
The photo below shows my progress so far. The fabric color looks very pale in this scan. It is much more vibrant that that.



Thanks for visiting!

january 1 - part two

So...is anyone else having trouble posting to blogger? It seems like everything has changed overnight...the way I upload photos and move them around...color changes are not showing up, and I can't type where I want to. Is this just me, or is there a glitch somewhere here?

I hope it looks back to normal tomorrow!

Thanks for visiting!

january 1 - new year, new start

We took the outside lights down today, and the Christmas tree as well. I hated to see it go...it was such a lovely tree and it still smelled so good! But everything got packed up and put away until next year.

I did get a little stitching done. My first start for the "Crazy 15" challenge is Ellen Birdseye by The Goode Huswife.

And this is a photo of my progress so far. I am stitching it on a piece of 32 count linen in a stone color with DMC threads.