oct 15 - new stash for me

Last Sunday was the annual fall open house at my LNS - Acorns and Threads - in Portland. I may have mentioned before that I must really get serious about stitching from stash and not bringing any more new stuff into the house until I make a real dent in what I already have. The best laid plans...Anyway, I was actually very good on Sunday. I had a some things that had been pre-ordered for me from Market, so I just picked up a few threads, got on line, got my bag and got going! I was tempted by some other things (and did order a pattern for an upcoming round robin) but other that that I was a good girl! It's not that I am lacking for new things to stitch! Here are some of the pieces I have picked up over the last several weeks.


Does anyone want to stitch a long with me?
Thanks for visiting!

oct 14 - a quick check-in

I went back to work today and ended up going home early 'cause I still wasn't feeling too great. We have so much stuff to get together before Friday...we're headed to Arizona for my BIL's wedding. It will be a very fast trip, much of which will be spent either in a car or in an airport. Can't wait! I'm hoping to do lots of stitching,and then I'm off on Monday and hope to get a start on Christmas in Hawk Run Hollow then.

Thanks for visiting!

oct 13 - the rains have come

Still not feeling well so I stayed home again today. I woke up to a rainy, slightly blustery day. I think I will just stay cuddled up in a corner for most of the day!

We had an exchange on Friendly Stitchers called "My Stitching Place" - stitching something that our partner could put in her stitching corner. I heard from Sharon that she received her exchange so I can show a picture now.


I stitched "Be Calm" from Shepherd's Bush and made a little hanging pillow. It is stitched on a piece of Silkweavers fabric...a minty green color with the recommended threads and buttons. Sharon likes green and purple so I thought it would be nice for her and she does say she likes it, so I am pleased!
Well, back to bed...thanks for visiting!

oct 12 - it's no fun feeling sick

and it's also no fun watching a baseball game in a parka and ski cap! I mean, come on...that just isn't right! I remember a few years ago when the start of the Mariners season was postponed because of snow in Cleveland (I think it was!) There should not be snow in baseball!
Anyway, I was up and down all night with a very nasty stomach bug and chills. SO today I stayed home from work. Still not felling great but I do feel lots better than I did last night!
Maybe I
ll get a bit of stitching done later....
Thanks for visiting!

oct.11 - making pancakes

Asher spent the weekend with us and was a joy as always. He loves his grandpa's breakfasts and likes to help. Here they are mixing up the pancakes. I didn't get a chance to take an after picture...the one with the blueberries all over his face!
Thanks for visiting!

oct 10 - fair & square

I received these pretty squares from Karen for round 15 on the Fair & Square blog. She stitched the "ABC Floss Tag" from Milady's Needle. I love the colors she chose. Maybe I'll even make a floss tag from these! Thanks again Karen!

Thanks for visiting!

oct 9 - so glad it's friday

This week seems to have flown by, but at the same time it felt like Friday would never come. Have I finally completely lost my mind???
Work-wise, this week held way too many meetings and lots of discussions but I don't feel like I accomplished as much as i should have. I can't believe I'm already planning orders for next year's summer reading program...we just ended this years!
I didn't get much stitching done...I can't even remember if I got any stitching done! I know I have been reading more this week. And I did finally get some real letters written...long overdue.
Asher will be coming over tonight and with us until Sunday afternoon. He is always so much fun to have around. I'm taking him with me to Acorns and Threads on Sunday for open house. It's so fun to spend time with him because everything is so new....so much to see and touch and do...so much to put in one's mouth!
Speaking of putting stuff in one's mouth...if I don't stop eating so much I will turn into a giant sized something. Do you know the story of the very hungry caterpillar? Unfortunately I don't think I will turn into a beautiful butterfly...even if we do go to Sweet Tomatoes and I eat those very green leaves. Help!
Time to go home...I'm listening to a very entertaining book...The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz...so the ride should go quickly even though it is Friday commute day.
Thanks for visiting!

oct 8 - fair squares and floss

Sherre was kind enough to send me a list of the DMC needed for Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, so I have been pulling that tonight. I'm only short about a dozen colors and I can get them tomorrow. The fabric came in today's mail, so by Sunday night I will be ready to go. I can't wait. I am really looking forward to stitching this piece.
I saw that Karen received her round 15 squares, so I guess I can share a picture of what I stitched for her. This is an LHN design called "Be True". It was really a fun stitch. I hope she likes them!

Thanks for visiting!

oct 7 - malware???

Lately I've been getting a strange notice when trying to get into some blogs...that they may be infected with or by "malware". I have no idea what that is, but I have been having trouble with the email I use for this blog...lots of wonky messages being sent etc...and I wonder if one has anything to do with the other. I'm wondering if anyone knows what this means? I am so hopelessly un-techie it's really sad!

Thanks for visiting!

oct 6 - this and that

I took a little break from stitching last night and tonight and read a book from one of my fave series..."Death of a Rug Lord" by Tamar Myers. This is from the Den of Antiquity series. I love these cozy series and the main character in this one - Abigail Timberlake Washburn - owns an antique shop in Charleston. I just got the newest one from the library and knew I had to catch up. Now it's back to stitching...a small Halloween piece called "Spooky Tree" from Trilogy.

So much to do...so little time...

Thanks for visiting!

oct 5 - groovy giveaways

I am shamelessly borrowing an idea I found on Terri's blog. I have added a list in my sidebar for some of the wonderful giveaways that are being offered throughout blogland. Please visit these blogs for all the information. You'll not only find some great giveaways but also hopefully discover some wonderful new-to-you bloggers. Thanks for the idea Terri!
Thanks for visiting!

oct 4 - a quiet sunday

Today has been a pretty quiet day. We had Asher last night and most of today...he helped grandpa make blueberry pancakes this morning. Wish my camera had been working so I could take a pic. Maybe next weekend!

I managed to finish up a wedding sampler for my BIL and future SIL. The wedding is on the 17th so I am way ahead of the game. It's a Bent Creek design called "I Do" that I have actually stitched once before for someone else's wedding.

So now I am off to watch the last Mariners game of this season and then take a nice long hot bath.

Thanks for visiting!

oct 3 - scissor obsession

I have been stitching since I was in college with short breaks here and there, so that has been over 30 years, and up until a short time ago I was content to have one or two pair of fairly inexpensive scissors. And then I discovered Ginghers designer embroidery scissors. It all started very innocently. I purchased the "Emma" scissors because I thought they were so pretty and I had a coupon. Then they put out a pair called "Sarah"...and well..that's my daughter's name so I had to have them, right? And then I was hooked. I realized that Joanns always has 50% off coupons so if I planned things right....so along came "Criss". Last week I saw a post on Jill's blog that she got the "Elena" scissors, so I grabbed my coupon and rushed to Joanns and found that they didn't have the Elenas, but they did have these......"Mia". I love plaids so these are just perfect.


I went to Mike and Carol's online store just to look around and saw the Elenas there,

and then I had to give in and finally get the "Freedom" scissors as well.


So I think I now have another official obsession...and I can't answer the question "why do you need so many pairs of scissors?"...but I just know that I do.
Thanks for visiting!

oct 2 - wonderful mail

Since I didn't post yesterday I thought I would double up today to catch up. As luck would have it I had 2 wonderful surprises waiting for me when I picked up my mail.

A short time ago, Lynn had a giveaway on her blog and I was one of the lucky winners. She sent me three beautiful flower pins and the teeniest little coffee pot. The photo does no do them justice. They are so delicate and perfectly fashioned. Thank you so much Lynn!

I also received an exchange from Sharon. We had a "My Stitching Place" exchange over at Friendly Stitchers and Sharon stitched me a gorgeous puffy pincushion. Again you really can't appreciate how lovely this is from the picture. The colors are so delicate and the stitching is beautiful. The backside is a pretty green sateen type fabric. Sharon also included some Thread Gatherers silk, ribbon and a cute little flower basket charm. Thank you so much Sharon! This will hang right beside my stitching chair.


What a perfect start to the weekend!
Thanks for visiting!

oct 2 - Blogtoberfest and some giveaways

I have been sorely neglecting both my own blog and others lately and I apologize for that. Can't believe it's a new month already! And time for "blogotberfest"! This is all new to me, but it's not too late to join in and you can find some details here. Sounds like a blast...I just hope I can keep up!

Here are two more giveaways that I came across this morning. The first is a great Halloween giveaway to be found here. If you like Halloween and/or BBD designs...check this one out!


The second is a wonderful giveaway found here. A great selection of terrific giveaway designs.

And now I must get back to work.
Thanks for visiting and hope everyone is having a great day!

september 20 - vacation's over

Well...almost anyway. We go back to work tomorrow, but it has been a wonderfully relaxing week...one that both hubby and I really needed. We decided to stay close to home and spend some time with Asher and just do a couple of day trips.



We took Jeff's new toy... a 2000 Miata ... for a ride to Cannon Beach ... the first time we've been there in awhile without the doggies. It was a perfect beach day and we had a great time. This is Haystack Rock....affectionately known as Goonie Rock...for anyone who has seen the movie this is where the pirate ship appears at the end.

We also took a ride down to Silver Spring Falls which is a beautiful state park not too far from here. Another great day, did a tiny bit of hiking and then we stopped at Mt. Angel on the way home.

It was the first day of Octoberfest! What a surprise...but lots of fun. And lots of great food too!

I did get some stitching done this week but no pictures to show. I did my bit on two round robins, as well as my round 16 fair & Square squares and an exchange for Friendly Stitchers.
And I am also late with my TUSAL photo...sorry!I tried not to get to close to the computer this week! But here it is, filled with some bits from lots of little stitching pieces and even a couple of broken JABC buttons...those things are very delicate at times! It's starting to fill up though!


And I couldn't post about my week without a pic of our little sweetheart. He was singing up a storm here!

Thanks for visiting!

september 9 - just crawling along!

I kind of do feel like I have just been crawling along lately. Another month has slipped by almost without me noticing . We were busy in August though...with Asher's birthday, my daughter and SIL visiting from Boston, our new library director starting at work, my mom and her "friend" visiting from back East and being sick on top of it all. And now it's September and I'm getting that itchy back-to-school feeling even though I haven't been back to school in many many years!
Autumn is my favorite time of year...I love the cooler evenings and the crispness in the air, and the changing colors and wearing sweaters again! And it's always like a new beginning too...so I went and bought a new planner and decided to brighten up my blog a bit. Hopefully I'll find the time to post more regularly too. I really appreciate those of you who keep reading and leaving comments...thank you so much for taking the time!
I have been stitching a little bit...did a bit more on my Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler. I am in a SAL for this but always seem to wait until the end of the month to get going on it and then I never accomplish as much as I'd like to!


I also heard from Roberta that she received the two exchanges I sent her. She didn't seem to mind being paired with me for both so that was a relief! For the ornament exchange I took some bits from a Stacy Nash design since she likes primitive pieces.


The Prairie Schooler design is "Little Pink House"...I ended up stitching this one twice because I originally made it into a needlebook but ruined it when I was ironing it. I decided to make the final piece into a pinkeep instead. The background fabric is what I used for the back.


I have a couple of things I want to start next week, a round robin to do and a wedding sampler I'm working on. I am doing the Bent Creek "I Do" design again. It just seems to fit the couple and I know I will have it finished in plenty of time.
And my search for a missing piece of stitching is over...several months ago we had a special ornament block stitch with the Stitcher's Timeout group. We were to stitch the ornament by a certain date and then have it finished in October. Then we will find out who to send the piece to. Of course I put mine in a "safe" place...don't you all have some of those?...and when I saw the reminder about the exchange I realized I had no idea where that safe place was! This was obviously not the first time this has happened to me and luckily I finally found it, safely tucked away in its little project bag.
Well I guess I have carried on enough for now...thanks again for visiting!

august 27 - playing catch-up

It's been a long time since I've really posted to this blog...the summer has just flown by and I'm not even sure what I've been doing! This week I know what I've been doing though - feeling lousy! I came home from work on Monday and went straight to bed and Tuesday my hubby convinced me to see the doctor. He says I have a nasty viral respiratory something and told me to stay home all week. So I have been! Unfortunately I've been sleeping most of my time away and feeling generally lousy the rest of the time!
I have done a bit of stitching...I had an exchange all ready to mail and then when I was ironing it the fabric turned all ugly, so I had to start over. I used the same design just a different finish, and now I hope to get to the post office to mail it tomorrow. I actually had 2 exchanges to do, one for an ornament exchange and one for the year long Prairie Schooler exchange. And I ended up with the same partner for both! I hope she'll be ok with that!
I also heard that my round 14 squares for fair and square have been received so here is a picture of those. I stitched one of the doodles from San-Man. Sorry for the poor photo!


I also received a wonderful pinkeep ornament from Becky for the ornament exchange. It is an LHN design and I just love it. Thanks again Becky!


So my mother and her "friend" are coming to visit tomorrow. They've driven cross-country from Massachusetts and she just called to say they are across the river from Hood River which is very near here. I don't know how long they'll be staying. We'll have the baby this weekend and I know that is who they really want to see!
I'm still working on Beatrix Potter and also trying to finish up Alla Turca...maybe I'll have some progress to show after the weekend....maybe!
Before I go, please visit Jan's blog. She has her very first design ready to go and it is beautiful. And she is having a giveaway for a copy of the design. So good luck!


Thanks for visiting and for all your wonderful comments. I really do appreciate them!

august 21 - TUSAL & the birthday boy

I think I am a day late with this...but here is my TUSAL pic for the month. There are lots of neat bits in here from 2 round robins, 2 exchanges and a few other things.

And here a few photos of the birthday boy. He'll be here for most of the weekend, which means very little stitching for me, but lots of fun!


Thanks for visiting!

august 19 - already????

I just realized that August is more than halfway over. Today is our last summer reading program at the library - Creature Feature (a reptile zoo)...always a big favorite. And I haven't blogged in what seems like forever. It's crazy...I feel like I've been very busy but at the same time I feel as though I haven't really accomplished much. Does that make sense? We survived one heat wave and are now in the midst of another, although not anywhere near as hot as the last. The Pacific Northwest is not know for extremely high temperatures so it kind of comes as a bit of a shock when it happens.
So...what has been going on for the past few weeks? My darling grandson celebrated his first birthday! Talk about not knowing where the year has gone! We actually had two little celebrations...one on his actual birthday and another with some family and friends a few days later. None of which meant too much to him, but it meant a lot to the rest if us!
My daughter and her husband also were here to visit for a week from Boston. We had a really nice visit...just hanging out and having fun. We took Asher to the zoo one day where he bonded with the orangutans and loved the fishes.
And hubby bought himself a new (used) car the other day. So last night was spent cleaning out the garage to make room for it! It actually didn't take us as long as I thought it would considering how much stuff is in there, but it really wasn't the way I wanted to spend my evening either! So now my car is jammed with stuff to drop off at Goodwill after work. We also unearthed my exercise bike, and hubby brought it inside for me, so I guess there's no excuse not to hop on now. Drat!
One thing that I haven't managed too much of is stitching however. I did my bit on two round robins, and another very special project for a friend. Also stitched up two exchanges which I have to finish and get in the mail this week. I'm still working on Beatrix Potter of course, and am on to the last two parts of "Alla Turca" so I'm hopeful to have that finished soon.
No pictures to add because I am posting this at work, but I will post some later this week.
Thanks so much for visiting!

august 17 - another giveaway!

I've come across another wonderful giveaway from Mel. Check it out here!
Thanks for visiting!

aug 11 - giveaways & such

Here are a couple of giveaways to consider...Lynn is celebrating the first anniversary of her blog with this amazing giveaway.


Lori is also celebrating her first blogoversary with a wonderful giveaway of lots of charts.


And, the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pattern is on the move again. Check out Sharon's beautiful finish on her blog and learn more about how you can be the next one to stitch this great design.


Hope you'll find time to check these out!
Thanks for visiting!

july 24 - thanks so much!

Thanks so much for all the wonderful comments on "Lo How a Rose". I really enjoyed stitching this piece and realized that if it weren't for all my fellow bloggers I never would have even known it existed. You are all such wonderful enablers! And I just want to let everyone know that even if I don't comment, I always enjoy reading your posts and seeing all your wonderful stitching. You are all truly an inspiration to me.
I stitched a bit on Beatrix Potter last night. I am participating in the SAL that Hazel organized, and every month I tell myself that I will not wait for the end of the month to stitch on this piece, and yet every month that's exactly what I seem to do. It's a very relaxing piece to stitch and I think in the back of my mind I don't really want it to end! We will have our grandson this weekend which usually means little if any stitching gets done. But I will certainly have fun!
Hope you all have a great weekend...thanks for visiting!

july 23 - TUSAL & a finish!

I think I am a day late with this posting...sorry! My little jar is getting fuller with lots of snippets this month from two samplers I worked on, along with some thread tags and bits of fabric.

And here is a photo of "Lo, How a Rose" finally finished and just in the nick of time. The book is on its way back to the New Jersey library that was kind enough to loan it to me. The design is from Bright Needle, and the book is one of the BH & G Cross-Stitch Christmas series - "Celebrations in Stitches".I stitched this with the Weeks threads listed and really like the softness of the colors.

Thanks for visiting!

july 20 - just popping in to say hi

It has been an interesting few days. Hubby has been away since Thursday night...he went back East to attend the wedding of his best friend's daughter and spend a little time with our daughter as well. I'm picking him up at the airport tonight, and I can't wait. My life really goes a bit haywire when he is not here. I can't sleep very well so I stay up way later than I should, and I don't eat very well. I even forgot to take my meds a couple of days. My golden climbs into bed with me which is good! And I did get to get some stitching done. I am almost finished with "Lo How a Rose"...I ran out of a few colors, but I think they may be in today's mail so I should have a finish to show tonight or tomorrow. I really enjoyed stitching on this and only had to renew the book one time! I think I need a cup of tea!
Thanks for visiting!

july 16 - two more giveaways & a great read

Renae is having a Christmas in July giveaway on her blog. If you haven't visited her blog, please do so. She has some wonderful things there.

Paulette is also having a giveaway at her blog. If you love Plum Street Sampler designs as much as I do you will want to head right over there.



Someone on one of the blogs mentioned this book and I am so glad I followed up on it. "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer is a wonderful book, written as a series of letters. I am listening to the audio version and it has really captured me. I would highly recommend this book, and thank you to whoever it was that brought it to my attention.

And thanks for visiting!

july 13 - weekend update

It was a bit cooler this weekend and I managed to get lots of stuff accomplished. On the reading front, I finished "Miss Julia Delivers the Goods" by Ann B. Ross. I really love this series and the characters are a hoot. I actually have listened to more of them than I have "read" and the person who reads these is just perfect for the books. If you haven't tried these and are looking for something fun, I'd recommend them.

I was also lucky enough to get two wonderful packages this weekend. The first was my Quaker exchange with the Stitcher's Timeout yahoo group. I received Shannon's wonderfully stitched pin pillow. The design is a Quaker hedgehog from Workbasket. I have actually stitched this one twice before but never for myself. so I was so pleased to receive it. She added the little pins and buttons and it is just perfect. Thanks again Shannon!

I also received these beautiful squares for Round 14 of Fair & Square. These were a real surprise because the round has just started, but Maren must have flying needles! She put together this pretty design using different motifs from the Reader's Digest Big Book of Cross Stitch. I have this book as well and it is a wonderful source for all kinds of designs. This is a lousy picture but you'll have to trust me..the stitching is perfect and the colors are soft and beautiful. Thanks so much Maren!


I also did some stitching this weekend as well. I added Parts 6 & 7 to "Alla Turca. There are only two more parts to go and then this SAL will be complete. I have really enjoyed working on this.


And this is a wedding sampler that I stitched for a friend's daughter. My husband will be traveling to New York this week for the wedding. He is meeting our daughter there so they will have a nice time together. This is a design from Bent Creek called "I Do". I stitched it on a light fiddler's cloth because I love the way these alphabet samplers look on that fabric. I hope they like it!

I also did some more stitching on "Lo How a Rose" yesterday. I am able to keep the book a little longer...until the 24th of this month, so I am hoping to get it finished this week. I'll post an update later in the week.

And now I have to get back to work! Thanks for visiting and for all your wonderful comments!

july 9 - another generous blogger

I just came across another wonderful giveaway. Patti is celebrating 2000 visitors to her blog with a very generous giveaway. Please visit her blog for all the details!

july 7 - 2 awesome giveaways & a happy birthday

There are 2 wonderful giveaways being offered...the first is at the violarium blog...enter for a chance to win this wonderful book. The second giveaway is at Irish Muses...a new-to-me and super blog.

Have fun and have a birthday cupcake for Ringo Starr...I forget how old he must be and can't believe that I remembered that today is his birthday (I was just a bit of a Beatlemaniac back in the day....can't remember what I crossed the room to get but I remember their birthdays!)

Thanks for visiting!

july 2 - exchanges to share & a WIP

I recently participated in a floss tag exchange with the Friendly Stitchers yahoo group and received my exchange today. I also heard that my partner received hers, so I can share the pictures. Here is the exchange that I received. Gillie did a wonderful job stitching this floss tag and she also included 2 gorgeous skeins of silk floss...one from Caron Waterlilies and the other a silk 'n colors. I can't wait to use them (I'm already using the floss tag!)


I stitched this older freebie from Little House Needleworks for my partner. It is called "Two Sheep", and I included some silks for her also.


And finally, here is an update on my Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler. I think I will try to work down the right side of the sampler this month.


Thanks for visiting!

july 1 - goals

I haven't posted goals in quite awhile, but I have several things I really want to work on this month so here goes:
...finish wedding sampler
...Alla Turca Parts 6 & 7
...Beatrix Potter - at least 4 motifs
...work on Three Things
...finish Lo How a Rose
...Fair & Square Round 14 squares
...PS exchange
...ornie exchange
...QFS round robin
...Ally's round robin

I told you there was alot! but I think that's it. We'll just have to wait and see what happens!

Thanks for visiting!

june 27 - i'd lose my head....

if it wasn't attached...I'm sure I would! Last night I was looking all over for my pinking shears because I wanted to finish off a small needlebook for an exchange and I couldn't find them anywhere. Now these have a large bright orange handle so they should be hard to hide, but apparently not! So this morning one of my errands was to head to Michael's for a new pair, which I did and now the little Quaker exchange for the Stitchers' Timeout group is finished and posted before the deadline..yeah! I can show a picture because all of the exchange pictures have been posted...we just don't know which exchange we each will receive. It's a fun way to do an exchange, I think.



And I know I am not supposed to be buying any more stash, but I couldn't resist these. (I should be receiving 2 more from Mary Kathryn later this week as well....) The small LHN design was designed for World Vision. I love mermaids and think these are adorable, and I adore this new La-D-Da design. I think I may even spring for the Gloriana silks for this one. There are only 3 colors after all....


Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend...it has turned very hot today and sunny!
Thanks for visiting!

(ps I just figured out how to move my photos around!)