august 9 - the lost art of letter writing & an exchange

I love writing and receiving "real" letters in the mail. E-mail is great, but there is nothing like having a handwritten (or typed) letter waiting for you in the mailbox. At least, I don't think so!
So...I was so happy when Parsley posted on her blog looking for people who would be interested in having a pen pal. Sign me up! This is also interesting because we are all secret pen pals...we won't reveal our identities until December. Doesn't that sound like fun? I received my first letter last week, and also sent a letter off to my partner. I'm not sure if I can keep the secret for that long, but I'll try!

There is also a yahoo group dedicated to writing real letters, and I am a member there too. This is not a secret pen pal, and there are about 25-30 of us in the group, I think. We don't all necessarily write to every other person, but I do try to keep in touch with as many as I can. We are all stitchers, and one of the other common threads running through the group is that many of us are avid readers. So when the idea of an exchange came up, we all thought a bookmark exchange would be a great place to start.

This is a photo of the bookmark that I received from my partner. Lisa stitched parts of a Victoria's Sampler design, and it is so pretty in person. I love lilacs, and the colors are perfect. She also included a wonderful lighthouse bookmark kit, so I have another bookmark to stitch (and I love lighthouses, so this was a perfect choice!)


This photo shows the bookmark I stitched for Lisa. I adapted Plumberry Sampler from Bent Creek for her piece. I haven't stitched a bookmark in a long time and this was fun to do. I also sent along a mystery book that I thought she might enjoy.



Thanks for stopping by to visit!

july 30 - a quick TUSAL post

We're on our way to the Maryhill Winery for a concert - Yes & Styx, but I didn't want to forget my TUSAL check-in. Not much added this month, and I think there is a needle in there as well!


Thanks for visiting!

Strawberries, TUSAL, & losing things

We are finally getting some wonderfully delicious strawberries and I am taking every opportunity to eat them while they are ripe...in pies or just in a bowl...they are so yummy! I even stitched a strawberry for my anniversary block for Stitcher's Timeout...Berry-corn from Cross-Eyed Cricket.
And another month has flown by...which means time for the latest installments of our totally useless SALs! I didn't stitch much this month...at least it didn't seem like I did, but I managed to add a bit to my little jar. The colors all look so pretty mixed up together!
Do any of you have a problem with losing things...in your own house? I realized that I have lost two pair of my Gingher embroidery scissors...it's like they have vanished into thin air. I know they are here someplace, probably in the bottom of one of my stitching bags...but I just can't figure out where. It is so frustrating! I did finally find my kitted up Mary Wigham Sampler...after I had printed it off yet again and was on the lookout for new fabric and threads. I knew I had kitted it up when it first appeared, but it too was lost.And then I found it while looking for something else. Geesh! I think I need an intervention! So hopefully I will get it started...there is a SAL in progress over at Friendly Stitchers...and have a progress pic to show soon.

The sun is shining and the forecast is good for the next few days and I am so ready for it. Our annual blues festival is being held this weekend...it is one of the largest in the country and goes through Monday. And it's all a fund-raiser for the Oregon Food Bank which is a great reason to head out and enjoy the sunshine and good music.

I hope that all my US friends will have a safe and happy holiday...and that everyone will enjoy a relaxing weekend with some time to sit & stitch.

Thanks for visiting and taking the time to comment. I do appreciate it!

june 24 - finally found the camera!

Well, I must say that when I misplace something, I do a really good job of it! I thought hubby had taken the camera on his little trip, but he came home...no camera. Since I couldn't really even remember the last time I had seen it, the search was on...well, off and on...there was too much else happening to spend too much time on this. Anyway, I finally found it, snuggled into a pocket in one of my Vera Bradley bags...those pockets are deep...and things can hide for sure! Which brings me to my point...and that is that I actually have a few pictures to share! This first one is a pillow that I finally put together for a friend. I had stitched this Lizzie Kate design from the Chocolate Lovers leaflet years ago...it's done on fiddlers cloth with DMC. I backed it with a pretty blue and cream floral flannel fabric and added some blue beads around the edging (which you can't see in this photo!). I love the little chocolate chip cookie button on the bear's lap!


This next photo shows the adorable block I received in the latest block swap at Stitcher's Timeout. The theme was any design from Bent Creek, Heart in Hand or the Trilogy. Lavon stitched this adorable snowman design from Heart in Hand that I was lucky enough to receive.


I don't know how many of you are familiar with the Fair & Square blog. Stitchers are partnered up and stitch two blocks each round...one is a design, the second is a signature block with the stitcher's name, location, date...whatever. I joined in on many rounds some time ago, and then stopped for awhile when things just got too hectic. Usually the rounds are either holiday themed or just general (you stitch a block based on your partner's likes for example), but this last round was designer specific and the designer was Blackbird Designs. I love BBD and couldn't resist joining in.
These are the squares I stitched for my partner Shelley. The design is taken from the Honeysuckle Manor book and it is the Honeysuckle Pin Box. I stitched it on a neutral evenweave fabric with a variegated blue DMC floss. It turns out that this was quite a popular design among the other stitchers this round as well!


And these are the beautiful squares I received from Shelley. I was really blown away when I saw them. The photo does not do them justice...these squares are gorgeous. Shelley stitched a design from the Stitcher's Journey book...these are adaptations of the Tulip Pincushion and Tulip House Stitching Companion. They are stitched on a light mocha (much more beige than it looks like in this photo. The thread colors are soft and so pretty. I know I am gushing, but you'd understand why if you could see these in person! Thanks again Shelley for a wonderful exchange!


And finally, I mentioned Count Your Blessings in my last post...the traveling pattern from Shakespeare's Peddler that I was lucky enough to get to stitch. I stitched it on a buttermilk jobelan (a pretty yellow color which somehow looks gray here!) with various threads, changing the colors to reflect the colors on our house. The pattern has now been passed along to Nataly and I hope she will enjoy stitching it as much as I did.

So, my stitching mojo is starting to return and I hope to have some more things to show you next time.

Thanks for taking the time to visit and comment. I really do appreciate it!

june 10 - technology troubles and a traveling pattern

First, I must apologize to anyone who was waiting on the fate of the traveling pattern Count Your Blessings.

We had a great weekend in Seattle.The U2 concert was more than amazing. There must have been over 100 trucks for all the light equipment and special effects stuff. And the Mariners game was fun too...I love games where the scores go back and forth and this one was like that and we came out on top which was great. We took Jeff's sports car and had the top down the whole time because the weather was so perfect...at least until we reached our exit coming home. That's when the skies opened up and we had to scoot over to the side of the road and get that top up in a hurry! It turned into a really nasty storm with thunder and lightning even, which is pretty rare for this area.

Anyway, something happened to my computer and it was out of commission. Then my cell phone got wet and wouldn't work. Jeff took the laptop to Minnesota for the week, and even my computer at work bit the dust (not that I would have had much extra time there anyway). So now it is Friday...the home computer is back up and running (yeah!), I got a new phone (which I actually like better than my old one - which wasn't even that old - I just have to learn how to post to blogger from it), Jeff is glad he has the laptop, and my computer at work is still toast (but I won't need that until at least Monday so I'm not worried!).So that's the long story of why I haven't posted yet this week. Now all I have to do is find the camera...hmmm...maybe Jeff took that too! He'll be home Sunday night, so I can post pictures then!

So...drumroll...the lucky stitcher who gets to stitch Count Your Blessings next is....natalyK! I'll email you, but if you see this first, please send me your address and I will get the pattern in the mail to you right away. Thanks to everyone who left a comment. Keep your eyes on Nataly's blog for the next chance to stitch this great design.

I have dog duty this week, and my babies look like they are ready for a walk, so I had better get moving!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

june 2 - a finish, a traveling pattern and TUSAL

I can't believe that another month has gone flown by. I have been really busy at work between meetings and trying to get all the summer reading stuff ready for the children. Sign-up started yesterday...let the fun begin!

I haven't been stitching much at all, but I did manage to do the stitching on two ornaments (I'll wait to show a picture until they are "finished"), and a small Bent Creek piece. This is Are You My Mother?...a piece I've wanted to stitch for a long time. It's stitched on a pale yellow jobelan with Weeks and GAST threads.


I've also been stitching on Count Your Blessings from Shakespeare's Peddler. This is a traveling pattern and it is such a cute design and a great reminder to be thankful for all the things in our lives...big and small. I am not quite finished with it, but very close, so I thought I would post now to see who might be interested in stitching this one next. This is the pattern:


If you would like a chance to be the next stitcher, please leave a comment on this post and let me know that you are interested. All that is asked is that once you receive the pattern, you stitch it in a reasonable amount of time, sign your name to the chart, and then send it along to the next person. We're going away for the weekend, so I will choose the next stitcher on Monday.

Finally, it's time for the monthly posting of our collected orts - TUSAL! My little jar is looking pretty full...it looks like there is a lot of blue in there, but I can't remember what I stitched this month that had blue threads! Hmmm....one more mystery to solve!


And, just because...here's a photo of my little grandson. He came by the other night for a surprise visit and made his grandma & grandpa very happy!


Until next time, thanks for visiting!

may 3 - Sunshine and a New Moon

Another New Moon, which means another TUSAL update. I did not do as much stitching this month as I had hoped, but I still seemed to almost fill this jar. I think I will need a new one for next month.


The dogs and I had a wonderful walk in the sunshine when I got home from work...yes, you read that right...sunshine! What a treat!

I had a wonderful surprise in yesterday's mail. I am participating in the latest round of the Blackbird Designs exchange, and my exchange arrived yesterday. Catherine stitched this beautiful pillow for me. The design is For My Daughter, but she made some changes to the design. It says "spring 2011" on the left side and is filled with something that feels like crushed shells. The thread colors are all beautiful muted pastels, and Catherine even added some pins to the pillow. This photo does not do it justice...trust me...it is perfectly stitched and I just love it. Thanks again Catherine for a wonderful exchange!


Well, I think I will go back outside and enjoy some more of this sunshine before it gets too late! Thanks so much for stopping by to visit!

may 1 - what a week!

From the devastating storms in the southern United States to the joyful wedding of Kate & Will (has any couple ever looked so happy?) to the amazing news tonight of the killing of Osama Bin Laden...it's overwhelming! I remember so clearly that morning in September 2001 when I thought my BIL was in one of the twin towers and the sheer relief when I learned that he wasn't much much later in the day. We carry these experiences with us, even when we think they have long been buried, and I don't think we even realize the toll that takes. So I continue to pray for the victims of September 11 and their families, and the victims of the horrible storms this week, even as I also pray for a long and happy life together for Kate & Will...the circle of life...

I have been so negligent as far as blogging goes....I'll be amazed if anyone is left out there who even cares to visit any more! Something is going on with me but I am not sure what. I have just been feeling "off" for the past several weeks. Not really sick, but not really feeling great either...so tired some nights, it's all I can do to read a few pages of a book. I think that our weather is finally turning the corner towards spring, so maybe that will make a difference in how I feel. I hope so!

We had a sleepover with our grandson Saturday night which was lots of fun, as always. I miss him so much when we don't see him, and am always amazed at how much he changes in only a few weeks. He is truly the joy of our lives.

I have not been stitching much lately, but have been reading instead when I have the energy. Sonda wrote on her blog exactly what I have been thinking lately...guiltless stitching is such a pleasure! I started out the new year with those new and UFO challenges, and I have been stitching on some of those pieces, but it is starting to feel like more of a chore than a pleasure...you know...like I have to get such and such done by such and such a time. It kind of takes all the fun out of it! So I think I will stop setting "goals" for myself as far as specific projects go, and just set a goal to stitch as much as I can whenever I can and enjoy every stitch!

I do have a small finish to share. I heard (in a roundabout way) that my partner received her exchange piece in the Blackbird Exchange, so I can share a photo here. It is a piece form the Stitcher's Journey book...Summer Sachet. I hope she liked it! I finished it as a small pin pillow and added a little bit of lace and an old button.


It is getting late and I think I should be heading off to bed. Don't forget about Edgar's blogoversary...the link is in my "Great Giveaways" tab, along with other giveaways from generous fellow bloggers.

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

april 11 - monday monday....

We had such a wonderfully relaxing weekend...it was kind of sad to see it end! There were short glimpses of spring weather, but for the most part, we are not there yet. This morning felt really chilly and, as much as I love my big warm sweaters, I am getting ready for some lighter clothing!

I do have some stitching to share. We are having a spring/Easter SAL with the Stitchers Timeout group, and these are two pieces I stitched for that. The first is Bunny Egg Mini from Waxing Moon Designs. It is stitched with a Weeks fiber called 'Clam Shell' on a piece of buttermilk 28ct. jobelan...a really yummy pale yellow color (which looks gray in this photo!) Trust me, it looks much nicer in person!



The second piece is one I found in the latest issue of The Gift of Stitching. San-Man Originals was the featured designer this month. I used to stitch lots of Sandy's designs and have binders full of them...but then my tastes changed a bit and I began doing more Quakers & primitives & samplers. But reading the article reminded me of how much fun Sandy's designs are to stitch, so I stitched this one up. It is called Happy Quack, and it is stitched on a piece of medium blue 28ct. linen with DMC. I changed some of the colors because they didn't seem as bright as the ones in the picture.

This last photo is my progress so far on Apple Tree Sampler (my SAL with Babs). I'm on page 3 and will start the big tree next Sunday when I pick this one up again. Please excuse the wrinkles...I didn't have time to get the iron out this morning before work! Again...the fabric is more yellow than it appears in this photo.

I also started two ornaments and a square for an exchange, but I ran out of thread for the ornies and time for the square, so I don't have those finishes to show yet! I also haven't heard from my partner in the Blackbird Designs exchange, so I will wait with that one too. I think she should have received it by now, but haven't heard yet. I guess I will give it a bit more time before I start to worry!

I hope you all had lots of time to stitch this weekend too!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

april 3 - totally useless

Another new moon is upon us...where do these months go?

We had our grandson for a sleepover last night and spent some time yesterday at a great indoor play area...the best part about this one is that they had a special section just for the little ones with the same kinds of activities but in a scaled down size. It was lots of fun!

I'm working on a small spring piece right now but don't have a photo yet, but I do have a photo of my TUSAL jar ...I think I may have to look for a larger jar soon! This month I have added threads from lots of small projects as well as a few finishing bits & pieces.

Thanks for visiting!

march 31 - a finish, a question & a puzzle

I spent last night finishing two small pieces. One is an exchange piece, so I will wait to share that one. The other is the ornament I finished for March in our year long SAL at Stitcher's Timeout.This was a freebie here. I stitched it on water lily jobelan with GAST thread in Holly Berry. I really like the way these colors look together and I think I may use the same colors again.



So I have a question that I am hoping someone might be able to answer. I do my finishing by hand, and I usually use invisible thread. My question is...does anyone know if invisible thread is available on cards, instead of just spools? It is not the easiest thing to work with but I keep thinking that if I could only straighten out the thread some, it might be a tad easier. I have tried ironing it, and I've also tried using these little stick things (I forget what they are called)_ that are made to straighten thread. But I guess I am too butter-fingered or something, because I could not get them to work! Anyway, on the off chance that someone might be able to help, I just thought I would throw it out there!

Now to the puzzle. A few weeks ago, in one of my groups (or maybe even more than one) there was a mention of a place in (or maybe it was Spain) that was offering free threads (3) to try their new floss. So I sent my choice of colors and promptly forgot about it. I thought someone said the offer was over or something. Anyway, the threads came in the mail today, but I am puzzled. They look identical to the DMC threads of the same color number. Not just close but identical! Two were on skeins, one was wound on a bobbin. I was wondering if anyone else took part in this offer, and if you had the same experience when you saw your threads? I thought these were supposed to be something close that you might use in a conversion, but if I took the labels off I wouldn't be able to tell them apart. Curious...

So I'm off to finish the laundry, finish the latest Monica Ferris book and maybe even do a smidgen of stitching.

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

march 28 - guardian angels, PIF and catching up

We had a near disaster last week. We moved my good stitching lamp back to the living room and it is placed near the front window. The lamp also has a magnifier on it. Jeff got home from work early and went up for a nap. When he came down, he saw a small spiral of smoke coming up from the blanket on the couch. The sun was shining directly through the magnifier onto the blanket. If he hadn't caught it, the whole house could have gone up in flames. No-one would have been home for hours. Just thinking about it gives me the willies. We haven't seen the sun here in a long time and I never thought about the reflection and all. Anyway, the magnifier now has a thick terrycloth cover over it...but I am very glad that our angels were looking after us that day!  

I have been able to get some stitching done this week too. I finished the latest part on our specialty stitch SAL with Friendly Stitchers...this time the stitch was the "algerian eye stitch"...


 
I also finished two pieces from Midnight Stitching. The first was one of my crazy 15 challenge starts in January...A Prairie Girl's Sampler, stitched on bittersweet lite jobelan with a crescent color called "barn door".


 
The second piece was one of my crazy challenge WIPs/UFOs...Quaker Winter Slumber, stitched on an opalescent white linen with weeks thread in "eggplant".
 
 
I really love Marianne's designs and these were both such a pleasure to stitch. I finally got our taxes done yesterday. 

I hate doing taxes because we always have to pay. But now that they're done I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders, and I feel like I have permission to indulge in my favorite hobby more. So I will!  

I have been very lazy with the SAL I am doing with Babs...Apple Tree Sampler. I really like this piece and I love the colors, but somehow I am going at it very slowly. I did do a little bit more last night. I'm sure Babs is way far ahead of me!
   
I also got my ornament stitched for this month, but it is not finished yet, so I will show a picture when it is. And I stitched my exchange piece for the Blackbird Designs exchange, but I can't show that yet, because my partner might read my blog...I'm not sure.  

And finally, there were three people interested in my PIF, so I decided to just send to all three instead of choosing just one. They are Babs, Fiona and stitchinpeanut. Please send me your mailing info and don't forget to pass it forward on your blogs as well. So now I should get back to work. We have a library board meeting this evening so it will be a later night than usual for me.  
Thanks so much for taking the time to visit!

march 21 - Pay it Forward

I completely forgot about this! When I finally got to check the computer this morning, I found that I was one of the three winners of Mouse's PIF. She will be stitching something for me within the next year! What a treat!

So the rules of the pass it forward are that I now have to make the same offer here on my blog...I will stitch something for someone and send it to them within the next year. (and then that person will pass it forward, and so on, and so on....)

So, if you would like something stitched and finished by me within the next year, please put a comment on this post.

I will check on Sunday, March 27 and pick a winner.

Two posts on one day! The sky must be falling!
Thanks for visiting!

march 21 - happy spring!

It doesn't look much like spring here yet...still rainy and dreary. The weatherguy did promise a dry day soon though...one can only hope. I know this is the Pacific Northwest and it rains lots, but enough is enough!

My partner in the spring pincushion exchange received her parcel, so I can show what I stitched for her. I thought it was funny that we each chose to stitch the same design for one another! I forgot to include the threads I sent her in the photo! The design is Hello Spring from Lizzie Kate stitched on a very pale pink evenweave with DMC.


Our grandson spent the weekend with us, so very little stitching got done! We played lots of train games, and Saturday was a beautiful day (at least part of the time) so we got to spend some time outside. I guess I could stitch when he is involved in something else, but why would I want to stop looking at this face, even for a minute?


I did get to put a few stitches in late last night. Here is my progress on A Prairie Girl's Sampler from Midnight Stitching. I should have this one finished this week.


Thanks for your help with my questions. I think I have my email set up now so that I can answer comments (thanks Deb!) and I am trying Babs' suggestion about the fonts. I'm still doing something wrong...but one of these days I might get it!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

march 18 - a wonderful find and some questions

My thread for Quaker Winter Slumber came in yesterday's mail, but...it doesn't quite match...too much bright purple. Of course I shouldn't be surprised...it has been a long time since I got the threads in the first place. I guess I could just cut out the bright spots, but I thought I would try to find some more instead. And this morning, I came upon a wonderful little quilt and mercantile store in the town right next to where I work! What a great shop! If I was a quilter I am sure I would be drooling over all the beautiful fabrics...I was anyway, and I don't quilt! But they also carry a small amount of Weeks and GAST threads and lots of Boyd's bears and Jim Shore pieces (little ones that I can actually afford to buy!) So I found my color (and it does look closer to the original) and also picked up a bunch more that looked very springy, as well as some adorable scissors. I am already planning my next visit to this great little shop!

I have a couple of techy blogger type questions that I am hoping someone might be able to help me with. First, I found the place to change to fun type faces, but they are only showing in my headings and sidebar. How can I get a fun typeface for the actual text of posts?
Also (I know someone has talked about this, but I can't remember who)...is there an easy way to comment to people who comment on our blogs? I am so grateful to anyone who takes the time to make a comment and I would really love to be able to send off a reply.
So...can anyone help me?

My grandson is coming for a sleepover weekend, so there probably won't be too much stitching going on at our house this weekend! He is much more interested in his trains and blocks! I hope it dries out at least a little bit so we can spend some time outdoors.

I hope everyone has a fun weekend planned!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

march 17 - spring?????

The calendar says that spring is just around the corner and I want to believe it...really I do! But this has been such a dark and dreary week...gray skies, tons of rain, even some hail and crazy wild winds. It is perfect weather to find a comfy seat indoors though and have a hot cup of tea, so that is what I have been doing every chance I get! There was a spring training game on tv last night too which made me smile...baseball season will be here before we know it and I will be planted in my comfy chair watching as much as I can...just a bit of a fan am I!

Anyway, I have been doing some stitching this week. I'm in a Midnight Stitching kind of mood! I love Marianne's designs and these two are no exception. This one is Quaker Winter Slumber and I am stitching it on a white opalescent linen with Weeks thread in eggplant. Unfortunately, I ran out of thread :(, but some is onthe way so I will get back to this one very soon. I only have the bottom section to do and it will be finished. The original design is finished as a bellpull, but I'm not sure yet what I will do.


This second design is A Prairie Girl's Sampler. It was one of the pieces I chose for my Crazy 15 Starts Challenge. It is being stitched on jobelan (bittersweet lite) with Crescent Colors thread in Barn Door. I am really enjoying stitching this piece!


Sorry for the wrinkle marks in the photos. I just grabbed these off their respective hoops and q-snaps so I could take a quick photo before I left for work!

I hope you are all having a happy St. Patrick's Day...Irish or not. I think we are all a little bit Irish on this day!

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit!

march 14 - before the day gets away from me

I wanted to post here before the day gets too busy and I forget. We're short-staffed all week so it should be a fun one!

Luckily, we had a very laid back and relaxing weekend and I was able to get lots of stitching time (and lots of napping time too!). I finally finished my January 1st start...Ellen Birdseye from The Goode Huswife. This was a design I had wanted to do for a long time and I was finally able to buy the pattern and get it started. It was a really enjoyable piece to stitch as well.


I also wanted to finally share a photo of Three Things Sampler from Moira Blackburn. This was a huge finish for me...it was started in 2005! It's one of those pieces that was so enjoyable to stitch that every time I picked it back up I wondered why I had ever put it down in the first place...the photo looks a bit blurry...it's hard to get a clear view since it is rather large. Hopefully once it's framed I'll have a clearer photo to share.


I also got one more of my block exchanges stitched recently. This is Summer ABCs from Lizzie Kate and it is for the block exchange at the Stitchers Timeout group. The theme for this one is summer.


We have a really fun exchange at Friendly Stitchers called Calendar Girls. There are groups of six and each month someone is the designated "pin-up girl" for the month. That lucky person gets lots of wonderful fabrics and flosses from the others in the group. This year, I was lucky enough to be the first to receive and this is a photo of all the goodies I got in the mail. It's hard to see everything in the basket but trust me the fabrics are beautiful and the threads are amazing...lots of fabulous autumn shades...my faves!


I also decided to stitch a card for this month's recipient...usually I just buy them but I thought I would give it a go and it was fun to do. This is part of Birthday Blessings from Lizzie Kate.


Finally, this is a photo of the lovely exchange I received from Elizabeth, also from the Friendly Stitchers group. This was a spring pincushion exchange...a stitched pincushion along with some spring colored threads. Elizabeth stitched Hello Spring from Lizzie Kate. It has little beads all around and I just love it. I'm already using it, in fact! Hopefully she will have mine by the end of the week and I can share a photo then.


Well, I guess that's enough of me for one day!

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit!

march 11 - what's been happening

I think I have to get over thinking that I can not post unless I have a photo to share. For one thing, I do not have a great camera and I am not a very good photographer, so photos can be few and far between right now. And to be honest, sometimes I just forget that I wanted to take a photo and then it's bedtime and then the next day and the next and so it goes...
But that doesn't mean that nothing is going on in my little world! These past two weeks have actually been fairly busy. I started off with yet another bout of the cold/flu monster, went home early from work two days in a row and tumbled into bed too tired to think let alone stitch!

My daughter and her boyfriend visited from Boston for a few days and we had a great time. He is a wonderful young man and they get along great and seem to be very happy together. Since she hardly ever gets to see her nephew (except on Skype...he actually thinks she lives in the computer I think!) we had Asher with us from Thursday through Sunday. He is so much fun and we all had a great time. We drove to the Coast one day...it was very rainy and blustery, but Kevin had to see the Pacific Ocean and we all enjoyed a great seafood lunch. We also got to celebrate both Kevin's and my other daughter's birthdays with a wonderful Italian dinner out. Lots of good food, laughter and love. We drove up to Seattle on Saturday and visited the Experience Music Project and the Space Needle which were lots of fun too. All in all, we all had a wonderful visit. I'm just always so sad to see Sara go home...3000 miles is too far away!

This week has been a flurry of long hours at work...finalizing our budget, meeting with the Library Board, and last night we had an evening program that went on until 9. I'm usually off at 4:30 so it was a long night! We had two professors from the local college so a talk about how to read a book for a book club...how to organize book clubs, run them, choose a book discuss, etc. It was really interesting and well attended, with people coming from towns quite a distance from ours. I don't belong to any book clubs, and I must admit that I usually just read books for enjoyment...I really don't like to pick them apart and try to find out what the author is really trying to tell me, but it was a fun discussion last night and I think everyone enjoyed it.

I have been stitching a few small things...another square for the block exchange and a spring pincushion exchange that got mailed yesterday. I threaded a bunch of needles this morning because I plan on parking myself in a comfy chair and stitching most of this weekend away...stitching and napping (and I guess I should do our taxes) sounds like a good way to spend the next couple of days!

I have taken a few photos and I will share them sometime this weekend...promise!

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit!

march 4 - totally useless SAL update

Well, another month has passed and it's time for the new moon again...and with that comes our TUSAL updates. I love watching this little jar fill up each month! I thought I had set this to automatically post , but I guess I didn't do it right. Sorry to be late!

Thanks for visiting!

february 28 - mysteries solved, what's lost is found, and a few photos too

It has been way too long since I have updated this blog...sorry for those of you who are followers. I was actually very busy stitching in my spare time, and have very little "leisure" computer time at work since we have been busy getting our budget ready for next fiscal year. Time consuming, but it is finally done and we are very happy!

Did you ever wonder why you lose followers on your blogs? I often wonder if I have said something to offend anyone, or if it is just that I have nothing much of interest to say most of the time. But the last time I tried to add myself as a follower to a blog that was new to me, I was told that I was already following the maximum number of blogs and would have to delete one to add another. I didn't realize that there was a limit, but I guess there is. So someone lost a follower because someone else was gaining one. So now when I see my list fluctuate up and down by one or two, I choose to think that that is the reason!

My daughter and her new beau are coming to visit this week and I have been trying to make some sense of my stitching room (actually my stitching storage room, since I rarely do any actual stitching in there!) because that is where the spare pull-out bed/couch is. I was going through some file drawers and came upon Papillon Creations' Love with a Capital L. I started this design long ago...I don't even remember exactly when...and I had the fabric and thread with my meager amount of stitching in a trunk in the living room. But I could not find the pattern anywhere. I had finally decided to just go ahead and purchase another copy because I really love the design, but I hadn't got around to it yet. Anyway, there it was, stuck in a folder with some freebies! I was so thrilled to find it! I really thought it was gone forever. Makes me wonder what other treasures are hiding somewhere in our house....

I do have a few photos to share. The first is my progress on a SAL that we are doing over at Friendly Stitchers. Each month Val (one of the mods) is posting instructions for two more specialty stitches that we are to add to the band sampler. I hadn't even made a start, but was able to get the first four bands done last week. The fabric is actually more of an antique white, and the thread is a Threadworks color that I had in my stash. I really don't do many specialty stitches in my pieces...I'm pretty much a plain cross-stitch kind of stitcher, so this is a fun SAL for me.


This next photo is my Heart in Hand square for the monthly exchange with the Stitcher's Timeout group. It is called Wee Joy. I used a piece of scrap evenweave ( I think the color may be bone) and DMC. I also changed some of the colors and didn't add the specialty stitches to this one.


I am trying to stitch and finish an ornament each month this year, and this is the one I chose for February. It is a design from Sharon Bennett (daffycat) and can be found on her blog. It is called Mistletoe Reindeer, and is stitched on a scrap piece of linen with DMC. I used red beads instead of white. This is the second of her reindeer ornaments that I have stitched and i think there is one more. I think these designs are so cute!


Lastly, I was the lucky recipient of this adorable little pillow from Becky. It is a beehive design from Little House Needleworks. I am always in awe of Becky's stitching and finishing. She comes up with the cutest finishes for her projects and her stitching is always beautiful. Thanks again Becky for such a lovely gift!


And finally, I said that I had been doing a lot of stitching this month, and the end result is that I have finally finished Three Things Sampler by Moira Blackburn! I started this in February 2005, so it took me six years off and on to stitch, but I love the finished project. I haven't had a chance to press it yet, but as soon as I do I will post a photo here because I really am proud of this one!

And now I am off to blow my nose and sneeze some more, because yes, I am getting yet another cold/sore throat thing. And it is raining so hard here today too. Maybe my boss will take pity on my and send me home early to a nice warm fire and a cup of hot cocoa. One can always hope!

Thanks for visiting!