Stitchy mail!

I was very excited when I finally picked up my mail to have 3 wonderful surprises...one was the "Americana Sampler" pattern from Little House Needleworks which was a prize for completing a SAL on the STO group. I also received my Christmas in July ornament from Julie L...she also included lots of adorable Mary Engelbreit goodies which I love. The last package was a beautiful pinkeep stitched by Mylene for an exchange with the Prairie Schooler yahoo group.

the best of times and the worst of times

This whole month has gone by in a blur...we got back from the East coast a week ago. It was a nice, but busy trip. We flew in to Portland, Maine, then drove to Boothbay for a family reunion. it was great to see everyone, and I finally got to meet my niece's 2 children...they are 4 & 6 and both adorable. We stayed there 2 nights,t hen drove to Ellsworth, Maine where we stayed another 2 nights. While there, we took the ferry over to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. The boat ride was fun but we only had a very short time in Yarmouth...just about enough to get some lunch...which was delicious! From there we drove to Foxwoods in Connecticut...this is a huge casino...we got there a bit late so they upgraded us to a suite at no extra charge which was really wonderful. We were only there one night and then drove to New Jersey for my nephew's wedding. It was a very nice affair and we got to see people we hadn't seen in over 15 years. We drove to New York the last night to stay with an old friend of ours and then headed to the airport where....our flight was cancelled! This started the hellish portion of the trip. We were flying Jet Blue and they were less than helpful. They offered to get us on the next flight...3 days later. We had our daughter with us, who is 7 months pregnant and we all had to get back home for work and to pick up our puppies. Like I said, they were no help at all and we barely made another flight out at the last minute. They actually had to hold the plane to get our bags on board. To say it was stressful is an understatement...not to mention the extra cost to get home which was no small amount. I'm still not through with Jet Blue...everyone is going to hear from me this time! They cancelled the flight due to "weather', yet somehow all the other airlines were
able to get planes out at the same time...hmmm. Anyway, at least we got home safely...and my daughter even got to ride in business class...at least she could put her feet up!

catching up on stitching

I was able to stitch two blocks for the monthly block exchange at STO during my commutes last week. One was a stitcher's theme and the other is a mermaid. The stitcher's square is a Lizzie Kate block found in the book Celebration of Stitching, and the mermaid is a section of the Twisted Oaks Design, "Nautical Nuptials". I still want to stitch that one for an anniversary sampler for Jeff and I...one of these years!

Club Mutt

We are off on a 10 day trip back East at the end of the week...a family reunion as well as a wedding. We will be flying into Portland, Maine for the reunion, taking a one-day excursion to Nova Scotia, driving through New England, stopping in Connecticut and then on to New Jersey for the wedding and down to Middletown (where we used to live) for a day before we come home. So...we had to find a place for our puppies. Originally, my daughter was going to take care of them, but then she decided that she really wanted to come along on the trip. So we had a friend's son who was going to help out, but then he got a new job and the hours wouldn't work. So we looked on-line and found "Club Mutt". This lady has turned her entire house into a doggie "Bed and Bone" as she calls it. They have a huge yard (actually 4 yards), a pool, their own room...it's amazing! She even has a "time-out" area! We took the doggies over last night for a sleepover and they both fit right in and did really well so I feel good about leaving them for the long trip. I just couldn't stand the thought of leaving them in kennels. They're just not used to cages and it would have broken my heart. The separation is bad enough!

Happy dancing big-time!

Well, I am finished with the wedding gift! Yeah!!! I realized how totally consumed I have been with this piece...it's been in the back of my mind for months, even before I started the actual stitching...I always get like that when I have a gift to do for someone, don't really know why. Anyway, I put the last stitches in yesterday and found a perfect frame at JoAnns...it's the muted blue from the design and looks like it has sand woven through. The stitching itself was a bit of a challenge. I stitched it over one and so many of the floss colors were so similar...after awhile I felt like everything was one color. But the finished effect was worth it. Here is a picture...not a very good one, since the flash is beaming off the glass...but I am really pleased with the way it turned out.

SALs

I know I'm crazy to do this since I have so little time to stitch as it is, but I've joined 2 new stitch-a-longs.
Shelley has started a group to stitch the Monopoly gameboard. I've wanted to do this one ever since I saw Georgia's finished piece a few years ago. Everyone is getting their supplies together and I think we will start sometime in June. I still have to find the right fabric.
Becky (from BeckyBee's Stitching Hive) suggested the second SAL. I think there are 7 of us stitching the "Happy Home Sampler" from the latest issue of Cross Stitch & Needlework magazine. We will be stitching on Thursdays and started today. I only had time to stitch this morning on my commute, so I didn't get too much done, but at least it's a start! I'm stitching this piece on 32 count Star Sapphire jobelan with DMC. Here's a photo of my tiny start!

Exchanges given & recieved

Sometime back I posted a pic of the bunny block that I stitched for the STO monthly block exchange. Here is a photo of the block I received from Sharyn. It's such a cute little bunny! I'm thinking about making it into a pin keep whenever I get around to doing some finishing! This was the first time I received a block from the same person who received mine.
We did another exchange with STO - we each stitched a holiday ornie - something other than Christmas. I stitched this Lizzie Kate design "If the Broom Fits" - Lavon got my piece and since she loves Halloween, it was perfect. I also received my exchange from Lavon - an Easter piece by Lizzie Kate called "Hop Squared". It is stitched on yellow & white checkered fabric & the bunnies have fuzzy little tails. The ribbon even has bunnies on it! I can't wait to hang it on my door next spring.
Today I received the some patterns from Mary Kathryn. She had some drawings on her blog for her blog anniversary and I was one of the winners. I received these Lizzie Kate charts, and she also included a PS freebie along with them.
Thanks to everyone!

What a wonderful surprise!

A while back, Felicity offered a piece of fabric - with the design already started - on her blog. I totally forgot about it, so imagine my surprise when I found it in my mailbox yesterday! The design is called "Five Simple Rules" by Glendon Place. Felicity didn't like the fabric, but I think it goes well with the floss colors. Now I just have to order the pattern and I'll be able to work on it. She even gridded the fabric...I've never done that before, so it will be fun to see if it makes it easier to stitch.

Today is our 32nd wedding anniversary! It's hard to believe that so much time has passed - where did it go? I feel so blessed to have found someone to share my life with - all the good and no-so-good times.
My DH surprised me at work yesterday with these beautiful long-stemmed roses. It took me a minute to figure out why I would be getting flowers! but I drove to work yesterday which I don't normally do and he knew that I'd be able to bring them home in the car. They smell so good too! Aren't they gorgeous?

Furbabies & a search

It has occurred to me that I haven't posted any photos of our furbabies. The dogs had their annual check-up on Monday. Boonie - our Golden - does not do well at the vet's. According to my DH, he had a total meltdown and it took 3 people to calm him down (well...sort of calm!). But he recovered from the trauma quickly and all is well now.
The first photo is our Golden, Boonie. The second photo is of Eros...he is a Britanny Spaniel/Lab mix and is actually (or was actually) my daughter's dog, but she couldn't keep him in her apartment so he came to live with us . The kitties are the same situation. Both belonged to my older daughter, but when she moved to Boston she couldn't take them with her. The one on the left is Jack, the one on the right is Sabrina (Peanut...it's a long story!)
My search is for a pattern that I saw on the back cover of British Cross Stitcher Issue 199. It is an Anchor pattern and just reminded me so much of our little ones. I'm hoping to find it someday because it's something I must stitch.

Procrastination

I really hate that I always procrastinate, especially when I have something important to do. It's a real character flaw. Why do I always do this to myself?
My nephew is getting married next month. I decided a year ago to stitch them a wedding gift. I picked out the perfect design..."Seaside Sweethearts". They love the beach, even got engaged there...and the colors are perfect too.
I was determined to start on the first of the year. Well...that came and went, so I thought I'd start on his birthday in March...came and went again. Long story short, I finally started on Sunday...ACK!...what was I thinking? Now I will be stressing until I get it done.
I'm stitching over-one because I didn't want them to have a huge piece that they would have to find a place for.This will be very pretty when finished, but it is all done in very pale colors on antique white and I am seriously afraid that it may kill me in the end!
Here are 2 photos. The first is a scan of the pattern and the second is what I have done as of last night. Please send all the stitching fairies to help me!

Another month plus gone by without blogging. Time just seems to slip through my fingers. I've had a couple of really nice comments about my blog recently though, so I am going to give it another go! I have to get over the feeling that I have to add photos as I go...I can always go back and do that later!
Anyway, I think we're all finally healthy around here...even the furbabies! Over the past couple of months we've all had the flu...it has been a really nasty strain this year and no fun. I've had some form since just after Christmas! But the weather is finally feeling like spring, so maybe all the nasties are gone for good!
I've been stitching just a bit...mostly round robins and small pieces. This first picture is my piece on a round robin. The pattern is "Flower of the Month" from the "Diary of an Edwardian Lady". It's a really pretty piece. I stitched the July and October blocks. The second picture is my garden theme block for the monthly block exchange on the STO yahoo group. I saw it in the last issue of the Gift of Stitching magazine and thought it would be perfect. It's a Lizzie Kate design. The third picture is my rendition of "Bad Hare Day" by Mosey 'n Me. We are doing this as a SAL in the STO group as well. It's fun to see everyone's choices of fabric and floss. I stitched mine on a piece of Sassy's Fabric called Calypso Blue using a mix of floss from Needle Necessities, Carrie's Threads and the Dye is Cast.

Scissor fobs

I signed up for a scissor fob exchange with the Prairie Schooler yahoo group, and yesterday my fob arrived in the mail. It was stitched by Carolyn in Texas and is really cute, with butterflies on both sides. She also attached a pair of scissors. I plan on putting these in my "commuting bag"...I almost always take a project with me on the bus/train since I have a long commute every day to work. I can usually stitch in the mornings because there is more room. In the afternoons, sometimes.....but more often I read then. Anyway, here are pictures of the front and back of the fob Carolyn sent me.
I haven't heard if she received the fob I sent, but I'm sure she did since it has been a few weeks...and I doubt that she looks at this blog... so I will take a chance and post pictures too. If I don't do it now I'll probably forget to! She likes hummingbirds, so I stitched one of the Prairie Birds designs over one for the fob.

Books...not stitching

I haven't been doing any stitching this week...I've just been too tired from work. I did start sorting through my extra stash of DMC and getting it put into boxes. Also, I've been reading..."The Winding Ways Quilt" by Jennifer Chiaverini is the latest installment of the Elm Creek Quilters series. I love this series. The characters are well written, and I love the history that is brought in through the reminiscences of Sylvia and the stories of her ancestors and their lives and how quilting always ran through it. I also read the latest of the "cofee shop" mysteries..."French Pressed". These are written by Cleo Coyle and it is a good series that I always look forward to. Now I am reading "The Cluttered Corpse", which is a mystery series featuring a professional organizer, and listening to the newest by Mary Higgins Clark..."Where Are You Now?" So far it's pretty good. As you can tell, I really love mysteries, especially those in series. But I also just recently read a non-fiction book called "A Year Without 'Made in China'" by Sara Bongiorni. I ttells the story of a family who decides to boycott all products made in China for one year and the pitfalls and successes they encounter. It was an interesting story and really makes you aware of just how many items are not made any place but China!

works in progress

I am currently working on 2 rather large pieces..."Quaker Christmas" is by ByGone Stitches and I am stitching this with a SAL group. I am using threads by Carrie's Threads and really like the colors I've chosen. So far I have finished the first page (it's a 6 page design) and I am really enjoying stitching this one! The second piece is a design by Moira Blackburn called "Three Things". I started this several years ago, again as a SAL with a group of friends ona yahoo group. Several of us who had out the piece aside have decided to try and finally finish it this year. I am stitching it on an evenweave fabric with the DMC threads called for. The colors are really pretty in this piece and it is a pleasure to stitch. So far I am at about the halfway point. I may have shown pictures of these before, but this is where I am now.

Stitch Pink

I wanted to mention that there is another chart giveaway contest going on right now at the "Stitch Pink" blog. It is for the new Lizzie Kate chart "Peace Love and a Cure" along with a lovely piece of fabric. This is a great blog to visit and is full of wonderful ideas and ways to increase awareness. Please visit if you haven't already.
http://stitchpink.blogspot.com

Some stitching projects

I've managed to get a little bit of stitching done over the past week or so. The bunny block was for the monthly STO block exchange. It is a design by Mosey 'n Me. I added the border and changed the bunny's color a bit. I'm also working on a scissor fob for an exchange with the Prairie Schooler group, but I'll post a picture of that one once it's been received.
"Quaker Christmas" is coming along as well. I am hoping to get the first page finished this month.
The kitties are a Diane Graebner design..."Ready to Pounce"...that was stitched for a round robin. I fell in love with these designs when I first saw them, but I have to say that the patterns are not very user-friendly! They are very hard to read and I ended up using the color model more that the pattern itself. I like how it turned out though. Two of the participants are using the same patterns for this robin, so we'll get to stitch them twice!
The top photo is a pinkeep that I stitched for a friend that is battling breast cancer. I love the design by Mary Kathryn and was pleased with the way it turned out. It was my first pinkeep finish. I know now that it has been received and my friend has come through the surgery and is ready for the next phase of treatment. She has a wonderful attitude and is truly an inspiration.

Back to blogging

It seems like forever since I've posted here....I have been fighting this cold/flu bug for going on three weeks now and I've had enough already! The worst part now is that it really tires me out so I can't do all the stuff I really want to do. I had to go back to work after the first week and that was probably too soon which is also probably why this is still hanging around. I felt so lousy I couldn't read or stitch...it even hurt to watch tv! What good is being home all day if you can't indulge in your favorite pasttimes?
I did develop a guilty pleasure though...watching "Project Runway"... that show is addictive...they had an all-day marathon the day before the finale so I just TIVO'd the whole thing and watched it all.

I also was lucky enough to receive 2 exchanges in the mail...this beautiful bookmark from Renee and a friendship block from Sherry. These were both exchanges through the STO group.

I stitched up the first two blocks for the Stitcher's Timeout monthly block exchange this weekend. January's theme is "Blue and White" and February is "Friendship". I also did some more work on "Gingerbread Cottage, but it is slow going for some reason. I really like it though. I wanted to start a new project today, but haven't yet. I've been feeling pretty sick all day. We took down all the decorations today. Now I think I'll take a nice long bath and see if I can't put at least a few stitches into something new!

Happy New Year! It's very cold here today, but dry. We spent a quiet New Year's Eve...Chinese dinner out (a tradition) and then we came home and watched the last of the "Pirates" movies. I thought it was fun. And when it was over we had 5 minutes till midnight. Usually we are in bed way before that!

We had a bit of a scare with our dog Boonie last week. He was feeling pretty lousy so I took him to the vet and he was dehydrated and pretty sick. They pumped him full of fluids and antibiotics and "good" bacteria and luckily he bounced right back. I hate it when our furbabies are sick. I don't know what I'd do without them!

Stitching Updates

I haven't been stitching as much as I'd like lately, but I did get a few things finished. One is "Quaker Row" by Midnight Stitching. I love this piece and plan to frame it and "Quaker Floral" in a similar fashion and hang them together. Another piece that I was happy to finish on time is "With the Heart" by Whimsey and Wit. I stitched this for my daughter and her husband for Christmas. The verse is from"The Little Prince" and it is part of the excerpt I read at their wedding. I changed the colors to autumn tones, which is what they also had at the wedding, and personalized it with Celtic lettering on the bottom. They loved it! I also completed stitching the last of my ornies for 2007. It is the first time I have actually kept up and stitched an ornie a month. I did this with the encouragement of the Stitcher's Timeout yahoo group. I'm planning to take a "Christmas in July" break and do all the finishing I neglected to do all year. This way I will have lots of new ornies to hang on next year's tree!

Snow for Christmas

Yes...we actually had snow for Christmas here in the valley. Not much, and it didn't really stick, but it looked so pretty falling from the sky!

Wallowa Lake

Once again, it's been a long time between posts. I'll try to do better in the new year!

Lots of catching up to do:

We were lucky enough to take a few days of our vacation and stay in a cabin at Wallowa Lake. This is way out in Eastern Oregon and we had never been there before. It was beautiful! The dogs got lots of exercise and loved going down to the lake each day. There was an outdoor hot tub and we were able to sit there and watch the snow falling around us. We saw a red fox, bald eagles and lots of deer. They came right up to the cabin. Next time we go, we'll make plans to stay longer!

Well, the dentist appointment I had the other day that was supposed to last for 45 minutes ended up taking 2 1/2 hours...not a pleasant time! I was pretty numbed up so I didn't really feel anything, but why can't someone invent silent dental instruments? That noise drives me nuts!
Haven't done any stitching the past few days so I don't have anything to show today. I am planning on watching the Red Sox/Cleveland game tonight. It's still pretty stormy around here tonight...very high winds and rain...a perfect night for relaxing in front of the fire with a cup of tea. I'm hoping to catch up on some letter writing tonight.

It's very overcast today. I came home a bit early from work...wish I could sit and stitch, but unfortunately I have to go to the dentist. Not my favorite place to be!
I did manage to get some stitching done this weekend though. I finished "Christmas Wish" by Sisters & Best Friends. It is stitched on a sparkly piece of fabric I had from Silkweavers, but that doesn't show up in the picture. It's really pretty though. I also stitched another one of the Prairie Birds for my wreath. This one is called "Bluebirds". I think I will stitch one more, and then I will have eight pieces for the wreath. I am still unsure about finishing them...little pillows with fabric backing or little fringed pillows with linen backing...hopefully I will have decided by the time the eighth bird is done!
The third picture is the Country Cottage Needleworks ornie from the 2006 JCS ornie issue. It's called "Winter's Eve".
I love the soft colors that Nikki uses in her designs. Finally, I was also able to get a bit more stitched on "Quaker Row" by Midnight Stitching. It's almost half-way finished I think.
Guess I can't put off the dentist any longer.....

It's a bright Saturday morning here...even a bit of sun! We have been so busy the last few weeks. Last weekend we were in Boston for my daughter's wedding. It was a beautiful day...the ceremony was perfect, the food at the reception was wonderful...it was great to see family that we haven't seen in ages. And the best part was that my daughter and her new husband really enjoyed their special day. We don't have any photos yet, but I'll post some when we get them.

I hate flying though...so that part wasn't any fun. I think the planes are getting more crowded every time we fly! I was in the middle seat both ways and could barely hold a book let alone try to stitch! Oh well...I'll have to start making up for it now. I am going to try and not buy anything new for awhile...have to pay off those wedding bills after all!...it's not like I don't have anything here to stitch. Of course, my LNS is having their fall open house in a couple of weeks...and I did just get the new CCN flower pack...but other than that...I'll try!

I pulled out a piece I had been working on last year "Christmas Wish" by Sisters & Best Friends to work on. I though I had swapped out the GAST threads for DMC, but after searching for a conversion list and matching up the colors, I took a good look at the piece and realized that I had used the GAST after all! So I pulled those out last night and did a bit...it's actually almost done, so I think I may have a finish before the weekend is over. The picture shows my progress so far.