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The Prairie Schooler design is "Little Pink House"...I ended up stitching this one twice because I originally made it into a needlebook but ruined it when I was ironing it.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!)

june 25 - some stitchy updates

I thought I would share a little of my stitchy progress from the past couple of weeks. I finally finished "Mildred's Sampler" from Blackbird Designs. I started this one late last month when we went on vacation. I thought since it was small it would be a good project to stitch on while we drove. And it was. But it wasn't quite finished when we got home and I just kept putting it aside to do other things. Anyway, now it is done and I really like the way it turned out!

This is my little progress on "Lo How a Rose". To be honest I kind of forgot about it for a bit! But I do have to get back to it because I borrowed the book from a far away library and I'm not sure yet if it can be renewed. It's due next week so I'd better get cracking!


Finally, here is the latest update of my Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler. I'll be stitching some more on this one this weekend so will have another update next week. This one is coming along slowly but surely. I really do love stitching on it.

Thanks for visiting!

june 24 - some exchanges to share

I've been on the computer at work so much that I tend to stay away when I get home, so I have a few pictures of recent exchanges to share. This first one is "My Pink House" by Blackbird Designs. I stitched this for Ruth B. for round 13 of Fair & Square.

These are the squares that Ruth sent me. The picture doesn't do them justice. The colors are so vibrant, and there is a little silver key on the top row. I love these spot samplers, so I was really pleased to recieve these. I'm planning to make a scissor fob from these for my Emma scissors.

The photo below shows the inside of the lovely needlebook that Sheril sent me for the second round of the Year Long Prairie Schooler exchange. It was tied with a pretty yellow ribbon but I took that off for the photo.

This photo shows the needlebook closed. It is really a very pretty, spring-like design. I love it!

This photo shows the exchange I made for Anna for the same exchange. The design is a PS freebie and I covered a small tin and lined it with a flowery fabric. This one traveled all the way to Norway!

Thanks for visiting!

june 23 - missed the new moon

Well, I totally missed the New Moon yesterday, so my TUSAL picture is a day late...sorry! There are actually quite a few new snippets of thread in there even thought I don't feel like I did very much stitching this month. And there are also a few snips of fabric from a floss tag project as well.


And here is the reason yesterday slipped right by...the light of our lives!

Thanks for visiting!

June 18 - Rest in Peace

Many of us were shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of Marc Davis of Needlemania Designs. He will truly be missed for his sense of humor, talent and inspiration. I hope he is in heaven happily stitching away with the other stitchers and looking down on the rest of us with a smile as we continue to stitch his beautiful designs.
May you always rest in peace, Marc.

June 8 - i need to stitch! & some giveaways

Whatever made me think that life was going to slow down after vacation? We had a wonderfully relaxing week off and returned to chaos at our jobs. Summer Reading sign-up started the day I got back so I have been pretty much tied to the children's desk every day. It is also nearing the end of our fiscal year which means I have to spend all the remaining money or we lose it. Can't let that happen! So I have been going home really tired every day...and no stitching for me.
I thought that I would be able to relax this weekend but after getting all the housework, etc done on Saturday hubby and I decided to go out to dinner and on the way we stopped by a furniture store that was going out of business. We have been wanting to buy a sofa bed for the extra room (which also happens to be where I keep all my stitching stuff) for some time and they had a perfect one...which we bought. The only problem was that in order for the kind men to deliver it today I had to clear some space in my room. There went my relaxing weekend! I spent the rest of Saturday night and nearly all day Sunday trying to make sense out of the space and moving furniture around. I finally fell into a bath full of bubbles around 7:30 and fell asleep soon after!
I really do feel good about accomplishing at least part of the clean-up...there is still a lot of sorting through to do. I have tons of patterns that I would really like to get into plastic sleeves and binders. I was able to move most of my magazines and some other stuff into a different closet too. It's just such an overwhelming project...I really need to just be locked in there for about a week...then maybe I could make a dent! I think I see some major de-stashing in my future!
I'm writing this at work, so there will be no photos in this post, but I do have some things to share and I will try to get them posted later tonight or tomorrow. I did make some progress on "Mildred's Sampler" and "Beatrix Potter Quaker" and I also have a couple of exchanges to share.

And before I forget...check out these blogs...Karen, Melissa and Kathy are all having some great giveaways!

Thanks for visiting!

may 28 - a tale of two LNS & and update

We're making a pit stop at home...Ashland was wonderful (I'll share a few pictures after the weekend) and we've come home to pick up the dogs and head off to the Coast (Manzanita) tomorrow for a couple of days. Above is a bit of a crooked shot of my progress on my "car" piece. I may actually have it finished by the end of our trip. We'll see!

I was able to stop at two LNS on our trip. On the way down we stopped in Eugene and I went to Mindy's Needlepoint Factory. This is a cute little shop that has lots of fabrics, ribbons, needlepoint canvases and lots of cross-stitch. I picked up a few patterns and would have bought more, but....the shop marks everything up! All of the patterns I looked at were marked at least $1.00 higher than other shops and the Weeks I wanted was .45 more per skein than anywhere else. I can't figure out why she does this...I'm sure the rents are high but it really put a sour taste in my mouth. On the way home we stopped at a great little shop ion Medford called Stitchin' Tyme. Her inventory is a bit smaller,but she also had lots of fabrics and threads and a good selection of patterns, as well as some kits and stitching gadgets. I managed to pick up several designs there as well. And I was able to get the Weeks color I needed for the normal price!

Must get the laundry done now so we can re-pack our bags for tomorrow!
Thanks for visiting!

may 25 - late to the party & other stuff

I've really liked this design ever since I saw it stitched by Vonna and others, but of course the pattern is hard to find. After searching all the local libraries, I finally placed an inter-library loan for the Better Homes & Gardens book and it came on Friday...all the way from New Jersey! I wanted to start right away even though I didn't have much time and here's the bit I've got done so far. The design is Bright Needle's "Lo How A Rose Sampler" and I am using the recommended Weeks threads on an antique white evenweave fabric.

We're on vacation this week and will be doing some driving around, so I thought I would take this piece as my "car" stitching. Yesterday, we drove up to Seattle for a Mariner's game (great game and they won!) and this is how far along I am on "Mildred's Sampler" by Blackbird Designs.

This is my "Alla Turca" with Part Five added (upper left corner). This is a really fun stitch and I am glad to be caught up for Part Six at the first of the month.

It's also the New Moon again, which means it's time for a Totally Useless SAL update. There are lots of different bits and pieces added this month. If you're interested in joining, there is a link in my sidebar.

And finally, these are the beautiful multi-colored roses that Jeff sent to me at work on Friday for our anniversary. We have been married 33 years...I still don't know where all the time has gone!..and these were a wonderful surprise. We were both able to leave work early that day as well and got to spend a wonderful afternoon together and had a great dinner out too.

It's all been a wonderful start to our vacation week. It's Rose Festival here in Portland, so we're going downtown to take a walk around the "Fun Center" and do some shopping. It's a beautiful sunny day.

Hope you are all enjoying your long weekend. Thanks so much for visiting and for all your wonderful comments. I really do appreciate the time you all take to comment and I'm hoping to get some time this week to answer some!

may 20 - bits & pieces

The sun is shining and it looks to be a beautiful day...we have had intermittent downpours the last couple of days, which sound like a herd of elephants galloping across the roof here at the library!
I was able to get some stitching done this weekend. No pictures to show yet because it was for an exchange. I stitched up my squares for Round 13 at Fair & Square. I had trouble deciding on a design, but once I did it was smooth sailing! I really enjoyed the stitching, so I hope my partner will like it too. I'm off to the post office in a bit to mail them off, along with some birthday flosses and a round robin.
We are on vacation next week and it can't come soon enough! Both hubby and I are just bone-tired lately and are really looking forward to a week away from work. Our anniversary is this Friday, so we are going to celebrate for a whole week!
Tomorrow are the interviews for our new library director. There are 5 candidates, and I will be meeting them as well since I will be giving them each a tour of our facility after their interview. I re-read the applications (3 of the 5 were some of my higher picks) so it will be interesting to see what they are like in real life as opposed to on paper!
One last thing...Cindy has reached 10,000 hits on her blog...amazing!...and she is having a giveaway to celebrate. Check it our here!
Thanks for visiting!

may 16 - watching paint dry and other stuff

This has been another busy week, and it looks like another busy one ahead!
Work has been crazy...we finally finished 2 weeks of interviewing for a library assistant position and have settled on 2 candidates (we have 2 openings). Then we had a safety inspection this week, so everything had to be in tip-top shape. I spent one day at home, literally watching paint dry! It was our turn to have the front door painted and since we have the two dogs and 2 cats at home I didn't just want someone to come in and take care of it. Besides I didn't mind having a day off from work! I was feeling kind of sick... a touch of food poisoning I think...anyway. The smell from the paint was awful! I had to have all the windows open for hours and it was cold! Luckily for me I had to spend lots of time in the bathroom...it was the warmest spot in the house!
Anyway, this week, my co-manager is on vacation, and the interviews for our new director are taking place. I will be giving them all individual tours of the library on Thursday. I'm anxious to see who the five final candidates are since I was in on the initial screening process. Should be an interesting day!
I did get a little bit of stitching done...finished "Peacock Heart" - the thread dye lot is a bit different, but it really isn't too visable in person. I also did my bit on a round robin last night. Our group is stitching the Quaker Friendship Sampler. This fabric ophotographs very gray, but it is really a beige color. The thread is Bing Cherry by Crescent Colours. My bit is in the upper right.
Now it's off to do some errands and then home to stitch (I hope!)
Thanks for visiting and hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. The sun is shining here so I am one happy camper!

may 12 - an answer to a question and another giveaway

I couldn't remember where I had found the peacock heart freebie in my last post...Carolyn asked about it so I did some searching. It id designed by Marie W. and you can find it here on the January 12th post.
Also, there is a giveaway going on here for a really cute pattern and fabby.
Hope you are all having a great day...thanks for visiting!

may 9 - saturday update

Beatrix Potter was sorely neglected last month. I only added one motif...the one on the upper right. Hopefully I'll get some more done this month.

Asher is here with us this weekend. I can't believe he is 9 months old already! He is crawling all over and pulling himself up on every possible surface. He hates to sit still. And he is also getting a tooth right in front. He's such a joy!

I didn't get too much stitching done this week, but I did start 2 new projects. This is "Quaker Winter Slumber" by Midnight Stitching. I'm stitching it on a white opalescent cashel using Weeks eggplant for the floss.

This second start is "Mildred's Sampler by Blackbird Designs. I had started it once before but the fabric was too small. Anyway, it is stitched on a silkweavers lugana called "frenzy" with GAST in royal purple.

This last piece is a freebie peacock heart and I don't have the designer's name handy. I started this some time ago and when I went to finish it this week I ran out of the floss I was using. I just got some in the mail yesterday - Vikki Clayton's silk in garnet -so I hope I can finish it this week sometime.

Well, someone is hungry so I have to go. Thanks for visiting!

may 8 - edgar's giveaway

Just a quick remeinder...don't forget to visit Edgar and help him celebrate his blogoversary!

And Steph is also having a wonderful giveaway at her blog. Stop by and visit her too!