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!

April 28 - a pair of twos + one

Two finishes to share: Jane has received the squares I sent for round 12 of Fair & Square so I can share a picture.
This is "My Pink House" by Blackbird Designs. I used Olde Willow "October" for the house instead of the called for Weeks thread, and it is stitched on 32 ct. "bay rum" jobelan.

The second finish is my version of the little sampler that BBD offered as a freebie. It is stitched on a solo from silkweavers (cashel, 28 ct.) and stitched with Carrie's Thread in "Wild Orchid". The little bird is from a Stacy Nash design. Like so many others, I chose to stitch in my grandma's name and birth year. She loved purple and this thread is a lovely purple color and there is a lot of purple in the mottled fabric as well.

The other "two" is another pair of giveaways. Edgar is generously offering his copy of the book which contains the popular "Lo How a Rose" design that so many have been stitching. And Simone is offering a wonderful giveaway grab bag for her blogoversary. Check them out!

And one more fabulous giveaway...go to Sharon's blog for a chance to win some beautiful fabrics that she hand-dyed herself!

Thanks for visiting!

april 25 - catching up

It's the New Moon, which means another update to the Totally Useless SAL. There are a few scraps from the exchange I finished this morning as well as the usual pieces of floss. This container is almost one quarter full already!

I've been stitching on an exchange for the Prairie Schooler year long exchange which I can't show yet. I mailed it off this morning though, so maybe soon...This is my bit on a round robin that we are doing in Ally's group. This is Ginny's robin and her theme is birdhouses. I found this pattern in Cross Country Stitching magazine (Feb 2009) and used a bit for my part. The fabric is actually a brown color... I don't know why it is showing up like this!

These are the beautiful squares I received from Jane for Round 12 at Fair & Squares. She stitched Papillon Designs "Tiny Little Quaker" with a dusty rose thread from Carrie's. I love this design...in fact I stitched it for a partner once for F & S, but never got around to stitching it for myself. I'm trying to decide what kind of little pretty I can make with these. Thanks again Jane!


My daughter was visiting from Boston last week, and we also had our grandson here for the weekend. We had lots of fun, but not much stitching got done! So here are a couple of photos of Asher with his Auntie Sara.

Now I am off to stitch on my Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler. It has been a bit neglected so far this month. Hopefully I will have a progress photo to show next time.
Thanks for visiting!

april 22 - two great giveaways!

I have come across two new-to-me blogs and both are having giveaways.
Valerie at Fog City Dweller is celebrating her four year blogging anniversary with a surprise giveaway. And Alicja at Retro Charm Garden is also having a giveaway at her blog. You must visit her and see the beautiful retro charms that she makes. They are really lovely.
Hope the sun is shining wherever you are!

april 13 - wonderful mail day

Another wonderful mail day for me! I received this beautiful Easter bookmark and these pretty ribbons from Angela, as well as a PIF from CJ...she sent a wonderful heart shaped basket, and a box that I think she made...inside there was a tiny stitched flatfold. It is adorable...one of my favorite colors and types of design. It is also my very first flatfold.
Thanks so much Angela and CJ!

april 8 - Another award to pass along

Thank you so much Cindy Mae for giving me this wonderful award! The award is accompanied by the following words:
"This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated."
I was asked to pass the award on to eight other bloggers, and you know how hard that is to do! I read so many really wonderful blogs each day and always enjoy my visits with you all. But my sister always used to tease me about "always doing what you're told", so here are eight friends who I hope will accept the award. I hope you will check out their blogs if you are not already familiar with them. I know you will enjoy your time there!
So...in alphabetical order (I am a librarian after all...):

Ally
Amy
Carolyn
Cindy
Judy
Linda
Marianne
Milly

Thanks for visiting!

april 6 - a beautiful weekend

What a beautiful weekend we had! Spring has finally arrived! We had our grandson with us all weekend and we all had so much fun. We got to spend lots of time outside thanks to the warm temps and we took a ride up to Multnomah Falls yesterday which is always gorgeous.
Now I'm back to work and tired out! But it was worth it! I only managed to put a few stitches in the squares I am doing for this round of Fair & Squares but I can't show them yet anyway!
Thanks to everyone for your comments on my stitching. I didn't have too much productive computer time this weekend...Asher loves to bang away on the keyboard which tends to play havoc with trying to read anything! I did give him our old keyboard which he loved banging on until he realized I was trying to divert his attention. Even when I put them side by side he managed to get to the one I was using!Anyway...I'll try to get back to as many of you as I can during the week.
Guess it's time to get back to work...thanks for visiting!

april 2 - stitching update

So...I have been making some stitchy progress this week. The photo above shows where I am with my Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler. I haven't stitched any initials in yet because I'm not sure what I will be adding where, so I will leave those till the end.


This is my "Alla Turca" with Parts 1 - 4 stitched. I couldn't wait for Part 4 to arrive, so I stitched it up right away. Of course, now I have to wait a whole month for the next part! But I really like how this is turning out. It's the first monthly mystery SAL that I have actually been able to keep up with (at least so far...maybe I shouldn't jinx it?)

This is "Daisy Sampler" from Country Cottage Needleworks. We are having a spring SAL on the LHN/CCN yahoo groups and this is one of the pieces I stitched for that. The fabric is actually a very pale yellow called "Ray of Light" but you would never know it from this picture! Both the LHN and CCN designs are always such a pleasure to stitch. They just make me happy when I stitch them!

I had to stop by Acorns & Threads the other day because I needed some floss for the square I am stitching for this round of Fair & Squares, and while there I couldn't resist picking up a couple of things! (and I'm supposed to be on a stash diet...yeah right!) There is an Ink Circles trunk show on display right now, so I picked up two of those - "Twisted Heart" and "Celtic Quilts: Friendship Star", as well as the February Blackbird Designs stockings. I can't wait for the next batch to come out. These are so pretty!

It was so cold and rainy this morning, but the sun is actually out now so I am going to take a little walk and enjoy it while it lasts! Thanks for stopping by!

march 27 - question for commenters

First, I really do appreciate each and every one of your comments.
I have a question that I hope someone can answer...I have all comments sent to my email as well so I can be sure not to miss any. When I respond to that comment email...does the commenter receive that response or is it just floating out there in cyberspace? I don't want anyone to feel that I am ignoring their comments!
Thanks again for visiting!

march 27 - totally useless SAL

It's the New Moon again which means it's time for an update on my totally useless SAL. With all the little frog visits this month I thought my jar would be fuller but maybe all those threads just settled to the bottom! There are a few bits of fabric in there and some floss and fabric tags as well. Next update will be on the 25th of April. For more information on the SAL visit here. Info is on the left sidebar.

march 25 - Not Much Sttiching Going On

There hasn't been much stitching going on the past few days. Hubby has been sick...this happens so rarely, but when it does happen it happens big time...so I have been playing nurse some.
I did start CCN's "Daisy Sampler" and about 1/3 done and also stitched a little bit on my "Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler". No pictures to post because I am at work without access to my camera.
I have been reading and listening to lots of books though...you know how I love my cozies and I've read a few of those..."Cream Puff Murder" by Joanne Fluke; "Batter Off Dead" by Tamar Myers; and "Oolong Dead" by Laura Childs. All good...especially the last one...this is the latest in the tea shop mystery series...one of my faves. I also just finished Maeve Binchy's latest, "Heart and Soul". She is one of my most favorite authors. I just love the Irish setting and the characters in her stories, and this one did not disappoint.
Well, must get back to work! We have "Creature Feature" coming to the library today. It's spring break so a good excuse to have some special programs...this guy brings all sorts of reptiles for the children to get to know. Not really my cup of tea but they have lots of fun!

march 25 - Companion Blog

I was thinking that I needed a place for wish lists, trades, etc,(to keep myself a bit more organized) so I started a companion blog to this one. The link is in the sidebar under my profile. I just started this so there is not much there yet.
But I thought it would also be a great place for some of my blogging friends to post links to their own wish lists...after all, you never know when the cross stitch fairy might decide to send along a little surprise!
So please accept this invitation to visit that blog and to post a comment with a link to your wish list or just to add a comment that includes something you might really like to have...you can include non-stitchy items as well.
I'll start a post there right away!

Thanks for visiting!

mar 23 - you are all much too kind!

More surprises awaited me in my inbox when I got home...Mar has also awarded me the Friends award (which I would like to award right back to her as well) and Jan has awarded me the Kreativ Blogger Award. Thank you both so much! When I started blogging I was sure no-one would be at all interested in anything I might have to share, so reading your comments means so much to me each day.

There are rules to the Kreativ Blooger award:
1. Copy the Kreativ Blogger Award into your blog
2. Make a link to the person's blog who nominated you
3. Nominate eight (8) other blogs
4. Add their links to your blog
5. Leave a comment on the blogs that you nominated telling them that you have sent them an award

The description of the Friends award is in my previous post.

The best part of all of this is that I have the opportunity to nominate some other blogs that I love to read. Some of you have probably already received these awards. So choose whichever one you want and please don't feel obligated to pass them along unless you want to.

Please pay a visit to these wonderful blogs:

Hazel
Jill
Erynne
Vonna
Barb
Heather
Andrea
Kendra
Edgar
Annemiek
Sue
Clare
Heidi
Sherry

Thanks again for visiting!

mar 23 - an award!

I was catching up on my blog-reading this morning and got a wonderful surprise. My friend Ally has given my this award!
The description for this award reads "These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these kind of writers. When you pass this award along please include these guidelines".
What a great start to an otherwise kind of dreary day.
I would like to pass this award on to these very deserving bloggers. I really enjoy spending time with them all.I hope you will pay them all a visit too.
Siobhan; Terri; Cindy Mae; Concetta, Andrea and Coni.