Nothing To Show

Howdy Folks, how have you been? Surprised to hear from me? I know I know, I should have posted a long time ago! The last four weeks have been a blur. I returned home from Myrtle Beach only to find that the air conditioning was on the fritz. More like totally out, kaput! It took two weeks to get new parts and finally last Saturday the air, along with my sanity, was restored. I am not a happy person when I am hot and to say that I was a little itchy minus the b would be an understatement. Poor Milsey had to go out and purchase a window unit to cool down our bedroom so that we could get a little respite from the heat. Yes I know that I am over-dramatizing this and it certainly wasn't the middle of summer, but hot is hot and I was H O T! Anyway that's one crisis averted. Interspersed between drama filled days, was preparing for Miss Bonnie's thirteenth birthday. She turned thirteen yesterday and had a wonderful birthday week thanks to a doting Mommy and Daddy. She received an acoustic guitar with all the accouterments, contact lenses, and her very own debit card to make her feel extra grown up. We went out for a fancy dinner last night and came home to cake. We will more-than-likely take her to the midnight showing of New Moon next week so she can spend the evening with her one true love Edward Cullen. I'm a Team Jacob girl myself, and I was promptly informed that I am the only member of that team!

I have been fast and furiously stitching on ornaments for exchanges, my tree and on gifts for family and friends, most of whom read this blog so sorry no pics! I just wanted to check in and say hello! Have a wonderful week!

Lots Of Finishes (Picture Heavy Post)

If I haven't already mentioned it, I am going to attend the Pals Fall Fling in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I am taking Milsey and the children and we leave next Tuesday for the retreat. I have been fast and furiously preparing for the trip and that means lots of stitching. We have to bring several items for exchanges and so I have been trying to get those items ready. This first pinkeep is a freebie design from The Primitive Needle.



This pinkeep is a Little House Needleworks thread pack pattern called Pumpkins.



This flat fold is a design from Lizzie Kate and it was an early birthday present for Miss Bonnie. She loves it and so does her cat Domino. We lost it for a few minutes this afternoon and found it under the kitchen table. Domino has impeccable taste!



These two pyn pillows are from La D Da and can be found in this year's Just Cross Stitch Halloween ornament issue.



This tin finish is from Plum Street Samplers. I filled it with candy corn for Halloween and if you look closely you will see that it says Take One My Pretty.





I am just tickled to death with everything and am hoping that the various recipients will enjoy them as well. I may post before I leave but if not, have a wonderful week!

End Of Summer Colds and Fall Stiching

It has been a rough couple of weeks around here what with all of us having end of summer colds and all. Finally went to the doctor for something totally unrelated and ended up on antibiotics for an upper respiratory infection. I have been on the medication since last Wednesday and am feeling sooooo much better. We have been staying home a lot lately and I have been stitching up a storm. I finished two projects over the last week or so. The first is a Little House Needleworks piece called "Love One Another" and the second one is a La D Da piece from this year's Just Cross Stitch Halloween ornament issue.






Early this morning, we went to Jacksonville for an Herb Festival. I bought a bunch of herb plants for my fall herb garden. I sure hope that they do well. I have decided to attend the Pals Fall Fling in Myrtle Beach this year and can hardly wait. There are only about two and a half weeks until the retreat and I am so excited. This will be my first stitching retreat. I hope to make many new friends and get a lot of stitching accomplished (probably more talking than stitching). Well not much else is going on, have a wonderful weekend!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Hello friends! I have been very busy these past few days and haven't had the time to write. I went with my newcomer friends to Ponte Vedra this week for a cooking class. We learned how to make homemade ravioli and marinara sauce from scratch. The ravioli were delicious and I had a lot of fun making the marinara sauce. We also made a dessert ravioli using wonton wrappers. On Saturday, we went with my friend Linda and her mother to a craft show in Jacksonville. We had a lot of fun and we ate lunch at a very cute little diner called Johnny Angel's.

I have been busy stitching this week and I completed a piece from Plum Street Samplers. Once finished, it will be an Altoid tin topper filled with candy corn just in time for Halloween.



I am currently working on a Halloween piece from The Drawn Thread. I'm not sure how much I like it so I don't know if I will continue with it. I am totally in Halloween mode and I am constantly digging in my stash to find Halloween related pieces to do. Well, my youngest caught a cold and I have been taking care of him all day today. I am in mommy mode! Blessings.

I'm A Student And A Finish

Hello folks! I, along with Bonnie started piano lessons today. I used to play when I was a child and I was very interested in starting again. Bonnie's teacher had an opening and I started today! I was so excited that I woke up at four this morning in anticipation of today's lesson. I felt just like I did when each new school year would roll around and today was a wonderful reminder of days past. Bonnie was also very excited to begin her lessons again as she has practiced almost every day since her lessons ended last spring.

I have also been busy stitching and finished a piece by Little House Needleworks called "Pumpkins". It is one of Diane's thread packs using Crescent Colours threads. I stitched it on 28 count Light Mocha Cashel Linen. Here is a pic!




I started a Pine Mountain Designs pillow yesterday for my friend Linda. She has admired my work and I thought that she needs something special for her home from me. It has been very rainy here and I am wondering when we will see the sun again. Have a wonderful week and blessings to you!

Still Here And Stitching!

Long time no post. I'd like to say that I have been a busy little bee over the summer, but I must admit that the summer has passed me by. I have not been feeling up to snuff and I have only recently started stitching again. I did read a few of the books that I had on my list and have taken two trips with my Newcomers Club. In July we went to St. Simon's Island in Georgia and had a lovely trolley tour and ate at cute little hamburger joint called Brogans. Our tour guide Bunny showed us the sights and we learned a lot about the slave and Methodist histories of St. Simons. I took my Bonnie and we had a grand time. Two weeks ago, Milsey and I and my friend Linda took the children tubing down the Ichetucknee river here in Florida. It is fed by nine springs and was crystal clear and very refreshing at 72 degrees. I fell out of my tube at the beginning but that didn't dampen my spirits. Actually, I provided the comic relief going feet over top right out of my tube. The children had a ball and we vowed to go back very soon.

I have decided to do two exchanges over the fall and have been busy getting those ready for October send dates. Fall is my favorite time of the year and I have been stitching Halloween designs in anticipation of cooler days. Soon hot apple cider and pumpkin bread will be on the menu. Oooohhh I can't wait. Here are two of the designs that I have been stitching. The first is a freebie from The Primitive Needle called "By The Light Of The Moon". I think that it turned out just adorable. I stitched it on a mystery hand-dyed linen using the called-for Weeks threads.




The second is "Halloween Grins" from Shepherd's Bush. Stitched on Newport Linen with Crescent, Weeks and Sampler Threads.




Thanks to all of you who have sent notes inquiring how I am feeling. I haven't been keeping up with my correspondence lately and am truly sorry for that. Hopefully, I will be able to remedy that in the future. The children start back to home schooling tomorrow and hopefully I will have a little more time on my own while they are in class with Milsey's portion of the lessons. Blessings!

The Summer Of The Book

Well folks, I am a card carrying member of the "Stitcher's Slump" club. I haven't put needle to fabric in weeks. I even received a package of stash and I can't even work up the enthusiasm to photograph my haul for all of you. I think I feel faint - must be stitcher's flu. Do you think that they make an antibiotic for that?

Ohhhhhh, the title of this post - on to that. I have, however, been reading up a storm. Be it an audio book on my snazzy new iPod or that stack from the library. I just finished Janet Evanovich's "Finger Lickin' Fifteen" today and boy was it a laugh riot. I highly recommend it to those of you who have kept up with the series, and for you Janet E. newbies - what are you waiting for? Run to the library/bookstore and check out "One For The Money". I was hoping that some of you might be willing to recommend some titles to add to my summer reading pile. So far I have the following books on the stack:

"My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult recommended by my friend Bridget

"The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" by Alexander McCall Smith receommended by my friend Linda L.

"Tears Of The Giraffe" also by Alexander McCall Smith (Thanks Linda for loaning this one to me)

"The Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie" by Alan Bradley

"The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Whew, that's a lot, but I did read "Finger Lickin' Fifteen" in one afternoon so I think that I am up to the task. Please please please share your ideas with me. It's going to be a long, hot summer!

Twilight: New Moon

The producers of the soon to be released New Moon movie, released a new cover for the "New Moon" book by Stephenie Meyer. For those of you who are "Fanpires" doesn't Jacob look yummy?

For Sale?

I finally found something to stitch. I started Country Cottage Needleworks "Little Ballerinas" about a week ago and I finally finished it today. I would have finished it sooner but I had to order the Crescent Colours threads from Mary Kathryn and it took a little while for them to arrive. Anyway, they showed up in the post today and so I put the last stitch in around one o'clock this afternoon. I left the personalization blank because I wanted to save it in case Milsey and I have another baby girl. We would like to have another child but, with me being sick, it just hasn't seemed like the right time. I took the piece to a meeting this evening and one of the ladies fell in love with it. She said that her four year old grand daughter just danced in her first ballet recital and that my piece would be a perfect present for little Micaeli. I have never sold one of my pieces and I didn't know what to say to her. I have a very hard time parting with my work and wasn't sure if I should sell it. After talking to Milsey, I decided that I could stitch the piece again because I accidentally ordered the threads twice. I brought the piece home tonight and personalized it for Micaeli and Margie will pick it up tomorrow. I had also ordered the frame for it and so she wanted that as well. I still feel a little strange parting with my work, but I am sure that Micaeli will love it as much as I do. Below are pics of the finished piece and a pic of the frame.




After seeing Vonna's Miss Crescent's Crowne "All In A Heart" piece, I had to do it myself. I dug through my stash and found mine and so I started it today. It is a very easy stitch and I am enjoying it immensely. Well, I want to get back to my stitching. Have a wonderful evening.

Boy and Bugs Finished

I finished the stitching on Country Cottage Needleworks "Boys and Bugs" last week, but was having trouble with the over thirty french knots called for in the pattern. Generally I don't do well with french knots and this time was no exception. Wawanna offered to do the knots for me but I felt badly asking so much of her. Over the weekend, I bought Mill Hill seed beads in black and tried that instead of the french knots. I think that the piece looks pretty good. What do you think?



Not much else going on here, I am trying to find another project to stitch but nothing feels right. I've started three separate projects and can't get in the groove. I will let you know what I decide. I went to my LNS on Saturday and purchased three charts. I will post pics of my new stash next week. Have a nice holiday.

Beautiful Music

My sweet Bonnie had her piano recital today. Milsey and I bought her a new dress and shoes and we took her to have her hair fixed for the event. Earlier this week, I ordered a wrist corsage to match her dress. She was so excited about having a special day and I wanted for it to be perfect for her. She looked lovely and her actual piano playing was perfect. Can you tell that I am a proud mama? Sometime next week I will upload the video of her portion of the recital. For now, pictures will have to do. The second picture is of Bonnie and her piano teacher.

Great Mail Day

I received a package in the mail today from Shepherd's Bush! I placed an order with them last Friday and I received my box today. I saw on their blog that they were offering pincushions and needle books from Blackbird/Moda Fabrics and of course I had to have one of each. They also have a new pillow chart called "Be Happy" and well I had to have everything to stitch it (stitching fabric, Crescent Colours thread, JABCo embellishments, and the lovely backing fabric to finish the pillow). They also had these really cute collapsible ort boxes that fold up into a little envelope so that you can toss it into your stitching bag. Milsey ordered the "French Heart" kit from Shepherd's Bush for my birthday and it came today with my order as well as a hand-felted pincushion in pink of course. All-in-all a great mail day!







I also received word from both Wawanna and Carol R. that they have received their prizes from my Blogoversary giveaway.



For Carol, I included two biscornu kits from Indigo Rose, a Quaker pattern from Ink Circles and some stitcher's lotion. And for Wawanna, I included a Just Nan kit for a drogonfly scissor keeper and scissor fob.



Well that's all for me today, looks like everyone had a great mail week. Oh, I put "Lo" away and have started on Country Cottage Needleworks "Boys and Bugs" for Ethan's room. I sure hope that he likes it. Have a wonderful afternoon.

In Anticipation Of Bird Babies

I have lots to share with all of you today! Like my dear friend Wawanna, Bonnie and I are bird mamas too! The pool man rang the doorbell on Monday and when I opened the door, a bird flew out of the wreath that I have on my front door. After closer examination by the children, we discovered that a mama bird has made her nest in my wreath. It is tucked very well into the branches of the wreath and is almost invisible unless you are looking for it. I have taken two pictures, but I don't know if you can really see it. I can't really even tell if there are eggs in the nest yet, but mama bird sits patiently in anticipation of bird babies (look closely in picture two for mama bird).





I also forgot to post a pic of an Easter project that I completed. It is a kit by Lizzie Kate and it stitched up very quickly.



I haven't been happy with how "Lo" has been stitching up and am afraid that I have lost my stitching mojo again. Milsey thinks that I should switch to something else so that I don't totally lose it. I have been on a roll and have completed three small/medium projects in two weeks time. I really do like "Lo" but it is very slow going what with all of the thread changes from letter to letter.



Bonnie made a sweater for Pickles a while back and I forgot to share. Seeing as it has been a long time since I posted Pickle pics, I thought that you would enjoy seeing how he is doing. I'm off to look through my stash to find a new project. Wish me luck!

Another Finish

I finished Hannah Purington this afternoon. I put the last stitch in her at a little before one o'clock. I don't think that my stitching looks especially neat on this one. The ecru stitches look messy to me. Does anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions on how to fix it? Much to my chagrin, I am posting a pic of the finished product. I may never do anything with this one, but it's a finish nonetheless.



I had a very low key Mother's Day today. Milsey told me that we are getting an iPhone this month and he let me purchase a Vera Bradley large backpack in the print Hope Garden. We spent the afternoon at the beach eating a picnic lunch and I stitched while sitting in a gazebo over looking the ocean. I started on Lo How A Rose this afternoon, but don't have enough started for a progress picture. My dear friend Vonna gifted me with the same Silkweaver 28 count Solo fabric that she used for her Lo. I am using the DMC conversion and I love it so far. I don't have a mother figure in my life anymore but am pleased to say that my lovely friend Wawanna is my surrogate mother. She is there for me whenever I need her and is truly a gift from heaven. Thanks Wawanna for everything you do for me, I would be lost without you. Well, I'm off to stitch a little more before I turn in early tonight. Enjoy the rest of your Mother's Day!

Hannah Purington Update

As you can see I chose to start Hannah Purington. I was really busy last night and so I didn't have much time to work on her. I did stitch quite a bit today and so I will show my progress (looking at the pic, it looks so wrinkly even though I ironed it. Any suggestions?). I am stitching Hannah on 28 count Rue Green Cashel linen with the called for DMC threads.



Thanks to all who posted comments on my anniversary post. I will update tomorrow with the details of my day. It is late now, so I'm off to bed.

Fifteenth Wedding Anniversary

Today is our fifteenth wedding Anniversary and this is a picture of me and Milsey (aka Michael). No one thought that we would make it past the first year, (thanks for the confidence) and here we are fifteen years and two children later. We were looking at these pictures tonight and we both remarked how young we were. It's funny what the years can do to you.



These two bottom photos are of Milsey with our children when Bonnie was almost three and Ethan was only a few days old. Milsey is a good father and a good husband. I couldn't ask for more. We certainly have had our share of ups and downs, but we made it this far. I love you Michael!

Liberty and Justice Finished!

I put the last stitch in about an hour ago, but children's baths and a rousing game of Jisaku (it's a magnet game - very fun!) prevented me from posting any sooner. I am on a roll of sorts with my stitching. I go through these spits and spurts of productivity. The last spurt was when I had my second ankle surgery. I finished twelve medium-sized projects that summer. Whew, I was productive. Perhaps I can hang onto my stitching mojo for a streak like that. I have over fifty projects kitted and ready to go in my pile. I am thinking of starting LHN's Hannah Purington, but I'm not sure yet. I will probably edit this post later and let you know my decision. Until then, I'll leave you with a very dark photo of Liberty and Justice. Have a nice evening!



Edited: I decided to go with Hannah Purington! Oh and I sent out the goodies today to both of my Blogoversary winners! Keep me posted ladies!

Liberty and Justice

I started Little House Needleworks "Liberty and Justice" late last night. I finished the border last night and I stitched the woman this afternoon in between children and household chores. At the moment, it looks as if she is holding a shotgun but I promise it will soon be an American flag. I thought that I would post a progress pic of my meager stitching progress. That must count for something? I am stiching this on 28 count Lambswool Linen with the called for DMC threads.



Not much else going on here. My fifteenth wedding anniversary is this week, so I will post pics of the oft mentioned Milsey. Have a nice afternoon filled with stitching joys!

Be True...Finished!

I just finished LHN's "Be True" about two hours ago. I am so happy to be finished with this one. I would have been finished yesterday but the frogs came and stayed for almost two days. I had to take out two entire sections. I could have sworn that I learned to count in kindergarten. Oh well, it's finished and I am exhausted. Without further ado, here is the finished pic.



I did a little stash shopping at my very poorly stocked LNS, and then my husband so graciously drove me to the Olde Green Cupboard. I bought a few La-D-Da charts, the new Midsummer Night's Designs chart "Primitive Wizard Of Oz" and the threads to stitch it. I found a few other items as you can see from the pics below (sorry for the shiny table in the background, but I polished it within an inch of its' life).







I'm think that I am going to start on LHN's "Liberty and Justice" next if I can recover from the frog attack that I suffered. Have a wonderful week!

Be True

I'm currently stitching Little House Needleworks "Be True" and am having such a fun time with it. I am stitching it on 32 count Natural Raw linen and am using DMC. I don't usually share progress pictures, but some of you have been itchin' for some stitchin' pictures so I thought that I would share. It seems that I have my stitching mojo back for now, so I am pleased as punch to have something to show for a change. I was working on another piece from a 2007 magazine, but the angel I was stitching and I had a falling out of sorts, so I picked up something else so as not to loose my groove.

I went to my Garden Club luncheon yesterday and had a wonderful time. The lecture was on the urbanization of natural habitats in Florida and was very informative. The actual lunch was delicious and consisted of a strawberry and chicken salad with candied pecans and goat cheese. We had warm banana bread for dessert. So yummy! I could have that everyday. Fernandina Beach hosts The Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival the first weekend in May. We went to a spaghetti dinner at the local Methodist church last night and had a great time. Over the weekend there will be a pirate invasion of the city, fireworks, arts and crafts and lots of shrimp. Sounds fun! If we attend, I will take some pics to share. Have a great weekend!

My Bonnie

I told you in my last post that I had been in the hospital recently. Well I'm home now and am pretty much back to my usual routine. I have had a very special helper who has been helping me from day to day. I know that I mention my Bonnie quite often and I have never shown everyone a picture of my special girl. She is a huge help to me. Vonna often mentions how her Katie is such a huge help to her and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank Bonnie for all that she does for me. Thanks my sweet girl, you are a true gift.



I have been stitching a few Lizzie Kate Easter pieces, but I haven't taken the time to take a pic of either one. I know that I said that I would show a pic of the prizes for my Blogoversary. I really want to surprise the winners and I promise that once they receive their prizes, I will post pics. Have a wonderful weekend!

Blogoversary Winner

I am so sorry that I am so late in picking a winner for my blogoversary drawing. I have been in the hospital since Monday night with a bacterial infection. I just came home tonight and so I am just now getting around to picking a winner. My Bonnie picked a number and it was 8. The eighth commenter is...Carol R.

Congratulations Carol! I will gather your prize together tomorrow and mail your goodies off to you next week. I will post a pic of the prize tomorrow. Thank you to all who entered!

Edited 4/17/09
I decided to divide the drawing into two parts. One winner for my overseas friends and one winner for my American friends. I hope that everyone thinks that this is okay. Bonnie picked Wawanna.

Congratulations to both of my blogging friends. I will have your prizes out next week and pics of your goodies over the weekend.

Happy Blogoversary!

Today 4/9/09 is my first Blogoversary and I am going to have a drawing for some stitchy goodies! Please leave a comment on this post and next Thursday 4/16/09, I will have my Bonnie draw a name to determine the winner.

Trip To The Zoo

This is just a drive by post, but the pics I took were just too cute to not post. I went to the Jacksonville Zoo with my Newcomers' Club last week. I simply must take the children soon. You can feed the giraffes for $2.00. I think that's a bargain. This one's face was too cute and the tongue - well you'll see!

This Is Me!

Many of my on-line friends have asked to see what I look like. I don't like to have my picture taken so I don't have many photographs of myself. Here is one that I don't mind showing.

Picture Heavy Post!

It's been quite some time since I posted. I have a lot to show you. My birthday was March 19th and I received some lovely gifts from my blogging friends. My friend Wawanna sent me a package with so many lovelies. She sent me one of the chatelaines that she makes in pink of course! My Bonnie has absconded with many of the items that Wawanna sent. She adores pink almost as much as I do.



She also included some thread drops, a scarf in my favorite color pink, a thread picker, a candle, and a copy of the movie "The Lake House" staring Sandra Bullock. She also sent some wonderful gifts for my husband and my children. Wawanna is such a sweet friend.

I am in the Stitching Blogger's Birthday Club and my partner Heidi spoiled me absolutely rotten. She sent Country Cottage Needlework's "Cherry Hill" framed and ready to hang on my wall. She also sent a cut of linen, a Kelmscott needle minder with my initial, a lovely journal, a q-snap and an ort bag. I was over the moon with her kindness."(I borrowed some of these photos from Heidi's blog)











I have so much more to tell you, but I will save it and the pictures for tomorrow's post!