I started something new!

I started something new! I just can't help it! If I get the fabric and the floss, I just can't stand to let it sit!:)

I've had the pattern for a while, and just couldn't decided if I liked it enough to stitch it! Then I saw it stitched at the LNS in Raleigh a few weekends ago and decided I would stitch it. Well it called for this Kansas-something fabric that was a bright awfully gold color and I didn't really like it. But after looking for forever at the LNS in SC, I decided against the yellow. Then Linda saw it framed on the wall, right when we were getting ready to finish up. And I liked it again.. turns out it was on the same yellow-Kansas fabric I thought I didn't like. So after much discussion AGAIN, I finally end up buying the Kansas fabric.

So today, a few days later, I decide to start stitching it! Well darn if the thread count isn't 30ct. I hate 30 ct! I didn't really want it huge and over 2 on 30ct. really makes it huge. So I stitch the wording (over 2), didn't like it..but then I did the circle, still didn't like it, and then did the red. Finally decided I REALLY wasn't liking it. So I frogged it all!

So now I've restarted it over one, which is much better on the 30 ct. BUT the whole thing when it's finished is going to be about the size of a dollar bill! That's not really what I had in mind either! UGH! Oh well....

The dumb thing, is when it finally came down to the decision I was deciding between 30 ct and 35 ct. and somehow the darn 30 ct. ended up in my bag. Oh well...

Dh and I are going to the opening NCState football game in SC tomorrow night. It's a 3 hr drive, and the game starts at 7:45 PM, then a 3 hr drive home. So we won't be home before midnight, that's for sure! Then Friday after school, we're heading up to PA for a short weekend. We'll be gone Fri-Mon. I've saved my 14 ct aida Spring banner to stitch on one of those rides! I just can't stitch the over one in the car.. makes me too sick!:)

Talk to you all soon.

Free humingbird pattern

Somewhere out there in blogland is a blog where the lady offers great freebies. And her most recent one was of a humingbird pattern. It was either a scissor case or a needlebook case, I didn't look that close! But I loved the pattern and sent it to a friend to have her print it for me.. darn if I didn't forget to paste the link, and darn if I can't find it now! I think I clicked on her stuff from one of y'alls blogs.. but I have no idea where!

Anybody know where I mean?

He Did It!!

Yup, he got on the bus! Could not believe it! The bus was supposed to be there at 8:15, so to be on the same side (and plus he was ready) off Luke goes to the bus around 8:05. At 8:25 he decides the bus isn't coming..so my dear mil hurries down there to encourage him! (I figured if I went, he'd never get on the bus!) So at 8:40 the bus finally rolls through! My MIL came walking back down the street and said he had started to get ansy! We were both shocked he got on the bus!

It's not so much I want him to ride the bus, I don't mind taking him a bit. But I knew if I took him, he'd want me to walk him in, and then he'd have a fuss at the door of the classroom and beg me not to leave!

SO PROUD OF HIM!!! :)

Andrew on the other hand: First day of middle school: up and gets a shower, eats breakfast, out the door, we drop him off, he hops out of the car...not a second glance back!

Gotta love 'em!

My inlaws are here for the day, so now I got to figure out what we're gonna do! My FIL is still snoring away! LOL We'll let him sleep!

A Few More Hours...

of quiet! The boys are on their way home with the grandparents and life is getting ready to get hectic! School starts tomorrow and there will be an overabundance of nerves tonight, I'm sure! We've got to pick out an outfit for tomorrow, pack lunches, figure out our schedule etc! But for now there's a few more hours of quiet!

My friend Linda and I hit the Stitch and Frame Shop in SC. It was exactly 3 hrs from my front door to the shop's front door! We had a great time! We leisurely stopped for lunch and just sat and visited and Linda had the brilliant idea to go by Buella's Cross Stitch shop in Statesville. It wasn't on the way home, but only about an hour out of the way. So she called information, connected to the store and realized they were open.... You've never seen two ladies move so fast! Trash was in the bin, drinks we refilled, and we were on the road again! :) Linda had been before, but it was my first visit! Not a fancy shop at all, but there were bins and bins of .50 leaflets! I think I got about 20 of those!

And there were great little fabric squares, perfect for ornaments, fobs, stuff like that. The owner didn't really feel like looking up the prices, they were all hand dyed fabrics, so she sold them to us for .50 each! :) We were only going to pick out a few, cause we thought they'd be a few dollars at least. And when we asked the price, she said,"Oh .50!" So we took them all except one!:)

I'm excited about the new stash, but now I've got to reorganize my stitching schedule! :) haha

It was a great day! Left the house at 7am and got home around 5:30 or 6:00. I called DH on the way home and he said, "Already?! I thought you'd be home around midnight!" If I had only known.. I'm sure we could have found something else to do to occupy our time, right Linda?

We even ran into two of our stitching friends at Buella's, so that was fun!

Have a good week!

Do You Want These?

As part of my cleaning up this week, I went through my xstitch things. I stitched this mystery project a long time ago. It was my first experience with specialty stitches, metallic thread, and over two! :) But I don't particulary LOVE cats and I know many stitchers do! So I'm hoping somebody might really have a good home for it?



The following patterns have all been used. The L&L I wrote on the pattern, HORRORS, I know! But I put a sample of what I mean, and there are only two sections like that...you can still easily read the patterns. The PV book is a great one, it has 6-7 patterns in it. I've stitched the ones I wanted to out of it already. Then I figured I won't ever stitch that letter S by M designs again, and the little LK patterns is w/o it's buttons! So, if you are interested.. just leave me a comment on which one you want and if there's more than one, I'll draw a name middle of next week. :)

L&L


LK


M Designs


Paula Vaughn

CAN YOU HEAR THE QUIET???

Can you hear it? The boys are at their Mamaw's for the weekend!! Today I am dedicating to cleaning, rearraning and tomorrow my good stitching buddy and I are going to an LNS in SC. It'll be a 3-3 1/2 hr drive, but I'll stitch along the way! :) I am moving my youngest son into his own room, he has been sharing with his brother since we moved. Andrew is starting middle school: and has become much more independent, is allowed to do more things, has a cell phone, etc. and Luke things life is completely unfair! :) So among other reasons, we are giving Luke is own room and we'll fix it up a bit for him. But the only other room choice was our guest room, and the closet is/was full of my craft stuff, games, kids craft supplies, etc! So I completely emptied that closet...moved Luke's closet stuff into the new closet. Now I'm rearranging to figure out how to get all this stuff into Luke's old closet. I would just toss it all, but as soon as I do, I'm gonna need it! So I'm taking a break!

Here are a few things I started and finished this week. These are all by JBW and are stitched on 32ct over one! I really love them! Aren't they cute?


My thumbs in there, so you can see how little they are! I couldn't find my ruler!:)

I also finished two LK Squared patterns. I want to do a summer and a winter one next, but I need to get the patterns first!


That's all I've done this week!:)

My secret is out!

I was just visiting around the blogs today, waiting on my yeast for my pizza dough... and I stumbled upon my name on somebody else's blog! She labeled me a night owl! (And she even spelled my name right! I LOVE when people do that! Thanks!) How did she ever figure that one out?!

As most of you know, we've been gone all of June and July, and I didn't hardly stitch at all, I think maybe two days total. Since we've been back, I've stitched every single evening.. and for the past, oh ten days at least, I've stitched until 2AM! Well, actually since the opening ceremonies of the Olympics!

I keep telling myself I'm going to go to bed early, but when it's 10:00 and DH is in bed and the boys are just quieting down in their own beds, I hate to "waste" the quiet time! So I tell myself, just stitch until 11:00. Then I say, just til 12:00 and then last night at 1:30 am I say to myself, Should I start another project? I still have 3o minutes!

It's terrible, really it is! But I just love the peace and quiet from about 10-2! Course school starts Monday... Andrew will be up around 6:30 and Luke at 8:00. So I'm thinking...go to bed early, get up with Andrew, send him off to school at 7:00... stitch until 8:00 when I have to get up with Luke.. right?

What's really gonna happen is this: Stitch until 2am. Drag myself out of bed at 6am and wake up Andrew...rush him out the door. Go back to sleep until 8:00 when I get Luke up.. get him to school by 8:45 and then wonder all day why I didn't go to bed earlier! I'll swear to myself that I'll go to bed early that night. So 9:30 rolls around, I'll tuck the boys in bed (while answering for the millionth time, "Why do I have to go to bed?" My answer: "Every single kid in the world has to go to bed, so you do too!") Dh will either be on his way to bed, or already in bed.. And I'll say to myself: "Maybe just a few stitches!" And then before I know it, it will be 2AM and we'll start the whole process over!

Which do you think it will be?! :)

Lots of Pictures

I don't even know who most of these designers are! These are just rolled up in my box of finished stuff! I think this might be a SB design? I collect nativites and really need to do something with this one!




I stitched this for my mom, with the idea of making it into a bag or pillow. I have five nieces who she reads Bernstein Bear books to all the time.... I just need to do it! :)


My friend Linda loaned me this pattern. I really like it, but kind of wished I had done the purple darker... Hmm!

A close up of the bottom part.


This is a LK that I really like! A really quick stitch!

I'm not sure who this is by.. Maybe a LK? Kind of looks like her style. The button in the corner is supposed to be a package.. I think I might take the tree off and just leave it blank.

This one is the biggest shame of all! It's been done since 2005. It is a PV pattern, that came in a book along with a little boy praying at his bed. Not sure why I did the girl, when I have two boys! At first I thought maybe for one of my nieces, but if I stitch one big picture, I'm gonna have to eventually stitch four more! So then I thought, maybe for the little girl that's named after me? But then I really like it.. so I'm holding on to it for now!

A close up, I love the little coloring page, don't you?


Thanks for looking!
Don't be impressed...some of these date back as far as 2005! :)

A week's worth of stitching!

Okay, well maybe it was a little more than a week, but probably less than ten days.

Here is the needle book I was telling you about!




I stitched this ornament today... I'm just missing the whisper 68 to stitch the fur on the coat. Anybody have a few strands to share?! :)


And here is the finished Our House Rules! I love the vines and grapes.. don't you!?


I stitched a little rabbit today, it was a freebie on the net somewhere. I'm going to make it into one of those floss tags SOMEDAY! :)

You should see my house!

Oh my word! It's awful! Both boys are home and have apparently decided to play with every single toy they own! I told them tonight that we were really going to have to straighten up tomorrow and they looked shocked! And Luke said, "But nobody's coming over!" Oh dear!

The truth is, I've been stitching A LOT! I just haven't paused to take time to take pictures and put them on here! Though the stitching did make it upstairs beside the computer, now just to take the pictures!

I finished the "Our House Rules"! Just took a few days. It is so pretty! I really like how it turned out. Then there was this little needlebook I wanted to stitch, it's tiny and all over one stitching. I didn't notice until the very end that they were supposed to be tent stitches, which takes no time at all! I did a full stitch, which I like better, but takes so long! The saying on the front is so cool: "Seek joy with needle in thy hand" and has a little lady stitching under a tree on a hill. And inside there are stitched pages that have the needle size in the bottom corner. I just need to put it together!

Then I might have stitched a little something-something for a certain friend who has a birthday soon! I'm pretty sure she reads this, so I'll have to keep it hush hush for a few days!

I started a new Homespun Elegance christmas ornament. It's the new one for 08 and it has a santa with a wish list and on the wish list it lists: linen, thread and time to stitch! Very cute!

I have lots waiting in the wings. The poor spring wall hanging is set to the side for now. It has lots of boring, fill in stitches, so I'll wait for a car ride for that!

Then I found a few things I had finished this past year (or more) and never posted a picture... they are just rolled up in my cross-stitch stuff. So I'll post pictures of them sometime too! Then there's always all those other WIP's I have listed...plus lots of things I want to stitch!

Have you seen all those thread card things on stitchers blogs, the one with the little stitched piece with a ring attached.. Yup, I want to do some of those too!

Now does anybody wonder why my house is really a mess? Seriously, I'm thinking this school year, I'm going to set one day aside for a "me day" i.e. a stitching day... and be really productive and time smart the rest of the days of the week. Think that will work?!! I hope so! I do love my stitching time, but I hate to have a messy house! I just equally hate cleaning it!

For those who asked how I get so much stitching done, well the answer is probably in this post! But I do stay up really late.. it's been around 2am this whole week. DH is an early sleeper and often goes to bed between 9:30 and 10:00.... so there's lots of quiet time for me to get lots of stitching done!

Talk to you later! Thanks for visiting!

Luke & Cross-Stitch

Last night, Luke was having a moment (as quite often happens!) And here is our conversation!

L: And by the way! I hated that car ride to the cross stitch store!

Me: Why?

L: Cause you and Mrs. Linda only talked about cross-stitch the whole way!

Me: Okay...

L: It was like you were a bunch of teenager girls or something, only you talked about cross-stitch!!

:)

On a side note, I finished "Our House Rules" Started it Saturday pm and finished it today on the drive home! :) I'll post a picture of it tomorrow.. I really like it!

A great day today

Yup! My friend Linda called and talked me into going to the LNS in Raleigh. She didn't have to do much talking, trust me! But I had to take Luke along with us. He did fine, I think! Really great for 95% of the time and that little 5% was a bit rough, but he apologized and we survived!

My whole purpose in going was to get the fabric to start Flower Power.. FINALLY! Course they didn't have a piece big enough, I need a 32 ct piece that is 42 by 28! It's gonna be huge! I did get some fabric and thread I need for a pattern "Our House Rules" that my friend Sandy sent me. Course the idea of new fabric and new thread and new pattern sitting there all ready, made me want to start it! I got quite a bit done while I was watching the Olympics! Here's what I've done this evening. I think I was a little anxious to get a picture taken, cause it sure is fuzzy! Click on it for a better picture! :)



I did get my 989 too! Yeah! The pattern is actually kind of boring, just 14 ct aida, and not my normal style! But I really like it for some reason! Don't let it fool you, there are TONS of stithes in there! Here's where the project was last time I posted...


And here it is after this week mainly. I think I picked it up twice during our time we were gone.




I also started and finished my Fair and Square exchange this week. It's due Aug 11th, so it's not like I'm a procrastinator or anything! I used parts of the LHN Schoolgirl Lessons pattern. I couldn't decide between two threads. The tanish one is by Ozark Sampler and I used that for the squares. The other is a Dinky Dyed thread, I think it's called Christmas something or other! But I loved the colors on that one! So I made the little fob to go along with it!

Here's the front and back of the fob put together. I even used the leftover thread to make my own braid! Love that little thingy that makes the cording!


I'm calling it quits early tonight! Last night I was up until 3:30am, and had a conversaton with Luke around 4:15. But surely I fell asleep those 45 minutes, right? Anyway.. can't do that again! I need some sleep!

No 989

Isn't annoying?! First of all I've needed 3857 for the entire month of July! We've been so busy, I never had a chance, nor was I in a town big enough to pick up one. So my best stiching buddy sent me one in the mail this week. Very wonderful! Well, I finish stitching with that color and the next color I need is 989. And of course I don't have it! I have then entire collection, plus about 4/5 of a 2nd collection, but alas no 989.

So after having Luke's friend over for SIX HOURS yesterday, I figured I earned myself a trip to the craft store. No big deal normally, except the closest one is at least 25 minutes away, depending on traffic. So off we go, me and Luke. (or is it Luke and I?) Anyway.... we pull in Joann's, cause that's where I had a coupon and I knew Luke would want to buy something. So we pick out his craft project, go get the rest of the colors I need.. go to the section for 989 and NO 989! NONE, ZIPPO!

Normally I could use a different shade, but all the other shades around are already being used in the project and I need 989. So I head for home without my poor little 989. We were 1/2 the way home and Luke says, why didn't we go to Michael's? Well, that would have been smart..but didn't think about it! There are NO other crafts stores of any type in the town I live in, or the three really close towns. In Cary, there are ACMoore, Michael's and Joanns all w/in a mile of each other. ACMoore and Michaels are across the street, within the same set of shops. That makes no sense to me!

Oh well, so I am still w/o 989. I'll have to work on one of the other million things I can be working on, but I really wanted 989! :)

Yeah, My Visitors are Back

Yup! I see you! Nobody comments much, but I see you on my map stats! I was afraid I'd lost you all over the summer... but I see some of ya'll are back! Yahoo! :)

My friends' blogs

After random clicks here and there, over the past few months I've run into old friends via their blogs. (well, and facebook helps too) I've read blogs from college friends, church friends, friends from elementary school, high school, etc. They all have these really neat, deep thought out blogs! I'm almost afraid to comment on theirs, cause I know there will be a link to my blog! ha! And my blog really has no great deep thoughts, now does it? I was trying to think of something last night that would be well thought out, well written, well developed.... and well, I just decided I'd rather cross-stitch! :) And since that's what this blog is for.. then I guess that's a good thing, right?

We all have our special talents, and mine certainly don't include the ability to be well thought out, well written or well developed! :)

Off to stitch for a little bit! :)

"Mom, I'm bored!"

Seriously... Luke (8yrs old) says to me today: "Mom, I'm bored!" We've been home all of about three days, and it's the first day where we haven't had to go do something! So off to Walmart we go for school supplies, to blockbuster to rent a wii game for him, McDonald's for dinner, a bike ride to wherever he wanted, a quick stop by the nature park on our ride, and he's still bored!" I guess mom just doesn't hold a candle to the 100+ youth he's had in his life the past six weeks!

My dh and both boys always want to "go do something". DH will work 7-5, eat supper, and be ready to go somewhere.. anywhere! I on the other hand.. love nothing more than to be bored! BORED=STITCHING TIME! Seriously, I can sit and stitch for hours! Or sit and go through my patterns,threads, etc! In fact, I'd love a few days to be bored!

This whole summer we've been going wide open from 6am-midnight. No time for boredom! I swear, I'd love a few days of boredom!

I remembered last night that I have a Fair and Square exchange due to be mailed on the 11th! Guess I'd better get started, right? My partner is Rita from Hungary! I love having overseas partners! My last partner was Gaby from Germany! Anyway, I'm stitching part of the LHN design Schoolgirl Lessons. I think that's the name of it. I'm using a cool thread by Ozark Sampler called Indian Paintbrush. It's a blend of the 221 color family and 640's. I really like it. The whole pattern won't fit on the square, but the main part did and the word stitching. I finished that all today. (goes quick, when you don't have to change any colors!) Then for the back square, I'll do the border stitching from the bottom of the pattern and instead of stitching reading and writing, I'll put our names in there.

Luke and I are planning a trip tomorrow to the Raleigh Science Museum. It's a four story building that is very cool, and best of all it's free! We'll stop by Sam's Club on the way out there.. I saw a really warm sweater/jacket I wanted. But the day we were there, we were all overheated from playing putt-putt in 100+ temps and I didn't feel like buying a winter jacket! :) Hope it's still there, I think I'll get one for my SIL for Christmas too! Then, when we get home, if Luke isn't bored.. I'll finish up my Fair and Square exchange!

I'm Back!

Six weeks in the car.
1000 teenagers.
LOTS of Backyard Bible clubs.
Sports camps.
Construction jobs.
Living in camping trailors.
24/7 with DH and kids.
24/7 with 4 college interns.
7 days max in one place.
Not one day of stitching!

We're finally home!

We've had a great summer, I need to sit back, relax and reflect on the times we've had! I've got piles of laundry to do, lots of bags to unpack, shopping to do and mail to go through! But we're glad to be back home! Hopefully we'll be back to "normal" soon!