two heads are better than one

Saturday night I went to my LNS for a moonlight stitching gathering. About 14 women showed up including Melissa, which my mother has known for many years and who I just met for the first time. Melissa was so relaxing to be around. I truly enjoyed her company and she’s funny too. The make-it and take-it was a cute little heart made into a floss tag ~ appropriate for around-the-bend Valentine’s Day. Speaking of…

I finished my Lovebirds (sorry photo is so dark). It wasn’t anything major, but I enjoyed this Quaker-type piece. It was a pattern I got out of a library book I checked out called "Big Book of Cross-Stitch Designs" by The Reader’s Digest. I personalized it with my first name initial and my DH’s too, along with ’05; the year we married. I plan on finishing it into a pinkeep pillow. I spoke to my Aunt Pam Sunday and she’s going to look into her 1800’s reproduction fabrics to see if she might have a piece that will coordinate well with the color of DMC I used (#3685) – a kind of cranberry red. She has a huge abundance of fabrics, especially repros – you would love her stash! Speaking of Aunt Pam, I have a story…

My Aunt Pam told me a stitching story and she has given me permission to share (hi Aunt Pam!). The other day my aunt was cleaning the baseboards around one of her closets. She was on the floor cleaning a bottom shelf and noticed a clear storage bin that she has always thought contained quilting materials. Even so, and out of curiosity, she opened it to see its contents. Inside was cross stitching supplies and materials and a missing JCS Ornament issue (year 2000) that she recently borrowed from me, which originally belongs to my mother. Let’s just say that my aunt was completely and pleasantly surprised. She called to tell me her news and I was surprised for her. Finding something like this when you’re not looking for it is like finding money. In fact, better than finding money, because if it were money a person would just spend it on cross stitch, right? Yeah, that’s what I thought and that’s what my aunt thought! Anyhoo, it was a cool story I thought and I’m glad I heard it first, or maybe I was second. LOL

I want to share the goodies I bought while after-hours shopping at moonlight stitching Saturday.

Lizzie*Kate Double Flip-its ~ Create and Live. I love the teeny-tiny scissor and heart charms that come with the pattern.

Faithwurks ~ Cat. I had to have this little wooden cat. Isn't this too cute!

Hands to Work ~ My Beloved Tennessee. I instantly fell for this design. I live in Tennessee and don’t have anything stitched with Tennessee in mind, so now I will.

Blackbird Designs ~ Thank You, Sarah Tobias. This is a popular design or book rather. I love all the pincushions within this booklet. The first to stitch is Sarah’s ABC Pincushion. It calls for The Thread Gatherer’s Autumn Twilight which is gorgeous, but my LNS doesn’t carry that and I had to have something to go home with so I could start this sooner rather than later. I picked out Waterlilies by Caron Collection, color Kelp. It has lovely deep colors that I think will look just as good. Here’s a snip-it of the color below (mine has a little less orange though):

There’s a new designer out that I saw mentioned on Petra’s blog called The Stitcherhood. If you’re at all into antique, folk art, or primitive designs check this website out. They have some really nice patterns. There is also a section to download freebies, so go and check them out. Which brings me to…

one of my next quick stitches will be The Stitcherhood’s Valentine Love freebie. I’ve got just the fabric for this little pre-V Day project in mind. I love squeezing in quick stitches (QS) between WIPs and CRs. It gives my eyes something new to look at for a few days and it motivates me to keep stitching on those WIPs and CRs. I enjoy it. You should try it if you don't. Once you finish a little thing you just have to get something else done. All of sudden that needle finds its fire and goes! Whew!!! Tsssssssss

While I was surfing my favorite blogs, my sons were playing around and being such goof-balls. My seat kept shaking and moving about and when I looked down to see what all the fuss was about I had a funny little head staring up at me. The other little head was pulling the little head's hair.

Perfectly happy!

Perfectly unhappy!

Perfectly loved! (I'm sorry big brother.)

Sunday's Stitching: finished Lovebirds by RDBBoCSD
Watched Sunday: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls; Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

winter blues maybe

It's still cold ~ 15 degrees and sinking still. No matter how much lotion I use I can't seem to escape this dry skin. I think I have figured out why I'm in a stitching slump, among other things. I think it's winter. I have the winter blues. It's after Christmas and things have died down. My skin is dry and itchy. It's way too cold out, therefore, I'm cooped. The sun isn't warm ~ I think I need spring and I need it now. Times are difficult, things are changing, and money is scarce. It's dead outside from the chill and I feel imprisoned as a result. I'll feel much better once it feels more like something that resembles winter instead of the Antarctica. I do much better in warm weather (hence living in the south). It can be 115 degrees out and I'm much happier with that temp than how it is right now. This weather is truly pesky, isn't it?

I can't wait for 3:30 Saturday to roll around. Me and mom will be at our moonlight stitching evening from 4:00-10:00. I so need this outing. I'm going to meet someone new that my mom has known for many years and is quite fond of her. Her name is Melissa, aka Doodle-head.

Today's Stitching: Lovebirds by RDBBoCSD

friday so far

Brrrrrrrrrrrr it's so very cold outside! It's a windy 13 degrees here in my neck of the woods. The Metropolitan school district decided to call school off today because they believe it's too cold for kids to go to school. I know people elsewhere in the US and in my home state that are at school today and they have more frigid weather than us. Good grief! This just keeps getting better and better for my children, I suppose. They call off school when the "threat" of snow is upon us, and then we don't even get any snow. Now, we're calling off school bc of temperature??? It wasn't like this when I was a child. Oh well...Jose is home and now watching Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (3rd one). Cameron is napping and I'm getting to some laundry and picking things up around the homestead.

Last night, me and DH stayed up to watch The Brave One with Jodie Foster. It's a movie about being a vigilante and really it's about going off half cocked at anyone who stands in your way. It was a good movie, not great, but good. Naturally I cried at sad parts. The overall plot of the movie is quite sad. Loving boyfriend gets beaten to death and you survive the same type beating. You've come to realize the world around you isn't as beautiful as you once thought and you start taking matters into your own hand. It is sad like I said, but payback can be a witch, if you know what I mean.

While movie watching I did stitch a little. I stitched on the pattern I got out of The Reader's Digest Big Book of Cross-Stitch Designs I checked out from the library a couple weeks back. It's called Lovebirds. I'm stitching it to have for Valentine's Day, reflecting me and my honey buns! I think I'll finish it off as a small pinkeep pillow to stow away in a basket. I'll probably keep it out all year though bc it is a nice V-day thing to do :o)

That's all I've stitched this entire week. Yep, I know..very sad! I'm ashamed. I just can't figure out what is wrong with me. Cameron is taking A LOT of my time right now. I can't stop him from finding ways to climb, climb, climb, and the getting into stuff is nuts. I really need advice bc I'm seriously going mad. My house has been so rearranged by his silly little ways that it looks like we're moving. There is so much put away it isn't even funny ~ we can't even have our dining room chairs in the room. We keep them hidden in a closed off part of the house. When we want to sit down we retrieve them. However, the second, and I mean down to the millisecond, we get out of our seat he's at the chair climbing his way on board. I think this is why I've endured so much back pain and pinched nerves in the last few weeks. He's 25 lbs and that is too much for my weak back to handle especially with all the lugging I have to do with him. Oh well...such is life I guess, but something has got to give, right?

Here's Cameron at breakfast. He loves balancing his plate on his head, but mama doesn't like it when he does that after he's had waffles with syrup. He thinks he's pretty funny and he's rotten for it. Just look at his face and his 'do'. He's a bugger alright!

God love him!

Today's Stitching: Lovebirds from "RDBBoCS"

what's up?

What is up these days? I've been watching movies and taking care of household things the last few days, more like this past week, which isn't out of the ordinary for me, but I haven't had a lot of stitching power lately. I stitched a little bit the night before, but not a lot of progress was made on anything. I just finished watching Dexter; 24 started this week; and LOST will be next week. Friday we're going out to dinner with a friend of ours and his daughter. Saturday afternoon we're being visited by a high school buddy of mine along with his ex-wife and their newborn baby. Yes, I said ex-wife and their newborn baby, for a few hours. Afterwards, me and my mom are going to our Moonlight Stitching evening at the LNS. We always attend these stitching nights at the shop. It's so much fun! It's also a nice thing for me so I can get away from ALL the boys and be around stitchers and women. Moonlight Stitching is from 4-10 pm. We eat, stitch, giggle, chat and we get a make-it and take-it project. This time we're making floss ring tags which I will enjoy since I'm familiar with them and have done one myself. It'll be fun!

Then the real exciting news!!! One week from Saturday me and mom will be in St. Augustine, Florida for Susan Greening Davis' stitching retreat at the beach. DH is on mommy-patrol from early Friday morning until late Sunday night. I did this 2 years ago before Cameron was born and I had a really good time. The best was just being with mom away from home and having all that time for ourselves. This year it will be even more fun because 2 of our stitching buddies (Susan and Sally ~ no blogs) will be there and we get along with them so well. They also attend the Moonlight Stitching evenings and we always sit together. They were also at Celebration of Needlework in Louisville, KY and we did a lot together then. In addition, Pat who is the owner of our LNS is there every year. She adds to the stitching dynamic and she does all the cooking, which never disappoints. It's just going to be a lot of stitching fun! Winning prizes! Playing games! Auctions! Buying goodies! Shopping in historic downtown St. Augustine! Oh yeah...and the beach!!! It's really cold right now so the beach will be a very welcoming relief. And just spending time with mom is my favorite part of the whole trip. It's so much fun in our hotel room at night. We stay up late watching Forensic Files and stitching and eating chocolate and downing caffeine drinks ~ nothing sweeter!!!! The only downside to the trip is flying. I used to love flying and now I dread every part of it. I don't mind the checks and waiting in line. It's the flight itself that I'm afraid of. I'll have to take one of those wonderful pills called Xanax! That ought to do the trick. They'll put me out of my misery and I can handle that :o)

I read blogs all the time. Everyone is so neat and everyone inspires me to some degree. I've never been a part of a RR and I'm still intimidated to do an RR with someone that I'm not familiar with. It isn't anything against the other stitcher(s). I don't trust myself. I definitely plan on doing a RR with other stitchers, but it'll have to be in the future. BUT, and that's a big 'but', me and my mom have decided to do a mother-daughter RR, just us, on the Carriage House Samplings Shores of Hawk Run Hollow seen here:

My mom is a model stitcher for the JCS magazine and has recently finished a project for them so a little time as opened for her to stitch on something from her own stash. Mom started on the first block this afternoon and once there is a little more to show for she'll take pictures and I'll post them here. It's going to be a lot of fun stitching this RR with my mama. Besides, it is my first RR, but my mom has done this several times. She's been stitching a long time. I just can't wait until it's my turn at SOHRH! We figure that she can have custody of the finished piece half the year and me the other. Everyone wins!

I said before that I haven't had a lot of stitching power lately. A couple days ago I started on something for Valentine's Day. Well, for me and DH really. One of my goals this year, and for many years to come, is to stitch more pieces with family in mind. I don't stitch enough of those. I went to the library a couple weeks ago and checked out 2 cross stitch pattern books. I found a really cute, quaint pattern called Lovebirds. I don't know who designed it and technically the pattern is done in one color and I'm sticking to that, but I'm using DMC 3685 (I think that's the color); done on 32 ct Antique White linen. The size is small; I think a mere 2.5x2.5 or maybe 3 square. It's small, but my thoughts are to make it into a pinkeep and lay it in my basket. I may try and put our initials with the birds ~ not sure yet. The pattern itself is a bit Quaker/folk artsy. It's cute! I'll post photos when I have a little more done.

Tonight I'm going to try and stitch. I haven't stitched since Monday. I did go through all 10 years of the JCS Christmas Ornament issues to make a list of things to stitch. Not necessarily for this year, but just in general. I got that done at least. I've pretty much organized my WIP and Current Rotation baskets, but I'm still lagging on the stitching goals list for 2009. I need to get this list compiled or I'll lose myself...again!

I'm going to go for now. If me and DH can meet in bed at the same time I think we're going to watch "The Brave One" with Jodi Foster. Hopefully, DH will be able to stay up. He's such a lightweight! LOL

Today's Stitching: nothing yet ~ night is still young :o)

dying for dexter?

Yes, yes I am!!! I just finished watching Seasons 1 & 2 of Dexter and oh my my my...was it ever a climatic season finale. Dexter is one of the best shows I've ever watched. He's America's favorite serial killer, after all, and about the finest one at that. Michael C. Hall is wonderful in this role. He was in Six Feet Under, which I never watched but he's been on broadway and made a couple movie appearances in the past. Anyway, Dexter is someone you love to hate, but you can't, no matter how hard you try, you can't hate Dexter Morgan and all that he does...and he does A LOT!! Throughout Seasons 1 and 2 my emotions went all over the place. There were at least 4 times I cried. You'll laugh and be shocked all at the same 'kill'. Maybe I have a soft spot for hotties such as Dexter Morgan, but I was consumed with concern and fear for him, and at times for others as well. This show leaves you with your mouth open wide, your curiosity into "what will Dexter do to get out of this situation?" kind of questioning, and yes, you'll be wanting more of Dexter Morgan. I can promise you that! I can't wait for Season 3 to be released. I don't get Showtime, but my parents own both Seasons 1 and 2 so that's how I was able to watch them back-to-back. I believe Dexter 3 will be out in February and I'm oh so ready for it.

bucket list

I saw this list on Michelle's blog and like her I love lists. I make lists for my daily chores and for anything else I can think of. I may have inherited this trait from my dad bc he's the exact same way ~ probably a little worse - lol. A list really helps me, it guides me towards a direction I might as well be lost without. I receive gratification when I'm able to cross off a "to-do" and onto the next item. I get a sense of accomplishment and then I have the desire to conquer the next endeavor. The list below is a little different, but it still is one to go by...consider it a sort of 'Bucket List' for me.

Things you’ve already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - leave alone

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band
4. visited Hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to Disney World
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo
11. bungee jumped
12. visited Paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (is this an option?)
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon
28. ridden a gondola in Venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run
32. been on a cruise
33. seen Niagara Falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an Amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied (money can't satisfy)
38. seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen Michelangelo’s David in person
41. sung karaoke
42. seen Old Faithful Geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. visited Africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance
47. had your portrait painted
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theater
55. been in a movie
56. visited the Great Wall of China
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited Russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold girl scout cookies
62. gone whale watching
63. gotten flowers for no reason
64. donated blood
65. gone sky diving
66. visited a Nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a check
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in Times Square
74. toured the Everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in London
77. broken a bone
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. published a book
81. visited the Vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in Jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire Bible
86. visited the White House
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox (twice)
89. saved someone’s life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby
95. seen the Alamo in person
96. taken a road trip
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee
100. met the love of your life

Conclusion: I haven't really "done" much with respect to adventure and travel. And I really don't need to. I've accomplished a lot in my young life and I honestly believe that being a mother, wife, daughter, friend and lover that these personalities are an accomplishment in themselves. It's a cliche' but it's true to the verse: Life isn't about the number of breaths you take; it's the moments that take your breath away. I don't judge my life by what I've done, but rather that the journey was worth every penny.

craft storms

Where do I begin??? Let's see...I went to Michael's Sunday afternoon. DH stayed home with the boys and I was able to have "me" time, which is rare these days. It seems I'm always with my children. Do you have the same problem I have? I can't seem to leave Michael's in a timely manner. I end up going down every aisle even if I have no clue what kind of craft I'm looking at. I always figure that I might see something that'll spark an idea for a project or that it might stretch my cross stitching into some other dimension. I just don't know what it is. I stayed at Michael's for at least an hour. Hey, when I have time alone I'm going to take ALL the time I can. Time is priceless, right, and with an 11 year old and 17 month old I will use that time as wisely as I can. In this case, it was with Michael's. LOL

I was driving my little cart down an aisle I have no business being in and all of a sudden this little guy called out to me, "tweet-tweet!". I couldn't resist. I had to make him mine and he flew home with me. :o) Isn't he cute?

I want to do better at celebrating special occasions and holidays. If not for me, for my children's sake. I was inspired this past week, as I often am, and it was by two of my Stacy Nash Groupie members. Michelle posted about a small Valentine's Day project she conjured up in 2007. She used a white metal tree and hung handmade hearts from the limbs. I was really taken with the project and wished that I had one or had thought of that myself. Here was Michelle's Valentine's Day tree last year. It's such a pretty display! But this isn't all...oh no! Tanya posted a similar theme in her home and I was even further inspired. Tanya gave me permission to add her photo to my blog (Thanks again, Tanya!). So looky-look...here is Tanya's tree! Aren't her samplers gorgeous too!!!

Tanya's Valentine display is so sweet and precious ~ and one I thought I could semi pull off. Maybe not as well as Tanya, but somewhat similar. :o) Tanya took sticks from her yard and adorned it with hearts.

And this one is mine.

I know...it doesn't compare to Tanya's and Michelle's, but can't blame a girl for trying. I had fun setting this all up. Jose played a little pretend and put the sticks up above his head. I swear, he looked like a deer! LOL It was funny. [Note to self: In case I need antlers, check in back yard and use Jose as a prop.]

Here are some more displays; some for Valentine's Day (I know early, but ahhhh) and some for just because I was in a mood to craft...it...up!

The two primitive hearts were displayed during Christmas and I think they were intended as ornaments, but I didn't use them as such. So, I've brought them out once again. I think they work for Valentine's Day too, don't you think? The round pink pillow was mine as a young toothless child. My Aunt Pam used her Viking machine to embroider "Julie's Tooth Fairy Pillow," a bunch of "Julie's" running across the back, and the little pocket in front says "Julie's Tooth." I remember using this too. I would put my pearly whites inside and lay it next to me at night. Morning would come and quarters would be in place of the tooth. I think it looks Valentine-y, don't you think? It's sweet and I thought it should be displayed out in the open. I normally have it in my glass cabinet, but this year it makes its debut. LOL

Here's a display on my dining room/kitchen wall that has been ongoing. (By the way, I plan on changing the blue wall. It's a faux finish I did 3 years ago. Anyhoo...moving along---) The little apron was made by my other grandmother, Atrelle. She was never a seamstress, but it's a keepsake and I simply adore it. It has little imperfections here and there, but it's still great, nonetheless. She made it for me when I was a little girl. My mother has had it all these years and she just gave it to me over Christmas. I completely forgot all about it, but I'm glad I have it in my home now. The needlework belonged to my very creative grandma, Annamae. The verse, as we all know, is When you see this, remember me. And naturally, I do! The red checkered print is paper I bought from Michael's in the scrapbooking area. It was just plain ole cork board underneath and it was stained and yucky. It needed a face lift and I was happy to oblige. I drew the bird myself! Heehee

I didn't stitch on Sunday or today and I'm really bummed about it. This morning, though, Cameron had to go back to the doctor for a re-check on his ear infection. He's had 5 ear infections since July 31 and been on 4 different antibiotics. The doctor has referred us to an ENT so we'll be going there in 2 weeks. Cameron will probably need tubes. My oldest had two sets of tubes put in his ears when he was a toddler. I'm a little concerned for Cameron. He isn't talking yet and I'm starting to wonder if it's because he isn't hearing properly due to the ear infections. This is something I'll definitely bring up at the ENT appointment. Cameron also got the second dose of his flu shot today and he didn't even cry!!! I was oh so proud of my baby boy!

I mentioned I have been sorting through my WIP and Current Rotations and I've started to think about my list of stitching goals for 2009. I will post this sooner rather than later. I finally organized everything today though and I wanted to at least show everyone my progress on the Ages of Man by Long Dog Sampler. This is a big-in! I'm probably about 70% done with it. Here's a look.

This bad boy has taken way longer than I thought it would. I've been stitching on this for nearly a year and a half. Of course, it is in the Current Rotation basket but has now jumped into the WIP basket. This thing almost takes up a whole basket all by itself. It's huge and there is a ton of floss. So much thread that I have 3, yes 3, thread control systems. One is floss bags to hold the skeins. Two is the thread cards to hold an entire ply of a specific color. And three is the thread & needle organizer; therefore, I don't have to constantly retrieve a needle and switch threads every time I need a new color. Because let's face it, there is an insane amount of color changing in this piece. Anyhoo, it's going to look fantastic all stitched and framed up. I can't wait!!!

A few evenings ago it was pleasant enough to take Cameron outside. He needs outside every now and then because the boy just get so cooped up ~ he gets crazy! Our biggest problem outside is that he is constantly wanting to head for the street. Unfortunately, we live on a cut through street so it sees lots of traffic. It used to be 40 mph, but bc of complaints and concerns the county reduced the speed to 35. Oh boy - big whoop! People still go way too fast. In 3 years, we've had 3 deaths by car accident and 2 other car crashes where no one was injured. Anyway...Cameron is always heading for the street so this makes it difficult for us to enjoy the front yard. We have a big wooden swing on the front porch and a beautiful magnolia tree. The backyard is dog territory and we own 3 cars, so needless to say there is poop (we have 3 dogs) like land mines and car stuff. It just isn't always the ideal spot for Cameron to play at the moment. Okay, so it was getting tiring chasing him up the driveway so we headed for the back. Luckily we have a fence so we closed it. He didn't like being put behind bars.

This boy will stop at NOTHING!! I've never in my life met a baby as determined as this one. He just doesn't quit.

I'm off to bed. My head is hurting ~ had this stinking headache all day and my back hurts. Goodnight!

"24"

Our favorite TV show is about to premiere in less than 10 minutes: 24. We have been waiting for over a year for our dear jaw-breaking Jack Bauer to return to Fox...and our wait has ended. It's a 2-hour premiere tonight and on Monday same thing. I have so missed Kiefer Sutherland! I've been watching him on the silver screen since I was a child. Be back later on...I have things to share!

a full heart

At the very start of 2009 I said that I wanted to go through my stash and sort out which projects I really want to stitch this year. So that got me thinking, and it dawned on me that I need to go through my WIP and Current Rotation baskets; so that I did! I came across projects I had started years ago (sad, I know, but probably typical) and totally forgot about half of the projects I had started eons ago. Like...this Heart In Hand. It was a partial kit that came with the linen and an adorable green weathered wooden frame. The frame is so cute that I've decided I'll use it for a more primitive stitch. But this still leaves me on 'what to do' about my Bless You piece. This piece was more than 75% complete. Man! What was wrong with me?!?! Oh well...finally another finish for 2009 ~ this makes 2 stitched for 2009. Whoa-Hoo! I'm on a roll! :o)

My heart is so full with my next 'keepsake'. I didn't stitch this flower. The verse reads: May Your Day Be As Bright As A Flower. I don't know where the design came from and I don't know what motif book this could have come from, but what I do know is that I am honored to have finally given this little gem a home. My late Grandmother stitched this at some point in her life. She was the most creative of all the women in our family ~ or should I say the queen of creative wonder. My mom used to own this, among a dozen other possessions that belonged to grandma. I was going through mom's stash and came across grandma's things. I saw it and wanted it so badly. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but I knew I had to have it. My mom was generous enough and let me have it. It sat in my craft area for so long until tonight. I remembered I had it and since I've been in quite the stitching/finishing mood lately...you can see where I'm going with this...I decided I needed to find it a permanent home once and for all. FINALLY, I've given it a place. I decided to make it into a coaster so I can admire it always. I still can't stop myself from touching it. I'm in love with it!

I am fully complete this evening. (ahhhh!) I feel accomplished, warm, and ready to start another day with a needle in hand. Also, this evening I joined the Stacy Nash Club through the Country Sampler up in Wisconsin ~ I am really excited about this. I cannot wait to receive my first project. It is stunning!

I am off! Me, DH and Jose are about to watch The Dark Knight. I've heard it is intense, but good. I love nail bitters and on the edge of your seat kind of films. Goodnight and sleep tight!

blog browsing

Last night I was browsing blogs with no specific destination other than to browse and enjoy the quietness of nighttime Interneting (no such word until now :o). I came across a really cool quilting, stitchery blog that had a neat idea for a quilt. I'm not an experienced quilter, but the idea around this quilt sparked my imagination and thought "I don't have to make a quilt necessarily. I can use these embroidery designs for something else, right?" It's a freebie called Noah's Ark Free Stitchery BOM by Lynette Anderson. I downloaded the animals I wanted so I can embroider them and do what I want with them. They are really really cute! I was considering doing a little Noah's Ark patchwork quilt for Cameron using these embroidery designs or maybe even some wall hangings for his room. Either way, and no matter what I decide, they sure are cute and look fun and easy.