sun, cameron overload, and a good meal

F I N A L L Y!!! The sun is out and no rain. Thank goodness for small miracles! After Cameron finished his snooze and ate his lunch we went to the park before getting Jose from school this afternoon. Cameron had a good time; always does. He gets so excited that he bounces from one place to the next, never deciding on just one thing. He loves it all.

I know…Cameron overload. But you have to remember that I have family checking out my blog and some live really really really far away – other countries to be exact.

We grabbed an ice cream from Sonic and picked up Jose. Don’t worry. Jose got a cold treat too. :o) Afterwards we headed home to prepare dinner. Speaking of…here’s our good meal.

It’s called Taco Bake (from Vonna) and it was D-LISH!!!

Jose is Cameron’s muse. Sometimes that’s a good thing and others not so good. LOL Here’s Cameron taking Jose’s old bike for a spin. He thought he was pretty cool.


I’ll be settling in now. "Dancing’ with the Stars" has started and I want to stitch some more on Movie Night by The Sampler Girl. Whew! Talk about a day. I feel complete and content right now and that's what matters. Talk soon!

tuesday

This is what I stitched last night. I wasn't able to stitch the entire day yesterday. I had some household catch-ups to do so I was busy puttering around the home. This is Country Sampler Velvet Sampler Bag by Stacy Nash Primitives. It's so cute, but the peacock is what really caught my eye.

This morning me and Cameron went to Kroger. We were home by 9:30. I love getting to the store early. Nothing is worse than late-afternoon shopping ~ Ick! Speaking of Cameron...I poured myself something to drink just a little while ago and left it on the counter. Being the monkey that Cameron is he snuck his truck over to the counter and got my glass without my knowledge. I was out of the room and heard him coughing and sipping. I went in to investigate knowing what I'd find. There was Cameron hiding under the table with my glass sipping away like no one's business. Ugh!!! What am I going to do with this boy? LOL

I'm off to give him his nap and hopefully have time to sit and stitch on Movie Night. Talk soon!

petite lettres rouges

Petite Lettres Rouges by Blackbird Designs. This was a freebie sampler and contest piece. The contest is over, but I still wanted to stitch this design. I used my late-grandmother for inspiration who instilled the "art" in needleart, and to my mother who taught me the "work" in needlework. This is her mother ~ my mothers. I miss my grandmother very much. Her maiden name was Anna Kaufhold, born in 1917. She passed away in 2005. I borrowed the bird motif from BBD's My Heart Is True booklet. I added a heart for my love for her and the memories I embrace today. I stitched my initials and year so that in case I forget one day, as she did, how my needle came about, I'll have a reminder of times past. I think I'm going to make this into a throw pillow for my bed. I have a really pretty white eyelet cotton I'd like to use. It's lacey-looking and I think it will compliment the design. I might add some more detail and other fabrics too.

I stitched this on 28 ct Antique linen, using DMC 221, 3721, 3722.

Talk soon!

mother's day delight

I hate when I can’t blog and check email! My laptop has taken a crap and therefore I can’t blog and check emails regularly. I’m pretty perturbed about the whole situation. I get so behind on everyone and my group emails get high in volume so I know I miss conversations as they happen. But onto better and brighter things…



The first person to wish me a Happy Mother’s Day was the child that started it all. The child that made me what I am nearly twelve years ago…my first baby boy, Jose. I was so shocked at my heart-card but wasn’t surprised by his sentimental thought. Jose has always been a very thoughtful child. He wrote the most perfect words. I’ll share them with you.

“For all the things you’ve done for me
I just keep loving u more and more
And even bigger MORE.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Love, Jose”

This is probably the best card I’ve ever received.



I was overjoyed and yet completely surprised by a gift, or shall I say gifts, that I received from Aunt Pam for Mother’s Day. I was not expecting this pleasant surprise. It definitely brightened my day. I’ve been busy reading word for word of Little Quilts. The photos are amazing and the amount of detail in the writing is fantastic. This by far is my favorite quilt book. It’s for any skill level. I highly recommend it. My aunt also included a piece of blue fabric which is absolutely lovely. She knows how much I love reproduction fabrics. :o)

For my mom’s Mother’s Day I made her a scissor case and fob along with a pair of titanium scissors. Well, I didn’t make the scissors – LOL. I will be honest. I started this project a little over 2 years ago and at the time it was a little ambitious for me. I had every intention of getting it stitched and assembled but it didn’t happen. The next year came and once again same symptoms and hang ups. Finally, this year I was completely confident. I’m glad it's done and well received – mom loved it! Just so you know, this has been my “secret project” for the past several months.

It went from this…


To this…







This design is Mother’s Day Scissors Case & Fob by Giulia Punti Antichi ("GPA") ~ she’s in Italy. It’s stitched on 28 ct Natural linen using Waterlilies throughout. For the tassel I added GPA’s recommendation of a Kreinik Metallics Braid #4 to add glitter and it worked. :D


To add a little personal detail I lined the scissor case with the scissor fabric which is really sweet inside. I twisted ALL the cording myself and I love doing it. This is the first time though that I tacked down cording. It was interesting.

My mom is my angel – always has been always will be, but more so now than when I was a child. I have learned to appreciate mom more and I simply cannot live without her. I realize our lives will end someday, but until then mom is my angel here on earth. I know there isn’t anything or anyone perfect except for the ‘man upstairs’, but my mom comes as close as any one thing or person can that lives and breathes and walks upon us. I could go on and on about my mother, but I don’t want to keep you from yours.

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!

blame it on the rain

We have had such ups and downs the past several days. For one, I feel like I live in Forks, WA without my vampire. Today is the sixth day for rain. Tuesday was really our only break with very little sunshine if any, but we’ve been living “under a constant cloud of rain and haze”. I know Cameron is dying to get outside. I’m cooped up and I’m tired of the rain ~ makes me feel bad.

I don’t have a lot to report stitching wise. I said before that my current rotation is on hold because I have a really important project (sorry, cannot mention it yet) that I need to concentrate on and finish. I am making progress so that’s a plus.

Jose has been slightly ill since Friday. I picked him up from school and he wasn’t well. I couldn’t get him in to see the doctor so we went to our doctor’s walk-in clinic. They tested him for strep and flu, but thankfully those tests were negative. Jose has severe allergies and a double ear infection. He’s on a ton of medicine because he is absolutely miserable. He’s on 2 prescription drugs and 3 over-the-counter drugs. He’s feeling much better now that we have this under control.

Cameron has been such a stinker lately. He has decided it a good idea to wake up at 2:00 am and want in our bed, but mama and dada won’t be having that. Last night was the third night in a row for this behavior and we’re exhausted. He cries all night! It’s unbelievable. He’s snoozing right now and understandably so. I should be sleeping too. After putting him to bed last night (around 8:30) he decided he should get so upset that it makes him vomit and so that’s what he did. It took me at least 30 minutes to clean that all up and I missed a lot of Dancing with the Stars. [I did see who was eliminated to which I totally disagree with. As likeable as Ty Murray is he should have been the one to go not Lil’ Kim.] Ugh!!! Anyway, Cameron is all off right now. I’m going to blame it on the rain (isn’t that a verse in a song?).

DH passed yet another Microsoft test for work to which I happily and proudly scream out that he nailed this test. He received a PERFECT score of 1000. 700 is passing. I'm so very proud of him. He studied for a month and a half. Lots of sacrifice was made in order for his study time to be uninterrupted. Congrats to my DH!

I’m sorry this post is so utterly boring. I have felt so guilty about not posting sooner but to add drama to this already theatrical week my Internet and email have been down for just about 2 days, so today I have it back and that means catch-up; if I can even squeeze that time in. I can’t believe this weekend is Mother’s Day. Jeez!

Talk soon!

*mail-call*

Yay!!! I had my haircut today and it looks great ~ fresh and soft! But that’s not what I’m “Yay-ing” about. When I got home I was pleasantly surprised at what was in the mail waiting my arrival. :o)

Country Sampler Velvet Sampler Bag
by Stacy Nash Primitives

This is the kit I received because I’m a member of Stacy’s girl club through the Country Sampler - a fabulous shop in Wisconsin. (I’ve never been there, but the website is great and I receive the newsletter.) This kit has some really gorgeous fabrics. I love, love, love the blue-flowered print fabric, the soft wheat-colored velvet, and the blue (DMC 930) peacock motif that compliments the whole design. I can’t wait to get started and have it assembled. It’s going to be a great addition to the everyday stitching basket.

On top of this amazing kit, and to end this happy trip to the mailbox, I also received my Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting magazine. I L*O*V*E the quilt on the cover and I will have to seek out ways to incorporate this into my quilting to-dos. That Civil War fabric gets me every time! I'm such a sucker. I NEED my Aunt Pam here though to help me pick the fabrics out.

I started reading The Host this afternoon and already I can see the difference in Stephanie Meyer's writing from the Twilight series. I have to put my current rotation aside and get busy stitching on a project that I cannot divulge at this time, so I won't have any progress photos until I get this done, but I'll check in of course. I’m off to stitch a bit and then to bed. I'm glad tomorrow is Friday - Whew!

Talk soon!

i'm done

I'M DONE! I’ve read all four Stephanie Meyer Twilight series books. I’m done and now I’m crying. I’m actually crying ~ started crying the last 3 pages. The end was perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending. I love all four books, but Breaking Dawn is my favorite after Twilight.

Firstly, I am ashamed to say that I skimmed through New Moon a lot of the way and I believe I was unfairly bias through that book. I am going to re-read New Moon so that I can get to know Jacob better because he deserves my attention, every reader’s attention. And secondly, New Moon was really about Bella’s pain; pain so dark and deep that it was difficult to get through because I wanted Edward to return so badly. Meyer did such a tremendous job with yanking my mood from one spot to the other-through all four. I owe it to Meyer and to Jacob Black because I know how hard it was for Meyer to write New Moon. Writing N.M. didn’t come as naturally as Twilight. Jacob was and is such a good and decent friend to Bella. I’m envious of their relationship.

I mention New Moon in a Breaking Dawn review because after reading all four books it’s my opinion that N.M. is the book that catapults this story into what it has become, and then Breaking Dawn solidifies and ties the story together. Because of B.D., N.M. makes more sense. Ah, I just love Meyer for this!

Breaking Dawn, however, is the ultimate novel. I didn’t find this book to be teeny-bopper at all. In fact, it was rather grown up. This book has everything: love and hate, turmoil, lust, death, birth, renewal, trust, loyalty, confrontation, thirst, parentage, and Edward, Edward, Edward. I love him! He will always be one of my favorite characters till the day I die. There is no one sexier than he. I hate Bella for this, but love her because as Meyer writes, “Edward was hers forever.” I love that!

Through all these novels, I love how Meyer kept the dying question askew: Is Bella going to be changed into a vampire? I won’t tell you the answer, but Meyer delivers everything you’ve ever wanted from this story. I’m truly going to miss these characters. Thankfully, I own all the books so I can always go and visit Forks…and I will.

Thanks for listening…talk soon!

a new start

Yesterday I was at mom’s house and brought along a new project. I didn’t get that far into it, but hey it is something new, right?!?! Right!

This is (or will be) Movie Night by The Sampler Girl. This was probably one of the first Sampler Girl designs I ever bought. I couldn’t resist because I watch movies just about every night of my life whether they are brand new to me or reruns ~ movies comfort my soul.

It calls for the sweetest 7 popcorn buttons which I have. I just didn’t photograph them here. I didn’t have all the items the chart called for, but some. I know Tanya won’t mind that I substituted for what I had on stash. :o) I love the Presidential Blue and I didn’t have 28 ct Tea Dyed linen so I opted for 28 ct Amber which I think blends well with the floss.

I’ve got an idea for a collage that one day may end up being my blog topper and Movie Night will be an important cog in my blogging machine. The only other thing going on right now is that I have a cross between a sinus infection and allergy attacks. My sinus cavity won’t make up its mind and I have no control over it so it needs to make it up and fast. I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t had my haircut in a year so tomorrow is the day I’m taking the plunge and getting it trimmed and highlighted.

I’ll be getting LOST in a few hours…Talk soon!

reading questions to all

Dear Fellow Stitchers:

I have a question that I'm dying to ask anyone and everyone who reads. I have noticed lots of people that have more than one "currently-reading" book on their shelf. Is that possible? Is that really possible to read more than one book at a time? How? I realize I can stitch on more than one project, but a book?!?! How can you put one down in order to pick another one up? I feel so foolish asking such silly questions since I run through the same motions with stitching, but storytelling is different. I would be afraid I'd get my stories crossed. My peeps mixed up. I'd be afraid I'd lose interest in one story so that I could keep up with another.

How do you do this?

stitching and reading

Second post of the day ~ Yay! Last night I finished assembling My Needle Book by Blackbird Designs and this morning I stained it with walnut crystals and let it dry in the sun for 30 minutes. To finish things off I used a flower eyelet for a closure with a piece of yarn.

I used all the called for supplies with respect to the DMC and 40 ct Antique White linen. I used walnut crystals instead of tan Rit Dye. Since I don’t know how to crochet I used a flower eyelet and a single piece of yarn as the closure. The yarn came from my grandmother’s supplies and I finished it with a buttonhole stitch around the seam. I’m happy with the results.

When I was at my mom’s house on Saturday I went through her bookshelves and picked out some books to read. I am on a reading kick. I’m so motivated to read whatever I can get my hands on. I’m just about finished with Breaking Dawn. I have less than 50 pages to go and I’m really streaming this one along as slowly as I can. I’m going to miss the characters so much.

I have been contemplating joining a book club. It sounds like a lot of fun, and to be able to get away for a girls’ night out book club meeting sounds fun. The group I could join meets at a bookstore in the coffee shop. That just sounds so relaxing.

On a side note…after waiting 2 months I finally received my hand gun carry permit. It came in the mail on Saturday. Today I went to the grocery store and was concealing my gun and I’ll admit it felt kind of strange. I definitely didn’t feel “powerful” as some might feel or think. Instead I felt like everyone was staring and noticing me more, but that wasn’t the case. People really don’t pay that close attention so no one even noticed because they aren’t looking for it. My DH said he felt the same way at first, but then he got over that. Besides, I have the right to carry so enough said.

Me and Cameron are going to mom’s house tomorrow. I don’t have anything else to add right now. I’m sure I’ll come up with something soon. :D Talk soon!