revising and playing catch-up

You know, I get on a roll, something happens and I am set back. Cameron has broken the wireless adapter to my laptop ~ he cracked it as a matter of fact. So, I haven’t had my laptop in 2 weeks. I was making due and finding little ways to use my desktop PC since it is in an area of the house that’s off limits to Cameron, but this past week I’ve fallen way behind. I mean, way behind. I have blog catch-up, group catch-up and email catch-up to do. Then my email/Internet was interrupted and thankfully my dh fixed it, but I didn’t have any access for nearly two days. I loath the dependency I have on technology. It’s frustrating and addictive. Okay, I’m off my Internet/computer hang-ups soapbox...until next time (keeping fingers x'd).

I have fallen off the current rotation wagon. SHAME ON ME!!! I’m disappointed with myself, but a little relieved. Having seven projects for each day of the week leaves little time for those very special projects you just can’t seem to put down. At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I’ve decided, the heck with the current rotation and have a loosely fit rotation schedule with less going on. I think I’ll get more projects done this way. Besides, there are days I can’t stitch until nighttime and if that is the case then how much progress am I really having?!?! Not much.

“Who’s that girl” finally has a tree to sit underneath on those hot, hot days, along with a sweet visit from birdie. And suddenly before I knew it, “who’s that girl” had the starting of a pink little cottage to visit.

I can’t keep my hands off the Traveling Stitcher by LHN. It uses Crescent Colors and done on lambswool and is fun to stitch. I’ve had the Needles design stitched, but not assembled into the needlecase holder yet. Aside from the LHN project, I cannot keep my needle away from Susan’s Sweet Tin by Susan Greening Davis.

These stitches are so neat. One is called the Lace Wheels Reversed stitch (right) and Grid for Strap stitch (left). There are several sections or rows to this piece and I have more stitches to learn. One is called the German Interlaced Herringbone stitch (I've stitched it since this photo was taken so more on this specialty stitch later) which is known to make people talk to themselves and go crazy bc of its complexity. This design was all about pulling threads and re-weaving with a Perle cotton thread. So far, I’m having a ton of fun with this project.

I can’t decide which other project, if any, to add to the revised current rotation. I would like to stitch on each project for a couple days and then switch designs, which means that I can only have 2-4 projects per week. Four at the most. I’m thinking I’d be better off with three. I believe I’ll get more accomplished with fewer projects in my hands. I mean, c'mon, I do only have two hands =)!

My mom sent me a link this weekend and I think lots of you will be interested. It’s a free SAL. Go check it out HERE for more details.

Jose’s 12th birthday is May 31st. I can’t believe he’s turning 12 – a tween as society calls them. Where has the time gone? Jose’s last day of school was Thursday, but unfortunately he lacked effort through this school year and has to attend summer school. On the flip side of the unfortunate is fortunately for him summer school only lasts 3 weeks. Whatever happened to summer-long summer school? Ahhh, we need a vacation.

I’ll leave you with a couple of pictures of my sneaky little snake. Cameron managed to get an empty Coke bottle out of the trash, got the cap off, and then quietly snuck into the bathroom and used the cap as a cup. The things that go on his little head…

Talk soon!

who's that girl???

I was up late last night stitching. I have been going back and forth from Little House Needleworks to Susan Greening Davis. I was in bed stitching when it dawned on me how cute this little girl is from the Traveling Stitcher design. Isn't she cute!? Before I continued I had to take a photo of her sweetness.

Today I'm going back and forth from Stacy Nash's Country Sampler Velvet Bag (with a blue peacock motif) to my Susan tin. That's all on the stitching front.

As we speak, me and mom are planning to bring my Aunt Pam here for a week-long visit and I'm getting very excited about that. If my aunt will let me, I really want to take photos of our visit. We are going to take little adventures to the local quilt shops and to the LNS. It's going to be soooooo much fun ~ I can hardly wait!

I'm on page 31 of The Rosewood Casket. It first told of Indians in the Appalachian in the 1800's and now I believe we're in present day. It's keeping me interested. (Thanks Sally! - I hope you're enjoying The Host.)

Our dishwasher has died on us and I'm actually okay with that. I'm just glad it isn't the furnace, water heater, stove, refrigerator, etc. Those are a necessity but the dishwasher is not. I used to hand wash dishes years ago so it isn't as bad as it could be. I'm not as upset about it as dh is. Is having a dishwasher a nice thing? Sure! But it isn't necessary and I'm okay with such things.

Cameron is napping so I'm off to stitch. Talk soon!

classroom fun & good friends

Yesterday was such a fun-filled time. As I said, I attended a Susan Greening Davis class. My friends, Sally and Susan, were there and my lovely mother too. There were a couple of new faces. I had the privilege of meeting another Ohioan named Joanie. She was a delight to sit next to. She and her husband recently moved to the area so I felt it only necessary to bring her under my wing and tell her about the upcoming Moonlight Stitching at our LNS.

Joanie, if you’re reading this, I do hope that you will join us. You will have a really fun time and I’d love to see you again. Remember, it’s Saturday, May 30 from 4:00-10:00 pm and BRING STITCHING!!! If you would like to bring your own drink that is fine too. We usually bring our own even though Pat does supply something to drink ~ some of us girls are addicted to Diet Cokes and Diet Dr. Peppers :o). Hope to see you there, girl!

The Three Wise Men Whitman tin is what I picked for my class project. The other option was the traditional yellow Whitman tin. We also were able to choose coordinating colors as well. Those were two spools of perle cotton and one Watercolours thread. I decided to match mine with the robes of the Wise Men since there was already an abundance of blue in the tin. In class we used a doodle cloth for practice as there were stitches some of us have never stitched before or even seen for that matter - like me.

I also bought a few extra items from Susan. She had these really neat books. One was a stitch guide that stands up. Susan is known for her accuracy of the traditional stitch and/or how the stitch originated and not so much how it is taught today, but how it was taught historically in centuries past. It’s amazing what Susan can teach you!

I also picked up the needle index. How many of us have loose needles lying around and we really have no clue what they are??? (C’mon, be honest! We all have them. ;o) This book is a must have. Each page has a picture of every needle one can possibly own. You hold your unnamed needle to the picture and if it matches you’ve found it. On the facing page is a piece of wool felt attached to the book where you can store that needle for safe keeping. It’s an excellent book. I’m looking forward to going through my rogue needles and giving them a proper home.

I also purchased Susan’s “Orts” chart. I have a glass ORTS jar that I hand painted, but I need something to travel with me around the house for when I stitch and need a place to drop my orts temporarily until they find refuge in the ORTS jar. We also got a tote bag too and as a stitcher you know we can’t have too many totes…well, mom has too many totes but that’s another story for another time.

Lastly, my mother was kind enough (as always) to purchase Susan’s Sweet Sarah Doll for me. I love, love, love this prim doll. Inside the bag is a kit to stitch “Sarah” an apron that says I Love Cross Stitch, a chart to make a teeny-tiny biscornu for Sarah to hold, along with a tiny pair of golden scissors. I can’t wait to stitch this little piece. I fell in love with the reproduction fabric of the bag and then the doll's dress. So sweet, I must say!

I had such a nice time. The lunch and desserts were d-lish. Afterwards a lot of us traveled over to the LNS to see what else we could get our hands on. I bought a few more project bags and some Piecemakers. While at the class, my friend Sally had a bag full of books that she thought I would enjoy. We’re not talking just a couple of books. I’m talking like 30 books…TO KEEP!!! I started reading The Rosewood Casket by Sharyn McCrumb this morning. Such a great time, I had. And then I went home…with a headache.

Winter Love by SamSarah – I love how the scarf flows into the word LOVE. It’s finally taking more of a shape now. I hope I can get this finished next week. My mom came up with a good plan of switching JCS ornament years. This is from 2007 and next ornament will come from the 2008 issue. We belong to a club where we select so many ornaments and then we receive the kitted materials throughout the following year.

I made very little progress on Friday’s rotation project which is my Seahorse Scissor Fob from The Heart’s Content. It’s difficult to see the progress bc of it being over one, but I can show more next week.

Friday afternoon a severe thunderstorm came through. It blew our neighbor’s tree over and thankfully into his own yard. If it had fallen in our yard it would have hit our house and that would have been Jose’s bedroom at risk. Hail accompanied this storm, as well as very strong winds. I got the camera out to capture Mother Nature’s drama, so sorry the photos are a little blurry. The last image is a video of the hail hitting our patio roof. It was extremely loud ~ ear piercing.

Neighbor's tree down, but it took out our fence.

some flooding

hail

I'm off to start stitching on my Susan tin piece. Talk soon!

the "s's"

Yesterday we didn’t get a speck of rain, but today rain, rain, rain, rain, rain. I’m so tired of all the rain. It messes with my allergies. My friend Sally is going to borrow The Host by Stephanie Meyer from me. I started this book but I’m not very far at all. I’m going to let her use my copy so she doesn’t have to purchase one. Besides, she’ll get it done in like a day so no worries.

I get to see my friends, Sally and Susan, Saturday because we’re all signed up for a Susan Greening Davis class. Mom is going too. The project is called Susan's Sampler Sweet Tin and it should be a lot of fun. Susan’s classes are always a lot of fun! I have already picked out my floss and tin-top I want. I'm very excited!

Here is the before photo on the Dutch Band Sampler.

And here is last night’s progress…

I’m not sure why it’s called a sampler. The “sampler” part can only be referred to the initials, I’m assuming, but my assumptions are probably incorrect. Anyway, I’m really enjoying this design. I’m using DMC instead of silk and stitching it on 36 ct which I’m really loving.

Cameron is napping right now and I’m going to sit and stitch on Thursday’s piece which is Winter Love by SamSarah. I haven’t picked this piece up in quite awhile. Here was the before shot. Hope to talk soon!

hump day

I hoped that I would have gotten further along on Movie Night, but didn’t. :o( Here’s my progress on it though. It is progress, right? I think I like WDW better than GAST. For some reason the GAST was knotting up, but the Weeks did "not." Or it could have been the linen... hmmm! Oh well, I’ll have to experiment more.


This is the before shot of the Dutch Band Sampler. This is for today’s rotation so I’ll probably post pictures of it tomorrow if I get any stitching done on it today. I’m going over to mom’s for lunch and then picking Jose up from school. Another nice day in the 80’s, but we may get some rain here and there. I’m hoping there instead of here – LOL.

Talk soon!

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!