Gobble Gobble

We finally got rain! Several days worth so far! Nothing very hard but it has been steady. Everyone around here is grateful for anything at this point but in all honesty we can use a lot more!

Since the past several days have been rainy and chilly, it has been perfect weather to stay indoors and do some extra stitching! I decided to pull out HOHRH and do some more on it. I took this picture before I was finished working on it for the night.

Earlier today I got my hair trimmed up which always makes me feel better! Then, on to do part of my grocery shopping. After I made out the menu for our Thanksgiving dinner, I started picking up some of the items needed for it. There is now a lovely turkey sitting in our freezer for the big day!

Even though there are only 4 of us to actually cook Thanksgiving dinner for, I always make extra and it never goes to waste! With everyone coming into the kitchen through out the day and nibbling on food as I fix it and then the raid on leftovers, it gets cleaned out very quickly! I start making the desserts early in the week and everyone gets their favorite. This is our 2007 Thanksgiving menu as it stands for now.

Roasted Herb Turkey
Cornbread Dressing
Sausage and Apple Dressing
Cajun Yams
Mashed Potatoes (ds likes to have these)
Green Bean Cassarole
Deviled Eggs
Corn on the Cob
Rolls
German Chocolate Cake
Pumpkin Pie
Carrot Cake
Monkey Bread

P.S. I do NOT cook like this on Christmas! LOL!

Historical Stitches

How do you hang your cross stitch pieces? In groups or just scatter them about? I had a dream last night about a wall in our living covered with lovely pieces of stitching! This was definitely a special wall and held many reproduction pieces. What a lovely wall it was! And one that I am now itching to work on and make it a reality! Another project for 2008! LOL!

I love historical needlecraft arts. Whether if be reproduction cross stitch samplers or historical quilts. I love to study the work and read about the people who made the item. What was their motivation? How long did it take for them to complete it? I want to hear (or read) the stories that make these item personal.

To my readers, both new and old, thank you for stopping by! My blog is the backdoor of my soul. And to quote an old saying "backdoor guests are best"!

Stop and Start

I NEED A SEWING ROOM! I want a sewing room! I deserve a sewing room! Plain and Simple! I have waited patiently for my boys to grow up so that when one (or both) left home I could claim the empty bedroom! The years have marched on as I have watched them turn into grown ups and they are still living here and are showing no signs of any desire for independence! LOL! Woe is me! So I continue to set my machine as needed on the kitchen table and then put it away again!

I took a break over the weekend and the first part of the week. No stitching at all over the weekend. We did go to a quilt show. What fun and such beautiful works of art! I also managed to get by our local fabric store and start stocking up on some wonderful fat quarters!

My most recent stitching has been Sampler Folk. I left off in an odd place on this one and had been waiting anxiously to pick it back up! I am also thinking it is time for another new start. There are two pieces still waiting their turns. Who knows -- maybe they both will be started by the end of the month!

That Darn Bug!

Quilts. I love them. I collect them. I make them. But I put my needle down about 5 years ago thinking that I had taken my last stitch as a quilter! GASP! Upon cleaning out some seldom used closets, I ran across 5 quilt tops yet to be finished off and was bitten by the "bug" once more! Fabric, batting, cuddling up in a quilt on a cold night, fat quarters....... and I began to drool! LOL! So many quilts I still want to make!

Then my little voice of reason chimes in to remind me of all the cross stitch projects currently in progress. No problem-o. I need to restock my fabric stash and get some other needed supplies. There is time for both!

Since I only hand quilt, it takes quite a while for me to complete a quilt so I prefer to make the tops and then send it off to be quilted. The ladies do a fantastic job, the price is reasonable and I have more time to create!

To Be or Not To Be

Aida vs. Linen. Let me first say that I have linen in my stash and I can cross stitch on it. I just PREFER to use my 18ct. Aida. I feel more comfortable and confident when using it and my stitches seem to flow when I do a project using this. Some people prefer the look and feel of the linen which is fine but for me, why spoil a good thing. I buy special types of Aida with a softer feel (more like fabric) that are a joy to work with. I do my cross stitch to relax and the fabric I use has a lot to do with that!

So many of you have asked what count and type of fabrics I am using on different pieces. I hope this means you think they look good *wink* so I will share that info with you now.

AAFG - 18 ct. Aida
Hunt Sampler 14 ct. Aida
Sampler Folk - 16 ct. Aida
Willow Tree Sampler - 14 ct. Aida
HOHRH - 18 ct. Aida

still left to started and fabrics I will be using

Maria P. Oliver - 18 ct. Aida
Victoria's Quaker - 18 ct. Aida

Our boring town has no cross stitch or quilt shops but there are plenty in the surrounding areas so Harold has promised when I have my appointment with the thyroid doctor next month in a near by city, we will make a special trip to several of their needlework shops! FUN!

Chances Are

Last night I worked on the Hunt Sampler for awhile before putting it down and working on an exchange. I hope to have the exchange finished up soon so I can mail it out this weekend!

Today I will be devoting a lot of my day to our bedroom. I have no idea how it got into this awful condition but it sure needs some attention or it won't be long before we will be whacking our way through the jungle of mess!

It looks rather overcast outside this morning. Could there be a chance of rain for us? Fingers crossed! I have been loving these wonderful Fall days lately but it has been so dry here that some rain would definitely be welcome!

Another Start

Houses of Hawk Run Hollow has offically been started! I actually got more stitched on it after I took this picture. I still have Maria P. Oliver and Victoria's Quaker (from my list) left to start. Hopefully I will be able to get them going sometime this week.


Today is the 1 month anniversary since we said good bye to our beloved Whiner. It has been a hard month without him. I still find myself reaching down to pet him at night as I used to when he would sleep curled up at my knees. Last night we smelled the distinct oder of dog food. He is still with us in many ways. This is the memorial stone we put out for him several weeks ago.



I was given this award by Jamie at Lavender and Lace (url in sidebar). I am supposed to give it back out to 10 people who make me smile. Naming only 10 people is too hard so I am opting to give this award to all my wonderful readers!

First Look!

Here is the first look at what I have done so far on Sampler Folk. I had hoped to get farther along but I kept being interrupted and then decided to look through my charts for some gift and exchange ideas.

I started on several exchange goodies over the weekend. I can mention that one is for the Cross Stitch Lottery (addy in side bar)! Another one is a return exchange. *wink wink* After some deep thought I think I picked out the perfect thing for this wonderful lady but she will just have to be patient and that's all I can say about it for now! The final item has to remain hush hush for a while longer! The next several weekends will be used for stitching other than my own which should be lots of fun but I can stitch on my rotations during the week.

Today I make my thread run so that I can start on HOHRH this coming week and my weekly not so fun grocery shopping trip.

Looky1 Looky!!

Yesterday was a fun mail day! My HOHRH chart arrived and I received my first Crazy Exchange (http://crazyexchange.blogspot.com/). What a fun group this will be! A wonderful little pin cushion pillow made by Carol (http://carolsxsblog.blogspot.com/)! Look at that wonderful beading around the edges! And she picked the perfect design for me! It is a design from AAFG which I am currently working on and I love my birds/ backyard wildlife! I just love it so much! Thank you, Carol! I hope I can make something just as nice to send you in return!

Yesterday I started on Sampler Folks by Carriage House Samplings. I need to make a run for some needed threads on Monday so that I can start HOHRH sometime next week!

Projects Galore

Yahoo! Several of my new charts arrived yesterday. I pulled out the needed threads and bundled up kits for the ones that will taking a spot on my first ever rotation schedule. I am still waiting on HOHRH to arrive - hopefully today!

I spent part of yesterday working on AAFG for the first time in what seemed like a long time! I enjoyed pulling it back out and getting some more added to it. Slowly but surely my forest is growing!

I guess you are wondering what projects will be added to my list. First of all, let me say that my rotation schedule is a bit different from the normal daily rotation. I plan to work on each project no less than 8 hours each. This will insure that I get a substantial amount done on each one before moving on to the next. It may take 2 or 3 nights to meet the required stitching limit but I am in no hurry.

Those marked with * at the beginning have not yet been started but will be soon and then added to the sidebar area. I tried to choose a variety of projects. From large pieces demanding a good bit of attention to those that will move along more smoothly and at a quicker rate.

*Maria P. Oliver (Not overly demanding or time consuming)
AAFG (big project & already started)
*Victoria Quaker (should be a smooth stitch)
Willow Tree Sampler (over 1/2 completed)
*Small and Gifts (these DO pop up and need to be tended to)
*HOHRH (a big project)
*Sampler Folk (should be an easy and fun stitch)
Hunt Sampler (started and a very smooth stitch

Nature's Bounty

More pictures from one of our trips to the mountains this past summer.

A Quite Day

The doctor called about my test results yesterday. My levels are still not low enough to get on the medicine yet! And so another month of feeling really yucky and crummy until I go back for another appointment and blood test! *big frustrated sigh*

I did a chart swap with Tracy! I had a lot of fun doing it and enjoyed making a new friend in the process!

No recipe to share today. Maybe I will be able to dig up something extra good to share later in the week. But for now, a picture of our brand new shiny big truck! LOL! Harold has wanted one since we got married. It was this or a motorcycle and I really couldn't see myself riding around on the back of one! Besides where would we put all those bags of food on grocery shopping day! LOL!

Harold had the day off yesterday and we spent most of the day just riding around, doing errands and a lot of window shopping. We went to a different Walmart other than our usual and they still had oodles and oodles of DMC on sale so I stocked up AGAIN!

I am hoping that my order arrives this week and I can put my new rotation schedule into play by this coming Sunday.

Business as Usual

There are several more new pieces that will soon be added to my CURRENT PROJECTS list in my sidebar and by the end of the month I hope to have a full fledged rotation schedule in progress! For now, I will say that I am really excited about each of them! I have given you a sneak peek by naming one of them at the end of this post!

What have I worked on the past few days? Choosing my recipe to use for the Peek recipe swap. This time it is a Winter Treat theme! Working on The Willow Tree Sampler, catching up on some scrapbooking, The Hunt Sampler and making up a list of thread colors I am out of and need to pick up for certain projects!

Tomorrow is October 10th. The deadline I had set for myself to finish up The Willow Tree Sampler. As I had fore seen, it is not yet completed. But I have gotten a lot more done on it meaning I am getting closer and closer to the end! If I can finish it up before Thanksgiving I will be happy!

Another chart on my upcoming order is Victoria's Quaker! Yummy! I do so miss having a LNS nearby! I enjoy the anticipation of a good mail order but there is nothing like going in to fondle everything and then bring your purchases directly home to enjoy!

Sunday News

I took yesterday as a day off from blogging. I didn't hear from the doctor on Friday as I had hoped to. Maybe I will hear something good by early in the week. I would really like to get on this medicine and have time to get my levels adjusted before the holidays begin and all the busyness that goes along with them!

I used the time to work on some stitching that I recently started. Here is a picture of the Hunt Sampler. What a great piece! Such a smooth and easy stitch. I am loving working on this one! The cover picture shows it done in all one color (navy blue) but I wanted to add some variety and use several colors (like Mindi did) that will fit into our home's color scheme. It's hard to see in the picture but the design in the center of the small medallion is done in green. Some updating to my wish list is in the midst of being taken care as well! Gotta get it ready for dh and the holidays coming up! *big wink*

I also tidied up my crafting goodies! I put away a BIG stack of scrapbooking layouts into albums! Finally! And I sorted through a stack of stitching threads that made their home on the end table of my stitching chair! Now I only have out what I actually need for the current WIP.

Friday Five

Do you like online catalogs as much as I do? I thought I would share a few of my favorites.

www.tenderheart.com
www.collectionsect.com
www.thecountrystore.com
www.terrysvillage.com
www.gooseberrypatch.com

I will be so glad when the doctor decides I am ready to start taking thyroid hormones! The past few months have been like a horrible roller coaster ride and I am more than ready to start taking some meds that will help level me off a bit! After yesterday's visit, she is hoping that I will be starting on it this weekend, depending on my lab results. Fingers crossed! I am so ready to get back to old self!

Look at the additions on my sidebar! I have added some new needlework blogs. As we get into the weekend, I hope to add a few new Current Projects also. I forgot to name a chart from my recent order yesterday so I will name two of them today! Flea Market Souvenir by Blackbird Designs and Acorn Hill by Little House Needleworks.

How about this fella? I love to add to my holiday ornaments each year and he was too cute to pass up while we were out yesterday!

Nature's Bounty - Fall Colors

Want Some Soup?

Time for another Autumn recipe!

Loaded Potato Soup (serves 8)

INGREDIENTS
8 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
8 cups milk
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Place cubed potatoes into a glass dish, and cook in the microwave oven for 7 to 10 minutes, or until soft.
While the potatoes are cooking, melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour until smooth, then gradually stir in the milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
Stir in the potatoes and onion, and cook for 5 more minutes. Stir in the sour cream and Cheddar cheese until melted and well blended. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with crisp bacon bits, grated cheese and a spoonful of sour cream! YUM!

I finally got to pick up my stitching again after all the confusion around here the past few weeks. This is how my Willow Tree Sampler looked yesterday. More has been done on it since then. I am hoping to meet my deadline goal of October 10th but the closer it gets, the more I wonder if it will be completed. DH will be taking me to a dr. appointment tomorrow (a good hour drive) so I plan to take this along to work on in the car.

I am still feeling rather sluggish after all that has happened recently so I will take some advice this month from a very wise song.

Nothing's impossible I have found,
For when my chin is on the ground,
I pick myself up,
Dust myself off,
Start all over again.

Don't lose your confidence if you slip,
Be grateful for a pleasant trip,
And pick yourself up,
Dust yourself off,
Start all over again.

I added a few more items to my October goals list to help give me the shove I need to get started!

1. Start working on Cross Stitch Lottery piece
2. Start posting on group blogs (I have been lax in this area)
3. Start on some smalls
4. Recipe swap at Peek
5. Do a Crazy Exchange for ??

I also ordered Phoebe's Forest by The City Stitcher yesterday. I have loved this pattern for quite awhile. Now I will just keep my fingers crossed it is in stock!

Thank You, My Friends

The first thing I want to do this morning is send out a big thank you to all of you who read my blog! And an even bigger thank you to those of you that post comments! I don't get quite as many comments as some blogs I read get but each one I do get is special to me and a comment from a friend! Thank you all for taking time to come spend part of your busy days with me!

This is the picture that hangs in our dining area now. Or one of them! A different piece of art used to hang in this frame in this very spot but after we painted I decided to change things around a bit.

I am finally ready to place my order for some new goodies! I bet you want to know what I plan to get! Don't you? LOL! I will tell you an item a day so it doesn't seem like so much! I just couldn't stand it anymore and had to get the Houses of Hawk Run Hollow chart by Carriage House Samplings! I may have bitten off more than I can chew with this one but I just love watching everyone else's progress with it so I took the plunge! *wink*

Hello October!

When it rains, it pours. Or so they say. So much has happened last month to throw our normal dull lives AND our house into utter turmoil. I definitely need to pay some attention to doing some cleaning around here the next few days! Hopefully everything is over for awhile and we can get back on track with our ordinary drab lives now!

Several people have asked how old my MIL was at her passing. She was 85. As I said she lived a long life. Married 64 years, 5 children, 11 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.

No stitching for me the past few nights again. By the time we would finally get home from all we had to do, I was too exhausted to do much else other than just fall into my chair. I will be glad to get back on my schedules for stitching and scrapbooking! I did make this journal awhile back and never got a chance to post it. I can keep pictures of my stitching along with dates and special comments in here.

Time to review last month's goals and list my goals for Oct. Hopefully I will be able accomplish more this month!

SEPTEMBER GOALS
1. Continue working on And A Forest Grew - YES
2. Complete Willow Tree Sampler - NO
3. Get new chairs for house - YES
4. Get new rug for living area - YES
5. At least one new stitching start - NO
6. Stitch no less than 2 smalls - NO
7. Paint the kitchen - NO

OCTOBER GOALS
1. Continue working AAFG
2. Complete Willow Tree Sampler
3. Two New Starts
4. Work on 30 day journal at Peek
5. Catch up on housework (YUK)

September did turn out to be a good blog month for me as I ran across some new ones to add to my list of those I enjoy reading but all in all September was a long and hard month around here. I am glad to see it end. Hopefully, October will bring happy times for us again and lots of new beginnings!