Ready or Not!

It's almost the weekend and it's almost officially Spring! I am ready for both!

After seeing AAFG framed and hanging on the wall at my LNS, Harold has taken an interest in my progress on this WIP! I know I will be thrilled once it is done and out of my WIP pile but now his interest gives me even more incentive to get it finished up. I have just finished up Section 6 and have a small start on Section 7 (which is the last section of the top half). Sorry for the messy look but I took the picture right out of the hoop!

Every now and then (just for fun) I will take a look to see how many followers my blog has. I checked this morning and I have 90! I know of many other blogs with so many more followers than this but it totally thrilled me and (at the same time) bowled me over that 90 people actually enjoy reading what I have to say! How neat is that!

Thanks to everyone for the good vibes about the dryer repairman. He came out yesterday morning and was really nice. He showed me some things and even explained it so I could understand. Our dryer is now fixed and since it was nothing major he didn't even charge us!

Thank you all for such a fun week. I enjoyed sharing my framed pieces with you and your comments really brightened my days! Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart! Have a wonderful weekend!

Show and Tell #4

Last but not least (for now) is Lauren's Voice by La D Da. This was my first stitch of 2009. I liked the message and decided to use it as my own reminder through out the year. I am sorry the picture is a tad blurry but the light in the room was playing some funny tricks on the camera. I chose a frame with some inner beading that really plays well with the border around the design.

There will be more framing to show off soon when I get Thankful Wheeler back so just hang on to the edge of your seats! lol. I know I am! While I am waiting to get the rest of it back home where it belongs I will be searching for wall space! Goodbye old pictures. Hello samplers!

Yesterday was one of those "I wasn't expecting this to happen" days. Our dryer is on the fritz. The repairman came out and I told him what we thought it was. He was certain it was something else (without even checking the problem we mentioned). He did some work, charged us a nice chunk and left. When I put a load of clothes in the dryer - boom - the same problem was still there! We called him and he is coming out sometime today. I sure hope he listens to me this time!

Have a great day and thanks so much for stopping by to see me again!

Show and Tell #3

I got a phone call that Margaret was ready early so I picked her up before I had planned to. I am very happy with the framing on this piece - even though they had to re-do it. That's right! The first time around was just awful. Even Harold said it looked sloppy. I took a close up shot of the frame to show it off also.



I appreciate all the wonderful comments about the framing I have shared so far. These are the first in-store framing I have had done since I was able to pick back up on my stitching after a long absence from it because of migrains! Cross stitch was always my favorite hobby and it broke my heart when I had to put it down for years. I was always picking it up again just to see if maybe - just maybe - I could stitch again without a sad ending but it wasn't until around 5 years (or so) ago and the discovery of a new type of magnifier that I was able to make cross stitch a part of my life again! I was thrilled! When I got back into stitching, I was shocked to see how much it all had changed but I was determined to adapt. I was so happy when Harold told me to get all these finished designs framed!

I have found a new love! Usually when we go to the steakhouse, I get steak and the works but since I have been cutting back that just seems like more than I really want. DH and I usually go up there around lunch time sometime over the weekend while doing errands and I have been ordering a special salad on the menu that is too good to describe! Lettuce, tomato, grilled chicken bites, crumbled blue cheese, walnuts, dried cranberries, deviled eggs and more! I could make it but in a house full of "gotta have meat" guys, I don't think anyone would appreciate it as much as I do!

Thanks so much for stopping by again and putting a smile on my face! Have a wonderful day!

Show and Tell #2

Next up on my framed list is Blessed are all the Needleworkers. This was a design in The Gift of Stitching online magazine but I just can't remember which issue without pulling them all out and digging through them! Actually, I liked this piece but was a bit disappointed because I felt it didn't turn out as good as I had thought it would. But now that it is framed, I am completely happy with it! It is everything I wanted it to be and more! I chose a simple frame with a thin gold band around it to pull out the yellows in the design.

I am already getting the itchies for a new start (no matter what I may have said in past posts)! lol. Until I decide what it will be, I have been working on AAFG for awhile. I kitted up several more designs yesterday. I have plenty to choose from, that's for sure!

There really isn't much news right now. I'll be back tomorrow with another framed goodie! Have a good day and thanks for stopping by again!

Show and Tell

I have been watching Who Do You Think You Are on Friday Nights. It's a collaboration between NBC and ancestry.com. It is a journey for well known celebrities to find their family roots. So far, Sarah Jessica Parker and Emmit Smith have studied their family histories. Very interesting and I couldn't help but feel excited and a bit apprehensive for them since I am an on again off again minor league genealogist . This week Lisa Kudrow will take her family history journey. If you don't get a chance to watch or record it, you can go to NBC.com and watch all the full episodes there.

Daylight Savings Time started over the weekend. It will take a couple of days for me to adjust to the change but I do like the longer days once in a while.

Wow! What a great weekend. I picked up three framed designs! I can't wait to share them all with you! This meant a trip to the LNS. I am totally thrilled with them! I told Harold that with the cost of framing, I better be jumping up and down in glee at the results! He agreed since he is paying! lol. One piece was not ready and will be picked up this coming weekend. Oh, I took Thankful Wheeler in for framing as well. This is it for awhile unless I frame it.

I will be sharing one a day so that I can stretch out the anticipation a little more! First up is My Home is Built in Glory. As you recall, I started this right before my Dad got ill and decided to finish it in his memory. I picked it up on the 7 month anniversary of his death. Very fitting, I think. I am 100% thrilled with this framing job! I picked out a nice heavy frame. No frills. Just something good and substantial to bring out the beauty of the design!

One of the charts the LNS ordered for me was in. I ordered the new chart Parting Hour by Beth Twist and an older one, Mary Corey by Threads of Gold. Mary Corey has not arrived yet but I told them to just set it aside for me when it comes. And by the way, these were already ordered before I said I would be good on my stash buying until next Market! I had to stick that bit of FYI in there mainly for my own benefit!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Until next time, may you have simple days and uncluttered heart!

Happy Dance!

Rainy days have arrived once more. I did enjoy those warm sunny days so much! We even got outside and did some cleaning. DS cleaned around the front bushes while I cleaned out the birdbaths and filled them up with some fresh water. There is a lot more to be done though. DH and I talked about it all one evening and I was pooped by the end of our discussion! lol.

Looky, looky what I finished last night! I was so thrilled. Thankful Wheeler by The Goode Huswife done on 18ct. Aida in Natural with DMC threads. After I took the picture I realized I had forgotten to stitch the bird on the right side of the design. I am thinking I might leave it off and put my initials there instead.

Now to decide which WIP to pick up and work on. I am pretty much on schedule with my stitching. More so than in the past. One week a month for AAFG, one week a month for Independent Mind and the other two weeks of the month for whatever I please (and hopefully a finish). I was thrown a little off kilter last month because of all the excitement around here so I am leaning towards Independent Mind since it missed out on it's turn at the needle last month!

I hope everyone has a great day and thanks so much for stopping by! I always enjoy my regular visitors and it's so much fun to meet new ones! Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Orts and Ends

Back in December I said I was going to hold off on buying any more designs for awhile. I did wait awhile - until the end of February! lol. But now it's time to get serious again, I will hold off on buying any new charts until the next Market! *fingers crossed* DMC and fabrics are fine and trading designs is okie dokie too but no buying designs for awhile! I must be strong! *big pout*

Borders. Not the geographical kind but the stitching ones. How do you feel about them? I am not a border person but I will do them depending on how much of the feel of the piece is in the border. Some pieces just aren't complete without the border. Did that make sense?

Over the weekend, I took some of my old orts and scattered them around the yard on tree limbs and bushes for the birds since nesting season is here for them. Nothing like adding a little color to the home! A lot of times I use an old suet feeder to put all my orts and ribbons in for them and that works pretty good too.

Our weather has been beautiful the past few days. Sunny, warm and just a delight to open the windows and air out the musty ol' house that was closed up over the winter! Today's forecast is calling for rain. A good day for stitching and getting even closer to finishing up this current WIP.

The Blahs Can Be Good!

What a nice weekend! Mr. Sun came to visit us and the temps warmed up to early Spring status! The perfect days for getting out. We didn't have any usual errands to run so we just went out and about. We are wanting to do some repairs to the house so we made a visit to our home store to get some ideas on items and prices. I think I found everything I want plus a few extras! Other than that it was nice dull weekend! No hospitals, no ambulances, no excitement and no stress!

It seems like it's been quite awhile since I shared any of my stitching with you and I have been hoping my needle would take on wings so I could soar through the rest of my current WIP but it is just taking longer than I expected especially since my bursitis flare up this weekend. I had to take it easy on the stitching a few days but in the mean time I will give you all a sneak peek! Hopefully I will have a new finish to show off and happy dance around sometime this week! I should be getting a call this week that my orders are in and my framing is ready at the LNS. I am not a patient person so it has seems to take forever! As you can tell, I am expecting this to be a really good week!

Yea, Daylight Savings Time will be starting up again soon. I know a lot of people prefer Standard Time because of the mornings being dark longer but I just love those longer daylight evenings!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Your visits and comments really brighten my days! Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart!

Nature Tells it All

The trees are beginning to bud which means one thing. We are going to have one more ice storm or a big snow! It seems whenever our trees begin to bud early this is what happens. Some people use Farmer's Almanac to check the weather, others just use the weather forecast. I use the trees and birds! You can always tell if inclement weather is on the horizon if the birds are dashing around almost in panic looking for food. *updated to add* The weather has confirmed that we will get a winter mix today meaning they just don't know for sure how much will be snow and how much will be ice!

I picked up this little table top trunk for keeping some of my WIPs in between working on them. Not really what I was looking for but I couldn't find what I wanted and this was on sale.

Besides the two charts my new LNS has ordered for me, I placed an order for several items online. I am trying to keep it down to a minimum and several are older designs I am finally getting around to adding to my stash. Of course, fabric was a must even though I seem to have more than enough for the moment. On my last visit to the LNS I picked up A&E by Primitive Needle which I have been wanting. I will introduce other things as they come in.

I have my own little yearly goal list and so far, I am doing pretty good despite all the unforseen "life happens" interruptions. I will be picking up A Mind again soon for her week of stitching. I would like to finish up my present WIP first though. I am about half done. I had to make a DMC run over the weekend because this piece really eats up the thread with all the frequent color changes.

Excited Jabber

Busy weekend! Sunny Days! Cold weekend! We stayed on the go with our usual errands plus a few extras. It felt good to get back into our regular habits since this was really the first weekend Harold was back out running around with me full force since his hospital episode. The temps stayed on the chilly side and the wind that accompanied it was one to cut right through you. Brrrrrr. Thank goodness that wonderful sunshine knocked off some of the chill.

Last Christmas, Harold found an LNS to buy part of my gifts at. I was thrilled to find out there was a shop within a decent range of us and have been wanting to go ever since. He finally took me down there this weekend! I was one happy gal. The ladies there are wonderful and the shop is perfect with everything I could dream of wanting and more. Their framing section was a dream come true. The prices didn't make my mouth drop open in shock and the selection of mouldings was too good to be true! They are framing up some of my pieces and I hope to get back in several weeks! I even let them order several charts for me. Gives me a good reason to go back again! I can definitely see this LNS becoming a regular part of my life and I couldn't be happier! By no means do I intend to abandon my online shops but for now I am basking in the happiness of being able to fondle and wallow among all the goodies of a real life LNS.

While at the LNS, I noticed they had a wonderful selection of scisssors and as a lot of you know, I have wanted to add these to my collections of sewing items so I took the plunge and came home with these! I always say that once I have 3 of something, I have a collection so I went the full mile on starting this collection! I can't wait to add to it! In case you can't see, I got the Owl, Witch and Tudor Rose all by Kelmscott.

At the LNS, I noticed they had a framed sample of AAFG on their wall. I showed it to Harold and he thought I wanted it. I just laughed (because I would have loved to have taken theirs home with me) and told him that I was working on that piece. He was sort of taken back by the size of it! Wow, so was I when I saw their finished and framed piece!

I told Harold how much I appreciated being able to get all that framing done since this was the first framing I have had done in a long long time but I wouldn't be doing that all the time. I would continue to frame some of my things and then take certain things to the shop for framing. He liked the idea and I think I saw him secretly pat his wallet as if to reassure it all would be ok. lol.

While we were out, I saw a frame for Independent Mind but didn't get it. I should have gotten it but I think I will wait until it is complete since I am bad about setting things aside for long periods.

Thanks so much for stopping by to see me again! Your visits and comments always brighten my day! Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Where Did The Sun Go?

While setting up my new 15 drawer organizer, I was happily surprised to see that I have much more fabric than I thought. I still need a few pieces though. Never enough fabric! Here is a picture of my organizer. Not as good a picture as Vonna's but mine is in a cramped little corner of our bedroom. On either side, you can see quilting rulers, mats and frames. On top are storage boxes that contain kitted charts, charts for trading or not yet kitted and extras like ribbon, doilies, lace, ect. Now I need a stitching stand and my very own craft room!

Our wonderful sunny days have disappeared! We are in the midst of cloudy, rainy, foggy days again! Ugh! I. want. my. sunshine. back. Now! I am so tired of wet and cold days! And so is our squishy yard. I don't think the poor ol' ground can hold anymore water!

Harold went in for his last follow up visit yesterday. The doctor released him from using oxygen during the day but he still has to use it at night. He was allowed to go back to work but with restrictions (which is what I had predicted for him) and he will have another test in a week to see if he can do without night oxygen as well.

Thanks for stopping by! I also enjoy your visits.

Signs of Spring

I want to apologize about the past several posts I have made. I know they have been downers because they even depressed me when I went back to read them again! I have had time to rest up some and that "bug" is getting better so I finally feel a little energy coming back. *grin* As for Harold, he is still on Home Health Care but as I have told him, I really think it is only a temporary thing. This whole ordeal has been a wake up call for him and he has quit smoking also. I did tell him to be prepared for some restrictions from the doctors at his follow up but all in all, I think everything will turn out better than he is expecting.

Our snow melted away quickly which was fine with me. It was a pretty surprise and I love the white stuff but I just don't care if it hangs around like I did when I was younger. Here today, gone tomorrow is good by me.

The piece I had started on (and got very little done on) was put aside for now. I just couldn't get the *feel* of it. I still like the design and hope to pick it back up at a later date. For now I am working on another WIP and will post a picture after I get enough progress under my belt.

As I have said before, I want to pack up and move to Hawk Run Hollow! Especially now that I have had a sneak peek of Autumn there! But why can't I start stitching these pieces? Is it the size or just the overall commitment to such a large piece? I have thought of doing it over one on 28 count which would cut the size back a lot. Then I have thought of only my favorite blocks from each one. Maybe doing a long table runner type piece. How about doing each block as it's own separate piece. And then again, maybe I am just thinking about it all too much and should just dive in and get my feet wet with HRH glory!

I have bluebirds building nests in my birdhouses out back! They are always early birds about this and I am surprised they waited this long to start but I am thrilled because last year they just passed my houses over and I had no baby blues to enjoy. When moma and daddy fly away for a break from the kiddies, I am able to sneak over and lift the lid for a better peak. Of course, I always knock first. One year I forgot to knock and Daddy Blue almost flew into my face. Don't think badly of me for doing this. The Bluebird Society even recommends monitering the babies for abandonment or preditors (and count), I never stay around long and they build the sides up so high, there is no way those darlings can fall out. I always put out my leftover floss from projects to help out with the building so it's fun to see my contributions mixed into the nest walls.

Thanks so much for stopping by and listening to me yack away again. I always enjoy your visits. Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Weekend Surprise

I thought I might be able to get a little stitching in since getting Harold back home but a very little is exactly what I have done so far! Between waiting on Harold, catching up around the house and trying to take care of a bug I caught (probably during one of my many visits to the hospital) I just haven't had time to do much. I was able to finish one tiny bird on the WIP if that helps any. lol. So many pieces have birds on them, it would be impossible to guess.

Harold has several doctor follow up appointments next week and we will probably know more by the end of the month whether Home Health Care will be permanent or just a temporary fixture around our house. I know he is scared but I keep telling him to think positive. He would have to give up his astronomy trips and I would have to give up my day/weekend trips (which I'm not ready to do). For now he is taking some time off work until we know a little more.

I have added a few things to my wishlist and hope to add some more to my trade list by the end of the month! I am getting excited by the few sneak peeks I have seen for Market this month. I will have to be very selective though.

Look what we woke up to! I wasn't ready for ice but a nice snow is always a fun surprise! I was able to get my errands done before it arrived and I even managed to remember to pick up some birdfood for my little backyard sweeties.

Thank you to my wonderful friends for all your comments of care and concern. They really do mean so much to me. Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Back Home

Thank you again to everyone who wished Harold well (and me too) during his hospital stay. He is back home now. It seems like he was up there forever. He is not 100% well but is on the mend. For now, Home Health Care has come in and set up a few things he will need and he goes in to see the doctor in a week to 10 days for another evalution.

Hopefully I can pick up some stitching tonight and relax. Not much other news on this side of the world right now. For now I am exhausted and will just take the day to do nothing.

Have a lovely day and thanks for stopping by.

Wet and Messy Friday

No new starts for me just yet and the reason will become apparent on into the post. I promised myself that I would not start another big stitch until I had finished at least one of the two big pieces currently in progress. I know what I want my next biggie to be. Now, can I really hold off?

I wish I could say that it looked like it would be another not so eventful weekend. Several family members have been sick, including Harold. It started out yesterday morning when he woke me up while getting ready for work and told me he was dizzy and had a fever so I told him to call in and stay home sick. He had bouts of fever and chills all day but around 3:30 in the afternoon, he began having breathing problems and they only got worse as the day progressed. By 9pm I was begging him to let me call an ambulance (as you remember we did this same thing several months ago and for the same reason). My pleas and watchful eye were only making him more aggitated thus making his problem worse so I went on to bed knowing he would come for me if needed. Sure enough, about midnight he came in and woke me from my very light sleep and I called the ambulance. We were in ER until the wee morning hours before they decided to keep him overnight and sent me on home. I got a needed (but hardly enough) several hours sleep. I will know sometime today whether they are letting him come home or keeping him another day. Depending on today, the doctor even said that Harold may need to take some time off from work. All I know is that it will take me the remainder of the weekend to catch up on my rest just from yeterday's broo-ha-ha.

I will leave you with a close up of AAFG in progress. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by. Until next time may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Slushy Monday

I don't know that I have a lot of news or anything exciting to share. It's been cold. Then it turned warm. I stitched. Then it got cold again - real cold. Before the snow and ice arrived on Friday, we went grocery shopping. I picked up some more DMC - a major haul this time. I stayed warm and cozy indoors all weekend and I stitched except for the several times I ventured out to refill the feeders for the birds.

The weather people are already predicting several more winter storms for us in the upcoming week. Sleet on Tuesday and another winter mix next weekend. Of course, weather forecasts change day to day or even hour to hour so we really won't know until something (if anything arrives).

While I was out doing errands before the winter storm, I picked up several more tomato pin cushions. Now I can accommodate all my pins and even sort them. I love these. But my favorite one is my oldest one and is a well worn soft velvety red tomato (at the far right). I also picked up some more pins to fill them up with and some foam board.

I went through my stash again. I have all my designs boxed up into the following categories 1. Definitely to do 2. Finished and/or no longer interested 3. I can't decide whether to keep it or not. I finally went through that last category and really made myself decide what to keep and what to say good bye to. I have added some more designs to my trade blog. I know there are some other AIDA stitchers out there besides myself and I have some 14ct. up for trade on the blog as well. I mainly use 18ct. and Hardanger now.

I worked on "A Mind..." last week. I am still on the zig zaggy divider. It is coming along but not as quickly as I had hoped. As I said before, I really want to wait until the divider is complete before posting another progress picture. After the divider is finished, it should be smooth sailing. Believe it or not, I have really wondered about leaving the top alphabet and divider off completely and just going on from there. Hmmm. I guess I would always know but it's not like I haven't done stuff like that before to make it a little easier on me. *tapping finger on my chin*
It seems that so many people have theme walls for their stitching. Adam and Eve wall, sampler wall, mermaid wall and the list goes on. I like this idea but I wonder how long it would take me to fill up all the walls I would like to do. Better yet do I have enough empty wall space to accommodate all the themes I have in mind so for now everything goes up as it is ready then later as my wall(s) begin to get full, I will begin to think about seperating it all into themes. LOL. Best not put the cart ahead of the horse!

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Snow!

Yes, we got snow last night! Not as much as the weather channel had called for but it was so pretty coming down and as always I got excited when I saw that it was beginning to stick to the ground! But, alas, all good things must come to an end and the pretty snow stopped and the ice began! Yuck! Snow - good. Ice - bad. It is definitely a stay at home weekend since the temps are not getting above freezing and everything on the ground will just stay frozen. I have my blanket to snuggle up with, my coffee and my stitching so I am happy.

I am grateful we had no power outages - yet! *fingers crossed it stays that way*

Solutions

I have made plans to get a 15 drawer organizer like the one Vonna showed on her blog. I just love it and I know it will help organize and unclutter my craft supply area a lot! I also informed Harold that I want a floor stand , also like Vonna's. I told him I could wait if need be and let that be a Mother's Day or Christmas gift. I think that will help my hands a lot when stitching. Sometimes I will notice that I have a death grip on the frame in my hand as I stitch without meaning to. Not good and probably why my hands give me such problems from time to time.

Our cold weather came back! We have had some very cold and very windy days. The kind of wind that just cuts right through you! The forecast is calling for possible snow, freezing rain plus lots and lots of cold weather. I guess our poor ol' yard is never going to dry up. As long as I can stay inside where it's warm and stitch, I'm happy.
No progress pictures of "A Mind..." this time around. I would like to get the entire zig zaggy divider completed before posting another photo.

I have a plan for both "A Mind...." and AAFG that should allow me to work on them regularly, post update photos and finish by the end of the year with no burnout on either one. When I saw that I had two big pieces in progress, my heart sort of got stuck in my throat! Now I feel like I can breathe again. Oh and my plan will allow me to work on smaller pieces for those feel good finishes. No, it's not a true rotation schedule but I think it will work for me!

For those of you interested in AAFG, the picture shows where I was when I stopped working on it (I should have pressed it but was lazy). I really don't know why I stopped other than the fact that life got really hectic and emotional for me last year. There are 14 sections (pages) and I am almost finished with #6 so I was right in saying I was about half finished.

Thanks for stopping by again! I always enjoy your visits. Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Productive Weekend

Where have I been? Why, stitching of course! I was getting into "My Mind..." so hard and heavy that I felt a burnout in the making. How to avoid that? With a quick finish! So I pulled out the Early Candle Pocket by Country Stitches and worked on it over the weekend! Ta- Da! Another finish and my stitching spirit is renewed! It was quick and fun to stitch up. As I said in an earlier post though, I will probably frame it. Now I can work the other WIPs with peace of mind.

My hands began to feel a little tight and sore so I took some of the weekend to just play around in my stash. I found some fabrics I had forgotten about having (that's always a nice surprise) and did some stash re-organizing. I found a UFO that I had set aside (And A Forest Grew by Rosewood Manor). It is probably over half done. Wouldn't it be nice to finish it up in 2010? I think so!

I also updated my wishlist and trade blog (even though the post date still says Sept. 2, 2007 - I just edit that one post over and over). I will trade from the list of charts I have for trade for something off the wishlist. Please be sure to read the entire post. Several have already been claimed and say so beside the item.

I was able to pick up some DMC while we out over the weekend. Later in the weekend, I picked up "A Mind..." again and got a small start on the zig zaggy divider. That's the only way I know to describe it! LOL. I didn't get very far on it yet but when I get farther along, I will post another progress photo. The weather was dreary and overcast most of the weekend. The weekend was not eventful and that suited me just fine! As I have said before, I like dull.

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart!

Onward Ho.......

I promised an updated progress photo of "My Mind..." by CHS and I am good to my word. Here it is. I finished the larger top alphabet! Yea for me! Even though I found my rhythm on it, which made it easier, I have to be honest and just blurt it out. This top alphabet was tedious! Beautiful, yes. Worth all the stitching, yes. But tedious it still was. Probably because I want to get to the main part of the sampler so badly! I have even found the frame for this piece. I just have to go back and pick it up which I hope to do on my next errand weekend.

Still not much going on. Dull is fine with me though. Our weather has gone from the teens to very Spring like and back to cold again. Luckily we are staying above freezing for now. I have to run several quick errands today but I hope to be back home early and snuggled up with my stitching once again.

I just love going over to the PS Stitching Bee blog and drool over the wonderful work these ladies are doing. This has always been one of favorite stitching alphabets and I came very close to joining the band wagon but changed my mind because I have so many other pieces I want to do this year and some of them are big projects in themselves (at least they are for me). Reason #2 being that I don't need another UFO sitting around and I'm afraid that's how it would end up! So I continue to go over to this great blog and let my stitching dreams sore high in the clouds while ohhhhhhing and ahhhhhhing over the beautiful work.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend! Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

An Oldie but Goodie

I pulled out one of my WIPs that I began during the Fall. It is With My Needle by The Goode Huswife. Vonna and I had planned to do a SAL using this design but we both got sidetracked by life. For now this will be the WIP that I work on when I have time on the weekends. I was able to work on it a little during some breaks over the past weekend and here is where I am now on it. Still a lot to do but farther along than it was!

Not much going on around here lately. The sun has come out making for several very nice days but we must have had some rain too because our yard is squishy wet. Even with the nicer temperatures I have been hold up inside just stitching away! I put it all down long enough to go outside and put some birdfood in the feeders for my little darlings before they think I have totally abandoned them then I sat on the deck while enjoying my coffee in the nice warm sun.

I am coming right along with "A Mind..." by CHS and will have another updated progress photo to share next post. Finding that rhythm made all the difference in stitching the top alphabet but I must confess that I will glad to finish that part off and get on to fun part of the sampler!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I always enjoy your visits. Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

New Day. New Start.

Thank you for all the wonderful comments left about my finish of MHIBIG. They were all appreciated so deeply. Our weather has finally gotten up out of the teens and into some more comfortable temperatures.

The winner of the giveaway is Jeni. Congratulations! Contact me with your mailing address and I will pop it in the mail to you this week.

My new glasses arrived over the weekend and I went to pick them up. I was a bit nervous to try them on since this would be the first time I would see clearly what the new frames looked like on me. I was pleasantly surprised! The new frames are a big change from my old ones but change is good. Especially when you are happy with it.

I had some extra stitching time the past several days. Not as much as I would have liked but anything is better than nothing. Right? I am not making a rotation schedule for any of the new/WIP pieces I am working on. I'll just do what I feel like when I feel like it. Makes everything seem much less demanding.

Not much to show just yet but I did get started on AMIAF. Even a little start is still better than nothing! At first I chose a nice piece of 22ct Hardanger but my eyes were really tired from working on this count after MHIBIG so I switched it out for a piece of 28ct evenweave. One of my *uh, duh* moments. After several small stitches, I knew that wasn't going to work either so I am back working on my standard 18ct Aida in Natural. It agrees the best with my eyes thus making it a much easier and more pleasurable stitch (and that's what it's all about).

After I got several letters of the large up top alphabet completed, I realized there was a rhythm to it. Sounds a little funny but it worked for me once I got into it. Now I'm not dreading the rest of the alphabet as much as I was afraid I would. I did see that the large up top alphabet is missing the letter J. I don't know if this is done purposely or not but I'm fine with it. So far, so good! Just one tip about this piece - be sure to have plenty of black floss on hand. This top alphabet really eats it up!

I am doing this piece in memory of my aunt. It just reminds me of something she said to me many times over and I will think of her each time I stitch on it.

I haven't started on the Early Candle Pocket yet but I hope to get that up and going very soon. Something simple and fairly quick should be nice to have in the "pile".

Done! Done! Done!

Sort of a quite and very cold weekend. I was happy to just stay inside since we had no important errands to run. On Saturday, Harold talked me into venturing out to see a movie. I am happy to just wait for the DVD to come out but this was a Science Fiction movie and 3D! A combo he just couldn't pass up. The movie? You guessed it, Avatar. I think he liked it a lot better than I did and some of those 3D effects can really make you feel woozy.

My first finish of the year and what a great feeling to be able to say I stuck with it through everything that happened and completed it! Not as soon as I had hoped but done just the same. After checking my frame again, I think it may be too big so I will either look for another frame or get a mat cut for it.

It's giveaway time again! I want to get some of these used and even unused designs cleared out so I won't feel so guilty when I decide to break down and buy more! This time I am giving away Bread Cloths by Leisure Arts. A really nice booklet. It has never been used but definitely thumbed through to admire all the pretty designs. If you are interested, please leave a comment on this post only until midnight on Saturday then I will announce the winner on my Monday post after the weekend. Please be sure to leave your email address or a link to your blog so I can contact the winner. Also be sure to let me know whether you want your name entered in the drawing or not.

Thanks so much for stopping by and until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Weekend Wishes

I know I have said this before but I really need to put aside a day or two every so often just for finishing off completed stitches. I have a basket with about 6 just waiting for my attention!

Here is MHIBIG in all her current up to date glory! Actually, I have done more than this since I took the picture. I am really excited to be getting so close to finishing. I bought a frame at a yard sale over the summer just for this piece. I wasn't sure if it would be big enough but I think it will work. It was only a dollar and is lightweight plastic but it looks like a dark wood with lots of wonderful carvings.

I have my new starts all picked out upon completion of MHIBIG but for now I am keeping them a secret. I really want to get a start on my HRH designs sometime during this year. I had started on HoHRH a while back but I didn't like the fabric so it is back in the bin kitted up and ready to go again at some point. Right now I am struggling with what size fabric I want to use when I do begin on them. I don't want the designs to be enormous when finished. A lot of you have already finished off one of two of these and/or are working are one. What size fabric did you use?

I know. I know. I said I wasn't going to buy any new designs for awhile but the Nashville Market is coming up soon (said in my best whiney voice)! Autumn at HRH will be out. A definite gotta have. I am just in love with this village and I want to live there! I haven't even seen Autumn yet and I am already anxious to know what's in store next for HRH! All the sneak peeks will be starting up soon and I know there will be at least a handful (if not more) that will catch my interest! So much for my will power but my intentions are pure gold! I can't wait for all the sneak peeks to begin! *insert wicked laugh*

Be sure to check back on Monday for another giveaway! Thanks so much for stopping by! Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart!

Brrrrrrr! It's Cold Outside!

The temps are in the teens! I'll just stay indoors, thank you very much!

After having Harold home for 2 weeks over the holidays, the house feels empty. I miss him. I really do enjoy having him around. Sometimes we work on our "to do" list which we managed to knock a few items off of, we go out or we just sit around watching old movies and other shows on TV. New Years Eve he wanted to watch a Three Stooges marathon. I never liked the Stooges but this time I couldn't help but laugh some with him.

On Monday, I went to pick out my new glasses! Finally. I have known I needed a stronger prescription and the doctor even agreed by writing one up. I was holding back because of the frames. I like my current frames but have used and reused them to the point that they are on their last go round. The type of frame I wear hasn't been in style for a while. I ended up picking out 4 frames then letting the assistant help me choose by telling me which ones she liked best on me (since I can't see worth a hoot without my glasses). I should have my new glasses in about a week. They will definitely be a big change compared to what I am wearing now and since my eyes are so bad on their own, I really won't know for sure how I like them on me until I pick them up! *fingers crossed*

On a fun note, one of my many challenge layouts from December was a winner over at Category Stories! How neat is that! Also, I thought I would share another corn husk doll with you. This one is a baker. I picked her out of my aunt's collection since I enjoy baking (when I have all the ingredients and no one bothers me).

How many of you are still using stitching rotations? I love the idea but I can never hold myself to them. *big sigh* I love to know how other people stitch, their routines, their favorite fabrics, colors, designers and more. I took some time out to go through my fabric stash and see what might be needed. I hate to run low and running out is just the worst!

Next time, I will post a progress update on MHIBIG. It's coming right along. Five colors in the border and I am almost finished with 1 of them. Till then, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart! Thanks for stopping by!

Happy New Year !

Happy New Year! May 2010 bring lots of happiness, plenty of good health and loads of good fortune to one and all.

Here is my most recent progress photo of MHIBIG. I have done some more stitching on it since this picture so there is really more done than this.

Will this be the year of Hawk Run Hollow at our house? I have all 3 of my HRH patterns kitted up and ready to go. Since I consider myself a slow stitcher compared to so many others who seem to wield the needle faster than a speeding bullet, it may take me 5 years to finish all these up! I am giving myself that long because if I should finish them up sooner, I will be surprised and very pleased! Besides I know I will want to work on other designs along the way as well as these.

Yesterday I sat down with my 3 boxes of kitted up designs and made a list of the ones I would like to see finished this year. I would post the list here but I'm afraid I would be very embarrassed next December to see how little was actually achieved or I could be surprised at how much I actually did get done! Sort of a glass half full - glass half empty situation. I will just stitch as I can, when I can and enjoy it all.

We will be having our traditional southern New Year's meal today. We always have some type of pork (usually a pork roast) which symbolizes living high on the hog, Black Eyed Peas for luck, Collard Greens for wealth, Cornbread for humility and Tea for health. I will probably fix up a cobbler just because we're southern! LOL.

When we put away what few decorations we had displayed, we decided to downsize our Christmas inventory and put it all in one place. We really don’t put out very much anymore and I made a list of what I wanted to keep and use from now on. One place makes it all much easier to get to. It didn’t appear as though we had downsized as much as I had planned because the closet was really crammed full. Of course, I had to share it with Harold and some of his things plus I guess a lot of what we kept was just big and took up a lot of space. Wreaths, outdoor garlands and lights.

Once again, thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to leave a post on the December 28th post if you are interested in the giveaway. Happy New Year to everyone.

Almost Gone

This is the same post I make at the end of each year with a few changes here and there to suit the time of my life. It may get old to some but it works for me.

A New Year is right around the corner! A brand new clean calendar! It's up to each one of us what we do with it. Each year I make the same goals with a possible extra or two tossed in for good measure. I prefer to use "goals" instead of "resolutions" because I feel that I am taking already important things in my life and putting my focus on strengthening them.

1. To make an effort to learn something new every day. The joy of knowledge is indeed a blessing no matter what you choose to learn.

2. To make time for myself. It's amazing what 15 minutes sitting on the deck with a hot cup of coffee and watching the birds can do for my soul. A little time each day to refresh my spirit is all it takes.

3. To take time to appreciate each day. Too often we forget to see the beauty around us and take the simple things in life for granted. My continued goal is to look with my eyes but to see with my heart. To simply enjoy life and all that is a part of it.

4. To enjoy my family and friends. I am lucky to have each and every one of them in my life. I have been blessed with so many online friends and each day I am grateful for each one of you! My online stitching and blogging friends are a very important part of my life!

5. Organize and Simplify! Two key words I always yearn to make a part of my everyday routine but often lose focus on. Organize doesn't mean I have to go on a cleaning rampage each day. It just means I need to get my life and things that are a part of my life in some of manageable order so that I feel comfortable instead of constantly overwhelmed. Not putting things off until the last minute can contribute greatly to this cause! Simplify! Just what it means - plain and simple! Stop making a mountain out of a mole hill, do what I can and leave the rest, don't volunteer for more than I feel I can handle or feel will stress me out!

6. To Remember. So many people have come and gone from my life over the recent years and I want to keep their memory alive.
7. To keep my faith alive and strong.

And of course the New Year just wouldn't be complete without a few just plain fun goals!

1. Take more trips. Even day trips can be fun.

2. No pressure. Keep the fun and joy in stitching. This is why I started in the first place! I actually have several special projects planned for this year but will keep them a secret until I start.

3. Take more pictures.

4. Continue to have blog give a ways

5. Get back into life! Period. Plain and simple.

6. Work on home improvements. We have plenty to choose from!

Have a safe New Year's Eve! Thanks for stopping by! Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Remember to leave a comment on December 28 post if you are interesting in entering the giveaway!

The Day After

Once again, I want to say thank you to all my blogging, stitching and scrapping friends. This has been a rough year for me and to know that all of you have been there to support me has meant more than I can possibly put into words. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. You are definitely special people in my book!

The Hospice House where my Dad passed away is planning to start a memorial walkway. They have asked families of those who have passed away here to make a donation and in return a brick will be placed with the loved one's name in the walkway. I am thrilled to announce that my Dad will have a brick in this special memorial. It means a lot to me because my Dad loved this area. He lived here for over 50 years. Worked here, raised a family here and had a life. He is not buried here though and I have wanted to do something to say "yes, he was here and he placed his mark on this city". Now there will be.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. It was raining all day here so we all stayed indoors playing with our gifts and watching movies all day. I got up early Christmas morning to make sure that Harold's stocking got filled nice and full! He seemed to like everything he got whether it was wrapped or pulled from his stocking.

As for me, I got some of the gifts I had asked for then Santa surprised me with the Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow pattern! Oh my gosh! I know I said I wouldn't buy any more and I didn't! Santa got it for me! Maybe I need to get busy on these HRH designs I have sitting around because I know I will want Autumn when it is released!

Not much planned for today. I may venture out later today to pick up some floss. Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Have a Merry Christmas

My turkey is in the fridge thawing out. I usually get a great big tray of BBQ from my favorite place to last from Christmas Eve all through Christmas Day. For several days, everyone can make a BBQ sandwich or have a nice BBQ plate with fixings. It gives me a time out from all the holiday cooking too but to my surprise this year when I went to place my order, the one really good BBQ place (in my opinion) around here that I enjoy had closed down! AGH! No BBQ this Christmas because I just don't like the other places that much. I'll cook.



Here is a progress picture of my stitching. I only have several flowers left on this section before I can move on to the last section of the design and then I will finished! Also, I got a wonderful tin of goodies from Edgar! How sweet of him to do this and they were delicious! I say "were" because what the boys didn't finish off, I did! I called dibs on the wonderful white chocolate bark with nuts and dried cranberries! Yum!



This will probably be my last post of the week. Tomorrow I will be getting an early start on some things for Christmas Eve dinner. Christmas Eve, I will be cooking and Christmas Day I plan to rest up and let everyone eat left overs.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday. Until next time may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart. I am already working on several more challenge scrapbooking layouts for the holidays. I am so glad I got back into this! I love the inspiration! Be on the look out soon for another giveaway, too!

Christmas Week Begins

The ice was gone early in the weekend. The temps didn't warm up much but the sun did it's job getting rid of it. Yea. I love snow but ice is totally different story. No thanks, I'll pass on that.

I read a wonderful article from about grieving during the holidays and how to keep Christmas alive during this sad time for so many. I even shared it with DH since he has lost both parents within the past 5 years and now both my parents are gone as well. The article first stated that often you have re-route Christmas traditions after the loss of a loved one and many people even feel this type of lose when moving away from family or experiencing the empty nest syndrome. The article suggested that you and your spouse (or a good friend) start a new holiday tradition. A day trip, a day with a movie and dinner. It could be something silly or something traditional but let it become a tradition and it will be meaningful. You could also start a new tradition all by your little ol' lonesome such as taking a class of some kind, a quite lunch out, a new project. The traditions you had with your missing loved ones can never be replaced but starting a new one can often help ease the hurt you feel from their loss. Harold and I discussed it and we both like the idea. We are going to start with one new tradition this year and add several more to the list next year.

For more than several years I have been thinking that I would really like to get new Christmas stockings for me and Harold. I have always looked while out shopping during the season but never found what I wanted until this year! I just love them! They are smaller than our old ones but look how fun they are compared to our old plain and boring ones! These are up and ready for Santa to fill.

Back and Cold!

I am back. I have been in a bad funk since the summer months with all that has been happening. I really haven't even been in much of Christmasy mood so far. This past week was pretty quite. I spent time reflecting on a lot of things and people. I took time to visit the blogs I enjoy reading so much. I had a quite birthday several days ago. It hurt to know I wouldn't be getting my Dad's usual call with a big boisterous version of Happy Birthday on the other end but I was happy to hear from several other loved ones. Harold surprised me by coming home early, we went out to eat some good comfort food then came back home and I climbed into my new snuggly jammies for the rest of the evening.

I worked on my stitching some over this past week and it is slowly moving along. I have promised myself that I will not be getting any new designs for awhile. I have 3 boxes of kitted up charts just waiting for their turn at the needle. I am still enjoying getting back into my scrapbooking / journaling / photography. It is good to get these thoughts and feelings down.

No snow in our weather yet but we have been having some mighty cold days and nights. I don't think my poor ol' nose has unthawed completely in a full week! The forecast is calling was calling for a winter mix in our area yesterday. We saw some snow and sleet while we were running some errands yesterday but this morning we woke up to see this. We had alot of ice last night while we slept. Ugh!

Everyone has blogging dry spells and I hope to be better about blogging now. Until next time, may you have simple days and uncluttered heart.

Anything Christmas

Yes, I am still working on my stitching. Just taking it slow. For my hand's sake and because of other things keeping me busy right now. I do manage to put a couple stitches in a day though. Life is finally showing some signs of turning around and letting us get back our normal routines.

I admit it. I want it all. I want time to do it all. I want all the walls in my home to be over flowing with stitched pieces. I want our beds and closets to be full of loving quilts I have made. I want to scrapbook and journal our lives, our memories and what everyday means to me. I want a garden that makes you want to pitch a tent and live outdoors among it all. I want a magazine Christmas. You know the perfect tree with everyone all cozied up and happy. Not to mention that the house just looks perfect while doing it all on a budget! LOL. Now I will take a moment for a *big sigh* while reality moves back into place. It's frustrating but it keeps me moving.

This mini album is for a challenge over at Practical Scrappers. It will be a good place to keep photo and memories of Christmas needle arts I make or gifts.

Challenge Layout - Workout #9

I have enjoyed scrapping all these challenge layouts this month. There are even more I hope to get done. This one was done for Workout #9 over at ScrapFit. The layout was to use 1 picture, 1 word, some glitter and have plenty of white space. I journaled on the back that this was a picture of my moma taken during her last Christmas season before she passed away. She is playing with my dog (which was also a Christmas present one year).

Challenge is Good

I did this layout for the current challenge over at the All About Me blog. As soon as I read the challenge, I knew it was for me. After all that has happened this year and this being the first Christmas since my Dad passed away there will be alot of emotions running helter skelter. I hope that journaling them will help. You can click on the photo to see it better.

Thanks AAM!

Mid Week

This is layout is from a challenge over at The Good Grief Blog. I really enjoyed doing this one. I don't know if you can read the journaling or not but this one is very special to me.

Our weather has gone back and forth lately from very chilly to nice no sweater needed days and from sunny to yucky won't stop raining for a moment days! That's how it usually is around here from December all the way through the mid part of February!

Have a wonderful day! Until next time may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart!

December is Here!

I have been gone from my blog way too long! I have been around but life has sort been upside down for the present. It happens. Not often, thank goodness but when it does happen I wait for it to flip back around and give my life a bit of normalcy. Right now, I am waiting.

Wow! It's December already! I missed my November goal of finishing up MHIBIG but I did work on it some. I can always give myself till the end of December to finish it up. It has been awhile since I posted any progress pictures so I will do that today! I did get some greenery done and a few flowers started since last time.

During December I want to work on some layouts from the challenge blogs at the right. During the month there are all types of classes for mini books for documenting up until Christmas or even the entire month. I have chosen to do the entire month of December. I did this once before and really enjoyed it. Who knows, maybe next year I will start at Thanksgiving and go all the way through.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I haven't pulled out any of our Christmas yet which is very unlike me. I usually get it all out and start putting things up on Thanksgiving weekend. Maybe soon.

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit and thank you to all my readers who stick by me during these off moments when I don't blog quite as regularly as I would like.

Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Gobble Gobble

Everything has been busier than usual around here lately. Or so it has seemed. I haven't had time to play around with any of my stitching or scrapbooking until today when I did pick up MHIBIG once again. I am hoping that everything begins to settle back into place by the end of the month. I do miss reading all the blogs I enjoy so much!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I have been stocking up for the big day. I even bought TWO turkeys last week. One for Thanksgiving and another for Christmas. Who could blame me at 40 cents a pound! For now our Thanksgiving menu is pretty traditional.

1. Turkey
2. Dressing
3. Green Bean Cassarole
4. Mashed potatoes and gravy
5. Deviled Eggs
6. Cranberry sauce
7. Pumpkin Pie

What are you doing for Thanksgiving? Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Special People

November is National Hospice & Palliative Care Month.

This year’s theme, “Preserving a Legacy… Treasuring Memories,” reminds us that hospice and palliative care brings comfort, dignity and peace to help people live every moment of life to the fullest, leaving loved ones with memories they can treasure. It takes a special person to work in Hospice. The people that were there for my Dad and our family were so thoughtful and wonderful.

Almost the Weekend!

I worked on sorting out pictures the past several days. I have so many albums already done but I still have boxes and boxes just waiting for some attention. Not all of these will be scrapped so my job was to sort out which ones would and which ones wouldn't. I now have 1 box of photos not to be scrapped and 3 large boxes of photos to scrap! I also have a big pile waiting on several CDs waiting to be printed out so they can go into the scrapbooking pile. *sigh*

I had to pick up several colors I had run out of so that I can finish up My Home is Built in Glory. I am hoping to have it totally finished by November 21st which was my Dad's birthday. That is my goal. I have taken a break from stitching so far this past week and my hands feel great! I guess this means I will be cutting back on my stitching (but not stopping) during the colder months because I really don't want to take any of those strong arthritis meds.

I also worked on several more layouts. This is one I did from the pictures I inherited from my Dad. It is a picture of him at 6 months of age with his nanny, Rose.

Remember to sign up for the giveaway by leaving a comment on the Oct. 25th post. Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart! Happy Halloween to all.

My Favorite

What I love about Fall ---

1. The beautiful colors of the leaves changing
2. The cooler days
3. Time to pull the sweaters and flannel jammies out
4. Time to start feeding the birds again after the summer break
5. Memories of childhood when I see piles of leaves
6. Holidays with lots of good food
7. This year, remembering my Dad on his birthday and at Christmas. Two days he loved to celebrate up big!

Remember to sign up for the giveway by leaving a comment on the Oct. 25th post. Thanks for stopping by. Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Taking a Day

Harold told me I needed a day off. No housework, no doctors, no worries. Yesterday we decided to take a day and go up around the mountain area, see the leaves changing and just soak in the simple beauty. After several days of rain and blah weather, it turned out to be a nice day and it was just what I needed after everything that has been going on in my life lately. I actually laughed for an absolutely silly reason! The first time I have laughed since my father passed away. You can click on the pictures to see them larger.





My favorite shops were the dulcimer shop and Mast General Store. I don't play the dulcimer but always loved the music from it. I picked up a cornstalk doll and another Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle and Harold got some canned pickled Green Tomatoes he had been hunting for.





I am hoping there will be more day trips in store for us (probably later in the Spring) but for now my soul has been satisfied and refreshed with the glory of God's work and the fun crafts and wonderful foods of the local residents!

The days have been warm enough but rainy and overcast. The nights, on the other hand, have been downright chilly. I love my cozy warm pajamas so while we were out one day I picked up a new pair of luscious snuggly fleece jammies to lounge around in while I stitch on these chilly evenings! And speaking of stitching, I was able to work on My Home is Built is Glory some more. It is coming right along. Enough so, that I am ready to get everything ready to start on With My Needle. I am thinking I will work on MHIBIG on Monday thru Thursday then pick up WMN to work on Friday thru Sunday. Good deal.

Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart! Thank you so much for stopping in again!

Giveaway!

Since I will be busy most of the week I thought I would go ahead and put up my giveaway post today.

After digging through my stash I found a design that would make a perfect giveaway! If you are interested in having your name included in the drawing, please leave a comment on this post along with your email address so that I can contact you if you happen to be the winner! The deadline to have your name included in the drawing will be early Saturday morning (Sept. 19) at 12 am EST. The lucky design chosen from my stash to be given away is ---------- Are you ready? ----------- Salina Dunwoody by Sheepish Designs!

I was able to get some stitching time in so far this weekend and pulled out My Home is Built in Glory to work on some more. I was also able to start on one of the Stacy Nash Halloween designs I had mentioned. I will post pictures sometime later this week.

Goals and Such

I can't believe it's September already! Harold and I have already celebrated an anniversary and his birthday this month! I have always felt that once the September calendar goes up, it seems like a flash and then the holidays are here!

This past week while DH was home with me, life had finally seemed to slow down a bit and I had time to think a bit more clearly. I thought about some of my goals. Not necessarily short term goals - just goals in general for the remainder of 2009 and probably on in the next year. Since I am a major list maker for any and everything, I pulled out my notepad and pen to start jotting them down. Here are a few of the things I have listed so far.

1. On the gardening front, I want to join the two existing islands to make one big island. This will not be done until after my surgery and I get the thumbs up from my doctor to do some heavy labor. (I will do this with some weed fabric and lots of bark chips) plus re- mulch some areas in the existing islands. I brought home some cuttings of plants from my Dad's yard and I am thrilled to announce that after unsure anticipation, several have new growth and will hopefully make it through the upcoming winter months! There are still several others that haven;t shown any signs of life yet but I still have hope for them. Dad's memorial stepping stone arrived yesterday and it looks beautiful in it's new setting. I, also, wanted to share a photo of my new birdbath for the garden that came from my Dad's yard. The smaller birds just love it!

2. Get busy with my stitching! I know I will find a good many new charts coming out from the show this month that I will want but I need to make myself get more serious about what I have on hand before going too ga-ga but it's just so very very hard! I have several WIPs that I really want to finish up but those new starts keep calling my name! I am hoping to have some stitching progress to show off very soon!

3. Frame up some of my finished pieces and start hanging my work! This is a must!

4. I really need to get my pictures in some kind of order! I would like to use some of my scrapbooking mini albums and do some theme albums such as one or two for Dad, one for our trips and so on.

5. Do at least one repair, make-over, clean out (such as a closet or dresser) or fix-up to the house per month. Some of the items on the house list are small and won't take long or much money. They just need to be started. After being in a house 20 years, a lot of things tend to fall apart all at once! So goes life as a homeowner.

6. Make a trip by the fabric store and pick up some more calicos, pull out several appropriate quilt patterns and get busy!

Like I said before, these are just a few of the things I listed! I certainly don't want to overwhelm myself. After all, there are 7 days in a week, 4 weeks in a month, 365 day or 52 weeks in a year. I have time.

What makes a house feel homey to you? For me it's quilts, cross stitch or needlework samplers, folkart collections, wooden bowls, stoneware mixing bowls, crocheted doilies, soft lamps lighting a room and anything old or distressed. I guess Harold and I fit in perfectly! LOL.

That's about all for today! Thank you stopping by to see me again! Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart!

I'm Back

I really needed this past week. It was so nice to have Harold at home with me. We got a lot done. Oops - I mean he got a lot done and I watched since I am still pretty much on "light and easy" duty until my surgery.

While shopping one day, we ran across a new shipment of River Birch trees! Why was I so excited? Because this tree was the first item to be listed for my in progress Memory Garden! Naturally, I looked at DH with sad eyes and told him I could do without it if he thought it was too big to fit into the car. He rolled his eyes and said he would find a way to get it in the car somehow. And he did! It will definitely have a special home in my garden!

All the rails and columns on our front porch were in desperate need of being replaced. Usually we do that kind of work ourselves to save a few bucks but with all that has happened lately we decided to contract the work out and we are so thrilled with the results! We will paint it ourselves in a few weeks but we now have a porch that will probably out live us!

Harold stayed busy by repainting the hall bath. He made a major job of it all by replacing some of the hardware and fixtures but the bathroom certainly does look wonderful now! I bought a space saver for the hall bathroom about 15 years ago and we finally opened the sealed box and put it together then set it up in the bathroom! Even though I wasn't able to do a lot of physical stuff, I was able to tag along and pick out colors for paint, new bath rugs, shower curtains and such. Whew! Hard work!
There are still quite a few left chores left on our "to do to the house" list but we are getting a start! I would so so very happy if we could have all the inside stuff finished by the end of the year but that may be a little too hopeful.

I was able to spend some more time with my stitching. Not much but every little bit is another step closer to finishing! I also spent some time walking around the yard with my camera looking for some surprises. I haven't done this in quite awhile so it was an enjoyable experience with a familiar comfort attached to each step. I was thrilled to see that Autumn is just around the corner. The leaves are beginning to slowly turn and the mornings (as you can in the picture) have a definite briskness which makes me want to sit out back with my coffee and enjoy all that nature has to offer me.

We took several days to go up to see my step mother. She is like me and doing a little better each day. Since I will be unable to come back for awhile because of surgery and some other obligations, we went through a few of my Dad's things for me to bring on back home. They are mostly things I can remember being in our home since I was very little and I always admired them (even as a little girl) so it feels a little funny to have them in my home now. I'm sure that I will be going back after the surgery to help out some more.

We had a nice anniversary and went out to eat that evening. It was a very nice week and a large portion of the tension and anxiety that was such huge part of my life for quite a while finally washed away and I feel more at peace with the loss of my Dad. I know I will always miss him and there will still be hard days but for the most part, I do feel much better.

Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart. Thank you for stopping by to visit with me and for all the support I have received during this time!