History, Magic and More

I haven't forgotten about my poor little pitiful blog. Really, I haven't. It just seems like when I start to get my second wind from the last blast of busy-ness, it starts all over again. More storms, more doctor appointments, more errands. I look at my stitching chair during the day and just sigh. I miss you, dear old comfortable friend.

While my husband was on vacation I decided to use the time to enlist his help in hanging some samplers (which I will show you later). There were things to hang, others to move and generally not a lot of fun for him but I was happy to get the wall caught up. It is in the dining area and I would rather move it into the living area. I have a bigger wall in there and I think there would be more focus on them in there. I have already mentioned switching everything out on the two walls and I got a very stern look from him as walked past me. Other than that, we didn't get a single thing done during his week off. All the ambitious plans we had for his time off just got shoved aside! We decided to call it *age* instead of laziness.

This stitching slump is getting the better of me! I stitch a little then set it down for long periods so I can't really say anything is making enough progress to mention. I decided to clean out and organize my basket and stash. I have 3 WIPs. I really should finish them up because I hate having unfinished pieces sitting around. I can feel their *shame on you* glare even when they are tucked away from sight but I also have 3 that I really want to start on! I have plenty of choices. Let the others sit while I start the new ones. Stitch on the WIPs a little now and then while working in the new pieces. Wait to start the new ones and concentrate on the WIPs. Or, maybe if I close my eyes real tight and click my heels together 3 times...... lol. When I decide, I'll let you know.

This past week, I pulled out my family history to catch up on. Since I have no stitching to share right now, I will share one of my family members.

Henry Hatton was the stage name used by Patrick Henry Cannon. He was born in New York on 12/16/1837 and died in Glen Ridge, New Jersey on December 24, 1922 at the age of 85. In 1845, at the age of 8, he learned some magic from a professional magician whose manager was a friend of Hatton's father. For three years, 1855, 56 & 57, Hatton was a full time professional stage magician travelling mainly around the south. During the same three years, he wrote a series called "Lessons in Magic" in Our Young Folks magazine.

After 1867, Hatton left the stage but his interest in magic remained paramount in his life. For many years he performed as a society entertainer and he always kept abreast of the progress and development of magic. He was an accomplished writer on the subject. For many years he was employed as an author and editor in a prominent publishing house firm in New York City. In 1910, together with Adrian Plate, he wrote "Magician's Tricks: How they are done".

An elite group of magicians used to meet quite informally on Saturday nights after their shows at a very private magic shop called Martinkas, run by two brothers (which still exists today). Slowly this evolved into a notion that an actual magic club night would be a good thing. On May 10, 1903 twenty four men organized the Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.). It is the oldest magic organization in the world. Henry Hatton joined the Society of American Magicians in 1901 as Member #21 and was one of the original 24 founders. He served as National President for two terms, 1912-13 and 1913-14.

Thanks for stopping by and for being patient while I get my act together!

Longer than Usual

What is wrong with Blogger? Is anyone else having trouble signing in and leaving comments? I can post but I am having serious trouble leaving a comment on other blogs! It's getting pretty frustrating! I have also noticed that pictures (on my blog and others) often don't show up!

DH is finally finished with those awful hours he was working.Yea for him and yea for me! When he works like that it really throws us both off our mental calendars! I think a giveaway is order to celebrate the return of some (not complete but I'll take what I can get) normalcy in life around here! I will post more about it very soon!

I haven't written much lately about my other love. Birdwatching. I need to catch up on getting my backyard island area (where most birding activity happens) back in shape but these extra hot days just leave me with the "I'll do it later" feeling. I have really ignored it over the past year and it looks terrible! Shame on me. Of course the birds really like the grown over look but I don't. It's not totally out of control. Just enough to urk me. The honeysuckle and Virginia Creeper vines take over in the warmer seasons. I know the birds feed on the VC and both make excellent ground cover for them to hide in while looking for insects or worms. I'll probably just yank up enough to please us both because weeding (along with frogging) is one of my least favorite things to do. I have enough bird baths and feeders for the time but I have plans to put out several more birdhouses this coming Fall.

Good News! I finally found the names and birth years of my GGG Grandmother and my GGGG grandmother so that I can add it to my Mother's Tree when I begin stitching it! Now that I finally found them, I want to find more names for the piece! Call me greedy. lol. So for now, I have 7 names for this piece but would love to have at least 8 (or more)! I guess I'll be spending some time on Ancestry.com for awhile!!

For the longest time, I was the only coffee lover in our house. I had full control of the coffee maker, the brand of coffee that was bought and drinking it. My husband usually just bought a cup of joe at work and that was it for him each day. Recently, our son has developed a taste for the wake up juice and a second coffee maker may be in our future! I don't care for the brand he buys but most of all, he makes way to strong for my taste! I like my coffee to gently wake me up over the course of several cups but one sip of his brew is like being slapped in the face! lol. Now it's a race each morning to see who can set up the coffee maker first!

Not much stitching to brag about this post. I was all ready to pick it back up when I got hit by the ever not so popular stomach bug! Ugh. At this point, I feel like any stitching I may do would be brag worthy since it has been so long since I held that slender needle with my fingers and gently caressed the fabric as I worked my x's.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Your visits and comments always make my day!

I'm Still Here

I had a hard time signing into Blogger last week so that I could leave comments on many other blogs. I'm not sure if it is Blogger or my computer. If I haven't gotten to yours yet, know that I will and I am reading your blogs no matter what!

Our weather had calmed down alot! No wild storms - just rain every now and again. Other than that, nice days. Then we got hit again! The tornados from the midwest were moving towards us. We were reassured that they would weaken and there was no chance of danger. Suddenly, last Thursday around 10pm, the wind kicked up like nothing I have heard since Hurricane Hugo and there were alerts for our area to take immediate cover! A tornado! I was totally freaked out and grabbed my pocketbook (of all things to save) and told my family that if it carried me away (like Dorothy) I would at least have my ID on me and would not be a missing person! Funny the things that go through your mind. I always thought I would be gathering up my samplers if anything like this ever happened! It lasted about 35 minutes and quit as suddenly as it started. Once again, the storm left plenty of damage all around us. For some reason I can't post any pictures right now but I'm just glad we have power! Now we have Hurricane Season right around the corner!

I mentioned that I started a new piece on Mother's Day but I only got several stitches in before I set it down so it's not worth showing yet. What is wrong with me lately. Two months of kaos around here has taken it's toll on my stitching mojo and blogging! It's not over, by any means but I am hoping it has settled down enough that maybe I can start to pull the unraveled strings of my life back into place (a little at a time).

Thanks so much for sticking with me during this upside down period. Knowing you are all out there means so much to me! Until next time (and hopefully a more normal post) may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Stormy Weather

Another strong storm hit our area last week. It woke me up in the middle of night with extremely loud thunder and the room was lit up with all the intense lightening. The winds were bringing down trees and doing some major damage to the area but luckily not to our house or property. The weather had said we would get large hail again and it seemed that towns all around us did but it skipped by us. Good news.

Harold has told me about a family of geese that comes back every year to nest at their plant. I love all the stories he tells me about them. He said the guys can't understand why they come down there to nest and I told him it was because the geese know the spot and they consider the guys down there as family. Moma goose had four babies this year. Harold was at work during the storm and said the wind was blowing so hard that two of the babies were lost in the wind. He saw one of them trying to get back to moma and the wind was so hard, the poor little thing could not fight the strong wind. It kept falling and blowing backwards. He carried the baby over to the area where the moma had taken the other two babies for safety. Later another guy found the fourth baby under an engine and carried it to the same spot. A family reunited. I told Harold "see, she knows you guys care and considers you family". DH was afraid that moma goose would reject the two lost babies after being handled but he told me later that they are all together and doing fine.

There were several more storms this past weekend but nothing too bad until lightning hit our front yard! It didn't hit close enough to damage anything but the sound of it hitting was unreal! It even set off the smoke alarm. Some of our neighbors saw the flash of fire it created and ran outside to see if all was well too. That makes the second time lightning has hit our yard! What a scare. Did I mention that I am getting really tired of all these storms?

There were periods of sun over the weekend and during one I sat out on the deck to watch the birds. The warmth of the sun felt glorious to my cold natured side and I began to drift off as I soaked it all in until I was rudely (and painfully) awakened by a sneaky wasp that found his way up under my shirt and must have panicked (or not liked what he saw) when he couldn't find his way back out so he did the natural thing and really let me have it with his stinger - right in the stomach! Leaping to my feet, I was jumping around and yelling like I was doing some odd ritual dance when I saw him fly out from under my shirt and go on his merry way. At least he was happy.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get a lot of stitching done lately. Life has been too hectic with DH on these odd hours. I plan to pick up some stitching again once everything (or at least a good chunk of it) gets back to normal around here again. Whenever that may be!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope to have some fun stitching news next time I post so be patient with me. Until then, may you have simple days.

New Look

The shingles arrived today for our new roof and they should begin working on it tomorrow unless there is rain. This is not our house but a picture of how the roof should look once it is completed. We plan to paint the house (hopefully within another month) and the colors we will be using are very similar to these in the picture.

I started a new piece on Mother's Day just to try and get my mojo rolling again. I don't like to work on more than one piece at a time so I am really pushing the buttons with three pieces in progress! Just one of those "what was I thinking" moments.

Otherwise, Mother's Day was very quite around here. No trips, no gifts (I told dh I would get something later), no big surprises. Just a day of peace and quite and doing whatever I wanted. A perfect day. I sat outside and watched the birds for awhile, made several phone calls, got several phone calls then watched a day long marathon of one of my favorite shows. Of course, I cooked but I fixed what I was in the mood for this time.

Harold has been on a different shift for awhile which totally throws my mental calendar out of whack. I hate when he works these hours but someone has to do it. He has another doctor appointment coming up and naturally I will be right by his side so I can hear first hand what the doctor has to say.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Your visits and comments always brighten my day.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

I hope all mothers have a wonderful Mother's Day and I hope everyone else enjoys the day being with their mother on her special day.

Be sure to check out the wonderful giveaway at http://greyhousesamplers.blogspot.com for some lovely primitives.

Long time, No see!

There is an old saying that bad luck runs in three's. We had our three (or maybe it was four) so I am going to be positive and say it's over for awhile! Our house was damaged by the storms but it could have been a lot worse like so many other people who lost everything so that's a plus in our favor. Second plus is that the roofers should start to work on our new roof within several weeks. DH has had some bad times with his health but I still have him around and am extremely grateful for that. Having to get him ready for the hospital during a power outage taught me to be better prepared. I now have a set of "hospital" clothes for each of us that I can easily grab without having to look through the entire closet. I also bought a more powerful flashlight so that I can do what is necessary without stumbling around should there be another outage when DH needs to go to the hospital. The one I used last time was no stronger than a night light. Ugh. The new one even has a strong strobe light setting in the event I have to jump around the yard to flag down the ambulance again. That will definitely get their attention! Next on our list is to buy a small generator that will be just powerful enough to run his breathing equipment in the event of another power outage. Live and learn!

With everything that has happened I lost my stitching mojo somewhere along the way. I was shocked when I realized it had been almost a month since I had given any attention to my projects! Actually, the shock was because it really seemed so much longer. But after getting my basket in order again, I began stitching again. Unfortunately, nothing is far enough long for any progress photos yet. You know what they say -- "it's like riding a bike".

After last post when I decided it was time to spoil myself a little, I went hunting for a pattern or two that would brighten my spirits. I found Ann How by The Scarlett Letter and was in love. I have mentioned before how I love samplers with alphabets and meaningful verses plus it would be my first SL pattern! Double cha-ching! I decided to just go with the one chart because I will probably need some fabrics on down the road. An early Mother's Day present will be a justifiable excuse to go ahead and get it!

I have made my list of pieces I would like to stitch up before the end of the year. I have a little over 6 months to accomplish this. Can I do it? I would love to and I probably can as long as I don't go changing my mind or falling into another slump. *fingers crossed*

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.

Life Without Pictures

It feels like I have been gone from life much longer than I actually have. What with what seems like almost a month long string of one thing after another, though, I am back! DH, health issues, storms, dealing with insurance adjusters, running errands, yadda yadda yadda.

After my last post I looked at the pictures and thought I should apologize. I was pooped and didn't take the time to edit and crop them so that you could all see the details of the damage. Unfortunately, Mother Nature wasn't finished with us yet. About a week after the power returned there was a line of severe thunderstorms, damaging winds and hail as big as baseballs balls! I had pictures but DH was playing around with my camera one evening and deleted them before they got downloaded to the computer! Bad DH! Those large balls of hail beating on our roof was a scary sound! There were some trees blown down again and a lot of power outages but luckily our power only flickered occasionally. There have been several other storms move through since then that we have watched carefully but luckily no damage or power knocked out.We were extremely lucky to miss the line of 62 tornados that passed through our state. We had some hard heavy winds but nothing like a lot of other people got. Now all eyes are watching another system that is moving in this week. So far, they are saying it should be milder but Mother Nature is a woman and women are prone to changing their minds! I have heard reports that because of all the odd and unusual weather changes, storms like this will become more common. I realize Spring is a big season for storms but these were definitely not our usual type.

The insurance adjuster came out this past weekend to take a look at our roof and damage that the hail caused. We will be getting a new roof and new gutters for the house, a new roof for the storage building and some repairs to the air conditioner unit. This week we have to take the car in for an assessment of damages from the hail.

DH has gone back to work for now but I don't know for how long. The doctor has put a load of restrictions on him and being the worry wart that I am I like to have him nearby so I can jump into action if need be. He has his good days and his bad days. Unfortunately, even his good days are not as good as he would like me to believe. I have made a few changes around the house so that I can be better prepared should (and probably when) any thing like this happens again.

Stitching has just taken a back seat to all the hull-a-balu going on lately. It's in my basket and each night I look at it fondly then slowly drift off for a short nap! I think I will pull it out again later this week after things (hopefully) calm down a bit more.

I felt so bad about being MIA that I spent a better part of the morning catching up on some blog reading! I just wanted to drop in and say hi. Maybe next time I will have some good news, stitching updates and pictures to share. I learned my lesson about downloading pictures immediately! lol. I have been a good girl and not ordered anythhing new all year so far but after this past month, I am thinking it's time for a little Sherry spoiling! *wink*

Thanks so much for stopping by. Your visits and comments always brighten my day!

Long Post and Pictures

Thank you all for your comments of concern for DH. We both appreciated them. He has had several follow up visits with various doctors since coming back home and the news isn't as good as he had hoped. It looks like some changes are in our future.

Unfortunately, this year has not started off with the stitching bang I had planned. According to my list for the year, I should have several finishes behind me by now. Not yet. Does that mean I'm giving up? No way. I just won't have the number of finishes for the year I had hoped for but they will still mean just as much to me. I will continue to get my "fix" by watching the progress of all of your work in blogland. The first part of an old song by Dionne Warwick keeps popping into my head when I see my poor stash sitting on the shelf "Wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin' Plannin' and dreamin'......" But, life happens.

Earlier in the week, we were hit by that horrible storm that moved through 20 states and left so much destruction. The day before the storm the wind was so strong, we could hardly walk outside in it. It felt like we using all our strength just to get from the house to the car. We came home later that day to see our roof in shambles because of the strong winds. Later that night the storm moved through. It didn't last long but the winds sounded like a freight train rolling through the neighborhood. Power transformers were blowing up all around us lighting up the sky. Trees were falling like dominoes and landing across the roads on power lines pulling them down, on cars, big store signs blowing over, taking out stop lights and well, you get the idea.



Our section of town was hit the hardest and people are comparing this storm to a mini Hurricane Hugo. We were without power for over 50 hours (also water, gas and phone for much of that time) and there were power companies from many eastern states called in to help. It was not unusual to see 15 or more power trucks gathered in a spot working on lines. Sirens were in the air constantly from ambulances, fire trucks and police.



There was no time for stitching during the outage because we stayed busy getting things done before it was time to light the candles and pull out the flashlights for the night. It made me wonder how people managed to find time to make those beautiful and detailed samplers so many years ago.



DH had to make another trip to hospital during the outage because he not been able to use his breathing equipment as required. It was early in the morning before there was any type of outside light to help matters and all I had was a cell phone and a not so bright flashlight. Not the best of conditions but we got him there and luckily they didn't have to keep him overnight. Even a lot of his follow up visits with doctors concerning the previous trip to the hospital were canceled because they also had no power. Once the power came back on, it was touch and go for awhile. A power line pole caught on fire at the top causing a lot of short bursts of power then another black out but only for a short while this time. Once the power was stable we each headed for the item we missed the most. For me, it was the coffee maker. I can drink instant but once I got my first drip coffee maker, I was spoiled so that had been sorely missed and that first cup tasted oh so good!



So for now we have power and our fingers crossed it stays on! After the first 24 hours without power, it stops being an adventure and becomes nothing more than a nuisance. Dull days, I miss you! Thank you for stopping by again!

Where Are My Dull Days?

Thank you all for the wonderful comments on my framed pieces! I still haven't had time to hang them up but they are waiting patiently.

It has been a busy and hectic week around here again. DH went to the hospital and was there about 5 days. It certainly added a lot to my plate around the house but knowing he was getting the care he needed was most important. I am always a nervous wreck when he goes in the hospital. He is back home now but that doesn't mean things have slowed down very much with him being on oxygen 24 hours a day. It is definitely a lot easier to take care of him here at home instead of running back and forth so much. He had planned to take several days off this week and we were going to get some things done around the house. Well, he is home but our plans are on hold for awhile. I laughed and told him that he would just do anything to get out helping around the house!

I am sorry to say that I haven't gotten any stitching done over the past week either. When I did have the time, I was just too darn tired to even hold that tiny little needle! I can't even begin to count the number of times I have dozed off in my chair when I had a moment to sit. Hopefully I can get back to it soon. Breathe in. Now breathe out! Whew!

Our weather had been really nice then all of a sudden the temps dipped down again. We had those beautiful days in the 70's and 80's and now we are back into 30's and 40's with lots of cold rain and even the chance of some snow! All I can say to Mother Nature is "make up your mind"! I was expecting a weather change like this but not this late into the month so I had begun to think that we might be home free. No such luck.

I wish I had a more exciting post to make with lots of progress photos on my stitching but not this time. I have been trying to keep up with other blogs in between all the madness around here. Reading all your blogs and seeing your wonderful pictures do bring some peace and normalcy to my day.

Thank you all for stopping by again. Until next time, may you have simple days and uncluttered heart.

Frames, Frames, Frames

Hi everyone! We had a nice but busy Spring weekend with beautiful weather and the birds were singing their hearts out in celebration of the end (hopefully) of cold days. No real stitching updates to post this time as I took a break from it for a few days.

I needed to get a new frame for Good Things by NNF but kept forgetting. When I finally remembered and went to look for one, I wasn't happy with any that I saw. I guess I'm too picky. After getting home, I saw one peeking out of the stack of frames I have waiting to be used. It's a much older frame but I have always loved it and have been saving it for just the perfect thing. Bingo! Problem solved! Of course I had to clean up but I just love old knotty wood. It has so much character!




I picked up my pieces from the framers and I am love with them! She did such a wonderful job on the framing and I couldn't help but think "did I really do this work?" because of her wonderful touch and they look so much better in the frames than I ever thought my work could be! When she brought them out for my approval, I was jumping up and down and clapping in glee like a small child! Even Harold was impressed. They are special to my heart since they were both stitched in memory of loved ones. I have a list of more designs I would like to work up in memory of other loved ones. Personalizing them like this just makes the pieces much more special and keeps my heart warm.

My father was a gadget nut! He wanted (and usually bought) every new techno play toy that came out. He especially loved making CDs of his favorite music. Once when I called him, he told me that he had just finished a CD of his favorite gospel songs and hymns.He asked me what my favorite hymn was and I promptly replied "Oh, that's easy. His Eye is on the Sparrow." He said "Oh my gosh! I love that one and forgot all about it!" I laughed and told him he would have to make another CD now so he could include it. When he passed away, I chose the songs for the service and this was the first one I picked because of that special conversation and laughter we shared about it. This piece by Tree of Life of Samplings was a must to stitch when I saw it. I wanted a simple yet striking frame to bring out the colors of the design.


A Mind Independent and Free by CHS was stitched in memory of my aunt. She was a very special person in my life. Many times she told me that she wanted to live a good long life but if her mind ever started to go, she hoped the Good Lord would go ahead and take her home so this verse was more than perfect to do in her memory. I think she would be pleased. I picked a simple yet darker frame for this piece and the woman at my LNS was even in awe over the finished outcome.




My aunt had been working on our family history for years before she passed away. This past year we have all have received many CDs and other files with her pictures, a box of the history ready to put into binders and much more. This past week I was surprised with a another huge file with more history that I had not expected. I haven't looked at it yet because of the size and I know I will want a lot of time to look through it. I have been wanting to find more information on my Grandma's side of the family so that I can work on the Mother's Tree by Lavender and Lace. I have enough information right now to do it with 5 women but I have seen it finished off with 8 or 9 and it is beautiful! The more the better so my fingers are crossed! I would especially like to thank my cousins for helping to pull all this history together because they all did a lot of work on it.

Thanks for stopping by again! Your visits and comments always make my day brighter.

Better Late Than Never

February is gone and March has arrived! Even though February is the shortest month of the year, it always seems like the longest to me! I really don't know why. It won't be long now before DST begins again and with it comes longer days! Yea! I can't believe it has been so long since I last posted. Every night I would remind myself "tomorrow I will take some pictures and update my blog" but the next day would always come and go with no pictures or update.



During the last week of February, there was absolutely no stitching. Things just got away from me around here and my stitching was put on hold. Occasionally I would look at it sitting in the basket by my chair but I was just too tired to pick it up. Here is the picture I have been promising of Marianne. She is moving along. Not quite as fast as I would like but she's getting done and that's what counts. Right? I am thinking that she will be become my year long piece so I don't rushed (which usually leads to a lot of frogging) to finish. I see so many stitchers just zoom through their work and I feel like I am watching my own progress in slow motion!




I also worked on This is the Day a little bit the past few days. Even though I haven't spent as much time with this piece, I feel it moving right along. Harold is enjoying watching the progress on this one since it will be personalized in memory of his father.

Once again we spent a lot of the weekend catching up on errands and chores. Last weekend we made a trip to the Choo Choo Store (yes, that's the name of it) for Harold. It is a haven for all kinds of model train supplies. Then it was time for my fun. We made a trip to the LNS along with several samplers I have been waiting to take in for framing. Last year I took in 5 pieces for framing but this year I only took in 2. I still have some others to frame but I think I may do those myself when I can make myself find the time. I will frame some but if I feel it is special for whatever reason, I like to give it it's just reward and have it framed by someone who can do a much better job than I can. I can't wait for them to be ready to come home where they belong! While we were there, I picked up some threads for another piece! There is nothing like some new stash to lift your spirits.

Our weather has been on the up and down scale lately. The sun shines nice and bright then disappears into the clouds for awhile but I am hoping the terrible cold temps are over for another year! The trees are budding and the birds are singing their mating songs so everything is beginning look and sound like Spring! I am holding my breath because it is still early enough for another storm! *fingers crossed that winter is over here*

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

It's Too Early to Think of a Cute Title!

Sorry about the picture on the last post. The humming birds are definitely not out yet but I am still working on setting up this new computer and transferring some of our pictures over. It takes awhile to do that plus learning a new system is always time consuming too.

One of my very favorite things is the geese flying over our house as they come and go for Fall and Spring. There are a few places in the area where they remain year round residents but I can always count on other flocks to make their trip. They don't land in our yard (which is fine by me) but I do love watching them fly over in formation and hearing their calls announcing their departure and return.

Our weather was just beautiful this weekend! Yesterday was a little on the chilly side in the 50's after having a bright sunny Spring like day on Saturday. DH was home for a long weekend which made it even better! We took a day trip on Saturday to go to a model train store for him plus some other running around he had been wanting to do. He said this next weekend is mine so it will be off to the LNS to drop off some some pieces for framing and search the store for whatever catches my eye!

For some reason I just haven't seen as much from Market this year that I just have to get. There are a few designs I like and plan to order but compared to years past, it is a small number. Have my tastes changed that much or am I feeling a terrible pang of guilt because of all the patterns I already have waiting to be stitched? Just like Edgar, I am finding more older patterns that I want to add to my stash! I definitely need to stock up on some fabrics and threads. This is obviously my year for bigger pieces to stitch! Out of frustration one day while looking through my stash, I thought maybe I should just make a start on EVERYTHING! lol. Now, wouldn't that be a mess!

I will post an update of Marianne soon. As soon as I stop putting off taking the picture! I wake up with the intention of doing it but always get distracted or just don't feel like pulling that big camera bag out. I need to find a smaller camera bag that won't make it seem like such a chore to get out of the closet!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Your visits and comments always make my day brighter!

It's In the Air

It's been fairly dull around here since my last post which as you all know is just fine with me! Drama and disasters don't fit well into the scheme of things for me so I treasure the moments that it stays at a distance.

We had our usual weekend of errands and grocery shopping. Not one of my favorite things to do because as soon as all the bags are brought in, we are pushed aside as two grown bottom pits that we call our sons scour through each one for something to immediately devour as if they haven't eaten in weeks! I have learned to just step aside and let them do their thing before attempting to put everything where it belongs. Otherwise, it could be life threatening!

Our weather has been simply gorgeous! Warmer days, clear skies and sunshine! I call this our Spring teaser because it seldom fails that we get all excited about the nicer days and the trees begin to bud then Winter hits again. I can just hear Mother Nature laughing when this happens and saying "Silly people. Haven't you learned by now that I'm not finished with you".

I have been waking up to the sweet sounds of the birds courting songs. The bluebirds are busy starting on their nests. They often make decoy nests in one of the bird houses as well as the one they plan to use in another house. Time to get the feeders ready and stock up on food to help them out a bit during nesting season. The business of Spring has begun.

My rotation isn't coming along very well at the moment. I keep working on Marianne and saying "when I finish this section I will set it down" but I just can't seem to part with her so I keep on stitching. Whether it is Marianne or another piece, I am just thankful to be stitching since I had to leave her all alone for several days due to an arthritis flare up in my hands and an allergy attack that kept me sneezing constantly. That's never fun!

I am planning to take in several pieces for framing next month and I can't wait to see them hanging on my wall! Along with this, I have gotten the all clear sign to make an order around the same time! Yea! I can't wait to see what kind of goodies I find to toss in my basket but I know that fabrics will be a priority! I really don't need to order any patterns but I'm sure a couple of designs will pop up from Market that I will make an excuse to justify tossing them in as well.

Surprises are always fun and over the weekend, the mailman brought the Guarding Eden pattern I had ordered. It was backordered and I felt like I waited forever for it to arrive but it is here all safe and sound now! I have tucked it safely away for now while I work on Marianne so I am not too distracted by it!

I am not much of a Valentine's person so we never do much for it. Even as a child, all I really cared about was the abundant amounts of candy in the stores. My Grandfather (who I never knew) was born on Halloween and died on Valentine Day. I could always sense my father's sadness around this time. My mother's birthday was just several days off from Valentine's Day and since she passed away, I don't feel much like any celebration around this time of month. When the boys were little, I made a special effort for them but they are past that now. She has been gone over 41 years and it never seems to get any easier for me. There are 4 very hard days for me during the year. My parents birthdays and the dates of their death. I am always a little bit relieved if I can get through these days without remembering what day it is because I remember all year anyway. These days just sting more.

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

Introducing Marianne

I am so sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I keep thinking about it but decided to wait until I get a little bit more done on Marianne first so I will have a good picture for show and tell!

Here is a picture of Marianne. Not much, I know. It seemed like every time I sat down to stitch on her, I would think of something I needed to jump up and take care of! I always hate when this happens. When I sit down to stitch, I want to stay planted in my chair. Other than changing out the fabric I originally chose, I also switched out hoops to use. The one I bought especially for this project was just way too large and I could hardly move around the bigness of it to do my work. So out came my trusty wooden hoop which I seem to prefer most of the time anyway.

My conversion colors were picked for the original fabric I chose and now I am finding that some of them just don't work with this fabric so I am going through threads and switching out some as I go. No real order or planning. Just choosing what I think will look good. The dusky pink I chose (on the crown) seems to cast an orange tint on this fabric so I doubt I use it again. I can see one great big mistake already in Marianne but I am not going to start frogging it all because I would have to totally start over. No thanks. I asked DH if he could see the mistake (without telling him what it was) and he couldn't so I will let it be. Can you see it? One hint - it isn't in the stitching.

I think I learned my lesson on conversions after losing my list for This is the Day. I pulled out an old but unused diary (of sorts) to make into my Conversion Book. From now on when I change colors on a piece, which I am notorious for doing, I will write down all the changes in this book to have for future reference in case the piece lands in my WIP pile. To keep the book safe, it will stay in a drawer with my fabrics.

I revamped my list of pieces to stitch this year with the main ones I want to do taking the top spots. Holy threads and needles, Batman! There are some time consuming pieces on this list!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I always enjoy your visits and comments.

Found!

We have had gloomy weather lately. Very cloudy and overcast. Those clouds are keeping the sun from reaching us and warming temperatures up. At least we are not getting those horrible snow storms hitting the north east. For that I am thankful. For those of you in the path of these storms, stay safe, stay warm and try to stay indoors as much as possible. Good days to stay inside and stitch.

I usually have a first finish for the New Year by now but not this time around. As I mentioned before, I put AWWR away for awhile. I still plan to finish it up this year. I have started on Marianne though. Enough talk about her. Time for some action! Plus I haven't stitched in a while so I was ready. It doesn't look like much right now so I will post a picture of her later but a start is a start. I am working on the upper left side border right now. There are 15 pages but the print is big so I am hoping each page goes quickly.

I had another "what if" moment and wondered about the fabric I chose to use. Would my lighter colors show up good? I pulled some Vintage Country Mocha to compare it with. All the colors seemed to dance on this fabric but I kept thinking that the sampler shown on Needleprint looked to be done on fabric closer to my original choice. What to do? What to do? I hate moments like these. I want to pull my threads, choose my fabric without any doubts and start stitching. With some help, I chose to use the Country Mocha.

Awhile back I mentioned a WIP that I thought was lost. I found it! It was safely tucked away among my fabrics (pictured in here). I was looking for a piece to do in memory of Harold's father and when I remembered this one, I knew it would be perfect for him. Now I can finish it up this year with that intention. I plan to personalize it in my FIL's memory just like I did on The Sparrow for my Dad. Harold seldom pays attention to what I am stitching on at the moment, but he likes to look at pictures of pieces I want to buy, so I think I will just wait till it is finished to show it to him.

Although I tend to shy away from them, I suddenly find myself with a 3 piece rotation. Marianne, This is the Day and Seek Joy. The last two are on my list of pieces I would like to see finished during this year. Once I get to stitching on all of them I plan to give each piece 2 days a week then give my hands a rest on the 7th. I still have to gather up threads for the last two pieces before I can begin a rotation. Should be fun (Not) since I changed a lot of the colors on This is the Day and it seems I have lost my conversion chart! So I will be eyeing the colors then winging it!

Thank you all for stopping by to visit. Until next time, may you have simple days and uncluttered heart.

Conversions and Gizmos

Another weekend has come and (almost) gone and was just as busy as most others but not quite as busy as some I can remember! We got our grocery shopping out of the way and did a few errands. On Saturday, DH went to his yearly Bob Fest (similar to a needlework market but for astronomers and founded by 3 guys all named Bob. Thus the name).

On the weather side, we have had a lovely weekend with pleasant temperatures but just how long will this last during this time of the year. It's like we are getting teased with a taste of early Spring.

Everyone has been showing their conversions for Marianne Wenn so I thought I would join the party. It took awhile to get them all together and feel comfortable with my choices but this is it. Of course, I may toss in an extra color now and then just because I feel it needs something. I have also pulled out Seek Joy by NNF (I might change a few colors on this one too.) to work on as well so that I don't get frustrated with Marianne! I made another run to pick up some more threads for both pieces so I will have plenty. I am hoping to start on her this week.

Here is the conversion I used.

DMC 906 - changed to DMC 471
DMC 725 - changed to DMC 729
DMC 312 - not changed
DMC 3818 - changed to DMC 987
DMC 433 - changed to DMC 839
DMC 844 - changed to 310
DMC 744 - changed to DMC 676
DMC 304 - changed to DMC 815
DMC 890 - not changed
DMC 3761 - changed to DMC 799
DMC 3863 - not changed
DMC 3713 - changed to DMC 152
DMC 3706 - changed to DMC 356
DMC 842 - changed to DMC 372

Once in a while, Harold will see a picture of a sampler and fall in love with it himself. Such was the case when I showed him pictures of Marianne Wenn and Guarding Eden. Usually, he shrugs his shoulders and says "don't you have enough to work on" but this time I could see that special gleam in his eye and the awe in his voice when he asked "you want to do these? How long will they take?" He's hooked!

Luckily Harold is good with computers and gadgets so he spent an evening showing me how to download my pictures to this new computer. Now I can post them on my blog once again! I am still learning all the new gizmos. I'm not big on change but obviously the computer companies are. With my luck, once I get settled in and comfortable, it will time for this one to give out!

When Does It End?

What a long weekend we had! First of all our computer died on us! We took it in to be fixed and they said it was working like new again but when we got home and set it back up, it was a different story! We took it back in and told them to just save a few things on CD for us and we ended up computer shopping! You would think that with no computer I would have spent more time stitching but that didn't happen.

It's been quite awhile since we had a new computer so we are still learning all the new gadgets and gizmos that have been added since then. Not to mention that computers have changed so much since we last bought one that alot of our existing software will not work with the new models! When does this madness end? No pictures on this post because we are still getting everything set up on this computer!

On the weather side, we had several days with temps that were pretty nice for this time of year but the cold is back and they are even calling for more snow early on in the week! Scientists are saying that all this wonky weather is definitely global warming and we can except our current weather conditions to be the new normal! That would mean (for us) longer hotter summers, longer colder winters and very little autumn or spring! I don't think I like that very much.

Market is coming up soon and I have come to realize that I get way too excited over new releases! I am like a child in a candy store running from isle to isle while yelling "I want it. I want it!" so I have decided to let my spurt of wonder and amazement run it's course before ordering! It's either that or we may be forced to move because of the all the charts taking over! *wink* I have already calculated that I will have to live to the age of 150 to complete even part what I now have waiting to be done! lol.

I am so anxious to start on Marianne Wenn from Needleprint! I hate to leave awwr as a WIP but I just have to set it aside for a bit. Maybe it is startitus fever or it could just be feeling antsy but I need something new. I have my fabric and threads for Marianne. I have changed a few colors. Some of the colors were just a little too harsh for me so I made some substitutions. I will be getting a large size Q-snap to accommodate her and hope it arrives soon.

I will be using 18ct. aida which will be make the finished piece 14x13. Not too bad and I hate to stitch on anything out of my comfort zone or I end up putting it down and this piece definitely deserves to be completed in all her glory! I just love everything about this piece! Like Terri, I am going to be switching out some of the colors. I am not very good at rotations but I don't want to get antsy or frustrated while working on Marianne so I may try a small rotation to keep things fresh and moving along.

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

News of Sorts

Our weather is still c-o-l-d with a big fat brrrrrrr on the end! The sun has been melting off some of this ice and snow but a week after the big storm, we still have plenty left and the temps get so low at night that it just freezes right back over again! I am so ready for Spring and warmer days (and nights). Everyone around here is sick of snow and ice after this last storm. We did have a major heatwave over the weekend and reached highs in the high 40's but everyone is waiting to see if it last or we slump back into freezing temps again. Our weekend was nothing out of the ordinary. Grocery shopping and errands. I enjoyed stitching with a nice cozy throw tossed over my lap.

January has not been the best month for us and a really bad way to start off a new year! Two busted pipes and two cars, both needed some major work!

Opportunity knocked at my door and I had the chance to make a stitchy order. Once in a while especially when you feel like everything is falling in around you, it's good to spoil yourself! I had promised myself that I would be good this year and not make many orders but when opportunity knocks........ *wink*

I decided to keep it small or at least not big enough to fill up the Grand Canyon! I knew I could not make it through the year without any orders so I set a limit for myself. If I can keep to that, I will be satisfied.

I knew I needed some fabric and threads. Check. Since these are basically necessities, I don't count them as part of my limit. I would like to make a trip to Mary Jo's fabric store to see what they have available in cross stitch fabric - if anything. Sometimes they have a nice selection.

On to the designs. I am not as big a A&E fan like many people but every now and then one comes along that I really want to do. So was the case with Guarding Eden by Examplars from the Heart. I first saw it stitched up on Siobhan's blog and the more I went back to look at it, the more I wanted it. In the basket and ordered!

Marianne Wenn over at Needleprint (scroll down to January 10, 2011 post) is a stunning piece and and the colors are breath taking! Who wouldn't want this in their stash? Terri has ordered it as well so maybe we can encourage each other to keep those fingers moving. In the basket and ordered (and arrived already).

I saw a sneak peak of Jenny Bean's Creation Sampler by Shakepeare's Peddler and I already know it will be a must have as well but that will after it is released! After this, I will be nearing my limit!

Stitching is moving along slowly on awwr but I still have high hopes of finishing it off very soon. My pie birds sing to me as I stitch! *wink*

I know I signed up for the Crazy January challenge but in all reality I only did it as an incentive to get my hands busy and do more stitching. If I can finish off these this year along with (possibly) another one or two, I will be a very happy person! I applaud and marvel at those of you who stuck by the challenge rules 100%. I have watched your work with eager eyes.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Your visits and comments always make my day!

Almost A House

Monday, we were snowed in with around 7 inches of white stuff. Not much for some people but just the mention of snow can cause major panic in areas of the south! After the snow stopped later in the day, we were *blessed* with a sheeting of freezing rain and sleet (as well as below freezing temps). This morning everything was solid ice! DH tried to go into to work but ended up coming back home. Tomorrow will be day #3 that school has been cancelled.

I finally pulled out my camera to get an updated photo of AWWR. I have managed to pull it out the past several evenings for some short stitching time. As you can see, the house is half finished. It has been too hard trying to stitch very much while constantly reaching for a Kleenex because of this cold. I wanted something stitchy to do so I pulled out my stash. While sorting through the piles, I ran into a lot of old friends who have been patiently waiting for their turn at the needle! Which one will be next? So many choices!

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

Snow Day!

We have snow! It was so beautiful to see when I woke up this morning and the light white flakes are still falling - heavy at times. The bad part is that we are also waiting on freezing rain and sleet to add a sheet of ice over the snow. Snow is pretty. Ice is bad! I am hoping that Harold gets to come home from work early before the roads get extra hazerdous.

I don't really have a lot of exciting news to share on this post. Over the weekend I did venture out into the cold so that I could get my hair trimmed up. What a difference a few snips made! I feel like a person again.

It seems like one thing or another has happened since the first of the year and my stitching has suffered for it. I feel awful about not being able to get a start on my crazy challenge and it is already the 10th of the month! We had to take the car in for some major repairs but I guess it could have been worse. Then another pipe busted under the house! More repairs and only several days after the first leak! Where is our good luck?

My cold is better or I just haven't noticed it as much with all the other things happening around here. Hopefully I will have some stitching to show very soon. Thanks so much for stopping by again! Your visits and comments always make my day brighter!

Sniff, Sniff, Cough

First of all, I want to say how much I have enjoyed seeing everyone's New Year starts and Crazy January challenge starts.

My stitching for the New Year has taken a back seat to this horrible cold that decided to make an appearance! At least it isn't the flu! *knock on wood* This awful feeling has put a halt on my regular stitching and on starting my Crazy January Challenge! Hopefully with a little help from cold meds, I will be feeling like new in no time!

Harold's nice long Christmas vacation is over and he is back at work. I have already started asking him when he plans to take more vacation time! I don't get much accomplished (housework or stitching) when he is home but I do enjoy having him here!

There is an old saying that bad things happen in 3's. Hopefully our bad streak is over for awhile now. We had the dryer die on us in the summer, the washer died in the fall and we started off the New Year with a leak in a pipe under the house. That's three and I'm ready to be done with bad luck for a good long while!
The weather around here was supposed to warm up but I haven't felt much of a difference. Oh, there is a big difference from those dreaded single digit temps we had earlier in December (brrrrrrrrr) but I am still waiting for the 50's and 60's to show up again! I guess I will have to wait awhile since January through March are our normal cold cold months (which often include plenty of ice).

I have been stitching a little when this cold gives me a break on AWWR and feel I may finish up before the middle of January now! It was started in 2010 but will be finished in 2011 so I will count it as a finish for the present year. I have thought of setting it aside to start a new piece more than once but I just keep telling myself to push forward with it as I am so close to the end! Hopefully next time, I will feel like dragging out my camera to take an update picture to share!

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

Totally Annoyed

Two posts in one day! Maybe I am on a roll!

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. Our Christmas was perfect. The BBQ was delicious and I made an extra big pot of chili beans so there would be plenty left over in case the BBQ ran out! I sat and stitched and Harold tinkered with his toys while waiting for the snow. The snow finally arrived late Christmas evening and continued on through the next day. Harold and I decided to wait a while on our gifts because neither of us were really sure about what we wanted. We both have way too much stuff anyway!

With Harold being home, I haven't had quite as much time to stitch but I try to pick it up while we watch the evening news. Here is an updated photo (actually I am farther along than this now). As I mentioned before, I joined the Crazy January Challenge but more for incentive than anything else. I went through my stash and filled a basket with a lot more than 15 charts! How could I just choose 15 when I have so many waiting to be done? For now, my plans are to work mainly with my present stash and try to limit buying extras. I will pull them out to work on as I go along. They mostly range in size from medium to large. I will introduce them as I start and just let each one be a surprise. I like surprises!

I want to finish up AWWR and hopefully several more before March or April which is when I usually take some of past years work in for framing. I do some of it myself but I like to have the special ones professionally framed. Last year, I took in 4 and I would like to take in as many as 6 this time. It's pretty much a once a year thing so I look forward to it so I can see my wall fill up. My goal of having AWWR finished by the end of 2010 is looking dim but I think I can wind it up by the middle of January.

Here comes the totally annoyed part of this post. I decided to pull out some of my WIPs to set aside for working on this coming year. I knew of several in particular I wanted to see finished. Upon going to my WIP basket, I discovered they were gone! I started going through drawers, closets and anyplace else I could think of they might be hiding but no luck. Where did they go? Who took them from their basket? No one wants to admit to the dirty deed or just doesn't remember doing it. I have learned a valuable lesson from this -- no more WIPs! I have to finish what I start or take the chance of losing it entirely!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Your visits and comments always make my day brighter!

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. I would like to work occasionally on some family history this year and get that in albums for all to enjoy.

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.

Merry Christmas!

It has been a different Christmas around here this year. No tree. No decorations. No stockings hung on the fireplace mantle. No lights. After missing Thanksgiving (because of a family matter that sort of took the wind out of our Christmas sails), the mood to pull everything out just never took hold. Luckily our kids are grown so there are no sad little faces to contend with (oh, wait! I forgot about my DH and his look of disappointment). I have already promised that next year will be much better. That gives me one year to stock up food for the cupboards and take care of some home repairs so the new repairs help show off the decorations. Isn't it funny how so many of us start planning for the next Christmas decorations and food often before the present Christmas has even come and gone. I already have ideas dancing around for next year!

I have a bad habit of hitting the after Christmas sales with one or two items in mind but end up coming home with lots of marked down holiday decorations! Not this year. I will not let myself fall into that trap again. I have already cleared out, thrown away or given away a lot of excess decorations and I still have enough. Probably too much. I want next year to be simple so I doubt I use all that I still have!

We discussed Christmas dinner. Should I cook since I missed doing Thanksgiving this year or should we stick with our tradition of bringing in enough BBQ to last Christmas Eve evening through Christmas day? We decided to stick with tradition. We had anticipated this earlier in the year and have been trying out new places since our old favorite BBQ place had closed down. We found a place that was worthy of our picky taste for it. Not just any old BBQ will do for us and this restaurant suited both of our tastes.

I picked up several items on my year to year Christmas list. I always buy a loaf of Pecan Raisin bread from the bakery. It is so good served warm with some cream cheese spread on top! One of my yearly holiday indulgences! Then I like to look for inexpensive holiday coffee mugs. I have a cabinet full but I found another to add with a simple cardinal on it.

Once more I would like to wish a Merry Christmas to all of my dear blogging and stitching friends. Some of you are new friends and others I have known for quite awhile. I look forward to spending another year of friendship with you all! Thank you all for touching my life and making it more special.

Peeking In

DH is home on vacation and I had a few minutes to drop in and say hi to everyone! There hasn't been as much stitching as I hoped lately and I am beginning to wonder if I will get AWWR finished by the end of the year. I am going to keep pushing for that goal anyway.

It has been busy around here. Thanks to Harold, I had the most perfect birthday! I couldn't have asked for a better birthday! We went out (as planned) and did some needed errands then off to shop for my birthday present.

Since I love and collect Santas, I have had my eye on this Boyd Santa (on the left) for awhile. It was still at the store and to make things even better, it was marked down 50%. Then I found this thimble Santa by Tom Clarke in NC (on the right). I collect a few of his figures and I love his thimble gnome collection since I also collect thimbles. Another wonderful surprise when I found that he, too, was marked down 50% plus he is an edition #1. Triple the surprises! I am rebuilding my Santa collection since over the years many have been broken or just gotten raggy. These are wonderful additions to my new start!

After lunch, we drove across the state line to the LNS where I get some pieces framed. I had a birthday coupon and was looking for just the right thing to get. I couldn't find what I wanted until I went through the sale bin and found God Bless Us Everyone by The Primitive Needle marked down to $2.50! I have been wanting this pattern and the price was definitely right!

Then off to eat at my favorite winter time restaurant for Chicken and Dumplings! Yes, I said winter time restaurant! Their food is delicious but just a little too heavy for those hot summer days yet perfect for the cold days of winter! On cold evenings, they always have a fire burning in their mammoth fireplace to help make everything even more cozy!

Yesterday's weather was beautiful! Sunny skies and warmer than recent temperatures. We got ready today to finish off our errands and do some shopping, opened the door to leave and we saw the biggest, fattest snowflakes falling! It didn't last more than an hour but it beautiful coming down!

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

Christmas Past

It's been a few days since I last posted. No stitching for me since last post. I got some sort of bug and have been fighting getting over it. I think the fever broke last night so maybe I am on the mend.

We had snow flurries earlier this week! It was so fun to see everyone at our house get excited over the few flakes! Snow always brings out the kid in about everyone!

We have been having temperatures as low as 9 degrees and highs topping off at 34 degrees. The term Artic Blast is mild! Our temps haven't been as cold as other places but too cold for us non the less.

During the holiday season, I tend to remember things that always make my heart warm. Usually memories of past Christmases. This time I thought about the year my Dad bought a race car set to put up around the tree. What girl gives a hoot about something this? But I loved it because each evening after he got home from work we would sit under the tree and race our cars round and round the track! Together time. It was only put out when the tree went up so it became a Christmas tradition. The tradition of time well spent together laughing and enjoying each others company.

DH will be taking Friday off as part of my birthday present, then we will be going out to shop around, maybe hit the LNS and on to the restaurant for Chicken and Dumplings! I can taste them now! These are as good as my Grandma made and hers could really make my taste buds dance!

Harold will begin his two week Christmas vacation soon so I probably won't be getting online very much while he his home. No special plans. Just watching some movies together while I stitch and he putters around with his hobby.

I want to go ahead and wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year now in the event I get busy. I am sure I will pop in occasionally but it doesn't hurt to say it more than once! Hopefully I will have more to share next time! Thanks for stopping by. Your visits and comments always make my day!

So Cold!

I have been taking it easy the past several days due a fall I had the other night. Sounds like I am a total clutz, huh? It was late at night and I got up, not fully awake. My broken toe hasn't helped my balance very much so when I came around the corner, I ran into the dresser and ka-boom, down I went, hard! I've been pretty sore so not much movement for me which gives me a real good excuse to sit and stitch. To be honest though, I think I would rather come up with my own excuse than falling like that again!

I had hoped to finish up AWWR by the middle of the month and even have time to do another simple stitch by the end of the year! Big expectations, huh! I am thinking now that I will be doing good to finish off AWWR by the years end deadline just by its self! I am working on the two decorative line borders that come between the alphabet section and the pictorial design. So far there has been no frogging or even a minor mistake so I am happy.

Brrrrrrr. These frigid temps will really take a bite out of you when you step outside! The past few mornings have been in the single digits. No snow yet and just a tiny bit of sleet that didn't last long enough to do any damage to our already icy spirits. Over the warm summer months, you tend to have memories of those cold winters past but the memories are nothing until it rolls around again to remind you "hey, remember me? I'm Winter and I didn't want you to forgot me!". Even the sky looks cold. I have my coat, my mittens, my warm hat and my scarf to wrap around my neck then my face but that darn cold still manages to burrow through the yarn and do it's frosty magic on me! Days like these my coffee pot works over time so I will have a hot mug of joe to warm up with.

I don't like posting without a picture but sometimes it just happens! Thanks so much for stopping by! I always enjoy your visits and comments!

It's Monday

After a day of grocery shopping, running errands and sloshing around in the rain and sleet I came home totally exhausted to find a package waiting on me. After putting the groceries away, I collapsed in my chair with the package! I was so thrilled to see it contained goodies from Santa Edgar! Some of his wonderful chocolate covered cherries (which my son promptly claimed as his own), yummy homemade Peach Jam (which thrilled my peach loving DH) and some of that delicious white chocolate bark that I love so much! It was the perfect end to an exhausting day! Thank you dear friend!

What with a busy weekend, feeling icky due to the weather and my broken toe caused by not looking where I was going there was no stitching for me this weekend. I decided to just rest. I did pick up some more threads so I won't run out while working on it.

I have been changing my mind almost every day about what 15 charts I want to stitch for the Crazy January Challenge! I wanted to work on a lot of designs I already have in my stash. I had 15 picked then thought I might to do more seasonal designs since I have so few of these done. I hate the thought of doing a beautiful cross stitch only to put it out once a year so I will choose a wall for these so that they can remain out year round. After all, our home decor is that of older Christmas colors and my Santa collection remains out year round also. My average number of yearly finishes is between 5-7 designs so I will be really pushing my needle to knock out more! Not all 15 will be seasonal but I am thinking there will now be more than first planned!

*update* I have my 15 charts planned out. Several will have to be ordered but will be well worth it! I will post them at a later time. Most of them will be small to medium but I may sneak in a larger one every so often!

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

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

The Farmer's Almanac had predicted an early, cold winter for us and I think they hit it on the head once again! We have had some bitter cold temps! No snow for us yet but as I recall, we got hit by the white stuff pretty hard last year, so that's ok by me. Several mornings this week, I have stepped out early in the morning (pre-coffee oriented) only to take a second look because the frost looked like a dusting of snow.

As I promised, here is an update of AWWR by Shakespeare Peddler. I am just loving the flow of stitching on this piece. I need to go pick up some more floss this weekend so I don't run out in the middle of this project!

I still haven't even pulled out any of our Christmas stuff yet! The wind outside has been so strong, I decided to wait so that decorations aren't flying around the neighborhood. Indoor decorations, well I guess that's just been laziness on my part.

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

Will Sing For Food

My people pie vents are picky about what kind of food they will sing for but they will really belt out a steamy tune for the right kind of pie! But this time, I'm not sure if they are singing or looking at me in shock because I have signed up for the Crazy January challenge! Yikes! What have I done! I have pulled my 15 projects for the challenge but as stitchers, we all know these can change without warning. I doubt seriously I get all of the pulled designs finished up by year's end but maybe this will give me a good kick in the back side to do more!

A Weary World Rejoices is coming right along at a good pace. I will share another picture soon. I am saving the border for last this time.

Happy December! I have another birthday coming up later this month. No numbers (although I know some family and friends know!). As usual, no special plans for it. I like for DH to take the day off, spend the day being lazy and then go out to eat for my favorite comfort food -- chicken and dumplings!

Thanks for stopping by! I always enjoy your visits and comments!

New Start

Life is getting back to normal - sort of. It's an unspoken rule of thumb that after a crisis you wait on edge to see if something else is going to happen. Hopefully, the storm has passed with no other casualties.

I have made a list of everyone's favorite holiday sweets to make up. Cheese cookies, pecan balls and cream cheese bread. A few other yummies might get requested but for now, this sounds like enough to me and I will be doing good to these made!

My stitching is coming right along at a good pace. I am hoping to stay on schedule and have it finished up before the New Year. A few colors/shades have been changed to appeal more to my personal preference. I have been enjoying stitching this piece and have picked it up each day to work on since starting. That's a good sign!

The Christmas Bird Count is right around the corner. I always enjoy doing this. Put on a coat, venture outside and join me for it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Some Thanks and Some Stitching

I hope everyone who celebrated the holiday had a nice Thanksgiving. Ours was quite and different this year. I usually spend two days preparing all the food for the big meal but not this year. After a family crisis earlier in the week, my cooking mode was in low gear so we fixed something simple and had a quite time and best of all, no dishes to clean up. I think everyone really did miss that big meal though and I even told DH that I missed fixing it up but he laughed and said "don't worry. We'll let you fix it for Christmas!" lol. Bless his heart. As I sat stitching that night, I thought of all the things I was thankful for.

Did anyone hit the stores the day after Thanksgiving? I always stay away from the crowds on this day and keep in safety of my home. We did have to venture out to get a couple of small items but I guess all the wild crowds were gone by then because it was really no worse than a regular weekend errand run. Whew!
I took a stitching break after my last finish. I used the time to go through my stash and revise my 2011 stitching list. I like what I have on the list but doubt seriously all of them will get their turn at the needle but I will definitely be happy with the ones I do get completed. Most are already in my stash and only several will need to be ordered.

I felt like making my upcoming work something with a holiday theme. I pulled several kitted up designs then saw what I wanted to do. It really doesn't look Christmasy but the verse on it is part of my very favorite Christmas carol so that works for me. In case you are wondering, I have pulled A Weary World Rejoices by Shakespeare Peddler. This one was actually in my 2011 pile but having one less on my list is just fine by me! I may change a couple of the lighter colors to a darker version of the same shade so they will show up better on the fabric I am going to use. Once I get far enough along to show some progress, I will take a picture to share with everyone! I am setting my sights on having this one finished by the end of December so here's hoping I can stay on schedule!

Now it's time to start pulling out some of the Christmas decorations. It seems like I drag out less and less each year which is fine because less is more seems to fit like a glove these days. And with the holidays comes more busy days so if I don't seem to be around as much please know that I am reading your blogs on the sly because I can't bear to be apart from my dear stitching friends for too long!

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

Finished!

Yea! I finished up The Sparrow and am thrilled with how it turned out considering this piece has been through the wringer with spills, rinsing out and mistakes on my part (I had to make a few adjustments here and there to avoid days of frogging). Excuse the wrinkles but those don't effect my joy right now! As you can tell, I figured out how and where to put my Dad's initials along with the years of his birth and death. This is such a meaningful piece to me for so many reasons and all bringing back memories of some sort about my Dad. After a short break where I focus on some neglected housework I will turn my attention to my last stitch of the year.

I have a terrible problem that whenever anyone walks through our house every picture on the walls goes bonkers and they all end up hanging haywire like an earthquake had struck so while we were out doing our usual errands I picked up some new double sided sticky stuff to hold them in position that won't hurt the walls (or frames). I haven't used it yet but when I do I'll let you know how it works. I was told at the store that they have to constantly restock it because it sells so good and so fast.

I do have some sad news. The sampler, Good Things by Notforgotten Farm fell off the wall and the frame broke. Now I have to go out and look for a new frame. I hope I can find another one either just like the old frame or maybe one I like even more! *fingers crossed*

Remember to leave a comment on the previous post to be entered in my current giveaway! Thanks so much for stopping by. Your visits and comments always make my day!