One Stitcher's Story

A lot of my stitching was done as gifts in the beginning and although I do have pieces hanging in various spots around the house, they just aren't all in one spot (thus looking like fewer). As for the quilts, I do have some. Ones made for me by friends and family, some I have made. Others were used so much by my boys when they were younger that they just gave up the ghost and couldn't take any more naps, picnics, tickle fights or washings. Before the final farewell, I always cut out the good parts to be saved for other projects or just keepsakes of sweet memories. Good enough.

When I was younger and had first started cross stitching, I did a few larger pieces but I mainly focused on smaller designs that I could finish up quickly for gifts. I remember sitting in my bentwood rocking chair (a gift from my dad) and stitching away each evening after DH and I got home from work, ate dinner, did a few household chores and then sat down for the evening as we both worked on our hobbies and caught up on our days. No kids yet. Just us.

Later, the kids came along. I began to stitch on pieces for them. Birth samplers, nite time prayers stitched to hang over their beds and I had to do things about being a mother! The migraines had started to happen before they born and working on any type close work was hard but I finally had children and just had to do some of these.

Then it just got to be too much for me. Each time I began to stitch I could feel the awful headaches beginning so I put down my needle and thread. For 20 years I took up a menagerie of other hobbies to fill the void but I never gave up hope that one day I would be able to return to the hobby that had captured my heart and still held it. At least twice a year, I would pull out my supplies and try to stitch again. It didn't take long for the migraines to start. Sad and frustrated, I would gently tuck it all back in the drawer until I tried again.

Around 8 years ago, I had pulled it all out again only to be disappointed once more. That weekend, DH and I went shopping for some hobby equipment he needed. He found a pair of Mag Eyes and said they were what he needed for his detailed labor of love. Then he said, they might help me and I could stitch again. I told him it was doubtful as I had already tried every magnifier on the market but he put an extra pair in the basket for me anyway. A few days later, I saw them sitting on a shelf and thought "what the heck" so I gathered up my stitching supplies, sat down, took a deep breath and began. As I stitched, I waited for the headache to begin. It never happened! I could stitch again!

By the time I was able to resume, the stitching world had changed so much! So many new designers and wonderful designs to choose from! Even all the new designs in frames were exciting to me. And the fabrics! Linen? I thought linen was for tablecloths but why not try it like everyone else was doing! It made the pieces look even more stunning. I bought a piece of linen and shortly after beginning I felt the headache starting. Oh no! I returned to working my trusty Aida and no more problems! Life was good again.

It didn't take long for me to catch up on the new lingo and catch phrases of stitching, learning about new designers or even building my stash back up. Even computers with online shopping and blogs were new to my stitching world but how neat that I could share it all with other stitchers now. And I just love you all to death! You made a wonderful hobby even better!

Years had passed and my taste in stitching designs had changed just like with so many other things. Since that lucky day, I have found that I prefer the medium to larger designs. No more quickies. Samplers and inspirational pieces are my favorites. Something that touches my soul. Of course I still get those "blocks" when my stitching sits untouched longer than I would like but what's several months compared to those years before.

Some things never change though. I still sit in the evenings with DH as he works on his hobby while I stitch or go through my stash and I still have that cup of coffee (sometimes tea, now) on the table beside my chair! Sometimes I think DH might regret putting that extra pair of magnifiers in the basket for me since I can spend hours and plenty of money on it all but I am still grateful to him for that one spur of the moment action!

Thank you all for stopping by to visit while I tell my story. And thank you for being a big part of my stitching. You bring smiles, encouragement and friendship to my life!

Same ol', Same ol'

The old saying tells us that bad luck comes in three's. So far this summer, our dishwasher has died so for now I am using the old standby method of handwashing in a sink full of sudsy water. Not something I want to do forever and we will get it fixed when we can but for now it has actually been soothing. As I stand at the sink and wash each cup or plate, I am flooded with memories of helping my mother with the same chore when I was younger. She would wash. I would dry. Sometimes I begged to help and other times she had to insist I get in there and do it.

Next on this round of bad luck, we got a flat tire that had to be repaired. We walked in to the tire shop, expecting some outrageous bill that would make us walk away mad and feeling like we had been taken advantage of. After the tire was repaired, we were handed the receipt. No charge. DH and I just looked at each other puzzled. No way. No one does work for free anymore. So we approached the counter and asked if they possibly made a mistake. Nope. They just smiled and said "tell your friends about us". Sure thing, you bet we will!

Bad luck #3 has yet to hit but if it's no worse than #1 and #2 we can say this was a mild round. But wait, maybe it already happened and we just didn't realize it! No harm, no foul.

Moving on to my hunt for family history, I hit a road block on my side of the family for now but found out some wonderful new information for DH's family history! I see a road trip in our near future! I could not wait to tell him all the news. He was just as excited to find it out.

We have another trip to make this month. It will be a hard weekend for me. The anniversary of my parent's deaths. The days fall side by side and I am going to visit the graves, make sure the care and upkeep is being taken of, put out some flowers and while there I always visit with my infant brothers buried just a few steps away. When I was younger, my mother would take me out to the cemetery with her to put flowers on their graves then she would go sit in the car and let me have some alone time to visit with them. I always missed not knowing them and having siblings. Little children commonly have imaginary playmates. Mine were my brothers.

Over the weekend we did our chores and errands. The lawn was mown just in time before a big wave of humidity hit the next day. The grocery shopping was done. No exercise program can beat this task for a good work out! Walking around the store, putting all the bags into car, taking them out and carrying them in then putting them all away when you get home! Stretch, bend, walk, lift weights (heavy bags of food), squat and repeat then fall into your chair totally exhausted and unwind with an ice cold beverage! And since we only shop every other week, we have twice the groceries and twice the workout! The rule of thumb at our house is that mom does NOT cook on grocery shopping day. Everyone fends for themselves. There is plenty of food and they are big boys. Make a sandwich, nuke some leftovers, whatever. Just don't ask me "what's for dinner". But they still do except for DH. He understands. Bless his heart.

Sunday was ours. No chores. No major errands. Just time. Time to sleep in a little later than usual. Time to get online and catch up on some reading or visit some favorite sites. Time to watch a movie. Time for doing absolutely nothing.

The picture posted is one of me and my dad taken years ago but brings back memories for me. Sorry for the lack of pictures again. I promise to make up for it very soon! Thanks for stopping by! Your visits and comments always make my day!

Another Friday

Thank you for the great comments on my last post about my family history search. I was asked what his relation is to me. Henry Hatton (his stage and pen name) is my GG grandfather. His father was a famous writer, novelist and play write of his day. I have read some of his work but get tired of it quickly. A lot of thee's, thou's and therefore's along with other words not commonly used anymore. I have continued my quest on this project as the mood hits me and every so often something interesting will pop up and make it worth while.

Oh, those nagging questions that have haunted me since March have reared their ugly heads once again. What to stitch? What to stitch? WIPs? Start a new piece? Why am I wasting time trying to decide when I could working on those poor WIPs sitting in my basket? I can hear their pitiful cries of "finish me, finish me". The year is half over with no finished pieces for me to show off so I think I will focus on the WIPs for now and maybe I can knock at least several of them out by year's end.

Each year, we put out several tomato plants and I usually pick another veggie plant or two to try my not so green thumb at but not this year. We just didn't. No real reasons behind the decision. Every year, I grumble to myself about the up keep of the plants but I have missed the bounty of them this season with grocery prices on the rise. Next year, we will re-join the edible gardeners club once again for sure!

We had that major heat wave move through our area of the south about a week ago! Temps close to 100 degrees. It was that humidity that did us in though. Luckily, it didn't stick around too long and after if moved on we had a weekend of awesome temperatures. Friday was pretty cloudy which kept the heat at bay and we only reached 69 degrees. I actually got chilly several times. Saturday and Sunday were equally as nice. A little more sun but tolerable temperatures and very very little humidity! But, it's back again. Ugh.

I wish I had more exciting news to write about. Winning the lottery or a free vacation to Hawaii. Something to perk up these days of summer but this year we are staying buried inside as much as possible to avoid the awful heat. Even my camera doesn't want to come out of hiding from it's cool spot so not alot pictures to share this time around.

Thanks so much for stopping by and not giving up me during this blogging lapse I am having. Until next time, may you have simple (and cool) days and an uncluttered heart.

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!