The Finish Line

I wake up in the mornings to the sound of birds singing outside my window and I think "what a weird dream I had" only to realize seconds later that it was not a dream! All of the stuff is real and still going on! I probably have that dream at least once a week.

It's finished!! A big happy dance is in order! I have been stitching away in between wiping down counters,door knobs, phones and more. I have made some more progress on Willing Hands by BBD. I had to entertain some frogs (don't they know about social distancing? LOL) and I took a day off from stitching because my eyes were beginning to cross! I made another little boo boo but after examining it, I decided to leave it. I have read that some people purposely put a mistake in their hand crafts (woodworking, quilting, ect) to help keep them humble and remind them that they are not perfect. I'll go with that! LOL. The picture just does not do justice to these vibrant colors!

I am going to put the BBD Sewing Club book aside for a while but I am not finished it by any means! This book has so many wonderful designs!

I never thought I would get excited about toilet paper or other everyday items but when I am able to find them my heart beats a little faster as I walk (not run) very quickly to claim my limited amount! LOL. If I ever see those shelves fully stocked again I may pass out from shock! LOL

What is the first thing you are going to do when life goes back to whatever our new normal will be? I am going to get my hair trimmed (I feel like the shaggy dog) and then we are going to the steak house for a nice sit down dinner! At least those are the plans in my mind! LOL

Until next time may you have simple days, an uncluttered heart and stay well!

HAPPY DANCE

Creation Sampler is a finish! Yea! I can now consider this infusion project #5. I finished minutes before my I posted my blog. Below is my final picture (excuse the wrinkles). What you don't see is the second bird at the bottom and I have also added the year under my initials. I prefer to work on just one piece at a time but once in a while I will make an exception and work on two but no more.

I had planned to start a piece earlier this week but with errands and some left over side effects from the last infusion I did not pick up any stitching. I did go through my stash and kitted up designs that had not been kitted yet. I always like knowing that I can just pull a design out and be ready to stitch.

I realized that there are less than 5 months left in this year and I really have not stitched that much! Well, I have stitched but few finishes. I decided to make a plan for the remainder of this year and take it on into next year.

I pulled out And A Forest Grew by Rosewood Manor. This is my longest running WIP to date! I try to work some on it at least once a year but one of my plans will be to TRY to work on this piece at least two days a week until I finish it (good intentions). It has been stained over the years from taking it out and putting it back up. I will have to decide how to work around these battle scars.

Do you have any WIPs? What is your longest running WIP and how long how you been working on it?

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

It's Stitching Time!

I finally have some stitching news to report!  

I was able to finish up The Apostle's Creed by My Big Toe which was an infusion project that I did during my Vasculitis treatments.  

I started on The Our Father by My Big Toe as my current infusion project. I am working on Our Father more often because I don't want it to take 1.5 years to finish like the first infusion project. I am so sorry for all the wrinkles. I did not lay them out very well.

On both of these I changed the colors around. The colors the designs called for were beautiful but I just needed some ZING! Also, I have not used all of the bottom borders because of fabric space and because of the excitement to finish them!

 

I have already picked out my next infusion project and have it kitted and ready to go!

 

I am trying to continue stitching from my stash as much as possible. I bought these because I fell in love with them and letting them sit in boxes unstitched just doesn't do them justice! I buy a few here and there but not as often.

 

My doctor and I decided to re-adjust the time frame on my treatments and since then I am finally feeling more like myself again after battling all of my health issues over the past several years.  I am looking forward to Spring and catching up on some gardening, tending to my roses, growing some tomatoes and herbs, watching my nesting birds, stitching and just "gently" enjoying life again.

 

Thank you all for not giving up on me and patiently waiting for my return. I love my blog and I love my followers! You guys are the best. Until next time, may you have simple days and uncluttered heart.

Finish!

I am having trouble with Blogger again. It seems that when I leave a comment on other blogs, it disappears within a matter of minutes. I noticed this on several blogs I left comments on recently then began to watch all of them more closely as I commented. Each one, same thing. Now you see my comment - poof - now you don't! A disappearing act that I wish would disappear! Is anyone else having this problem? Either way, I want my readers to know that I do read your blogs and I do comment!

I have fallen back in love with my stash. I decided to clean out a lot of older patterns that had been sitting in there for who knows how long. During the process of choosing what goes and what stays, I discovered quite a few that I knew I had but had forgotten why I liked them so much when I first bought them. Suddenly I remembered and it was like having all new stash again!

And now on to a picture showing Liberty by Hands to Work. It was a quick piece to finish and a fun one to work on. I had a blast with the color changes. I just picked colors I liked out of my threads and as for how I used them -- no special rhyme or reason. Just whatever I wanted, whenever I decided. The word "liberty" was stitched over one but since I use Aida, I chose to do it in backstitch.

I decided to have a giveaway for this chart now that I am done with it and hopefully someone else will enjoy working on it as much as I did. No rules, no gimmicks. Just leave me a comment on this post by midnight August 20, 2012 telling me you would like to be entered and I will have DH draw a name to be announced on August 22, 2012. Make sure I will be able to get in touch with you by email (either a link or your email address in the comment) in case you are the winner. Otherwise, I will draw another name.

Coin toss time. Heads, I make a new start. Tails, I work on a WIP for awhile. The coin tossed into the air and showed Tails when it landed. No complaints. I have wanted to work on Mother's Tree again. This will be such a special piece when finished! Who knows? Maybe I will do both!

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

Good Morning!

It has been a busy few weeks around here. DH took some time off and we decided to spent it on the house this time instead of a trip. We did a few more repairs and replaced alot of old worn out things around the place. We still have alot more left to keep us busy over the rest of the summer! Putting things on the back burner just makes for a big to do list later down the road! Whew!

I was able to finally finish up Gentle Stitches by Shakespeare Peddler. With DH being home for almost a month, I didn't get much stitching done so it ended up taking me longer than I had planned! But now I can find my next new start!

Have you been to Pinterest? I heard about it and mozied on over out of curiosity and the next thing I knew I was signed up and making my own page! Yikes! Like I really needed something else! But it is fun and very interesting! You can go to my page via the button in my sidebar on the right.

Not much news this time around but I did want to drop in to say hi. I hope everyone is having a lovely summer and the heat isn't too bad where you are! Until next time...! Thanks for stopping by!

How Long?

When I saw how long it had been (once again) since my last blog post, I began to wonder just what had kept me so busy. Well, as usual things are hectic around here and life tends to flow over the rim every now and then but was also that time of year again when the weather is like a roller coaster. One day will be warm and sunny then the next day will be shivering cold with overcast skies and rain. My arthritis acts up more during these times and so do my allergies. Harold has the same issues and we both feel totally void of all energy while Mother Nature plays these tricks and I get very little stitching done. If someone (who did not know about our old people ailments) were to come over to see us during these several months, they would think zombies lived here!

Hip hip hooray! Daylight Savings Time has arrived again. I miss that hour of sleep that is lost in the transition because my internal clocks just doesn't acknowledge DST but I do enjoy the longer days. My forsythia is putting out a few blooms and other trees are budding and blooming! The birds are singing constantly and loudly! It's nesting season and their songs always lift my "stuck in the house over the winter" blues! Each season and time change offer something to enjoy!

I can say I am on the home stretch with PSS Favorite Spot Sampler now! It is going to be bigger than I had thought it would be but that just means that there will be more of it to enjoy!I had so much fun stitching up Paulette's Poor Maidens and this piece has been a joy to work on also!

I had made a promise to myself at the first of the year that I would stitch at least one small each month. Here we are into the third month of year and I only had one small completed! I went through my box of freebies and smalls and picked up this one by The Primitive Hare. I first began working on my normal 18ct. Aida but I could tell immediately that it was going to end up being much larger than I wanted so I started over using 28ct. Monaco evenweave. Other than hardanger, I have not used a smaller count so this was going to be a challenge as well a teaching piece. It still needs to be finished off but I can say I am happy with the stitching on it.



I have a special box that holds patterns when they are completed and I can go through them occasionally to decide whether to keep them or share them. I just love to open this box and put another finished chart in there. My goal is to get this box as full as my stash to do box!

While I was so intent on sorting through everything, I went through my box of completed pieces. I have more than I thought and a couple I had forgotten about that need to be attended to. Several will be framed. Several will be ornament size pillows for my bowls. Several will be larger size pillows. I haven't pulled out my sewing machine in ages so I may have to use some old fabric to practice and get re-acquainted with her before going on to finishing.

My TUSAL jar fell off the table and broke. It was too much trouble to try to separate the threads from the broken glass so I just chucked it all and started over! I looked around the house for an empty jar and found this little one to use. It isn't as full as the other jar but at least I finally got around to posting a picture of it!



Thanks so much for stopping by! I always enjoy your visits and comments. Have a wonderful week and I hope you are getting some of this beautiful weather!

Get Ready to Get Stuffed!

What a week it was since I last posted! The kind of "thank goodness that's over" type of week. It all began with our phone and internet service. Losing connection in the middle of a telephone call, soooooo sloooooow internet and just a major annoyance. They came out in a jiffy and it took a little while longer than I had anticipated but both are working 110% now. That should have been enough. Right? Nope. We were without any water for more than 30 hours. That was a real annoyance with dishes piling up in the sink, the dirty clothes hamper seemed to fill up faster than usual, no showers to be had and something as simple as washing your hands was unavailable!

DH is home on vacation again for the Turkey holiday. I do like having him around. During the evening we sit in the living area while he reads his astronomy magazines or works on his hobby and I stitch. It just reminds me of our earlier pre-kids days and has a cozy feel to it.

Did I mention that Poor Maidens was a gift from a lovely someone? I was so thrilled and couldn't stop dancing around the room. DH thought I was totally crazy! lol. I finished off AWWR - sort of. DH likes it better without the border. Yes, I usually show him my stitching and get his input. I still haven't decided whether to add the border or not so for now it remains a sort of finish.

While going through my stash I saw all those wonderful bird designs that are waiting to be done and remembered I also want a bird wall! Do I have enough walls? For now I am loving stitching on these pieces for my Winter wall and will probably concentrate on them for awhile. Now to go through my stash and find my next new start!

I have been keeping some candy on hand lately and I am beginning to gain some weight back. All my tests came back normal so I have another appointment with the doctor to discuss other possibilities. He thinks it could be something as simple as nerves. He said that's pretty common when you get older. Gee, thanks doc! Maybe I should tell him that he's no spring chicken either! lol.

Mr. Turkey is in the fridge getting thawed out for the big day. I always make my standard dressing that everyone loves for Thanksgiving dinner but I like play around with an extra dressing recipe looking for that perfect one with that special umph. This year I have come up with, what I think, will be THE one! Actually I am basing it on a salad that I love from a local restaurant (minus the lettuce)! Just sort of making it up as I go type thing. I'll let you know if turns out as good as I am hoping. What all do you fix for Thanksgiving? Any traditional dishes? Any new experimental ones?

Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for dropping by! I wish you all a wonderful holiday!

Happy Dance!

What have I been doing since my last post?

I re-arranged some things on the bookshelf, including my shelf of sewing goodies and a few things that are dear to my heart. Scissors I have accumulated displayed in the frog that Edgar sent to me. The glass cookie jar holding my collection of tomato pincushions complete with pins (sorry for the glare on the glass), a jar of buttons and of course my beloved corn shuck dolls that had once belonged to my Aunt. You can't see it but I even have a couple of Gee Haw Whimmy Diddles that my Grandpa made for me many years ago.



I finally have my first finish of the year! Here it is, all stitched up in practically no time and ready to get finished off for display. Poor Maidens by Paulette of Plum Street Samplers! I fell in love with the design immediately when I saw it and knew it would be a must. It was such a fun stitch and I enjoyed working on it so much! I could hardly put it down to do any housework. It was just what I need to renew my motivation.



It is worked on 18 count Fiddlers Cloth with the recommended DMC colors except for the middle maiden's dress which I changed to red (for my added red fix). I don't know why my green looks different from the picture but I still love it! The Fiddlers Cloth was the perfect choice because it gives the piece a rustic look. This is my first PSS finish and the first piece for my Winter wall. I. Am. Thrilled!

There are a few other Christmas/winter designs I want to get or are already in my stash that I want to do now. After I finished off Poor Maidens, I picked up my WIP of AWWR by Shakespeare Peddler and am almost finished with it! Then I made a "Christmas hint" list for dh which includes Favorite Spot Sampler by PSS. It looks like another really fun stitch and perfect for my winter wall!

In my last post I mentioned that I had made my list of pieces to stitch on the remainder of this year and into 2012. I divided this list into categories or walls I want to have. Adam and Eve/nature wall, In Memory Of/samplers wall, Winter wall and my yearly reminder wall. The last one is for those quotes I like to do each year that remind me how I want to live or things I just tend to forget and need a gentle reminder of i.e. Treat Yourself Well (Lauren's Voice) by La D Da.

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

Dance! Dance! Dance!

Happy Dance time! Happy Dancing around the room! I finished A Mind Independent and Free by CHS! I tried every angle to get a picture and some portion of it was always blurry. Remember this is a very long piece! I asked DH to hold it up for me but his heart just wasn't in it so maybe after it is framed I will have better luck! Of course, you can always see it at an online shop. I have to confess that I was a bit lazy and left out a tiny bit of it mainly because I was running out fabric and space to stitch on. All in all though I love it and am so thrilled to finally have it completed! I will think for a couple of days on whether to add this chart to my trade list or to put up for a giveaway! Hmmmm, what do you think? *silly wink* I haven't decided what my next new start will be yet but what ever it is, I promise it will be smaller and a lot less complicated! For now though, I am taking a stitching break while I ponder on these important decisions! *big grin*

I went for an evening stroll around our yard. Our tomatoes are coming along. For some reason they don't seem to be as big as usual (by this time) but fresh maters still make my heart go pitty pat especially when Harold decides to fix up a batch of his fried green tomatoes! Look at all the wonderful rose hips on this rose bush!

I have a blogiversary coming up next month. The 5 year mark! Five years of blogging and yacking my head off about basically any and everything! I have blogged about quilting, stitching, scrapbooking, decorating, weather, health issues, sad times, good times, fun trips, cooking, holidays, mundane errands, birds/nature, home repairs, gardening and so much more! And I have been very fortunate to share a lot of this with my dear stitching friends! Unfortunately I had some trouble with blogger a good while back and my earlier posts were lost. In honor of this milestone, I plan on having a giveaway. I don't know what it will be yet but keep checking back to see and have your chance at it.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Your visits and comments mean the world to me! Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart!

Happy Dance!

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

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

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

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

Productive Weekend

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

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

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

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

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

Done! Done! Done!

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

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

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

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

A Finish for Tuesday!

I finished up BAATN last night! Yea! I am really happy with how it turned out. As I said before, I made some major color changes so it would fit into my decor. I also changed the bottom flower design to a star from a Sampler Girl freebie. It had a quilted look to it and I felt it went the theme of the overall design better - at least for my taste! Now that this one is complete, I have several others I am looking to start but no more color changes for awhile! I also need to start back working on This is the Day several nights a week. So many of you finished it off already and mine is sitting here about half done! It is just too pretty to let go into the UFO pile!

I have also been trying to teach myself how to knit every once in a while. I still haven't started the classes yet but I found a website with free instructions and I am practicing. It's going slow right now but once I get the casting on down, I hope to be able to learn other stitches a little faster!

The rains are supposed to start again sometime this week and be another day after day after day type storm front! I guess we are due for some so we don't go into a drought but the yard just dried out to the point that I don't feel like I'm walking on a wet sponge whenever I go outside!

I hope everyone has a lovely day and until next time - stay safe, stay happy and stay well!