Long Busy Weekend

I can't believe that it is September! Once this month arrives, the remainder of the year seems to fly by before you know it! This month I will start stocking up on my holiday baking supplies. A few items each trip makes it lot less hectic and doesn't pinch the ol' wallet quite as much.

I hope that everyone on the east coast is safe and sound today after Hurricane Irene. We are far enough inland that we were not touched by her. The winds did kick up a few times during the day. Otherwise it was mild weather in our part of the state. We had our share of damaging storms earlier in the Spring so everyone around here breathed a big sigh of relief. My heart does goes out to the people on the coastline and those close enough to the coast to feel her effects and have to deal with her damaging wrath.

I had every intention of making a post earlier in the week but troubles with our internet connection kept me from doing very much online. Luckily it was just due for an update and not because of Irene. After that was fixed and running good, we had a whopper thunderstorm that knocked our power out for the better part of blogging time.

DH is taking several extra days off making it a nice long weekend. It's nice to have him around for more than just a couple of days. In the evenings, he works on his telescopes while I stitch.

Over the long holiday weekend we will celebrate our 35th anniversary! Wow, does time fly! It doesn't seem like yesterday but certainly not that long! I still remember...

For dinner one night last week I made Brenda's mac and cheese! Scroll down to post on 8/16/2011 on her blog for recipe. Yum! It did not sit around very long as everyone was going back for more! It was a big hit of the meal and I'm sure I will be asked to make it again very soon! I borrowed the picture from her blog but mine looked just as good!

I finished up page 3 on Marianne and was doing some major happy dancing. I still have about 9 pages left to go but the good news is that the last 4 pages are not full pages so that may help. I decided to treat myself to a new start and began my Mother's Tree. It looks really simple but once I realized how long some of our family names are compared to the picture on the chart, uhh, this may be a little more detailed than I had first thought! To quote Ricky Ricardo (remember "I Love Lucy"?) Ei, Yi, Yi. Oh well, it will still be a special piece! Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to just start on everything in my stash! Now that would really be a MIP (mess in progress)! LOL.

DH has a birthday coming up! He loves German Chocolate Cake and his mother used to make it for him every year on his special day. After we married, I begged her for the recipe for years to no avail. She would not share it with me (or anyone else). I was sure I could find a recipe else where but this was the one DH loved so I wanted to stick with it. When she got older and tired of the yearly ritual, she gave in and passed the recipe on to me. Now I make two each year for the birthday boy! One for home and one for him to share with guys at work. After my MIL passed away, I got her cookbook that she had put together over the years. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw that many of her prized and secret dishes were in there as clippings cut out from the local newspaper!

I am low on pictures this time around because DH borrowed my camera and didn't put it back in it's proper spot so I have to interrogate him later to find out it's current location! I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend! Thanks so much for stopping by!

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!

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.

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 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.

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!

Monday Morning

Our weekend was going to be full of our usual errands and running around but somehow we got off schedule and nothing much was accomplished on day 1. It wasn't a total waste though because I picked up several quilting magazines, JCS came in the mail along with one of my backordered designs (Seek Joy in Everything by NFF).

There was no stitching over the weekend as I decided my hands deserved a break (especially when I noticed some minor swelling). I am farther along than I had anticipated on Independent Mind so I don't feel bad about taking a little time away from it. I did get my sewing machine set up along with my cutting board set in place. I found some older cut triangles in a bag and decided to sew a few together.

A trip to the fabric store was in order for the second weekend in a row! For now I am working on collecting fabrics for several quilt tops I have in mind.

I played around on my blog again moving the new quilting blogs to their very own section. Just scroll on down to see it. Of course many of the gals in the Stitchers Plus section do quilting, knitting, rug hooking and more. That's what the Plus stands for! Stitching plus more. Wasn't that an interesting piece of trivia for the day! lol.

After the storms we had on Thursday night, the weather has cooled back down to normal Spring temperatures and the pollen was washed away! I have never never seen it so bad. You see it coming off the trees like thick smoke!

By now I have usually gotten outside with my sleeves pulled up working in the yard. Cleaning up from the winter months and making everything look somewhat better for the warmer months. I haven't done it yet. I know I need to get it done before the really hot months are upon us but for some reason, this year I am happy to stay inside with my stitching, various crafting magazines and my sewing machine!

Oh and by the way, Happy Birthday to my youngest who turns 24 today! 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.

Spring Has Sprung!

Our neighbor had the tree guy out last week to take care of several in his yard. He asked me about a tree that sits right on the property line almost split down the middle - half theirs, half ours. The tree was in bad shape and neither of us wanted to see it go but it had become a danger because either way it fell, it would land on one our houses. We all agreed to let them take it out. For the neighbors, it was a sad goodbye because of the shade the tree provided. For us it was a sad goodbye because we have watched woodpeckers make their home it the tree since we first moved here.

Over the weekend, our regular errands took priority. I worked on AAFG and Independent Mind this past week. That zig zaggy divider on Independent Mind is still driving me nuts but I found a solution! I have opted this part for now and started working on the "meat" of the design! Once I started this it felt as though a huge weight had been lifted so now I just do at least one line of the divider each time I pick it and it doesn't seem so tedious! I will share a picture once I get a little further along and I give my hands several days of rest. It sat in my basket feeling neglected for awhile and I am hoping to make up for that. I really want a new start but am holding off now because I would love to finish this piece!

Kathy Barrick has shared some sad news on her blog. After I was able to resume my stitching after years, her designs were one of the first "new to me" that I fell in love with!

Saturday was beautiful. Spring was in the air! Clear blue skies and warm temps. Sunday was a different story with dark gray skies and thunder storms all day.

I wanted to share a picture of one of the walls in our living area. This is the back wall and you can you see my stitching light on the wall that hangs over my chair. Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Ready or Not!

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

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

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

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

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

Show and Tell

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Blahs Can Be Good!

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

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

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

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

Weekend Surprise

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

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

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

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

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

Slushy Monday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

Brrrrrrr! It's Cold Outside!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Slow days

I worked on Bird in the Bower again but for some reason I feel like I am stuck on the first tree! I know I am not working on it as much as usual because I have been taking advantage of the lovely weather for gardening and there is also the fact that I just haven't felt like doing much stitching lately. Hmmmm. I don't reasons like the latter!

We have started tearing down our old deck so that we can begin working on a new one. Nothing different. Pretty much the same design and the same size. The old one lasted 20 years so if this next one will last that long, I'm happy!

I will only be feeding my backyard birds to the first week in June. As many of you know I only feed the birds from Halloween to the first week of June. This allows for cold weather and nesting season. During the winter, I only use the big feeder but when nesting season arrives I use all the feeders. We always have a lot of Cardinals around our yard but there seem to be a lot more than usual this year along with an extra helping of woodpeckers!

It has been a slow week around here for blogging so until next time - have a wonderful weekend, stay safe, stay happy and stay well!

Goals and Recap

We had another extra long weekend. I am getting spoiled! I just love having Harold home! Thursday looked very overcast and gloomy the first part of the day and I had ANOTHER doctor appointment! The skies were having a hard time making of their mind between overcast and sunny the remainder of the weekend.

It's May! Time for a re-cap of April's goals and a new list of goals for this month! This may just be the month for another give-a-way since I haven't done one in awhile so keep watching!

APRIL GOALS

1. Start new stitch - YES
2. Remain smoke free - YES
3. Eat Healthy - Well, we all have our weaknesses!
4. Exercise - YES
5. Buy frames - YES
6. Weed around backyard islands - YES
7. Plant sunflower seeds - NO
8. Follow my rotation schedule better - Not really
9. Keep birdfeeders full - YES
10. Put out several new birdhouses - NO
11. Finish two pieces - No but I did finish one
12. Buy and put out grape vines - YES
13. Place order - YES
14. Add to thread stash - YES
15. Add to Aida stash - NO
16. Ok! Ok! Start on Spring Cleaning - YES
17. Put out tomato plants - NO
18. Make appointment for our eye exams - NOT YET

Focus Pieces
1. This is the Day
2. Lauren's Voice

MAY

1. Add to thread stash
2. Add to Aida stash
3. Finish at least one piece
4. Finish off at least one completed piece
5. Keep birdfeeders full this last month
6. Frame pieces and add to wall
7. Buy frames
8. Exercise
9. Remain smoke free
10. Eat Healthy
11. Weed around islands
12. Add to fabric stash for quilt top
13. Begin cutting and piecing for quilt top
14. Plant sunflower seeds
15. Begin a new stitching design
16. Make eye appointment
17. Work on This is the Day
18. Work on Lauren's Voice
19. Place stitching order

Focus Pieces
1. Quilt top
2. This is the Day

Sorry, but no pictures today! Thank you so much for dropping by. I just love your visits! Until next time - stay safe, stay happy and stay well!

Monday Rise and Shine

Look what followed me home this weekend! It's not fancy smancy and doesn't do a lot of stand up and cheer tricks but it's faithful and loyal. How could I turn it away? LOL. Then we made a quick trip to pick out fabrics for my first quilt top in at least 5 years! Of course I forgot a few colors and other essentials so another trip to the fabric store is on my to do list for later this week! You don't hear me complaining! *big grin*

I made a list of quilt tops and table toppers that are on my "gotta do" list. I am sure more will be added as I begin looking around again! Working in a fabric store is alot like working in a candy shop. For awhile it is a dream come true but you get to a point when you just don't want to even see the stuff in your off hours! I am finally ready to shop, fondle and drool again! LOL.

Our long weekend was filled with beautiful weather! We both had doctor appointments, ran a few errands and just enjoyed the pleasant days!. I also stopped to pick up some more DMC so that I could kit up several more designs! The mail brought a nice surprise and I got Beth's new sampler! I was able to get quite alot done on my current WIP and hope to have it finished up within the next several days!

Thank you all for stopping by. I always enjoy your visits! Until next time - stay safe, stay happy and stay well!

Dropping in

to say hi! There isn't alot of exciting news around here right now. Just the same ol, same ol'. Get up, make up the bed, start the dishwasher, put in a load of clothes, check emails and read blogs while having some coffee, yadda yadda yadda!

I did get several new charts yesterday. I just love these by Plum Street Samplers! I may start on one later this weekend! *wink*

DH is taking a few extra days off so we will have an extra long weekend again and probably stay busy busy busy! I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Until next time - stay safe, stay happy and stay well!