Sherry's Goodie Bag and a Finish

Look what I finally finished! This will probably be my last finish for the year and I am very pleased with it!

Today is my birthday and time for me to start thinking about AARP! LOL! It is also time for Sherry's Birthday Goodie Bag give a way! I decided to make this give a way a surprise but I promise something you will absolutely love (and it is holiday related) and be able to use alot of it for your stitching projects!! Don't you wish I had a birthday everyday with give a ways like this? LOL!

To enter the drawing for this give a way, leave a comment on this post with you email address or a link to your blog so I can contact the winner. I will have hubby help me draw a name on Sunday evening and I will announce the winner on Monday's blog post!

Since the winner will not be announce until Monday, the give a way may not arrive until after Christmas but stitchers can use holiday related goodies all year, can't we?! *wink wink*

Unless Harold takes me out today, I have no plans. No laundry, no cooking, no dusting. Only stitching!

The Legend of the Snow Maiden

Once there was an old couple who had no children. One beautiful winter day, they looked out their window and saw the neighborhood children playing in the snow. At that moment, the couple was overcome with their longing for a child and decided to make a little girl out of the snow. As soon as they finished, color came into the little snow girl’s lips and her eyes opened. She had come to life! The couple was overjoyed, and took the girl into their hut. The snow maiden loved the outdoors and was happiest playing with the animals in the winter weather. However, when spring came around, she became sad and would hide from the sun’s light. One day, when summer had arrived, a group of girls from the village called for her to come and play with them. The snow maiden didn’t want to, but the couple encouraged her, and she went out into the meadows with the girls. It grew into evening and the girls lit a fire. The snow maiden, after hanging back from their games all day, finally gave in and joined the other girls around the fire, laughing, singing and dancing. One by one, the girls began to jump over the little fire they had built. Following her new friends, the snow maiden jumped over the fire as well, but halfway through her jump, she suddenly melted and turned into a white cloud. A faint good-bye was heard as she drifted up to the heavens.

*I would love to find some ribbons and buttons and decorative pins in my stocking*

Christmas is Getting Closer!

This was my story and picture that was in the Deare Ladyes of Threade newsletter this month. I was thrilled that Lori liked it enough to share with everyone else!

"A friend of mine told me (in passing) about a needlework piece she had acquired years ago. I was genuinely interested in knowing some more about it and she informed me that she intended to toss it out. She never liked it very much and it just didn't mesh with her decor. I told her to send it to me instead. I would be glad to give it a good home and show it off as I was sure it deserved.

When I look at it, I wonder about the person who made it. How old was she? Was she married? Where did she live? There is a connection among women who work with fibers (such as needleworking and quilting) that is as strong as the fibers they work with. Our work tells a story written with needles and threads instead of pen and ink to pass on and live through the years. A story of our lives, our loves, our passions. I am proud to be connected to these women from the past and the present. May our stories from the needles we use inspire someone in the future to join our ranks...."

After my soapbox rant yesterday about framing costs, I decided to make a few phone calls. I found a woman not far from me who seems to have very, very reasonable prices! She just may be my new framer! I am still going to try my hand at framing since I bought all the supplies but I am sure I will start taking some things to this new framer after the first of the year!

In keeping with my no obligation stitching rule for 2009, I have decided on several different types of PIF's for the New Year (which I will announce shortly after Christmas) and I will still have my occasional give a ways. I like the feeling of giving back to a community that has given me so much and with the economy how it is right now, it makes it even nicer to know I could help in a small way. Afterall, who says I can't start my own PIF? LOL! Keep checking back so you don't miss these!

Remember to check back often for my special birthday give a way that will be coming up very, very soon! *double wink*

The Legend of the Mouse

Long ago there lived a mouse in the forest. The mouse was very clever and was able to hide from a sly fox that was always trying to catch him. One day the fox was very close and the mouse knew he could not run away so he decided to hide in a Douglas-Fir cone. Unfortunately, the cone was too small. That is why - even today – you can still see the hind legs and the tail of the mouse sticking out from the Douglas-Fir cone!

*I would love to find some white chocolate candy in my stocking* (I didn't say I needed it though! LOL)

Thank you for stopping by to see me during this busy holiday season! I hope you come back again real soon!

I was Framed!

I went out this weekend to take a finished piece to the framers for the first time in many years. Oh my gosh! I almost had a heart attack when they gave me the price and that price included the 50% off coupon I had!

The gal that frames it all was real nice and showed me what they use and how they do the framing so I could buy what I need and hopefully do it myself. If I can do it like I am hoping, that will be a big money saver. I know there will be a few pieces I will want professionally framed which is fine but I will be looking for another framer in my area to do the job! I am not looking for super cheap. Just reasonable.
On one of the yahoo groups I am a member of, there was a discussion about the price of framing. Everyone was pretty much disgusted with the rates these days!

I love a nice pillow or ornament but nothing says "homey warmth" to me more than a wall full of framed needlework!

I did get to stitch on AAFG some on Friday for the weekly Let's Stitch SAT. I think everyone is a bit behind on their SAT, SAL and challenge stitching this month with all the busy-ness in the air! I know I am but as long as I can keep stitching on these a little, I won't feel that I have totally neglected them!

I have been making my 2009 stitching list complete with a few quilting goals. I am being fairly easy on myself this month so that I can get rested up and ready for the New Year! I have quite a few cross stitching and quilting projects I would like to get done this coming year. The actual list will be for my eyes only since it is fairly long but I will post progress on projects and also a list of finished pieces!

I am also thinking that 2009 just might be the year I learn to knit! I have thought about for a long time. Even as a child. I would love to make some yummy soft afghans to snuggle up with on a cold evening!

The Legend of the Carrot
A long time ago, the carrot ornament was very popular in Germany as a traditional gift for new brides. The carrot was believed to bring the bride luck in the kitchen when she would cook meals for her family, and when she was entertaining company.

*I would love to find a woodpecker birdhouse in my stocking!* (I will need a much bigger stocking this year! LOL)

Old Man Winter

Winter Cover. When we rake up the fallen leaves in Autumn, I like to use the many piles for winter cover around some of my more tender plants. Then later in the Spring, the leaves will turn to mulch good for the soil around these plants!

An American legends has the pineapple a symobl of hositality. When colonial sea captains returned from their tropical voyages, they would take pineapples from their cargo and hang them on their front door or gate post as a sign of welcome and hospitality. Later, people began carving designs into doorways and gate posts. Pineapples are still given today as a symbol of welcome or friendship.

*I would love to find a renewal to JCS in my stocking*

Thanks for stopping by to see me today and I hope you will take the time to say hi in the comment section! I love hearing from you!

Getting Ready for the New Year

Do you have a Christmas collection? What is it? Reindeer? Snowmen? Santas? Something different? I collect Santas. I just love them and keep them out year round! My collection changes from time to time with some becoming too tattered to enjoy and being discarded but a new one always comes to take it's place

This was my stitching journal for 2008. It is pretty full even though I really didn't get as much done as I had hoped to. I just took alot of extra pictures to fill it up! LOL! Last night I worked on fixing up my stitching journal for 2009, a holiday stitching journal and a journal of special stitches where I put photos of gifts, quilts, hand me downs, just those "special" stitches, ect along with notes about them. I also want to want to fix up a journal for all my beloved collections. I will show these later.

The Legend of the Silver Pine Cone

There once lived a poor family without enough food to eat or enough wood for their fire. The mother decided to go into the forest to search for pine cones. She was planning to use the pine cones to build a fire for her family, and she was also hoping she could sell some of them to get money to buy food.

After walking for hours, the mother finally reached the forest and started gathering pine cones into her basket. Suddenly, she heard a voice say, "Why are you stealing my pine cones?" With that, an elf appeared beside her.

She explained her sad story to the elf. With a crooked smile, the elf said, "Go into the next forest. The pine cones there are much better."

Hesitantly, the mother set off to the next forest, which was even farther away. When she reached it, she was very tired. She leaned against a tree and sat her basket on the ground.

No sooner had she set down her basket, and dozens of pine cones started falling to the ground. Filled with renewed energy, she gathered all the pine cones into her basket and returned home.

Tired again, once she returned home, she set down the basket for a moment on her doorstep. When she looked down at the basket of pine cones, they had all turned to silver.

The family would never be poor again.

Because of this legend, many people believe that a silver pine cone is lucky. It is customary to keep one on your dresser or hearth to make sure good fortune comes your way.

*I would like to find It's A Wonderful Life by the Sampler Girl in my stocking!"

Thank you for coming by to see me today! I enjoy your visits and comments so much! It means alot to me to share my love of collections, photography, needlework, cooking and more with you!

The Legend of the Evergreen Trees

Legend of the Evergreen Trees

One winter, when the birds were all leaving for the south and warmer areas, one little bird broke its wing on the way and was left behind. Soon frost and snow covered the forest and she was cold and hungry. So she asked the trees to help her and let her stay in their branches. However, the trees are not always kind. The birch tree was proud of being beautiful and haughtily replied to the bird's pleas by saying that he could not possibly help out because he had to look after the other birds of the forest first. The strong oak tree was reluctant because it was afraid that the bird would have to live there till spring time and would eat up some of its acorns. Even the willow tree that seemed to be gentle refused to help.

The poor bird was in much distress and tried to fly some more but her wing was still not fit for the purpose. Seeing her struggling like this, the spruce tree asked her, why she seemed so downcast. When the bird revealed her miseries, it offered her the thickest, softest and warmest branch to stay. The bird was really glad to find some help. Inspired by the kindness of spruce tree, the big and strong pine tree also volunteered to protect the spruce tree and the bird from the North Wind all through the winter. The little juniper tree also piped in to offer its berries to the bird to quench her hunger. So, the bird lived comfortably there and flew away again at springtime, when its wing healed again.

The Frost King, who kept close note of the behavior of all trees, strictly instructed the North Wind not to touch even a single branch of the kind spruce, pine and juniper trees; while he was free to play havoc with the leaves of other trees. The North Wind especially enjoyed in plucking the shining, green leaves of the willow, oak and other trees, leaving them bare for the winters, with nothing to protect them from snow, rain and sleet. It is for this kindness that the spruce, the pine, and the juniper remain green and shall always be known as evergreen trees.

Holiday legends

One of my favorite folklore tales is about the Christmas Pickle ... or is it really folklore!

A very old Christmas eve tradition in Germany was to hide a pickle [ornament] deep in the branches of the family Christmas Tree. The parents hung the pickle last after all the other ornaments were in place. In the morning they knew the most observant child would receive an extra gift from St. Nicholas. The first adult who finds the pickle traditionally gets good luck for the whole year.

And here is another version of the Christmas Pickle story.

A descendent of a soldier who fought in the American Civil War, John Lower (Hans Lauer?), born in Bavaria in 1842, wrote to tell about a family story that had to do with a Christmas pickle. According to family lore, “John Lower was captured and sent to prison in Andersonville, Georgia. ...In poor health and starving, he begged a guard for just one pickle before he died. The guard took pity on him and found a pickle for John Lower. According to family legend, John said that the pickle—by the grace of God—gave him the mental and physical strength to live on. Once he was reunited with his family he began a tradition of hiding a pickle on the Christmas tree. The first person who found the pickle on Christmas morning would be blessed with a year of good fortune.”

The Civil War ended in 1865, but glass Christmas tree ornaments did not become popular in the U.S. until around 1880, when F.W. Woolworth began importing them from Germany.

The Day Before

I love buttons and have several jars full of all kinds! I enjoy pouring them out to admire my favorites as well as just running my fingers through them all. I decided it wasn't enough to just look through these jars occasionally for my favorites so I made several Button Samplers. I used a brown paper bag from the grocery store, cut down, as my backing on them. I used some everyday buttons as fillers and to give them a more primitive feel. For the shank buttons, I cut off the back shank to help them lie a little flatter. Now I can admire my favorites anytime I want with ease!

Today I begin getting things ready for all the cooking that will take place tomorrow! Lots and lots of cornbread to be made. Eggs to be hard boiled. Loaf bread to be cut and cubed. Pies to be cooked. Celery and onions to be chopped. Sausage balls and cheese cookies to be made. I am sure there is more that I am overlooking so I have my list made out and ready to check off as I do each thing!

Thank you for stopping by to see me! Have a wonderful and blessed day!

I am Thankful for memories that make me smile.

Stitching

Thank you to all my readers and friends who posted their sympathies about the passing of my aunt. I know it will take awhile to adjust but I also feel relief for her that she is no longer suffering. Thank you again for allowing me to use your shoulders for support during this time!

The mail man brought several goodie envelopes for me yesterday. The blog give a way prize from Mercy arrived which included the Be A Witch chart, fabric and buttons! Just too cute and I can't wait to begin working on it! Also I got a design from Country Stitches that I have been waiting on!

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

And The Winner Is..............

Good Morning, dear friends!

I am happy to annouce that the winner of my first blog give a way is Betty! You know how to get in touch with my Betty and I will need your address to send the chart on to you!

Today is an overcast day and I can't think of much on my to do list that I need to get done. Basically, I can stitch! Yea!

I hope everyone has a great day!

If It's Old

I have always loved country and especially primitive decor! Quilts, old baskets, stoneware, needlwork, ect. I have seen many items from our decor come and go over the years. The boys used to love to surprise with old railroad spikes, wooden toys and such. I once asked them how they always seemed to know exactly what to get me and Michael answered "if it looks old and ready for the trash then I know you will like it!" LOL! Smart child!

It only stands to reason that I would fall in love with all of the wonderful primitive cross stitch designs available now!

One of my collections is buttons. I have collected them for a long time - before I even realized it was a collection! I have several jars full to the brim of special buttons, ones I take off clothing, decorative shapes, others I just "need" and some passed down to me!

I hope you have a wonderful day and come back to see me real soon!

Another Tree

As Gomer Pyle would say - Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! I wanted to show off yet another table tree I bought at the weekend sale! The picture just doesn't do it justice! It looks to have ice cicles hanging all over it! Just lovely! Later today I may pick up another completed stitch to make into a pin cushion! I just love little pillows!

November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month! According to the Epilepsy Foundation, epilepsy and seizures affect 2.5 million Americans, with direct and indirect costs amounting to $12.5 billion annually. Each year, approximately 181,000 new cases of seizures and epilepsy occur, with incidence highest in those under the age of two and over the age of 65. In their lifetime, 10% of Americans will experience a seizure.

Epilepsy has always been one of my soapbox causes since I was diagnosed with it at the age of 5.

Some individuals believed or known to have had epilepsy include: Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Isaac Newton, Vincent Van Gogh and Charles Dickens. St. Valentine – more famous to the modern world for hearts, flowers, and candies every February 14 – has been the patron saint of epileptics since the Middle Ages.

Have a great day and thanks so much for stopping by! I do enjoy your visits!

Spring forward. Fall back. Daylight Savings Time has come to an end for yet another year! How I will miss it! I always enjoy it that extra bit of daylight! But it will return again in March!

Last week was a busy one so my blog suffered a bit. Halloween was a nice evening but we only got a handful of trick or treaters. We just don't get many anymore. Sad but still understandable!

I managed to get some more done on AAFG for the Halloween SAT at Let's Stitch. I have already signed up for the next SAT and this week's challenge.

Ours is one of the states allowing Early Voting this year and we were able to get out to take advantage of it over the weekend. We stood in a long line but I imagine it will be a lot longer on Tuesday!

Once again, it is time for monthly goals!

October Goals

1. Continue to work on quitting smoking - YES and doing good!
2. Stitch on WIPs - YES
3. Continue to build thread stash - YES
4. Start a new stitch - YES
5. Start some smalls - YES
6. Keep my blog current - YES
7. Exercise - YES
8. Continue to build fabric stash - YES
9. Place stitching order - YES and last one for awhile
10. Eat Healthy - YES
11. Finish up at least 1 WIP - YES
12. Join the challenges and SAT at Let's Stitch - YES

October Focus WIPs

1. And A Forest Grew
2. Little House Nieghborhood

NOVEMBER GOALS

1. Continue to build thread stash
2. Continue to remain smoke free
3. Stitch on WIPs
4. Keep my blog current
5. Exercise
6. Join challenges and SAT at Let's Stitch
7. Start a new stitch
8. Stitch on Primitives
9. Build fabric stash
10. Build thread stash
11. Get ready for Thanksgiving
12. work on some of my freebies

NOVEMBER FOCUS WIP
1. And A Forest Grew
2. Victoria's Quaker

Thanks for stopping by to visit with me again! Come back soon!

Birds and Stitches

It is almost time to make a trip to pick up some food for the birds! A lot of you know that I only feed the birds from the end of October through the first of June. This time table will feed them during the cold winter months and help them out during the busy nesting season of Spring. June through late October they are on their own with plenty of bugs and berries to feed on. It helps them and also my wallet! LOL. They are still around during the "off season" but not as centralized around the feeders all the time!

As I mentioned yesterday, I have had quite a time with VQ and all the darn frogs attacking! But I think I am finally on a smooth running course! All the color changes have been made so that won't be a problem any more!

I picked up a few new Christmas ornaments over the weekend! Nothing like some festive colors to make you feel good and they had some really cute ones just calling to me!

Thanks for stopping by to spend some time with me!

Photo Friday

It's Fall in our backyard!

Thanks for stopping by to spend some time with me!

Two More Days

Yesterday I stitched some more on Victoria's Quaker and I feel like I have enough stitched to share a picture now. I am stitching it on Vintage Mocha 18 count Aida. I only made one color change by switching out the blue for green. Now it goes with my decor!

I received Best of Blessings in the mail yesterday! I totally love this design and the quote! I see another new start in the future! I would really like to get to the half way mark (at least) on AAFG and Victoria's Quaker though before starting anything else new.

There isn't alot of news around here right now which is fine with me! The weekend is almost here again! Two more days to go!

Thanks for stopping by to spend some time with me today!

Needed Rest and Catching Up

Wow! Did I need to get some catch up rest after the past several days! I have been sleeping in longer than usual the past couple of mornings! I will never complain about life being dull again! LOL! I totally lost track of the days last week and forgot to post my usual Photo Friday! Oops! Now that DH is back home and life is resuming some normalcy around here, I hope to be less fuzzy brained! LOL!

I was able to get a little stitching done during the Let's Stitch challenge week but not as much as I would have liked. I did work on my stitching though for the Friday night SAT and have posted a picture of my current progress!

Over the weekend, I was able to print out a few freebie charts, get a little bit of grocery shopping taken care of, pick up some needed threads and do a few necessary errands. The biggest part of my remaining order arrived over the weekend (Happy Dance!). I was able to kit up some more charts. I am still waiting on Best of Blessing by Hands to Work to arrive but I have the threads and fabric ready to go when it gets here!

Never Say Dull!

I have been MIA because the past several days have been anything but dull! Early Wednesday morning the doctor sent DH to the ER immediately where doctors and nurses (and a bed) were waiting for him when we arrived! He spent the majority of Wednesday in the ER then was moved to room to await them to take more tests on into Thursday. I spent both days running back and forth and being exhausted at night. All of his test came back normal so whatever is happening to him is still a mystery.

Because of the excitement, I didn't have much stitching time the past several days. Hopefully I will be able to get more done over the weekend! I did get an email saying that part of my remaining order has been shipped. After this, I will still be waiting on one chart and one other piece of fabric!

Instead of stitching update picture which I don't have right now, I will share a photo of a bit of Halloween decor!

Dull Day

It always seems that once September rolls around, the remainder of the year just flies by! I used to think it was because of school starting back but my boys are no longer in school and these months still seem to speed by!

Not a lot of news to write about today. I stitched on AAFG again yesterday for a little while and then did some things around the house that had been waiting for my attention. After all the weekend stitching I did, it was time to give my eyes a rest.

I am getting really antsy waiting for the remainder part of my order to come in! Of course, I still have to make a trip to pick up threads before I can begin any of these!

I wanted to share a picture of one of my bushes changing into some beautiful Fall colors!

New Starts, Orders and Progress

I have been making some really good progress on AAFG thanks to the challenges and stitch a thons over at Let's Stitch! There are 14 sections in all. I plan to stitch on this piece some each week and get it finished up now that I have worked on it again!

My orders are beginning to slowly trickle in. Kind Fond Love by The Sampler Company arrived on Thursday and so did my JCS ornament issue! And yes, I see plenty of ornaments I want to stitch up! The four blueberry bushes I ordered on sale in the Spring (they were out of stock and would not ship again until Fall) finally came in and have been planted! Here's hoping for plenty of yummy blueberries next season! Saturday's mail delivered Old Shaker Tune, Quaker Seasons, Quilt Square blocks leaflet, Quakers and Quilts and some fabrics. About half of the fabrics I ordered were out of stock and are on backorder. I am hoping there isn't a long wait for them as there are several I need to start on some of new charts!

After making a list of my unstitched charts, I made a list of charts I am most interested in working on. There are quite a few but here is a list of the NEW STARTS I would like to begin before the end of the year (which really isn't very far away).

1. Quakers and Quilts - need to get threads
2. Quaker Seasons - need to get threads
3. Kind Fond Love - need to get threads
4. Best of Blessings - waiting for chart to arrive
5. Victoria's Quaker - still waiting on fabric needed

Photo Friday

Of course, we had to visit the Battleship North Carolina while in Wilmington. Once again, it was a very humbling experience to imagine the men that lived and died on these very decks during wartime.

Cooler Days a coming!

I am behind many other bloggers in acknowledging October as Breast Cancer Month. My aunt is a survivor of it and I have a friend who was diagnosed. Earlier this year, I was afraid I would join the ranks of women diagnosed every day when they found a lump. I went in my for my test (digital) and had the results before I left the building. I was fine but at that moment it hit home just how terribly important is to be tested each year! Please get checked!

I was so happy when I decided on my theme for the MM&I SAL. I wanted my neighborhood to just ooze folk art. I really have no worries that I will get what I need before the designated time but I am already working on LHN Little House Neighborhood and HOHRH and want to start on VOHRH in the future. Where in heaven's name would I put yet another neighborhood? After all, our house isn't all that big! We have a limited amount of wall space and I still have so many other goodies waiting to be stitched and framed to hang! Then I read about Lisa's theme! Basket houses! I was kicking myself for not thinking of this sooner! I am notorious for putting little pillows and other goodies in baskets or bowls to set around the house! She has given me the green light to use her idea and I feel as if a huge weight has been lifted! I can stitch each folk art house, make a tiny pillow out of it and display it all in a lovely basket if I choose to go this way!

I decided to count my unstitched charts last night. The grand total is 87 which includes the new ones coming in but doesn't include all the freebies, magazine charts or the mounds of Christmas ornament chart books I have accumulated! I know I won't be able to make much of a dent by the end of 2008, but my goal is to steadily see this number get lower! I have 30 of these on a list that I am really interested in working on first and foremost. As they say, slow and steady wins the race! So this will definitely mean that procrastinating must be a thing of the past!

Today I wanted to show off a bit of progress I am making on AAFG. It is coming along so much more smoothly now and I am really enjoying working on it again!

Goals. Past and Present.

I stitched on AAFG again yesterday and I am really starting to see some progress! Section two is coming along much more smoothly now.

Happy October to everyone! Time to recap my September goals and list my goals for October!

FINISHED
Good Things by Notforgotten Farm
JCS ornament

STARTED
Little House Neighborhood by LHN

Made Progress On
Little House Neighborhood
AAFG

September Goals

1. Work on WIPS - YES
2. Keep working on quitting smoking - YES
3. Christmas stitches - YES
4. Continue to build up my thread stash - YES
5. Begin a new stitch - YES
6. Keep my blog as current as possible - YES
7. Enjoy my stitching! Very important! - YES
8. Don't over stitch and irritate eye problems - YES
9. Choose 1 or 2 WIP for Monthly Focus stitches - YES
10. Eat healthier - YES
11. Work on fabric stash - NO
12. Walk more - Walking but not over doing it
13. Tea Dye fabrics - DID SOME
14. Work on pieces for wall of samplers - YES
15. Stay within stitching budget - LOL!
16. Work on designing my Neighborhood - SORT OF

September Focus WIPS

1. Good Things by Notforgotten Farms - FINISHED
2. Little House Neighborhood by LHN - YES

October Goals

1. Continue to work on quitting smoking
2. Stitch on WIPs
3. Continue to build thread stash
4. Start a new stitch
5. Start some smalls
6. Keep my blog current
7. Exercise
8. Continue to build fabric stash
9. Place stitching order
10. Eat Healthy
11. Finish up at least 1 WIP
12. Join the challenges and SAT at Let's Stitch

October Focus WIPs

1. And A Forest Grew
2. Little House Nieghborhood

No stitching pics today. Instead a cute tree frog we saw peaking out at us while in Wilmington!

A New Week, A New Start

Towards the first part of the weekend, we were having usually cool weather lately! It was more like very very chilly and windy March days instead of the unusual September days full of humid heat left over from the summer. But I liked it! For once, it really felt like Fall in the hot south! Now the hot days have returned along with that awful humidity we are so well known for!

Over the weekend was grocery shopping as usual. Ugh! I stopped by the fabric store and picked up some floss and Aida to have when I need it. Friday night was a stitch a thon over at Let's Stitch and I worked on Little House Neighborhood. I have really been enjoying this blog! It gives me exactly the encouragement for my stitching and in a fun way! This week a challenge was issued to stitch on our oldest UFO or WIP. I chose And A Forest Grew which has been sitting in my basket just gathering dust! To the side is a picture of where I left off. I hope to be able to post a picture showing lots of progress later in the week!

So many charts to work on. So little time to do it all in! I wish I could just blink my eyes and have my stitching "to do" list all finished! LOL! After this next order, I am putting myself on a chart diet. I can't just go cold turkey but I must cut back ALOT until I finish off a good bit of my list! Threads and fabrics are necessities so I won't include them in my stash diet! But I must place this next order before I begin! Sort of like having that last place of cheesecake before starting a strict food diet! LOL!

Photo Friday

Yes, I still have some pictures from our Wilmington trip left to show! LOL! I hope you aren't too bored yet!

Another Wednesday

In honor of the wonderful Fall days we have been having, yesterday I made a pot of my favorite flavored coffee for Autumn. Spiced Pumpkin! I don't know which I enjoy more - drinking it or smelling the wonderful aroma as it brews!

It is official! As of now, I have been smoke free for over a month! And this time I intend to keep it that way! I feel so much better!

I am debating about whether or not to add Family Reunion by Rosewood Manor to my upcoming order. What a beautiful piece and I do love family history! I guess I will just flip a coin to decide!

There really isn't a lot of news to post about right now so I will leave you with my progress on Little House Neighborhood.

Stitching and Sweaters

Ah, the cooler days of Autumn have arrived in our area of the south. At least for a little while and I am keeping my fingers crossed it sticks around! It is chilly enough in the mornings and evenings to put on a sweater! The leaves are beginning to change their colors and I see a lone leaf falling to the ground occasionally which means more will follow very soon!

Yesterday I stitched on Little House Neighborhood some more. I picked it up around lunch time and stitched for 20-30 minutes then last night after dinner I worked on it again for about 35 minutes. I was amazed at how much I actually accomplished on it during these short periods. Maybe I should work like this more often (in several short periods instead of one longer one). I seem to get more done by doing it this way.

DH went in yesterday to have the other tests that the doctor ordered for him. They had the results before he left but told him that his doctor could call him with those. They did tell him he could come home and they let him know that if had been anything to worry about, they would have kept him at the hospital. So that part is good news.

I worked on a new stitching order last night! LOL! Like I really need to get anything else right now! But there are a few (clearing my throat!) things I really want and I want to work on building up my fabric stash some more. I have the order ready but am waiting a while longer before placing it.

Everyone have a great day!

After the Weekend

I went out for a few short errands over the weekend. I really didn't want DH driving very much and tried to just keep him at home to get plenty of rest. I bought some more threads and I picked up some things for DH to tinker with over the weekend so he wouldn't get bored.

All in all, it was a just a relaxing stay at home weekend. I managed to get some more done on Little House Neighborhood. I probably could have gotten more done but I had to take time out for taking out a entire row that was off a stitch!

I found "And A Forest Grew" in the bottom of a basket (unfinished of course) so that has been re-added to my WIP list. All these big pieces on my WIP list make me want to start some quick smaller pieces so I won't begin to feel so hopeless about finishing anything!

I worked on organizing my charts. Finally! I used 4 square bins with lids (big enough to store large quilt squares in). One bin holds holiday charts, magazines and small leaflets or books, Bin 2 holds charts I bought and still like but really don't want to stitch on anytime soon. Bin 3 holds charts I want to work on kitting up. Bin 4 holds the ones already kitted up. This system will make finding what I want a lot easier!

Weekend Catch-up

My eyes finally began to feel a little better over the week-end. I just hate it when they give me a hard time. I can't seem to make DH understand that there is no pain involved. It just feels like someone keeps throwing handfuls of sand into my eyes. A very gritty feeling that makes me want to constantly rub them only that gets them more irritated!

On Saturday I worked in the yard for awhile and got some weeding taken care of. Not exactly my favorite thing to do but it was calling to me very loudly! LOL! After this I think I will wait for the weeds to just die back then add some more mulch and/or fallen leaves to the beds which can also be referred to as the lazy way out! I couldn't stay out there long as Harold decided to mow the lawn and all that grass flying around in the air just wasn't agreeing me very well.

I am still trying to debate on my next stitching start. I know I would like to do a few ornaments. Quick and something I have wanted to work on for awhile but I would also like to have a larger WIP. No hurry. I have time to decide!

While we were on our trip I drank my fair share of Micky D's iced coffee! Definitely a refreshing and yummy treat!

No News is Good News

Our yard has berries! The pyracanthas are showing their Fall colors beautifully and the crabapple is bursting with color as well! The mailman should be delivering my order of blueberry bushes this month! I took advantage of a wonderful after season sale and I ordered enough to make the birds very happy and hopefully have some left for us!

No posting for me yesterday. We were without TV, phone and internet for a good part of the day! Yikes! How did we survive? LOL!

Since finishing up on Good Things I haven't started on a new stitch yet! I know I want to start Little House Neighborhood by LHN and restart HOHRH. I am debating on whether to begin a medium or larger piece but it will have to wait a few days. My eyes bothered really bad yesterday and last night. I haven't had that much trouble with them in quite a while! I need to let them rest up a few days more before starting with small detailed work.

I need to go back through patterns and charts for my Neighborhood stitch. I found out that I have a class reunion coming up and I would love to go since I didn't make the last one but in order to do so, I am going to have to refrain from any stitching orders for awhile! So I will just use what I have in my stash for this project!

Time For Stitching

I got a wonderful surprise in the mail yesterday! Carol sent me a beautiful PIF floss ring symbolizing September 11th. I just love it so much! Thank you for making my day a little brighter, Carol! We must both like our decks for making pictures because I noticed her pic of the floss ring is almost identical to mine! LOL!



Here is a picture of my finished Good Times that I was able to complete before leaving for the coast! This was one of my focus pieces for September and now with so much of the month still left I feel like I should add another piece to take it's place!



It's a good thing that actual construction does not start on our neighborhoods until December 31st because I promised DH I would slow down on my cross stitch orders for a bit! I don't need many charts but I would hate to have to begin before I have everything!

We had such wonderful Autumn like days for awhile and now the high temps and humidity have returned! Fortunately, it is supposed to cool back down within the next several days! Hopefully those nicer days will stick around next time!

I'm Back!

Good news! I have found the border I want to use for my Neighborhood stitch! I really thought I had this chart in my stash but after digging through several times over and not finding it I just added it to my order list! It is all starting to come together in my mind now. I was going to put the alphabet in the border but that just wouldn't look right in the border I chose to use so I plan to "tuck" portions of the alphabet all through out the neighborhood! I will begin to order the few charts I still need very soon.

Tuesday, I got my hair trimmed up and began to pack for our mini get away to the coast of NC! We haven't been there (by ourselves) since the first few years of our marriage when we were still a twosome instead a busy family of four! Returning again as a twosome seemed to make this perfect anniversary trip!

I finished up Good Times the night before we left and it felt so good to put that last stitch in. Since I had no WIPs to speak of, I left my stitching at home while we were gone! I just love it when we are able to get away! It totally de-stresses me and I come home feeling calm and cleansed!

Since it was just the two of us, we got to re-visit many of the spots we had enjoyed before plus see a lot of new ones. It was a slow comfortable vacation instead of those wild "gotta see and do everything" family vacations when the boys were little! I will spare you all a super duper long post and just share bits and pieces of our trip (along with pictures) over the course of the next week or so!

The picture posted today is one taken while we walked the beach!

Wednesday

Last year, we bought a new Jeep that I absolutely LOVED! I looked for any excuse to jump in and go for a ride! Then about 4 months later, DH pulled the plug on me and traded it for a truck! UGH! I hated it with a passion but I didn't fuss because he had wanted a truck since we first got married and now he had one but my heart still ached for the Jeep. About a month ago, he decided that he wanted to trade for something that got better gas mileage! Ah Ha! Opportunity knocks! I began planting ideas about how great our Jeep had been. Guess what we have sitting in the driveway again? Yep, another Jeep and it is 99% identical to the first one! How cool is that! And I am happy to go riding around again.

I am on the first week of the non smoking aid once again and right on schedule. If it works as it should (and has in the past), Sunday will be my first smoke free day! I am trying to recreate as much as possible so I can have the same (actually even better) results. I really admire those that can just put the cigarettes down, quit cold turkey and never smoke again. We have tried quitting that way without success. It's obvious to us both that our will power is weak and we need help in doing this. Even though this is my third time on the non smoking aid, I refuse to admit failure! This will be my year!

As a present to help give me incentive to quit smoking and keep my hands busy, DH told me to order some stitching fabrics so I will have plenty to work with. I am not only determined to quit smoking but to get that wall of samplers finally in movement!

I have narrowed my list down to these for starting choices (and in no particular order). I will probably just pick and choose as I go. Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Moe works good too! LOL!

1. Good Things
2. Beyond My Heart
3. Where My Heart Blooms
4. Love Thy Neighbor
5. Home of a Needleworker (too)
6. Awake the Dawning Day

Stitching and Doctors

The new JCS looks like a great edition with all those yummy Halloween stitches! If my subscription doesn't kick in on time for the mailman to bring me this issue, I will definitely have to go by the bookstore to pick it up!

One of my orders arrived yesterday with 3 Christmas charts - Believe by Dames of the Needle, Joy to the World by Shepard's Bush and Wish by Shepard's Bush. I am still waiting on order #2 with several charts I am very anxious to get my hands on!

I have gotten a lot more stitching done on my Christmas piece! I still need to finish up the rest of the green on the ornament, the remaining white and the last of the red. I am hoping to finish it up by the end of the weekend so I can pick up Willow Tree Sampler next week to resume working on but the bursitis in my shoulder has been acting up which makes it hard to stitch for long periods of time. The Christmas piece may not be finished now until the first part of next week! Those aches and pains that accompany getting older can really put a damper on life in general! LOL!

Still pretty dull around here. A doctor appointment for me today which is ok cause it's only lab work for my thyroid level. I am keeping my fingers crossed the results are still at a normal level and medication is still not required. I am only going in for thyroid checks twice a year now instead of every month which is a lot easier on me!

Just the Basics

AGH! The power was out this morning when I got up. Obviously it was going on and off all night then just finally stayed off in the wee morning hours! No coffee!!! And I will NOT drink instant! Besides I would have needed the stove or microwave to heat up the water good and hot for it! It's amazing how dark the house is early in the morning even with the sun being up! I still had to use a flashlight!

Finally about an hour after I had started stirring around and I was outside, I heard the whirring sound of power in the house! YEA! First things first. I fixed a pot of coffee, turned on the computer then after I did the important things I did the other chores! LOL!

I began a new start last night! A pretty and very simple Christmas design that will make a wonderful pillow! At last! My very first "all for me" Christmas stitch! It hasn't gotten far enough along to post a picture of my progress but maybe tomorrow!

The past two posts have been rather long so I will keep this one on the short side! No pictures. No lists! LOL!
Everyone have a GREAT day!