A Wonderfully Exciting Day

Renee showed up around 4:30 pm and needless to say we were both extremely excited! I got to see new pictures of her nephew and boy is he so cute! We spent most of the evening sharing our stitching stuff with each other and watching Christopher Titus: Norman Rockwell is Bleeding. Overall it was a great evening and hated to go to bed but since the kids had school today I reluctantly went to bed around midnight.

Today we are planning on making a trip to my LNS. It was here when she lived here before but we both actually thought it was closed since it sits off the road a ways and there were never any cars there like it was open. It isn't much but at least they do carry the whole line of DMC floss (which Wal-Mart doesn't here) and has a large selection of patterns. I know later this week she wants to make a trip to Tupelo (about 90 min away) and they have a Hobby Lobby there so I will be able to get some more stash!

I didn't get any stitching done yesterday which was no surprise to me. I am not sure if I will get any stitching in today. I am just going to see how the day goes. I did pass Cathy's RR on to Renee last night. So for once I am ahead on getting my packages mailed out. :)

Last night I stitched on Herbs & Spices. I managed to finish the basil, start and finish the oregano, and start on saffron. I really like how it is turning out! Tonight I will be working on Nicki's RR piece. Her theme is the Bent Creek Arches. I will be stitching the Winter Arches for her. Next to autumn, winter is my second favorite time of the year. I know I am strange but I love snow and the cold season!

Tomorrow I will start looking at my patterns to find one to stitch for Cathymk's birthday for the birthday exchange. Her birthday isn't till March so that gives me a little time to find something.

I haven't stitched anything yet today because it has been a busy day for me. I somehow got volunteered to help my friend out with her yard sale. She will be moving in a couple of weeks and is trying to get rid of most of her stuff. She actually did pretty well. She made between 300-400 dollars today! She is having one again next week and now my kids want to go thru their stuff and try to see if they can make some money next weekend.

I did get some really great news today. Renee called to let me know that she and her mom will be here Monday evening! Whoo-hoo!! I am so excited. I feel like a 6 yr old on Christmas Eve laying in bed trying to go to sleep. LOL Since they will be here a week I probably won't be posting much next week. I am not for sure how much stitching I will get done either.

Carol-the fabric I used for Deepest Love is some 28 count evenweave that I dyed myself. I really like how it turned out. When I dyed it I already had the pattern picked out so I think that is why I like it so much. It pretty much turned out how I pictured it in my head, which doesn't happen very often!

Happy Birthday, Jerry!

Deepest Love is really starting to look good! I worked on her for quite a bit yesterday. I worked on her till about midnight and believe me I will pay for it today! *Yawn* I did get my gift finished yesterday. I used a finishing that I haven't tried so it isn't totally perfect but overall I was pleased with the results. Today I will be working on Herbs & Spices. I hope to get some good stitching in today since last week I didn't get enough done to take a picture.


Today is my brother's birthday. I hope he has a good birthday. I wish I could be there to say it in person but I can't so later on this afternoon we will give him a call. I can't resist rubbing it in that he is turning 36. :D

Happy Birthday, Jerry!!

A Good Stitching Day

I worked on The Fortunate Traveler yesterday for the TW SAL on the Friends Gather BB. I made some good progress on it, too! Last week when I worked on it I kept messing up so I only ended up stitching the word "traveler". I still have a long ways to go before I finish it but things are looking good.

Today I will be stitching on Deepest Love. I really enjoy working on this pattern. Later on today, I will be working on finishing up a gift. I finished the stitching last night and I really like how it turned out. I just hope the finishing turns out as well as the stitching did!

Some Progress

Yesterday I worked on my SAL with Becky. I wanted to stitch more but I woke up with a headache and I couldn't shake it off. If I have learned one thing about stitching it definitely is that I can't stitch when my head hurts. Good thing is when I woke up this morning it wasn't hurting.

Today I will be working on The Fortunate Traveler. I had a rough time last week but I am going to get some good stitching in today!

Today was my SAL with Christine D. I did work on her for a few hours this evening, however, it just doesn't look like it in the picture. I was stitching on her chest/neck and trying to work my way up to her face until Allie reminded me that we need to work on her science project for the science fair next week. She is learning how to recycle paper. Last year she got honorable mention for her project on how stalactites and stalagmites are formed.


Leslie-Cathy's RR is Autumnology from The Triology. Another pattern on my to buy list now!

Tagged!

I was tagged by Christine D. so here goes:)

The Meme of Fours

Four Jobs I Have Had in My Life:
1. Waitress
2. Cashier
3. Office Manager
4. Wife/Mother

Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over Again:
1. Grease
2. History of The World Part 1
3. Evolution
4. Christopher Titus: Norman Rockwell is Bleeding

Four Places I Have Lived:
1. Starkville, Mississippi
2. Omaha, Nebraska
3. Rogers, Arkansas
4. Mason City, Iowa

Four TV Shows I Love to Watch:
1. Law & Order SVU/CI
2. House
3. Are You Being Served?
4. Girlfriends


Four Places I Have Been on Vacation:
1. Niagara Falls, Canada
2. Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
3. Minneapolis, Minnesota
4. Dallas, Texas

Four Websites I Visit Daily:
1. EZ Board BB's
2. My e-mail
3. Various Blogs (too many to list)
4. Neopets (don't laugh I go there with my kids to play games..lol)

Four of My Favorite Foods:
1. Cheesecake
2. Pepper Steak
3. Spaghetti
4. Cheese & Crackers

Four Albums I Can't Live Without:
1. Trace Adkins-Songs About Me (Badonkadonk!)
2. Metallica-Black
3. Simon & Garfunkel-The Concert in Central Park
4 George Strait (anything)

Four Places I'd Rather Be:
1. Cairo, Egypt
2. Paris, France
3. London, England
4. Hawaii

Four Bloggers I Am Tagging:
1. Mylene
2. Von
3. Renee
4. Leslie

2 HD's in One Day!

I am on a roll today! I started Cathy's RR and finished today. I guess I am making up for not getting too much done during the week. I really liked stitching this square. Like I said before it has to be because I love fall. :)


I am not for sure what I will be working on tomorrow. It will either be a surprise gift or Nicki's RR.

A Not So Productive Week

I have to say as far as stitching goes this week I didn't get a lot accomplished. On the bright side I did finish my present for Melissa in the birthday exchange. Whoo-hoo!! I finished in a way that I have never tried before so it took me longer than normal. I am happy with how it turned out.

Since I finally have that finished I will be working on Cathy's RR later today. I am hoping to have it finished when Renee comes for a visit so I can hand it to her in person rather than mail it. Cathy's theme is the Autumnology Triology. I really like this pattern. Maybe it has something to do with autumn being my favorite season. I will be stitching the leaves square. I think that is appropriate for me since I love to see the leaves change colors.

As for other news, I got a bad scare yesterday with my computer. My computer threw a major fit yesterday and wouldn't work for me. I am not good with computers so I had to wait until Mike got home. That was even worse because he had no clue what was wrong with it either. That left me with just one option left...call my brother! I lucked out and he was able to tell Mike over the phone what was wrong and how to fix it. Whew that was a close call! So now my computer is working fine and I am happy. The saying "If mom isn't happy nobody is happy" definitely applies to my household.

I worked on Deepest Love today and made some good progress. I can't wait to see it when it is finished!


Last night I attempted to work on The Fortunate Traveler last night but after messing up three times and having to rip out three different times I decided that I should just put it away until next week. So instead I went thru my patterns to see if I had anything to stitch for the Spring Exchange on The Exchange Place BB. I did find something but I need to purchase some fabric so that is my excuse to go to the craft store. LOL...like I need an excuse!

**I have am in the Easter Exchange on The Exchange Place BB instead of the Spring Exchange but I am really thinking about joining that one, too!

SB Question of the Week

Have you had a happy dance yet this year? If so, tell us about it! (Or just point to the entry that talks about it.) If not, when do you predict it will be?

I had my first HD of the year earlier this week. I finished my piece for the Lottery exchange on the SBEBB. I was pleased with how it turned out and I hope the recipient will like it, too. I am hoping to have another HD this weekend when I work on the finishing for Melissa's birthday present.

I haven't even had a chance to pick up my needle today and it is almost 8pm! The kids got out of school early today so by the time I was done with cleaning the house it was time to help with their homework. Krissy is in her school spelling bee so we spent most of the afternoon studying the words. The spelling bee is tomorrow morning so we will see if all her hard work pays off.

I had some good news this week. Renee's sister had her baby! He is so cute. Since he has made his entrance into the world we now can plan a definite date for her visit. I am terribly excited about it not to mention so are my kids. That is their "Aunt Nae-Nae". I don't know what we will do while she is here but I know there will be lots of talking and laughing going on.

Yesterday I stitched on A Time For Everything with Becky. Hop on over to her blog and see her progress. Today I will be stitching on The Fortunate Traveler which means more one over stitching! I am actually beginning to like to stitch one over. Although, it makes me realize I do need to get my eyes checked and more than likely I need a new script for my glasses.


Ria-The design for my Lottery piece is called Itching to Stitch and it is a freebie from 2 Busy Stitching. I am addicted to the freebies! LOL

First HD of the Year!

I am having my first HD of the year! I finished Itching to Stitch for the Lottery Exchange. I should have been working on Woodland Faerie but I was so close to finishing I couldn't put it down. I stitched it on some 32 count Lugana that I received from Cathymk in my Birthday package. I finished it into a wall hanging. Overall, I am happy with it except that it looks crooked to me! I was worrying over it as I am a bit of a perfectionist.


This weekend I also finished the stitching on Melissa's birthday present and all I have left to do is the finishing. Sorry no pictures (yet!) I will say that the finishing technique I am using will be the first time I have tried it so I hope it turns out.

Here is a close up of the design. Sorry it is a little dark .

I had hoped to get more stitching done yesterday on Herbs & Spices but I messed up and had to rip out most of what I had stitched earlier in the day. I finished the stitching on the ginger (the brown blob) and started to stitch on the basil. Tonight (and tomorrow) I will be working on my piece for the Birthday Exchange and if I finish it up I will finish my piece for the Lottery Exchange.


I managed to go to the craft store today and bought some cute patterns. First one I got is Celtic Jeweled Cross from Dracolair Creations. The other one is a design from Bent Creek but since it will be a stitched gift I can't tell you the exact pattern but it is really cute!

Happy Birthday Allie!!

I worked on Deepest Love yesterday. I really love the colors in this pattern. Today I will be working on Herbs & Spices. I should get a lot of stitching time in today as yesterday I managed to pull a muscle in the back of my knee last night. I don't know how I did it either! It still hurts to walk or put any pressure on the knee so I am going to keep off of it as much as I can today. I have always had problems with my knee since I was in a bad car wreck when I was 12. Thank you, Miss Drunk Driver! (note the sarcasm)


Today is Allie's birthday. She was up at 5 am this morning bouncing off the walls! It is going to be a long day. She has invited a couple of friends to spend the night with her. Hopefully, I can keep Mac from bugging them too much. She has asked me to wait on baking the cupcakes as she wants to help. Which means my kitchen will be a disaster with three little girls helping me out!

Happy Birthday Allie-Cat!

More One Over Stitching

I worked on Fortunate Traveler yesterday. I finished up the title and started on the story. It was all one over stitching. I have to admit that one over stitching is kind of a pain but the effect is definitely worth it.


I still haven't decided if I like my daily rotation or not. My main thing is I feel like I don't get enough progress done it one day. I am going to stay with my daily rotation until my first five projects are done but after that I am not for sure if I will continue it or not. I guess I will just have to wait and see.

Von-Yes, Renee and I and have been best friends for twenty years. She is a wonderful friend and I am proud to be her friend. She has always been there for me when I have needed her support. I am truely blessed!

I made some good progress on my SAL with Becky yesterday. I really like stitching on this pattern. Probably because it reminds me of growing up on the farm. :)

This week has gone by so fast and it doesn't seem like I have gotten anything done! Allie's birthday is Friday (Yes, she was born on Friday the 13th!) and I am no where close to having everything ready for her party. She want so have some friends spend the night which of course will be fine with us. She has already told me what she wants for her birthday dinner. She wants spaghetti and cupcakes. No objections from since both are fairly easy to make.

This morning Renee called to let me know that she made it to the States okay. I will be seeing her probably around the first of February, it all depends on when her nephew decides to make his entrance into the world. It has been 4 years since I have seen her in person. We talk every week but it isn't the same as sitting down together and having a gab session. I am so excited!

Report Cards

This weekend I worked on my present for Melissa but I ran out of white so I had to put that away until I get some more white. I did manage to get started on my piece for the lottery exchange. Hopefully, I will be able to finish it up this weekend. As for stitching today I haven't even picked up my needle once but once the kids are in bed I will be able to work on Woodland Faerie for a couple of hours and believe me my nerves need it today.

Today reports cards were sent home so I spent most of the day worrying about how Mac's grades were going to be like. I was definitely relieved to find out that he did rather well. He got one A, two B's and one C. He did a lot better than the teachers originally were telling me. Whew!!

Allie's grades were great, too! She got five A's and two B's. She also is VIVA/Arts (basically advanced art) and has done some beautiful designs for me. She definitely did better in Reading this quarter. Last time she got a C but time she got an A! It kills her to actually sit still for 20 minutes to read. Allie is a ball of energy from the time she gets up till she falls asleep.

Krissy also did great! She got five A's and two B's. Her B's were one point away from an A. Two of her A's were 99%!! All of these A's are going to make me go broke but I am not complaining. :) I am really proud of all three of them.

Herbs & Spices

I got some good progress last night on Herbs & Spices. I haven't decided if I am going to keep this for myself or give it as a gift.



Today I will be working on Melissa's birthday present. Sorry, I can't post a picture until she receives it. I will say I am really happy with how it is turning out so far. I am also want to start on the my Lottery exchange piece this weekend.

Nancy K- I bought my copy of A Time For Everything from my LNS. Since I don't shop online I don't know where you could get it but I am sure you can find it somewhere. :)

Jenna-I use Rit and Dylon fabric dyes. It is a fairly easy process to do and I like being able to "control" the exact color that I want it to turn out.

Deepest Love

Yesterday, I started working on Deepest Love from Mirabilia. I am stitching her on royal blue evenweave that I dyed myself. I didn't get to work on her too much yesterday as it was way beyond chaotic here! I did end up having to rip out some stitches at the bottom. On one stitch I messed up and stitched it one over one. Luckily, I didn't have to rip too much out but it still threw me off for a little bit.

Today I will be stitching Herbs and Spices from the Sept/Oct 1988 issue of Cross Stitch & Country Crafts. I will be stitching it on 28 count white evenweave.


It is snowing here! Okay, so it is only snow flurries. Most of you may think that I am crazy but it excites me to see snow. Mainly 'cause here in Mississippi we seldom get snow. When I say seldom I mean I have not seen snow here in at least 4 years and when it did it did not even leave a light covering of snow. Looks like it will be a great day to curl up in my stitching chair and stitch! :D

The Fortunate Traveler

Today I stitched on The Fortunate Traveler. I worked on the wording which is stitching one over one. I have to admit I am getting a lot better at stitching one over one! You can't really tell in the picture but the wording is actually 2 different colors (3362 &3363 but not blended). It wouldn't have been bad but my kitty, Madison, was having too much fun trying to steal my floss and mixing the strands of floss together.



Today's SBQ was suggested by Renee and is:

Do you do your stash shopping at your LNS, ONS, or both? Which do you like better? Why?

Since I live is a small town and don't have a credit card I do all of my shopping at my LNS. Shopping at my LNS can be a major pain in the rump because they don't keep a lot of specialty threads and beads in stock so I have to special order the stuff in via the LNS. She doesn't charge me anything extra but I could be waiting for the stuff to arrive for a couple of months!

A Time For Everything

Yesterday was my SAL with Becky. We are stitching A Time For Everything by Linda Spivey. I am stitching it on 32 count antique white Belfast linen. I really like this pattern. It is so adorable! I love anything to do with the 4 seasons especially Autumn.

I managed to get her shirt stitched last night. It was a chaotic day here so I didn't get to stitch as much as I wanted to last night but there is always next week! :) This pattern has lots of backstitching (ughhh!), fractional stitches(no problem), Lazy Daisies (no problem), and French knots(ughh!). The French knots will be the worst part of the whole pattern for me.

Woodland Faerie

Today I started working on Woodland Faerie. I am stitching her in a SAL with Christine D. at the Friend Gather BB I am stitching her on 28 count golden yellow evenweave. Right now I am working on her skin which is stitching one over one. My eyes are not used to that! I worked on her for a couple of hours tonight. I had previously tried stitching her a couple of months back and I attempted 3 times to start her and ended up messing it up bad. I am further than I got before so I am happy with what I got done today on her!

RR's and Exchanges

I started my new rotation today. On Sundays I will be working on exchanges, RR's, and finishings. I haven't stitched on anything today (yet!) I did look at my patterns and I found one for Melissa's birthday. I went and dug around in my stash and I have everything I need to start on it. So I will probably do some stitching on it later tonight. It is a big relief now that I have something picked out to stitch.

Now, I have to choose something for the Lottery exchange! I already have a design in mind (still looking at designs) but I am not for sure on the finishing. I was tossing around the idea of a wall hanging or a pillow tuck. I still have some time to decide.

I managed to get my craft corner straightened up a little today. Actually most of it wasn't even my stuff! Since my craft table is in our room it becomes a catch all for everything! While I was organizing everything I was able to take a quick inventory of stuff that I am running low on. Now I have a good reason to go the LNS later this week!