Gift From Nela

Yesterday day turned out to be really nice day for me. When I checked my mailbox I had a package sitting there for me.:) This is a replacement package from Nela for the Valentine Exchange on the SBEBB.


Here is a close up of the stitching. Isn't it stunning?! I just love the flowers.:) Thank you so much for everything, Nela!

The house was REALLY quiet without Allie here yesterday so I was able to get a lot of stitching done on the outer border on Egyptian Sampler.:)

Have a great day!

It's Friday!

I am so glad that it is Friday! I am ready for a nice relaxing weekend. :) Who am I kidding with my 3 kids around there is no such thing as relaxing. LOL

I worked on ES again yesterday. I was hoping to get the bird back stitched but that small thing called life just keeps getting in the way.

I am not sure if I am going to stitch tonight. I bought the Feb. issue of Stoney Creek's Cross Stitch magazine and have a feeling I might be kitting some small projects up. :D

We are still waiting to hear from the doctors when Mac's CT scan is supposed to be done. They told me if I didn't hear from them by today to call them. I did and now I am waiting for them to call me back.

I received my Valentine's exchange this week from Nela...well sort of. Somewhere between here and Venezuela some crummy person developed sticky fingers! I was horrified! Not because I didn't receive anything but I was going to have to give the bad news to Nela. After I sent her an e-mail explaining what had happened she showed me what she did stitch for me. Oh my gosh! It is amazing!! Look here to see her exquisite stitching. I really can't put into words how beautiful it is...you just have to see for yourself.:)

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Valentine Exchange for Outi

I hope everyone had a good weekend. We had a nice weekend but like always it went by too fast. On Saturday I finished the stitching on a secret piece for an exchange that has seem to gone MIA. I am planning on finishing it into something later this evening.

Yesterday I worked on the Harvest Witch SAL with Renee. I really am enjoying stitching her!

Sue asked what where I got the pattern for Harvest Witch from Stoney Creek. I am not sure if it was published in a magazine or not. I bought this leaflet that has her in it and a lot more designs I plan to stitch!

This morning I was pleased to hear that my Valentine exchange has made it safely to Outi's home. I stitched her this freebie from ABC Cross Stitch Patterns. I was concerned about the threads matching the fabric I had bought but in the end it worked out perfectly.

I finished it into a small covered box for her. Making these boxes are fairly simple and if there is enough people interested I would be happy to try and put together a tutorial for making one.

Before I go, Becky K asked how Gracie was doing. She is doing wonderful. She has already claimed the personality of a Princess...lol. Girly has decided that it is pretty fun having her around. Bitsy and Claudia have also decided that she is pretty fun to chase around the house. Zoey, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with Gracie. That isn't much of surprise though considering Zoey does not like anyone! Overall, the adjusting has been pretty smooth and now we are working on manners.

I have rambled on long enough today so I am going to go tackle that huge pile of laundry that is threatening to overtake the laundry area. Enjoy your day! :)

SBQ of the Week

This week's SBQ was suggested by Outi and is:

What is your favorite past time while stitching? Do you just enjoy silence, listen to music/audio books or do you "watch" TV/movies? Do you have specific favorites you listen to/watch while stitching?

It depends on the time of day I am stitching as to what I am doing besides stitching. If I am stitching while the kids are at school generally I stitch and enjoy the silence. With 3 kids you learn to savor the quiet times! At night when everyone is home I usually "watch" TV as I am stitching. Most of the time I watch the History International channel but other shows I "watch" as I stitch are Monk, Psych, Charmed, Gilmore Girls, and George Lopez.

I have been stitching but I can't show a picture yet. I have been working on a small snowman design to have ready in case my Frosty Friends exchange doesn't arrive. I will work on it some more later this afternoon, at least, until this evening when I am going to start on Harvest Witch. I am really looking forward to this one!

Today looks like it will be a busy day for me. Allie going to a friends' house tonight for a birthday sleepover but I totally forgot about it yesterday and didn't pick up a present for M. Now, I have to run in and get a present for a 13 yr old and take it up to school to give to Allie. I am hoping to be there around lunch time so I won't interrupt her class, not that she would mind. LOL

I want to thank eveyone for their comments on Gracie. We are really enjoying her right now while she is small. Some have asked how big she will get when she is fully grown. She will be a large dog weighing anywhere in between 60 to 80 pounds. It will be fun watching her grow, especially when she gets bigger than Girly. Girly isn't really a small dog but isn't a large dog either. She weighs 40 pounds but she is only 13 inches from her shoulder to the ground! What can you expect when you combine a black lab and a rat terrier?!

Have a great weekend!

Visit of the Frogs

I was stitching at a good pace last evening when I thought something looked wrong. Yep, after counting I realized the corner block is off by one stitch. I was so irritated with myself because I knew it was going to be an area I could easily mess up and I did! I was so mad at myself I didn't stitch for the rest of the evening. Now, I have to rip out the whole corner...ugghh!!

Instead of frogging out those stitches, I decided to pull out the floss I need to start on Harvest Witch. Renee and I are stitching her as SAL on Sundays but to kick it off we will be working on her for the SAT this weekend. I can't wait to get started!

I am not sure what I'm going to work on this evening yet. I mailed my Frosty Friends exchange out on the 5th and it still has not arrived yet. I am getting nervous about it since it really didn't have a long ways to travel. I have sent an exchange to XXXX before and it took almost 2 weeks (and it was priority mail!) to arrive then. Speaking of exchanges, later this afternoon I will be mailing my final 2 exchanges out. On one hand, I am sad to see it come to an end for me but on the other hand, I sure am not going to miss the knots I get in my stomach waiting for an exchange to arrive safely. This of course doesn't mean I won't be sending out gifts, it just means I don't have deadlines to worry about. :)

Have a nice day!

Hurry Up and Wait

It has been one of those "hurry up and wait" days for me. I had to take Mac to the doctor today because he had yucky stuff draining from his ear. We sat in the waiting room for at least 45 minutes and then sat in the exam room for another 30 minutes to only see the doctor for a brief 10 minutes! Dr. L confirmed that his left ear was infected AND his right ear was completely plugged off with earwax. By the time we got out of there it was already lunchtime so I decided to run by the Wal-Mart pharmacy and pick up something quick for Mac and I for lunch. I was informed when I handed the prescription to the pharmacist that is was going to be a 3 hour wait for his medicine!!

With Mac being sick today I haven't had a chance to even think about stitching. I hope to work on my V-day exchange after I get back from picking up the medicines. I worked on it last night and finished about half of the stitching. I am quite happy with how it is turning out so far. :)

I want to thank everyone for their comments on Topaz and Allie becoming a teen. I will say that it is very "hormonal" around my house 3/4 of the time! LOL

Have a great night!

Loving ES!

I am addicted to stitching Egyptian Sampler! I can't seem to put it down for long but is that really a bad thing? :) I am sure that will change once I get to the one over one stitching.

I have decided that since the SBEBB will be closing down soon that I will not be participating in any more exchanged for this year. My last exchange will be the Valentine exchange. After looking back through the year of what I did finish in comparison to what I kept and the numbers were quite low for me. I have so many things that I really want to stitch for me that I am going to spend this year spoiling myself with my finishes. Exchanging is fun but right now I just want to stitch for me!

Kim-The colors in Topaz's dress are DMC 3078, White, 318, and 415. I agree with you, the photo on the pattern makes the yellow look really bright but it isn't that way in real life.

Happy Stitching!

Exchange for Terry

I saw today on the SBEBB that Terry has received the bourse exchange I sent her. I stitched an Arm and a Leg from Raise the Roof Designs in the 2006 JCS ornie issue. I stitched it on some 32 count opalescent fabric. You might have guessed that the opalescent fabbies are my favorite. :)

It turned out just a little smaller than I had planned but it still turned out pretty cute.

This week's SBQ was suggested by Kathryn and is:

Have you ever helped anyone else learn to stitch? Have you ever helped anyone learn a new stitch or technique?

I have taught several people how to stitch. I showed my best friend how to stitch on a visit, I have taught all 3 of my children, I taught a friend in Mississippi, and lastly but not least I taught my brother. As for special stitches...I am doing good in learning and mastering them myself!

Birthday Gift from Mylene

I got another birthday package in the mail today. This package is from Mylene for the birthday exchange on the Robin's Nest. She did a great job putting it together for me! :) She sent me some beautiful buttons (the green ones are my favorite :) ), some really sparkly ribbon, and CHOCOLATE!


The best part of the package is her stitched gifts! :) This one is so perfect for me! I love it!!

AND.....she stitched me a birthday card, too! I have admired many of her cards before and now I have one I can actually admire and touch! :)

Thank you, Mylene! I love the whole package!!

Since I have been working on exchanges and gifts I really don't have much to show right now. I am currently working on a gift and I think it is going to turn out really cute. That is, if I finish the stitching on it. One over one stitching on 32 count fabric.....need I say more?

Enjoy your evening!

Halloween Exchange from Joanie

We made it back safely from Omaha last night. I will post more later on the events of our trip. After getting things somewhat unpacked I discovered I had some mail. I received my Halloween exchange from Joanie. She made the cutest little pumpkin fob! The pumpkin looks so real. Thank you so much!!



I want to thank every one who left comments on my grandma's death. Your words were truly appreciated and meant a lot too me. Thank you!

Have a great day!

Halloween Exchange from Carol

The mailman was super nice to me today. He brought me a package from Carol! She had my name for the USEBB Halloween exchange. She really out did herself! I love all the goodies she sent along. :)


I bet you are wondering what is in the white bag :) Well, it is one of Carol's fabulous fob's AND Dinky Dye Scissors. The scissors are green and purple. Apparently, Carol's does her homework as those are my 2 favorite colors:)

Isn't it too cute?! Thank you so much, Carol!!

I am behind in my blog reading again. I promise to get caught with every one's stitching as soon as I can!!

Halloween Exchange for Svenja

I heard today that Svenja received my Halloween exchange for the SBEBB in the mail. I made her a little box. The design is from Lizzie*Kate and is stitched one over one. I just love the little pumpkin!

Svenja has better pictures. I am no photographer!

Halloween Exchange for Chris

Chris has received the exchange I sent to her for the Halloween exchange on the USEBB. The design is by Jean Farrish (and is a freebie) which I stitched on some fabric that I dyed purple. I was pleased that I found some pumpkin buttons to add to the corners. Aren't they cute?!


I could easily become addicted to making bourses. I don't know which is more fun the actual stitching or the picking out of materials to finish it!

Have a great weekend!:)

Redwork Exchange From Amy

I received my redwork exchange from Amy yesterday. Isn't this beautiful?! I think it is:) I didn't even have to hunt for a place put it. I knew as soon as I saw it that it would look great on my dresser. I have a dresser with a mirror and it has little areas running up the mirror for me to put my special things so I can see them everyday. Thank you, Amy, for such a wonderful exchange!

I was right it rained all day yesterday. So.....I prepared and cut the fabric for Topaz Fairie! When I say "prepare" I mean sewing the edges to keep from fraying, wash, dry and iron the fabric. Then I got all the DMC flosses out and started stitching. I didn't get much done last night since it was late by the time I actually started stitching. I am hoping to work on her for a bit today.

This morning before Mac and Krissy got up (Allie is at a friend's house) I was looking at the calendar and realized that NEXT month Krissy is old enough to get her learner's permit to drive!! I have been preparing myself for this for a few months but the sudden reality that it will be here in 37 days hit me this morning. I am so not ready for this stage! The first time she rode her bike without training wheels she rode right into the side of a parked car! She forgot to use the brakes. Another time she ran right into the back of me....because she forgot to use the brakes. First things first, she has to pass the test. I am sure she will do fine on the test. Krissy is very book smart. She has always been on the Honor Roll and has received many awards.

I am off to enjoy a lazy day. I hope everyone has a wonderful day:)

Exchange from Vonna

Today when I opened the mailbox I had a package waiting for me. Vonna put together this wonderful exchange for me:) The tin is so cute! She sent the scissors AND the fob inside of the tin. I love the fob!! All of the extras are great. Thank you so much, Vonna! :)



Thanks for all the comments on OOPS. I smile each time I see that witch. I did finish OOPS into a trick or treat bag today. I will post a picture tomorrow:)

Have a great weekend!

Tin Exchange for Amy

My tin exchange for Amy arrived at her house over the weekend. The design is from Heart in Hand. When I came across the pattern I knew I had the perfect fabric to finish it.

Today I have been extremely lazy! The biggest thing I did was cook dinner tonight and even that was just hamburgers. This also means I have been stitching for most of the day. Last night I started a small design from Full Circle Designs called Life's Journey and I am about 30 minutes away from finishing it. I am planning on finishing it into a needleroll tomorrow.

I'm off to continue my lazy day! Have a good night.

Redwork Exchange for Terry

Terry received my Redwork exchange today. I stitched this freebie and finished it into a biscornu. I used DMC 115 on some white fabric. I fell in love with this one as I was stitching it and had a hard time parting with it.



I have been working on the backstitching on Woodland Faerie so I don't have any real progress pictures to show. I finished the backstitching on the outside border and now I am working on the blue/purple flowers on the inner border. Let me just say...There is a LOT of backstitching on this pattern!

The second week of school and things are already back to the normal chaotic household. The thing I detest most about going back to school is the germs! Wednesday Mike was sick and ended up staying home only because he kept throwing up. Today I had to go pick Krissy up from school because she had started throwing up. Who will it strike next?! Hopefully, not me!

With the household full of queasy stomachs, I am not making any plans for this weekend. The only thing I have planned is taking the kids to the library in the morning to check out books. That is, if Krissy feels like it and the other 2 haven't become sick.

Have a great weekend!