Last night I finished the half stitches on A Time For Everything and I started on the backstitching. I even managed to make some decent french knots! I did notice I missed a few stitches on one of the pumpkins but that can be easily fixed next week. I can't wait to work on her some more next week.

I will be working on The Fortunate Traveler today which means more one over one stitching. I really like the looks of one over one stitching but it is sure a pain in the rump! It isn't so bad on FT because most of the one over one is done in one color unlike Woodland Faerie where there is about 4-5 different color changes.

Woodland Faerie

I stitched on Woodland Faerie last night. It felt good to put some stitches in her since I basically haven't worked on her in two weeks. I got most of her other arm done and I am pretty pleased with the amount I got done. I didn't think that I was going to get a lot done on her since it was Mac's birthday but I lucked out and Mac was playing his new computer game most of the evening which left me to stitch.



Today I will be working on A Time for Everything with Becky. I am looking forward to stitching on this because this is another one I haven't worked on in a few weeks. I am not for sure how much time I will get put in her today as I have to go to Mac's Valentine's class party. This could prove to be interesting as I am the only parent who is helping out today. Mac and I made brownies for the party last night. I am still finding chocolate all over the kitchen!

I want to thank everyone for their birthday wishes for Mac. He had a good day at school which always makes for a pleasant evening. He even did his homework without a fight. I think it had something to do with that he couldn't play his new computer game until it was done. LOL

Happy Birthday Mac!

Today is my baby's birthday. Okay, so he isn't much of a baby anymore since he is turning 8 today. I can't believe he is 8 years old today. When he was born he was 2 1/2 months early. He weighted 2 pounds 14 ounces and was 14 inches long. I had several problems with my pregnancy and was on complete bed rest the entire pregnancy. Try doing that with a 3 year old and a 4 year old running around the house!

The odds of Mac being born alive let alone having a normal life were definitely stacked against us. The doctors honestly thought that if he did survive the birth that he would be severely handicapped. Just a small list of problems he had were Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, a grade 4 brain bleed, and slight Cerebral Palsy. We have been extremely blessed and Mac has overcome all of the initial problems.

Fast forward 8 years later and he is as healthy and energetic as any other boy his age. We were warned of that he could have some learning disabilities from his brain bleed. We have noticed that he has some problems in Math and Reading but I honestly can't say that it is a learning disability. I think it is more that he just doesn't like those subjects.

Yesterday evening I finished stitching Cathymk's piece for her birthday. I even found some fabric in my stash that will go perfect with it! Now, I have to figure out how I want to finish it for her. I also started on the Easter Exchange for Becky. Unfortunately, I can't show any pictures until they are received.

Happy Birthday Mac!!

Winter Arches

This morning I finished stitching three of the Winter Arches for Nicki's RR. I chose to stitch the snowman because it isn't winter unless you have a snowman! I stitched the candle because we always candles around during the holidays. I stitched the tree because I love to decorate our tree every year. I had fun stitching them because yesterday it snowed a little here. Not much but enough for the kids to go out and catch snowflakes on their tongues.



Now I can start on Cathymk birthday gift for the birthday exchange. I have a pattern picked out to stitch. I am not sure on how I am going to finish it yet. I never really can figure out how I am going to finish it until I have the fabric picked out. I am hoping to get the fabric next weekend.

Herbs & Spices

It rained for the most part here yesterday so I was able to get some good stitching done. I worked on Herbs & Spices. I finished the saffron, thyme, vanilla, rosemary, and started on mustard. I only have 6 more to go before I start the backstitching!



I realized yesterday that my mom and step-dad's 10 year wedding anniversary is coming up in April. I decided a while ago that I would stitch them a wedding sampler for their present. I am going to stitch Our Days by Ursula Michael. I am going to have to get started soon so that I can have it done before April 19!



Jenn-Here is what The Fortunate Traveler will look like, if I ever get it done. LOL

SBQ of the Week

Today's SBQ was suggested by Nancy and is:

Describe your "perfect" project. (Include the designer or specific pattern, the fabric, the floss, and anything else that would make that project "perfect" for you.)

For my perfect project I would have to have no interruptions from the kids or the phone or just everyday life happenings. The design would be something with a fantasy theme(dragons, fairies, etc). My fabric would be 28 or 32 count linen that I would dye myself. I would use DMC floss and possibly some Kreinik. It would also have to have some beads to make it extra sparkly.

I would stitch non-stop in my recliner for hours at a time only pausing for a potty break. As soon as it was finished I would take it to the LNS to be framed. When it came back it would be hung up for all to see instead of waiting in the WTF pile. It is a nice dream, isn't it?

Since my rotation has been out of wack and some projects didn't get any attention the past week or so I worked on The Fortunate Traveler last night. It was more one over one stitching. I am getting there slowly but surely.




Today I will resume my normal rotation so I will be working on Herbs & Spices. I hope to get a lot accomplished today as I really need to do some stitching. Stitching for me is calming and relaxing. After the past week I need something to relax me!

Vash-I want to thank you (again) for the awesome scissors! I LOVE them! I am looking thru my patterns so I can stitch a fob for it.

Lynn-I received the patterns yesterday and believe me they really made my day! Thank you!!

January/February Goals

January Goals
1. Start TW Woodland Faerie SAL with Christine D.
**started 1/2/06
2. Start A Time For Everything SAL with Becky.
**started 1/3/06
3. Work on Fortunate Traveler.
**started 1/4/06
4. Start Mirabilia's Deepest Love
**started 1/5/06
5. Start Herbs & Spices
**started 1/6/06
6. Start/finish Melissa's present.
**started 1/7/06-finished 1/21/06
7. Start on Cathy's RR fabric
**started 1/21-finished 1/21/06-hand delivered to Renee on 1-27-06
8. Start on Lottery Exchange
**started 1/8/06-finished 1/16/06
9. Mail Renee's RR fabric to Laurie.
**mailed 1/13/06
10. Start on Adopt A Stitcher package for Harsha
**yep, adding something each week
11. Start on Nicki's RR fabric.
**barely made this on started on 1-31-06
12. Work on ABC Bears
**nope didn't even look at it
13. Finish my afghan
**nope didn't work on it

February Goals:
1. Work on Woodland faerie
2. Work on A Time For Everything
3. Work on The Fortunate Traveler
4. Work on Deepest Love
5. Work on Herbs & Spices
6. Mail Melissa's present
7. Mail AAS (Adopt A Stitcher) package to Harsha
8. Start on Cathymk's present
9. Finish Nicki's RR
10 Start on Easter Exchange for Becky.

Back Home

I am back home after driving for a total of 18 hours in three days. We drove to Garfield Arkansas in the Ozark Mountains for my MIL's funeral. We left around 6:00 am Sunday morning and got back around 9:00 pm last night. The funeral went as well as could be expected. I won't go into details but the services were beautiful and respectful.

While we were there my FIL wanted me to have the two pillows I made for Alice for Christmas in 1994. These pillows were my first pieces of work I finished and gave to someone. My MIL loved nature and the animals. Ever since I gave them to her the pillows have always had a home on her couch. I was always honored that she chose to display them year round in her living room. I decided that instead of me keeping them I would pass them down to my daughters when they get their own place.

The patterns came from leaflet from Cross My Heart called Endangered Species II. They need to be cleaned but it warms my heart to know Alice liked them enough to use them.

Snow Leopard

I want to thank everyone for their concern and thoughts. They were greatly appreciated during this rough period. It has been so chaotic the last couple of days. I will be glad to get back on our normal schedule.

Rest Well Alice

We got the phone call yesterday that we have been dreading yet all the while knew it was coming. My mother-in-law passed away in her sleep. She had been fighting cancer in the kidneys, lungs, and in her bones. Her funeral is being held on Monday so we have been scrambling around trying to get everything ready to make the 9-10 hour trip. We will be leaving around 5:00 am and hopefully we will arrive around 2:00 pm.

My MIL passing yesterday was the worst thing that happened but overall it was just a horrible day. It didn't start out looking good either. When we woke up we discovered my puppy dog had broke her tail. We are still trying to figure out how exactly she did it! So by 7:30 am I was on the phone with the vet. She is doing a lot better today. My friend is going to puppy-sit her for me until we get back next weekend. The other bad thing is since we have to leave tomorrow that means Renee's visit is being cut short.

I didn't get a lot of stitching done this week but I did manage to get some time in on Deepest Love. I am definitely taking some stitching with me I just haven't decided on what to take with me.

SBQ of the Week

This week’s SBQ was inspired by my visit with Dawn and is:



With the exception of your online stitching friends, do you have any other stitching buddies?

I have a couple of stitching buddies but none like Renee! My other friends are into stitching because I have taught them how to stitch. My first buddy, Nancy, is my next door neighbor that I taught a couple of months ago how to stitch. We haven't been able to really sit down and stitch together because she has a 2 year old daughter and can only get a few minutes at a time to stitch.

Another one of my buddies is my brother, Jerry. I didn't intentionally teach him how to stitch. He has lived with us on several occasions (those are multi blog entries!) and was always interested in my stitching so he learned from watching me and asking me questions. He has been known to call me at midnight to ask me a question about stitching.

I also get to share my hobby with my daughter, Allie. I taught her about 4 years ago starting out on plastic canvas and now she is on aida. Krissy knows to stitch but she gets frustrated easily and puts it away for months at a time. My son has started to learn how to stitch on plastic canvas and he works on it non stop for a few days and then wants to pick it up again. I think I am pretty lucky to have family and friends who share my passion!

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!

Last Post of 2005

It is hard to believe that it is New Year's Eve already! Where did the year go? I am not one to make a list of resolutions for the New Year mainly because I usually end up not sticking with them!

Since I am here posting it is obvious that we aren't going out to celebrate New Year's. We are both firm believers that this day in particular we don't need to be out on the road. My main reason is when I was 5 months pregnant ( 6 weeks before he was born) I was hit in the rear end of my car by a 16 year old girl that was drunk. I had my 2 girls with me who were 3 and 4 at the time. Luckily, all of were fine but ever since that incident I am more than content to stay at home on this particular day!

So since I haven't had to go anywhere today I have been stitching away! This will be the last progress picture of 2005. Since the last time I posted I stitched the letters C, H, and M. 6 more letter to go! Whoo-hoo!

Tomorrow is the official start of my new rotation! On Sundays I will be working on exchanges, RR, or what ever I want! I need to choose designs for the Birthday Exchange and the Lottery Exchange. So I probably will spend most of the afternoon looking at my patterns to see if something calls out to me. I also need to go straighten up my craft corner sometime tomorrow too!

Happy New Year's to all!!

2006 Plans

I have been thinking about my goals for 2006. I don't know if you could even call them goals but more of a stitching plan. So here is my plan for the year!

WIP's To Finish:
1. Finish Unicorn and Fairy Magic
2. Finish ABC Bears
3. Finish The Fortunate Traveler-start 1/4

New Patterns:
1. Woodland Faerie-start 1/2
2. A Time For Everything-start 1/3
3. Deepest Love-start 1/5
4. Herbs & Spices-start 1/6
5. Dragon Lake
6. The Legends of the Dragons
7. 4 Seasons Dragons


Round Robin Squares
1. Cathy-post 3/1
2. Renee-post 5/1
3. Nicki-post 3/15
4. Laurie-post 5/15

Exchanges
1. Melissa-birthday-post 2/15
2. Cathymk-Birthday-post 3/15
3. Renee-birthday-post 5/15
4. Lottery-post 3/1

Adopted Stitcher Care Package
1. Spring
2. Summer
3. Autumn
4. Winter

Christmas Ornaments for Family
1. Dawn
2. Mike
3. Krissy
4. Allie
5. Mac
6. Jerry
7. Mom
8. John

2005 Recap of Finishes

Here is my list for the year:

Gingerbread Boy (scissor pocket) gift
Boo (tuck pillow) gift
Checkers (treat bag) gift
Christmas Spider(ornament) gift
Snow White (pillow) gift
November Cherub (framed) Kept this one for me!
Unicorn (ornament) My ornament
Insects (floor pillow) Mac pillow
International Buffet (WTF)
Season Greetings (cube) gift
Giant (ornament)gift
Pegasus (ornament) Krissy Ornament
Snowman (pillow tuck) gift
Dragon (ornament) Mike Ornament
Let There Be Light (door hanger) gift
Christmas Tree (ornament) gift
Mermaid (ornament) Allie Ornament
Dove (ornament) Kept this one for me!
Halo, and Merry Christmas (wall hanging) Kept this one for me!
Cats in Flowers ( wall hanging) gift
May Your Sorrows (wall hanging) gift
Phoenix (ornament) Mac Ornament

Round Robin Squares
Fire Dragon
Cats in Hats
Bunny 2000
Autumn Tree
Autumn Chair

Exchanges
Happy Jack (pillow)
Joy (cube)

29 design finishes for the year. That not too bad since I finished 23 out of the 29 into something. Out of those six that weren't finished 5 of them were for RR, so I actually only have one piece this year going into the WTF pile! That was major accomplishment for me this year!

SBQ of the Week

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

How do you balance your stitching time with your other obligations such as work, household chores, etc.?

For me stitching is a way to unwind, relax, and be "me". A normal day for me starts out with getting the kids off to school. When they are all gone is when I clean the house without the fear of cleaning a room and looking back to see the kids have already destroyed it. After the house is clean I head off to work. I am lucky enough to be able to do my stitching while I am at work! When I leave work is when I do my shopping and errands for the house and then it is time for the kids to be coming home from school. Our evenings are pretty normal....homework, supper, bathes, and bed. After all that is when I finally get to sit down and stitch. On an average I would say I stitch anywhere from 3-4 hours a night. There have been nights when I have stayed up till 3 am stitching!

December/January Goals

December Goals:
1. Start and finish Renee's RR fabric.
**Finished and ready to mail to Laurie
2. Mail Jo's RR fabric to Renee.
**Done 12/13
3. Mail SB Lottery Exchange to the lucky winner.
**Mailed 12/5
4 Finish my Mom's birthday present and mail.
**finished and mailed 12/5
5. Finish Christmas presents to family and friends.
**Last one finished 12/24
6. Finish Unicorn and Fairy Magic. (if the beads arrive in time)
**Still waiting
7. Work on ABC Bears.
**Finished 4 letters!! Only 9 left to go!
8. Work on Fortunate Traveler.
**I worked on this one for a couple of hours but not as much as I would have liked to have stitched.
9 Start on Melissa's present for the SB Birthday Exchange.
**I have been looking for a pattern but nothing has jumped out at me yet.
10 Dye fabric for Woodland Faerie SAL in Jan.
**Yep, dyed one solid yellow and one a tie dyed.

January Goals
1. Start TW Woodland Faerie SAL with Christine D.
2. Start A Time For Everything SAL with Becky.
3. Work on Fortunate Traveler.
4. Start Mirabilia's Deepest Love
5. Start Herbs & Spices
6. Start/finish Melissa's present.
7. Start on Cathy's RR fabric
8. Start on Lottery Exchange
9. Mail Renee's RR fabric to Laurie.
10. Start on Adopt A Stitcher package.
11. Start on Nicki's RR fabric.
12. Work on ABC Bears
13. Finish my afghan.

A lot of new starts this month!

Now that Christmas is over with maybe my house can get back into a normal routine. Our day went pretty good. The kids were thrilled with their presents and played all day long and I got to stitch. I finished the letters Q, L, and most of G on ABC Bears. Only 9 more letters to go! Like I have said before I am in no big hurry to get this one finished as it is more of a learning pattern for me. Tons and tons of french knots to make.

Sunday I get to start my new rotation. Sunday is for working on RR's/exchanges. I am caught up on my RR's so I will be working on exchanges. I have several that are going to be due at that same time. That itself kind of freaks me out but I know I can get it done. The first thing that is due is for the Birthday Exchange for Melissa. I have been thinking about what to do for her but I haven't come up with the "perfect" idea yet but with the holidays I haven't had a lot of time to think!

Later today we will be taking our tree down. I am happy to say that the kitties and my dog did better this year with the tree. We only had about 10 ornaments get broke which is a lot less than the year before!

Merry Christmas to All!

I have been sick with a head and chest cold so I managed to let things pile up to the last minute. (again!) I had all the main shopping done so all I had to pick up were the stocking gifts. The worst part of the trip was the downpouring rain! I got so drenched and it was cold rain, too!

At least I was able to get warmed up with the cookie baking we did tonight. We always bake a batch of cookies after dinner to eat and to leave some for Santa. Warm cookies and glass of milk are my favorite! :D The kids are getting ready for bed now so hopefully in the next few hours I will be able to finish up the last little bit of wrapping and then I can finally collapse in my bed and sleep.

Christmas Day for us is pretty relaxed. The kids wake us up to open gifts. We take turns opening gifts from the youngest to the oldest. The kids usually head off to play with their toys and try on their clothes while I clean up the wrapping mess and Mike cooks breakfast. After breakfast the kids usually head outside to show their stuff off to their friends. Mike will head to his computer to play with his new games and I will be left to prepare our Christmas Dinner. Our Christmas dinner is odd. We don't do turkey or ham instead we eat lasgne. We like turkey and ham but we eat enough at Thanksgiving that we don't want any at Christmas time so we started our own little tradition. We will have lasagne, cheese bread, veggie/dip, cheese/meat/cracker tray, and assorted sweets. After our dinner is when I get to really relax and do what I want to do. (stitch, of course! )

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

Halo, and Merry Christmas

I woke up this morning feeling like crap so I knew I wasn't going to accomplish much today which I haven't. I did decide to work on the WTF pile. I pulled out this cute freebie from Gloria & Pat that I stitched sometime last year. I used Isabelle's wall hanging tutorial to finish it and I have to say she did a great job with the tutorial! Thank you, Isabelle!!

A Dove

I finished this little dove this morning. The dove is from Heart in Hand's Holiday Trimmings II. I stitched it on 28 ct evenweave fabric.

I would have had the dove finished yesterday evening but I messed up on the finishing and had to rip out all that I had stitched. I didn't have the patience to rip out all that I had done last evening so I worked on the letter Q in ABC Bears. Only 12 more letter to go!

Since my new rotation will start in 10 days I have no set plan on what I will be working on in the next few days. I know that I will be working on ABC Bears and some small pieces. I was going to work on Collecting Shells but the more that I look at it, the more I really don't like the tan fabric mostly because it blends it too well with the design. I will probably end up restitching it on some white fabric.

Thank You, Jenna!

See what the postal lady brought me today in the mail :D

This is an ornament from Jenna. I was one of the lucky recipients of her wonderful ornaments. I love it! Mike was joking with me and told me I was going to have to buy another tree just for my ornaments. It isn't a bad idea but I don't have the room or patience with my cats to deal with two trees!

Jenna-You really did an excellent job with this ornament. I will always treasure it! Thank you a million times. :)

I finished up the last of my ornaments last night. Actually I have had these stitched for awhile but I was waiting on the exact color of Kreinik to arrive. As my luck runs, the Kreinik still isn't in so I used what I had closest to the color given. They didn't turn out too bad. I am to lazy to post a picture of them tonight but you can use the J.L. Aikman-Smith Ornies link to the left to see them.

I have pretty much finished all of my stitching for 2005. I didn't do too bad this year. I didn't get as many large pieces done as I would have liked but that is why I am trying a new rotation. I did get a lot of small pieces done and even got some of them finished. I will be ending the year with 1 UFO (Collecting Shells), 2 WIP(ABC Bears and Fortunate Traveler, and way too many to count WTF's. Overall not too bad but I do need to work on the WTF pile more in 2006!

Fringed Ornament

Late last night I finished the stitching on this cute Christmas tree. The pattern is a freebie from Janlynn. I stitched it on 28 count evenweave that is dyed golden yellow. I used glittery gold ribbon for the hanging loop. I really like how this turned out! This is the second to last ornament I have to finish for Christmas.

I still have one last ornament to finish this week. It is for Allie. I have one almost done but no word from the craft store and I have been way too busy to make a trip for one small thing. So I will just make her a complete new one. I have everything ready so I will probably start on it later today.

A Little Knock

This morning there was a tiny little knock on my front door followed by a voice saying "Dawn, In!" I immediately recognized Dayzia's little voice and opened the door up to greet her but instead she greeted me with a Christmas present. Inside was this adorable pillow that her mom, Nancy, made for me. She did a wonderful job and I love it! She also gave me a bunch of chocolate which Dayzia was quick to point out to me.


As you can tell the morning went well for me and got even better after I got home from buying groceries!

Birthday Exchange

This afternoon I had to go grocery shopping but when I got home I found a package waiting for me! It is from Melissa for the Stitching Bloggers Birthday Exchange. The stitched piece is beautiful. Sorry for some reason I couldn't get a good close up shot of it today. The blues and greens are so pretty but then again green is my favorite color. She sent me some lovely goodies too. I love the Lilac Ice fabric but then again the apricot is running pretty close! LOL I love the threads and can't wait to use them!

Thank you so very much Melissa! I love all of it!

Class Party

Mac's class party was a success or at least a success to a second grader. The first thing they did was eat! We had a breakfast buffet set up for them. We had sausage biscuits, bagels with cream cheese, blueberry muffins, glazed donuts, chocolate iced donuts, apple juice, orange juice, and chocolate milk. They were stuffed. After we cleaned up the plates and cups we watched part of The Polar Express. Then the kids opened their goody bags which were full of candy. We stayed long enough to watch the teachers to open their presents. I might add that both of Mac's teachers loved their gifts.

Here is the class Christmas tree. The kids each made a little reindeer ornament and Mac's is safely on our tree at the house.

As you can tell we were having fun! :) Mac's teacher took this picture of us.

2006 Rotation Schedule

Sundays--------Exchanges/RR's/Choice
Mondays-------Woodland Faerie (TW SAL)
Tuesdays-------A Time For Everything (4 season SAL)
Wednesdays----Fortunate Traveler (TW SAL)
Thursdays------Deepest Love (Mir SAL)
Fridays---------Herbs and Spices (Magazine SAL)
Saturdays------ Exchanges/RR's/Choice

Work M-F-Crochet Afghans

Whew, I think I have come up with a rotation that I am going to like and enjoy! I am doing 5 SAL's but they are all patterns that I have wanted to stitch and just haven't gotten around to doing. I can't wait to get started!

Almost Halfway There

It looks like I will be setting my crocheting aside for the rest of the week and do some stitching! I have crocheted 40 rows so it is about 40 percent done. It is so soft and warm!


This week is going by so fast! I have to go to Allie's class party tomorrow morning. I am still not for sure if I am going to the party or not. She has a school party on Friday that she wants me to come and help with that one, too. I know for sure Friday morning I have to go to Mac's class and help with the "breakfast party". On top of that I am pretty sure there will be at least 2 extra kids here Friday night or Saturday night.

Door Hanging

Yesterday was one of those days I should have just stayed in bed. Krissy called home sick from school and then was upset with me for making her take cough medicine. Mac got into some trouble on the bus and then handed me a note from his reading teacher telling me his grade is a C but he could do better if he paid more attention. I already know this lady! I spend an hour each night fighting with him to have him read to me for 20 minutes. He knows how to read and does well but he hates to read.

After all the ruckus of the evening died down I decided to work on finishing another present for Mac's teacher aide, Mrs. H. I have had this little guy in my WTF pile for a long time. I stitched it on 14 count Oatmeal aida cloth and made it into a door hanging. With this one finished I am done with all the teachers presents for this year and just in time too!

Help Please!

I am not for sure how many of you out there crochet but I have encountered a problem I have been trying to figure out for awhile and maybe one of you can help me out. My daughter Krissy has been after me to teach her to crochet. She is left handed and I am right handed. This is our problem. I don't know how to hold the needle and yarn for a left handed person. I have tried what usually works for us by sitting in front of her and matching her hands to mine but for some reason it is not working for us this time.

If anyone knows of a link to a picture on how to hold the yarn and needle for a left handed person I would great appreciate it. :)

Afghan Progress

It was pretty much a normal weekend for us. The kids has friends spend the night last night so it was night of DVD's and the playstation. Of course that means they were a little cranky today. I did manage to get some crocheting done this afternoon. I changed my mind about this being a blanket for my dog. I am keeping this one for myself! The finished size will be 49 inches wide by 63 inched long. Perfect for covering up while stitching! :)


This week is going to go by too fast for me. The kids get out for winter break Friday at noon and last until Jan 2. 2006. Which means my normal schedule is going to be way out of whack!

No Stitching

I managed to stitch one more letter up last night so that makes me at the halfway point of ABC Bears. Yeah! However today I didn't do any stitching but I did do some crocheting. I haven't crocheted in a long time but for the past month I have been wanting to start something. I tend to do my crocheting in the winter time.

Since it has been since last winter since I did anything I figured I would start off with something easy. I have decided to make a blanket for my dog's bed. She has one now that is pretty worn and it needs to be replaced anyways. I am doing a simple wave design of three colors. I am using Red Heart Worsted yarn and the colors are Light Fuchsia, Dark Orchid, and Plum Pudding. I really like these colors and if it turns out I am gong to make an afghan for me with them. I only got 3 rows done this afternoon so there isn't much to show yet. I would have had more done but I was helping Allie with learning how to make a chain.

I'm Being Fair

This hasn't been a good week for stitching for me. I have only gotten one letter done on ABC Bears and nothing else. Last night we attended Krissy's first band performance. It turned out pretty good although I had to sit on the floor just to get some pictures. This performance was put on by the band and music class which Krissy is in both. So not only did she play the clarinet but she played the recorder and did a little dance. The pictures turned out a little dark ( I think my batteries are low) but I had to post about it to be fair with Allie's ornament.

Chiara-I started teaching both of my girls around 8 years (Allie is 10 now) old but I started them off with plastic canvas and a plastic needle. Once they got the hang of that is when I let them use a real needle and Aida.

I want to thank everyone for their compliments on Allie's HD. They really made her feel great about her stitching. So much that she has already started working on another project. She has already decided who it is for and that person is pretty special to her.

Krissy is second from the right

Allie's 1st HD

This past summer Allie finished her first cross stitch piece and tonight she finished into a little ornament for her student teacher. I did not help her at all with this piece. She did it all herself from the stitching to the sewing. I am so proud of her! :) I don't know who is more excited about it her or me.

My Babies

As you can see my babies are waiting patiently for me to get off the computer and play with them. My dog, Girly, thinks that the kitten is her baby!