Pink Gauchos

There isn't any stitching news to report today because instead I worked on a project for Allie. Last week she found a pattern for an outfit that she wanted me to sew for her. So, today was a sewing day instead of a stitching day for me. The pattern is from Simplicity #3755. Allie picked out some pretty pink knit type fabric for the gauchos. I really liked this fabric since normally when I work with knits I tend to stretch the material and this time I didn't. Too bad I bought all of it they had at the store.



Allie really likes them. She has already decided what fabrics she wants me to do next for her.





I did get the pieces for the shirt cut out but that is as far as I have gotten on it tonight. The fabric for the shirt is pink floral cotton blend. I am hoping to be able to work on it tomorrow and maybe even finish it.

Have a great weekend!

May/June Goals

May Goals

1. Work on Woodland Faerie. Sadly this one has become a UFO :(
2. Work on Griffin Kitten. Yes! Started and finished!
3. Start on The Brat Nope
4. Find a new design and start for the 4 season SAL on the FGBB. Again, nope.
5. Kit up Fairy Roses. nope, I'm starting to sound like a broken record here!
6. Mail out last 2 PIF gifts. Yes!
7. Buy more stash! Yes! Sort of, I ordered Britty Kitty Stocking from my LNS and should be here early next week, if not sooner.

Okay, I didn't do so hot this month on my goals. But in my defence I did have these finishes this months:

Britty Kitty
Seasons Greetings
Floral Fantasy
Jeweled Ornament
Snowie
Leaf
Snowman Biscornu
Griffin Kitten

So, all in all, not too bad this month :)

June Goals

1. Work on Above the Clouds.
2. Work on Geisha.
3. Start on Britty Kitty Stocking.
4. Work on WTF pile...there is a lot there!
5. Must find pattern for the 4 Seasons Sal on FGBB!

I am not setting too many goals for this month as the kids get out of school which means have to find ways to keep them entertained and out of trouble. :)

My stress level should go down immensely now. FIL had annual check up and got a clean bill of health! Pneumonia is gone, heart valves are working good, pacemaker working great, and no signs of reoccurring cancer in his throat. He was even taken off some of his medicines! Phew...major relief:)



I brought Geisha with today just in case we had to wait. Good thing I did, too. His appointment was at 9:00 am but we didn't see the doctor until 11:45 am! So here is what I managed to stitch after I ran out of things to read in the waiting room.



It was a pretty nice day here today so Girly insisted that we go outside and play Frisbee. That is her favorite game and she is pretty good at it too. It amazes me her short legs can run that fast! By the way, that Frisbee is only a few months old. She actually wears them out in about 3-4 months. Try finding a Frisbee in wal mart in the middle of winter!

SBQ of the Week

Today's SBQ was suggested Kathryn and is:

How many needles do you use during a project? Have you ever loaded up a needle for every color? Do you use a new needle for every project or recycle your favorite needle?


I only use one needle at a time per project. I have never really thought about using more than one needle because I think it would be hard for me to keep track of the needles. Heck, I am doing good if I can keep track of the one I am using! If I say "Uh-oh" Mike starts to look on the floor for my needle. :)

It is sad to say but I haven't touched my stitching today. I have decided to start another new project. You may remember I started to stitch a design called Geisha by Nanci Rossi but due to events beyond my control the fabric got ruined. (For those of you who are wondering what I am talking about go here.) Anyways, I am going to start her tomorrow. I am stitching her on 28 count white cashel linen.




I am not sure how much I will get to work on her tomorrow. I have to take FIL to the doctor tomorrow for his yearly check up. After that we are going out to have lunch. Meanwhile Mike gets to take Allie to the dentist to have 4 teeth pulled to get ready for her braces to be put on. The actual braces will probably be put on later this summer.


Again, I want to thank everyone for their get well wishes. :) I am feeling better but not quite normal. Most of it is due directly to stress. Between my FIL, Mike, kids, and pets and I honestly don't have any "me" time lately. By "me" time I mean time by myself to do stuff for only me. With summer break coming on it doesn't look like I am going to get it anytime soon either. At least I won't have to get up at 5:45 am until school starts back....yippie!!


Happy Stitching!

Two in One Day!

I had a sweet surprise for me waiting in my mailbox this afternoon. I received a Thank You card from Debbie for her PIF gift. The card is beautiful!! I love it! Thank you so much, Debbie!



I had a very productive day for my stitching. I finished 2 small pieces today AND they were both stitched over one thread. This one is from the 2005 JCS Ornaments called Britty Christmas Kitty. I stitched it on some scrap 32 count fabric and used the recommended WDW threads.



The second one is from Holiday Trimmings II and also stitched on 32 count fabric. I used WDW threads from the Britty Christmas Kitty that I had left over. I will either make these two into an ornament or maybe a scissor fob.



Thank you all for visiting and for the get well wishes.

Above the Clouds

I said yesterday that I was going to start Above the Clouds today, and I did. However, I did take Renee's advice and switched my fabric to linen. Thanks, Renee!



Sorry for such a short post but I'm not feeling to chatty today. I woke up this morning with a touch of the flu. Yuck! I hope everyone one else had a great day!

Love at First Sight

I can finally reveal my last PIF gift to Debbie. When I was in the process of picking a design for her she was due to have her baby so I wanted to do something for her but also a gift for baby Ian. The design is called Love at First Sight from Bobbie G. Designs. I really had fun putting this one together because it made me think about the ones I made for my kids when they were born.



This morning I was going to start on making Floral Fantasy into a biscornu when I realized I was one stitch short(48x49) on both the front and back piece. So now I have to make some adjustments and I really didn't feel like attempting it today.

I have decided to start (tomorrow) Above the Clouds by TW. This one was all kitted up so I am going to go ahead and use the Aida fabric that was in it. I will be working on this one on Mondays for the TW SAL on the FGBB. It's a start to getting my rotation back together:)

Have a great night!

Floral Fantasy

I worked on Jeweled Ornament but I ran short on beads. Thanks to my clumsiness! Anyways I have set it aside until I can make a trip to my LNS later next week.

I started and finished the stitching on this piece called Floral Fantasy from Ozark Sampler. I used the DMC colors 99 and 221. I am going to finish this one into a biscornu.

We're not doing much this weekend. Tomorrow we are going to FIL's house and the girls are going to stay the night with him and help him with some cleaning. We are going to do our grilling out with FIL tomorrow so we can hopefully just hang around the house on Monday.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Interesting Day

I had an interesting day at the doctor's office this morning with Allie. Originally her appointment was for the rash on her face that appeared Monday morning and a troublesome dry patch on her elbows. One look and the doctor decided the rash on her face was in fact hives and those hives were inflaming her Eczema causing her pure misery. What caused the hives? Her allergies to pollen, tree, and etc. are looking like the culprits right now. The solution is more meds for allergies, cream for the eczema, antibiotic for the spots she has scratched raw, and lots of lotion.

After I got home, I talked to my mom to find out who had/has it my family. She then calls my grandma to find out and the answer was my mom had problems with it when she was younger. So bad in fact that my grandparents had to put splints on her arms to keep her from scratching herself! Apparently my mom had forgotten all about it until now..lol.

With all that going on today I haven't picked up my needle today. I am not sure if I will work on something tonight or not. I not really in the stitching mood today. I did take a picture of this ornament I started. It is called Jeweled Ornament by Ozark Sampler. It was a freebie I got at my LNS.



I hope everyone had a good night!

Cute Socks!

Today did not go anything like I had planned. I had planned on taking the kids' summer clothes out and sorting out outgrown clothes. After that the day would have been mine to do as I wanted like cross stitching or maybe a nap. A nice thought. That is all it was today was a thought. I had barely got the kids off to school when FIL arrived for me to take him to the doctor. All had been going well with his recovery from pneumonia until last night when he started coughing up blood.

We were at the doctor's office first thing this morning and according to the doctor his lungs sound fine. So he gave him some antibiotics and sent him home. He does have to go back in tomorrow for some blood work to be done. Unfortunately, I won't be with him at that appointment as I have to take Allie and Krissy to the doctor tomorrow.

On to stitching stuff, I finished all the cross stitching on Snowie last night. So this afternoon when I finally got a chance to stitch all I had to do was the back stitching. I think the socks are adorable!



I did start a quick little ornament this afternoon. I should be finished with it tomorrow...that is as long nothing unexpected comes up!

Peace, Quiet & Cleaning

I finally had a day of no interruptions so I took on the task of de-cluttering my kids rooms. I packed up their winter clothes and the clothes they have out grown. Tomorrow I am going to take on the task of dragging out the summer clothes. I put off doing this as long as I can because to me it signals summer break for the kids. It is official they have 10 days left of school left.

With all the cleaning and laundry I haven't been able to work on any stitching today but I did work on it a little last night.



I was talking with my mom the other day and she mentioned she really liked the Britty Kitties. She then said the kitty would have to be grey. Don't you just love the way she drops a hint?! I have been thinking about the Britty Kittes stocking for her. If I do, I will have to do another one for my step-dad. Wouldn't want him to feel left out:)

Friends at Last!

This is the first chance today I have had to sit down and and clear my head. It was a busy morning for me. I had to take FIL to the doctor's office today. First of all, FIL was convinced his appointment was at 8:15 which it actually was at 8:30, so he had us rushing around when he thought WE were going to be late. Turns out the doctor took over an hour to see him! Ugghh!!

When I made it back to the house a little while ago I went in search of the kitties. I found them in the girls' room aka Black Hole!




As you can guess Zoey has accepted Claudia. :) Last night I caught Zoey giving Claudia a bath. Of course, Claudia really didn't want a bath since she wanted to play but Zoey's maternal instincts took over and made her take it. lol.

I guess I am going to head off and work on Snowie before the kids get home from school. For me this is the best time to stitch when I have the house all to myself! :)

Leaf Finished

I was lucky today when I had to make a trip into wal-mart and they had my DMC color I needed to finish Leaf. Yippie:)




Another one for the WTF pile. I do know I want some kind of fabric with leaves and autumn colors for the finishing.

Today's SBQ was suggested Juls and is:

If you could only stitch one more piece what would it be and why?

Hmm...that is a terrible thought! I would have to say right now it would be Legends by TW/Dragon Dreams/Black Swan. Why? Because I love dragons:)

Snowie

Last night I finished all (minus 3031 which I have to get!) the stitching on Leaf. I had planned on going to my LNS this afternoon and getting my DMC and maybe a few other things but it didn't happen. Krissy is having a friend spend the night and Mike had to work late tonight so by the time he got home my LNS was closed. Grrr...so close to another finish, too!

So today I started on Snowie by Twiseted Threads. I got this pattern from Nancy K. in the Winter Wonderland Exchange. It is adorable! I just love this little gal. I should be able to finish her up tomorrow sometime. :)

Dirty or Clean?

I didn't get to do a lot of stitching tonight. At least not enough to drag out my camera and take a picture. However, I did hear from Jenna that my PIF piece arrived safely today. I stitched the Britty Puppy from Keep It Clean. When I was at the LNS for some reason it just kept screaming at me to stitch it for Jenna.

I made a double sided hanging ornament or at least that is what I call it..lol. I even got brave and made my own cording. I normally buy my cording but I have wanted to try making my own. Overall, I was pleased with the results.

Side 1

Side 2

Leaf

I had to take FIL to the doctor again today so I brought a small piece to work on waiting. I started Leaf from Bent Creek. Last night when I gathered the floss for it I realized I was missing DMC 3031 but I decided to go ahead and start it. I will be in town this weekend so I will just pick it up then.



I have to confess that Woodland Faerie is an official UFO for me. I tried to work on her today but soon found myself trying to find reasons to put her away. I realized that I needed to take a break from her when I decided that the kitchen floor needed to be mopped. It wasn't that the floor needed mopped but that I would rather mop the floor than stitch on her! It felt good to put her away in a drawer and not worry about her for awhile.

So what will I work on next? I am not sure...lol. I had fun with the biscornu yesterday so I might work on some small projects for a bit. Just have to see what screams at me:)

Thanks for all your wonderful comments on the biscornu!

Snowman Biscornu

This morning when I was reading Carol's blog I had to check out the freebie biscornu pattern link she was sharing with all of us. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to stitch it up! I used DMC floss on 28 count Amsterdam Blue linen.



As you can tell I didn't work on Woodland Faerie today. It doesn't take a lot to get me side tracked...lol.



Mac has been on a destructive roll today! This morning while he was getting dressed his closet rod for his clothes fell down. Believe, 6:00 am is not when you want to hear a loud crash! Then this afternoon he fell out of a tree. He got a scratch on his upper arm and a big bruise to the ego. Sometimes I wonder if that boy will make it to 18!

I want to thank everyone for all the wonderful comments on Griffin Kitten. Even after all this time blogging, I still get a warm fuzzy feeling on each comment.:)

Griffin Kitten

Yep, I did it! I finished Griffin Kitten today. :) I am just in love with this little guy. However, if I was to stitch it again I would omit the half stitches in the background or stitch it on a darker fabric. I have no plans for this one right away so it is headed to the WTF pile.

It even gets better. I stitched for about an hour and a half on Woodland Faerie! Sorry not enough progress for a picture yet. This one is my only WIP left to finish. Which means a new start is in the future. :)

Here are the patterns I kitted up and are ready to start.

1. Above the Clouds-TW
2. Cats-Stoney Creek Collection Nov/Dec 1991
3. Millennium Angel-Mirabilia
4. Leaf-Bent Creek
5. Snowie-Twisted Threads

Here are the ones that I could start but still need to get a few items.

1.Dragon of the Summer Sky-Dragon Dreams
2.Mermaid of the Pearls-Mirabilia
3. Moonlight Visit-Sandra Parlow
4. Waiting for Ships-Mirabilia
5. The Brat-Enchanting Lair
6. Legends-TW/Dragon Dreams/Black Swan

So many to choose from and not enough time to stitch them all!

No Stitching Again :(

I have said it before and I will say it again.....every time I make plans something always goes awry! I had planned for some mega stitching this weekend but as of right now I still haven't picked up a needle. Last night I played in my stash and found 4 patterns that I have all kitted and ready to go. Since I had everything out, I figured I might as well and go ahead and kit up some more patterns. I ended up kitting up another 6 patterns! Those 6 aren't fully kitted up, they all need some fabric yet. Now, my problem is deciding which one to stitch next!

It has been a pretty good day for me. We went and seen FIL this afternoon. The kids and Grandpa cooked a nice lunch for me today. They made roast, potatoes & gravy, corn on the cob, and green beans. Yummy! and the best part was I didn't have to cook or clean up the mess. Tonight Mike is making italian sausage, macaroni and cheese, and a salad. Another Yummy! Yes, I admit I LOVE to eat.



On the kitty side of things, Zoey has decided Claudia isn't so bad to have around. I still have to keep an eye on Zoey because she does get a little too rough sometimes. Girly helps me out because once the kitten cries she is instantly right in Zoey's face barking at her. I find it funny when Zoey cries, Girly doesn't do a thing!

Lastly, I want to wish all the mother's a Happy Mother's Day...enjoy what is left of this day :)

Presents for Me

I haven't had a chance to do any stitching today. That is okay. Mike took my shopping for a Mother's Day gift. What did I want? Stitching stuff, of course! :) I was a good girl and only picked up some 32 count Cashel linen and a butt load of DMC floss. Mike even managed to sneak in a surprise for me....a new stitching bag!



I just love my new stitching bag. It is very "me". My favorite colors are greens, blues and purples which all of them happen to be present. He is such a sweet man!

Mac gave me 2 toe rings, 3 sets of earrings, and a coupon promising me one month of chores. They had small sale going on at his school and he was so proud to pick them out and buy them all by himself. The girls have volunteered to do all the housework and laundry tomorrow. I feel pretty lucky to be blessed with my kids and husband. :)

Even though I had hoped to do nothing tomorrow it looks like we will be heading over to FIL's place. We will probably make a quick run to the cemetery to visit MIL while we are down there. It sounds bad but i don't like to visit cemeteries, even to visit love ones. I just get really creeped out. I have my Dad to thank for that quirk about me. Once, when I was about 4 years old, we visited my grandfathers grave and I accidentally walked across some one's grave. My Dad then told me that was disrespectful and they might get mad and reach up, grab me, and pull me into the grave. The things that children believe!

Enough of my ramblings :) I hope all mother's have a wonderful day tomorrow.

Happy Mother's Day!

SBQ of the Week

Today's SBQ was suggested by Ish and is:

How do you choose a project for an exchange? Do you pick solely on what you know of the taste of the recipient or are there other reasons you pick the piece you do?

I take forever deciding on what to stitch for an exchange! When I look for a pattern to stitch for someone, I start off with solely their tastes in mind but when I find something that the person would like I have to ask myself if this is something I would enjoy stitching. If I can't enjoy stitching the piece I feel like I don't do my best work and I would never want to send someone something that I didn't feel was my best work.

I worked on GK some more today. I know big surprise..lol. I am really hoping to be able to finish it this weekend.



Since it is Mother's Day weekend I am planning on not doing a lot but stitching. I guess you could call it a Mother's Day weekend stitch-a-thon for me:)

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Carolyn:)

Here are the rules:
Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they have been tagged and to read your blog!

1. I got married when I was 18 and have never regretted getting married at a young age. This June we will celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary.

2. In 2001 (Feb. 16 around 1:20pm to be exact!) Mac and I survived a tornado that destroyed our home completely. This is the reason when there is bad weather I am a basket case.

3. I don't go to a gym or exercise regularly. I figure between all the housework, laundry, walking the dog, and chasing after my 3 kids all day long that is enough exercise for me.

4. I'm allergic to wasps and yellow jackets. Not a pretty sight!

5. I have broke my ankle, my wrist, and my tailbone. Thank gosh not all at the same time!

6. I am 32 years old and I am a great-aunt and have been for 12 years! Yikes, I could be a great-great-aunt by the time I am 40!

7. I miss my mom and my brother. They both live in Nebraska so we don't get to see each other very often. The last time my mom, brother, and I were all together was 5 years ago.

I'm tagging Vash, Jennifer, Shannon, Zohrah, Christine D., Renee, and Judith.

The past few days have been busy for me. My FIL is feeling much better and has been visiting me 2-3 times a day. I am glad to see that he is getting out of the house and enjoying himself. Of course, Girly loves the visits because she gets see his dog, Broker.

Claudia is all kitten! I lose her in the house at least twice a day. There are so many small places for her to curl up in and sleep! Claudia and Girly get along great. Remember the old cartoon with the bulldog and the kitten where the kitten is on the bulldog's back trying to get comfy to sleep? That is the exact picture of my two...except that the bulldog is a black lab/terrier. Zoey still isn't happy about Claudia but we are making progress. She hasn't stalked and pounced on Claudia today. This is a good thing.

Even with all the visits I did squeeze in some time tonight to work on GK. I was trying to finish page 3 tonight but I didn't make it. I am hoping that I can finish it this weekend.

Late Night

I didn't get to stitch until after the kids went to bed last night so by the time I was done I was ready for bed. I must have been tired because I noticed in the picture I missed one little cross stitch. I will be sure to fix that later today!



I'll post more later (hopefully) as I have to go and watch the kitties. Zoey has gone from being invisible to wanting to eat Claudia so all eyes are needed on them to prevent bad things!

May I Present..

Thank you for all your wonderful comments on GK and my new baby. Many of you asked if she has a name and she does. I would like for all of you to meet Claudia. :)



As you can see, she seems to be adjusting to her new home pretty quickly. She was running off with her first kill! The lady said she was eating hard food but we discovered last night that wasn't all true. I really didn't figure she would be eating hard food at 6 weeks. We made a quick trip into town and picked up some soft food and since then she had been eating non stop. I was even impressed she made it to the litter box and used it!

Zoey is still peeved about Claudia. She refuses to come out from under Allie's bed unless she is hunger/thirsty or has to use her box. I am completely surprised at Zoey's reaction. My FIL brings his dog to my house and they play together all the time. I know I jokingly say she is more dog than cat but I seriously wonder if she thinks she is a dog!

Eadwine-They way I stitch my pieces are from left to right ( I am compulsive about this) and I try to work with one color and then move onto the next color but at the same time working my way up or down the pattern. I hope this helps you:)

Sorry, no stitching today but never fear there is tomorrow! House is clean and laundry is done so I should be able to get a good part of page 3 done on GF or just maybe I might pick up Woodland Faerie. Don't hold your breath on that one! LOL...I am so terrible I am the moderator of the TW SAL on the FGBB and I can't get motivated to stitch her!! Maybe I should start a new one like Above the Clouds? Sorry, I am just thinking aloud. I get concerned until I start answering myself out loud! :)

A New Baby

It has been a crazy day today! Mike had to go into work an hour early today and he made sure that I was fully awake before he left. How sweet of him...grr! The kids and I just hung out at the house today, mainly because all three of them needed to clean their rooms bad! Krissy and Allie share a room which I refer to as "The Black Hole" because if you enter it you may not come back out! Mac's room isn't so bad if you don't walk in there barefoot. He has hundreds of Hot Wheel cars and boy do they hurt when you step on them.

While they were cleaning their rooms I stitched for a little bit on GK today.



Tonight when we were leaving the store I spotted a "Free Kittens" sign. Yep, I didn't leave without a new baby! She is so sweet! She is 6 weeks old.



We were a little worried about Girly and Zoey's reaction to her. Girly is tickled to death with "her baby". She is already very protective of her. Zoey, on the other hand, is quite unhappy with the new kitty. I just hope this transition goes smoothly and quickly!

Page 2 Done

It was a pretty quiet day for me today. I managed to get the cleaning and laundry done fairly early today so I was able to stitch my heart out on GK. :) My goal for the day was to finish page 2 and I did finish it. This little guy is just so darn cute!



I hope everyone has a great weekend!

All in One Day

Today has been like a roller coaster for me! FIL and I went back to the doctor this morning and the doctor was pleased that his lungs sounded better today. We were pleased to find out that he wouldn't be going into the hospital. With that out of the way I was going to be able to go with Mac to his dental appointment. Mike had the day off so he could take him if I had to be at the hospital.

The drive to the dentist is about 50 minutes with good traffic. So, after several "Are we there, yet?" we arrived on time. They took the normal x-rays and concluded what I already knew...the tooth had to come out. I hadn't anticipated them actually pulling it today since it was swollen and tender. I figured they would give him some antibiotics and tell me to bring him back in a week or so. You can imagine my surprise as Dr. L walked in and told me they were pulling it out today! I, myself, don't like going to the dentist. I hate hearing the noises! I had to put on a brave face and hold my son's hand (he wanted Mama and not Dad) and not cringe at the noises. I have to admit my little boy did better than me. As soon as I saw the pliers come out I had to turn and look out the window and then the sound of roots being ripped out of my baby's mouth made ME cringe! Mac then squeezed my hand and told me "Mama, it's okay I didn't feel a thing." Of course, it didn't come out quite that clear since his mouth was numb and that sucky thing was in his mouth. Good news is the other surrounding teeth are fine and a spacer will be put in the tooth's place in a few weeks.

So for a better part of the evening I have been tending to Mac. It took a little longer than usual for it to stop bleeding but it has stopped and the Novocaine wore off. With all the excitement today I didn't get a chance to check my email until a little while ago. I was shocked to learn that Emily Oswald, the designer of Seasons in the Snow, commented my finished piece and thought that I did a good job!! Wow!! Never in my wildest dreams did I think a designer would ever think I did a good job. I just wish I could end every day feeling like this! :)

You probably guessed that with all the ups and downs today I didn't even get to pull out my stitching! I am planning on making it up tomorrow! Of course, I have to do my daily chores of cleaning and laundry and then I can stitch my heart out on Griffin Kitten.

I want to thank everyone who reads/comment son my blog. I am truly appreciative of each and every one of you!

SBQ of the Week

Today's SBQ was suggested Kathryn and is:

How many WIPs do you have? How many UFOs do you have? When does a WIP become a UFO?

I have whittled my WIP's pile down to 2 projects, Woodland Faerie and Griffin Kitten. I don't have any UFO's but Woodland Faerie is looking like it might end up there soon. A WIP becomes a UFO for me when I can't get myself motivated to stitch on it but it usually doesn't stay a UFO for long because it bothers me to have a pattern unfinished laying around. Now my WTF pile is a whole different story! LOL

First of all, I want to thank everyone for their comments on Allie's pillow. She is tickled pink that you guys took the time to leave a comment for her. Carol, those aren't her only CPK's! She has a total of 6 different ones!

Now on to stitching news. I worked on Griffin Kitten again today. I got bored with stitching the light colors (677 and ecru) so I started on his feathers. I love the bright colors!



Tomorrow looks like a busy day for me. My FIL had pneumonia a couple weeks ago and thought he was over it but that isn't so. This morning he woke up coughing up blood so he went to the doctor. After some x-rays, the Dr. told him he wanted to admit him but FIL would have none of that. So Dr. comprised with him and gave him some medicine and told him to come back tomorrow. If there isn't any improvement in his x-rays he is going to have to be admitted. I hope that there is improvement because he doesn't do well in hospitals.


I will leave you with this picture of Zoey when she was a kitten.

Proud Mama

I worked on GK today but I really didn't get a lot stitched. I really like this pattern because it is a simple pattern. No back stitching and no quarter stitches! Those are my kind of patterns. Since, I didn't get enough stitching done today to warrant a picture I thought I would share one of Allie's creations from February. She stitched a Britty Kitty design and made it into a throw pillow. I have to brag on her since it was her first time ever to stitch on linen. Yep, I am one proud mama! :D



Currently she is attempting an alphabet sampler.

April/May Goals

April Goals

1. Finish all cross stitching on Woodland Faerie and start back stitching. Nope, didn't even come close.
2. Finish A Time For Everything-yep finished
3. Mail out mystery exchange-yep
4. Mail out Debbie, Jenna PIF gifts. Yes and no, both are finished and ready to mail.
5. Start Seasons in the Snow by Little River for the 4 Season SAL on the FGBB.Started and finished this one.
6. Start Griffin Kitten by X's and Oh's. yep started

May Goals

1. Work on Woodland Faerie.
2. Work on Griffin Kitten.
3. Start on The Brat
4. Find a new design and start for the 4 season SAL on the FGBB.
5. Kit up Fairy Roses.
6. Mail out last 2 PIF gifts.
7. Buy more stash!

I had a rather productive day today. I finished the finishing on the last PIF gift today. I will mail them out Wednesday before Mac's dental appointment. I pulled out Woodland Faerie to work on her but (sigh) I just can't get motivated to stitch on her so instead it was Griffin Kitten.

Thanks ya'll (yes in "real life" I actually use that word....a lot) for the wonderful comments on Seasons in the Snow!

Seas

I had a pretty good day today. There was a Gilmore Girls marathon today so I took advantage of it and vegged on Gilmore Girls and stitching. I have to say it was a rather productive day for me since I finished Seasons in the Snow. :D

I have finished the final snowman in Season in the Snow! In the picture he is missing his black eyes (and the mouths of all the snowmen) but I had to make a run into town and pick up some DMC 310 but he does have eyes now! :)



With all the snowmen finished and the back stitching done I am hoping to finish this piece sometime this week.

We have no plans for anything this weekend because all I am doing in taking it at easy as I can. While I didn't break my tailbone, I did fracture it. The doc says it probably would have been better if I had broke it but, well, that is my luck! While I am sure painkillers would help the pain that is just not an option for me. I am not allergic to painkillers but I am "sensitive" to them. Which means they won't kill me but instead make me throw up until my toes come out! So, it is hot bathes, hot pads, and ibuprofen for me. And yes, Jenna, I did break down and get a pillow to sit on:)

I want to share this picture of Mac. Friday his school had an award assembly and he was one of the lucky students to receive the high flier award for the benchmark tests. As you can tell from the picture he is just a little proud of himself.

Getting Better, Slowly

I want to thank everyone for the get well wishes for my rear end. I ended up not stitching yesterday (Gasp-I know!) but I could not sit comfortably to get in a good stitching groove.
Here is an example of the conversations around my house right now:

*All I am trying to do is sit down gently with as little pain as possible!

Mike(laughing): You know you look like you are 9 months pregnant trying to sit down.
Me(dryly):Funny
Mike is still laughing as I finally sit down
Me: Laugh it up, Fuzzball!

Allie had a choir concert at school last night so those nice hard benches didn't help much. It was a cool concert. There was a girl who did a solo, Life is a Highway, and let me tell you that little girl was awesome! I envy anyone that can sing...let's just say my singing doesn't even rate the shower! LOL. The only bad thing was the lighting was bad so I wasn't able to get a lot of good pictures.

Hopefully I will have some stitching progress pictures to post tonight! :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

When it Rains it Pours

Have you ever seen the movie Groundhog Day with Billy Murray? If you have, you know exactly what kind of week I have been having! Last week my vehicle broke down and Mike broke his little toe. Yesterday, Mike's vehicle broke down (nothing major) and last night I busted my a-- on the back porch steps. All I was trying to do was help Mike out by taking the dog out to go to the bathroom. It was raining so the steps were slippery and I wasn't paying attention when I started down the steps. I slipped on the top step and bounced all the way down! Yeeouuchh!! I slowly made my way back into the house to wipe the dirt off of the back of my legs when I discovered what was on the back of my leg was the beginning of a very huge bruise! Of course, when I attempted to sit down that is when I realized how bad my butt hurt!

I had a terrible night of sleep because every time I moved my a-- and my leg let me know that they were there. So today I was pretty much ordered by Mike to stay on the couch all day. Which would have been good if I could have sit up to stitch! I did put a few stitches in Seasons in the Snow but after a while I had to give up and lay down.



I am hoping to finish the snowman tomorrow...if I can sit comfortably!

Cute Cube

I didn't get a lot of stitching done on SITS today at least not enough to take a picture. So, I will share a picture of a finish that I had done a while ago. The design is a Britty Kitty and I made it into a cube. I really love the fabric that I used. I was going to send this one as a PIF gift but I really fell in love with it so I am keeping it for myself. :)



Jean-The design with the snowmen is called Seasons in the Snow by Little River.

One Down and One to Go

I had a pretty good stitching day today. I finished the rest of the stitching on the last PIF piece today and I even got it finished. Whoo-hoo! Only one more PIF gift to go and I already have it stitched and waiting to be finished.

I heard today from Outi that my gift for the Mystery Exchange arrived safely. I had piece already done for her but for some reason I just wasn't happy with it so at the last minute I stopped by my LNS and I found the pattern Keep it Clean from Brittercup Designs and immediately I thought that Outi would like it. I stitched the "Clean" kitty but I omitted stitching the word on the fabric. The stitching gave me no problems but that wasn't the case with the finishing. I originally was going to make it into a tuck a pillow but I messed up and it became a wall hanging/ornament. Overall, I liked how it turned out.:)



Looks like tomorrow I will be working on SITS. I am hoping to finish the last snowman and at least start on the seasons names. Maybe, if I can get to the seasons names, I might even put a few stitches in Griffin Kitten.

I want to thank everyone that leaves comments for me. They really help me stay motivated and on task! So...Thank you!!

No pictures

Sorry no pictures tonight. I worked on PIF gifts today. I finished all the stitching on one piece and a little over half of the stitching on another piece. I still have the finishing to do on both pieces but I do have ideas for both finishings. Looks like I might have a finish or two this week. :)

Griffin Kitten/PIF

Today has been a pretty productive stitching day for me. I worked on Griffin Kitten and finished page one of the pattern. He is so adorable!



After that I worked on a PIF piece. I am about 50 percent done with the stitching. I have a couple ideas on how to finish it but like always I never am sure how to finish until I am doing the finishing. If there was one thing I would change about myself it would be to be able to plan a whole piece from stitching to finishing and actually follow the plan! I am hoping to have it all finished and ready to mail sometime this week.

Mystery Exchange

I went to the mailbox very hesitantly today since yesterday I recieved a letter from my biological father and let's just say it didn't help my week along. Anyways, today I braced myself for the worst and instead one piece of mail turned my whole week around! Inside my mailbox was a manilla envelope but when I looked at it I noticed there was no return address. Hmmm...how mysterious I thought.

When I opened the envolope I pulled out another envelopee marked for "My Mystery Exchange Partner" in very neat and pretty handwriting. I thought "wow, this is almost like my best friend's handwriting." Guess what....Renee did get me as her partner! How awesome is that?! As you can imagine, since she has known me for 20+ years, she picked out everything perfectly for me. :)



Here is what was in my exchange. The prettiest stitching bag. Renee, you do realize I have to hide it from Allie don't you? lol The inside fabric is a turqouse blue with very spring like colors. The goodies she sent me are the best too! She sent me some cute lady bug buttons..they are so adorable! She also sent me some needles. That brought a huge smile to my face since when she came for a visit from Germany she brought me some then. I only use #24 needles (except when beading) because I have a tendancy to snap the eye of the needles. I think I just grip it to tight and of course when I am stressing that is when they seem to snap and go flying across the room. But the fabric was the best of the goodies! I am proud to say I own one of Renee's personally dyed fabrics! She calls it Celery Dream. I remember when she dyed it and I thought it was an awesome color. I have to forewarn everyone...this fabric will be used for me!!



Here is a close up of the pattern. It is very me! She made some minor adjustments to make it for me. She changed the Angel's hair from black to brown and since neither of us drinks tea so she opted for coco.


I was going to post my progress on Griffin Kitten but I think this exchange deserves a post all of it's own. I will post a picture tomorrow!

Have a wonderful weekend!

SBQ of the Week

Today's SBQ was suggested Danielle and is:

Are you on "The Wagon?" If so, how long have you been on and how"serious" are you about it? If not, have you considered it?

Nope, I am not on the wagon. I have a considerable amount of stash but it is kind a like clothes....when you look for something you can't find anything at all! LOL I am a firm believer one can not have too much stash! Of course, sometimes the budget just doesn't allow for that belief to work so at those times I guess I would be on the wagon. :)

I worked on Griffin last night but I will post a picture later as I am going to work on it for awhile today.

True Color

I got a lot stitched on Griffin Kitten today. :) At first it didn't start out to well because I stitched for about 40 minutes and then realized I had used the wrong color! I was supposed to be stitching with DMC 677 and instead I had used Ecru. After I fixed that problem I didn't have any problems with it today.

I took this picture outside today so you can get a good idea of the true color of the fabric.



I am not sure what I am going to stitch tomorrow. The Brat is in my rotation and I have the fabric but I still need to get the Kreiniks. So instead of trying to stitch around the metallics I think I will just wait until I get them before I start it. Maybe I will work on a PIF gift. I have the patterns picked out (finally!) and ready to stitch. Who knows..lol...just have to see what screams at me tomorrow. :)

Summer Snowman Done

Thanks for all the words of encouragement, I do hope my week gets better!

I worked on Seasons in the snow today. I finished the summer snowman and I started on the fall snowman. Unfortunately, I ran out of white so now I have to make a run into town...probably this weekend.... *sigh* having one running vehicle sucks!



Tomorrow I will be working on Griffin Kitten. This pattern was another one of my clearance purchases that I couldn't resist. Who wouldn't?....I paid 58 cents for the pattern!! I admit, I am a clearance sale shop-a-holic. :)

A Not So Good Week

***ranting session***

It has NOT been a very kind week to me. It started off last evening when Mike accidentally dropped a package of frozen hamburger on his foot. It broke his little toe on his left foot! The toe swelled up and turned black right away. It was gross looking! So he didn't go to work today since he spends all day on his feet. I went to bed last night with the thought that tomorrow is a new day and things will be better. Boy was I ever wrong!

This morning I drove my van up to my friend's house which is less than a mile away and shut it off. A little while later when we went to leave I put the key in the ignition and turned it. It wouldn't start which is strange because it is a brand new battery. So Mike went home and got his car and came back to jump start the van. After about 20 minutes the van started and I was happy for a tiny second when I noticed white smoke (LOTS of white smoke) coming out of the exhaust. This was not a good thing to see.

In less than 24 hours time my husband broke his toe and I broke the van. I think we have set a new record, even for our house!

***end of ranting***

I did try to stitch on WF today but after about 20 minutes I decided that I couldn't keep my concentration on stitching so I put her away. I even tried to work on SITS but that didn't work either. However, there was a bright spot in my stitching day when the mail arrived. I had received a gift certificate from a friend and I used it last week. I was amazed at how fast my order from Down Sunshine Lane arrived!

Waiting for Ships is on the left and Fairy Roses is on the right. I think Fairy Roses will fit nicely into my Friday spot.

Fast Start & Finish

The weekend went by to fast for me! I stopped by my LNS and I found a pattern I thought the person I am stitching for in the Mystery Exchange would like so I picked it up and started stitching on it right away last night. I finished the stitching up late this afternoon and started on the finishing. For some reason I was having a hard time getting this one put together. I don't know why either! Probably because I knew I needed to have it mailed tomorrow. Anyways, the finishing turned out okay so later tonight I will package it all up and mail it off tomorrow. I really hope ???? likes it!

I have been putting in a few stitches here and there on SITS. He looks kind of funny without a head.




Tomorrow I am going to work on Woodland Faerie. It has been a while since I worked on her and I feel like I need to put some time in on her. There are a lot of blends and half stitches in this pattern and while it makes it looks awesome but at the same time it makes my head hurt..lol!

Daily Rotation

I'm sorry I haven't posted in the past few days but I have been busy spring cleaning my house. Every piece of furniture has been moved and vacuumed or swept under it. I really need to check under the couch more often because I found 5 of Zoey's toy there! Zoey was in kitty heaven because she thought I bought her new toys...silly cat!

I have my Mystery exchange for the RN done and ready to mail. I just hope the person likes it. Our stitching tastes are slightly different so I was having a hard time picking out a pattern. I tried to find something that I could work both of our tastes into a piece. I think I did. Out of all my exchanges this one has been the hardest for me!

I have decided to go back to a daily rotation. I just haven't figured out what patterns to stitch!

Sunday/Saturdays-are my choice or exchanges/PIF/RR's/etc,

Monday-TW Sal on the FGBB(currently Woodland Faerie)
Tuesday-4 Season SAL on the FGBB(currently Seasons in the Snow)
Wednesday-Griffn Kitten(currently working on)
Thursday-The Brat( still have some Kreinik and Wisper threads to get)
Friday-

I am not sure when I will officially start it because I still have some things to pick up for The Brat and I still have to pick something out for Fridays. I think it will work great for me. I didn't realize before how much more I got accomplished with have a set routine.

Have a great weekend!

I started off stitching on SITS. I finished up the hat and I was going to continue on to the next snowman but I decided to start Griffin Kitten instead.



It's not much of a start but that cream blob is part of the wing.



It will eventually look like this: