I have been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off these past few days! We have been looking to purchase a new/used vehicle for me and for the past few weeks it seems like all I have been doing is looking and test driving vehicles. Good news is all my effort has paid off! Today I got the keys to my new/used Windstar mini-van. It is teal green with light grey interior. Best part is the whole family and Girly can ride in it comfortably I love it!

As for my stitching, I finished the 4th page on Woodland Faerie today. I will post a picture tomorrow because it was too late to try and take a picture tonight. Tomorrow I am going to be working on finishing another PIF gift but after that I might work on A Time For Everything a little while.

Package for Me

I was delighted to open my mailbox this evening and found a package waiting for me from Nancy K. for the Winter Wonderland Exchange. She stitched this sweet snowman and finished it into a bag, Her finishing is flawless! The snowman ornament is also very cute! I have to keep an eye on it as Allie has already tried to sneak off with it. Thank you, Nancy, I love it...all of it!






I had a pretty good finishing day today. I finished the finishing on two of my PIF gifts. Two down and three to go. :) After that I put in a few stitches in Woodland Faerie but not enough for a picture.

Winter Wonderland Exchange

I can finally reveal what I stitched for Cathy B for the Winter Wonderland Exchange on the SBEBB. I stitched this quick snowman and finished it into a little totebag. I think it turned out really cute!

Today has been a rather good day for me so far! I finished Footprints just a little while ago. I really love how it turned out. :)



Now that I have one WIP's finished I can focus on my PIF gifts. I have 3 different pieces stitched already. I am just having a hard time deciding on how to finish them. Most of the dilemma is I need to make a desperate run for crafting supplies. Hopefully, I should have an order coming in at my LNS this week and I can do it all in one trip.

SBQ of the Week

Today's SBQ was suggested by Kathryn and is:

What is the smallest count fabric you have ever used? Did you stitch over one? Conversely, what is the largest count fabric you have ever used?

On Aida fabric the smallest I stitched was 18 count and the largest was 14 count. On linen/evenweave the smallest is 32 count ( which what I normally stitch on) and the largest is 28 count.

I worked on Footprints again today and decided that if I really buckle down and stitch this weekend I just might be able to finish it. :)

A Long Line

Yesterday was a long day for me. I had to go and get tags for our vehicles. I had been putting if off for as long as I could because I remember exactly how long the lines are at the DMV. I spent from 9:30 am until 1:30 pm waiting for my number to be called. When I walked in I noticed the number they were on was 67 so I take my number and sit down. That is when I noticed that my number was 27!! That was 60 people ahead of me. My butt fell asleep while sitting that long!

The evening didn't get any better either. I was late getting home that evening and as soon as I pulled in the driveway some of our friends stopped by for a visit. After they left I did work on ATFE but not enough progress to post a picture.

Today I worked on Footprints and I have to say I am pleased with today's progress. :)

Progress Is Good

After not stitching since last week, it felt good to sit and stitch for a couple of hours. I worked on Footprints today and got some good progress.



Tomorrow I will be working on A Time For Everything SAL with Becky. Here is a picture of it looks so far. :)

Back Full Time

I had these big plans for working on Footprints for the February SAT at the Robin's Nest but again things didn't turn out like they were planned. At least this time it was for a good reason. My sweet hubby bought me a new laptop for me and I have been playing around with it and getting it set up. This mean I will be back to blogging full time now! This also means I can actually sit down and read some blogs and comment....which is what I am going to do right now!

SBQ of the Week

Today's SBQ is:

Do you like to buy "chartpacks" that include charms, buttons, and/or beads or do you prefer to gather all materials yourself?

I often buy the "chartpacks" because it just easier for me to purchase them that way. However, I never buy kits with floss in them. Strange isn't it?

Happy Valentine's Day

Things didn't start off great for me yesterday when I sat down to work on the ATFE SAL with Becky. Immediately, I realized that I didn't have a few colors with me I needed so I couldn't finish the back stitching and lazy daisies on the Spring scarecrow. That is when I discovered I didn't have the colors for the kitty that is supposed to be next to the birdhouse. Grrr....I KNOW I had all the colors together in the bag. I wonder if my little stitchers at the house robbed me. :) Anyways, I finally decided to start on the frame around the Winter scarecrow.



We have no big plans for tonight. We are going to stay at the house and try to stay warm! It has been cold here! Mike and I don't exchange gifts with each other so we didn't have to deal with the rush of the Valentine's crowds. Instead we give the kids presents. I don't know if this is normal or not but that is how my parents were with me on Valentine's. The girls each got a pair of fur lined boots and Mac got an outfit plus they all got a chocolate heart from me.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Birthday, Mac!

I actually got a lot of stitching done on Footprints yesterday. You really can't tell in the picture because a lot of it was the satin stitches and back stitching.



I want to thank everybody for their wonderful comments on Footprints. They really help me stay motivated. :)

Today is Mac's 9th birthday. I always get a little sentimental today because of it. One reason is he is my "baby" our last child. But, the main reason is because both he and I had to go through a lot for him to be here today alive, healthy and completely normal.

He was born 11 weeks early weighing 2 pounds 11 ounces. He was so tiny! My thumb was as wide as his leg! I won't bore you with the details but he had to deal with a lot of problems for the first years of his life. Now, he is 9 years old and hasn't been to the Dr for being sick in at least a year or more. Actually, he has seen the doctor for more accidents than illnesses. LOL!! He is all boy. :)

We aren't doing a big celebration tonight. We are having cake and ice cream with some of the neighbor kids. Mac just had to have a '57 Chevy Route 66 birthday cake. We also bought him a new game for his game boy and a new outfit. He was even surprised with the presents this year. He thought I forgot to get his presents because I had them hid good this year. :)

Happy Birthday, Mac!

Busy Weekend

The weekend went by way too fast for me! I spent all day Saturday on the go. I had to pick Mac up from a slumber party, pay bills, do grocery shopping, and go see FIL. I had to get all that done by 5 pm! After that I still had to pick up Allie's friend to spend the night and pick up pizza for dinner. There was no way I was going to find time to cook!

Sunday didn't slow down for me either. I still had to clean the house, finish the laundry and take the girls into town to get a birthday present for Mac. I didn't get to relax until after 8pm each night! Which means I didn't get a lot of stitching done this weekend.



I worked on the border on Footprints. I have about 35 actual stitches left to do on the border and the back stitching. Then I will have all the wording to do which is ALL one over one!

5 Things About Me

5 Things about me that I haven't blogged about:

1. I am "allergic" to the sun. If I stay outside too long I break out in hives or end up with a sunburn with hives. Believe me it isn't fun!

2. I have had my ears pierced 4 times and my cartilage once. I don't wear earrings in them all now, only the first piercings and my cartilage piercings occasionally.

3. I have one tattoo on my shoulder blade. It is a unicorn.

4. I prefer a baths over a showers.

5.I don't like to go barefoot anywhere, even in the house. I always have shoes, slippers, or socks on my feet.

SBQ of the Week

Today's SBQ was suggested by Danielle and is:

Have you ever been to a stitching retreat?

A retreat, isn't that something like a vacation? :) Sadly, I must admit that I haven't been to one.

I didn't get a lot of stitching done last night. I did finish another stitched piece for my PIF. I have decided that I am going to stitch all the pieces first and then I will finish each of them. So far I have 2 out of the 5 pieces stitched and I have started on the 3 rd piece.

I still have one spot left open on my PIF list if anyone would like it just let me know. :)

Strange Weather

It was a beautiful day here yesterday! The temperature reached 65 degrees! It is hard to believe that a week ago it was below freezing and snowing. All the snow and ice we got has now melted which means there is mud everywhere you step. When Mac got home from school he found out exactly how muddy it is outside. He was walking up the drive from the bus when he stepped into some mud and he literally sank up to his knees! I didn't actually see it happen but when he came into the house he was covered head to toe in mud including his backpack. LOL I guess his shoe got stuck and he tried to yank his leg up and ended up falling over sideways into the mud.

I worked on A Time for Everything Sal with Becky yesterday but I didn't get a lot accomplished. I finished the back stitching and started on the lazy daises. I had put in about 30 of them when I realized I had used the wrong color of green! After frogging them out I just wasn't in the mood to work on it anymore.



I ended up working on Footprints for the rest of the afternoon. I ran out of a few colors so I have to wait to finish the border.



Here is a progress pic of Dani, the Stitching Dragon from Dragon Dreams. I had to put her aside for a bit since I have to order some threads for it. I really like how it looks so far! :)

February Goals

I haven't listed my goals in a long time mainly because I hadn't found my stitching groove since moving. I think I have finally found it and have been doing pretty good so here is what I would like to accomplish this month.


1. Work on Woodland Faerie
2. Work on Footprints
3. Work on A Time For Everything SAL with Becky
4. Mail off Winter Wonderland Exchange for the SBEBB

It not much but I really want to finish one large project because I am really itching to start a new project.

Stitching and More Stitching

I had a wonderful time visiting with Renee while she was here. We had all these plans of going stash shopping but mother nature had other plans! Wednesday we had a pretty good snow storm. The kids were let out of school early on Wed. and didn't have school for the next 2 days. We did manage to visit my LNS before the storm so we did get to a little stash shopping. :)

Since it was cold and snowy we were able to do a fair amount of stitching. I worked on ATFE and finished the spring scarecrow and started the back stitching.



My main focus of the week was Footprints. I stitched the lower border and I am hoping to completely finish the border this week sometime. Sorry the scan is crooked. The fabric kept slipping when I would close the lid so I finally gave up!



I did also started stitching Dani, the Stitching Dragon last week but I had to set it aside since I have to order some silk floss. I will try and remember to bring it with tomorrow to post a picture.

During all that stitching I showed Allie how to stitch on linen. I was astonished at how quickly she picked it up! She stitched a small design up in a single night. Now I really have to keep my stash under lock and key...lol! Krissy even picked up a project and started working on it and so far she hasn't gotten frustrated with it.

SBQ of the Week and PIF

Today's SBQ was suggested by Danielle and is:

What company produces your favorite hand-dyed fabric? Are there any companies whose hand-dyed fabric you do not like? If so, why?

I dye most of my own fabrics so I guess I could call it Dawn's Fabrics...lol. When I do buy fabrics I really don't have a preference as long as I love the color. :)

I was able to work on ATFE yesterday. I wanted to get all the scarecrow done so that next week I could start on the backstitching but it didn't work out that way.



The other night when I picked up Mac's prescription I had something totally unexpected happen to me. We have been having some problems with the insurance company so when I went to pay for his prescription the co-pay was more than I had anticipated and I didn't bring enough cash. I told them that I would be back in the morning to pick it up. However, as I was walking away this gentleman came up to me and handed me Mac's prescription. He had paid for it! I was stunned!

I tried to get his name so I could repay him but he insisted that it wasn't necessary. He then told me I could repay him by "Paying it Forward". So, I am going to do as he wished by Paying it Forward.

Since a lot of other stitchers are doing this I am going to do mine just a little different. I will make 5 homemade gifts to send out to different stitchers. If you would like to receive one of these please let me know either by a comment or an email to me at msgal28atgmail.com. If I don't get enough people to sign up I will then draw names from the addresses that I already have and send them out that way. I expect nothing in return but the satisfaction of knowing I put a smile on somebody's face.

**I still have one spot left to fill on the Pay it Forward...come on and sign up! :)**

You may remember a couple of weeks ago I mentioned that Renee would be coming for a visit. She will be arriving here tomorrow night! I am so excited!! I am not sure how much stitching I will get done during that time. I also won't be on the net much either so if you do send me an email don't be worried if I don't answer back until late next week.

Have a great weekend everyone!

A Trip to the ER

I had a very long day and night yesterday. First of all, I have had a head cold for the past few days so I haven't felt the greatest. On top of that the little girl I watch during the day was running a fever most of yesterday. It wasn't a high fever just a low grade one but it was enough to make her clingy all day long. I had planned on stitching that evening but my son had different plans.

We hadn't been home for more than 30 minutes when Mac was playing with the dog's Frisbee and somehow got something in his eye. As soon as I tried to flush his eye out he starting screaming like I had poured acid in his eye. So, now I had to get him calmed down and keep him from rubbing his eye and still try to see what was in his eye. I couldn't see anything but his eye was pure red, too. I had Mike look at his eye and he found a bump on the white of his eye so we decided to head to the Emergency Room.

Emergency Room waiting is enough to drive any sane person insane! I am not kidding when I say we were there from 6 pm until 11 pm!! Agghhh! I would really like to know why does it take forever to be seen in the ER?

Anyways, when Mac was finally seen they had to numb his eye which caused Mac to scream because it burned his eye at first. After that they put some kind of medicine in his eye that turned it florescent yellow. Then they had to use a black light to look at his eye. It was freaky looking! He looked like a zombie with those glow in the dark yellow eyes! Of course Mac being the boy he is thought it was cool...lol.

The final conclusion was that he scraped his eye right across the pupil and iris. The bump Mike saw they "think" is just a bunch of blood vessels bunched up. They didn't think it was anything to be real concerned about but I still should take him to the eye doctor and have it checked out. They went ahead and prescribed him some ointment to put in his eye and finally let us go around 11:00 pm. I still had to get his medicine filled since they wanted me to put it in his eye as soon as we got home. That put us home around 11:30 pm!

I really didn't think Mac would want to go to school today but he wanted to go this morning. I personally think it was to brag to the other kids about his visit to the ER.

As you can probably guess I didn't get to work on my stitching last night. So, I am going to work on ATFE for a little while today and then work on Footprints later this evening.

Footprints Update

I had yesterday's post all ready to go when all of a sudden the computer crashed. Grrr...I was ready to click on save, too! Anyways, to sum it up, we didn't do a lot this weekend because it was cold and rainy. So, I had lots of time to stitch on Footprints. Here was my progress up till Sunday night.



And here is my progress from yesterday.



Today I will be stitching on A Time For Everything SAL with Becky.