Adopt A Stitcher Package

Well, first off I am sad to sad to say that I didn't get any stitching done yesterday. I woke up feeling awful and within minutes I was headed to the bathroom and it wasn't to clean it either! Nothing I ate or drank would stay down so I spent all day in bed dozing on and off. Around 7 pm I was finally able to keep some water down so I didn't push my luck with food besides I really wasn't hungry anyways. I am feeling a little better today but still have a queasy stomach.

Harsha received her Adopt A Stitcher package so I can finally show a picture. I stitched The Dance of the Bumblebee from Bent Creek on some 28 count evenweave that I dyed. I did change the color of the flower from blue to purple so that it match the fabric I picked to use for the finishing. I finished it into a flatfold by using Kim's instructions.

This was my first attempt at a flatfold so I was quite pleased how it turned out. If I hadn't picked this particular piece to stitch for Harsha I would have kept it myself!

One over is Done!

Last night I finished all the one over one stitching! Yippie!! At 11:30 pm I was dancing around the house because I was so happy. I can't wait to work on her next week!



The official countdown has begun for Spring Break. My kids officially start their break Friday afternoon. To be exact they will be home from school for 9 days. It not that they will be home but that Spring Break means the end of the 3rd quarter so they only have 9 weeks of school left before Summer Break! Didn't they just start the school year?

Lazy Day

Yesterday was pretty much a lazy day for me. Which was good since I woke up to a bad sinus headache from allergies. The main thing I did yesterday was a trip to Wal-Mart to pick up some floss and other stuff. Big surprise they didn't have half of the colors I needed. At first I was going to wait till later in the week to make a trip out to the LNS but I changed my mind. I picked up the rest of my floss, 2 packs MH beads for future projects, 2 spools Kreinik BF, box fabric dye, and Dragon of the Summer Sky by Dragon Dreams. I originally only went there for 5 skeins of floss! LOL

I was able to get a good amount done on Our Days.

I worked on Herbs & Spices last evening. I started and finished the red pepper. I would have worked on finishing the cinnamon and cloves but I am out of a color that is needed for it. That is twice that has happened to me this week so I guess I will have to make a run to the LNS for some DMC floss.

My plans for this weekend involve stitching and more stitching! I am planning on working on Our Days for a while today. Tomorrow I plan to start on Renee's RR. Since this is the last round in the RR I would like to get her fabric finished and mailed back to her as soon as I can.

I actually got some decent stitching time in yesterday! I didn't think I was going to be able to do a lot of stitching since Mike and Krissy were both home sick again. I was able to work on her veil some and then realized I had made a mistake in the vines so I ended up ripping out about 30 stitches.



Today I will be working on Herbs & Spices. I am not sure how much time I will get to stitch on her. After I get done at work I have to go to Mac's school and take him to the book fair and buy some new books. After we leave the book fair I am supposed to pick up one of his little friends for a sleep-over. I still have to go do the weekly grocery shopping and clean the house. Looks like it is going to be a busy day for me!

Have a great weekend!

SBQ of the Week

Today's SBQ was suggested by Cheryl and is:

What cross-stitch magazines or other publications (as opposed to blogs) do you read on a regular basis? What do you like about them?What do you not like? What would your perfect publication include?

When I purchase a stitching magazine I look for at least 2 patterns that I will stitch but if there isn't at least 2 I won't buy it. There are months when I don't purchase any magazine because nothing appealed to me. I love the patterns the most but I also love the finishing ideas/instructions. My "perfect" magazine would be full of patterns with finishing instructions from the front cover to the very last page.

I was all geared up yesterday to finish the verse on The Fortunate Traveler and then I discovered I had ran out of the green I was using! Ugh! I was not making a trip to the store just for one little skein of floss. I did put in a few stitches but nothing really noticeable. I am hoping to work on it some this weekend to make up for yesterday.

Today I will be working on Deepest Love. Yea!! For some reason I find stitching this pattern soothing to stitch. I think it is the combination of the colors that relaxes me so much.

After school was let out the kids and I took our dog outside to play Frisbee when I noticed these flowers on the other side of the fence. Actually, I think they bloomed last week but it was raining most of the time so I couldn't get a good picture.

Spring is Here

Things are starting to look like Spring here in Mississippi. The grass is starting to pop up in patches of green and the trees are starting to get leaves. Out of all the seasons, Spring is my least favorite. There is only one reason why I don't like Spring and it is.....ALLERGIES. It wouldn't be so bad if it was just me dealing with allergies but Mike and the kids have them too!
I had to take Mac to the dr's office yesterday because he has been fighting another ear infection. He has always had problems with his ears ever since he was born. It seems like we get it cleared up only to have it come back worse than before. We have his hearing checked regularly just because he has so many a year. I get to blame Mike's genes on that one! When Mike was growing up he had bad problems with his ears and still does to this day. At one point the dr's put tubes in Mike's ears to help but they didn't help in fact they did more damage than anything. Once the tubes came out Mike had some hearing loss and has never regained his full hearing. So when the dr put the option out for us to have tubes put in Mac's ears Mike said no.
All of this leads to why I didn't get much stitching done yesterday. I backstitched the saying and put in maybe 10 lazy daisies on A Time For Everything. I am planning on at least finishing the verse up tonight on The Fortunate Traveler. :D

February/March Goals

February Goals:

1. Work on Woodland faerie
**yep, got her arms and most of her face done.
2. Work on A Time For Everything
**yep, almost finished the autumn scarecrow
3. Work on The Fortunate Traveler
** yep, almost done with the verse
4. Work on Deepest Love
**yep, finished most of her tail and some of her veil/wrap
5. Work on Herbs & Spices
**yep
6. Mail Melissa's present
**yep mailed 2/14
7. Mail AAS (Adopt A Stitcher) package to Harsha
**yep, mailed 2/24
8. Start on Cathymk's present
**yep and even finished and ready to mail
9. Finish Nicki's RR
**yep, finished 2/12
10 Start on Easter Exchange for Becky.
**yep finished and ready to mail


March Goals

1. Work on Woodland Faerie.
2. Work A Time For Everything.
3. Work on The Fortunate Traveler.
4. Work on Deepest Love.
5. Work on Herbs & Spices.
6. Work on Our Days. (anniversary gift)
7. Finish Easter Exchange.
8. Start on Summer package to Harsha.
9. Start/Finish Renee RR.
10. Start on Laurie RR.
11. Mail Easter Exchange.
12. Mail Renee RR fabric.
13. Mail Cathymk birthday gift.

I was able to put a little time in Woodland Faerie last night. I had wanted to finish all the one over one stitching but the frog visited and I had to rip out about half of what I had stitched. My kids said she looks like a zombie right now without her eyes and mouth done. LOL..I have to agree it looks a little creepy.

As much as I wanted to finish the verse on The Fortunate Traveler I decided to go ahead and work on Herbs and Spice. I finished the mustard, tarragon, and started on the cloves. I can't wait to start on the backstitching so that it will look more like something than just a blob of colors.



Tonight I will be working on Woodland Faerie. I am hoping to finish the one over one stitching on her face & neck. :)

Catching Up

After finishing Unicorn and Fairy Magic yesterday, I decided that I was going to finish my piece for the Easter Exchange. It didn't take me too long but I did run into a small snag and temporarily considered finishing some other way. However, I was able to work through it and it came out looking great.

When I finished the Easter Exchange piece it was only about 5 pm. All I had to do was cook dinner and the rest of the evening was mine to stitch away. Since I didn't work on The Fortunate Traveler this week I decided to work on him. I only have a few words left to do and then I am done with the verse but there is more one over one stitching.



I'm not exactly sure what I am going to work on today. I might just go ahead and finish the verse on The Fortunate Traveler but after that I am either going to work on Herbs and Spices or Our Days. I would like to be able to work on both today but I'm not sure if I am going to be able to today.

Unicorn and Fairy Magic Finished (Finally!)

I was supposed to work on Herbs and Spices last night but Deepest Love kept calling me.



I was going to work on HS this morning but the lady from the LNS called to tell me that my order of beads were finally there! I have only been waiting on them since September. So needless to say I didn't waste any time getting out to the LNS this morning. This all means that I was able to finish the beading on Unicorn and Fairy Magic! Yippie!!



I stitched Unicorn and Fairy Magic from Mythical Fantasies Collection by Stoney Creek. The fabric is 28 count evenweave that I dyed rose pink. I am planning on getting this one framed for Krissy's room.

This Month's Stash

I realized today that this month has been a pretty good stash month for me. While Renee was here I purchased the following charts:

Leaf (The Crossroads Collection)-Bent Creek
Country Seasons-The Prairie Schooler
The Brat-Enchanting Lair
Summer's Magic-Dragon Dreams
2006 Cross Stitch Pattern of the Day-Madeline Lake

I did some stash shopping this week and came home with:

Mermaid of the Pearls-Mirabilia
Silvery Moon-Ladybug Lane
Autumn is in the Air-Brittercup Designs
1/2 yard of 32 count White Belfast Linen
2 spools of ribbon
bag of batting
dark green fabric dye

This month I also got some goodies in the mail.

4" Gingham scissors-Vash
Seasonal Arches-Lynn

All that and I am still thinking about making another trip back to the LNS for more stuff! LOL

Deepest Love

I did squeeze some time in yesterday to stitch on Deepest Love. I worked on the leaves and filling in some of her tail. I am thinking about working on her a little this weekend. On a normal day I stitch from 2-4 hours however since I have been working extra hours I am only getting an hour or two in if I even get to my stitching that night. Also normally, I can work on my stitching at work but the owner has been in town so that means no stitching at work during my free time.



Wednesday night I didn't work on The Fortunate Traveler. Wednesdays tend to be a little hectic since that is youth night at the church for the kids. By the time everything was done and ready for the next day it was 11:00 pm! So, I just went to bed instead of stitching. I am hoping to have a non-stop weekend of stitching and try and catch up on some of my projects that I didn't get to work on.

A Time For Everything

Like I said yesterday I didn't get to work on A Time For Everything as much as I wanted. I still have to put on some more french knots and the lazy daisies.


Some time tonight I am going to work on The Fortunate Traveler. I don't know how much I am going to get done on it since I am planning on making a run out to my LNS. I just feel the need to buy something! LOL

Life has been a little chaotic with me working extra hours. It's not the job but trying to get my normal daily stuff done in a shorter amount of time and still do some stitching! Normally, I can do my stitching at work but right now we are busy with going thru the files and updating them by hand. Nope, my boss doesn't believe in files on a computer all are done by hand!!

Thank you everyone for all the wonderful comments on Melissa's placemat and WF. They were greatly appreciated. :D

I worked on Woodland Faerie for a little bit yesterday. I should be able to finish the one over one stitching next week! Yippie!



Today I worked on A Time For Everything but I didn't get much accomplished on it either. I wanted to put a little time each night into my mom's gift but I didn't even look at it. My work hours have increased from 3 to 6 hours a day so I have lost some precious stitching time. The bright side is that it shouldn't be like that for long.

Birthday Exchange

Melissa's present finally arrived! This is the first time I made a placemat and I had fun stitching it. I got the pattern out of Cross Quick Feb/Mar 1989. I stitched it on 28 count evenweave that I dyed myself. I really like how it turned out.

Our Days

I had a good stitching weekend! I finished Cathymk's present. I love how it turned out! I also finished the stitching on Becky's gift. I even figured out how I am going to finish it! I even got started on my mom's anniversary gift. I am starting to scare myself with being all caught up on my exchanges/RR's!

Here is the start of Our Days by Ursula Michael:

Today I will be stitching on Woodland Faerie with Christine D. I really like this pattern but right now I am stitching the one over one and I feel like I am moving like a snail with this pattern. I know it will go faster once I finish the one over one stitching but it is just getting to that point that is taking forever.

This and That

I didn't get much stitching done on Herb & Spices last night. I only got the stem and the leaves of the mustard done. It was just one of those days when everytime I think that I can sit down and stitch something comes up and I have to put it back away.

I should be able to get some stitching/finishing time in today! I have already done the grocery shopping and picked up some more fabric and embellishments to work on Cathymk's present for the Birthday Exchange. I am hoping to finish it later today. :) If I do get that done then I can work on finishing the stitching for Becky for the Easter Exchange. I haven't decided what I am going to finish Becky's into yet but I do already have the fabric so I will work on the finishing next weekend.

If I am lucky enough to get those two things done this weekend and still have stitching time left I am going to start on my mom's gift for her anniversary. I was going to have it framed myself but after talking to mom about it we decided that I would just mail her the fabric and my grandmother would have it framed. My grandmother gets a great discount at her local LNS because she worked there for 20+ years. P

I want to thank everyone with their comments on Deepest Love! All those wonderful comments makes me want to stitch her even more!

Lauren-I am stitching her on 28 count Monaco evenweave. I dyed the fabric myself with some royal blue Rit dye.

Deepest Love

I worked on the tail of Deepest Love last night. I worked on her till 1:00 am and still didn't want to put her down! Out of all my projects in my rotation I think this one is the prettiest so far.



Today I will be working on Herbs & Spices. I am really close to finishing all the stitching on this one and hope to start the backstitching soon. I want to finish it into a spice cabinet for my kitchen. Mike is supposed to make the box for it but he hasn't started it yet. I think he is hoping I will forget about it. I don't think I will. LOL

We have no big plans for the weekend as Mike's hip is still bothering him. My biggest goal for the weekend is to work on the Easter Exchange and to finish Cathymk's birthday present.

SBQ of the Week

Today's SBQ was suggested by Heather and is:

Comment on your comments (giving and receiving): Do you love comments or hate them? Do you check them every day, never check them, or find them helpful? And finally, are you convinced no one is reading your blog if you don't get any?

I love comments on my blog!! In "real life" when I get comments on my stitching I get embarrassed because non-stitchers think that it is really complicated to stitch so I feel that they give me too much credit. It isn't that way with my blog. I feel that my stitching friends are honest about their comments and aren't just trying to be nice. I check my comments at least everyday and sometimes more than once a day! I feel that they are really helpful in keeping me motivated on the current piece I am working on.

When I first started blogging I didn't think anyone read my blog and was thrilled when I started getting more comments. I was worried that nobody was interested in what I was saying and more that I was boring people with what I had to say.

As for stitching on The Fortunate Traveler yesterday, I didn't get as much done as I wanted to but Mike hurt his hip V-Day evening so he was home yesterday. He really needs to go the doctor but he is a stubborn mule and won't go see him.



I am hoping to get some good stitching time in today on Deepest Love. I love this pattern and could work on it non-stop!

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!