New Stash, Oh, My!

A new month, and a new order from House of Stitches . It arrived today, and to say I'm thrilled would be really understating things.

I received a blend of old and new. From Val's Stuff, "home is where my cats are". I had to get this chart--it shows a picture of two cats, a gray and a black one. Both of which, we have. Then from Blue Ribbon Designs, from market, "It's Cold Outside". I really like this chart. I'm not sure that I'll ever do the large sampler but I have many uses for the smaller designs. Snowmen, and who doesn't like snowmen? Penguins, my daughter in law loves penguins! Then there are snowflakes, presents, a gingerbread guy, ice skates, a bunny, trees, you get the picture. And I do so love smalls! I also got all the Crescent Colours that the chart required. Might as well have it on hand, eh? Also in that first picture, something called the Buddy Case. It's a faux leather tool case for my stitching bag. It has an inside tray so I can keep some things secured, and still have a place to keep my good scissors safe from scratches. I think it's gorgeous. Mine is in the color Saddle but it does come in tons of other colors, even Eggplant.

Little House Needleworks--truly a blend of the old and the new. The old would be Peach Tree Cottage (which I thought was cute and thought I had but didn't) and Goodwill thread pack. Of the new, East Coast (from sea to shining sea) the last installment, Liberty and Justice, In the Beginning, State Fair and the first design in the new Women's Virtues "Gentle and Kind". Gentle and Kind is a thread pack with Crescent colours Belle Soie and this first one is gorgeous. And before you ask, no, I didn't buy any linen this time. I have a huge cabinet full of linen and it's time I started using what I have before I buy more.

As mentioned above, I did receive the last chart pack for From Sea to Shining Sea, East Coast. Yesterday, I finished that border, completely, and started in on the middle design, Mountains. It was so nice stitching something other than border; new colors, different shapes. Now my only problem will be continuing to work on this project when I so want to start one of the new charts, like "home is where my cats are".

Well, back to my stitching chair and afghan, as it's plenty cold outside and it's been difficult keeping the house warm enough without spending a ton on heating. Keep stitching, and smile! It makes people wonder what you're hiding, LOL.

A little this, a little that

I can not believe it's been over a month since I last posted. Seems that life has kept me very busy. We finally have a new shower and it only took a week to install. We are having a problem with the caulk curing, so might have to remove it all and re-caulk with a different brand. You'd think that after two days, it would be dry and stay dry. Nope, it gets tacky whenever it gets wet, and seems to wash away. Really annoying.

Summer is nearly over. Isn't that the best thing you've heard in ages? Autumn, with its lovely colors, and cooler temperatures, is just around the corner. Last night, I turned off the a/c and opened a window--was to get down to 45 degrees. Must have because I was very comfortable--and I like being cold when I sleep. Really cold. Don't believe me? I once slept in the truck, parked on the top of a hill in Northern Illinois in the middle of January--and the temps were below zero. (and the truck was not running!) I had no trouble sleeping. And why on earth would I do that? We were visiting my husband's parents and as they are getting on in age, they like to keep the house REALLY warm, like 85 degrees. So, I'm very happy to see the end of summer. The grandkids are back in school and it should be reported that they all like their new teachers. And all they can talk about is Halloween coming. Oh, and birthdays--three of them have birthdays this month.

So, in amongst all the busy-ness of life, I did get a bit of stitching done. First up, Little House Needleworks Reading. I do not know why the fabric is showing up blue because it was stitched on Antique white Belfast, with Crescent Colours. I really enjoyed stitching this one. When these charts were previewed, I decided then and there I was only going to stitch the Quilting one. I am a reader, but the Quilting piece was the only one that really interested me. Guess I changed my mind. Looks like I'll be stitching all four in the series. Am I a sucker for LHN designs, or what?

Here is my stitched piece, Little Women Reading by Little House Needleworks. It was a fairly quick stitch, and has been done for days. (Just kept forgetting that the batteries for my camera needed to be recharged.)
Next up, Indigo Rose's Three Penny Scissor fob. For my birthday, my friend Beth gave me a pair of scissors. She bought the same pair for herself. For her birthday, I stitched her this very same fob, in a purple over-dyed silk, Empress Belle Soie by Crescent Colours. Since the scissors matched, I made myself the same fob, but in my favorite color of blue, Blue Lagoon Belle Soie by Crescent Colors. (side note, if you've not stitched with Belle Soie yet, give it a try. You'll fall in love with this lovely silk floss.)

I did change the chart somewhat. I enlarged the design size from 4 stitches by 4 stitches (woven) to 8 stitches by 8 stitches. On the front, I left an area in the middle unworked to have a place to stitch an initial, this time, mine. The back was worked as Indigo Rose designed it, just a bit larger. You can't see the lovely sheen of the beads--here they appear white but they are the exact color of the darker part of the silk floss. The cording is made of the same silk floss. It's filled with plastic pellets for weight.

Seems like quite a few stitchers have been trying canvas work. Beth has been working on canvas for about 6 months and she is thrilled with it. Nicole has done a few and her's have turned out so pretty--her's look like mini quilts and that always makes my mouth water--so I thought I'd give it a try. This is Two Cabins by From Nancy's Needle. I'm enjoying the work, the learning something new but it will never replace my cross stitching.

If you notice the pine green on the outside border, I've finished up with that green tonight, and the last snowflake has been done. It's very small, only 4 inches by 8 inches but there is a lot of detail in that small piece. And can you believe it? I've had trouble doing the counting. Do I count the threads or the holes? I am finding it hard to understand how I can count wrong so often, when I don't do it very often in my stitching. A lot of frogging went on to get this far.

So, what is next? I'm thinking it's time for another LHN design, and I've chosen Heart and Home Sampler. It's charted for DMC but I think I'll try and find some Crescent Colours overdyed cottons to stitch it in.

An older finish

A friend reminded me that I hadn't posted a picture of the finish "Morning Berries" by LHN. Sorry about that. I got finished and immediately started working on learning how to do ring tags. And look, my picture is crooked. I take terrible photos, and this one had to be taken while the stitching was hanging over the side of my bed, it's so long. I really enjoyed stitching this one, and the recommended fabric was the greatest to work on but I'm not totally pleased with how it turned out. Second guessing myself on my choices of silk colors. I used Belle Soie, for any new readers.

The ring tags are addictive--I'm doing the finishing today on number 3 and 4, with one more that I want to do. I'm trying to decide if I want to do the stitching for number 5 first, and then finish all of them at the same time. On a recent trip to Wal Mart's, I found more grommets--I used that in the first finish--and found that they come in a host of sizes. Very surprising. Could have used that on my first one--the grommets I had here are very small, and didn't go through my piece all the way. So, you get to only see the front of my piece, LOL.

As soon as I'm finished with the others, I'll scan and post them. I have to say that these are really fun to do--you can choose anything you want to stitch, in any color, with any fabric, or just a lovely motif that you are fond of, and make it into a ring tag. And it's nice to have that little decoration hanging with your threads. Hmmm, perhaps a ring tag exchange is in order. Anyone up for that?

Happy stitching, everyone. Thanks for stopping by.

A Small Start and an Even Smaller Finish

Here is my small start. It's Morning Berries by LHN, and it is indeed a very small start. I'm working this on the recommended fabric, 28 count Natural Pearl Linen by Zweigart. I'm really loving the look of this linen and it's wonderful to work on. I am not using the recommended threads. I have substituted Belle Soie silk for the Crescent Colours overdyes. Of course, the substitution isn't a perfect one. For example, the berries are supposed to be done in Blue Moon, a lovely periwinkle, sort of lavender blue color, and I just couldn't find the perfect blue to use. Instead, I used Spring Violets, a more lavender color. I'm also using: Icing, Tumbleweed, Cinnamon Stick, Lily Pad, and Sandy Beach. Some are very good matches, some not quite so good. But I'm happy with how it's turning out. I've stitched the entire border, though it doesn't show in the picture, and have a pretty good start on the top part. I did realize something important when I started stitching the berries at the top; the Belle Soie made the stitches look soft and full, while the Crescent Colours overdyed cottons look crisp and full. I wanted the soft look for this lovely piece. Oh, and if you look very closely, you can see that I'm frogging the row beneath the bunnies because I blended two "v's" into one large one right at the beginning. So, that's what I'm doing tonight, reworking that row.
Next up is my small finish. And it is truly small. This is a piece that is going to Laura, for our Smalls RR. It is Drawn Thread's Holiday Halloween and I used the silks that came with the kit. This was the second time I've stitched this, so I was lucky to have enough thread. The big change is that I stitched this one over one, and it came out really small. I didn't have enough black to work the words so I used the dark olive green. The little buttons that came with the kit were just too big for this tiny piece so I worked tiny spider web rosettes in the corners instead. And just how small is this piece?
This small. I don't think it even measures 3 inches square. I love the detail which seems to show up more on the over one than the regular stitching. Had a great time working those spiderwebs. So, what do you think? Laura wanted Halloween, and I think this is small enough for a scissor fob, or ornament, right?

On the home front, the truck is back on the road, my house is clean again, and I really miss my dh. That's always the problem of having him home for long periods of time. I get so used to him being here, even when he annoys me, that it's twice as hard when he leaves again. And to those inquiring minds who want to know, YES, I did help him with taking out the radiator, and putting the new one back in. (Oh, and that baby weighed like 300 pounds!)I took him up to the truck parts store to pick up special anti-freeze. And I cooked for him. Can you imagine, the man wanted three square meals every day! Big departure from being home alone, and grabbing whatever is available. He's planning on working the weekend through, and won't be home until next Wednesday night so keep a watch for me--I'll be wandering through all of your blogs, trying to keep busy.

Until next time, happy stitching and I hope you all keep cool.

Two finishes

I promised pictures of my recent finishes, Wool Needlebook and Fob. I've taken the pictures but have to confess, the needlebook has no button on it, and the fob has no cording or loop to attach to scissors. I have the perfect scissors to attach to it, just not sure I want to part with the Belle Soie for cording. I should have just stitched the pieces with the recommended threads but no, I had to do them in Belle Soie. I think it turned out well, the silk will hold up to use, but to waste all that lovely silk on cording? I cringe at the thought. Or put cotton floss as cording on it? I don't think so. Perhaps I could make just a top loop and not put the cording around the outside, and not make a pretty tassel--that would make it more rustic looking, right? Any ideas would be appreciated, fellow stitchers.

My second finish is one I am most proud of. Brave Hearts by LHN. This one was charted for Belle Soie and that is what I stitched it with. And its not my stitching that I'm proud of but who the stitching is meant for. My BIL George. This man I am so proud of, so proud that he is part of our family. Let me tell you a little about him.

George is married to my middle sister Patti. He served as a Marine for 16 years; in Beirut, in Quantico, all over the world. He's a home town hero, a soldier, a family man. Not long after retiring from the Marines, he had an accident at home--one of those dreaded accidents that left him paralyzed and in a wheelchair. He went from standing tall to sitting in a chair all the time. A situation that would have devastated many a strong person just made him a stronger man. He is my hero. He works, he travels, he even danced Patti around the dance floor at the wedding of their eldest son, in his chair. Their love grows stronger every day, as they depend on each other, and on their GOD to sustain them. He didn't let a little thing like a wheelchair stop him. Brave Hearts is for him.

I'll save my stash room update for another day. Thanks for reading.

Progress Reports

Its been quite some time since I posted a finish. Why? Because I haven't finished anything lately. Okay, yes, I did finish a small piece for our Friends in Thread Smalls RR but I'm not posting the picture because my partner doesn't know what I stitched as yet. When she receives it, I'll post it.

I've been working on two projects exclusively, since I finished the small piece. Brave Hearts by Little House Needleworks and Honor Thy Needle, by Twisted Oaks. The last is being done as a SAL and we're working on the piece on Sundays. Since the entire thing is being stitched over one, its slow going and I don't have much to show. Just don't laugh, please. I changed out the pale green linen for a Belfast that I dyed myself, a pale country blue. Matches DMC 3853, ultra light antique blue. Brave Hearts is working up great. I don't have a ton done on it, but what is done, I'm really liking how it looks. I'm doing it in Belle Soie--once again, if you haven't tried these, you owe it to yourself to stitch something with them. Heaven for your fingers. I'm working it on the required linen, Natural Raw Linen but using the 32 count instead of the 28 count. Coverage with one strand of silk is fabulous.

Spring cleaning is under way here in our little house--took me three days just to clean out the closet and my dresser. Tomorrow starts the cleaning and organizing of the stash room, again. I will admit, I'd rather be stitching but cleaning the stash room is fun. My biggest problem with that room is that my sewing is in there, along with both machines, a table for them, and the bed takes up a lot of room. Of course, it still does double as a guest room--with NO room for a guest! There just has to be a better way to fit everything in there.

Spring has finally arrived in this neck of the woods, today being a balmy 76 degrees and sunny. Another progress report as soon as I have something to show.

Two More Finishes

As the title reads, I have two more finishes to share with you. The first is Frappuccino, by Little House Needleworks. Its the last of their coffee series of kitlets, all done on Vintage Examplar by Lakeside Linens, with Belle Soie silk floss. I think these three are adorable and I plan to frame them the same and hang them in the kitchen. One might even look good framed in a Sudberry House tray. Might just have to do one of them over again. I really liked how Diane changed the colors of the borders for each one.

My other finish is one I've been talking about for a month, the box for my daughter in law. I stitched Four Little Ladybugs by Indigo Rose. Had to stitch the design twice, side by side, to fit into the top opening. I think it turned out well. I lined the top inside, and padded the bottom inside with suede cloth, and added a hasp so she can lock little fingers out. I think I have a tiny padlock too, for luggage that would work well with this. Oh, and I stitched the design on fabric I call Summer sky (because I dyed it myself) with 'Creamsicle' silk by Threadgatherer and Soie d'alger by Kreinik. I'm considering also doing a biscornu to match, as I have enough of the fabric left.

So, what's up next? I'm thinking either My Needle's Work by LHN, or Soft Spring by Shepherd's Bush. It just depends on if I have all the Belle Soie needed for the LHN project.

Thanks for stopping by and for all the comments you leave. I've been very encouraged by those comments during this, our times of trial. And let me tell you, I've about had it with these trials. It does look as though we've weathered the worst. Only time will tell.

Caffe Latte, Oooh, la la

I finished this last night, Caffe Latte, by Little House Needlework. Worked with Belle Soie silks, I dyed my white Belfast to a color that matched the first piece, Cappuccino. I'm planning on doing the last one and framing them all the same for my kitchen. I'd like to do all of LHN's coffee themed pieces but I don't know if there is enough wall space in the kitchen. I suppose I could hang the larger samplers in the dining room.

I do a lot of thinking while I'm stitching, and last night, the thought popped into my head, "when did stitching go from a hobby to an obsession?" And that is what its become. A glorious obsession. My walls are crowded with framed pieces, so much so that you can barely see the walls themselves. I have two baskets of needlerolls, racks of scissors and fobs and several sewing boxes filled with needle books and biscornus. I even have a room dedicated to my stitching stash, with cabinets full of fabric, boxes full of threads, and shelves full of leaflets. I even have a small armoire dedicated to kits. Such a change from 26, 27 years ago. Seems like forever, way back then.

I taught myself to stitch, to be able to get a job in a stitching store. Back then, it was changing over from a needlepoint store to cross stitch. The owner was retiring and her daughter was taking over, Susan Greening (who later became Susan Greening-Davis). I had never heard of cross stitch but had embroidered since I was a child, so I figured, how hard can that be? I talked my dh (dratted, soon to be ex husband) into letting me purchase a leaflet, fabric and DMC to do a project. (He quickly let me know that I'd best be doing all the projects in that particular leaflet before he'd let me buy another one.) I couldn't even read the chart. I understood that all the symbols meant different colors but I found it difficult to follow and stitch. For this first project, he read the chart and I did the stitching. About half way through that project, I got the hang of following along, line by line, row by row, and a cross stitcher was born.

Took me nearly two years to collect all the DMC colors. For the first year, I bought new skeins for each project. When I finally sat down to organize, and started checking off color numbers, I think I had something like 12 skeins of 930, country blue dark. From then on, I always checked my list before buying new colors. Then came Ginnie Thompson Flower thread, learning to do waste canvas, stitching on linen, doing samplers, buying my first Shepherd's Bush kit, and working with silks for the first time. By this time, my first marriage had ended in divorce, I'd met and married my real dh (darling hubby) and his encouragement had allowed me to blossom. He also encouraged my obsession for needlework and supported financially my never ending need for new stash. He wants me to keep busy while he's out on the road.

This man is a gem that I wish all stitchers had one of--he's so considerate about my love of stitching, and keeping busy, that one time he talked me into going with him on a run--and our first stop was House of Stitches so I could get a few projects suitable for working on in the truck.

DH number one came back into our lives a few years ago, when he (newly divorced from wife number 3) moved in with our youngest son and his family. The first time he visited our home for a holiday, he just about fell on the floor in shock at the stitchings on the walls. His only comment, "you've improved greatly". Understatement of the year!!

So how many obsessive stitchers are there out there? And you know who I mean. And how many of you stitch in a hoop, on stretcher bars, or forms and how many stitch "in hand"? That's me, the last one, in hand. Have never been able to get the hang of using roller bars or scroll frames.

Wow, three posts in three days, my best yet. Thank you for all your encouraging comments, they've been a ray of sunshine in this dreary winter.

A Little House Finish

Finally I can show a finish for 2008 that I actually started in 2008. Cappuccino by Little House Needleworks. I have all three of LHN's coffee quickies and plan to do them all, frame them alike and use to decorate my kitchen. It really needs decorating. I finished this one tonight as I tried, in vain, to find something to watch on TV. I have to give credit to Nicole (Carolina Dreaming) for hooking me on Little House and this project. I watched her progress with great enthusiasm and finally had to give in and get it started. Its worked on Vintage Examplar by Lakeside Linens with Belle Soie Silk floss, which are a dream to stitch with.

I did have other finishes for 2008 but both were for exchanges for a Yahoo group and I couldn't show them. Of course, I also forgot to take pictures so it really doesn't matter. I did a Shepherd's Bush needleroll and slanted it towards Valentine's Day, and then I stitched a Victoria Sampler house which turned out really cute. It was from Cottage Garden Sampler. I love that house, and it was the third time I'd stitched it.

Its been a really difficult winter for us, and I'm barely hanging on. Having such wonderful friends has made it easier but the hard part is just starting. Check back in a few weeks and I should have more details or perhaps I'll be able to report good news. One can hope.

So, what's next? I'd really like to start another in this collection but have to hold off to get my dil's birthday gift finished. It's only half done--I'm doing Indigo Rose's Four Little Bugs for a box top and biscornu for her, but its a week late already.

Have a great week, everyone and for those in the northern climes, please try to keep warm. It's a toasty 3 degrees right now and it sounds like we are heading into the negative numbers before dawn. Perhaps I should rethink hubby's desire to move to North Carolina. Hmmmm, nope!

Finally, a new finish

Yes, I finally have a finish to brag about. It's been a long time coming. Before this finish, I had several exchanges to do, and a few Christmas gifts to complete. I wish I'd taken pictures of the gifts I stitched but I didn't. I can tell you about them: I did a stitching set for my granddaughter Kayla. Kayla is 11 and she told her mother a few months ago that she thought she was old enough to have her own stitching scissors. Of course, she is. But, to get a pair of scissors, she needs a scissor fob. So that is what I stitched her, a fob and matching pin cushion. I used a free chart from the Caron website by Carol Tinson and was able to use a free spot on the pincushion to stitch her name on the back. You should have seen her face when she turned that pincushion over and saw her name. "Mom, Grama put my name on it". She was delighted. The other gift I made was for my lovely daughter-in-law, Olivia. I made her the Just Nan Lady Scarlet's Secret Garden. It turned out beautiful, the little pincushion in the shell, the needlebook nearly round--and I'll admit, it was a real pain to finish. Took me longer to finish that set than it did to stitch it.

Okay, on to my finish. It was the above picture, Prairie Sampler by Little House Needleworks. I loved working with the Belle Soie silks--so soft and smooth, covered so well. Now I'd like the entire set. Anyway, I stitched the piece on the called for linen, with the recommended two strands of silk. It was so much fun. I actually started this piece just before we left for Branson, so it took me awhile. But, I kept seeing Nicole's progress pictures and just had to get this finished.

I think my next project will also be by Little House Needleworks, Brave Hearts, and will also be done in the Belle Soie silks. I just have to finish 2 exchanges first.

I've got to show you the gifts I received from a dear friend. She is just so thoughtful. She sent me a beaded "fob". It's supposed to be a cell phone fob, but is being used as a scissor fob, as you can see. I've had two other fobs on my cell phone and broken both of them. I'm not going to allow that to happen to this one. Isn't it pretty? Yes, the little snowman has JOY hanging from him. And she also sent me this cute little necklace, a snowflake baby. It's made of wool, but how it was made, I can't figure out. It's not much more than an inch in length. Isn't it adorable? Such perfection in a tiny size. Thank you, my friend.

Like many other people, I am very glad that this holiday season is behind us. I wish for all of you and for myself, a year of less worries, a year of more finishes, and more fun stitching. A year of children's laughter, husband's smiles, less separation, more togetherness. It was a difficult year, but its now over and we have a new year to mold. God Bless, my friends.

The most fabulous Ladies Room in History

Again, its been ages since I've updated my blog. Life has been a total mess, but it started with a lovely and fascinating vacation. Our trip to Branson, MO.

We left fairly early on Tuesday morning, and headed out. I felt like I had overpacked but guess what? I think my Mom packed even more. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel for lunch, which was a lot of fun. I always enjoy that place. Not long after we got back on the road, we got a phone call from Mom and Dad, they were stopping at a Cracker Barrel for lunch in Effingham. Great minds and all that, eh? They had come from Michigan, us from Indiana so they were nearly caught up to us by St. Louis. We met up just outside of Springfield and by then, it was time for dinner. We headed for Lamberts, the Home of Throwed Rolls. That was a real hoot and the food was just excellent. Then, on to Branson.

It seemed like the further we drove, the more out in the boondocks we were. Around and around, and suddenly, there it was, all laid out beneath us, like a jewel. All bright lights. We checked in to our motel, Comfort Inn West, unpacked and collapsed. Okay, hubby collapsed, I got my stitching out and worked on LHN Prairie Moon. By the time I had threaded up a needle, hubby was sleeping and snoring to beat the band, so I didn't stitch long.

It was a great vacation. We saw several shows, hit all the Outlet Malls, ate at fantastic places, and I found the stitching store. We kept on the run the entire time, going, seeing and doing as much as we could in the time we had. The most fantastic show had to be the Shoji Tabuchi show. (hope I didn't butcher the spelling of his name). Shoji is Asian, a brilliant violinist who fell in love with country music at age 18. His show was the best we saw. But even before the show started, we were amazed. The rest rooms were palatial. I heard, but didn't see, that the Men's Room had a pool table in it. The Ladies Room was like something out of a dream. All the stalls had solid wood doors that went to the floor, so once you were inside, you had total privacy. The wash room was a separate room, with about 10 separate sinks, with mirrors over the area, wall sconces with lovely clear and lavender crystals hanging from the bottom, and each "vanity" had a vase with an orchid on it. Over the entire room was a huge crystal chandelier, clear and lavender colors, matching the wall sconces. A burning fireplace at one end and at the other end, a pretty stained glass table, with an under light that warmed the glass, and made it glow. The show was almost anti-climactic. I'll try and post a few pictures of this room.

Another really lovely "show" we went to was on the Branson Belle. It's a huge paddle wheel boat where we had lunch and saw a show. The food was good, but the show was way better. And the day we went aboard was my Dad's birthday.

I got really tired of shopping the outlet malls but we had a good time, brought back gifts for all the kids and grandkids, and I found the cross stitch store. It's called Cecelia's Samplers and its a really cute shop. Okay, yes, I bought stash--and my Mom bought me some too. I got several LHN charts, a piece of fabric for one of the charts, 3 small kits for my daughter in law and two granddaughters, a cute pair of swan scissors, 10 skeins of Belle Soie silk by Crescent colors, and a few other things. At Cecelia's, they give you freebies with every purchase--not just freebie charts but little gifts, a tape measure, a calendar, a ruler, etc. I liked the place so much, we went back again before leaving town.

We bid a good night and good trip to the parents the night before. They were headed to Alabama for another few days of vacation, and we headed home. We took our time, but this trip, stopped at Steak and Shake for both our meals before getting home. The dog was happy to see us, the cat acted miffed that we'd been gone so long. And since we did get home on Saturday, dh had Sunday to rest up before hitting the road again. Then came the shocker of the century.

Did I say shocker? It was worse than that. Dh called in for his dispatch and was told that since he showed such a lack of concern over his job by taking a vacation after only 4 months, (even though he gave them a two week notice--who can say no to a paid vacation?) that he could find another job. He obviously didn't think the company was very important. What a total jackass!

Which brings me to why I haven't updated for ages. Dh has been home, or had been, for over a month, trying to find a new job. Of course, it had to happen this close to Christmas. It was almost like the boss used this as an excuse to get rid of dh--he was working too hard and making too much money. I'd sure love to give that man a piece of my mind. Last week, dh spent it taking a class on tankers, and is now back to work but we have no idea when first paycheck will arrive. It's not a happy household right now. I keep thinking, if we had known ahead of time, we could have saved all the money we spent in Branson. But on the other hand, it was our first ever vacation, we had a great time, made a lot of memories, and how do you put a price on that? I also got to spend Dad's birthday with him. If its true that what goes around, comes around, Dan had better watch out. I see a lot of bad Karma in that man's future.

Thanksgiving was great, we all ate too much, we have a lot of leftovers but the dh is home, the kids have gone off to their respective homes, the animals are sleeping, and so is dh. Guess I should apologize for my bitter feelings expressed, and for taking so long to update. I need to get back to my stitching, I have a Christmas exchange that needs mailing out real soon, several things that need to be stitched for gifts (I'm doing the Lady Scarlet's Secret Garden for my dil, and a scissor fob and pincushion for a granddaughter) but I really want to get back to Prairie Moon. I'm almost done and its being stitched with Belle Soie. I can't say enough good about this silk floss. It's absolutely the best silk I've ever stitched with, covers great, beautiful colors, and it feels so soft--doesn't get fuzzy either. If anyone has a conversion chart, Crescent colors to Belle Soie, please let me know.

Enough rambling. Off to stitch. I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving, or a really lovely Thursday.