TWO MONTHS ???

No, it can't be. Two months since my last post? And I was whining about hot weather then too? Okay, so it's been hot, very hot and humid here since Spring. What's up with that? No nippy nights, cool mornings and warm afternoons. Just heat. Ick. I just don't like the intense heat. I can't seem to think. Maybe that's why I've been missing in action.

The truth really is that I didn't have much to say or share. I don't go out much, or do much but sit at home and stitch while the tv is on, or read, or go visit the grandkids, or have them visit me. I do house cleaning as little as is humanly possible, but the dog sheds so I have to vac sometimes. So, I do try to keep the house clean, which is now possible with DH going back on the road. I didn't remember him to be such a slob until he was home every day. And going back on the road, he's making more money and the bills are finally getting caught up.

So, what have I been doing these past two months? Hmm. Can't remember doing much in June at all. Some stitching, some reading, and all that. But in July, we had a family wedding. My niece Cate was married in Holland, Michigan on July 3rd. Oh, she did us so proud. She was a beautiful bride. She planned out her reception at the Piper Restaurant on the night they would be doing fireworks. DH and I went up to Holland and stayed that weekend with my parents and had just a wonderful time. As hot as it was during the day, it was cool at night, with the breezes coming off Lake Michigan, and through all the pine trees.

Then my new granddaughter Angel had her 4th birthday, that was fun. Grama and Grampa got her a big baby doll and clothes, and a diaper bag, with all the goodies. I think she sang Happy Birthday to herself for three days straight. She is so adorable. She's going to have a new Sibling for a Christmas present.

That brings us to this week. Monday, I had a birthday. Number 57. Why would that age hit me so hard? 50 didn't do it. 55 didn't do it. But this one kind of hit me in the head. I had a great birthday. My youngest son and his wife gave me two lovely tops and a hardcover book, which I jusst finished reading. Oldest son gave me a mini party on Monday. He and his wife brought over a cake, pizza and presents. It was so thoughtful of them. (the presents were Boyd's Treasure boxes. I've been collecting them since they first came out.) Saturday DH is taking me shopping so I can pick out my gift (s). Hope he's prepared.

Stitching. Yes, I have been doing some stitching. My last post I showed LHN's Needle and Thread, the completed stitching and the finished fob. I used the larger piece for a box topper and it looks like this:

Took me nearly a week to get the finish on the box the way I wanted it. I've done nothing inside except for stain and seal, want to line the bottom with fabric, and perhaps some fabric loops to hold scissors, threads, a pin cushion, etc. I plan on making all of my granddaughters some kind of sewing box.

I started stitching on LHN's Little House Neighborhood, but I'm a bit stalled about half way. So, as this was my 'birthday weekend', I picked up LHN's Singing the Blues and have that nearly done. It was so nice getting back to the silks. So, here is where I am with those two projects:


And I've gotten two packages from my friend in France, Marylin. The first package she sent was pretty much missing in action and we both figured it had been destroyed, so she sent me another one. But, after many many weeks, the first package arrived, via Argentina, so here is a picture of the things she sent, and the lovely stitching she made me:

Isn't this little girl the sweetest thing you've ever seen? And Marylin did such a great finishing job with it, the ribbon on the sides. It is proudly residing in my china cabinet on display.

Then yesterday, my best friend sent me a birthday package, and this was what was inside:


I was so totally shocked. These are handmade coffee mugs, from the fragrant mushroom , a store where she works, pouring candles. Aren't these the most gorgeous mugs you've ever seen? She said she sent two so DH would have one also, but I told her, absolutely NOT. He takes his mugs outside so I'd just save the extra for when she comes to visit. She also sent me a Shepherd's Bush kit that was on my wish list, Blue Snowman.

So, all in all, I had a wonderful Birthday, summer isn't going too bad, and I'm getting caught up on my reading. I'm just ready to start Stieg Larrson's "The girl who kicked the hornets nest", picked it up at the library yesterday. I wasn't sure I was going to like this trilogy when I started the first one, but WOW, these books can haunt you. It seemed like I had to wait forever for this book to get back to the library.

Now I'm going to try and download all my photos, and once again, apologize for how horrible my picture taking is. I'm sorry it took me so long to get this update done and I'll try not to let it go this long again. Happy stitching everyone!

Two months zipped past. . . . .

and now its 2010? I feel like I've been left in the dust by all that's going on. Ever want to just grab a flashlight and a huge down comforter, and your favorite book, and hide some place that no one can find you? Hunker down under that comforter and read that favorite book by the light and not hear the family calling your name because it's supper time, or laundry time, or whatever time? To just be invisable for an hour or FOREVER?


That's how I'm feeling right now. Our life is a mess, I'm trying to take solace in my stitching (while drooling over some new designs that I won't be able to afford for months) and everyone wants my attention RIGHT NOW!


Confused? Me too. Oh, well, before I attempt to explain, let me show you what I've been up to in these two months that I disappeared--it's not a lot.




First, when I last wrote, I had just a few stitches left to finish LHN's Poinsettia House. That piece has been finished, ironed and framed. Took me about a week to get a frame made that I thought complimented the piece and also looked good in our house. I love the color of the frame, rosewood. Has just that hint of reddish pink color in the brown. I think it goes well with the colors in Poinsettia House.



Next up, LHN's ornament Fa La La. I did change a few colors--ended up doing it all in Crescent colour cottons, and changed the one girl's dress from green to blue. This piece took me ages to do. I'd pick it up, stitch 5 or 6 stitches, and set it down again. Maybe because I knew I wasn't going to frame it--or there was just too much "stuff" going on to be really interested in finishing it. But, Diane is a wonderful designer, able to evoke certain feelings with just a few stitches, and now that it's done, I like looking at it. This will get finished into an ornament, some type of flat piece, for our tree next year.


And here is what I'm working on right now. LHN's Sailing,Sailing. It was a gift from my son Chad, the chart, the fabric and the 4 skeins of Crescent Colours cottons. When I first looked at the picture for this, I loved the ship, but didn't notice much else about it. But, there is a lot going on in this picture. It has a whale, a compass, two mermaids sunning on a rock, pine trees and palm trees, the sun, moon and stars and an anchor. Lovely colors. It really flows. I think I'm about half done with it and it's stitching up fast. Too fast.



I was blessed to get some wonderful gifts in the mail for Christmas. Jodi, whose father is Max Bloom of Bloom Woodworks, sent me this lovely thread keep. Isn't it the most gorgeous thing you've ever seen? I love that the dragonfly is blue, and so sweetly painted. What a joy to use! Thanks, Jodi, this means a lot to me.




I also received another lovely gift from France from my friend Marylin. She stitched me an armchair aid--one of those things that lay over the arm of your chair, and it has a pin cushion, a place for needles and an ort bag. My picture doesn't do it justice but she did a really nice job of stitching it and a great job on the finishing. Of course, being Marylin, she couldn't just send that lovely piece--she added this really sweet pincushion that looks like a flower--isn't it the cutest thing? And a bourse for my buttons. (She added in candy and goodies but those were gone the same day the box was opened.) Marylin, thank you. You've brought joy to my heart with these lovely hand made items. And aren't handmade and hand stitched items, the best things in the world?






Now, the confusing part. Our life has turned upside down. Just when we thought we were going to make it in this economic slow down, we failed. Hubby took a job with Tradewinds here in Indiana, and even though he was roaming the North East, he was happy in his job. Until the company deductions left us little money to pay bills. The cost of fuel has been creeping up and when you purchase 300 gallons instead of 25 for a car--the amount is just astounding. There wasn't enough money in the paychecks to pay the household bills, let alone make a $1200 a month truck payment. The last straw came when his check for over 2000 miles came in at $30 (after deductions.) He turned back the truck to the finance company, and took what little money we had to fix up our old truck--no monthly payments on that one. After fixing, (buying parts, working in the cold for two weeks, etc) he decided that he'd rather not be a truck driver--rather be at home, and have a normal life. Well, duh, you couldn't have thought of that before we spent $900 on parts? So, he's been home, looking for jobs that would keep him in the area, home nights, to have a "normal" life. Yeah, 6 weeks he's been home, no income. Driving me crazy, not just with worry over the mounting bills but despair that there wasn't going to be a Christmas at our house this year. (and there was no Christmas. I did put up the tree though. ) With him "helping" me with chores that he didn't know how to do. Or, the best part, him laying on the couch, snoozing, while others around him were working. I couldn't believe that the stress wasn't getting to him--or maybe that's why he spent so much time sleeping. When we missed the third house payment, I went into full panic mode.


When things got the better of me, I called my dad for a loan so I could at least buy groceries and get prescriptions. Let me tell you, that was embarrasing. Hubby finally got a job and started this Monday. His normal job/normal life is working 11 am to 11:30 p.m. nearly an hour away. So he leaves at 10 am and gets home some time past midnight. Real normal. But, I'm thankful for a little time to myself since I hadn't had any for two months.


Please don't misunderstand me. This is not a plea for help, loans or anything other than prayers. (Unless there happens to be a gazillionaire out there reading my little blog, then said gazillionaire can feel free to send whatever they have in petty cash and I'll willingly accept it. And even spend it on bills first, before doing a bit of online shopping.) This economic situation is affecting everyone. Even if you, my dear reader friend, have enough to pay your bills, and get groceries, and even shop a bit online, even you are watching how you spend your available money.


I am thankful that I have friends, friends who encourage, who pray for my sanity, my family and who leave lovely comments. (Hint, hint) I am thankful for the stash I have, and the ability to bury myself in stitching, or a good book. Or a good movie. And very thankful that I have a daughter-in-law who runs a Movie Gallery so I always have movies to watch. And thankful to all of you, updating your blogs so I have something interesting to read with my morning coffee. (Please, don't share this little fact: I read your blogs all day long, every chance I get.)


Now to see if I can add the pictures. I got a few good photos of Banshee which I'll try to post tomorrow. Stitch on, my friends. Y'all totally amaze me with how much you accomplish stitching wise and how much other stuff you do. Thanks for reading.

Many Gifts and a finish

I've been sitting here driving myself crazy trying to think of something to write, then realized, I have a finish. And I got the most lovely gift in the mail last week that I haven't shown. Finally got around to taking pictures--if the pictures are dark, I apologize right now. We've had very dark days lately and a lot of rain.

First up, my finish. It's a simple one, a freebie from LHN called Two Sheep. I wanted something simple and easy to do over the weekend when hubby was home. Can you believe, after nearly 20 years of marriage, he still doesn't know about interrupting while I'm counting--so I keep it simple. I really loved this design, especially for the simplicity of it. I chose to do it all in Crescent Colour Cottons and used a 32 count linen that I dyed and called "summer sky". To bring out the color of the sheep, I framed it in a frame that I used liming on. Lets the wood grain, what there is of it, show through. Whatcha think? I also have LHN's Poinsettia House nearly finished--just needs 6 more stitches and ironed, and I can show you.

Now, my gift. This really sweet lady from Lyons, France, sent me an email about something she saw on my blog. And sent me a link to her blog. Her name is Marylin, and wow, is she a great stitcher. Anyway, out of the blue, she sent me this lovely package with threads and charts from France. (I'm in the middle of putting together a package for her--if you'd like to send her something, send me an email.) She says that stitching things are really dear there, and that all of the stitching stores are very tiny. Her dream is to some day visit an American stitching store. Won't she be in Heaven then? Anyway, she also sent me a lovely scissor pocket that she stitched me, and it's gorgeous. I'm sure my photos won't do it justice but I did try.

Isn't this scissor pocket just adorable? It's stitched on the front, on the flap and on the back.

And the entire thing is stitched over one thread. Then she sent me two full kits, a DMC book on Hearts, and two other charts. She also sent a package of tea and a bag of chocolates but guys, those are gone, gone, gone. Yummmmmm!

Wasn't this the most lovely package? And from a stranger that I now call friend. This world sure is a small place and stitchers have made it that way.

I mentioned before, that I'm preparing a package for her. I'm nearly finished with the stitching and have pulled out some stitching things for her. If you would like to send something for me to include, just email me. If you would like to send her a package yourself, email me and I'll be happy to send you her address. Oh, I'll be adding her blog address to my sidebar so you can visit that way also. She said her friends are impressed when she gets a comment from Americans, lol.

Stitch on, my friends. And keep our family in your prayers. Hubby has returned the truck he was trying to buy and is spending the next week or two fixing the one we have. That means nearly two weeks of him in and out, dirty door knobs, hair pulling (mine), no patience (me) and a lot of trying to stitch to keep my mind at ease. And no stash, sob, sniffle, sob. Oh, well, this too shall pass, and I think I have enough stash to see me through. Hugs to all! And thanks for the comments.

Birthday Gifts and Stash

Fair warning, this is going to be a long post. If you need to grab a cup of tea or coffee, or a diet pepsi, go on, I'll wait. . . . . are you ready now? Well, here goes.

My last long post concerned having a tooth extracted and the aftermath. I weathered that ordeal fairly well, and then. . . . wait for it. . . . promptly got sick with a horrid sinus infection. The last time I had something like this was three years ago and it nearly landed me in the hospital. I just can't eat, which is not good when one is diabetic. So, there I was, just days from my birthday and so sick I couldn't even eat, let alone stitch, or read, or make merry with my family. My eldest son tried very hard to help me, before he went off to work and when he got home at night--he works second shift. Hubby finally came home to get the truck in for some repairs and stayed until I was able to do for myself. During that time, I had three days of feeling pretty good and his gift to me for my birthday was a trip to House of Stitches, in LaPorte, Indiana. We made the most of that day, let me tell you.

I've uploaded many pictures so you can see some of the things my family gave me for my birthday. They were all thoughtful gifts. First up, the ones from my eldest son. He knows that I collect Boyd's Bears Treasure boxes and resin figurines, so that's what he got me. The little hats below are Treasure boxes and the figurine is the new Halloween piece.

There is the Snowman Hat, Witches Hat and Santa Hat. The hats all have tiny mice figures inside. My favorite was the Snowman hat because the little mouse figure has a snowman.
See the close up of the snowman. Isn't he cute? He also gave me a pair of lovely earrings, and a book I've been wanting to read. But, the biggest gift he gave me was the care he showed during this difficult time.

Next up were the gifts from my youngest son and his family. They got me three pairs of earrings, a cute pair of capri pants and two really cute, dressy tee shirts. And I have the promise of a cook out this coming weekend with a cheese cake to celebrate.

The next picture was a surprise gift from my dear friend, Nicole. This package arrived the first day I felt human and knew I was going to live. LOL.

Nicole sent me five cuts of linen, all of them specialty linens. Aren't they gorgeous? And look at that ton of Crescent colours. She also sent the JABC buttons for LHN "All Dolled Up" Strawberry House. But what really topped everything is the beaded scissor fob she sent. Isn't it gorgeous? All in shades of blue, my absolute favorite colors. I put it right away on my scissors and have been using it ever since. Thanks Nicole.

As I said before, my birthday gift from my hubby was a trip to House of Stitches. We decided to take the entire day to ourselves. We enjoyed the trip up, all 2 1/2 hours worth, with a stop for lunch at KFC. We talked like we haven't been able to talk in months. Sadly, music went by the wayside because we were jammering so much. The weather was clear, bright and really warm.

I was thankful that we went on a Thursday because the shop wasn't crowded, as it always is on the weekends. Hubby decided he'd do best to take a nap in the car while I shopped and visited, and shopped some more. So, here is what I walked out of the store with:
Just Nan's Gilded Dragonfly and silk thread pack, the Halloween ornament issue of Just Cross Stitch and the Autumn issue of Cross Stitch and Needlework.
A large bag of Best Way floss bobbins, a package of thread drops, a pair of scissors with handles shaped like the Eiffel Tower, a pin cube kit and Crescent colours for 4 new projects.
Four cuts of specialty linen, a skein of Belle Soie in Empress, and a few Kelmscott pieces in the mother of Pearl: ruler, thread rings, and a winder that looks like a butterfly.
Twisted Threads Tin Pin Flag and a Just Nan frame accessory of a bat, for a project I'm making my son. If anyone has made the Tin Pin Flag, please let me know. I have a few questions for you, LOL.

It was a wonderful day. I had a lovely visit with Linda and her daughter Sarah. With hubby napping, I could take as long as I wanted to, browsing the store, chatting, looking at everything. I think Linda got a chuckle --there is so much you can't see when you browse online, as opposed to being in the store proper. Linda is not just a great shop owner, she's a lovely hostess. I enjoyed my time there immensely.

Hubby got a really nice nap, nearly two hours, so we opted to take the long way home. We took the back roads all the way, and most of it was through Amish country. We passed lakes and lovely hilly land. Saw a sunset fit for royalty and enjoyed each other's company. We ended the day with dinner at Ponderosa.

It took a few more days for me to feel fit and healthy but I'm doing better now. Thanks to all who emailed to see how I was feeling. And thank you, all of you who stayed to the very end of this very long post. I wish I was better at describing things.

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

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.