All Is Well

We made it through and didn't lose power.  I can't say as much for others.  Praying for family still in Irene's path.

Leave of Absence

Please excuse my temporary leave of absence as my family prepares for Hurricane Irene.  I hope that damage will be minimal and that I will be back online after the weekend.

Shake It Up Baby!

At 1:51pm this afternoon I experienced something that I have never experienced before in my life........AN EARTHQUAKE!  I know!  I can't believe it either!  There was a 5.8 earthquake on the east coast!

It was the craziest thing.  I was sitting at my desk responding to an email when I noticed the building shaking.  I really thought I was having an episode with my equilibrium like I did over the weekend, but then I heard everyone else freaking out.  It was only 30 seconds, but it was the longest 30 seconds of my life!

All I can say about the whole episode is that I never want to do that again!

And if an earthquake was not enough, most of us on the east coast are closely watching Hurricane Irene.  She is slated to hit sometime this weekend.  Hopefully her path will move towards the west and out to sea instead of coming onshore in Florida, North Carolina, or Virginia.  There are already evacuation warnings for parts of the Outer Banks.  Luckily, we are on the same electrical grid as the hospital, so if it hits and if our power does go out we will be one of the first to get power back.  Quite a few years ago during Hurricane Isabel we only lost power for 6 hours and that was mainly overnight.  Still, I'm going to make sure that we have the cars fully gassed up just in case we need to go west.  I'm also going to pull out some extra cash because you never know.  We already have water, but it won't hurt to get a little bit more along with some non perishable items.  I guess I'll have to make sure to charge up our phones, the laptops and my nook.

Sigh......did I mention August stinks???

For Sale

I spent a little bit of time going through my stash during my staycation and I have decided that there are just some charts that I will never stitch.  While I love them all, I can't stitch them all.  So, I'm offering them to you before I attempt a run on the bay of evil.

All charts are new in the package unless otherwise noted.  The prices posted include shipping via USPS 1st Class Mail. I'm pretty firm on my prices, but all offers will be considered. (Especially if you are purchasing more than one item.)  Unfortunately, I will only be able to ship to addresses in the U.S. due to the rising costs of postage.  I will accept pay pal or certified money orders.  All items will be shipped within 3 days of receiving payment.  I can not be responsible for lost mail, so if you would like insurance or priority mail with signature guarantee, you will need to pay extra for that.  Just let me know ahead of time.

Here's my list of charts for sale:
Rose Lights by Chatelaine $10
13th Colony Bay Part #1 by By The Bay Needleart $8
The Peacock Stitching Chair by The Cat's Whiskers $14
Children's Garden by Butternut Road (not in original package) $4
The Silver Dragonfly by Nora Corbett $6
July's Amethyst Fairy by Mirabilia $6
Fairy Flora by Mirabilia $6
Spring Queen by Mirabilia $6  **SALE PENDING**
Summer Queen by Mirabilia $6 **SOLD**
Winter Queen by Mirabilia $6 **SALE PENDING**
Autumn Queen by Mirabilia $6 **SALE PENDING**
The Woodland Fairie by Mirabilia $6
Rose Celebration by Mirabilia $6 **SOLD**
Titania,Queen of the Fairies by Mirabilia (not in original package) $6
The Cottage Garden Fairy by Mirabilia $6 **SOLD**
The Bliss Fairy by Mirabilia $6
Wild Fairy Light by !?Who Knew?! $5
Fairy of the Glen by !?Who Knew?! $5
Victorian Antique Sampler by Donna Vermillion from Sudberry House (I believe this is OPP) $20

I've also decided that I'm going to let go of my ABC's of Aging Artfully by Lizzie*Kate.  The chart is in excellent condition and I will be including all of my leftover floss.  There should be enough leftover thread for stitching with one strand on 36 or 40 count fabric.  I am asking $15.  **SOLD**

Thanks for looking!

Happy Stitches!

Vacation/Staycation Part 1

I can't believe it!  I actually managed to get some sort of a vacation after all.  It was by no means long enough, as vacations typically aren't.

I thought it was going to be a really great vacation since I started it off by finishing my Lizzie*Kate fifteen minute piece.

ABC's of Aging Artfully by Lizzie*Kate

Unfortunately, the beginning wasn't as good as I had hoped because we spent it with my FIL and he bombarded us with "downers" about 10 minutes after we arrived.  (Now you know the reason for this post.)  I'm just glad that my days were filled with "quality time with DH" and my evenings with FIL were short since we spent most of our time out of the house.  Plus, FIL decided to leave early which gave DH & I some serious alone time even if it was for only one day.

DH & I spent lots of time on the beach in the OBX.  The OBX is our favorite "go to" spot.  (For those of you who don't know, OBX is the abbreviation for the Outer Banks of North Carolina.)  Our favorite beach is the 4x4 beach in Corolla where you can drive on the beach.  It is only about a 20 minute drive from where we stay.  Plus, on the way to/from Corolla, you have to pass through the town of Duck.  In Duck there is lots of great shopping.  The main reason it is our "go to" spot is that both MIL and FIL each have a week's time share down there.  DH & I hope to be able to get our own week sometime in the future.

We did a bit of shopping in between beach days and we came home with some really great things including this which I found at The Cotton Gin......

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love mermaids.  I love them so much that I have purchased all of the Nora Corbett/Mirabilia Mermaids.  I have completed four of them and I have two in progress.  All of the others are fully kitted and someday will be stitched.  I think this piece will be a great addition to my collection.  In addition, it will actually serve a purpose for us and will enable us to hang a few items so that they will be up off the floor.

When we returned from our first beach day we were treated to a breathtaking sight later that evening.....

On our last beach day before we left, we decided to drive down the beach a little further than we normally do since we didn't manage to see any of the wild horses that are native to the island. Many times they will come down to the shoreline to bask in the sea air. (Remember my pictures from last year?) Well, this time we decided to walk along one of the roads that access the other side of the dunes. As I crested the rise I saw this......

Amazing, right?  Just another reason that I love the OBX!

I hope you enjoyed my little trip to OBX.  Next time a few staycation pics!

A Traveling Finish

Did you see?  Maggee over at Stitching Devotee finished her version of ABCD by La-D-Da.

Check it out here.

I hope to get her the journal sometime this weekend so that  she can send the pattern to the next person. 

I have a great excuse as to why she doesn't have it in her hands.....I've been on vacation (but I'm home now)!  More on that soon.

Happy Stitches!

Woe Is Me

 Some people are never happy.

Take my father in law.  You never hear a kind word emanate from his lips.  A smile never hits his face.  I don't even think that he knows how to laugh.  With his attitude, I'm not surprised that my mother in law divorced him 15+ years ago. 

I really should preface this a little.  My father in law has had Crone's Disease for many years.  About 10 years ago he had surgery to remove part of his large intestine to help with the symptoms of this disease. Almost a year ago he had a pacemaker put in after he had a mild heart attack.  (It was his second heart attack.  He had his first over 30 years ago around age 40.)  So, as you can see, my father in law is not in the best of health and his high anxiety levels don't help either.  He is now going to have to have surgery (again) for his Crone's.  Only this time they will have to fit him with a colostomy bag.  Now, while it sounds gross, it will give him his life back and he will feel so much better.  However these things are not an excuse to try to make everyone else miserable right along with him.

Now, he is attempting to bring his "Woe is me" onto DH and myself yet again.  He is in a predicament that was self created and yet he tries to make it our problem.

About three years ago he moved from his condo into an "active adult retirement community".  You know, one of those 55 and up places that don't allow kids.  While this was a great idea for him, he did not consider the fact that this new condo community had rules.  The rule affecting him the most was the one stating that all dogs living there must be under 30 pounds.  While that is not a problem for someone like me, it is for my father in law.  He feels like he has the right to break these rules with his dog Winston.  (Winston is a 50 pound "Miniature English Bulldog".)

Long story endless, the condo association has sued my father in law.  He went to court and the judge basically put in back in the hands of the condo association.  My father in law now has a petition that has been signed by over 75% of the homeowners that states that they would support a decision to let Winston stay. 

While the association is making its decision, he wants us to take the dog because he could be fined if the dog is still there after August 24th.  While Winston is cute, he is not neutered and he doesn't behave.  Our dog hates being around him and constantly snaps at Winston if he comes near.  Winston also won't listen to me at all and only sometimes listens to DH.  He is just a big bully of a dog and we can't keep him.

If the condo association doesn't let Winston stay, I don't think that this will end well at all.  I know that he will want us to keep Winston, but I won't agree to that.  (I know that there are many "rescues" for these dogs, but I haven't looked into them yet. I feel that this is something my father in law should do for Winston if he can't keep him.)  I'm sure that if my father in law has to give up the dog he will blame me for not allowing the dog to stay with us.  I guess if I comes down to it than I will just have to live with the blame. 

Sigh........I really wish August would end and that September will bring some positive news for a change.......I'm sick and tired of all the drama!

It Arrived!

Can you tell I'm excited?

Virgin Island Update

No, I'm not headed to the beautiful VI, but my Nook was supposed to go there.  (See previous post.)  Well, I just checked the UPS site and my Nook is in a city about 2 hours north of me.  Delivery is scheduled for Thursday, but maybe I will get lucky and I will see it tomorrow instead. (Fat chance!)

At this point I'm just glad that it is in the same state that I'm in!

I'm Not Laughing!

So, I've come to the conclusion that this is just not going to be my month.  Forget the fact that my birthday is in four days.  It doesn't matter.  Plus, I'm another year older!  Who wants that?

Wonder why I'm aggravated?  Well, here's just a few choice items over the past couple of days:

1. Just spent a fair chunk of $ on husband's new work wardrobe since he didn't have any extra money saved for this (...and I did????).  But, I can't send him into a professional environment in shorts and t-shirts, can I?
2. Doctor put me on medicine that isn't covered by insurance because the insurance company doesn't feel that it is "medically necessary".  (It is to me!)
3. My Nook?  Well, Barnes & Noble wants to send the replacement to the Virgin Islands. (Yes, they shipped it to the Virgin Islands!)  That is about 1,500 miles away from where I live.  When I called to complain and change the shipping address to the correct one I had to call twice and my second call ended up lasting 50 minutes!
4. My Internet at home stopped working properly.  We thought it was our old computer.  But no......it isn't.  Our new computer recognizes the wi-fi just fine but it shows no connectivity.  Looks like I'll be on the phone with the Internet provider tonight. ETA: Looks like internet is fixed (for now) on the two new computers.  The old computer still won't recognize the wifi and I'm not in the mood to deal with it.  I think we will just make the old laptop a "permanent" resident on the desk so that it can be hooked in directly to the internet.
5. Husband still hasn't made the second half of the truck payment that is due this month.  I normally wouldn't worry too much, but he won't have a paycheck until after the payment is due.  (Not sure what money tree I'm going to pluck that payment from!)
6. My vacation........well, it is beginning to look like a staycation based on Hubby's new job. (At least that means we won't be spending money on gas and eating out.)
7. The stock market continues to plummet and I'm watching my retirement get flushed down the drain.  (I can't do much about this, so I just shrug my shoulders and hope it will rebound in the next 20 years.)

Now that I reread my list, I do have to say that there are a few spots that lightly glimmer.  After all, the money spent on Hubby's wardrobe gained me some Kohl's cash, so it looks like I will be able to get myself a few things starting Wednesday.  And my vacation?  Well, if it does end up a staycation it will mean that I can get some serious cleaning/reorganizing/stitching/sewing done while Hubby works.  See?  I'm trying to put a positive spin on this!

So, where's the chocolate????

And So It Goes

August continues to disappoint me this year.  My Nook fell off the kitchen counter this morning and this is the result........

Things Are Looking Up

Whew!  I finally made it to Friday.  It has been one heck of a week.  I think that I have cried more this week than I have in a whole year! 

At least there is some good news out of this week.  My husband has made a move to a new career and has landed himself a brand spanking new job.  And while it is scary, I know that it is a good move for him.  (Of course, that hasn't helped with my tears this week.  He can attest to that!)  He will finally be out of the restaurant business and I couldn't be happier.  Now he has a chance to really make a career for himself.  He could end up in management!  It will be so nice to not have to be the "bread winner" of the household.  Maybe, just maybe (once he really gets himself grounded in this job) I could move to a part time status at work.  It would still mean full time during tax season, but it would mean three day weeks during the summer.  I could really get used to that!

In the middle of all of this I tried to keep my sanity by running my needle through my fifteen minute project.  I made it past the point of contention on that L*K piece:

And here it is as of this morning:

I'm getting closer and closer to that happy dance!

Speaking of closer, I also managed to get my needle into another one of my Crazy January Challenges.  Normally I've been stitching on "Beyond My Heart" while with my Stitching Sisters.  But, this week I was able to get a couple of hours in on it while I waited at the car dealership.  (Yes, I was there again.......long story, more crying.....sigh.....)  Now it looks like this:

Just a few more letters and then I will be on to the design at the bottom.  I'm hoping that I may be able to finish this one before I go on vacation later this month.  Guess I'll have to stop crying and get stitching!

Don't worry......I really am ok.  I think I just needed to cry it all out.  Sometimes a good cry is exactly what you need.  Oh, I had that chocolate that I was mentioning.  It was in the form of mint chocolate chip ice cream.  Ahhhhhh.............

Have a wonderful weekend and keep your stitches happy!

Personal & Confidential

I want to thank everyone for their outpouring of support and prayers.  I've had many comments and emails due to Monday's post.  I appreciate each and every one of you who responded (and those of you who haven't as well).  This is a tough road and I guess that in the last few days I have reached my limit.

I do apologize to those of you who may have been upset by what I have written.  While this is a very personal "family matter", this is also my personal blog.  It is my outlet for my thoughts and feelings.  I really wish that I could share better news, but as we all know, life is not always roses and chocolates.

Too bad it isn't......I could really use some chocolate right about now!

Oh, and as for the Lizzie*Kate fifteen minute project, I didn't stop here on Monday night.  I pushed myself all the way through letter "S" and I'm now well on my way to the second to last line of the project.  (I hope to post a progress picture again on Friday.)

Keep your stitches happy......if I can, you can!

A Little Too Much

It would figure that I ended up here tonight......

It's Progress None the Less

The last two weeks really hasn't afforded me the progress that I've been hoping for.  However, I guess some is better than none, right?

Here's where I stand with the ABC's of Aging by L*K.  Only eight more letters to go!  I've tried to keep up with at least fifteen minutes a day.  And, for those days where the fifteen minutes wasn't possible, I made up for it with a double session the next day.  I didn't get this finished before the end of the month like I was hoping I would, but I think that I will be able to finish it up before I go on vacation this month.  (Please forgive the wrinkled state, I'm not one to iron until I've come to the end of the project.)

I have also made great progress on another one of my challenge pieces, "Beyond My Heart" by Blackbird Designs.  I'm about halfway done with the words and the design in the upper right hand corner.  I apologize for not taking a picture to show you.  I was running late this morning and I didn't have a chance to pull it out of my bag.

As for quilting, my newest class has really kept me busy.  My homework for this week was to finish cutting 51 strips (2 and 1/2" each), sew them together in sets of three and then sub cut them into squares (6 and 1/2" each).  It was more homework than I was supposed to have at this point, but I started the class much later than the others and I had some major catch up to do.  With all of the sewing and cutting that I did over the weekend I managed to get myself to the same point as the others.


Would you believe that my stack of squares ended up over 2" high?  I don't think I've ever cut that much fabric in my whole life!  I guess I shouldn't really complain....this is just the beginning, isn't it?



It is not just on the stitching and quilting front that I'm progressing slowly.  As of today, we are still trying to conceive our first child.  This month will mark one year since the conception that resulted in the miscarriage.  Things haven't been easy.  I didn't think that this would end up being so hard and I didn't think that I would become so emotional about it all.  I've even resorted to doing things that I said I would never do (ie: charting, over the counter kits, etc.)  I wasn't able to get an appointment with the doctor until the end of the month.  That means that we have to wait that much longer before we can start to explore the reasons why nothing has happened these last nine months.  That having been said, if you are so inclined, please pray for us.  We are doing all we can at the moment and now it is just a waiting game.

In the meantime, try to keep your stitches happy.  I know I'm trying!