The Cat's Out of the Bag

Calling all  Little House Needleworks/Crescent Colours fans!

Remember when I mentioned that I was doing model stitching and I showed you all of my orts as proof that I really was stitching?

Well, take a look at this.....it is called Four Corners.  It is a thread pack and will be released in three parts.

Borrowed from Little House Needleworks (here)

I had so much fun stitching this.  I would like to thank Sharon Crescent of Crescent Colours for letting me stitch another fabulous model.  Thanks Sharon!

Here are a few of my favorite shots.....

Now I'm off to try and catch up on my blog roll.

Happy Stitches!

It's All About the Numbers

It seems that everywhere I turn my life is about numbers.  From the numbers that I put into each tax return, to the number of hours I spend at work, to the number of hours I actually get to spend with Hubby and the pup. 

Even though most of my hours are spent working right now, I finally managed Finish #5.  Here it is in all its glory........"The Counting House" by Little House Needleworks

I've decided that this piece will be perfect for the little one that we are longing to meet and it will grace the wall of his/her bedroom.  I see my two angels in the two sheep and I'm hoping that they will be able to guide our little one to us very soon.



I'm not sure what I'm going to start next, but I know that Finish #6 will need to be for an exchange, so don't be surprised if you don't see any stitching from me for awhile.  I have a March 15th deadline and it is fast approaching.

On another note, my number was picked and look what came in the mail on Wednesday!

I won Myra's giveaway and this cute little guy has come to live with me.  She is such an amazing woman......quilting, sewing, stitching, and maker of all things crafty!  I'm so honored that a little piece of her handmade love has come to live with me.  Thanks again Myra!

Well, time is ticking away and my only day off is coming to a close.  I'm hoping to get a few stitches in before I have to start dinner.

Have a great week!

Happy Stitches!

Pins and Needles

This has been a good week.  I've started and finished my five days of the Femara.  I screwed up one night and forgot to take it, but I woke up at 4am and remembered so I took it then.  Hopefully I didn't mess things up too bad by not taking it before bedtime! 

I also picked up my next medication from the pharmacy today.  It is called Ovidrel and it will be used to kick start egg release.  I'm not fond of needles and this injection will have to be done in my abdomen.  (Eww!  Ouch!)  I see Dr. B on Tuesday so hopefully she will be able to give it to me then.  Otherwise, the nurse will teach Hubby how to give it to me.  I have to admit, he is taking immense pleasure in this.  In fact, I think he is way too excited to have the opportunity to give me the shot.....maybe I should be worried!  LOL!

Since we are talking about needles, I had my first visit with the Acupuncturist on Friday.  I'm familiar with the ideas of Eastern Medicine and I'm not one to shy away from it.  I've seen it done and I believe that it can work.  My acupuncturist has a Doctorate and has studied not only in the US, but in China as well.  I'll call her Dr. A.  She was a very nice lady and we had a nice 45 minute chat for the initial diagnosis.  She said that I have "Kidney Qi Deficiency" and some minor "Liver Qi Stagnation".  Basically I lack the energy I need and I'm over stressed.  That just about defines 90% of us, doesn't it? 

After our "chat" (where I told her more than you would ever want to know about my inner workings.....would you believe she asked about bowel movements?), she took me into a treatment room and I had a half hour session.  She put a needle in the crown of my head and another in my forehead.  I also had them in my ears, my wrists, my abdomen, my legs and in my feet.  I was unnerved at first by the sensation, but they didn't hurt like I thought they might.  She then turned off the light and put on relaxing music for a half hour.

I don't know how much it may have helped, but I did feel like I had more energy for the rest of the day.  I go back in about ten days.

In the midst of all this I've been putting lots of crazy hours in at work.  This week I managed to get in 54 hours and the week before I had 47 hours.  Still, I've managed to put needle and thread to fabric a couple of nights this week.  Not much progress from last weekend, but every little bit helps.

The Counting House by Little House Needleworks

I'm off to try and get some needle time in while watching the Super Bowl.  As a Dallas fan I find it hard to say this, but I'm going to say it anyway.........GO GIANTS!!

Have a great week!

Happy Stitching!
 

PALS Weekend

I'm back from my first ever PALS Retreat in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  It was hosted by Amy of Down Sunshine Lane.  (I know I've been back since Sunday.....Sorry it took so long to post this....I've had too much on my mind lately!)

The view from my balcony....

I went with a few friends and I met a few more while I was there.  I got to see Karen, whom I haven't seen since May 2010 when I went out to Arizona for a visit.  I also got to meet my Friends Stitching Through the Seasons partners, Faye (I send to her) and Diane (she sends to me).  There were many other friendly blogging faces including Michele of Just Another Stitching Blog as well as many others who I just can't remember at the moment.  I also made some new friends while I was there (Hi Chris!) and I even got to meet Paulette Stewart of Plum Street Samplers.

But, enough of that!  I know you don't really want to hear about all of that.  Instead you want to see all of my goodies.  I understand completely!

First off, this is what I brought with me to exchange.  Starting at the top and moving clockwise.....Scatter Sunshine by Shepherds Bush (stitched exchange), Noel by ??? (Christmas exchange), Pumpkin Stack by Chessie & Me (fall exchange), Autumn by The Stitcherhood (fall exchange) and in the center a stocking from one of the Blackbird Designs Stocking Booklets (for my Friends Stitching Through the Seasons exchange for Faye).

Thursday night was the Halloween/Fall exchange.  I'm not a Halloween kind of gal, so I just went for Fall.  All I can say is that whom ever got my pieces were pretty lucky since I was this close to keeping the Autumn pillow for myself.  Here's what I got.....

Turns out this was done by one of my Saturday Stitching Sisters!  I love it Darlene!

This lovely needleroll was stitched by Shery from Indiana.  I've made a few needlerolls for others, so I know how hard it is.  Now I finally have one for my own!  I love it!  Thanks Shery!

Friday we did the Christmas exchange and the grab bag exchange (and boy, you should have seen some of those grab bags!  Fabulous goodies of scissors, fabric and stitching tools to name a few.).  It was tons of fun!  I only managed to get one ornament stitched and finished up for the Christmas exchange, but I really like how it turned out.  In return, I ended up with Amy's ornament!

Thanks Amy!  I love it!  I can't wait to get up on my ornament tree!

This little Ott light was the only thing in the grab bag I "won".  It's a nice little portable light run by batteries.  I can't remember who said that they entered this bag because it didn't have a name with it.  Oops!  So, many thanks to whomever you are!

Saturday we had a stitching and a sewing exchange.  Here is what I got in the stitching exchange.

This lovely needlebook was made by Diane of GA.  The stitched area is actually a pocket to hold scissors or threads.  It's amazing!  Thank you Diane!  I love it!

I'm not great with the sewing machine (yet), but I saw a great tutorial and I made this for the sewing exchange.  After I was done I wanted to keep it for myself.  Good thing I have some leftover supplies because I'm going to have to do this little beauty for myself!

In return I got this...... (again, I can't thank the person because there was no card with it.)

There were two coffee cozies, but they were being coveted by Michele, so I shared my joy and gave her the other one.  But, isn't this one cute?

Thanks for sticking with me through this long post.  Next time I'll catch you up on what I was working on while I was at PALS.  Let's just say that I now have my eye on a Crazy January finish thanks to all my stitchy time last weekend!

Happy Stitches!

One Step Closer

After this weekend I'm more than just one step closer to my goals for November and December.  Woo-Hoo!

I finally made a finish of LHN's December and it should be on its way (along with September, October and November) to my dear friend Sharon.  Now her set of models for the Monthlies will be complete.  Whew!



"December" on 30ct WDW Mocha

 This finish gave me ample opportunity to work on some other stitchy projects around the house.  I was able to frame my memory/memorial sampler and I'm so very pleased with how it turned out.  I took a picture of it last night under the Ott light, but it didn't turn out.  I guess I'll just have to wait for the light of day instead. 

I also took some time to stitch on one of my Blackbird Designs works in progress.  Remember the Keepsake Box from the 2008 Shepherd's Bush Retreat?  Well, with just a little stitch time during the late Sunday night Giants/Eagles football game I managed to turn my work into this:

Now all I have left is a little bit of fill in on a couple of the flowers, the flower pot and my initials.  I figured that I deserved to reward myself with a little bit of "off goal" stitching since I've been good at keeping my goals so far.  Plus, not only did I finish December, but I finished stitching my Blackbird Designs Exchange piece!  I think that deserved a reward, don't you?

So, here's my piece for the exchange:
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HA, HA!  FOOLED YA!  You don't think I was going to show it before my recipient got to see it, did you?  I couldn't do that!  I'm pretty sure that this person reads my blog.  Plus, her initial is on it and that would have given it away.  So, instead, I'm just going to show you a few of my supplies for the piece instead.  I plan on "finishing" it up this week so that it will be in the mail for our November 30th deadline.

I guess that means that I will have to start stitching on all of those ornaments this week.  Wish me luck!

Happy Stitching!

Who Put The Brakes On?

I was making great progress towards accomplishing my November/December goals unitl last night.  Someone decided it would be funny to throw me for a small loop.  It seems that the word "Decmeber" was miscounted on my piece and now the frogging will begin.  UGH!!!  At least it was only the word that was the issue.......everything else seems to be in it's rightful place.  Thank goodness!

Happy Stitching!

"November/December Goals" Update

Just a quick little update on how I am faring.....

By the end of last week (after kicking out October's frogs) I finished up November.

November
by Little House Needleworks
Crescent Colours Cotton Thread Pack

Stitched on 30ct Mocha by Weeks Dye Works

 And, in keeping in line with the goals, I got a good start on December.  I'm much further now than this picture shows and I anticipate being able to send these models out shortly.


It's the last one!!!

Looking back on my goals, I'm just about done with number three. Yipee!  I also started on goal  number four over the weekend and I picked out the fabric and fibers for my Blackbird Designs exchange. 

Speaking of exchanges, I have received my exchange from Karen over the weekend and boy is it amazing!  Stay tuned for pictures......

Happy Stitching!

Visiting Frogs & Broken Curses

The frogs visited over the weekend and this time it was a good thing.  They only stayed a short while.  Just long enough to rip out the wrong color border and then I sent them on their way.

The correct color is on the upper left and the wrong color is on the lower right.

 After the frogs left I got to work finishing up October.

October
by Little House Needleworks
A Crescent Colours Cotton Thread Pack
Stitched on 30ct Mocha by Weeks Dye Works

 Next I had a great start on November.  Since it looks like the border is lining up, I guess that means the curse may be over.  Hubby is working at job #2 tonight, so I should be able to get through most of this pattern with little to no interruptions.  Yeah!!!!

A great start on November.

Happy Stitching!

November Already?

I can't believe that today is actually November 1st!  Another year is almost over.  It really passed by so quickly.  Even with all of the trials and tribulations of this past year, I can honestly say that I'm sorry to see it is almost over.  Maybe that sorrow is because I still have TONS of stitching left to do!

This weekend turned out to be a great weekend for shopping and stitching.  On Friday my husband, my parents and I traveled about an hour north of our homes to a large outlet mall filled with great shops.  Hubby definitely made out with purchases from Nautica, Sketchers, Haggar and the Calphalon store.  We also picked up a few holiday gifts along the way as well.  Mom & I also made our standard trip to the Coach store.  Last time I went I couldn't find anything I liked, but this time I came home with a new purple purse and a new wallet.  Mom came home with the same purse and a wristlet.  (Good thing I don't mind my mom being a copycat......did I mention that we also purchased the same pair of sneakers from Sketchers?)

Saturday gave way to a little bit more shopping, but this time it was for a much needed shower curtain and some drapes for the great room.  Then I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening stitching with my stitching pals minus one.  I worked on trying to finish LHN's October, but alas the piece is cursed!  Remember all that trouble I had with September's border?  Well, turns out that I stitched October's border in the wrong color!  UGH!  If it were for me, I would just leave it, but it is for a model.  I CAN'T LEAVE IT!  So, there will be a little more frogging on it before I get it done.  I'll be so happy to get these stupid things done!  Oh......wait.......I still have to finish November and December!  Sigh.....  Well, maybe they won't be cursed like the last grouping.

The "fun" part of the weekend happened late Saturday night into Sunday morning.  It turns out the the Quest fittings on our hot water heater broke and there was water everywhere in the second bedroom.  I cleaned it up as best I could and Hubby took care of shutting down the water heater and the main water.  I called the HVAC guy since he put the water heater in (it is part of our HVAC unit).  He ended up coming out Sunday around 11am, but worrying about the ceiling caving in kept me up all night.  I think I got about two hours of sleep. 

The only good thing that resulted from my insomnia is that I am now almost finished with my memorial/memory sampler.  I only have one word, about a dozen eyelet stitches and a few tiny motifs to finish.  If I can get some time in tonight I could have a happy dance.  Then I will be off to find the perfect frame.  I'm going to try to frame this one myself since it is a special piece, but my favorite framer is still on call if I run into problems.

So, since this year is really running away, I think I need to set a few goals for the next two months.  Here goes:

1. Finish stitching on the memory/memorial sampler. 
2. "Finish" and mail my exchange piece for my private exchange since I didn't get to it yesterday.  (Dang hot water heater!)
3. Finish up those (dang) monthlies for Sharon.
4. Stitch, finish and mail something for the Blackbird Designs Exchange Round 6.  It is due to go out on November 30th, so I still have a little time.  I'm pretty sure of what I'm going to stitch, so that gets me that much closer to finishing that!
5. Attempt to self frame "Seaside Memories" by The Sampler Girl. If not, that one will get whisked off to my favorite framer.
6. Stitch and finish an ornament for the ornament exchange with my Saturday Stitching Buddies.  We talked about exchanging on December 4th, so I've got a little time.
7. Stitch and finish at least fifteen ornaments for Christmas gifts. (Uh, oh.....I might have to revise that number and hopefully down instead of up!)

Here's to hoping that November slows down a bit.  After all, I'm sure we could all use some additional holiday stitching time.

Happy Stitching!

Birthday Giveaway Arrival

Remember earlier this month when I decided to hold a give away for my birthday?  You know, in the time before the whole world came crashing down?

Well, it arrived safe and sound at Patty's house.  (Don't tell her, but it was me, not the mailman, that included some extra special items along with the frog......)

I also sent her some Kelmscott scissors, a cut of opalescent linen and a scissor fob.  After all, you must have scissors to go along with your frog.  And, who wants a naked pair of scissors?  Those scissors were just screaming for a fob!  So, I stitched up the fob from LHN's Needle and Thread.  I even decided to fancy up the backside with the year.  I filled the fob with crushed walnut shells, so it will also double as a pin cushion.

Enjoy Patty!

Happy Stitching!

RAK, Stash & Vacation Day 3

It was another hot, humid and busy weekend around here, so there is much to share on this Monday post.

Late last week I send off a RAK to Sherry over at Isn't It All About Me?.  Sherry has been in search of a flower frog and hasn't been able to get her hands on one.  Well, with all of my recent frog acquisitions, I decided that I would send her one of the ones in my stash.  (It is the frog from this previous post.)  I have to say, it's so nice to be able to RAK.  I know that there will be many more RAK's in my future and I have started making plans for them already.  So, you never know when or where the RAK monster will hit!

On Saturday I went with a couple of friends to a not so local LNS.  It was supposed to be a 45 minute ride up, but it turned into a much longer one than that due to traffic.  Good thing there was great company and conversation!  Of course, we finally arrived and were more than ready to shop when we got there.  This is the first time I've been to a LNS since my trip to Arizona.  While it is nice to fondle all the goodies, I really didn't need anything.  But who cares about need?  When it comes to stitching stuff it is all about stashing!  I ended up with two older books from Blackbird Designs (A Fine Collection and Peppermint & Holly), some great 40ct Lakeside Linen (Copper, Autumn Gold, and Winter Sky), a new to me Bent Creek, a Just Nan (with fabric) and a Little House Sampler.

Don't you just love this Bent Creek?  I've never noticed this Row, so I'm guessing that it is an older one.  As soon as I saw it I knew that it had to be mine.  With my love of all things beachy I'm pretty sure that I this will be at the top of my "want to do now" pile.  However, once I get it stitched and framed, I will have to take it off the wall and hide it whenever my parents or my MIL comes to visit.  Otherwise I may end up with a missing piece of stitching!

I have to blame Maggee over at Stitching Devotee for the last part of my stash acquisition on Saturday.  I had seen this lovely LHN's Summer Sampler on her blog.  Her finish is perfect.  (You can see it here.  Didn't she do a fabulous job?)  I already have the Winter and Autumn Samplers in my stash, so you know I had to get the complete set after seeing her grand finish.

Moving on........I thought I'd share some more about our Outer Banks vacation.  On Day 3, Hubby's 90+ year old grandfather drove three hours to vacation with us for a couple of days.  Shortly after Grandfather arrived, he and Hubby headed out to play 18 holes of golf.  (Yes.....you read that right.....three hours of driving and then 18 holes of golf!)  That meant that MIL and I got in more shopping.  This time we headed to The Christmas Mouse, the Cotton Gin (one of my favorites) and a few other places.  Later we went to dinner at Lone Pine.

Over at Lone Pine, there is a nesting pair of Osprey.  You can get a real good look at them from the restaurant's deck.  But, by the time we got there it was so dark that we couldn't see them.  We vowed to come back before it was time to go and take some pictures.

But, since this post is a little long, you will just have to stay tuned for those pictures.  Oh, and as for a picture of my stitching on Day 3.....well.....there was no after dinner stitching that night since we didn't get back until after 11 PM.  After all, Hubby and Grandfather had to be up early the next morning for an 8 AM tee time.  Nine holes don't you know!

Happy Stitching!

P.S. for Claudia........your box will be in the mail this week!  Hopefully tomorrow!

Finding, Finishing and a Father's Day Start

I hope everyone had a great Father's Day weekend.  It sure did go by fast, didn't it?  I know mine did since I was quite busy as usual........

Saturday morning I had the honor of attending my nephew's 8th birthday at a local movie theater.  It was one of those theaters were you can sit at tables and have a real meal while watching a movie.  Neat concept, don't you think?  This was the first time I had ever been to this particular theater since it had been converted from the old style theater.  We had pizza, ice cream and cupcakes......yummy, but a little much at 10:30 am!  We saw Toy Story 3 and it was a cute movie.  The kids were so wrapped up in it the adults had to remind them that they had ice cream melting in front of them. 

After the movie I set out to find a few estate sale bargains.  I had several stops on my list, but due to the earlier party I had to settle for two out of four.  I found one that was close to the theater and hit that first.  There wasn't much there, but I did find some Ball jars with lids in great condition.  I took the smaller one and walked around while deciding if I should scoop up a second one.  When I told the man that I only wanted it for the lid so that I could make a pin cushion, he thought I was crazy.  (You have seen Vonna's tutorial on making a pin cushion, haven't you?  You didn't think I came up with that idea on my own, did you???)  Of course he proceeded to tell me that the jars were worth more if they had the lids.  Men.......they don't get it!  But, after serious consideration, I thought that I may want to keep one jar fully intact.  So, off I went and got them 2 for a $1!  Not to shabby!!!  And, to boot, they both washed up beautifully.  (The tall one isn't cloudy now, it just wasn't dry when I took the picture last night.)

Feeling successful I headed towards home to hit another estate sale.  Can you say BIG BUST?  Yup, nothing, nada, zero and zilch.  It was horrible!  It was a bad imitation of a yard sale too boot.  I guess you never know what you are going to find.  So, since I had time before meeting my BFF for stitch night I decided to make one last stop.  I went to a local "mom & pop" sewing & vacuum shop not far from the house and I looked at this:

Janome 3160QDC

That's right, a new sewing machine!  Don't you remember that Hubby gave me the "green light" to start quilting?  And this machine would really help me with my "finishing" too!  It was a real nice machine and was comparable to the Bernina activa 220 that I looked at previously.  I just don't know what to do!  I don't know what machine I should go with!  They are both so nice.  Does anyone have any experience with either of these machines?????  HELP!!!!

Speaking of finishing, I did have one small stitchy finish this weekend.  I finally finished the second coverlet for Needle and Thread by LHN.  I really should have finished the second fob to go along with it, but in true "Serial Starter" fashion I picked up another new start on Sunday instead.  It is for the Blackbird Exchange so no snaps anytime soon.  But, I will say, I'm having fun stitching on it and I think it is going to be a quick stitch.  I'm sure that means that there will be another serial start soon enough!

Happy Stitching!

Lunch Break and Giveaway Reminder

I am sitting here on lunch break and thanking the Lord above that today is Friday.  It has just been one crazy week.  I went from dragging myself into and out of each workday to being a jittery caffeinated mess!  I just don't know how all of you drink coffee first thing in the morning like that!  I never have that reaction when I get my usual Saturday tax season Starbucks Vanilla Latte.  Then again, now that I think about it, I'm so "done" by the time Saturday is here during tax season the coffee just sets me back to normal!

Last night brought a little bit more stitching on LHN's Needle and Thread.  There is not significant progress, so I didn't capture it on digital film this morning before I left for work.  I may pick it up and throw a few stitches into it after I finish my homemade chicken salad sandwich from the local lunch place across the street.  But, then again, taking a short lunch and leaving work early sounds so much more fun!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Father's Day weekend!  Oh, and don't forget, my contest ends on Sunday and I will be drawing a name from the entries on Monday. (I guess that means this will be a "finishing" weekend for me.)  Best of luck to you all!

Happy Stitching!

As Promised

I took some quick crappy snaps last night of all the stitching that I accomplished during my Arizona vacation.

I think that I mentioned that I finished Block 2 of Carriage House Samplings' SoHRH.  I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.  Especially after making the big decision to change the crab from that golden brown color to red.  For me, the red is just so much better.  I don't think that it stands out too much, do you?

My traveling piece was LHN's Needle and Thread since the fabric count was easy on the eyes.  With the exception of the french knots eyes and beak of the owl and the flesh tone for the girl in the bed, I finished this one before I even got back on the plane headed home.  The only reason I didn't finish is that I didn't want to buy a whole skein of thread for the flesh and for the eyes when I had scraps at home.  I think I should just add it to my finishes anyway, don't you?

I also started on the scissor fob for the LHN piece.  I decided to stick with the 32 count that I'm already using so that I didn't have to buy more fabric.  I don't mind stitching over one on 32 count, but I had to stop once the daylight faded on Sunday and I haven't had the time to pick it up since.  I guess I'll have to wait until I finish with model stitching to get this one done!  Here's where I left off on Sunday:

I don't know about you, but I plan on getting some "numb butt" time in this weekend!  All I have to do tonight is put away the clean laundry and then I can situate myself on the happy couch for some productive stitch time.

I hope you have a great weekend!  Happy Stitching!

Whirlwind Adventure

I know I haven’t blogged in over a week, BAD ME! Well, I have an excuse. In fact, I think it is a great excuse………I went on VACATION! I decided that after all the drama that I have been enduring on the home front, I needed a getaway. One that was far, far, far away from the hustle and bustle of normal life. So, after following doctor’s orders and consulting with my dear sweet friend Sharon, I booked a flight and headed out to the “Grand Canyon State” and what I think of as the “Land of the Sun”, Arizona. You know, were the sun always seems to shine and the temperatures are warm with little to no humidity.

Last Wednesday morning found me up at the butt-crack of dawn even before the birds started singing. My brother was kind enough to take me to the airport for my 7am flight out. I flew through Chicago (Midway) and then landed in Phoenix around 1:30pm. The flights were full, so the only time I was able to stitch was during the layover. I was able to start LHN’s Needle and Thread from the 2010 Nashville Market. Upon arrival in Phoenix I found warm temperatures and sunny skies! Ahhhh………relief! Sharon swept me out of the airport and we split a Nacho plate from Red Robin before heading over to The Attic in Mesa. Oh, what joy to be able to walk into that shop! If you are ever in Mesa or the greater Phoenix area, it is worth the trip. Jean and her girls are FABULOUS! (Don't forget to check out Jean's gorgeous newsletters!  Can you tell I'm a happy client?) After some browsing and drooling we headed out to dinner to a pizza place called Sauce. It was definitely not your typical Pizza Hut pizza and salad. Oh, how yummy!  Thanks for the fabulous dinner Jean!

Thursday brought a morning to sleep late followed by plenty of “girl talk” and catching up with my dear friend Sharon. We headed over to Arriba’s Mexican Grill for lunch. I love Mexican food, so eating in Arizona was a treat for me. I had some great Chicken Tacos which had a “kick” that I don’t normally get at home. We also saw someone order a 48oz Frozen Margarita. That thing was HUGE!!!! I wish that I had my camera with me since you would not believe how big that drink was. There were two people sharing it and by the time we left I think they only lowered the contents by one inch! Thursday afternoon we hit the Pandora store. We don’t have a Pandora exclusive store at home, so this was a treat for me. They had every charm imaginable in that place. I got myself a few new ones including the retired compass and I also picked up a gift for my mother for Mother’s Day. After shopping we went to The Attic for their stitch night. I was welcomed with open arms. If you are ever in the area on a Thursday night and you want to stitch, I know they would welcome you with the same warmth that they showed me.

Friday was another fun day. Lazy was the word of the morning and we headed out to Kona Grill for lunch and another wonderful dining experience. (I had some sushi and sashimi, which is another of my favorite foods.) We headed home for a little stitching before we went out to Chase Field to watch my favorite baseball team……The Arizona Diamondbacks!

In a side note, I didn’t have a favorite baseball team until two years ago when we went to Sedona on our honeymoon and got to watch them on the Hyatt’s outdoor lounge TV’s while listening to the crowd at the stadium. In the end, they lost on Friday night, but it was a great game. I even got a few awesome pictures. Look at Johnson getting ready to swing at the baseball. How amazing is that?

We had GREAT seats on the second level! I even had my fingertips on a pop fly from Gillespie, but my arms weren’t long enough and the ball ended up on the level below. All I can say is that I can’t wait to go to another MLB game. Hubby even told me that if I wanted to watch the D-Backs on TV that he wouldn’t mind if I ordered the MLB package for our cable network. How sweet! However, I think I will pass this year and I’ll save up for it next year.

Saturday was filled with stitching. They had a Stitch In at The Attic, so we went there for the day. I had tons of fun. Not too much stitching on my part though. I was too busy shopping! It has been awhile since I have set foot in a brick and mortar store and my pocket book is quite a bit lighter as a result. I ended up with a few patterns, some stitching accessories and a ton of fabric. Some of the ladies even convinced me to try a stitching on a piece of 45 count fabric. So, I’ve decided that I’m going to stitch one of Blackbird Design’s Reward of Merit pieces. Seriously though, check out this haul! (I should also mention that dinner Saturday night was at another fabulous Mexican place....Tia Rosa's!  So many thanks to Sharon for my lovely stay.........thanking you with dinner isn't thanks enough in my book!)

To my surpirse, I even saw Paula of Kelmscott Designs during both the Thursday night and Saturday stitch in.  It turns out that when she is not in Canada, she calls Arizona her second home.  Check out these goodies that she sent home with me.  Thanks Paula!  See you at Market!

Sunday was a day of rest. I just stitched all day long on Block Two of Shores of Hawk Run and LHN’s Needle and Thread. Of course, there was a little light packing for the return home on Monday as well.  Sharon sent me home with a model for the Columbus show. I'll be busy stitching that over the next week or two since it will need the fast turn around.

So, after running around yesterday and doing various errands, I’m now back to the grind at work. Whew! And, I just now noticed that none of my pictures had any stitchy progress to show.  I really did stitch a ton while I was on vacation.  I promise! I guess you will just have to stay tuned…………

Happy Stitching!

P.S. to Jennifer at Feathers in the Nest ~ I haven't forgotten about your win.  I picked up the last piece yesterday and I have some finishing to do, so I hope to have it in the mail to you by Monday!