Cold Crumbs

Brr!  It's cold outside!  We have been treated to such a mild winter this year so when last night's cold front hit the Mid-Atlantic, we were in for a shock.  Our temperatures dropped 20 degrees in an instant, the winds started howling, and we experienced thunder and lighting.  That's right, we had Thundersnow!  Unbelievable!

This morning I woke up to this.....(remember, this is a lot of snow for us!)

Don't look too close, my windows are in horrible shape!  They aren't dirty, they are full of condensation.  I've been living here 14 years.....it is time for new windows.  Just another thing to keep me from buying more stash.

Of course, I didn't let a little snow or bad windows stop me from picking up a few crumbs on the way home from work last night.  I managed to snag these in less than five minutes, just before the quilt shop closed for the night.

That's right!  I've finally gotten my grubby little hands of some of this yummy Blueberry Crumb Cake fabric from Blackbird Designs.  I just adore those lovely ladies!  They make the most scrumptious fabric and patterns.  They have shown a sneak peak of their newest book that will be released at Nashville and I've already put my order in over at The Attic.

Even though I've been at work over 65 hours this week, I have managed a few stitches on The Counting House.  Here's my progress:

I'm hoping for a little down time on this cold Sunday.  I've got stitching to do!  Unfortunately, I hear the shower running, so I'm sure that means Hubby has other plans.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Happy stitches!

Eggs Anyone? Or Maybe Sheep?

I think I missed the weekend.  I just don't know where it went!

Saturday started off with a very early alarm clock.....6am to be exact.  I got up and got ready for my very busy day.  First I made a trip to Starbucks for my "Starbucks Saturday". (I know that Saturdays during tax season involve long days at the office, so I treat myself to an expensive amazing cup of coffee.)  After getting my Vanilla Latte to go, I headed over to the pharmacy to drop off my prescription for the Femara.  Then I headed to the outpatient lab for the bloodwork that Dr. B ordered.  Can you believe that after all that running around I made it to work before 8:30am??  I ended up spending the next nine and a half hours in the comfort of my office chair.

On the way home I headed back to the pharmacy.  The perscription I thought would be $100.....well, turns out it was my lucky day.  It was a whole $4!  Of course, I already know that I will not be this lucky with the next medicine I need.  Insurance won't cover it.  So far, the cheapest I have been able to find it is for $100.  Hopefully Dr. B will have some other sources for me tomorrow.

Speaking of Dr. B, her nurse called me with the results of my bloodwork today.  The nurse said that everything looked great.  The most important number was for FSH.  They want to see 7 and under.  Mine was 4.  Basically it means that I have good eggs!  You don't know how glad I am to know this! I was beginning to think that I may have to go in search for a chicken with some good eggs. 

When I told my MIL the part about the chicken she said "This grandma is delighted to know she won't get a mouthful of feathers every time she kisses the baby."  Too funny!

Since we are on the subject of farm type animals I thought I would show you my progress on "The Counting House":

Up until this week, I was working on it for about fifteen minutes every morning.  This week I've changed up my morning routine and I no longer have time for stitching.....or a cup of coffee for that matter.  I've decided that it is more important for me to get to work earlier and come home earlier.  Plus, with all of the appointments that I will have to go to during the week I want to make sure I can get all of my required hours in without sleeping at my office.  Hopefully I will be able to get a few stitches in at night.

Oh, and my new cell phone arrived today.  A day early!  I guess that means I must be living right!

Happy Stitching!

Picture Promises

I can't believe that it is Sunday evening already!  Where did the weekend go?  I guess it didn't help that I'm now working on Saturdays, so that makes my weekends even shorter than usual.

Today my husband ended up working, so it gave me some time to catch up on the pictures that I've been promising.  First up is proof positive that I have been stitching.

I know it doesn't look like much, but it is more than you think it is.  This is from a piece that I can't show just yet, so you will have to stay tuned.

On Thursday I mentioned some happy mail.  While I was at work I received a package from The Attic with some wonderful Blackbird Designs items.  Then, when I got home, I had a thoughtful little package from Grace.  She sent me a set of angel wings along with a hug token....just to let me know she cared.  Aren't blogging buddies amazing?  Thank you so much Grace!  I have the wings in my stitching basket next to my happy chair so that I can be reminded of your generosity.

New acquisitions along with Grace's wings.  I love happy mail!

As I mentioned earlier, Saturday was a work day for me.  While it didn't last all day, I did manage to get a good start on my week by working for about five hours.  After work I decided to take the long way home so that I could continue the happiness and stop by one of the local quilt stores.  On the way I spotted a sign for an estate sale.  I said to myself "Why not?" and I followed the signs to the house.  I was in luck!  It was the third day of the sale and everything was 50% off.  There wasn't much left, but this managed to catch my eye.......

Isn't this shelving unit amazing?  It is nice and sturdy.  When I turned it over I noticed that it was put together by tongue and groove.  Good stuff!  Plus, I love the little drawers.  Once I get it cleaned up it will be the perfect place to show off many of my finishes.  Now, if only I could figure out where I should hang it up......

Since I didn't break the bank at the estate sale, I headed over to the quilt shop.  Let's just say that I was a really, really, really, really bad girl!  Look what jumped into my hands and insisted on coming home with me.

I couldn't help myself!  First of all, you know how much I love Barb & Alma, so you knew their newest quilt book had to come home with me.  (Would you believe there is a cross stitch pattern in there?)  I would have also come home with some of their yummy new fabric, Blueberry Crumb Cake, but it hadn't come in yet.  Instead, I picked up the bundle in the upper right hand corner.  I have some grand plans for that bundle.  I'm going to attempt to make two baby quilts out of it.  Of course, the key work there is attempt.  The co-worker with the twin boys isn't due until May, so it gives me a little bit of time to try.  I've got a simple pattern called "Yellow Brick Road" laying next to my sewing machine just waiting for those fat quarters.

Oh, and did you catch sight of this in the upper left corner?

I have a special project in mind for these cute little frogs.  I picked up a yard of each and I hope it is enough.  Now I just need to find a few extra minutes away from my husband and my stitching!

Speaking of stitching, I have one last shot for you.  I know I talked about starting that new Blackbird piece, but it has been dreary here today and it is slated to continue for the next day or two.  It is hard to do conversions without some good old fashioned sunshine, so I guess I'll just have to continue working on this.....

The Counting House by Little House Needleworks

Time to stop blogging and start stitching!

Happy Stitches!

See, I Do Stitch!

Last night was a crazy night for me.  I left work and traffic was horrible!  It took me 50 minutes to get to the hairdresser when it normally takes me 25-30 minutes.  Then, after the hairdresser, I came home to a bedroom in shambles!

You see, Hubby didn't work his day job yesterday due to the rain.  (That's construction for you!)  Since yesterday was his first day without a cigarette he was in a tizzy.  (He is trying to quit.....again!  Please pray it works this time!)  So, when I came home, the bedroom furniture was rearranged.  That in itself was fine.  It was just that many of the items that were inside the furniture are now on the outside and strewn all over the floor.  UGH.....Men!  But, what can I say?  I love the guy!  He was just trying to stay busy and help.  So, the rest of my evening was spent dealing with that, and I'm nowhere near finished yet.

Even with that, I have been stitching and this time I have the pictures to prove it.  Here is the "September" Monthly from Little House Needleworks........

This is the one that gave me heartburn with the green border.  Remember?  I had to rip it out four times!  But as you can see, except for the legs on the bird, this one is all finished. 

Now I'm trying to work on this one.........

.....it is Little House's "October" Monthly.  I had every intention of having it done way before the end of October.  But, trying is the operative word here.  See that piece of CC's Roasted Chestnut at the top of the picture?  Well, that is supposed to be the border color instead of the CC's Caterpillar that I stitched.  I guess that means more frogging for me.  I think these two months were cursed!  Pfft!

Looks like I will need to have a marathon session tonight and over the weekend so that I can finish up the year.  Hopefully November and December won't be cursed like these two months were.

Happy Stitching!

Best Laid Plans and a Coffee Buzz

Last night definitely did not go as planned.  Best laid plans and all that mess, right?

I got home around 5:30pm last night and sat down with my book (Winter Garden by Kristen Hannah).  The thunderstorms were rolling in so I figured that it was easier to calm down my 15 pound four legged son while reading instead of  while stitching.  He is just a hot mess during thunderstorms these days (he's 9) and that doesn't go well with a needle and thread.  Anyway, just when the storm's biggest deluge arrived, Hubby walked in the door.  It seemed that his 6pm meeting got cancelled at the last minute.  So much for my quiet time!  At least he cooked dinner even if it was only a Red Barron frozen pizza.

After dinner I pulled out Needle and Thread by LHN since Hubby was around.  I managed very little in the way of progression.  I got the owl, part of the bed and part of the scissors done before I gave up and gave into a cat nap.  By 8pm I was asleep on the couch and by 9pm Hubby woke me up to send me to bed.  I guess things finally caught up to me as I slept the whole night through and didn't wake up until the alarm went off at 6am.  I even hit the snooze button a few times this morning after it went off.

Still sleepy this morning, I thought I should give myself a real wake up.  (First of all, I should tell you that I'm not really a coffee person.  Don't get me wrong, I love my Starbucks Vanilla Latte or Frauppccino.  But, I'm not an every morning, multiple cup during the day coffee drinker.)  I dug a Newman's Own Extra Bold Blend K-cup out of our coffee bowl and put it in the Keurig machine.  I put a spoonful of sugar in the bottom of the cup and hit BREW.  While it was brewing, I fixed myself one of those thin sliced "Everything" bagels from Thomas' and slathered it with Philly cream cheese.  Yum, yum!  When the coffee was ready I grabbed the Vanilla flavored creamer and poured a healthy dose of it into the coffee.  Then I sat down to GMA (Good Morning America for those of you who don't know) and had a nice, quiet and peaceful breakfast.  Well, here I am..........HOURS and HOURS later.  Wouldn't you know it, I'm still jittery from that coffee this morning!  I sure do hope that I will be able to sleep tonight.  With the luck I've been having lately I'll be back up on the "up all night" wagon. 

Sheesh!

Happy Stitching!

Shopping, Stitching and a New Start

Whew! Where did this weekend go? Just yesterday it was Thursday and I was getting permission from the boss to play hokey on Friday! I guess that's what happens when you have fun weekends.....they just go by so fast!

First on Friday I had to decide if I was going to call out or not. I've really been good at saving all of my comp time this year and work full 40 hour weeks whenever possible. However, with nothing to do at work it is so easy to skip a day or two.  So, early in the morning I sent a text message saying "See you Monday!  Have a great weekend!".  (I'm so lucky to have such a great boss!!!) 

With that done, Hubby and I spent the morning together exploring.  I found an estate sale that ran Thursday - Saturday (they usually go Friday - Sunday in our neck of the woods), so off we went.  It was one of the better sales that we have found so far.  I found a great frame with this odd looking sand sculpture in it.  I pulled out the piece only to find that it is a thin layer of sand on plywood.  I'm not too sure about it, but I know that as much I love southwestern type stuff, this is not my cup of tea.  I think that this "sculpture" may end up the in Goodwill pile!

Saturday found us at a few more estate sales in neighboring cities.  Both of them were busts.  (It made me so happy that I found the great frame the day before!)  On the way home I remembered that the local Farmers Market was having its opening weekend at our city park so we stopped by.  We were on the late side, so much of the good stuff had already been sold, but we did manage to get a few ears of local Silver Queen Corn, a huge Zucchini, some Peaches (grown out of the area) and two Sweet Potatoes.  Oh those Peaches were good.  Nice and juicy!  Next time I will have to remember to bring my camera.....

Saturday night was spent stitching with my BFF.  I decided that I wasn't in the mood to stitch anything that was in my bag and that I needed a new start.  I think that this was fueled by my earlier purchase of the frame.  You see, I found a great stitchy piece of a desert sunset two years ago while on my honeymoon in Arizona.  I thought that this piece would fit perfectly in the frame and boy was I right.  I was going to stitch it on 36ct instead of the called for 32ct, but then I noticed that it was full of blended threads........36 would be a bust!  So, I spent much of the evening looking through BFF's Crescent Colours stash and I came up with an alternative.  Then after some discussion on the piece I decided not to start it until I went home and measured the inside frame dimensions.  Again.......BUST!  Instead I spent the rest of the evening working on my second (yes, second) Needle and Thread by LHN.  I'm almost done!

Sunday morning after some measuring, thread pulling and more measuring, I decided to dump the 36ct on my new start Desert Sunset by Fireside Originals.  Using the 32ct will work so much better.  It will be a perfect fit for the frame that I bought on Friday.  That means that all the work that I did with choosing thread color is out of the window since I'm going to go back to the original plans.  Even with the original plans, I didn't get very far with it this weekend.  My intention is to make it a surprise for my husband, so I can't work on it when he is around.

Whew!  What a weekend!  In closing, I'm going to leave you with the best find that I made all weekend.......at another local farm stand.......and boy did they taste as good as they looked!!!!

Happy Stitching!

 

Is This Really Happening?

It wasn't enough that I had a/c problems and now I may have to replace a part of my ceiling. It wasn't enough that water dripped in the closet (at least I didn't lose any stitching stuff). Oh no.....it wasn't enough....enough is never enough!

A STUPID CO-WORKER BACKED INTO MY CAR YESTERDAY!!!!!! Oh yes, I said it. I called her STUPID! That's what you get for not paying attention. She broke the front licence plate bracket and then chipped the paint in two places. It wouldn't have been a big deal, but my car isn't even a year old and now I have to have the whole front bumper repainted. What a pain! I did nothing wrong and now I have to suffer the hassle of getting everything fixed. I even demanded a rental for the time my car will be in the shop.


I know, I know, it could have been so much worse. It's just that I haven't even had this car a year! I take care of my stuff because I want to keep it nice. So, don't mess with my stuff!!!!

OK. Enough is now enough and I'm going to stop ranting and raving. Onto the real subject that should be at hand: STITCHING!!!!

I have actually been semi productive recently. I finished my second strawberry from the latest Loose Feathers. Now I will have one in 30ct and one in 40ct. Here's a picture of them (unfinished) with the fabric that I'm going to use as a topper. Hopefully I will remember to give them to the finisher on Thursday at the LNS.


I also finished a baby gift for the daughter of a good friend. This friend and I have been through so much together in both her life and in my own. So, I felt that I should stitch something for her new granddaughter. The baby isn't due until early October and the shower isn't until early September. But, I knew that I would be busy with models for the St. Charles market so I got it done early. I decided to stitch CCN's "Princess Parade". I recharted the words to the baby's name. I'm planning on using the same frame that is shown on the front of the chart if it will arrive in enough time. If not, I'll have to consider picking something else.


Then I started on "Winter Sampler" by LHN. I know that this is a 32ct fabric, but I'm not sure what color it is since it wasn't labeled. Here's a peek at how far I got last night. I know it's not much, but I was distracted and I kept stewing over my car's boo-boo.


Maybe I can get a little further on this tonight. Wish me luck!

Happy Stitching!

Slow Going

We were finally able to get Louie back to his owner on Sunday. She was out of town and didn't get home until sometime late Saturday. Over all, Louie was really a good boy......just a little spastic at times.......and a little horny too! We told her all about Louie's adventures and even made a few suggestions that would make Louie's life (and hers) a little better. Hopefully she will listen and get that poor boy neutered. So, here are some parting shots of Louie. May he have a great life......at someone else's home!

On Saturday night he climbed into my husband's favorite chair:


Finally Louie took a break on Saturday night and layed at my feet. I took the time to snap a quick picture (taken while sitting on the sofa):


Bye, Louie! Good luck!

Due to Louie's delayed delivery home, I didn't get much time to stitch this weekend. Between that and going out to see "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" I was only able to get so far. At least I don't have to have this finished until September.

I guess I'd better get a move on! I think I will be receiving another model to stitch. I know it will have to be ready in time for fall market, so I hope it arrives soon.

Happy Stitching!

Laundry Day

On Saturday I got to spend a wonderful day stitching with the girls at the LNS. Before leaving I had planned to start laundry so that hubby had a clean uniform for work that afternoon. Instead he sent me off with a kiss and a promise to wash his clothes. My last words to him were "Remember to do a full load!"

When I got home I decided that I would continue laundry day. After all, I didn't want to spend all of Sunday doing laundry. I walked around the corner and BAM!

Oh, yes. He left it exactly the way you see it. And if you look to the left (on top of the washer) you will see his pitiful attempt to fold his own shorts. And that full load? Well, it consisted of his uniform, a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Full load my *%$!

Of course I had to get the camera out of my bag to do a "laundry photo shoot". EVIDENCE!!! Hmmmmm........I wonder when I'll pull this one out. Do you think this will qualify as something I can use for stash enhancement bribery?

After having my fun, I folded everything properly and started a new load of wash. All in about five minutes! Then I sat down to work on "Bo Peep". No picture yet. I didn't get much further on her. I just filled in some of the missing single stitches so she hasn't really changed that much.

I also spent a little bit of time cruising the Internet and all my favorite stitchy sites. I found this new collaboration from LHN, CCN, Primrose Needleworks & Miss Crescent's Crown.

My favorite one is the last block with the sheep. Hopefully I will get a chance to stitch this one. Guess we will have to wait and see!

Happy Stitching!

Summer Cold??

I haven't been feeling well for the past few days. At first I thought I was coming down with a summer cold. But after last night, I know that I have a summer sinus infection instead. The pressure in my sinuses were so painful last night that I could feel it in my teeth! Since I feel a little better today, I'm going to wait it out for another day or two. Sometimes they go away with a little rest and extra vitamin C. If not, I will head out to see the "Doc in a box" since I know I won't be able to get an appointment at my real doctor's office on such short notice.

With all that pressure, I've given up on stitching for the last few days. So, unless I have a marathon session this weekend, it looks like "Bayside Bungalow" will just have to have a July finish instead of a June finish. Sew goes the needle! (Ha, ha!)

What's worse right now is that things are real slow at work. So slow in fact, that I have been cruising the Internet looking at all things stitchy. In the 12 years that I have been working here, I have never had this problem. Yet, I shouldn't complain.....there are others that have no job at all! I'm just hoping that my clients will respond to all my phone calls and hurry up with sending in their information. I can see it now.....one second with nothing to do and then the next second I will end up overwhelmed and begging for help! It always seems to work that way.

So, have you seen the latest from Little House Needleworks? I just love her newest "Love One Another".

I've already placed my order at the LNS. I wonder how this will look on 40ct. Then again, maybe I'll go bigger and make it into a pillow. Decisions, decisions!

Speaking of decisions, I have to decide what my next start will be. I've been putting off my Mirabilia's lately so maybe I'll have to start Letter "H".....

I have the pattern and the threads. I just need to look through my stash and see if I have any good fabric for this. Otherwise I will just have to bring it with me to the LNS tomorrow night for a floss toss.

Well, I guess I should try to get back to work. If only my boss had something for me to do.............

Finish #19

Here it is, my 19th finish for 2009........

"Trustworthy and True" by Little House Needleworks stitched on 32ct Water Lily. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I stitched this as a model for Crescent Colours.

I had started this on Wichelt's 28ct Star Saphire, but as you can see, the Petticoat Blue blended in too much.


I'm so proud that I'm halfway to the same number of finishes that I had in 2008. The ultimate goal is to always enjoy my stitching, but it is fun to compare what I have done from year to year.

'Bayside Bungalows' is still at the top of my wip list and my goal is to have it finished before the end of the month. Wish me luck!!!!

"Trustworthy and True"

It is amazing to me that the people whom you look up to and trust are the people who end up hurting you the most. I'm not speaking of a blood relation, but of a friend or someone you thought was your friend. I won't go into specifics and I won't really explain. It is just that every time I think about it, I'm so sad and disappointed about the whole episode. The truth just came out about the friendships I thought I had and the 'two faced' falseness of others came out as well. It hurts me even more to find out that the same people are treating my other friends in this same manner. It would be one thing if I did something horrible to cause this to happen, but being caught up in the middle does not constitute causing the issue. I'm trying not to let it 'stew', so I'm just getting it off of my chest for the time being.

In happier news, I'm currently working on a model called "Trustworthy and True" by Little House Needleworks. This is what it should look like when I'm finished (courtesy of www.littlehouseneedleworks.com):

I will be stitching it on the recommended Water Lilly, but I'm using 32ct instead of the recommended 28ct. I'm also changing the dress color and the words. This model is for Crescent Colors, but I will also be stitching this for myself on 35ct 'Ann'tique Hydrangea using one thread.

Speaking of models, here's another one that I finished for Crescent Colors and Country Cottage Needleworks.

It's called "Winter Wonderland". It is a Thread Pack series that will be issued in five separate releases. Now here it is framed:

All the details for this pattern are at www.countrycottageneedleworks.com

In other work in process news, I'm still plugging along on "Bayside Bungalows". I've reached the bottom half of the design. Time has also been spent on "Bo Peep" and she's really coming along! I'm now past the halfway mark on that piece as well. Now, if I can only get one of these finished so that I can start on something else........