Shopping Makes Me Feel Better

Thanks for all the "car condolences".  I really shouldn't feel bad about the little scratches on my car when I know there are others who's vehicle went missing.  (I won't say who for privacy reasons, but this person reads the blog from time to time........I sure do hope they find it intact and it isn't on its way to Mexico after all!)  It is just the inconvenience of it and the incompetency of the insurance company. 

Perfect example....they are supposed to come out to look at my car.  First of all, let me just say that I had to fight for that.  They wanted me to take time off from work and take it "their" shop for an estimate.  Needless to say, I nipped that right in the bud and I will be taking it back to the place I purchased it from.  Anyway, they were supposed to call me on my cell phone yesterday.  I waited patiently all day.  No call!  But, when I got home, I found a message that the adjuster left at 9am that morning.  Um.......hellooooooooo!!!!  Didn't I tell you that I worked?  Didn't I ask you to call me on my cell phone?  I called the adjuster back twice (once last night and once this morning) and didn't hear back.  I ended up calling the insurance company instead and they got in touch with the adjuster.  He's supposed to look at the car this afternoon.  With his track record of returning calls, I'm wondering if he will show up!

Anyway............

I left work a little early yesterday afternoon as I had planned and I made a stop at my favorite LQS.  There are a few in the area, but this one carries the Blackbird line.......and you know how I love BBD!  I ended up with a bunch of FQ's that are all Blackbird.

I also picked up something a little patriotic since I was in the mood.

I needed some fabric for a particular finish, and I was torn between these three.  I think I'm going to let Hubby make the final call on which fabric to use.

And, just because I liked these two, I picked them up as well. Come to think of it, the one on the right might be a BBD.  No wonder I liked it!

Amazingly enough, I also got in a little bit of stitching time last night.  Since I didn't have the urge to start anything new (yes, I'm feeling fine), I picked up my SoHRH and started Block 5.  Does that count as a new start?

That does it for lunchtime today!  Hopefully that adjuster will show up soon! *grumble, grumble*

Happy Stitching!

Surprises, Finds and Finishes

Happy Monday!  I hope that you had a wonderful weekend!  I don't know about your weekend, but mine was full of all kinds of surprises. To boot, our weekend was hot, hot, HOT with temperatures up to 100 degrees and heat indexes of 105 and up.  The temperatures make me think of my Arizona friends.  (HI Karen! HI Sharon!  Miss you guys!!!!!)  It is hot again today, but we should have a cool down to the upper 80's later in the week......

During the week I gathered information on local estate sales and I had a list full of sales to visit on Saturday morning.  The first house was way in the back of a picturesque neighborhood. The master bedroom had a fabulous view of a local inlet.  What a picture to wake up to in the morning!  There were lots of great antique pieces that I couldn't afford.  But, I did find a small glass flower frog and bowl set for $2.00.  The frog has a small chip in it, but I can live with that.  Since the frog sits in the bottom of the bowl I think I'm going to try and raise it with some Styrofoam and then I will hide the Styrofoam with shells or marbles or something of the like.  That way my scissor tips will be protected and I will have a nice dish too.

I went to the second sale only to find that it was really a garage sale and the people were asking outrageous prices for junk!  So, I left that one in a hurry and moved on to number three.  The third one had some really great stuff, but nothing that screamed "Buy Me!".  But, as I was leaving the sale I did get a lovely surprise...............(can you read the sarcasm?????)

She might have been a sweet little old lady, but she still sideswiped my car while it was legally parked on the street.  All I could do was stand there and watch her do it!  What a nightmare!  I seriously wonder if she should be driving!  I know the street had cars on both sides and I know that it was a tight squeeze, but there were Suburbans driving by with no problem and all she had was a 2001 Dodge Stratus.  It's not like she was driving a "boat".  At least her insurance company is going to cover the damages.........that is, if I ever get a call from the adjuster!

After the drama, I did manage to go to two more out of three estate sales.  I didn't find anything that was either worthwhile or affordable or both.  Why is it that some people think the words "estate sale" mean "price things really high"?  There were some great old frames at one of the sales, but I wasn't about to pay $80 for one frame when it was approximately 5x7.  Sheesh!

Anyway, Saturday evening I got to spend time stitching with my BFF.  I love being able to spend time with her on the weekends.  We talk, laugh and eat.  Sometimes we even stitch!  Like this past Saturday, I think that we spent more time in silence because we were both concentrating so hard on what we were stitching.  Actually, we were both working on the same project.  It's called Desert Sunset by Fireside Originals.  It is the piece that I'm going to surprise Hubby with, so I had to really concentrate while I had the chance.  I got a fair amount done on it, but I still have a long way to go.  With the exception of the light fabric peaking through on the cactus, I'm very pleased with my progress.  The light fabric is quite noticeable in the picture, but not so much when you are standing back a little.  I'm just going to say that the light parts are the prickly spines of the cactus!

Sunday we went to a cookout at a friend of Hubby's.  There was so much good food and we made some new friends.  We even played a game of Horseshoes (my first ever) and we fought hard to win.  But, the other team got a ringer in the end and that won it for them.  Let me tell you, even though it seems easy, horseshoes is hard!  And, boy do they hurt when you get hit with them.  I've got a small knot on my shin where I got hit.  OUCH!

Whew.....what a weekend!  Well, I guess I will leave you with one last picture.  I did get a little start and finish on Sunday.  I worked on SamSarah's Heart Tin.  It was a real quick stitch.  Now I will just have to really "finish" it sometime this week.  I've got a boatload of "finishing" now that I have also finished the stitching for my Blackbird Designs Exchange.  Guess I will have to call it an early day at work and stop by the quilt store on the way home.  Fabric, here I come!!!!

Happy Stitching!

Sorry....

....no pictures today!  Unfortunately, this may be the case for the next couple of weeks.  All I did this weekend was some finishing on my giveaway piece and some model stitching for Crescent Colours.  I'm going to take some pictures of the giveaway suprise when I get home tonight, but I won't be posting those unitl I hear that the package has reached its new home.  It's only fair.  It is a suprise after all!

I plan on devoting all my stitching time to the model this week so I'm aiming for a quick finish.  I'm already one third of the way there!

Happy Stitching!

And the Winner Is......

........Jennifer of Feathers in the Nest!  Jennifer, please send me your information so that I can send you the surprise!

Now, here's a little fun story about what I am stitching for the giveaway. (Yes, I did manage to stitch something!) 

On Saturday I spent the day with my BFF.  As always, it was a fun and productive stitchy day.  By the end of the night I had finished all but the initial on the giveaway piece.  We were both admiring it and she told me that I better be good and put the winner's initial on it instead of my own.  So, jokingly I told her that there was person named Jennifer who had entered in the contest.  I said "Wouldn't it be funny the random generator picked her number?  That way if I screwed up my finishing or if I thought it wasn't good enough I could just keep it for myself!"  Well, wouldn't you know it............I swear it was random!!!  I even showed it to my BFF to prove the craziness! 

Anyway, many congratulations to Jennifer.  I hope you like your surprise!

And, just so that you have a picture today, here is what I was able to stitch on Sunday afternoon.  Box 2 is really coming along and I hope to have it finished soon.  I know it doesn't look like I have gone too much further than the last picture, but let me just say that adding the second green to the seaweed took more time than I thought it would.

I hope you all have a great week!  Happy Stitching!

Happy Hump Day!

I can’t believe that it is already Wednesday. Just yesterday I was enjoying my weekend of fun and pampering. But now I’m back in the grind at work. At least it is not as stressed and everyone seems so much happier after a nice long weekend. As a bonus, we are already halfway through the current week and the weekend is that much closer!

I have filled the beginning of my week with a little bit of everything that I have been neglecting these last three and a half months. I’m almost finished with all of my laundry………for the moment anyway. I put the last load of clothes in the dryer before work this morning and the washer is waiting patiently for the dirty sheets that are on my bed. That will be first on the after work “to do” list. I’ve also been spending anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half each evening in my bedroom cleaning everything out. When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING! After all, it is time for my annual Spring Cleaning Bash! I already have a bag full of clothes, shoes and costume jewelry all set to be taken to Goodwill. Funny enough, there is still more that I can go through and I’m sure to have a great tax deduction again this year due to my accumulating junk. (I have to say that watching Hoarders on A&E is great motivation for cleaning!)

Fellow stitchers never fear……… I have also been sure to spend time with my current wip. As you know I’m trying to finish up my LHN’s Months of the Year models since they have to be ready for the Columbus show. It is so nice to have the time to sit down in the evenings a stitch a bit. I still don’t have as much time as I used to since I’m still catching up on necessary evils, but I try to get a few needles in each night. I think I’m doing pretty well since I’m still so busy. June is looking fabulous and I think after a few needles tonight I will be over halfway there. I have to say, I really love the Wavy Navy on this fabric. It is fast becoming one of my favorite cotton colors.

In all of this work, I am also taking some time for myself in the evenings. Before I go to bed I spend time with some books and my journal. Even if it is only for a few minutes, this time really makes the difference and it really helps me to end the day on a good note. Of course, if I really get on a roll in my journal and I don’t make it to sleep on time it makes it hard to get up the next morning.

Before I go, I have a little request. My BFF is having a very hard time right now with some health issues. I know many of you believe in the power of prayer (as I do). It would mean so much to me if you would put her in your prayers today.

Happy Stitching!

Let’s Celebrate Tax Day and a 100th Post Milestone!

Today is Tax Day and boy am I happy about it!!! That means that my work stress meter will go back to normal after today. For those of you out there that still haven’t filed yet, don’t forget that you can still get an extension of time to file (but not time to pay). The USPS will only be open until 5pm today, so if you want proof that you mailed everything by its deadline, then you will want to get there early. As for me, I’m in the clear for my federal return. I e-filed and I got my measly little (and boy, do I mean little) refund last month. Now I just have to get my state return sent off with that nasty little check before May 1st. I’ve decided to wait another week to send it in so that I can hang onto my money for a few extra days. LOL! (picture borrowed from: http://www.asgoodassold.com/2007/07/19/death-and-taxes/ )

I don’t know about any of my other fellow tax practitioners, but I’m going to celebrate today by taking a nice long three day weekend. Even though I will be spending my time at home, I do have plans to pamper myself with some time at the spa. There will be some time for a true “date night” with hubby so that we can get reacquainted with each other and I will finally be able to get together with friends/family that I haven’t seen in some time. I also plan on getting a good case of “numb butt” this weekend. One thing I refuse to do this weekend is clean house! It has waited this long and another few days won’t make a difference. I’ll deal with that mess next week.

Speaking of “numb butt”, I was able to get some good selfish stitch time on Easter Sunday and I finished My Lady’s Quaker by Jardin Prive. I think she turned out nice. (Yes, I know, I left off the alphabet.  But my piece of fabric wasn't big enough so I compromised.) I found a 60% off framing coupon in my e-mail for Michael’s and I think I’m going to use it to purchase a frame for her. I’ve decided that I’m going to follow Vonna’s tutorial and I’m going to make her my first self-framed project. Wish me luck!

After my Easter finish, I started on some neglected model stitching. (At least the models didn’t have to be finished until after tax season was over.) This past week I’ve been able to finish March and April in the Little House Needleworks/Crescent Colours “Months of the Year” Thread Pack series. I’m currently working on May and June. I hope to have those done this weekend so that I can move onto other projects.

In other news………

Can you believe this is my 100th post? It has been an amazing ride so far and I hope to keep the train moving forward this year. No reverse gear for me, because I’ve had enough of the past and all the grief that the past brings. I’m only looking forward from now on. My new mantras are “One Day at a Time” and “Keep It Simple”.

In keeping it simple, I’m not going to fret over the fact that I have nothing stitched to give away in honor of my 100th post. I’m also not going to worry that I haven’t even gotten everything together for my giveaway. I really wanted to stitch something, but due to circumstances beyond my control (that have nothing to do with the normal stresses of tax season) I haven’t been able to do anything other than model stitching since Easter Sunday and that is even if I’ve been able to stitch at all. So, here’s what I’ve decided to do instead……..I’m going to make my giveaway a SURPRISE! You will have no idea what kind of stitchy stuff to expect. How fun is that?

Only two rules……

#1 ~ You MUST be a follower of this blog in order to win

#2 ~ You will need to comment on this post only

Each comment will have an equal chance of winning (only one comment per person, please). It is not necessary to post this giveaway on your blog or tell others, but the idea behind this blog was to share all of my serial starts. So, if you would be so kind, I would love it if you spread the word! I will keep my giveaway open until April 30th. The winner will be drawn the first week of May. Pretty simple, right?

Good luck to you all!

Happy Stitching!

Slow Going

I did get a chance to cuddle on the couch with my stitching last night.  I spent a fair amount of time with My Lady's Quaker, but right now that "fair amount" is just not enough for me.  Here she stands in all her neglected glory!  I really wish I could spend more time with her this weekend, but I know how busy I will be with the end of tax season and life in general.  After everything I have to do this weekend, I won't know if I am coming or going by Sunday evening.  I might even be happy to show up at work on Monday morning because it will be less stressful.........IMAGINE THAT!

Sorry to be so short, but I must head off to work.  Here's to hoping I get to add a few more flowers to this motif sometime today........

Happy Stitching!

My Lady's Update

Ahh, yes.......My Lady's Quaker.......I do so love this piece!  (Thank you for the enhancement experience Faye!)  Alas, I really haven't been able to put much in this since last week.  Look at her, this is were she stands as of today........she's been neglected!  The neglect is really weighing on my fingers and my mind. 

I know it shouldn't bother me, after all it is my busy season.  But, I'm still in so much turmoil on the homefront as well right now and I'm trying desperately to get my sanity serenity back.  This is only one of the ways that I know how to get it back and I haven't been able to work it like I want to.  Yes, "patience is a virtue" and I need to take things "one day at a time", but it is hard.  Even at this age I'm learning new things about myself every day.  Some I like and some I don't, but I am in a place where I am getting stronger day by day.  I have lots of help from many sources and I can see the growth already.  (Some of those sources get a $30 co-pay out of me every week for the last few weeks so I better be seeing growth. LOL!)  I'm more careful in what I say and in how I act.  I am taking responsiblity for me and not responsibility for others as I would normally do.  It is amazing how freeing it is to bite your tongue and not get taken advantage of!

Now, if only tax season were over with and April 16th was here.  I've planned some wonderful "me" time after the 15th.  I'm going to a Day Spa!!!  My treatment will consist of a facial, a full body massage, a manicure and a pedicure.  I've never done anything quite like this for myself and I'm really looking forward to it.  Now, don't get me wrong, I've had your typical mani & pedi in your "run of the mill, on every corner" nail salon and I've even had a facial once in my life.  Oh yeah, and those 15 minuite chair massages......I had one of those last Thursday at work.....how R..E..L..A..X..I..N..G! (Thanks Bossman!)  But, I've never gone to a spa like this.  One of my co-workers convinced me to go after telling me all about it.  This is all I dream about each day as I sit in front of my work computer slaving away over tax returns while listening to people complain about how much tax they owe.  What do you expect when your W-2 has 6 or even 7 digits before the decimal????

Well ladies and gentlemen (I'm sure that there is at least one of you boys out there!), it looks like this is it for today.  I'm going to go curl up on the couch with my stitching now!

Happy Stitching!

Quick Post, Quick Picture

I'm going to make an attempt to post as much as possible even though it is now tax season. Of course, pictures may be a different story since I won't have much "stitchy time" at night......especially if I end up with another model for Nashville (which I'm really hoping for)!


Last night I came home to a new door handle on the sliding glass door and a spaghetti dinner. Woo-Hoo! You don't know how long I've been begging Hubby to fix the door.......I figured that since I went out and bought the supplies that he would be more than happy to fix it. After all, he uses that door much more than I do. He's the one who had to open it with half a handle! I guess being jobless is starting to get to him and he is slowly finding things to do around the house that make him feel useful again.


I also worked on Block 3 of SoHRH by Carriage House Samplings last night. Sorry for the bad snap, but what do you expect for 7am and no light?

Well, that's all for now folks. I've got to get to work.

Happy Stitching!

Oh Monday....

.....why do you torture me so? To make matters worse, this Monday is a holiday, but it is not one for me. Tax season has begun and so I must work those extra hours. (I complain now, but I can assure you that I won't be complaining come summer!) Not only that, but now you are going to cut into my sacred stitching time. UGH! I hate this time of year!

Now that my obligation (model) stitching is done (for the moment), I'm moving on to a few things in my big wip pile. I pulled out Bo Peep for a short session on Friday night and Saturday. I'm much further on her and the end is definitely in sight now. On Sunday I spent the day the day with the Shores of Hawk Run Hollow. I have jumped around on the blocks, but I'm currently working on Block 3. I've decided that this may be my project of the decade since it is taking me FOREVER to work on it. Sorry, no pictures right now of either wip.......I just wasn't up to it this morning at the crack of dawn!

I want to thank my BFF and her husband for a wonderful weekend! We tried to go on a double date to the movies and dinner on Friday night. Well, tried is the operative word. When we got to the theaters we found out that they had a fire and wouldn't be open. Since BFF's husband had purchased tickets earlier in the day (there was no fire then!), my Hubby and I took them out to dinner at their favorite Mexican restaurant. Over dinner we vowed to meet again the next night for the movie. On Saturday the theater was still closed, but we were able to take the tickets to another theater in a different city. We went to see The Lovely Bones. (It was okay.....I liked the book better, but then again I usually do like the book better than the movie.) The best part of the whole weekend was spending time with friends. It didn't matter that we had to deal with the fire at the theaters and traipsing all over town.......a good time was had by all. I can't wait to do it again.

Well, lunch is over and I must get back to work since I'm busier than a one armed paper hanger!

Happy Stitching!

P.S. I found the Sizing at the grocery store yesterday! I grabbed a can and now I'm ready for the next time I have to tackle that 30ct fabric!!!!

Chilly Night

It's going to be a cold one here tonight. Looks like we will be in the low 20's with an even colder wind chill. While I wish that I could say we were warm and toasty inside our home, I can't. You see, it turns out that our heat went out sometime last night or yesterday afternoon. Hubby and I grabbed the small space heater that I keep at work and then we headed out to Lowe's and we purchased another (larger) heater. The two heaters have kept us moderately warm all day considering how cold it is outside. I've got a call into our HVAC guy and hopefully we will get a quick and somewhat inexpensive fix tomorrow.

Please pray that this will be easy on us since Hubby hasn't found a job yet. I can't really get after him about the job thing though. Officially he has only been unemployed since Friday. It's not like he could do much over the holidays anyway. Hopefully tomorrow will be better for him since he will be hitting the streets to look for another job or even something to tide us over until something better comes along.

I'm really trying to keep my hands warm with my smoking needles. I've been rather busy on the stitching front. I am almost done with some model stitching. ( I wish I could share it with you, but you will just have to stay tuned. I won't be able to post any pictures until it has been released.) As soon as I finish this model I'm going to start LHN's January and February monthlies. Even though these are models I can still share my progress. Those two look to be quick stitches.

I'm going to try to get a few more stitches in while the space heater does its job in the bedroom.

Happy Stitching!

Dry yet?

Little by little, bit by bit, we are drying out from the terrible Nor'easter that hit at the end of last week. Roads were flooded and power was out in many places. Some businesses were damaged or flooded out and we also lost a local landmark. Hopefully they will rebuild.......


I even know of a family that ended up with a small fire after the electricity came back up after being off for a day or two. (Did you know that you should turn off your main breaker in the house so that this won't happen to you??? I didn't either!) Thank goodness no one was hurt and the damage was relatively minor compared to losing a home.


On a personal front, my home fared well during the storm. Our power flickered and threatened to turn off, but it never did. Thank goodness we are on the same grid as the hospital. Our power hardly ever goes out!


You would think that this would have been perfect stitching weather, but alas, I actually have been feeling a little "under the weather". I swear that the change in the barometric pressure is the reason for this sinus infection and my lack of stitching mojo. But, I've still been sitting in my "happy place" anyway and I'm trying hard to get my mojo back.


Over the weekend I was able to finish "Hanukkah Bits" for my mother. Now I just need to get it framed and back in my hands before December 12th..........

I've also been working on "Bo Peep" a little bit at a time. Here are a few progress pictures (taken on 11/16 and then again on 11/18). My ultimate goal is to have her finished by the end of the year, but with my mojo like it is, I won't make any promises......

Hope all is well in your home......Happy Stitching!

Manic Monday

I went from having absolutely nothing to do at work to having a desk full of bonus calculations and tax returns. When it rains, it pours! Speaking of rain, I wish we would break out of this afternoon thunderstorm patten. It starts turning dark around 4pm and makes traffic messier than normal. Oh well! What are you going to do but respect Mother Nature? (ETA: Wouldn't you know it? I write about rain and the sun is shining like there isn't a cloud in the sky.......HUMPH!!)

I've been real busy on the home front too. My needles have been smoking this past week and over the weekend. I finished LHN's "Winter Sampler" on Friday night. Only three short evenings to stitch that baby up......


I also started LHN's Rose Sampler on Saturday and I've been flying my way through that pattern as well. I would really like to finish it up tonight, but bills and other promised needlework have to come first. Maybe I'll try to sneak a few stitches on it in the morning while I do laundry so that hubby has a clean uniform. I'm stitching this one on 32ct Caramel Swirl Opalescent by Silkweaver and when I finish it will go on the Limited Edition Rose Thread Pouch by Impie, Hattie & Bea. Now maybe you understand why I'm so anxious to get it done!

Looking at this picture, I think I'm going to change my initials to the darker rose color (I haven't used it yet) so that they stand out more. This project is very special to me since it reminds me of my Grandmother. Her name was Rose.......

I've also joined a LHN exchange. So, in my spare time I'm going to have to come up with something and stitch that too. I didn't realize that my stitching was going to get so hectic when I originally signed up. At least I have an idea in my head and it's not due until October 1st!

Speaking of Dianne Williams, did you see that she has been featured in "The Gift of Stitching"?


I just love this pattern and I've already got it printed out. I would love to be able to pull all those luscious Crescent Colours tonight and go stash diving for some fabric. Alas, duties call........

I've got tons of stitching waiting in the wings, so I better set my needles back to smoking!

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!

Devil in Disguise

Meet Louie.

Cute, right? He's a two year old, seven pound Yorkie that we were considering for adoption. One of hubby's co-workers is trying to find him a new home. She adopted him when she got her own apartment at college. Now she's back home and her parents don't want him in their house. Right now Louie is living with her boyfriend and spends most of the time in a kennel. She still lives at home and won't live with her boyfriend, so Louie has been a little neglected. That's where we stepped in. If (and that was a big fat IF) Louie got along with our dog then we would take him in.

So, on Tuesday evening Louie met our dog. Our dog is an eight year old neutered male. For those of you who don't recognize the breed, he is a Toy Fox Terrier (TFT). He's a little tall for the breed and he's twice the weight of a normal TFT (he's 15 pounds and he should be about 7 pounds). But, we love him just the same and we wouldn't want him any other way.


Being an informed puppy parent, I had us meet in neutral territory. Needless to say, everything went well for the first meeting. But then, I brought Louie home. He was a spaz! He wouldn't stop licking my dog's private area and when he couldn't reach that, Louie would lick my dog's ears or snout. My dog, being polite, wouldn't fully bite Louie, but he does keep growling and tries to put Louie in his place.

I tried disciplining Louie using the "Dog Whisperer" method and that didn't work. (Thanks Ceasar, I really could have used you right then!) So, yet again I tried to be pack leader and I put Louie on his back so that he had to show me his belly. (This is a method taught by the Monks of New Skete.) Boy was I in for a surprise. When I rolled him over I found the cause of his hyper activity. Louie was not fixed!!!! UGH!!! That killed the adoption for me right there. There is enough testosterone in our house with hubby and the dog. I don't need anymore! In fact, here is Louie preparing for "the attack".


Tuesday night turned into a nightmare with Louie! I think he may be the devil! "But he's so cute" you say. "How can you not love that face?" you say. After him lifting his leg twice in the house and terrorizing my puppy, I'm lacking the desire. I even made hubby take him outside to the "Man Cave" for awhile.

Yesterday Louie spent time with hubby and drove him crazy. Again he wouldn't leave our dog alone. Louie even got out of the fence (hubby's fault) and hubby had to go chase him down. So, by the afternoon, hubby was well over it. His retaliation? It came in the form of my father-in-law's Miniature English Bulldog. Winston is 60 pounds of pure meat and muscle. (You only see is backside here, but it was the only picture I could find on short notice.)

Needless to say, but Winston put Louie in his place! Don't worry, no one was hurt during all this, but it sure did feel good to give Louie a taste of his own medicine!

So, tonight is the last night that Louie will be spending with us. His mom will be back and we are going to be more than happy to send him home. I have to say, I am a little disappointed. I would have liked to have another cute puppy in the house. Of course, that will take more time away from my stitching and we can't have that, can we? Seriously!

I was just able to have a new start this week since my finish last week, but as you can see, I really haven't gotten very far and its all Louie's fault.


It wasn't the project I had intended to start (another Mirabilia start bites the dust). That is a long story and I've done enough for now. But, I really needed to start this one since it is going to be a baby shower gift. (I'm replacing "Princess Parade" with the baby's name.)

So.....until next time.......Happy Stitching!

Holiday Finish

This beautiful finish is brought to you by my best friend Sheryl. She was able to finish it before the holiday. I even got to help pick out the frame. Hopefully it will be back from the framer next week.

It is from the Red, White & Blue Leaflet by The Cross-Eyed Cricket. I don't know all of the specifics, but I have to say that this is a fabulous piece. Congrats Sheryl! You really worked that one up fast and in style!

And in the spirit of the holiday, I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th filled with fun and fireworks!

As for myself, I've been very busy over the weekend. I spent a wonderful Friday at some Outlet Stores in the area. It's normally about a 45 minute ride, but due to the holiday and local amusement park traffic, our ride took about 20 minutes longer than we expected. It didn't dampen our spirits in the least! I was a good girl and bought hubby a new pair of Oakley's so that I couldn't feel guilty about spending more money in the Coach store. We all know I really didn't need that purse! Of course, it just called out to me.....it was destiny. I can't help it if the lining of the purse was my favorite color! (It's purple, of course!) It just jumped into my hands and forced me into the checkout line. Can you sympathize with me? We all know how those purchases go!

Saturday was spent at one of our local festivals. I'll have to make a separate entry about that later since I took a few pictures while I was there. Hubby & I were going to stay for the fireworks, but they let him off early (he was working there). We were both so tired by 6pm that we decided it wasn't worth it. I ended up watching fireworks from NY and Boston on TV instead.

Sunday was spent at the LNS. On the first Sunday of every month we have a get together where you can either stitch on a Loose Feathers Design (Blackbird), any Shepherd's Bush Design or an ornament. This month I chose to keep working on my current Loose Feathers "It's Berry Time".

This is where I was on Thursday evening before I started talking and stitching at the LNS for our weekly get together. (Sorry, the lighting wasn't too good!)


And now, here's my wip as of Sunday night:


It's all those eyelets and the few lazy daises that are taking so long!


And because I was asked, here's a current picture of HAED's "Bo Peep". As you can see, I'm at least halfway there. Now, if I could only finish my Loose Feathers, I can get back to this until the symbols make my eyes cross.


Happy Stitching!

GO KEMPSVILLE!!!!

.....um......I mean "yea, Bayside". (If you don't understand, read this post.)

So, here is the finished "Bayside Bungalows" (by Country Cottage Needleworks) in all its glory:

I'm sure I mentioned this before, but I stitched it on 28ct Virginia Beach Blend by R&R Reproductions. This isn't the greatest picture and I didn't have the greatest light. So....I promise to get a better picture once I've had it framed. I should be receiving the frame from "The Family Tree" (a division of Crescent Colours), so I'll repost then.

Speaking of Crescent Colours, have you seen the use of "Wild Berries" in the latest Loose Feathers from Blackbird Designs? Number 37 is called "It's Berry Time".

Of course, I had to start it right away........well, almost right away! I did manage to finish "Bayside Bungalows" before making this start. (So much for starting Mirabilia's Letter H!) I'm stitching it on 40ct Iced Capp by R&R Reproductions.

Again, the picture is not the greatest and it doesn't do the thread or fabric any justice, but I thought I'd show it anyway. I guess I'll just have to start bringing out my good camera instead of the point & shoot. It sure does make a difference when you are trying to show the details.

In other news, the weekend was fabulous! I was delighted to find hubby waiting for me when I arrived home from work on Friday. He was supposed to work a double shift, but they were slow, so he volunteered to go home. His coming home early meant a nice dinner at our favorite sushi restaurant. Saturday morning was spent at the bike shop while the afternoon turned into a nap for me. (I'm still trying to get over this sinus stuff!) Sunday was nice and relaxing as well. We were even able to clean up the back yard (if you can call our little fenced in area a yard) and set up the new patio chairs. Finally I can feel comfortable about sitting outside! I don't know that I will take my stitching out there, I'm just too anal about keeping everything "just so". But, I can definitely take a book out there for a nice reading session. Now, if only the summer weather will cooperate and keep the humidity to a low level......HA!!

Out on a "school night"

Ok, I know it is summer break......and I haven't been to school for many years, but I went out with Hubby last night and I felt like a school girl breaking all the rules!

My evening started out nice and calm. I've been having sinus trouble the last few days and I finally got tired of it. I gave in and found (real) Sudafed in the medicine cabinet and took some around 8pm. Sudafed tends to "wind me up", so I was finally able to put a few good hours into "Bayside Bungalows" last night while watching "Taken" on DVD.




All of a sudden at 10:30pm Hubby comes in and says "Oh, I forgot....can you take me up to the Mexican restaurant by Sam's Club? One of my co-workers is performing there tonight. I know you don't feel good so you can just drop me off and I'll get a ride home." Well, I know my husband and I wasn't about to let him free in a bar with money in his pocket! So, next thing I know, I'm changing out of my comfy pj's and into street clothes. I became DD and we didn't get home until 1am!

I'm sure paying for last night. There was no drinking on my part (other than a virgin soda), but between staying out late and the Sudafed keeping me up, I only had about two hours of sleep. The best hours came between 4am and the alarm clock going off at 6. Oh....what a night! I hope this doesn't become a habit! I'm just getting too old for this!

"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........