Volunteering

No new pictures of stitching, though I am working on Spring Has Come and my next ornament. There's no doubt about it...I AM A SLOW STITCHER!

I just was thinking about what a good week we are having at work (major retailer where you can expect great things). We have volunteer opportunities throughout the year, but for some reason have several in the space of 1 week and some larger events happening soon. If we have 5 volunteers work for 3 hours each, the retailer will donate $500 to the cause, provided they are approved by the corporate office.

Our events this week and in the near future:

• MDA lockup
• local elementary school after school nutrition program
• Helping our local parks department with their Easter egg hunt (we painted an outdoor kiddie city for them last year
  
• Relay for Life team
• Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk
• Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides walk

We are able to wear jeans to work by donating $3 each time and our money goes towards the cancer events. Everyone wants to wear jeans and it is such an easy way to donate money. It kind of unites us as a team to know we are helping others.

Thanks for visiting and have a fine day!

2 posts in 1 night!

Since I am in a posting mood, I decided to upload pics of 2 ornaments that I actually sewed up into something that I can display. I never have been good about the finishing part, so I must say that I am proud!

Yule Rejoice by Primrose Needleworks

2008 JCS ornament issue
32 ct. platinum Belfast linen
Gentle Arts and DMC
background fabric used for reverse side of ornament

Woodland Snowfall, Little House Needleworks

2004 JCS ornament issue
30 count unknown linen and DMC
background fabric used for reverse side of ornament

I'm making slow progress on PS Spring Has Come. Won't bore you with details on that but I will say that I'm enjoying it very much.

Good night all!

Pride goeth before a fall...

I've been alternately boasting about not getting sick this year but also wondering what is wrong with me that I haven't gotten sick or wondering when it will hit me. Well, it hit me today, but I am not really that sick. Just a scratchy throat and feeling a little stiff and fatigued. Of course, the feeling fatigued part could be because I have had to take on all of my husband's chores since he is still on crutches and will be for the next few weeks.

He's doing great though. I can give info to anyone that is interested in this type of hip replacement surgery if you are curious. It's relatively new in the US and is a good option for "younger" people (under the age of 60) who are active.

I was so happy to receive the special friends award from Lee at Lake Stitcher. We have found that we sometimes seem to be doing the same things at the same time. Our kids are about the same age so I think we may be having some similar challenges. Lee, thanks so much! You crack me up and I love your stitching!

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these kind writers. When you pass the award along please include these guidelines."

Here are a few blogs that are new and not so new. I have so much fun sitting with a good cup of joe and reading through everyone's blogs, sometimes commenting and sometimes not, though I may be thinking wonderful things. I think I am going to make it a habit to comment more often, even if it is just to say hi.

Merry Stitching - Merry just started her blog and has 3 beautiful children

Stitch 'N Time - I think Teri has been blogging for awhile but has been through some rough times lately

Joanie's World - Joanie just started the Blackbird Designs exchange that I so tempted to join.

Spinster Stitcher - Coni alternately has me laughing out loud or has me teary eyed. Always a joy to read and she really should write a book or a column.

Oh my, there are so many people that I have met vicariously through blogging. Impossible to name everyone that has had an influence on me over the past 9 months since I discovered the blogs! Love you all!

I'm pretty shy in real life and not very gregarious, though I do love a good party once in awhile. I find that I am shy in the blogging world also, sometimes feeling that I'm not worthy enough. Isn't that ridiculous???

Thanks for stopping by!

A little of this and that

Wow...haven't gotten much stitching done this week.

I have to give my husband lots of credit. He really does a lot of stuff around the house and now I am doing most of it! Not that's it so much work, but just a pain in the you know what. Hope he can be doing yard work in a month or so. We still have leaves on the lawn that didn't get raked up last fall! I'll have to describe his yard work methodology later. It's quite different from the norm.

DH is doing great. Off the pain killers except at night and against my wishes, went to work today. He works in a corn genetics lab but I think he'll be in his office and not at the bench today.

Today I am going to sew up this ornament, but first I need to find some twine for the hanger. I think this one calls for a rustic finish.

And last night I decided to start this so I pulled the floss and I'm trying to decide which linen to use.

I have all 4 charts now for this series. Hope I can get them all done this year! I really do love Prairie Schooler.

The stitches are on the hip and not on my linen!

I managed to get only a little stitching done while my husband was in surgery last Friday. I am really way behind! Didn't get my February ornament done for the 2009 Christmas Challenge, but I'm just a few stitches shy of finishing and then I'll do a simple finish.

Speaking of surgery, DH did just great! After only being in the hospital for a total of 3 days, he is now back home, on crutches (and lots of pain meds) and getting around pretty well. It will really be different having him home all the time...I'm sure you all can relate! He had a nice room with a view of Lake Erie, which was still full of ice, especially after this last cold snap.

I've been a little tired because of the stress, not only because of the surgery, but because my son in college far away from us, has been dealing with a lot of problems. I worry about him so much. I can see now that being a parent will never get easier! It isn't easy being 20 and trying to decide what you want out of life. I still haven't figured it out yet myself...

but I know that I want to start and complete all my new projects! Got my order in from Wasatch Needle Craft the other day. A good bargain on charts at 25% off! No more charts for me for awhile. I don't like having too many things lined up to do. It will make me feel overwhelmed. One thing at a time is my motto.

New stash:

• Prairie Schooler - Spring Has Come
• Prairie Schooler - Winter Wind
• Birds of a Feather - Bitter Flower Sampler
• La-D-Da - Leaping Cat
• Birds of a Feather - No Bees No Honey
• Carriage House Samplings - Flirt of a Feather

A happy stitchy day to all you wonderful stitching blogging companions!

Here we go!

I just got a call from the hospital that we need to be there at 8:30am, which means leaving the house no later that 6:45, which means getting up at 5:30 or so. Yuck! No matter that I was up at 4:45am today to go to work, getting up early never gets easier! You'd think it was me having the surgery. At least it means I might be able to get home before dark because they are calling for a big drop in temps and a little snow.

Odds and Ends, literally

I think it's getting to be time to change out my blog...there is no snow left to be seen in our burg! Not that I think spring is here yet - there is bound to be more snow and cold - but the body and mind start to long for something different and fresh.

I'm feeling anxious about DH's surgery tomorrow. Can't imagine how he's feeling. I start thinking about living wills and malpractice and all kinds of unreasonable but not really unreasonable things. Neither of us have living wills or funeral plans...after all, we are only in our mid-50's. But it is never too early to think about these things. I'm sure they will ask about a living will tomorrow, so I think we will have a conversation tonight and maybe fill out some forms.

DH was lucky enough to get away for a few days to be at his mom's 90th birthday. It was a last minute thing, so DD and I couldn't go with him. I'm so glad he was able to be there at the old homestead in NH. He also got to ski for 3 days which made him extremely happy. I told him he could take a whole week next year and ski his heart out. The new hip should make it so much better for him to enjoy the sports that he loves.

Happy 90th Glennis Jones!

OK, enough family talk!

What I've been working on this week

LHN '04 JCS ornament

And what I purchased this week

My very 1st ever Silkweaver fabrics!

I need to finish up this ornament within the next couple of days for the 2009 Christmas Challenge and the fabrics were an impulse buy from their Odds & Ends page. I just received word from Wasatch Needlecraft that my Hoffman order is on its way. It was too hard to resist 25% off on the charts! It sure wasn't too hard to ditch my plan of buying for 1 project at a time!

Have a happy stitchy day!

A little happy dance for me!

I thought this would be such a quick stitch for me, but I generally way underestimate how quickly this slow stitcher stitches. And there were those days that I was just too tired (or depressed) to sit down with needle in hand.

Cat's Meow - The Drawn Thread
Cream Belfast linen
DMC + pearl cotton for mouse tails & beads for their noses

Hopefully I won't get the blues in the next few weeks because they will be challenging weeks. DH has his hip resurfacing surgery a week from today and it will mean a long drive back and forth to the Cleveland Clinic and of course dealing with so many unknowns. He won't be able to drive for 6 weeks or take a shower or bath for 2. Yuck.... We're just going to deal with it as it comes I guess. I hope he won't be in too much pain or discomfort. I don't think I would make a good nurse but maybe I'll surprise myself. I have only had to deal with the regular childhood illnesses, colds and flu and such.

This is what his new hip will look like

I'm going to be a bad, bad girl and start a new stitch today and neglect the housework. It's just one of those days, besides, it's snowing again and what better excuse do I need? :)

I almost forgot!

Oh yes...I did finish our 2008 taxes and my son's FAFSA. I just need to hit click and send them on! Yea!!! It was a monkey on my back and doing taxes always makes me feel really poor, so I am not always in a good mood doing them. I'm sure you can all relate!

Car wrecks, kitty cats and a cat's meow

Not a heck of a lot of stitching goin' on here! I thought I would be done with Cat's Meow by now, but there were days that I didn't pick up the needle.

Been a bit preoccupied with household "stuff" this past week, one of them being the big wreck below. It's fixed now, but we still don't have the insurance check. DH had a lapse of concentration leaving work and had a little "fender bender" (his exact words to me). It's only a car, I told myself, but I was a little upset.

poor sad car...

I want to finish up Cat's Meow this weekend. This was a chart that I bought on impulse some years ago. It's something I probably wouldn't choose now, but it is cute and of course has cats, which is always good!

Speaking of cats, if you saw the photo of my cat Cheddar watching TV and you want to know what had caught her attention, it's this video.

If you're also wondering why my Maine Coon type cat has the name of Cheddar, it's because I let my son (he was about 14 at the time) choose the name. There is no rhyme or reason for it and the name stuck. We ADORE this kitty!

I'll be playing nursemaid in a couple of weeks since DH decided to go ahead with hip surgery. He originally thought he could put it off until next fall, but his hip has gotten so bad that he took the first surgery date they had. He is having a hip "resurfacing" instead of a hip replacement. This will enable him to hopefully be as active as he has always been. He's too young to give up the cycling, skiing, hockey and hiking. He needs to take up a nice sedentary hobby like needlework so he doesn't wear down those old bones!

I could be working on this...

But I'm working on this.

Why does TaxCut feel it necessary to send out 3 copies of this program to us? What a waste. I decided to try their cheapie program online before I shell out $35 for this. We have never had our taxes done by someone else and at some point, I took over this job from my husband.

Have got to get this done so I can file the financial aid forms (FAFSA) for my son and so we can get our tax refund ASAP to help pay for his tuition.

So...less stitching will be done until I get this filed :(

While I'm working at the computer, Cheddar kitty is watching TV.

My first 2009 finishes

I am always forgetting to update my blog with my stitching photos! I have been posting some on the Let's Stitch blog and then neglecting to add them to mine. Gotta get more organized!

I stitched up this little Shepherd's Bush sheep kit a couple of weeks ago. Not sure how I'll finish it. If anyone knows anything about me, you'll know I tend to "not finish" which is one of the main things I want to overcome this year. I like SB kits, but this one had me disappointed. Not enough of the brown thread (the swirls, the hive door, the bees) and it wasn't very dark anyway. I had to substitute a little. SB sheep have such character...

And, I finished my first ornament of the year for the 2009 Christmas Challenge. I have a couple of days to finish it up into something (help help). I know I don't want to make a pillow ornament, so I think I'll try a pin keep type thing. Wish me luck!

For some reason, I just adore this whimsical skater.

Yule Rejoice, Primrose Needleworks
2008 JCS ornament issue
32 ct. Belfast platinum linen
used GA lancaster red instead of the suggested mulberry and
white DMC for cream

Speaking of skaters, an Ohio skater won the US title the other day in Cleveland. Way to go Alissa Czisny!

I've been tagged!

I was tagged by Golden Angel. I have never been tagged before! I have only been blogging (and reading blogs) since the summer, so this is kind of new to me. All of you stitchers are fabulous and I love your work! I am so inspired and motivated by your blogs.

I am to list 5 of my addictions and then pass this award on to 5 other bloggers.

My addictions, in no particular order:

1. strong coffee!
2. cross stitching
3. a good dark beer (in moderation, of course)
   
4. the internet (can't live without it!)
   
5. last, but not least, my son, daughter and husband and our 2 kitties

I am passing this award this on to these lovely women.

1. Lee
2. Jeanne
3. Lynn
4. Laura
5. mj
   

Me and Barack, a stupid mistake and a stitching update

I was fortunate enough to have my photo taken with Barack Obama on Tuesday. Friends of ours hosted an inauguration party on Tuesday morning, complete with champagne toasts and lots of red, white and blue party stuff. It was a lot of fun sharing this occasion with like minded friends. It was painful listening to the swearing in though. Ouch! How could that happen?

Now...for my stupid mistake. Look what I did to my new R&R overdyed linen. See the nice white splotch? How did I do that? Don't ask, it's too embarrassing. Depending on the light, I sometimes can see the splotch from the other side. Don't know if I want to use this fabric for its intended purpose now. I have to give it some time so I don't feel so bad about what happened.

Because of this, I didn't start my new piece and decided to stitch another ornament. I did several ornaments in December and they aren't "finished" yet, so I decided to stitch my January ornie for the 2009 Christmas Challenge. Maybe I can finish stitching it today.

Chose this one in honor of U. S. Figure Skating Championships, being held this week in Cleveland.
Wish I could make it up there to see some fantastic skating! Watch for TV coverage this weekend on NBC.

The interview game

This game may be harder than I first anticipated. It's not so hard answering questions, it's hard coming up with questions because it's easy to get all heavy and meaningful even if what you want to be is funny.

If you want to be interviewed, comment on this post and I'll get your questions off to you. Rules are below.

I asked Lee of Lake Stitcher to interview me so here are her questions and my answers:

1. When you were growing up, what one meal do you remember as being your favorite?

I remember Sunday dinner as the best meal. These were meals we had early in my childhood, before things got really nuts for my parents. They had 6 kids and I think in time, the Sunday dinner after church just disappeared.

Roast beef, green beans, potatoes and rolls and milk. I don't even remember a dessert! To this day, pot roast remains one of my favorites.

2. Today, what is your IDEAL meal?

Well, the ideal meal is one that I have not prepared of course! I love to go out to eat at a good restaurant, but that doesn't happen too often here in this little town. The meal has to include a good draft beer, maybe pasta or good Mexican food. Once in awhile a steak is great. No dessert please, even though I am sometimes tempted. An ideal meal can also be something simple like a breakfast souffle and coffee from Panera Bread.

3. When you were growing up, what ONE thing did your parents always remind you of, when it came to meal time?

"Think of all the starving children and finish your dinner!"

4. Is there anything you "specialize" in cooking, that people actually ask for?

Hard question...It seems like the few things that I specialize in cooking are not things that people ask for but are things that I want to eat. Vegetarian chili and ratatouille come to mind. I tell you, I am not an enthusiastic cook!

5. Are there any weird "food rules" you have? Feel free to list as many as you like.

Umm...let me see. I don't think these are particularly wierd, but this is what comes to mind.

Lunch meat has to be fresh. I only buy what we can eat in 5 days.

Meat cannot even be a little pink on the inside. I'm the one asking for well done steak at a restaurant.

No raw food for me please, unless it is veggies. And no mollusks!

The Rules:
1. If you want to participate, leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.” (And your e-mail address if I don't already have it, please.)
2. I will respond by e-mailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Thoughts on reading...

I have never been good at keeping lists of books that I have read. I mean to do this every year and it never works out for me. Reading has always been a very important part of my life, but for some reason, not so much in the past few years. Maybe I have gotten lazy, or maybe the computer or tv has taken its place, or maybe the library never has the new stuff...whatever it is, is. So many of the books I have read I have forgotten, remembering bits here and there about a novel maybe, but not remembering the plot, the author, the feeling of the book. This upsets me because books used to be my refuge and escape and I prided myself on reading so much. When I was little, my mother had to make me turn off the light at night to get me to stop reading and even then, I stayed up way too late and was always late in getting up in the morning.

I have become an impatient reader. If something doesn't tug me in and keep me there, I will give up on the book. And if it seems too pop or has too much gratuitous sex or violence or whatever is the popular theme for the day, I will skim through to the end and call it a day. I wonder what is wrong with me if I don't like the current best seller or if the current popular book club selection turns out to be something that doesn't thrill me. It doesn't really matter, it's just that once in awhile, a friend will say how much she liked a book and I will find it hard to respond, because that was a book that I put down.

Well, enough with the pondering. I just thought that I would create a book list in my sidebar that lists all the books that I remember well and that had some kind of effect on me. I'll keep adding to this list as I recall books or as I read new ones that I like. I don't think I'll include books that I don't like.

Happy reading everyone!

Yippee! Stash enhancement updates!

I received my order from Needle In A Haystack today. I was so looking forward to this! It doesn't look like much for all I spent. It adds up very quickly doesn't it? Good thing I pay the bills in this household.

I got 2 pieces of Belfast, Laguna with gold and white metallic threads for ornaments, and a piece of lambswool. Stitching with this Wichelt will be the test as to whether I can stand it or not. So stiff! I do like my fabrics to have a little more body.

Also got a variety of Crescent Colors (which I have never used), WDW and GAST, a couple of Kreinik threads, some beads and Wisper.

I didn't work today, so I holed up at home, enjoying the snowy weather from inside. I managed to get some post Christmas cleaning done, but I am so ADD when it comes to cleaning! I can find a million reasons to take a break. That is why the vacuum cleaner is still sitting in the middle of the room and one bathroom is half cleaned.

When I clean, I tend to get distracted, and start to organize instead of just straightening. I also get bummed out because I know that a room really doesn't just need a cleaning...it needs to be painted and generally "fixed up." I'll leave now with a photo I just took from an upstairs window, looking out over our back yard and into the neighborhood.

Some thoughts on stitching and blogging...

Vonna brought up a lot of questions on her blog today that I want to comment on here. I don't mind if people count their finishes or what they count as finishes if that is what works for them. I'll probably end of counting my finishes at the end of 2009 as well! I haven't stitched for years and I really regret not keeping better track of my projects, since a lot of them aren't in my possession anymore. I want to keep a stitching journal with photographs, mainly so my kids (daughter probably) can have it when I'm gone.

I am in awe of some of the stitching blogs and amazed at the amount of stitching some people do. Ornaments and other smalls may not take long to stitch, but there is also the time involved in finishing them. It takes me forever to do this and that is why I have so many little projects stuck away in a drawer.

I just want to be proud of what I stitch and happy that I finish something. Prolific stitchers are inspiring to me and I don't think there should be any negativity towards people that are able to do so much. It's not a race...there is no finish line. That funny little feeling we stitchers get when we see a chart we want to stitch is something we all share and and we all know that is why we all collect so much stash!

Happy stitching,

Barb

Goals?

I really didn't want to set stitching goals for myself but I have had to make some kind of plan since I needed to order supplies. I started a list of Christmas ornaments to stitch and have ordered some of the threads I need for those. Most of them will be with DMC, which is no problem since I already have almost every color they make! I'll be using bits and pieces of fabrics that I have for most of them.

Other than ornaments, I'll be working on charts that I have had for quite some time as well as The Prairie Schooler charts I just bought. And, I must not forget the Me, Myself and I RR that I joined. I am going to be so far behind if I don't get my butt in gear and figure out what I want to do! I had been thinking that I would design my own (of my town), but the more I think about it, the more I think I'll never get that done.

As much as I love smalls, I know that I fear the finishing. One of my goals with doing the ornaments is to learn how to finish well, and hopefully I'll be trying out different ways of finishing. I am a sewer from way back, so I don't know what the problem is, maybe it's just a fear of failure (???). I guess I could always send them off for finishing if all else fails.

Does anyone have experience ordering from Wyndham Needleworks?

Happy stitching,

Barb

Some new stash from DSL

It's been a long time since I bought cross stitch supplies, so it was both thrilling and scary at the same time. I know that sounds silly, but too much stash to me means too many unstarted and unfinished projects, which can feel overwhelming to me. I am going to moderate my purchases and just keep working away and trying to keep it all enjoyable and relaxing.

Here's what I got from Down Sunshine Lane. My package came so quickly I couldn't believe it. And it was all on sale!

2 Prairie Schooler charts and 1 by Cricket Collection

My first Blackbird Designs piece, to be stitched on RR Reproductions linen (sheep's straw)

Little SB kit, Busy Sheep

Not sure what I'll do with the CC piece, but I really do like the acorn motifs.

I have another order to place, probably from Needle In a Haystack, since they are having a good sale. And I have a gift certificate for Christmas from 1-2-.3 Stitch that I'll be sure to use up quickly.

Things are getting back to normal at work and slowing down, so I'll have more time (and energy!) to stitch. Looking forward to Friday night SAT tonight.