Completed RR piece.......

I finished Sheri's RR piece last night. It's for a HAED RR I was in this year with Nikki, Tash, Leigh, Terri, Michelle & Sheri. I'll get it into the mail today - I realized with Christmas so close I didn't want to wait and it get lost in the avalanche of additional mail this time of year.
Now, before you look at the picture I put it under very bright light so that you can see the delicate blending and shading detail. So, the actual fabric and texture of the stitches looks washed out, and it looks like coverage is an issue (but it's not) it's truly beautiful in person.

I'm going to put some stitching time into my Chatelaine Christmas Mandala piece. I'll post an update of it soon.....

happy stitching

2007 Christmas Ornaments

These are the ornaments I stitched this year. Part of my 2008 stitching goals includes a little ornament stitching each month so I should have more to share next year.

I'll be mailing these the first of next week but I couldn't resist posting the picture now. If you look close, you'll notice on the 'Merry Christmas' ornament that I don't have the back or ribbon attached. I just got back from the store buying pretty dark green ribbon!

I've completed nearly all my Christmas shopping so I can relax and enjoy the rest of the holiday season.

happy stitching

It's been a frustrating day...........

winter is on my mind, I'm so envious of all you northerners and the beautiful snow you've been getting. Makes it seem like the holiday season is truly here. I've been itching to start my Snow Princess & The Polar Bear chart (Ruth Sanderson by HAED). It has always seemed like a peaceful winter stitch, all that snow and starrey skies, I can't imagine working on it any other time of year. Guess I better get to a spot real quick like in my stitching where I can start it, sans guilt.

okay, just wanted to get everyone else thinking and dreaming about a new start...giggle

I'm a horrible blogger.....

but in my defense, I've been really busy stitching. I stitched (and have put together) 6 or 7 Christmas Ornaments ^yeah for me^ and have been working on Morning Rose diligently. I have around 200 stitches left on the current page then only 2.5 more pages to go. I have started thinking of my 2008 goals and hope to finish MR by the end of January.

I love stitching this time of year. Curling up in my stitching haven and catching up on all the movies and shows I've been collecting on the DVR. I think I'll buy new PJs today something soft and warm and cheery. I love looking at the twinkling lights on the Christmas Tree while I stitch.

I have waited all year to start Snow Princess and The Polar Bear (Ruth Sanderson artwork, charted by HAED) it just seems like something to be stitched when it's cold and sunny outside. Preferably when there is snow on the ground, but if I wait for that I'll never get to start it!

I'm going to run like a whirlwind this morning and finish all my stuff (make a quick swip through the house, grocery shop, quick trip to the mall, stop at cleaners & library) then I'm gonna curl up in my PJs and stitch!

Seconds??????

B, I'm so glad they enjoyed the new recipe (see last post). She has to keep up her strength for all those driving lessons!

This has been occupying my stitching time for the last week. It's a HAED RR piece with (as you can see) a black & white theme. The picture doesn't do justice - in real life the colors are darker and richer and there is no contrast. Isn't it gorgeous? I stitched Gathering Dew in the 4th slot.

It's a little late for summer.....

but here's a recipe that is in a word - delicious. I love to cook in cooler weather and we had tomatoe and cheese omelets for lunch today. Omelets are the perfect companions for Tomatoe Pie - albent it is best with home grown tomatoes full of taste but is still really good with a firm, market fresh tomatoe. Tomatoe pie doesn't sound appealing - but I challenge you to try. Don't call it tomatoe pie just tell your family it's a casseroley thing that goes with anything.....

4 tomatoes, peeled and sliced - fresh basil & green onion chopped - 9" deep pie crust - 1 cup each of shredded mozzarella, shredded cheddar cheese and mayonnaise (the real thing folks) salt & pepper to taste. Place the tomatoe slices in a colandar and salt them - let them drain for 10 minutes. You want to get rid of as much standing juice as possible. Layer the tomatoes and basil with onion in the crust. Season with salt & pepper. Combine the cheeses and mayo - spread over the top (like a crust) and bake at 350 deg for about 30 minutes. The cheese & mayo will be crusty and brown, the pie crust light and flakey. Let cool to room temp......refrigerate any leftovers.

The promise of fall........

is in the air. It's a beautiful day here, the sun is shining and temps are in the low 80's, it's just gorgeous. We are slowly sliding into fall and I'm so ready.

I don't really cook alot during the summer, we grill out and have lots of fresh veggies, etc but truly cooking a meal doesn't happen very often. I love to cook and especially in the fall. Seems like everything good starts with fresh garlic, onion, peppers and mushrooms......they are staples in my fridge. Fresh creamy potatoe and cheese soup, fragrant pot roast and veggies prepared with fresh rosemary and basil, yum.

I think I'll cook a real meal tonight - spending time in the kitchen just makes me happy.

I've been naughty this week........my stitching time has been spent on Taj Mahal. That's naughty cause I'm supposed to be finishing my part of Tash's HAED RR. I'm about 1/2 way so it won't be much longer.

I'll get my courage up and do the finishing on my Christmas ornaments and will have pictures soon.

Chatelaine is on my mind........

Well, Kim started it last week - this talk on the Coven board about stitching on our Chatelaine's. Now Kim got me started on Taj Mahal - and her stitching on it all last week made me just itch to get it out and put some stitches in. So, check out the new WIP to the right..... it really is a fun stitch (once I find my place and get acclimated with the instructions).

Now, how about this week of new series TV! I've watched Bionic Woman (loved it - nice new remake of an oldie); CSI: NY (loved it); Life (loved it too); Private Practice (yep, loved it); I missed Chuck so I'll have to DVR it some other time; taped House & Bones but haven't watched them yet. Looking forward to Grey's Anatomy & Journeyman tonight. I usually stitch while I watch TV but this week I've found myself to wraped up in the shows that I couldn't stitch.

I've stitched 6 Christmas Ornaments. Once I get my nerve up to finish them into ornaments with ribbons and such I'll post a picture.

Happy stitching everyone........

It's Ornament Time.....

I've had the best time the last few weeks stitching up Christmas Ornaments. I'd forgotten how fun over two stuff is - just a nice way to shake up the stitching routine.

Nothing much happening, just plodding along. Melanie is so busy with school this year - seems like it's a club or board meeting just about every afternoon then homework. She is taking the ACT & SAT tests for the last time in October and also finishing up her applications for early admission to college. I believe she has 5 colleges picked out and we will see what kind of scholarships she picks up and where. Keeping our fingers crossed!

now get started on those ornies...........

WOW........

I'm horrible at updates. There just isn't that much interesting stuff going on around here.

Today is the first day of school - my daughter gave me a hug and said 'today is my last first day of school', but she was happy and eager to go so I count my blessings. She's taking AP classes - a 3 hour biology (1 hr is lab), english, anatomy, statistics and oral comm. It's a tough schedule but she's excited. She only needs the oral comm and english to graduate.

We enjoyed a hot uneventful summer. Mostly just enjoying the teens and hanging out close to home.

Our weather has changed drastically over the last few days. We are about 15 degrees cooler than we were a week ago. So the evenings are pretty nice and we've started walking again. I think it's one of the best things I do for myself. Just making the time to walk, getting out of the house for fresh (humid) air - it just makes me feel better.

On the stitching front I'll have a nice new WIP of Morning Rose in the next few days. And this time, she'll have a face YAY!

My new resolution is to post an update at least once a week. Thanks for visiting with me and have a wonderful week.

Beautiful spring....

it's finally here. My flowers are growing and some are just starting to bloom. Give them another month of miracle grow and sunshine and they'll be spectacular. I'm slowly but surely getting the beds in shape for summer.

Also have to show off a beautiful gift I received. Made by Capella - it's Temari, absolutely stunning. She weaves and wraps the perle cotton threads where they look like strips of ribbon (it's a beautiful craft) with beautiful bead strings to match turquoise and lavendar and clear pink - with purple tear drops on the end. It sort of reminds me of my current stitching obsessions, Chatelaine's Taj Mahal. Check out the thumbnails to the right for an update picture.

Tomorrow is our official SAL start for Circus of Circles (Ink Circles). Here's my floss toss, HDFibers Dragon Tears silks with Silkweaver 32ct Belfast Linen in Purple Fog. I'll try for a better picture next update.

happy stitching everyone - and enjoy this gorgeous spring

Mira SAL

starts today - YAY. Stitching Queen Mermaid 1x2 on 32ct Mediterranean Linen and she looks gorgeous already. Sooz is a hard taskmaster so I better get a little more stitched before I post a picture.

happy stitching everyone......

Easter weekend........

I stitched on Morning Rose as my BAP-SAL pick for the Easter weekend. There's a updated thumbnail picture on the right sidebar. She has gorgeous wings but they are confetti hell to stitch....but worth the effort. I also received my new Ink Circles charts, the 20th Anniversary one and Second Chances (the purple sampler). YAY..... I also stitched a little freebie from Debbie Draper Designs, Spring Flowers for a flat-fold class that's this weekend. I'll post a picture once we get them finished out.

Have a great week everyone.....

Back from vacation

okay, this is one of those long, long winded things - sort of like being invited over for dinner, then having to sit through the slideshow from vacation....

We spent our spring break vacation at the Grand Canyon. We stayed 2 nights in Santa Fe, NM then 2 nights in Tusayan, AZ which is just 2 miles from the gate at the Grand Canyon. It's a 17.5 hour trip from our home and can you believe it - I didn't get any stitching in at all? We did so much chatting and looking at visitors guides and seeing what everyone wanted to do (ie: where to shop) - it was just a wonderful trip.

If you ever visit Santa Fe, I highly recommend http://www.innofthegovernors.com/ they are right in the middle of the tourist/shopping/visitors plaza. This is a picture from our room.....The staff was the friendliest and most relaxed of any hotel I have ever stayed in. We had a kiva fireplace in our room with shuttered windows that opened out on the plaza square. We had spanish sangria and listened to the bag pipes play on St. Paddy's Day.

Okay, one more picture this is of the Grand Canyon from the South Rim, Mather's Point. It has to be seen and felt - it can not be explained. Just go, if you ever have the opportunity, just go and share the experience with your loved ones.

Okay, I promise to have new WIP's for my next update within the next few days.

tada.....

I sent this to Sean on Friday. He's trying very hard to quit smoking so I sent him some Dinky Dyes silks and some gum. That should keep him busy for a day and his mind otherwise occupied..... aren't those just the cutest little ladybugs?

I am so blessed with beautiful cyber-friends. I received a huge package in the mail from B - 10 charts and 5 hand-dyed fabbies in my favorite pastel colors, dark blue and light blue and purples..... I'm still overwhelmed with her generosity.

I'm still waiting for my SMF Fairy Morn fabric to start my Taj Mahal. Again, I'll say it should be here tomorrow. I've been stitching on Morning Rose the last few days and seem to be getting no where fast. All I can think about is starting Taj... then I have a couple of mailart pieces to do quick like then Circus of Circles to start in a SAL and a BFG SAL in June/July.

I neglected my garden last year so I'm looking forward to digging in the dirt and getting it ready for planting. Talked to Cindy last night and we are planning on spending a couple of days a week (it's a fun way for us to get girl time together) starting in May picking blueberries and canning them; picking strawberries and freezing them; making jams to can then starting on the vegetables once they come out of the garden. Then towards the middle of summer the freestone peaches will be ready to pick and we'll start on those. Canned blueberries and peaches make the best pies. You just pour the syrup off and pat them dry and prepare as you would with fresh fruit.

happy stitching.....

RR....Happy Stitching......

I finally finished the first block on my HAED RR piece and it's ready for the journey around the world and back. I wanted to get this block done so that all the wonderful ladies ^thank you^ who will be stitching on this can see the most important part of the piece. It's a fantabulous fun stitch.

This is my fragmented chart of Verdure by Linda Ravenscroft as charted by HAED. I realized if I chose it from my stash for the RR that I would never stitch the whole chart; so, the really large blocks will be done by me once it returns home. I'll let the stitchers do as much, or as little, as they like in the block of their choice - then I'll finish it all off. I decided since this would be the only stitched piece I would have that I had to have a whole wing - hence the border on the right, then I needed the little raindrop on the leaf at the left to balance it out, then I said to my self I have to have those little white flowers too and her whole headdress.....so it grew. I can't wait to see the updates as each friend adds to this........

This evening I've been working on a mailart piece for a special friend. he's quit smoking so I'm sending him a care package - floss for stitching and gum to chew. That ought to keep his hands busy......

I've been really good to myself too. The weather is starting to warm up so along with my haircut yesterday I had a french pedicure today. Nothing like having pretty toes ^with little yellow flowers^ to look at!

Nothing much going on.......

just the same old same ole. I'm not very good at journaling but I'm making an effort to update more frequently.

Family is healthy and happy; stitching is going well; the sun has been shining most days and it hasn't been too terribly cold. We've been trying to walk every afternoon - Gracie gets so excited. She has a big yard to run in but she loves getting to walk with us - go figure.

I've taken my new year pampering to heart and my skin hasn't looked this good in a long time. I think part of it's all the water and milk I've been drinking. I'm letting my hair grow out a little so I can get a nice clean cut into an angular bob - just above shoulder level a little longer in the front than the back.

On the Melanie front, she won't be a senior until next year but we've been talking and making college plans already about the University of Arkansas (in Fayetteville). It's only a 45 minute drive from home so YAY for me. Most of the kids she pals with will be going there so she's getting excited and nervous at the same time. I'm so excited for her but nervous too - it's like sending them to school for the first time - all over again.

This is my piece for a HAED RR..... it's Verdure by Linda Ravenscroft. I tell you this is so much fun to work on. The colors and shading are just stunning. Practically every color is some shade of green. The next mailing date is March 5 so I've been working on this exclusively, trying to finish this block before the send off. I hope each of the ladies in the group enjoy this piece as much as I have and it makes them each want to stitch their own version.

I have a couple of mailart pieces in mind but can't start them until the RR gets sent on its way. I have several others charts waiting in the wings to be started - there just aren't enough hours in the day.

Happy stitching my friends - stay warm and well

A little pampering never hurt anyone.....

My pledge to myself for personal growth this year is to pamper and treat myself better. Nothing makes you feel more feminine and special than a little pampering. Nothing drastic, it's in the little things. Like taking the time to use (everyday) the fluffy good smelling lotions I buy; (don't laugh here) actually shaving my legs more often than once a week, it's winter but still; going to lunch with friends and socializing; keeping my eyebrows tweezed into shape (amazing how this lifts my spirits); wearing perfume even on the days I'm just puttering around the house; burning candles while I stitch just for the joy of it......I'm sure I'll find some other ways too.

We women always put the people in our lives ahead of ourselves, so this year be good to yourselves too........your loved ones will appreciate it.

Currently stitching on Truth Storykeep