Thanks to all of you

I wanted to take a minute to thank you for the lovely comments that you have left for me. I appreciate them all and I am very blessed to *know* all of you.

I am doing ok. Right now, there is a very happy couple moving into my Dad's house. I am very pleased about it. It's a great thing! Even though I know that it's no longer *my* house, I am glad someone will be making it *theirs*. It's exciting! I think the house will be happy. For the 9 years that my Dad occupied it alone (after Mom died), it was a very quiet place. And now there will be happy times in it and this couple is thrilled to own it.

My realtor told me that the buyers bought their *dream house*. Here is a picture of it...the buyers painted it baby blue, originally it was white:



I think that's funny, because the house is not a mansion, it's a craftsman style home. I remember those feelings. They were wonderful, full of the future and potential. This couple told the realtor that they feel that they can now really begin their life.

Today, I am covered in spring green paint, I am painting my bathroom. Talk about new beginnings. My DH doesn't like the color but too bad. It's a happy color and I really like it. Stitching will commence tomorrow between cramming my audit prep that begins Monday. I am going to begin *A Quaker Spool Holder*. Tonight, we are going to see The Sentinel. David and I have decided to reinstitute our weekly *date*. Aren't we just too funny!

SO...back to painting. Happy Saturday!!!

Quick update

Not much stitching going on here. I've just been too busy with work and finishing selling my Dad's house.

We have big audits running at work right now that require a ton of attention. I have worked 14 hour days all week so I am bushed when I get home. I look at my stitching but can not even bring myself to pick up the needle cause I KNOW I will just let the frogs in and that will just be frustrating. I did put 2 strands of silk into Sarah Tatum but even that little bit of stitching was almost too much to do.

I went to PA last weekend to sign all the paperwork for the house and finish cleaning it out. I cleaned most of the furniture out in October but left some things unfinished. The house sold last month and the closing is Friday. So, I went back to clean out the closets and make sure that everything is in order for the closing. I signed all the contracts up front because I will be unable to attend the actual closing meeting.

I have to say that I was taken back by my reaction to finally shutting up the house for the last time. It was the strangest feeling to leave the house keys on the kitchen counter, lock the door and close it behind me, knowing that I will never be able to go back in again. It was very hard to do and I kept putting it off but finally, I just had to leave. I shed quite a few tears the day before but my heart was so heavy when I heard the door close for the last time. I sat in my car for the longest time just looking at the house and trying to burn it into my memory. I know it's just a house and the memories live in my heart but it was still tough to do. Closing that door behind me signified that the final chapter on my parent's life is finished and closing the door on my childhood home. It's over. I always thought of that place as my *home* even though I have been married for almost 27 years and have lived in NY all that time. Now, Binghamton NY is my *home*. Strange feeling.

I did some blog hopping to take my mind off work and my home makeover (which is still crawling at a snails pace). I am so blown away at everyone's blog, they are so nice to read and the photos are great. I need to learn to do more with my blog to spark it up a bit. It's boring. I wish that I stitched faster and had more finished work to show all of you. The pictures everyone posts are cool and make me visit just to see what everyone is up to. So I apologize for the most boring stitching blog ever.

I am hoping that this weekend will bring some stitching time, although I have to paint my bathroom and clean up some of the clutter in my house. It's getting overwhelming and it's beginning to bother me a great deal. I am a neat person my nature and all this *stuff* hanging around makes me crazy after awhile. In addition to all the construction work, I have the contents of my Dad's house, and my son's things that are now making it home from school for the summer. I am drowning in THINGS! LOL!!!! (I think a garage sale is in order...)

Anyway...stitch on! I am living vicariously through your stitching. I drool over your finishes and dream of working on some of the pieces you are stitching that are in my stash. I am looking forward to beginning the Shaker spool holder this weekend, probably on Sunday. And I will be posting progress pictures.

Talk with you all again soon...happy stitching everyone!

Merry Cox Shaker Spool Holder

I am going to begin to stitch this piece with at group of bloggers led by Danielle. I got all my stitching supplies, along with a couple of other goodies, Cherished Stitches, Emblem of Innocence, 2 cute Little House Needlework patterns that will be adorable stitched over one (that's my NEWEST obsession) and a cute little pattern from Hobb Knob designs that features a filmo clay snowman.

I bought creme evenweave for the spoolholder cause the stitching is over one and I like over one to be even. The Gloriana silks are beautiful. I am anxious to start this. First though, I have something else to finish up in the next 2 weeks and then I willl be ready to get going on it. I read through the instructions, the assembly doesn't look too bad, just involved. I know that with the support of the ladies stitching together, whatever glitches I come up against, the group will help me work through them.

It's a beautiful spring day here, we played in the yard, planted strawberries and did some weeding. It's a great Saturday! I hope you are having a wonderful day too!

Stitching Musings

Have you ever just stepped back and looked at the big picture? Recently, I've been doing just that. Lately, I've been very unsettled and I am finding it hard to concentrate on one thing, stay the course with my weight loss efforts and in general, stay in control of the myriad of things that I have to do at work, home and personally.

I've found out there is much that I can not control. And being the control freak that I am, that's frustrating.

Take my stitching, for example. I feel like I am on a swing concerning my stitching. I want all my stash, I don't want it all. I need this chart and fiber, why did I spend the $$$ on THAT! I have 4 active Wips, I really should only work on one thing at a time. See what I mean? Stitching mood swings. I am never satisfied. This is quite maddening. And I am now on a quest for a root cause. Is it generated out of frustration that I can not stitch everything that I want? Is it because I think I can stitch everything and can't find a plan or the time to stitch it all? Is is because I never finish anything and when I do it's years since I began that project? Am I drawn to everyone's stitching and want to keep up? I stitch SLOW. I am limited to the amount of time I can spend stitching right now. Do I just acknowledge my limitations, stay away from everyone's blogs and photo albums and stitch in a vacuum? At any rate, all this adds up to frustration and now, I feel like I am where I am with everything else - things are so out of control so I just don't know where to begin. Please give me some *whine* with my cheese, please!

Otherwise, I am going to participate in an SAL with Danielle. We are going to stitch Merry Cox's *Shaker Spool Holder*. I am intrigued with it. It doesn't look like it's too difficult to stitch, I am a little concerned about the finishing. I need to go to the LNS for supplies (aww-shopping, what a hardship)!

I worked on Prairie Year last night. I dutifully stitched my 2 strands of red into February and remarkably, I only have one more heart to stitch and that motif is finished. Also, April's motif is just about done now. I have a bit of the rabbit's hind leg to stitch and I need to finish up the flowers and I will be done with April. Ahead of schedule. Hey, how'd THAT happen! I really love this piece. It's so teeny tiny over one. I bet that each motif is about 2 inches square. It was a nice piece to start my over one adventure.

So rant over.

Have a wonderful Easter and Passover. May the bunny leave much chocolate for you.

Beatrix Potter Quaker

Here is the Lady Beatrix, not much to show you yet except I wanted you to see the color of the fiber. It's very beautiful, burnt orange, not pumpkin or clay pot, but a deep, lush orange. It reminds me of sunsets.



She's gone back into her bag even though she is still begging for attention. I have to work on something else tonight.

I am hoping for a good week stitching, I haven't felt up to much in the last couple of weeks. Mr. & Mrs. Buyer of my Dad's house and I finally agreed on *consessions* to the contract. Hopefully, the closing will be in a month or so.

We are 3 weeks away from our big registration audit at work, it's a crazy time and there will be at least 2 Customer audits before *the BIG one*.

And the home makeover is crawling along.

Like A Bad Penny....

I'm back.

Been awhile since I blogged. Many things are going on which take up in-ordinate amounts of energy, effort and time. I hate it when life gets in the way of stitching!

I have a couple of updates, no finishes :-( yet, but you can at least see what I've been stitching. Mainly, I've been ripping and fixing.

Here's John Foster 1885. As you recall, John and I had a torrid love affair at the start of our relationship that rapidly cooled when he broke my heart cause I mis-counted his beehive. That really put a bee in MY bonnet! We are taking it slow. I removed his Quaker motif and hive and have begun to re-stitch the hive.



Next up is Prairie Year. I am almost done with the bunny for April but as you can see February's Heart motif is only half done. I can't motivate myself to stitch on that month. I told myself that whenever I work on this project, I will put 2 strands of red into February. As you recall, (ahem) I over stitched March's shamrock motif by 10 stitches so that had to be ripped and fixed. That motif is done and is the correct size. Yea.



Last is the Beatrix Potter Quaker sampler. I love Quakers and currently, I have 4 of them in my Wip pile, Sarah Tatum, Beatrix, the Quaker RR and a sampler from the Needleworker magazine. When Beatrix came home to live with me, I had to stitch a little with that lovely terra cotta silk that came with her. So, I stitched the outlines of a couple of motifs. Last night, hearing her insistant whimpering, I pulled her from her bag and finished her first motif. I love the color but I know it's not for everyone. And of course, blogger will not load this photo...G-r-r-r...so you'll have to wait until blogger finishes it's hissy.

A couple of pictures of my husband's sweetie girl...don't you think she looks comfy and is the Queen of Everything! She is really spoiled and just loves HER David. She's not big on sharing him, if I try to get near him when she is on his lap, she will take a swipe at me.





Lastly, a photo of me and the kid in his uniform. His detachment had a *Dining Out* that we were invited to, a very formal affair. That's where they teach the cadets how to act in a social setting and perform the AirForce ROTC ceremonies. It was back in October, but I finally uploaded the picture. I am not fond of any photos of me but I thought you'd like a face to go with the name.



Danielle posted on her blog that she felt like an *armchair stitcher*. I have to agree, I feel like that too many times. There is so much to stitch and so little time to stitch all of it. I've decided not to worry about it though and enjoy the process. I've obsessed over the size of my stash and wondered how everyone could stitch so much, so quickly. I've decided that this is my therapy, my fun and my pleasure, so if I want to stitch it, I WILL!

Now, isn't that the right frame of mind?