JOANIE'S WORLD

My 2011 Review

2011-12-31T18:54:00.000-05:00

Here are my pieces from this year! I was very pleased to finish so much! I didn't realize it until I put them all together.

The first is the Bee Man's Garden. Don't you love the hive?

And Alphabets has to be my favorite finish to date. I LOVE this piece, red, red, RED!!! I love red samplers!

The next piece is Needles and Pins Pinkeep from With Thy Needle and Thread. I made this into a lovely Pinkeep on an oil can base for Melody (Woolwoman). I really want to make one for me.

In Disguise from Cross Eyed Cricket. I've had this pattern for-ever and while I was unemployed I finally decided to pull it out and stitch it.

Another Halloween piece done during my hiatus. Lizzie*Kate's Halloween.

Her Sampler by Carriagehouse Samplings.

Noel...someday to be made into a pillow. When I get up the courage. LOL.

All is Calm. I want to make it into one of those nifty pillows.

My adaptation of A Cardinal Winter

Lucy Minton from The City Stitcher

An Autumn Splendor

A prolific year, indeed!

Picture, Pictures!

2011-12-30T21:40:00.003-05:00

So, this week I decided to break out "June" my sewing machine and sew up a few ornaments and make a flat fold. I can't sew a lick really, but I did my best. Here are the fruits of my labor:

Silent Night

LHN

DMC

30ct Weeks Dye Works "Tin Roof" Linen

Noel

The Prairie Schooler

DMC

32ct Belfast "Lambswool" Linen

Snowman '10

Lizzie*Kate

GAST and Weeks Dye Works fiber
"Mystery" Linen

Don't you just love the pom-pom trim? Looks like snowballs!

Frosty Flakes

LHN

Cresent Colors Cotton Fibers

30ct Weeks Dye Works Linen "Straw"

I also finished Cardinal Christmas but I haven't made it into anything. Maybe this weekend, if I get a chance. And this is my latest start and the project I am working on right now. I hope that I don't lose interest in it because it's a Christmas piece. I get bored easily, don't 'cha know? The piece is stitching up faster now since I finally finished Santa's Sleigh.

Merry Christmas

The Prairie Schooler

DMC

28ct "Lambswool" Lugana Evenweave

I hope that tomorrow the day is sunnier so I can take a picture of the BeeMan's Garden and maybe some pictures of what I did complete in 2011. I've seen so many blogs with a "Year in Review" and I am so inspired to do the same. I do have a few pieces I've finished. Plus, I need to take some "today" shots of the WIPs I'm focusing on for the Wipocalypse.

So, my dear friends, thank you for hanging in there with me and for all your thoughts and prayers this year for me. Thank you for your inspiring stitching and for all the "enabling" too! I wish each of you a very Happy New Year! May 2012 be the best year for you!

Blessings,

Joanie

Merry Christmas and the GiveAway Winner

2011-12-27T07:59:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was very low key, it's not the same with the kids being so far away. We did get an opportunity to Skype with them and of course, once we got off the computer, I cried like a baby.

I got lovely gifts from Japan, a beautiful temari ball for my Christmas tree, a colbalt blue ornament, a handpainted scroll and a Japanese calendar. I gifted myself with the newest Blackbird designs book and all the fixin's to stitch it. I certainly don't need another chart, book or bauble, but hey, I can't resist! I got some stitching done too over the weekend, I finished the Bee Man's garden and another LHN ornament that I modified. I'll post those pics soon because it's very, very grey here today and the pictures will be very washed out.

Now, on to the giveaway.....the winner of my Christmas Gift-Away is....

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
MISSY, Raven

Girl, drop me a line at Mikes1mom@gmail.com with your address and I'll get this in the mail to you!

Thanks so much for all those who played!

So, today I have an interview. Say a prayer around 11 for me.

Gotta run!

Christmas Giveaway!

2011-12-17T20:39:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

I am so sorry it's been such a long time since I've posted. Life is so in the way. I have been struggling with my job, mainly my boss. It's really a sorry tale. I thought that he was going to fire me a few weeks ago. The job started going south right before Thanksgiving. Mainly, it's a communication thing. But my boss is the boss and the boss is never wrong, so it's my communication that's lacking. I am not sure what I am going to do. I like the people that I work with and I think that given time, maybe it will work out. But I am pretty skeptical.

On the stitching front, I did finish a few ornaments. Frosty Flakes from LHN and a Prairie Schooler snowman. I don't have pictures because the David is in Japan with the little camera. I tried taking pics with my cell phone but they didn't come out very well. He will be home in a few days, so maybe I'll be able to take a snap or two. I am working on Prairie Schooler's, Christmas Eve, but it's a slow stitch for me.

And I've bought some things, Merry Christmas to me! I bought the new Blackbird Designs, Christmas Garden, and all the fixin's which I'm going to start on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. I also bought the new Stocking too.

I joined the WIPocalypse. Go take a look. I have too many wips. Need to pare down some of them and I did good with finishing some of my Wips during the first half of the year but the later half, not so much. I have to make a list. I pulled some of them out and nothing right now is calling my name. I'm hoping this little SAL will motivate me.

Now for the giveaway. I have been going through my stash and I've come up wth a couple of duplicate charts and magazines. I am giving away the following:

2011 JCS Ornament Magazine
LNH Ornaments:
Cardinal Winter
Silent Night
Gingerbread Village

The Scarlet House:
Jingle All the Way

So all you have to do is comment to this post only. I'll draw a name on Christmas Eve. I'll throw in a few extras too....

Hope everyone is ready for Christmas. I'm not but that's ok. This year, I'm doing my best to reflect on Jesus' birth.

Merry Christmas!

Blessings,
Joanie

Thank you, Veterans!

2011-11-11T12:01:00.000-05:00

I wanted to post a quick message to thank all of our service men and women and their families for their selfless sacrifice and service to our country.

My DS, Mike, just returned to Okinawa from Afghanistan this week. We are grateful for all the thoughts and prayers for his safety over the last 5 months. I will leave you witha few pictures of his homecoming.

We love you, Michael, and are so proud of you!

God bless our troops!!!

Wow, another post!!! WooHoo!

2011-10-19T21:05:00.001-04:00

Just a drive by post. There were a few comments from my last post that I want to reply to and I do want to say thank you for your positive words about my SLUMP. I am happy to say that I did finish the LHN ornament (hopefully to be ornamentified this weekend) and I put needle to fabric last night. I worked on Lizzie*Kate's Snowman 2010 and I have to tell you that it felt really, really good to stitch! I am debating on if I'm going to stitch the entire piece or just the snowman and the band of snowflakes beneath him and ornamentify him too. What do you think?

Now to answer the questions....
Well, Jennifer asked about the piece hanging above the Lizzie*Kate Halloween cube. That piece is from Blackbird Design's boo, Trix or Treats. I stitched it on 36 count linen and I wish that I would have stitched with 2 threads instead of one because the coverage on the pumpkin looks rather sparse in my humble opinion. My DSIL wants that piece desperately so I may just send it to her and stitch it again.

And Sharon asked if I display my Halloween pieces in one place or all over the house. Well, I usually display them mainly in 3 rooms. In my kitchen, I usually put them on the oak shelf. In my sunroom, usually I try to put together some sort of vignette on the console table behind the sofa. In my family room, I put things on the mantle or the fireplace hearth. These are the rooms I spend most of my time in. Right now, I have a wooden bowl filled with potpourri and some witchy stitchin' that I did last year on my kitchen table in addition to the things on the oak shelf.

So, my stitchy friends, there ya go! I really appreciate all your wonderful comments. It makes me smile to know that you guys are out there! Thanks for coming by and stop again! There might just be ornaments for you to see....

Many blessings!

Joanie

Have you forgotten me???

2011-10-16T17:37:00.000-04:00

Hello! Have you forgotten me?

I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post. Color me *embarassed*. It's not that I didn't want to blog, I just didn't think I had really anything to say. I'v been stitching a little, certainly not like I have stitched before. I am in a bit of a slump. Not a full fledged "I'm never going to pick up a needle again" slump but more of a "I really don't want to stitch right now" slump.

I do want to show you my latest Halloween finishes though. I finished them a few weeks ago but well, you know....slump.

Lizzie Kate Halloween

Recommended fibers and fabric

Made into a long cube

In Disguise

The Cricket Collection

DMC on 32 ct Raw Linen

I'm working on Christmas ornaments right now. I am so close to finishing "Silent Night" by LHN. I have about a dozen ornaments to finish. I'm planning on breaking out the finishing next weekend when the David goes out of town. I have a list about a mile long of things I want to do so wish me luck on the finishing. I'm hoping that this finishing session will cure my "finishin phobia" once and for all. Geez, I never had such a problem before.

Anyway, thanks for dropping by....I am off to finish Sunday's dinner of pot roast, veggies and homemade pumpkin pie!

Herding Cats

2011-09-05T19:10:00.000-04:00

This is how I feel right now. Last week was a blur. I didn't think that taking on a new job would toss me into such controlled chaos. I've gotten used to being home, I had a routine and now, it's all changing. Don't get me wrong, I am so blessed to have this job and I'm not complaining. NOT. AT. ALL. It's just shuffling stuff around again. My commute has doubled and no longer will going to the grocery store be on the way home. But it's all good!

I've stitched finally! Yesterday. Almost the entire day. I finished my little witch and today, I framed her. She's adorable! And I finished making a wall hanging for Halloween too. Just wait for pics though, it's been dark and dreary here in good ol' Upstate NY. I'm switching gears now, Halloween stitching is officially over, now it's Autumn stitching until October. Then it's Christmas stitching. Ornaments. I'm hoping to finish my Merrily Beam's sampler before the new year. Oh, the plans!

I think I'm losing my mind though, I've lost a completely stitched Halloween ornament. I was going to finish it today but I can't find it. Anywhere. Last week, I misplaced my driver's liscence. And I couldn't find my undergraduate degree to prove to my new employer that yes, I went to school. Maddening. I think it's stress. Yea, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. (I am firmly denying "age".)

So before I return to work tomorrow, I'm going to stitch this evening away cause I'm not sure when I will get back to my needle. I'm really tired when I come home and I need to start to walk again. I'm gaining a bit of weight. :( It's time to get back on track.

So, with that, I'm going to sign off for now. I will be back soon, I promise!

All Good Things Must Come to an End

2011-08-28T17:59:00.000-04:00

Well, once again, I've been MIA on my blog. Big surprise. But I have an excuse!

I GOT A JOB!!!!

I start tomorrow. The last 2 weeks have been really, really busy! I interviewed last Thursday (18th) and got called back that afternoon to come for a second interview this past Friday. I met the lady who's retiring and I met with the management team again. They told me not to worry if I didn't hear from them for a few days. Well, at 5PM the recruiter called and offered me the job starting tomorrow! The only downside is that I am on probation with their temp agency for 30 days. But, I can live with that.

I've been stitching. Mainly Halloween goodies. I did finish Lizzie*Kate's Halloween. I will take pic when the sun comes back out.

Well, for those affected by Irene, you've been in my prayers. I hope that all of you are safe and sustained little or no damage. Here, we've got flooding.

So, wish me luck tomorrow cause it's the start of a Good Thing!

Stop by again,

Blessings,

Joanie

Where the Magic Happens - Usually...

2011-08-13T23:24:00.002-04:00

Welcome! Please come in and make yourself home as I walk you through my creative space. My muse lives here and I find creativity and joy in this 10 x 12' space. It is here where I experiment with paint, fabric and of course, fiber.

Looking in the room from the entrance to the room, you see my work table straight ahead. It faces South and I have views of the pond and the hayfields. It's great to look out the window and be inspired.

(Pics are clickable)

Along the right wall you will find many things that I find inspiring. Samplers that I recently stitched. A picture of my first kitty, Puffer.

On the dresser that holds all my cross stitch fabric, I've set up a display of stitching things, scissors, Sajou cards, painted items. The round candy tin was my Mom's sewing box so it's got top billing on the dresser.

Dresser (left side)

Continuing on the right side of the dresser, you find my first piece of needlework I made for my husband right after we were married. He had it on his desk at work for many years. It's a cruel piece of crewel embroidery but I did make it with love. Also, you will find jars of buttons, marbles, spools of thread and a lovely lady pincushion.

(Dresser - right side)

Above the dresser is an 8' shelf. This shelf holds memories, toys of my childhood, items of my home, things that I love, some of Mike's things. This shelf is sentimental and it's filled with items that remind me of my home, my parents, and good times.

The stuffed animals were Mikes. Buzz Lightyear is my reminder that anything is possible if you believe. I love the toothy alligator, behind that is an art piece made by Mike. The clock cookie jar was in my Mom's kitchen.

Continuing along the shelf there's funky plaques that hung in my parent's home, a Huckleberry Hound bank that was mine when I was a child and a stack of old cameras.

Underneath the shelf is a pantry that holds some pieces from exchanges, patterns. On the top of the pantry, there's a Mr. Machine that was a childhood toy. I loved that toy! And I have a thing for bunnys.

To the right of the window is a peg shelf that holds a stitched piece made just for this room. A Mcoy planter holding wooden spoons from my Grandma. Folk art painted pieces from another lifetime.

On the peg is my Dad's work hat. I treasure that hat. When he wore it, I knew he was in his groove, fixing, painting or sprucing something up.

Underneath that peg shelf is another book shelf. If you look on the top, there's a nod to cross stitch. On the shelves below you will find Halloween goodies, more books(!) and a tray of stuffed goodies that I put out during the various holidays throughout the year.

Then, we turn to the right wall. The wall of storage. In the hatbox, you will find just about every card, letter or keepsake from my DH and son. Baskets hold ribbons, cards, paint tubes. DMC is stored in those nuts and bolts containers. And there's my typewriter from high school. LOL. The pantry holds my painting supplies. The drawers hold stitching supplies. Further to the right is another pantry unit that's stuffed with binders that hold my cross stitch patterns. The globes were from childhood too. I love globes and would collect them if I had the room. In this pic, you can see the color of the room. Tangerine! Love the color, it's so cheery!

And swinging back around to the back wall, you'll find an overstuffed bookshelf. Cross stitch, work books, quilting books and some novels that I can't part with live here. The paper mache pumpkin is another childhood piece. It's at least 50 years old.

So kids, this is the place where I find inspiration, joy and peace. It's still a work in progress and that's what I like about it. As art and my style evolves, so will the room. Thanks for visiting and I hope you'll come back again!

Joanie

When We Last Left Our Plucky Stitcher....

2011-08-08T15:56:00.003-04:00

She acquired some stash (Shh-hh-h, that's not all of it!).

(Pics are clickable)

She contemplated Halloween / Autumn /Christmas stitching:

Made progress on the Beeman's Garden but didn't finish it in time to get framed:

Stalled on Do Unto Others:

Love that hive!!!

Got "Bewitched"

Picked out a frame for the little witch: (Aquired at HomeGoods, my new BFF store!)

Pattern for the little witch cause I know you'll ask.

Candy Corn too!

And finished Lizzie*Kate's Halloween to be made into a long cube using the fabric behind it:

Stitched up a linen pumpkin (I see more of these in my future!):

Pulled out another finish that has been buried far too long (Stitched when Mike was 6 and he's now 24. Do the math.) and will be made into a wallhanging:

And contemplated working out until Miss Ella beat her to the treadmill.

I took pics of my stitching /craft room too but I won't bore you with all of them just yet. Here's a tease though:

So my friends, there you go! A post with PICTURES!! Go me! LOL!!!
Thanks for coming by and seeing what's going on in my world.
Keep stitching, kids.

Joanie

Oh My...Has It Really Been That Long?

2011-08-06T13:17:00.001-04:00

Over 2 weeks since my last post. Shame, shame on me!

Well, what's been going on with me. A whole lot a' nuthin' besides the job search and taking care of house-y type stuff that looks like it would only take an hour or so to do but ends up taking most of the day. I honestly don't know how I did it when I was working, I think I used to "slick" housekeep, not doing a thorough job but "slicking" it to make it look presentable and hiding the rest. Now, I'm actually doing a complete job and I'm embarassed to tell you that I'm embarassed at the housekeeper that I am. I used to blame alot of things on our critters (dragging in dirt from the barn, the cats and the dog) and the DH. But, now that I have "time", I'm realizing that I was a large contributor to the state of affairs at Chez Dirt. Oh, say it's not so! But it IS! Hopefully, my house drudgery now will prevent me from house fudgery later on when I get back to work (which isn't looking like any time soon).

I am actively being courted by a recruiter for a firm in Nashua NH. It would mean me moving away in order to take this job if it presents itself. The DH and I talked about it and it's doable for awhile until the economy in NY rights itself. The job would look fabulous on my resume, it's management and dealing with medical device compliance. But there are a couple of glitches, I've managed teams but never a department and although I have experience in medical compliance, my previous employer was not a final device manufacturer so we were not involved with FDA submissions or QSR 820. Weak areas in my work experience. But nothing I couldn't handle. It's convincing the company to take a chance on a rookie who would have to learn by doing instead of hitting the ground running.

Stitching wise, I sorta lost my mojo during the last heat wave and the last round of resume rejections. I switched my focus from stitching on Done By Me and the BeeMan to small things for Halloween. (Although BeeMan is so close to being done I might just finish it off and use my 60% off Michaels coupon to get it framed.) I've stitched Halloween from Lizzie Kate that I want to make into a long cube and I'm working on a little witch from The Cricket Collection and Candy Corn from With Thy Needle and Thread. I found the bestest frame for the witch at HomeGoods (my BFF store!). I'll post pictures soon. We are having a blessed day of gentle rain (sorry Texas) that my gardens sorely needed but it's not conducive to photoshoots. The light is not present so the pictures taken with my little camera wouldn't do the designs justice.

If you could, please keep my boy and all the soldiers in your prayers, I read today that 31 of our finest were killed today. I'm sure the news is weighing heavily on him. And he's been working around the clock, on what he can not tell me, so I know it's not good.

So sorry for the long winded, un-pictured post but I did want to check in to say I'm HERE!! (waving to everyone new and old). Thanks for dropping by...until next time...

Joanie

Accuquilt Go Baby Give Away

2011-07-21T09:25:00.002-04:00

Run!

Check out Amystitches for 3 chances to win an Accuquilt Go Baby and 3 dies of your choice.

Just Buzzz-zzin' Along

2011-07-13T14:15:00.001-04:00

I broke down and stitched the Bee Man's hive. I couldn't wait anymore and that's true to my nature. Patience has never been a virtue with me and I guess I'm into "instant gratification". Besides, I just couldn't wait!

And the artsy one. Look, I promised better pics, right?

I am on a personal mission to finish this before the 23rd because I have a 60% off coupon from Michaels burning a hole in the bottom of my purse. I only have the bottom section and the bottom border to finish. Wish me luck!

See ya soon!

Joanie

Alphabets and Summer Baskets

2011-07-11T08:22:00.003-04:00

Hi kids,

Today, I took some pictures (click, they get BIG) of my finished and framed Alphabets and Blackbird Designs Summer Basket. Finally, they came out nice. I'm pleased with the framing and I am tickled pink with the frame. I'll let the pics do the talkin'.

Alphabets

Merrily A. Beams

AVAS 946

32 ct Belfast - Cream

Don't you just love the red birds?

I don't think I ever showed you Summer Basket framed. I got this framed at AC MOORE and never again will I go back there even if the framing is free. It was mounted crooked and their were lint balls under the glass. A disappointing job. I like the frame though.

I loved the colors in this sampler. So soft and faded.

Summer Basket

Blackbird Designs

GAST & WDW thread

30ct Weeks Dye Works linen - Baby's Breath

I dedicated this sampler to my Mom. These are her initials. She would have liked this sampler. Especially the bands of sampler motifs.

And the frame.

Well, that concludes today's artsy pics. LOL! I've got to run. I am the laundress today and I have clothes to hang out on the line and I want to take my walk before hell's temps return. It's supposed to be 90 degrees here today. Stay cool and hydrated! Wear sunscreen and a hat if you are working in your gardens. Enjoy this day because it's what you're supposed to do. (This concludes our public service / safety announcement for today.)

Oh, I lost a follower...I hope it wasn't something I said or didn't say. Sorry that my world wasn't someplace you wanted to be... :(

Happy Monday, my friends. Thanks for coming by!

Till next time...
Joanie

Some pictures

2011-07-06T14:19:00.000-04:00

I've been stitching in between haying. I HATE putting in hay especially now that the temperature is one degree below hell's temps. The bales are really heavy this year...upwards of 50-75 pounds and I struggle with putting them on the elevator. Yesterday, one bale came crashing down off the elevator and hit the elevator motor knocking it out. The DH was PO'd because we had to unload 75 bales into the barn and now we will have to handle them again to put them in the loft. Today, he put in 150 by himself. Officially, we are 1/2 way done with our 500 bales. He will get more this evening. So hopefully we will have almost all of it done before the weather gets rainy. Oh, he did fix the motor on the elevator.

So here's what I've been up to as documented by craptastic photos.

Progress has been made on Done By Me. I am obsessing over restitching the really light color in the basket and in the flower urn. It fades into the fabric. But I can't find a shade or color that suits me. (Sorry for the wrinkles, I pressed them but as you can see not well. Pics should be clickable.)

In the Bee Man's Garden. I am really looking forward to stitching the hive in satin stitch. But I will do it last because I don't want the hive to get crushed by my hoop. It's incentive to hurry up and finish!

Actually, Ella has the right idea on this hot afternoon...maybe a nap is in order?

I got Alphabets back from the framer at Michaels...oh, it's gorgeous. You'll get to see that in the next post. The pics I took are all fuzzy. Grr-rrr. I also stitched August from A Prairie Year. Cute beehive. And I actually finished all of my Fourth of July things this year. They are in the previous post.

I really got to take my time with this photo thing. You guys who set up beautiful shots just make me want to hang my head in shame. Mainly, I'm in such a hurry to post that I don't take my time to do anything artsy with my pics. Should I slow down, maybe?

Anyway, stay cool, I'm going to put a few stitches into Bee Man while I wait for the DH to come home from getting tires on the truck. Come by again...you may be surprised at my creative photos next time!

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T14:45:00.000-04:00

Just poppin' in to say Happy Independence Day to all my friends here in the US. Today, we are chillin' and grillin'.

Later, we will be going to the community fireworks. A low key day overall but none the less enjoyable.

Stay safe if you're playing with pyrotechnics and have a great day!

I Have A New Boyfriend...

2011-06-21T08:07:00.001-04:00

His name is Adam but he has a girlfriend named Eve. They live beneath an apple tree that Eve adores. And I believe they have a charming pet snake that Eve shouldn't pay attention to but he's pretty persuasive!
Yes, I've been bitten by the A&E sampler bug! I'm up to my eyeballs looking for that couple and their pal, Mr. Serpent.

And I've been charmed by older patterns, now I'm on a Merrily Beams hunt. Does anyone have a know how many patterns she published? She published her designs under Merrily Beams, The Sewing Bird.

Now, to tie this together.

Merrily Beams published an Adam and Eve sampler. And I am on the hunt for it for myself and for another obsessed A&E lover. Gosh, we sound kinky, don't we? Anyway...I've searched high and low. Obviously very OOP but I'm sure it's spending time in someone's stash. And maybe, that someone is willing to quench the desire burning in the heart of this newly obsessed lover.

If you have that pattern and are willing to let it go for a reasonable price or a trade from my enormous stash let me know.

And, if you have any Merrily Beams that you want to send to a loving home, I'm that address. Thanks for helping and I'll be back with update pictures. I'm making progress on the Bee Man and Done By Me.

Happy day!

I'm Ready For My Screen Shot, Mr. DeMille

2011-06-15T22:53:00.000-04:00

Before we start, I have a favor to ask. I am looking for a Cross-eyed Cricket pattern, Leaflet 171 called Green Thumb. Is there anyone out there that wants to part with it? I've got a ton of stash to trade or if you want, I can pay a reasonable price...let me know, K?

Now for the pictures...TA DAA!!!!

Here's my OLDEST WIP and it' now finished! I can't believe that I waited over 25 years to finish it. Granted, I had the unfortunate red candle incident but still...

Alphabet Sampler

Leisure Arts #280

14ct. White Aida

DMC

Alphabet Sampler Bottom

Alphabet Sampler Top

This is the Merrily Beam's Sampler I'm stitching for Lee's "Older But Better" SAL. You can see it in all it's 1980's funky colors. But I like it!

Done By Me - 1982

Merrily Beams

32ct Flax Linen

Recommended DMC

I worked a little on the Bee Man tonight - I've stitched most of the verse. I really, really like this sampler and now, I'm looking all over the internet looking for more patterns with Bee Skeps.

The Bee Man's Sampler

The Goode Huswife

32ct Vintage Country Mocha

Lastly is I Sigh not for Beauty that I'm stitching as a year long SAL with Ellen Chester's With Thy Needle and Pen's group. I'm hopelessly behind now but I have to be in the right frame of mind to stitch on her. I don't mind the arcaded border but those pomegranate flowers..oh my, they tax my patience.

I Sigh not for Beauty

SANQ

32ct Antique Ivory

DMC

And the Wips, that were finished a long time ago, soon to be made into pinpillows and pinkeeps:

LHN Watermelon

32ct Flax Linen

Crescent Color Overdyes - Cotton

Ewe and Eye and Friends

Liberty House

32ct Lambswool Linen

Recommended Threads

So, that's all folks, I hope you like what I've done. I'd write more but I have to go to sleep. I'm tired. I've been up late going through job boards looking for work. So far nada, zilch, and zero. I've applied to a few local companies but I don't think I'm even going to get a second look. Sigh.

Thanks for stopping by....love to have you visit!

Joanie Has NOT Left the Building

2011-06-14T00:01:00.002-04:00

Hello all! You probably thought that I up and vamoosed! But I did not. I am still here. I hope you are glad.

I want to thank everyone that's commented, emailed, prayed, encouraged and generally put up with me this past month. I am so grateful for the advice and general feel good comments from you. I treasure you all! This month hasn't been stellar but I could count on my stitchy-bloggy friends to lift me up. And you certainly did lift me up! THANK YOU!!!!

I am actively searching for work in my area and the surrounding 50 miles but pickin's are slim. I applied for 3 jobs today, one that I am over-qualified, one that I am under-qualified and one that I am partially qualified to do. I'm crossing my fingers that someone out there will look at my resume and see that, YES! she can be trained! Or, OMGosh we have a live one and YES! we want her.

Did you know that resume writing has become a game? Most jobs are posted online and there's a definite strategy to applying and then getting past the keyword searches. I'm finding out that every resume that I post must be customized for the particular job and must be filled wth keywords that are listed in the job posting. Otherwise....it's BAD news for your effort. Like the potential employer won't even look at your resume because there weren't the right keywords to get past their auto-scans.
I have to tell you, I'm pooped. Today, I tried to upload a resume to an online job board and it took almost 45 minutes to fill out a their application to upload it. There were things I purposely left off my resume, specific dates of employment (I gave date ranges), salary history, things that would let the potential employer know that I was an "older" worker (which is bad news cause employers perceive that you come with BAGGAGE from your previous employer and MAY be change resistant and become a problem child for your new employer). It was mandatory to fill those fields in on the application to upload the resume and employers looking at my resume once uploaded would see that information. If I didn't fill them in I couldn't proceed to upload. I finally got smart and instead of putting in actual values, I put in spaces. HA! Take that online job site! If I made one mistake in inputting my information, POOF, all my stuff was gone and I had to start over. I was more than frustrated. But eventually, I got the resume posted. Tomorrow, I get to do it all again because I tweaked it tonight. I'm going to need to have a large, strong cup of coffee and the ibuprophen handy.

I know that this is a stitching blog and it's woefully without pictures or any information about what I'm working on. I am finishing up the 2 exchange gifties that I owe and I've finished my oldest Wip. From, get ready...1986!!! It took me an hour. Can you believe it? It's a sampler from a Leisure Arts pamphlet (280) called Keepsake Samplers. I needed to personalize it, do a little back stitching and add the date. I know why I put it away, years ago, I stored it in a drawer along with red candles (the HORROR!) and some of the pigment bled onto the Aida (yes, it's stitched on Aida. I was a newbie, thank you very much) and I didn't know how or what to do to get the stains out.  The stains were close to the stitching and I was afraid to do anything about it. So it got relegated to the very bottom of the WIP heap. Lost and forlorn. Fast forward to 2011 and to the invention of the Tide bleach pen. A careful application with the narrow tip and oh my! The red stains are gone! I did a happy dance around the kitchen and then promptly gave the sampler a bath in Orvus. Once dried and pressed it's ready for it's framing. Oh, and for the record, now all my stitching is carefully stored away from anything that could bleed, puke or leave stains on it.

And, I pinned and laced Alphabets today. It's going to Michaels to get framed tomorrow. I have a 60% off coupon and my birthday is next week so I thought I'd splurge (but not too much) and have it framed. I stretched it because unfortunately, the last 2 pieces I let them stretch were terrible. I have to take them both apart and re-do them. The stretching is crooked and not tight. The samplers are puckering. I'm going to have to be in a patient mood to take them apart and re-stretch them. Bah.

I'm working on a piece called "Done By Me" from Merrily Beams. Lee of Lake Stitcher challenged us to stitch a piece from our stash during our birthday month that is Older and Better.  So, to further explain what this is, here's Lee's explanation:
"In order to keep reminding myself about the whole "older, wiser, more gracious and better" thing, I'm going to do a little stash diving and pick one design that has been around since my very early stitching days. You all know which ones I mean. The ones that you bought in 19whatever and loved and never got around to stitching. And every time you decide to weed out your stash, you wonder why you never stitched it. Well, I'm going to choose one of those. Maybe update the fabric and thread choices a little, but at heart it'll still be an oldie but goodie. And I'm going to try to finish it before my next birthday".
So that's what I'm doing. Done By Me was published the year I started stitching. That would be 1982. I decided not to change anything about it, not the DMC 1980's colors or the fabric. My only update will be to include the year 2011 to it which will require me to shrink down a bird in order to put the date in. That's it. It's stitched in those rust, mossy greens, mauves and steel blues of the 1980s, such a throw back but somehow a little contemporary. I'm enjoying stitching it, oddly enough.
And, I've kitted up some LHN ornaments, worked on some July 4th Wips from last year and got out some things to finish. Oh, finish. There's something I don't do often. Is the moon blue?

OMGosh, I've written a novella. Sorry kids, I guess I had a lot to say. Well, tomorrow, I WILL take some pictures. And actually post them. I'm glad you all stuck around for me. I hope you'll come back to Joanie's World cause you never know what zany thing is going to happen to me next. Who knows, I may get a JOB!   Woot.

Feathers in the Nest's Giveaway

2011-05-31T07:22:00.000-04:00

Pop on over to Jennifer's blog and check out the very patriotic pattern she's giving away tonight. She's giving away, Blackbird Designs, America the Beautiful.

3 chances to win...be her follower, post about someone you love who's served in our military and just comment on the post.

http://feathersinthenest.blogspot.com/2011/05/blackbird-design-americana-giveaway-is.html

I'll be back shortly with some pictures of my stitching, so stay tuned!

Memorial Day

2011-05-27T09:00:00.001-04:00

This weekend, we remember everyone who's served or is serving in our Military. As a proud Mom of a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to every serviceman or servicewoman who answered the call to defend and protect us and our country by putting their lives on the line daily and for the sacrifices they've made to honor their commitment to the United States. And for their families too.

These folks are the true heroes of our country.

I am proud to say that many men in my family have served. I am honored by them and I thank them.

In June, Mike will deploy to Afghanistan. He will be there for 5 months. Although he tells me where he's going is safe, well, it's AFGHANISTAN. And in my mind, nowhere in Afghanistan is safe. As his Mom, I will worry and each day that he's there, I will put him and the men and women serving along side of him in God's hands for safety and protection.

Please join me if you would, to pray for them and for all who are serving in the military.

Blogger is being a pain again and won't let me upload pictures from my hard drive. So you will have to wait to see what's been cookin' on my needle.

Wishing all of you in the USA a wonderful holiday weekend.

THANK A SOLDIER!

I'm Still Here - I'm Surprised!

2011-05-19T07:18:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the lack of stitching posts and the lack of pictures. I'm still coming to terms with my recent "life change" and it's been a bit rocky. Yesterday, I got out for a bit and that seemed to cheer me up. I bought some quilting fabric to back some ornaments and I had breakfast and lunch with a couple of friends. It was a good day over all.

On Monday, I wanted to throw in the towel. I spent over an hour reading on how to sign up for unemployment, only to find out at the very end when I submitted my claim that I was placed in the wrong category. 45 minutes later and listening to eleventy dozen recordings, I finally got a real live person who proceeded to tell me that my name was not removed from a particular database from years ago when the company I worked for put us all on Shared Work. Because I was in their system, I was automatically placed there. I was given another phone number to call and another 45 minutes later, listening to another gazzillion recordings, I got a real live person who corrected the error but told me that it would take 24 hours to take effect because the system had to re-gen. Ok. THAT started my first morning, when I was in a panic because I don't have a job and I am so stressed out, crying every few minutes.

Adding insult to injury, all the plumbing under my sink came loose and I didn't know it. When I started to wash dishes, I felt water splashing on my feet. I thought, the dog is pee-ing on me! No wait, she's not even in the kitchen, she's watching Livy. (Daisy guards our cat, Livy, like she's her prized possession). Apparently, when our contractor hired out to complete the plumbing, he hired someone who didn't know what he was doing. In the process of putting the plumbing together, this person stripped all the pipe connections and just used plumbing tape to hold the joints together. 5 years later, tape failure! When I opened up the cupboard doors, I found an inch & 1/2 of dirty, stinky water in the bottom of the cabinet. Everything was wet. You could have sailed a boat under there. I just sat down on the floor and sobbed.

6 hours and $500 dollars later, my plumbing was put back together and 3 shutoff valves in the basement were replaced. The plumber did some preventative maintenance, we knew one of the valves was leaking but he replaced 2 more because they were in bad shape. He also told us our water heater (that's 25 years old) is dying. CHA-CHING!!!

I am finding that I run a whole range of emotions and they change constantly without warning. The weekend was just tears. Monday was raw emotion. Yesterday, I was pretty happy. Today, I have feelings of doubt that I will find a job. I face the task of writing a resume and searching for something that "fits". I have a lot of support but I have to keep myself positive. Sometimes that's hard for me. I miss the routine of work. Even though my job was stressful and I worried constantly about retaining it, I find myself rattling around here, going from one thing to the next. I can't concentrate for long periods of time and looking at the process of finding work seems like a tall mountain. I know that it gets better with time. I'll establish a routine and things will fall into place.

Everyone I've talked to told me to take my time and not rush into anything. Regroup, detox. Find myself because after working for so long, you lose "you". I feel conflicted about it because I am so used to taking action. That was my job, when I had a job. Fixing things. Finding solutions. Taking control. Taking corrective actions. I feel like this is totally beyond my control. And for someone who has a desire to control, this is very difficult. I keep praying for guidance. For help to find my way through this "out of control" (in my mind's eye) time.

I have stitched a bit on Bee Man and the exchanges that are so late now. Sorry kids, they will come. It's just gonna take a bit of time. I'm trying to stick to some sort of routine, walking, horses, cleaning, stitching. My tangerine room is almost done. I have to make curtains which I think will begin to happen on Friday. I am sorting through things and putting stuff away.

Anyway, I won't have pictures to post until next week. The DH is visiting his family in PA and he's got the camera. I'm hoping to have a picture heavy couple of posts for you soon. I thank you for allowing me to pour out my heart to you.

It's good to have all of you.

Friday the 13th and I've got a Lot of Time on my Hands

2011-05-13T15:31:00.000-04:00

Friday the 13th certainly lived up to its reputation.

I got downsized today, laid off, fired, use whatever euphenism that you choose. I've joined the ranks of the unemployed.

Perfect.

On a bright note, I have all the time to stitch, right?

Check out the Prim Giveaway at...

2011-05-07T16:23:00.001-04:00

Jeanne at Hamilton House, http://greyhousesamplers.blogspot.com/, is having a great giveaway if you are into prims...beautiful treen ware, buttermolds and candles...

Hello!

2011-05-07T13:11:00.000-04:00

Well, another week has gone by and I don't have a lot to show for it on the stitchy front. I've been struggling a bit at work which make it hard to concentrate on stitching in the evening because I am so spent mentally when I get home. All I want to do is be a cucumber.

I do have a finish to show you. Alphabets is done! Here it is in all her color corrected glory!

Alphabets

Merrily Beams

AVAS 946

32ct Antique White Belfast Linen

She is a beauty! I am saving my shekels to get her framed!

I also am getting impatient to finish up my craft room. I have been bugging the DH to hang a curtain rod and put up my shelf for the last 3 weeks. It will get done in his good time, I guess. If I wasn't such a chicken and could take the heat from the DH, I'd finish it up myself. But it's not worth the aggravation and the grief. My hallway and balcony areas are still clogged up with my stuff. I really want it put back in the room cause I WANT to use it!

Anyway...I'm leaving you with 2 pics of the real heads of our household, Sweetie and Livy.

Sweetie

Livy

Oh and before I leave, I want to wish all the Moms a blessed and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Enjoy your family! Hugs to everyone!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T08:45:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter!

My Lord and Savior is risen! He lives!!!

Another Newsy Post

2011-04-23T16:37:00.005-04:00

Another post without pictures. It's raining. AGAIN. It's rained almost daily for 2 weeks now. I am water logged and vitamin D deficient because there's no sun. I posted on facebook this morning that I was going to Lowes and buy materials to build an ark because that's how much rain we've gotten. And you know, it's not even a warm Spring rain. It's a cold, bone-chilling, windy rain. The kind that gets into you and no matter what you do, you just can't get warm. For goodness sake, last night my friend and I went out for dinner and when we left Panera we could see our breath! People it's APRIL 23rd! Umm-mm...a little warmth, please??

On the stitching front, I finished Alphabets!!!! YAY me! It came out wonderfully! I'm so happy to cross another Wip off the list. That makes 4 for the year. A record. Now, I'm working on ISNFB and This Is the Day. I originally was going to stitch This Is the Day for our main bathroom because I painted it Lemon yellow and I thought the colors would look nice in there. Well, the yellow just about burned the retinas out of your eyes so I toned it down to a Butter yellow. Now TITD is going in my Tangerine room.

Oh, I'm giving Alphabets away now that I've stitched it. If you want the pattern, just say so in this post's comment section. If I have more than one person interested, I'll draw a name.

Oh, and I've discovered I like Adam and Eve Samplers. I never did before but seeing everyone's A&E samplers made me look a little closer at them. And you know what? I kinda like the guy and gal and that sneaky snake. I came across a couple of nice patterns in my SANQ magazines so I put them aside to maybe sneak in one after I get another WIP done. There's a really nice one that Ruth Ann Russell charted that I found in an issue of SANQ. That's short listed now. And have you seen the latest sampler from Brenda at With My Needle and Thread? Oh, Ann Sandles-1846 is just beautiful!

I love the border and I especially love that Adam and Eve are clothed!!

Yesterday, I cleaned the carpets in my Tangerine room in anticipation of putting back the furniture today but the carpets are still a little damp. So instead, I continued to rip out patterns from my magazine collection. I reduced 10 years worth of Antique Needlework & Sampler down to a 1" binder. And I've been ruthlessly tearing up my JCS too. It's actually liberating to do this! I am feeling like I can breath again. I never really thought of how suffocating my stuff was until I decided that I needed to actually use that room instead of making it another place to store stuff. I think I'm going to be able to ditch one of the pantry units I had in that room. I've got plans to buy 2 bookselves and ditch a couple of drawer units too. Then I hope to put an upolstered chair in there so I can actually be comfy to stitch in there when the DH decides to watch another hour of Fox News or the Military channel.

So, I guess until the sun comes from behind the clouds, you all are just going to have to be patient with me for pictures.

I want to wish all of you a very Happy Easter and Passover too. I hope tomorrow, the buns brings you a ton of chocolate and jelly beans. Or a ham. LOL.

Thanks for coming by, I really enjoy your company!

Random Thoughts on a Dreary Monday Afternoon

2011-04-18T16:21:00.001-04:00

Random thoughts as I count down the minutes until I can go home....

I ate an entire bag of Dove chocolate eggs. Yes, the ENTIRE bag and now I feel ick. My bad. Tasted good while I shoveled them in my mouth. Now? Not so much. And I'm waiting for the eventual sugar crash. I have a doctor's appointment next week too. He'll just be thrilled when I get on the scale and am up 7 pounds from last year. I can't wait for the lecture and the threat of dire diseases because I can't resist chocolate-y goodness. (Oh my, I just figured out the number of WW points in that bag of chocolate- 42!!!! I'm screwed...lol!).

Wishing I was home stitching. I am almost done with Alphabets. Only one more bird, a cherry and the bottom border to stitch. If I put my mind to it, I could finish it up tonight but I need to stitch on something else so that will have to wait. Hey, it's only been a Wip for almost 3 years so what's a few more days or a week?

I Sigh Not for Beauty is making me sigh....actually, the sampler is making me curse. A really nasty frog has attached itself to this sampler and won't let go. I messed up those pomegrante flowers and had to rip out 2 of them and I misplaced one of the vines coming off the border. It's been a struggle, but I shall overcome! I love the sampler too so that helps.

I got Lucy Minton and Her Sampler back from Michaels. Her Sampler looks ok but I can't help but think of the crooked hacked off fabric stuffed behind the frame. Lucy Minton has "issues". Michaels left out the spacers. I got that fixed. And she's stretched a little wonky. The woman who stretched her pulled the linen to the right so the linen weave slants. It bothers me a little because if you come up close to the piece you can see it. Is it something I should have redone? Maybe. But I've learned a lesson, I will stretch my pieces from now on. Or maybe insist that Heidi (the framer that I like) frames my pieces exclusively.

Check out Woolwoman's blog for a pic of what she won for my "I'm Sick of Winter Giveaway"....the piece I made her came out sweet...

I painted my craft room tangerine. Yes, tangerine. It's the coolest shade of orange. My DH thinks I'm nuts. But I love that the room glows. You should have seen me moving all the goods out of the room. It was like a clown car. things just kept pouring out of it, filing up the hallway and the balcony. It was embarrassing and my DH was astonished at all MY STUFF. It's been sorta suffocating but I vowed, as God is my witness, that when I reassemble the room, I will be able to stitch there, paint there and not feel like it's crushing me.

I started to disassemble all my magazines, keeping only what appealed to me, mainly the sampler patterns. I felt like I was committing a crime ripping up Samplers and Antique Quarterly magazines, but people, I've been collecting them for at least 10 years and I think I can reduce that 10 year collection to a binder or 2. Please don't be hatin' me for defacing those magazines. Oh, and I threw out about 10 years worth of Martha Stewart Living too. And I have Country Sampler magazines, Country Home, Mary Englebriet, oh my...can I qualify as a hoarder? I am looking forward to getting the room back together, organized and calm. The sheer amount of stuff in there actually made me nervous. I am having the DH put up a shelf close to theceiling so that I can put my "toys"on. Looking forward to having them up off the tops of the cabinets and desk.

So, if the weather would cooperate, I may be able to snap a few pictures. I don't know when I will be able to though, it's cold and rainy here....there was SNOW in the air yesterday. I don't think Winter wants to unclutch us yet.

Oh, how I want warm weather....

And one last thing....a question about storage of linen and WIPs.

How do you store your excess fabric and WIPs? I was storing my linen in a dresser but when we moved it we noticed that 2 of the 3 drawers were falling apart. My DH isn't sure he can fix them so I may have to find an alternative method of storage. What do you do?

And my WIPs are stored in hugh ziplock bags, with the fabric, pattern and fibers. I have "ahem" many and they are stuffed in a few baskets. I'd like to store them in one place neatly. How do you store your Wips so they are accessible but "out of sight?

Anyway, enough rambling....thanks for coming by!

Pictures...as promised

2011-04-03T21:45:00.002-04:00

Here are the pictures that I promised. I am annoyed at the color, it's so off. Even trying to mess with the contrast and the brightness didn't help. Today was the perfect day to take pictures too, the light was flat so I thought that the colors would be more true. But the color is off. Nuts.

First is Alphabets:

Alphabets

Merrily Beams

32ct Cream Belfast

946 AVAS

I've got 2 more birds and then the personalization. I hope that the personalization doesn't make me shove the sampler down into the depths of the WIP basket. I'll have to get out the graph paper and figure this out. And this sampler is not going to Michaels for framing. It deserves special handling. I'm going to take it to the the framer that my LNS recommends and I hope that when they stretch it, the wrinkles will get stretched out. I did iron this piece before I took it's picture but there's still a lot of wrinkles. Because it's stitched in red AVAS, it's certainly not colorfast so a warm bath is out of the question.

Next is a piece from With Thy Needle and Thread:

Needle and Pins Heart Pinkeep

With Thy Needle and Thread

DMC

35ct Flax linen

I bought an antique copper oil can to mount it on. I'm hoping it comes out nice.

And there's In the Bee Man's Garden and I Sigh Not For Beauty:

The Goode Huswife

In the Bee Man's Garden

DMC

32ct Vintage Country Mocha

I Sigh Not For Beauty

C Street Samplings

DMC

36ct Dirty Linen

I'm not really far along on either of these samplers but I thought I 'd post them just to document their progress. I'm enjoying I Sigh Not For Beauty. I thought I'd hate that arcaded border but it's moving very fast and isn't tedious. The Bee Man is a fun stitch. It's my "go to" piece for the times I want to stitch something that's not going to require a lot of mindful stitching.

And one other thing that I've noticed. I'm stitching a lot with DMC again. For the longest time, I'd stitch only with overdyes. And of course, I LOVE silk but I'm finding myself reaching for those little baggies of DMC more and more. I'm liking how conveniently accessible they are (a quick trip to Michaels, ACMoore or JoAnn Fabrics and I love the colorfastness cause I'm not exactly the cleanest stitcher with 3 cats and a dog to deal with. Things certainly go around full circle. What about you? What's your "go to" fiber?

So tomorrow starts another week. I always wonder what happened to the weekend. They just go by so fast. But the new week stretches out before us and I wish all of you a great one! Take care and thanks for coming by my little corner of the world. Have a great week, everyone!

Apologies all around

2011-04-02T14:34:00.002-04:00

I'm sorry that I haven't posted more recently and I apologize to my give-away winners because I haven't mailed your goodies yet. There was a bit of sadness here in the last 2 weeks and I've been working long hours. I'm a bit behind, exhausted and wondering when we are going to turn the bend to happier, less stressed times. It will be well. Eventually.

I will be back with pictures shortly. My stitching has been a life preserver (again!) and I've made progress on my Alphabet sampler and I've started The Goode Huswife's, In The Bee Man's Garden and I Sigh Not For Beauty by Fran Russell of C Street Samplings.

In the Bee Man's Garden

The Goode Huswife

I Sigh Not For Beauty

C Street Samplings

I know, I know, I told myself NO NEW STARTS but I want a summer piece (the Bee Man) and I fell hard for I Sigh Not For Beauty. There is a SAL for that sampler on Ellen Chester's, With My Needle and Pen group and it's not a lot of stitching during the month (even though I am a little behind) so I thought I'd be part of it. I stitched my beloved John Foster with that group too. It's manageable.

Oh! And as a treat to myself (and because I had an awesome 70% off coupon for framing at Michaels) I took Her Sampler and Lucy Minton to be framed. I am a little apprehensive though, with this framing job this time around. The lady who waited on me sorta scared me when she hacked off about 3 inches of excess linen on Her Sampler with a very dull scissors. She asked if she could and I thought, "Well, yeah, go ahead, there's a lot of excess fabric to stuff under that frame" never thinking that she would cut the fabric so unevenly. She saw the look of horror on my face and calmly stated that "no one would see it anyway". Yikes! I hope that she stretches the pieces straight...usually I do that honor just to be sure but I decided to let them do it before she took the scissors to the sampler. Crossing my fingers..that the framing will be OK.

So stay tuned, I'll be adding pictures in my next post. I am glad for all of you who stop by and HI to my new followers!

Just STOP!

2011-03-22T18:39:00.000-04:00

We're in for another one....7-10".

PLEASE....If you are praying for snow...

Please STOP!

Spring??? And the Winners

2011-03-21T08:57:00.001-04:00

when I woke up this morning to 3 inches of snow, I thought NO!!!! Didn't Mother Nature get the message? It's SPRING!!! Well...it's been said that if you want the weather to change in Upstate NY, just wait 5 minutes.

I was going to let Miss Daisy choose the winners of my "I'm Sick of Winter" Giveaway but I decided to let the random generator do the honors. Here's the results!

Here is your sequence:

3 - Woolwoman! The big winner!
20 - Blu Stitcher
14 - Ohiofarm Girl

So kids, email me at J24D29@stny.rr.com with your address and I'll get your goodies out by the week's end.

Thanks for playing everyone! I really wish I could give all of you a little "sumthin'...

Spring!!!

2011-03-20T10:08:00.002-04:00

SPRING HAS ARRIVED!!!

Today's the day! It's glorious in Upstate NY, sunny and a little chilly but I'm not complaining.

Today's the day to announce the "I'm Sick of Winter" Giveaway too! SO if you haven't put your name in the hat, go down to that post and put it in. I'm drawing the winner(s) later today.

Enjoy your day and celebrate SPRING!

Some Finishes and Progress Pictures

2011-03-07T09:28:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! Today is a snow day! We woke up to 18+ inches of blowing and drifting white stuff this morning. Because the county has issued a state of emergency and they haven't plowed the roads and my driveway has at least 2 feet of snow (and it's a long driveway) effectively, I am home for the day! Woo Hoo! Guess what I'm doing ALL DAY today! Yep. Spending the day with my needle and thread.

I wanted to post a few pictures of my latest Wip finishes and a progress picture. I apologize that the colors aren't true. No matter what I did, I couldn't get the linen color right. The pics are grey but not by choice...

Below is Her Sampler from Carriagehouse Samplings. I ADORE this sampler and I can't wait until I can frame it.

I just love this center panel.

Her Sampler

Barrick Samplers/Carriagehouse Samplings

32ct Vintage Mocha Linen

DMC

Next is With Thy Needle and Thread's, Miss Snow Fairy. I want to make her into a pillow but I am nervous about finishing her.

Miss Snow Fairy

With Thy Needle and Thread

28ct Mushroom Lugana

DMC

Last is my current Wip. Honestly, I don't know why I put it away, I am loving stitching these alphabets. It's Merrily Beams Alphabets. This is the first piece for my red sampler wall. I love redwork and alphabets so what could be better? I have so many more red samplers waiting in the wings. I want to stitch them all right now.

Alphabets

Merrily Beams

32ct cream linen

AVAS 946

Don't you just love those red birds with the cherries?

Today, I'll be stitching on my give-away piece. I love what I am working on and I hope the lucky winner will too! Don't forget to add a comment on this post to enter. No strings, just fun!

Well, I should go out and help the DH shovel...but......
Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

This Little Piggy Went to Ebay

2011-03-06T17:04:00.001-05:00

And listed a ton of OOP patterns. Because I am a piggy.

I've listed OOP patterns from Carriagehouse Samplings (including Her Sampler), The Goode Huswife and The Prairie Schooler.

Go check 'em out. My ebay seller id is JDML3.

I'm Loving the Crazy Challenge!

2011-02-28T18:42:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! I hope you are having a good week so far. We had an interesting weekend, the hot water heater refused to heat water so for 2 days, the DH and I went "pioneer", heating water on the stove and washing up using my hugh canning pot. I really hated washing my hair this way cause I felt I didn't get all the shampoo out of it. It wasn't fun and I have to tell you that I will never take my instantaneous hot water for granted ever again. We were bracing ourselves for a hugh bill but fortunately, the only thing wrong with the heater was a plugged nozzle. That was the good news.
The bad news is that we owe MEGABUCKS on our taxes this year. Oh my, I went into shock when the CPA's receptionist pulled out the bill...we've never had a tax bill this big before. :(

Anyway, this is not why I am posting.
First of all, I've got 102 followers! Oh my! That calls for a celebration! So, I will be picking another name on March 20th for my Sick of Winter GiveAway. And maybe, I'll pick another! So, pass the word.

Nextly (thanks Jan, I love that word) I am loving the Flippin' Crazy Challenge. So far, I've finished 2 WIPs and I am well on my way to finishing a 3rd. I've finished Snow Fairy and Her Sampler. Now, I am over 3/4 of the way done with Merrily Beams, Alphabets. I stitched a good chunk of it over the weekend. So thanks for the brilliant idea, Jayne!

I just want to take a minute and thank everyone who comes by Joanie's World. You will never know how much your visits make me smile. I can always count on you to lift my spirits and share my ups and downs. Thanks again!

The Snowman Giveaway

2011-02-21T12:21:00.000-05:00

Kathy posted pics of the Snowman Giveaway...so I snagged them from her blog.

I sent her a ton of things...yeah, I got carried away with the snowmen....but I love them so I wanted to spread the joy... :-) Go check out her blog to see...I so enjoyed painting the snowman and stitching the little pillow.

So...gear up for the I'm Sick of Wintert Giveaway...it's gonna be good...

I Have a Few Pictures

2011-02-19T08:18:00.002-05:00

but because I am brain-dead, I accidently deleted all the pics of the give-away that Kathy won. Just suffice it to say that she was quite happy with the contents of my give-away and I hope she'll post a picture of what she received. Damn. I was hoping to whet your appetite for the "I AM SICK OF WINTER" give-away. I'll post at tease for the Sick of Winter giveaway, I'm just starting to stitch something totally adorable!

Anyway, by some miracle, the blurry pics of Her Sampler survived the Great Picture Purge. Here they are:

These pictures were taken 2 weeks ago and now, the sampler is almost done. I only have the acorn on the lower right side to stitch and then, STRIKE UP THE BAND for a happy dance. Can you hear the orchestra tuning up and the angels warming up their voices to sing the Halleluia Chorus? And finishing this sampler will be #2 of my 2011 Wip Bust. I finished Snow Fairy too.

Now it'll be on to another WIP, BOAF's Friendship Sampler and Merrily Beams, Alphabets. Friendship Sampler has just the top border finished but I really screwed up the colors because I misread the color chart and I hate the coverage with the Charcoal WDW floss. But I'm not frogging it out because at that point, I'd just have to start over. I will frog out the Charcoal and sub in a GAST color that's very close to the Charcoal thread. I think I can manage that but to rip out all that Tropical Blue border to replace it with Cornflower, NO THANK YOU!

I have to tell you that I've been in a funk recently too. I hate February, It's the longest month of the year for me because by this time, I am very tired of the cold and snow. We had a bit of a thaw here in Upstate NY this week. Spring-like temps and SUN!! I was very encouraged to see Daffodil shoots coming up in my garden. That's encouraging. Today, we are under a wind advisory, it's snowing and cold again!

In other news...
My kids are in Japan and I believe settling in nicely. Mike will be very busy the next couple of weeks spinning up to speed on his job supporting Search and Rescue. There are a number of training exercises comng up and then....he deploys to Afghanistan this Summer. I know that's what he signed up to do but I can't help but be worried and scared for him. I guess he's just not playing War but is in one.

I am also struggling with a few health issues (I am at that age, high cholesterol, high BP and pre-diabetes) and some other personal things and I am very thankful for my stitching because it calms my mind and I don't think about the things that bother me when I have a needle in my hand. And, I am trying to be positive, focusing on my many, many blessings. That alone lifts my spirits, as do all of you who come by my blog. I am so grateful for the internet and the stitching community. But if you would and are so inclined, keep me in prayer.

So, I am off to start my Saturday. My coffee is finished, the load of laundry is done and needs to go into the dryer and the vacuum is calling my name. Have a great weekend! And thanks for stopping. Come back soon!

I'M TIRED OF WINTER GIVEAWAY!!!!!

2011-02-09T10:16:00.003-05:00

I AM SICK OF WINTER!!!!!

Ok, who's with me on this! Are you sick of Winter yet? I KNOW I am! So in order to drive away the WInter doldrums and to offset the intense desire for retail therapy, I've decided to hold another GIVE-AWAY!

This Give-away will be a celebration of Spring. So, if you are game and are sick of Winter, come join the fun. Rest assured the give-away will be packed with goodies sure to drive Ol' Man Winter away!

All are welcome if you want to play along but once again, it would be nice if you were a follower but it's not required. Please leave a message on this post ONLY stating how tired you are of Ol' Man Winter and I'll draw the lucky winner on the first day of Spring, March 20th.

Come play!

Good Snowy Tuesday!

2011-02-01T12:55:00.004-05:00

Hi Everyone!
I hope you are staying warm and snug this blustery Winter's Day! We have been fortunate up till now with snow but this storm marching across the US will hit us with a vengeance this afternoon and into tomorrow. We are supposed to get at least a foot of snow and then brutally cold temperatures.

I have been under the weather, over the weekend I contracted that nasty stomach bug that's flying around. Just suffice it to say that upchucking pizza in the middle of the night isn't one of the most pleasant experiences and one that I don't want to repeat for the rest of my life. I despise throwing up with all I'm worth so this episode was doubly icky. After that, it was ginger ale and crackers for the rest of the weekend. Food doesn't have the greatest appeal right now and do not even show me a picture of pizza. Blech.

Because I was sick on the weekend, I stayed home on Monday just to be sure that I wasn't going to spread my illness to unsuspecting co-workers (who, I am sure, are very grateful). Mainly, I was sore and weak and the sick day afforded me a chance for uninterupted stitching and movie watching. I stitched ALL DAY! Oh, it was heavenly! I worked on Her Sampler by CHS and I am happy to say I am 1/2 way done with it. I love, love, love the sampler and I am working on it feverishly because I want to get it framed right away! I have a 60% off framing coupon from Michaels that's good until mid-February. I'd love to frame Her Sampler and Lucy Minton this go round. Both are smallish samplers so I am hoping to get away with less than a fortune to frame them. Got to love the Michael's coupons. Usually, when I have Michaels frame anything for me, I take my piece in and order the frame and all the accompaning hardware, spacers, frame, glass etc. . I have the foam core cut to size for me and I take it home and stretch the piece myself. When the frame comes in, I take my stretched piece back to them for assembly. That way, I know it's done correctly. The store people look at me like I'm nuts and there's one gentleman in particular who thinks I am a royal pain but who cares? I get what I want and I am very happy with the results.

On the movie front, I downloaded RED. OMGosh, I about split a gut! It was very funny and I adored the entire cast. And I watched Secretariat. We saw it in the theater when it first came out. Each time I watch it, I get goosebumps. I adore that movie!

I do have a dilemna though, I want to stitch Valentine's things too. But it will take time away from Her Sampler! Oh, what's a stitcher to do?! I've been very good about stitching WIPs and not starting anything new. I am proud of myself. So far, I've worked on Her Sampler, Alphabets and BOAF's, Friendship Sampler.

I feel a little guilty about not working exclusively on the Friendship Sampler becasue there's another stitcher anxiously awaiting the pattern. I am seriously considering frogging out the Charcoal thread because it is so thin and the coverage is sparse. Has anyone noticed that the quality of Weeks Dye Works thread has deteriorated? I have thread from a few years ago that's plump and doesn't tangle. With the newer thread I've purchased, I find that I battle coverage and tangling constantly. My favorite overdyed thread is Cresent Colors and Gentle Arts Sampler Thread. I have a good supply of GAST and I do not need another collection of thread so I am resisting the temptation to purchase a lot of the Crescent Color floss. It is tempting, though!

And speaking of favorites, I have a new favorite linen. You know that I love Lambswool linen. It's got a very warm hue and I adore just about anything that I stitch on it. But it is a light tone. And I've been looking for a linen in a warm brown that is a bit darker. I've found it! Country Mocha Belfast! It is warm and no matter what thread color I stitch on it, the fibers seem to glow on the fabric. It is a "full bodied" linen too that feels terrific in "hand". The only drawback is that I've only found it in 32 count. But that's ok, 32 count fabric is very acceptable to me as a mid-range linen count. Her Sampler is stitched on a Vintage piece of Country Mocha. The shading is so subtle. I am in love. I bought a hugh piece of Country Mocha to stitch Blackbird Designs, Anniversaries of the Heart. I just need to pull all the thread to see how they look on the linen. I bet the fibers will look smashing. (Not too worry, I won't be starting this anytime soon but I AM prepared!).

Anyway, stitchy pictures will have to wait until the sun is out and I am home. Usually, I am at work when the sun shines. The weekends have been drab and overcast. So pictures are lacking. Please just be patient and there will be a very picture heavy post in the near future (crossing my fingers!) And thanks for hanging in there with me, friends! I really thought I'd lose followers since I haven't posted in a while. That means a lot to me cause I cherish everyone who visits. :-) I hope to "see" you soon!

GO STEELERS!!!

2011-01-23T08:52:00.001-05:00

Here we go, Steelers, here we go!!!

The Crazies!

2011-01-09T22:31:00.002-05:00

Well, I am crazy, you all know that. I did sign up for 2 challenges but on top of that (with good intentions, of course) life just got plain crazy here! Therefore, even though I 've tried to keep up with the challenges, life has stepped in with it's own challenges. So I haven't had a spare minute to snap one pic of all my cross stitch madness. Sigh. I really wanted to share pics with you.

For the Flippin' Crazy Challenge, I finished one WIP (YAY for me!). I finished Miss Snow Fairy on Friday night. She's too CUTE!
I worked on Her Sampler but ended up frogging every stitch. :( because I certainly cannot count after 10 PM.
I worked on Alphabets and finished a couple more letters. She's 1/2 way done!
And I worked on BOAF's Friendship Sampler but I'm not feeling the love with my threads so I may restart.
Honestly, this challenge has lit a fire under me to finish some nice Wips. Kudos to Jayne for her brilliant idea!

I haven't done as well on the 15 day Challenge. I did start LHN's, All Is Calm on 35 count Lambswool linen but that's it. I got most of the roof on one of the houses stitched using one strand of DMC but HATED the coverage. (Has anyone but me noticed that DMC is very thin now? I had a skein of older DMC (like 15 years old) and the fibers were much more plump than the skein I just purchased. Plus there's thickness variation within the newer skein too.) I love how it's coming out now that went to 2 threads over 35 count.

And there are 2 big crazy things going on in my life right now.
1. The upcoming work week will be CRAZY because we are hosting our registrar for certifcation to 3(!) standards. There will be 4 auditors over 5 days. 12 hour days. CRAZY busy!

2. Mike is getting ready to fly away next Saturday. He is going to Tindale AFB in Florida for F-15 fighter training for a month. Then in mid-February both Jenna and he leave for Kadena AFB in Okinawa. After Saturday, I will not see him for at least a year. Jenna will join him in Dallas in February and then together they will go on to Japan. I am not sure how I feel about it. Of course, I am SO proud of him. And I know it is an adventure of a lifetime. But the Mom in me...well, she is happy that he's got strong wings but sad just the same to see him spread those wings and fly into his life.

So you see...it's CRAZY here!

Pics to follow soon, probably next weekend sometime. We are going out of town Friday into Saturday so with fingers crossed, maybe the weather will cooperate Saturday afternoon or Sunday and I will be able to get a pic or 3 of my progress. The weather sucks and there's no light right now.

January 1st

2011-01-01T22:21:00.000-05:00

I didn't start anything today but I did pick which ornaments I am going to start for the 15 Day Challenge. I will kit them up this week and begin stitching them in between Wip busting with the Flippin' Crazy January Challenge.

I decided to stitch the following as my 1st 3 ornaments for the 15 Day Challenge:

Little House Needlework

Red House in Winter

Little House Needlework

All Is Calm

Homespun Elegance

Festive Redbird

As part of the Flippin' Crazy Challenge, I stitched on With Thy Needle and Thread's, Miss Snow Fairy.

I am 95% finished with her. I thought she would be done before the New Year but we've had company. Mike and Jenna are here and we've entertained their friends for the last 3 days. What a great time we had! It was like when Mike was in High School and all his buddies would come here on Friday night for all night video games. They would play video games all night and that's just what they did for the last 2 nights. We toasted the New Year to Dick Clark's Rocking New Year's Eve and then off to bed we went.

I am sorry that my vacation is just about over and then it's back to work. It's been a great 2 weeks off but once I go back to work, it's going to be insane! I am sure that after I am there 15 minutes, I won't feel like I've been off at all. Oh fun, fun!

So, tomorrow, I'll post my progress on Miss Snow Fairy. She's cute! I made a change to her and I've stitched her on a larger count fabric to make her into a pillow. Eventually. HA HA. I bought a really cute piece of flannel to border and back her. I hope that once my craft room is picked up I'll feel like sewing. I worked on that chore today a bit, it's slowly coming back together.

Anyway, the dogs have been a trial, our shepherd, Daisy, is ok with Mike's dog, Sophie, but there have been a few growls and 2 minor altercations that put me on edge so whenever the dogs get close to each other I kinda freak out. The David is a little peeved at me right now so it's hasn't been a great start to 2011 between us.

Well, I think that's enough of my blathering...I bid you all a fond good night! Thanks for coming by!

Winner, Winner! Chicken Dinner!

2011-01-01T10:39:00.000-05:00

Ok...here's the big announcement!

This was done so scientifically that I even amaze myself. HA HA.

All the names were put into a hat.

Shaken, not stirred.

A lucky name was drawn.

And the winner is...
.
.
.
.
.
.

KATHY! (Kathy's Stitching and other comments)

Surprise!!!!

See, coming late to the party wasn't such a bad idea!

Please send me your address, and I will get your goodies out by the end of the week. I still have a house full of company and I won't make it to the post office until I get back to work.

Thanks to everyone who played in the snow with me. I promise to have another give away soon. I sorta enjoy this...

Reflections

2010-12-31T08:49:00.000-05:00

As 2010 closes, I just want to say thank you to all of you who come by Joanie's World. It's nice to know that all of you are in my corner of cyberworld. I've made a ton of friends through this little slice of internet and each of you leave me inspired, spark my creativity and just sometimes kick me in the a$$.

My year was fair to mid-land. Some good things happened, the house finally got finished.

Mike and Jenna spent the year in Texas.

The DH retired:

And I kept my job.

Stitching wise, I finished a few things but started many more:

So, here's to new beginnings and learning from the past. Onto 2011!

Breathe

2010-12-27T22:32:00.000-05:00

Oh after 9 long months, my kids are here! I feel that I can breathe again. They are here. I am very happy.

Sophie, Mike & Jenna

They are my greatest joy and this is the best Christmas present that I received :-) .

2010-12-24T09:56:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all my blogger friends! Thank you so much for your friendship, inspiration and love! I cherish each and everyone of you that drop by to visit Joanie's World.

May you have a wonderful Christmas filled with laughter, friends, family and great food. I hope that Santa's good to you and that you take a moment to reflect on God's gift to us. Blesssings to all of you in 2011!!

The GIVE-AWAY

2010-12-21T15:49:00.001-05:00

Ok, I've made a decision about the give-away. Today is the first day of Winter and it's the day that I put out my snowmen. I've got quite a collection and each year I add a few more. So in celebration of the longest day of the year, I am holding my give-away. IT'S A SURPRISE (cuz I don't have a camera to take pics...LOL!!).

Just a few hints...

There's cross stitch charts, fabric and fibers, a painted thing or 2 and it's going to be all wrapped up in something very pretty.

If you want to play...please leave me a comment on this post only. Make sure you have your email address or a way to contact you if you are the weiner!!!

You do not need to be a follower, although it would be nice if you joined the party. You just have to like Winter.

I'll draw the winner's name on January 1st.

Hope you'll play...

Christmas Time is Near

2010-12-20T23:36:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone! I hope all of you are ready for Santa Claus. I'm just about ready to go, the presents still need to be wrapped and I have some baking to do but the good thing is that I am on VACATION!!!! OMGosh, 2 WHOLE WEEKS OFF from the madness of my job (which I dearly love but am completely burned out. I am crispy).

What do you think I'll be doing with my time? Well, I have some household things that need attending to desperately and of course there's the baking and present wrapping. I have a list that could wrap around the earth a few times. If I get a 10th of it done, I'll be a happy camper.

First of all there's the general housecleaning, not too big of a job and it's necessary. I want to clean out a few closets and I really want to organize my craft room. It's claustrophobic because I have stuff literally hanging from the ceiling. It needs a good clean and scrub. I want to go through some old magazines, put things away and generally make it a nice place to work again. When I let it go, it becomes a catch-all room and all the creativity gets lost. I don't want to be there and work.

The other big job is the basement ~~dungeon.~~ The TV show, Hoarders, would have a field day down there. You take a chance with your life to go down there, you may never return to the light of day! We have things that we trucked from our old house that we lived in for 11 years (we've been in this house for 21 years) so I have stuff from 30 years ago that hasn't seen the light of day and I figure if we haven't opened those boxes by now, it's a safe bet that we won't miss the stuff when it's gone. There's construction stuff from when the house was built, craft goodies, holiday decorations, Mike's things and the flotsam and jetsam of 21 years of living here. Well, you get the idea. It's time to purge. I want the house to vomit it out to the landfill. A clean slate for 2011 and I hope to break that law of nature that says Nature abhors a vacuum and avoid filling it back up. Wish me luck!

But I really want to finish some cross stitch things this week. I spent most of my time painting snowmen this weekend and had absolutely NO needle time in over a week. I have a few ornaments that need to be put together and a pillow I want to finish. And I want to stitch. And stitch some more.

Next week, Mike and Jenna will be here!!! I am so looking forward to seeing them! They will be home for a few days. Mike will be leaving for Florida mid-January for additional training, Jenna will be with her parents while he is there and they will leave for Japan in mid-February. I am glad because originally they were to leave for Japan on January 6th. Now Jenna will get a chance to say a proper good-bye to her parents and friends. They won't feel like they are getting ripped out of their lives here and dropped into Okinawa. They now get to ease into Japan.

I promised you my list of Wips that I pledge to bust in 2011 during the Flipin' Crazy January Challenge. So here it is...in no particular order:

Alphabets - Merrily Beams
Snow Day - With Thy Needle and Thread
Christmas Double Flips - Lizzie*Kate
Her Sampler - Carriagehouse Samplings
Sweeping Snowflakes - With Thy Needle and Thread
Friendship Sampler - BOAF
Eye on the Sparrow - Silver Creek Samplers
Quaker Medallion Sampler - SANQ Winter 2000
Ellen Birdseye - The Good Huswife
Remember Me - Mary Garry
Thankful Wheeler - The Good Huswife
Time and Season Sampler - Moira Blackburn
Maria Chivers - Samplers Remembered
This is the Day - Hands to Work
True Virtue Sampler (Janie Applebaum) JCS magazine

That's the list...I hope to finish them this coming year. I always start a new goodie on January 1st but I haven't made up my mind if I want to do that or pick up one of these that I haven't touched in months or years. If I do that, it'll "feel" like a new start and not add to this growing and growing list.

I also joined the Crazy January 2011 Challenge to stitch Christmas ornaments and I joined the All Year Long Christmas Stitch-a-long just to stitch Christmas things. That SAL is really no pressure and I'll post the ornaments I finish there. I wish someone would start an All Year Long Halloween Stitch-a-long. Now that would be sweet!

The DH is in Texas to attend Mike's graduation from Mil Intel School and to help the kids drive their cars back to NY. He won't be back until late Christmas Eve. The camera is with him and I won't be able to post pics until he gets home. So be patient. I know I promised a give-away but unless you want it to be a TOTAL surprise you'll have to wait until next week for that post with pictures.

Anyway...sorry for the long post and thanks so much for visiting my corner of the world! I love it when you come by! I'll post something later in the week....for Christmas...

There is a Method to my Madness

2010-12-04T10:48:00.000-05:00

I am certifiably insane. I decided to join the Crazy January Challenge. But! There's a method to this madness. I am ONY stitching ornaments and small pieces throughout the year for my christmas tree and as bowl fillers. You know, the cazy idea I had this year to stitch seasonal items and display them? Well, I think this is going to keep me focused on doing just that!

And I've chosen my 15 WIPs for Jayne's challenge. That challenge will be the more difficult one because most of my WIPs are only 1/2 completed. I guess the bloom fades about 1/2 way into the project. I was so surprised when I pulled them out and realized that just about all of them are at the 1/2 way point. LOL! Anyway, I'll post all of my lists later this weekend. I'm on my way to a cookie exchange. T'is the Season!

Hi There

2010-12-01T19:11:00.002-05:00

I hope all my US friends had a great Thanksgiving! And to all my out of country buddies, I hope you had a nice weekend. I made it a l-o-n-g weekend out of it, I took vacation 1/2 day vacation on Tuesday, a full day of vacation on Wednesday and Friday was shutdown. I thought I'd get a lot of stitching done but that didn't happen. I worked on Miss Snow Fairy and my Lizzie Kate Christmas snip-its. But what I spent most of the weekend on was our bedroom. The David decided he wanted to remove the acoustic ceiling, sand and repaint it. That led to repainting the entire room and steam cleaning the carpet. My knees still aren't happy from getting up and down the ladder a bojillion times. We painted the room a lovely caramel color called Cracker Bitz. I thought I'd get a pic of the room for you but there hasn't been any sun in my chunk o'world since LAST week. It's rained and rained and continues to rain here. But, the bedroom looks spectacular and it's stayed clutter free for 4 whole days!! A RECORD!!! LOL!

Tonight I am very tired and somewhat down. There is so much to do to get ready for Mike and Jenna when they come home for Christmas (crossing my fingers). I haven't done any decorating yet. I usually wait until mid-December to put up the tree but I think this year I'm going to put it up next weekend. I think I'll do some decorating on the weekend, the table decorations and window garlands. Probably, I'll start on Sunday cause I'm going to a Cookie Exchange on Saturday (I'm making 8 dozen peanut butter blossom cookies on Friday night).

Have you heard about the Crazy January Challenge where you start a new project everyday for the first 15 days in January and then working on them throughout the year until they are done? It's like a 1/2 month Guilt-free January. I've decided instead of starting 15 new pieces (which is truly crazy and got me in the WIP mess that I'm currently in), I'm going to chose 15 WIPs and work on them until they are finished. I'm joining this blog Up 4 a Challenge . Jayne from An Eye for Threads at Henley's Landing is hosting it. I'll post my 15 and then let the challenge begin. Want to join me?

Oh, I've decided that I will have my Give-Away on December 21st. It's a Frosty Friend Giveaway, filled with Snowmen...a painted Frosty Friend, some Frosty Stash, fabric and a chart or 3....stay tuned for the details. I'm going to keep it simple....so watch for the post announcing it on the 15th!

Anyway...I'm going to go off and try to stitch. Sorry no pics. Maybe when the sun returns soon, I hope.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T18:25:00.000-05:00

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving. I am so blessed to know all of you. Isn't it wonderful that our love for needlework "stitch" us together?

I wish you a wonderful time with family and friends. Share laughter, love and stories. Smile a lot and eat LOTS of pie!

Just to Prove I DO Stitch!

2010-11-21T17:03:00.000-05:00

Picture time!!! I just wanted you to know that, yes, I DO stitch. I don't finish much but yes, the needle and I are close friends.

Finished but not framed:

Lucy Minton

The City Stitcher

32ct Raw Belfast Linen

DMC

Halloween pieces that I wanted to make into small pillows. Didn't happen, obviously. I love to stitch, fear finishing. Go figure.

The Prairie Schooler
Mary Gary's Sewing Cabin
35ct Lambswool Linen
DMC

At least these made it to their intended finish and were proudly displayed at Halloween.

The Prairie Schooler

Sweeping Cobwebs

35ct Lambswool Linen

DMC

Broom Hilda

Wtih Thy Needle & Thread

35ct Lambswool Linen

DMC

Liberty

The Trilogy

32ct Linen

Overdyed Thread

And I'm working on these With Thy Needle and Thread Patterns:

Snow Day

With Thy Needle & Thread

35ct Confederate Grey Linen

DMC

Snow Fairy

With Thy Needle & Thread

28ct Mushroom Lugana

DMC

He's a Flake

30ct Straw Linen

Weeks Dye Works Cotton Thread

Can you tell I love snowmen?

I started the Christmas flip its 2 Christmas' ago. I put it up but picked it back up yesterday. I am not fond of Weeks Dye Works thread so I think that's why it got sent to the "Land of the Misfit Stitching". I'm enjoying it now though....

Christmas Double Flips

Lizzie Kate
32c Lambswool Linen

Weeks Dye Works Cotton Thread

Another design destined for pillow finishing....eventually.

Plum Pudding Designs

32ct Unknown Linen

DMC

When I had grand ideas to have a basket full of Patriotic pillows, I stitched these:

Let Freedom Ring

Lizzie Kate Snippet

32ct Lambswool Linen

Weeks Dye Works & GAST overdyed thread

The Sampler Girl

32ct Lambswool Linen

Weeks Dye Works Linen

Lastly, I participated in a Halloween Exchange with All Season's Ornaments. Dawn made me the cutest treat bag from a Lizzie Kate Halloween design. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!

A-nn-n-d...there's the stash haul...no, not all at once but over the course of a month or so....gluttonous I know, but just the same I'm happy.

So there ya have it sports fans! The last few months stitching! I hope you liked what I have to show you. Thanks for visiting!!! Love when you stop by, truly I do!

Good Sunday Morning!

2010-11-07T09:04:00.000-05:00

Today when I woke up, I was blinded by a bright shiney thing streaming in through the window of our bedroom. What could it be? Was it SUNSHINE??? Sun???!!! Isn't that the big bright thing in the sky that is very scarce in my part of good ol' Upstate NY? Why, yes, yes it is! Mr. Sol decided to pay a visit. He's not been around for the last 2 weeks and honestly, I am thrilled he is here. Now, maybe I'll get some pics of my stitching to show you instead of just talking about it or not talking at all because there's no stitchy pics to accompany my musing.

I will not be able to show you my All Season's Exchange ornanment because of Mr. Sun's absence. If Daisy posts it on the blog, I'll snag it and post it. I also actually finished something, I made 2 pincushions for Halloween, one of this pattern from With Thy Needle:

and one of that marching witch with the broom from this one too.

Currently, I've been stitching on 2 new pieces and I've picked up a WIP that got put away last year. I can't stop myself from starting new things. The WIP is Miss Snow Fairy:

And the new piece is With Thy Needles, Sweeping Snowflakes:

I love the broom idea but I want a bowl of snowmen this year.

And the other new piece is an oop Birds of a Feather sampler, Friendship Sampler:

Melissa from Words in Bloom offered it as a round robin piece to stitch so it's my turn. I've got the top few rows of the border stitched. Not enough to show you. I had the Barn Owl fabric to stitch it on and I'm using the recommended thread.

So now that I've bored you with my pieces, hopefully later, I'll get pics of the finishes. I want to say thanks for hanging with me and a big THANK YOU to my newest followers.

I've got my plans made for my giveaway. I've decided to go with a Winter's theme. Since I'm a bona fide snowman freak, those frosty fellows are going to be front and center. Stay tuned!

Have a blessed and wonderful Sunday. And if the sun's shining where you are, ENJOY IT!!!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T16:15:00.000-04:00

Wishing you all a Spook-tacular day!

Where did a month go???

2010-10-17T21:55:00.000-04:00

Honestly, it's been a month since my last post? WOW!!! I don't know where the weeks have gone. Doesn't it seem that as you get older, time speeds up?

There's good news with the DS...he got his next assignment! Jenna and he will be going to JAPAN!!!! Can you believe it? I was totally in shock and so were they because they never expected an assignment like this... They will be stationed at Kadena AFB in Okinawa. He hasn't gotten his official orders but I expect that by mid-January, they will be there. So we will have a flurry of activity in the next couple of months as they prepare for their latest adventure.

And I've painted and stitched this month. I've painted a LOT of Halloween things that sold briskly to the gals at work. And now I'm beginning Christmas things. I stitched this cutie:

and this one too:

but I haven't made them into ornaments yet. I've also stitched a Halloween exchange with the All Season's Ornament Exchange group. It will be mailed this week. I love what I made and I hate to part with it. Isn't that the way it always is though??

I had great intentions of finishing up my Halloween bowl fillers but I ran out of time this weekend. The weekend blew by! I hope to get to them this weekend.

And I decorated the house up for Halloween....here's a picture of the mantle & fireplace...I did the kitchen shelf and the sunroom/porch area too.

So, thanks for paying a visit! I hope you'll stop by again soon. Have a great week!!!

The Last Time I Looked...

2010-09-19T14:47:00.001-04:00

This WAS a stitching blog. So, I took a few (bad) pics of what I've stitched on the last couple of weeks. I admit, I haven't stitched as much as I usually do or like to do. It's been catch as catch can. Right now, I am up to my elbows in acrylic paint.

Before we begin...Here's the disclaimer.

The day is overcast in upstate NY. The colors are a bit flat. I am using a point and shoot camera and the zoom makes things a little fuzzy. And the camera operator was in a hurry when she took these pictures and is not responsible for off color or wrinkles in the fabric cause she was too LAZY to drag out the iron and ironing board.

Sue me.

First up! This is an older Merrily Beams chart called Alphabets. I am stitching it with a very nice AVAS red on a creme fabric.

I am trying not to get bored stitching the alphabets so I play games with myself and stitch in 4 letter blocks. So I don't poke my eyes out stitching the line of birds I've included them in the block while stitching the alphabet above them. I have to play games with myself to stay motivated. Do you do that?

He's a Flake by Little House Needlework.

He's eye-less and nose-less right now and looks a tad scarey. Hmm-mn. Honestly, I am stitching him on the recommended Weeks Dye Works linen, Straw but it definitely is g-r-e-y in this pic instead of that yellow ochre color. Sorry folks, see the disclaimer above.

Lately, I've been on a Prairie Schooler binge. I think it's cause it's Halloween time and I adore her Halloween charts. (And her snowmen but that's later.) This is the upper half of Sweeping Cobwebs. I will be making it into a pin pillow/cushion. And yes, I just realized that I left off the orange in the border on the lower right. Geez.

Lastly, here's another Prairie Schooler Witch from the same chart that's destined to become another pillow finish with a black beaded edge.

Have you been perusing the OLN sneak peeks for the St. Charles Markets? I have a couple of things on my short list. Not a lot of the charts have appealed to me yet. I do want this however:

Kelmscott Needle Minder:

I have a couple of these that I've stuck on my stitching lamp base and I don't know what it is about them, but I find them charming.

And I've recently added to my very gluttonous stash:

From the Drawn Thread because I adore Halloween and she's finally designing something other than flower beds:

I like this one (Too Everything There is a Season) too but I'm going to have to save some shekels before it comes to live with me:

I have a lot of Drawn Thread charts. I used to buy them just about sight unseen until it seemed that all Cynthia was designing were charts based on gardens. I love gardens too but they just became tedious to me. (Sorry true Drawn Thread fans.) I adore her house designs and was very happy to see the chart above.

And of course, another Blackbird Designs chart was added to my umm-mm, collection.

This one reminds me off my grandparent's home so I think when I get around to stitching it I'll add their initials to it and the date they married in the flower urn.
Well, I think the paint has dried sufficiently so I can start adding faces to the pumpkins so my break is over. I hope you are having the best day doing what you absolutely LOVE.

I hope you enjoyed your time with me checking out my little corner of the world. I do appreciate you guys so much! Thanks for coming by!

Painting - For Sale

2010-09-18T12:06:00.000-04:00

As you know, I've started to paint again. I posted a picture of Boo, awhile back but now I've got a few more things to share. If you are interested, please email me at Mikes1mom@gmail.com.

Primitive Bee Skep

Witchy Poo

Pumpkin Witch

Boo!

Thanks for taking a peek!

One Year Ago....

2010-09-12T08:34:00.000-04:00

Our son, Mike, married the lovely Jenna!

Congratulations, Jenna & Mike! We love you and wish you many, many more happy years together!!!

September 11, 2001

2010-09-11T08:02:00.000-04:00

September 11, 2001

New York City

Shanksville, Pennsylvania

The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia

We will NEVER forget!

OMGosh! 50 Followers!!

2010-09-09T07:07:00.001-04:00

Wow!!! I'm more than happy that you all like what you read! Geez, I feel popular! This calls for something special! Hmm-mm-mm....let me think....

Blackbird Designs Exchange from Ela

2010-09-05T15:06:00.001-04:00

As you know, last year I created and ran 4 Rounds of an exchange of Blackbird Designs. It was fairly successful until the last round when 50% of the exchangers failed to complete their commitment to their partners. It was a hugh disappointment to me and at that time, I decided to end the exchange and delete the blog. Enter Patti from Tapestry of Dreams. She asked to take the exchange over and she's successfully grown the exchange with this round. I wasn't going to participate in Round 5 but she twisted my arm and am I ever so glad! My partner was Ela from France. She sent me a fabric roll:

Ela chose to stitch Bluebird's Message over one and set it into a quilted patchwork of beautiful fabrics. I can't show you how exquisitely made this piece is. The craftmanship and stitching is beautiful. I was speechless when I opened up the package. I am blown away by the generous gift and generous heart of Ela. I know that this piece took a long time to make and I just can't get over how someone that I've never met in person would do something so time consuming for me. I can't thank her enough. I will cherish this piece of artwork and will fondly think of Ela whenever I place one of my own pieces of needlework into it while it waits for finishing.

I just had to share this with you. It came to me during a very bad week and provided me a ray of sunshine in week filled with emotion, a lot of tears and more prayers. A lot of changes are going on in my life, a lot of adjustments both financially and relationship-wise as I adjust to being the sole bread winner while the DH is looking for work and while he is home 24/7 changing up my routine.

If you'd like to see more of the beautiful work this exchange has produced, click on Blackbirds Designs Exchange. If you would like to join these talented stitchers for Round 6, drop Patti a note. Her contact information is on the the Blackbird Designs Exchange Blog. You won't be disappointed.

It's so nice to have you stick with me

2010-09-01T20:49:00.001-04:00

I've not been interested in much lately. I've stitched and I've done some painting but I am pushing myself to do it. I do have a few pictures to share though:

A progress pic from Prairie Schooler's Book 165, Sweeping Cobwebs:

I am stitching this on 35 ct lambswool over 2 with one strand of thread and I intended to stitch the entire sampler but as I progressed, the stitches looked, well, thin. So I stitched the witch on the broom with 2 strands of floss and decided to call it a day after I finished her. I added the border all around and now I have a stitched cushion of ony the top part of the sampler. Unfinished in it's final form. (Story of my life.) I'm also stitching the witch with the broom at the bottom right corner of the sampler. 80% complete with the stitching. Going to be another pincushion.

Next is an oldie. I started this when I was a mere child (at least it feels that way!) It's Ruth Ann Russell's Quaker Medallion Sampler found in an older issue of SANQ. It's stitched on a mystery piece of Lakeside Linen with DMC. I made a collossal color error (and I think that's why it went to the Land of the Misfit Toys) but I've decided that it's unique and it shouldn't be voted off the island. I pulled it out when I saw Tempest Fugit's finished sampler.

I haven't touched it in a few months. (Another chapter in my life.)

Lastly, this is With Thy Needle and Thread's, Broom Hilda. I stitched this up the weekend that I got the pattern. Cute, cute, cute.

As you can see, I'm going to make it into pincushion. With a beaded edge. Someday. Someday soon. (I hope.) If you've been paying attention, you've realized that I am now obsessed with making pincushions. Witch pincushions. I want a bowl full of them for Halloween. Just like I wanted a bowl full of patriotic cushions for the 4th of July. Yeah, they're stitched...

I got my BBD's Summer Basket back from ACMoore. The lady who waited on me told me that when it came back there was a big piece of lint in the center of the picture so she had to take it apart and clean it off. She didn't put it back together that well. And there's no bumpers on the frame so it hangs weird. Not going back. And even with 60% off, the piece still cost over $75.00. Heck, Bea didn't cost that much more that this piece and she's double the size of the BBD. And Michael's framed it beautifully.

So, right now, this is all I've got. I will try not to stay away so long. I hoped to be better about blogging. And thank you from the bottom of my heart for hanging with me. I've got the give-away almost stitched and it's coming soon!

Thanks for stopping by! I love it that you've come by and visited me!

Hi!

2010-08-07T09:42:00.000-04:00

Thanks for all the encouraging words about my painting. No takers just yet. Haven't a clue why though. Not enough pics? Need some props to spur creativity and whet an appetite? I do know that I was anxious to post the pic with the hope that someone would snatch it up..didn't happen.

I have a witch and another ghost, a cat and a pumpkin 90% complete. I hope to post them by Monday. Then I am on to Christmas painting, snowmen, santas, sleds and ornaments. This painting gig is cutting into my stitching though. I am having serious needle withdrawl especially because I have all that cool new stash just begging to be started.

Jan asked about Bea. I stitched Bea on 32ct Antique Ivory with AVAS 4612, one strand of silk over 2 threads. It's what Needleprint recommended. I wanted a reproduction sampler so I stitched it as it was recommended. Didn't change a thing. Oh, I toyed with the idea of personalizing it but in the end, my purist heart won out. I usually don't mess around with repros but I've been known to tweak other patterns here and there to make them my own. I am getting better about that too and trusting my judgement. After all, what's 5 years of fine arts with a BFA in graphics design going to buy me? If nothing else, the confidence to trust my judgement on changing it up a bit.

I started Prairie Schooler's, Sweeping Cobwebs, on 35 ct Lambswool linen but I don't like the way the 3371 is covering the linen even though it's a higher count. I think I'm going to start it over on something else and finish this piece as a big pin pillow. This weekend is a finishing weekend. I've got a number of things waiting to be put together and I must finish off my BBD exchange piece and pop it in the mail on Monday.

So, I hope you have a wonderful day today, I have a bit of laundry to do and some housework to catch up on. Then I hope to get creative.

Thanks for stopping by. Love when you show up and leave comments. They make me smile!

Show and Tell!

2010-08-04T14:34:00.003-04:00

Hi Everyone!
I hope you all are having a great day. I can't believe that it's August already. Where has the summer gone? I don't know about you but the days just fly by and it's making me dizzy.

Well, I've got a couple of things to show you and something to tell you. First, the Show:
I got Bea framed!!! Squeal!!! I had a 60% off coupon for Michaels that was burning a hole in my pocket. So I bit the bullet and marched my hind end down there last week. A sweet girl named Heidi did the framing for me and she did a wonderful job. I will be requesting her to frame for me again.

Here she is in all her beauty! (Click and the pics will get big so you can see the details)

Detail of the frame:

So I got on a framing kick. I had a 60% off coupon for AC Moore too. I took BBD's Summer House down there to be framed. Let's just say I am not impressed and I won't be going back. I am a bit worried about the piece cause they are sending it away to be framed. Michaels does it in-house. The employee I spoke with was fairly knowledgeable but really tried her best to influence the style and type of frame that I wanted to buy. I bought along 2 other pieces to be framed that weren't stretched yet (The City Stitcher's, Lucy Minton and Autumn Leaves from The Prairie Schooler) and asked her to cut foam core for me so I could stretch them but they don't do that. So, I asked if the foam core they had to purchase was acid free and she couldn't tell me. So needless to say, there was no sale at ACM. I'll just wait until another 60% off at Michaels and give Heidi my business.

And now for the (show &) tell part.

I am starting to paint again. I've painted for profit about 15 years ago and I enjoyed it. Did a bunch of craft fairs and sold at home shows. It was when Mike was a little boy to supplement our income and to get me out of the house. Well, since things will be tight in the coming months financially, I decided to try my hand at painting again. Here's my first piece to sell:

BOO- from the book, A Folk Art Fancy by Myra Mahy

A close up:

The piece is approximately 11"long by 12" high, hand painted in acrylic (by moi!) and finished with 2 coats of polyurethane.

Here are the particulars:
I am asking $25 + travel expenses: $30 total in the US. If you are in NY, please add 8% sales tax. International folks, please contact me at J24D29@stny.rr.com for the total price. Payment can be concealed cash, paypal (no credit cards just yet) and money orders. If you pay by check, I will hold the piece until the check clears. So if you are interested in BOO, please email me at J24D29@stny.rr.com.

I will be posting more painted pieces as a get them finished. I probably will either set up another blog or sell through Etsy. I'm not sure yet.

I hope you love Bea (as much as I do) and my painting too. Stay tuned for more pieces in the days to come!

I Need An Intervention

2010-07-26T20:39:00.000-04:00

Well, here we go. I need someone to either reset me (cause I've tilted). I've done it again. Click, click, click and start. Even though I have PLENTY to stitch and have enough starts to last me until the next millenium or I live through all of my cat's 9 lives whichever comes first.

Maybe I need to go to Stitcher's confession...Bless me Father, for I have bought and started.....only to end with this penance: Thread 3 needles with silk and start no more.

What have I bought? What have I started?
I bought all the new Prairie Schoolers, pre-ordered the JCS Halloween issue and the Christmas ornament issue, the new Kelmscott blackbird needleminder and the little bird feeder and a beeskep.
http://www.silentstitches.com/In%20The%20Garden.htm

And this:

and I started (told you I would!!):

Well, I certainly will be stocked up when I can't buy anything for awhile. I am not sure if I am hoarding (oh, what an ugh-ly word) cause in a month (yes, A MONTH) my David will be retired and for the first time in 31 years, I, yes, ME, will be making MORE money than he will be? Am I just binging because just like right before going on a diet, you eat everything that you love because you might not get anymore?

I don't know the reason but this is it. No more. I've got to close my eyes, pretend that you can't enable me, stay away from the OLNs, just say NO.

Yeah...that's the ticket.

Until next time. LOL!

Thanks for letting me rant. I love you guys.

Actually, I think that I am buying stuff because I am getting anxious about all the changes that will be happening in a month. I am such a control freak and unfortunately, I can't control this.

Some women buy shoes, others buy jewelry. I buy needlework.

So that's my story. I'm sticking with it.

Oh My!! I Have The Vapors!!!! (Swoon!)

2010-07-17T11:28:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, I've promised you stitchy pics. Trust me they are coming.

What I am swooning over are the new Prairie Schoolers! Oh me, oh my..what a delight (and of course, my clicky finger went click, click, click! Bad Joanie, bad, bad!!!!) If you want to see them up close in personal got to Mary Kathryn's E-Handcraft Stitching webstore, she's got a great slide show running. You can see all the delicious details. And if you buy the charts, she'll throw in the Santa card and the mini-card (while supplies last) for free!

Of course, this is my very, very favorite one. I know that I will be putting everything else on hold to stitch it.

Don't you just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them!!!

And just when you thought you hyperventilated enough, just take a look at this from Liberty Hill Primitives!!!!
Salem House Stitching box!

Ok....now, I need to lie down and rest.

Oh Those Blackbird Design Gals Are Going To Kill Me (Or My Checkbook)

2010-07-12T14:47:00.001-04:00

Have you been to the Blackbird Designs website???

These ladies are going to kill me or my checkbook. The new designs are WONDERFUL!!!! I can't wait until they are released. Good thing I get paid this week. I know where a portion of my check is going.

Have a great time drooling...I needed a mop to swab up.

A Really Great Give-away

2010-07-09T20:46:00.000-04:00

Paulette from Plum Street Samplers has the most wicked give-away!!! Go check out her blog and enter to win!

Paulette is a sweetie, a wonderful designer and a great Mom and Wife. I love, love, love her designs!

Post with stitchy pics tomorrow!!!! Stay tuned!

M-O-M!!!!! Blogger Is Being Stupid

2010-07-06T12:20:00.002-04:00

Blogger has decided not to publish comments left on my blog. I am moderating them because of the lovely links to Japanese porn (they keep trying to link to the blog, why don't they just give up already) so if you've left me a comment and it doesn't appear, it's all Bloggers fault. I moderated all the comments but Mr. Blogger is refusing to publish them.

This morning, I had 3 comments and I tried to post them but *POOF* they disappeared. At lunch there were 2 other comments which I posted but the counter doesn't register them even though they are there.

So, if you commented and don't see your post, I apologize for the rudeness of Mr. Blogger. And if you want, please try again. Only if you want to...but I'd like you to cause I love hearing from you.

And there is that burning question for the giveaway that I'd like some feedback...Patterns and accoutrements or something made by little ol'me? (Oh and there are now 41! followers to this little piece of my world. HI EVERYONE!!! Thanks for following me! Glad you are here)!

Well, lunch is over so it's back to work...See ya!

It Was A Hay-venture This Holiday Weekend

2010-07-05T21:44:00.002-04:00

Here in good ol' Upstate NY, it's been hot, 90+ degrees hot. Hotter than it's been in many summers and it's going to remain hot until the end of the week when we will cool down to the mere mid-80's. Woo hoo.

So during this holiday weekend, most of my plans were put on hold because we put in hay - 350 bales. The hot weather is just fine for hay. Hay loves hot weather. Farmers who are mowing, raking and baling, love hot weather. The DH who LOVES to hay is ok with hot weather. However, the person who is unloading the truck on to the hay elevator (that'd be me) doesn't love hot weather mixed with putting in hay. You could say she is allergic to hot weather and hay when they are mixed together. But like a good country girl, I put on my jeans, leather gloves and hat and got down to business. My job involved straddling the truck's tailgate and the sawhorse the hay elevator was resting on, slinging bales (average weight 50 pound and over half my size in length) onto the elevator. Yes, I fell off the sawhorse once because it gets slippery with hay chaff and took down the elevator. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the making of this hay-venture. The only injury was a bruised ego and very sore muscles the next day (I have muscles that I didn't know I had and they are very unhappy!).

So, to amuse you, here are some pics of our Hay-venture:

36 bales make a truckload:

Setting up the elevator and getting ready to unload:

There they go, up to the hayloft:

The King of Hay:

Almost done! See the technique of loading the elevator (the King of Hay didn't fall off the sawhorse):

Sweeping up after the last load:

Hay-venture 2010 is history!!

Hay! YUM!!!

And just so you don't think this was an all work weekend, we grilled, gardened, hung out and went to the fireworks. I stitched on Alphabets this weekend but didn't get my July 4th pieces finished (always next year, I guess). And the King of Hay went and helped his buddy put in hay at his place, another 800 bales.

I hope all of you had a terrific July 4th and a great weekend!

PS. I've not forgotten the give-away. I am trying to decide if I want to make something or give away some charts and accoutraments to go with them...what do you think you'd like me to give away?? Let me know!

Wow! 36 Followers...

2010-06-30T22:54:00.001-04:00

Oh my gosh, there are 36 of you out there in blogville who are actually interested in what I have to say! Wowser! Who knew!

Well, that calls for a celebration....I think I will do a give away to some lucky someone. I will decide tomorrow and post what I am going to give away, so stay tuned! It'll be good.

I have to let you all know that your comments on my recent acquisition made me giggle and laugh out loud. Thanks so much for your posts and comments. (Vonna, you get a pass for your Oh Sh*T comment and Laura with your Obadoobadoo! was just too funny!)

And, I have to tell you, my clicky finger was really, really bad. I only posted SOME of my recent acquisitions. I'll post more soon too, once I gather up the rest. I bought Carriagehouse Samplings, Homespun Elegance and more...fortunately, the DH hasn't said a word. He's really great.
Speaking of Dave, today is our 31st anniversary. I am so blessed to be loved by such a wonderful man.

Here he is with his two favorite things, his Harley and Daisy. The motorcycle is a new (to him) toy to celebrate his upcoming retirement. I can't fault him for buying it (it was a great deal) and he deserves something for his 31 years at IBM.

And I've stitched so I've got to get some pictures of my Wips on this site. I've worked on Broom Hilda (so cute and tiny!), Alphabets by Merrily Beams in a luscious AVAS cherry red silk, one of the baskets from Blackbird Designs, It's Berry Time, in a berry red Belle Soie and a number of July 4th stitcheries. Oh! and a frame that I painted for a limited edition (2005) kit from LHN called Americana. Wait till you see it!

My weekend will start early, I am taking Friday off and we have Monday to celebrate Independance Day. I am going to work in my garden, BBQ and stain windows. And relax.

Thanks again for visiting! It makes me so happy when you stop by!

Stash, stash, stash...and MORE stash!

2010-06-29T21:55:00.000-04:00

Well kids, I gotta thank you for your comments about my "retreating" tendencies. I think I am in VERY good company. Now, I don't feel so alone or so "weird"! because I am such a loner. And an introvert. And a wallflower.

I've bought stash. A lot of it. Hee-hee! Here's some of what I've bought in the recent weeks....
Blackbird Designs:

With My Needle & Thread:
Broom Hilda, just so adorable!

Boo To You: I love Halloween!

Lizzie Kate!

ABC Christmas

ABC Halloween (Did I say I LOVE Halloween?)

Little House Needleworks:

He's A Flake (LOVE SNOWMEN TOO!)

Simple Joys: Simply too cute!

I am happy.

I've been remiss in posting this

2010-06-27T08:51:00.003-04:00

Awhile back (in May, I believe) I received this beautiful pillow from Conny for Round 4 of the Blackbird Designs Exchange group. I meant to post it, I really did. But then I went MIA for awhile and climbed back into my hunker-down-and-just-deal-with-it mode.

I know you all must think I am daft for it but when I get overwhelmed I usually retreat until I figure out a way to deal with whatever it is that's bothering me. (Please tell me I'm not the only one who does this...) I know there are those lucky folks that have BFFs and sisters who act as a safety net but, alas, I do not have the luxury of either. Now, I'm really putting myself out here by saying I'm really introverted and have been hurt many, many times by those I considered friends. And the nail in the coffin was when I lost my BF because she told me I was a toxin to her life. So, you see my reluctance to rely on anyone but my Dave and myself when I tie myself up in knots over something...

OK, back to the BBD exchange....

Conny does exquisite work. I was so impressed by it and she used a hand painted fabric to create it. I believe she wrote in her note that it was Tentakulum Painter's thread in Matisse.

So Conny, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and ask for a pass for my rudeness because I didn't post this beautiful exchange piece as I should have...

Meeting Ms. Daisy

2010-06-24T19:39:00.000-04:00

As I promised, here is Daisy. Isn't she a beauty?

She's beginning to settle in.

It's nice having a dog again.

Even if the cats don't agree just yet. :-)

Hi All

2010-06-24T12:57:00.001-04:00

First of all, I want to thank the 31 followers who've stuck with my poor excuse of blogging. I guess I needed a break for a little while.

Life is changing again (we are preparing for the DH's retirement in August and subsequent loss of 60% of our salary...a hugh amount!) We've met with a financial planner to decide what to do with his 401K. We've budgeted out what we think we will have as income. I've been hoarding paper products, pet food, laundry and cleaning supplies for the last 6 months in order to cut our grocery bill. And the numbers aren't great but we will survive. Let's just say I'm glad I've got a monumental stash to stitch from because there's not going to be many purchases until we figure out what our finances are going to be for the first year. I will be making a big wish list. I think the reality of this change just hit me and I put aside all the fun things just to stew for a bit.

I've been stitching but I haven't taken one picture of what I've done. Mainly, I've worked on Americana and patriotic small things cause I decided I needed to have a basket of those hanging around. I stitched 7 things, Lizzie Kates, Littlehouse Needleworks, a very cute piece from the Sampler Girl. They are all on one ginormous piece of linen and I think I have to get myself in gear to make some pillows or pinkeeps soon. Otherwise they will be hanging around waiting to be finished for next Summer.

Today is my birthday. It's a quiet one. I decided not to take the day off (as I usually do) so I am working. I didn't ask for anything because we finished up the house and that's a gift in itself. The 2nd Lietenant and the lovely Jenna sent me a pretty card and greetings on Facebook. A bunch of friends also sent me well wishes on FB too. It's a nice day. I am blessed.

Also, we finally got a German Shepherd! We found her on Craigslist. The rescue groups just grew tiresome and it didn't look like we would get a dog until the end of summer because even though we were "approved", the foster home had to see how we interacted with the potential adoptee and they got to decide if we were "worthy" to adopt him/her. So, after spending 3 months jumping through hoops with 3 rescue groups, Dave just got fed up and went on Craigslist. He contacted the owner of Daisy on Tuesday and yesterday, he picked her up and brought her home. Daisy's a beauty, a bit on the thin side, and is very sweet. She's intelligent, curious and is totally in love with Dave.

However, the cats aren't thrilled. Frankie is on the defensive. He puffs himself up to 2x his normal size and HISSES. He lays in wait to attack her and when he does, she looks very confused and hurt. The other cats are staying upstairs. Livy is hiding under the bed and Ella slinks downstairs when she's hungry or needs the litter box. It will take a few days for them to sort everything out and they'll be friends.

So, I'm not going to promise pics of my stitching but I will post pictures of Daisy.

Thanks for hanging in there with me...I really appreciate you all!

Another Drive By Post - and HOUSE NEWS!!!!!

2010-05-23T22:23:00.002-04:00

The dog saga continues...and we are dog-less. I am beginning to think that there is a list somewhere with our name on it that says not to let us have a dog. This is the most frustrating experience that we've ever gone through with the exception of the house saga (which I am not going to regurgitate).

The rescue group had a meet and greet on Saturday in Rochester which is 3 hours away from us. The DH contacted the families who are fostering the dogs that we are interested to ask a few questions. The one family never got back to us. Anyway, he asked the other family what their procedure was to take the dog home if we liked him and we all got along because it's a haul (6 hours in the car round-trip) and we'd like to close out this chapter. The foster family said that if we liked the dog and it appeared that we got along, they wanted us to GO HOME AND THINK ABOUT IT FOR ANOTHER COUPLE OF WEEKS THEN COME BACK AGAIN. They were not willing to let us take the dog home with us. So we didn't make the trip.

In the meantime, the DH found a private individual about an hour & 1/2 away from us that had a litter of older puppies that she was willing to sell. Actually, she was willing to give away the male dogs that are about a year old. When Dave made the initial call to her, it took her 2 weeks to get back to us. Then we made arrangements to drive up today but the lady asked that we call her before we made the trip. So we did, TWICE and she never returned the calls. So we stayed home.
And we are dog-less for at least another 2 weeks cause DH is going out of town.

On a happier note, our house is just about finished!!!! Can you believe it? FOUR years later we are finally getting closure. We found a Christian contractor who gave us a good price to finish up the work and he's been working daily for the last 3 weeks. Now we are 99% done!
The chimney side:

The sunroom side:

The front of the house. We are having a field stone facade placed around the door and dining room window.

The back of the house.

You have to know that I am SO happy that I just want to do a happy dance all day! This is the happiest I've been since we started this adventure with the exception of Jenna and Mike's wedding.

Anyway, it was a great weekend, we went for a walk, I made scrumptious cookies, we grilled chicken and just hung out and marveled at our house. There's a lot more to do (when is a house EVER finished) but at least I know that we aren't compromising the structural integrity of our home. The rest will come in due time. I can be patient. That's one of the things I learned from this experience. Patience.

Stitching, I've worked on a few wips, nothing to write home about. And surprisingly enough, I haven't even opened up the box with my new sewing machine inside. Just busy with yard work and trying to keep afloat at work.

So thanks for hanging in there with me on this long post. I want to thank you for your prayers, friendship, emails and good thoughts through the house ordeal. I so appreciate each and every one of you. It's so amazing to me how we are all connected. And I'm so blessed because of it!
Have a great week and I will post stitchy pics soon!

A Quick Post

2010-05-11T20:04:00.000-04:00

It's cold, cold, cold here in Upstate NY. We had spring and summer a few weeks ago and now we are back into late October, early November weather. One of the managers at work said that we are to have the same summer we had last year. Dreary, cold and wet. Yuck. Too grey to take pictures of my stitching. I tried but the pics just are too dark. So once again, no stitchy pics.

I am very busy at work. Last week, we "entertained" Customers for 13 hours a day all week. This week, we are "entertaining" government auditors for 12 hour days until Friday. I am POOPED!

I've been stitching, it's been my sanity for the last few weeks. I finished up my Blackbird Designs exchange piece and now on to the finishing. I also worked on Alphabets and I am struggling with the buttonhole flowers on Lucy Minton. Lucy would have been done weeks ago but I can't seem to get a handle on counting when stitching the buttonholes. My flowers look mishapen and all alien like. I thought hard about doing something different with them but the buttonholes add so much charm to the piece. And, I am completely not going to let them get the best of me. LOL!

And, my clicky finger has gotten me in deep doo-doo. I've bought up a lot of Carriagehouse Samplings and kitted up a Quaker sampler, another Lucy. Meet Lucy Haworth.

There is a SAL going on at Ellen Chester's With My Needle and Pen group. I saw the sampler and fell in love. I couldn't resist her but honestly, even though I kitted her up, I won't start her until later this year or even next year. She's in the want to stitch pile.

And I really got in trouble cause I bought a sewing machine. A Janome 7330.

I've been looking for a sewing machine for a while and this will fit the bill quite nicely. I shouldn't have spent the money but hey, you only live once, right? It's got a little more that I wanted but the price wasn't bad and I did want some of the options that this machine offered.

On another note, the 2nd Lietenant and the lovely Jenna are now at Goodfellow AFB in Texas for the next 9 months. They got there on Sunday. Today, they found an apartment. Hopefully, the Air Force will get their stuff out of storage soon so they can sleep in their own bed and eat off their own dishes. I know they both are tired of temp housing.

And we are waiting to hear if we can adopt a dog. We are trying to get a rescue German Shepherd. You would think we were adopting a child. We had to fill out an adoption application, go through a phone interview, give them 3 references plus our vet (and they called ALL of them) and now we are waiting for them to come "inspect" our home to see if it and we are suitable to own a dog. It's been time consuming and somewhat frustrating. One rescue group turned us down because we have 3 house cats and they felt we couldn't handle a dog and the cats at the same time. They felt that this situation required a professional dog trainer. We aren't "professionals" so we were denied an animal that needed a home. We've had dogs and cats who lived in the same house with us for our entire 31 year marriage and the DH has had dogs all his life. The animals work it out (and yes, we are vigillant so no one gets hurt) and they co-habitate quite nicely. So cross your fingers that we "pass". Otherwise, we may end up at the local SPCA.

Well, that's all the news in my little corner of the world. Thanks for hanging in there with me, kids.

Moderating comments

2010-05-05T10:27:00.002-04:00

I am moderating comments. Many links to porn sites. SHEESH!! This is a family blog. Sorry for the inconvenience to those who have comments that don't link to smut.

Have you seen this?

2010-05-04T21:37:00.000-04:00

Oh geez, when are they going to stop? I love, love, love Blackbird Designs and my goodness, they've done it again!

Now, I can't wait to stitch this or at least add it to my bulging stash!

On other notes, our house is finally getting finished! The contractor has put in all our windows and we are waiting for siding to be delivered. I will have a finished house by the middle of June!

Been stitiching too, my blackbird designs exchange, Alphabets by Merrily Beams (I snitched this pic from Littlebits blog) and Connie and I are going to begin our SAL again. I am so looking forward to this SAL.

Work is very busy right now so I apologize to those who visit. I do love that you stop by and I especially love it when you leave me a sweet word or two.

Thanks for stopping!

A Sunshine Award!!!

2010-04-03T16:17:00.001-04:00

Lookie!! TWO posts in ONE day! Can you stand it?!!

I got this great award from Julie at Julie's Creations a week or so ago. I've been meaning to post it but life gets in the way. So Julie, THANKS A BUNCH!

It came at a good time too...I really needed a lift and it did make my day.

I know I try to keep the blog to stitching related things and some family stuff and I really don't want to bore you with personal things. But I will share with you what was going on the day that Jule's awarded me this lovely bit of Sunshine.

1. Crazy person at work who, whenever I have to interact with the person, makes me want to slit my wrists.

2. Extra bill that we didn't plan on (damn New York State taxes). Sucked a bunch of cash out of the meager savings.

3. BIG stress about the DH's job or lack of one come September. NO teaching jobs out there. It's gonna be tight, folks, and I'm worried about how we are going to get through.

4. A not so good doctor's report. (High cholesterol and pre-diabeties on top of the hypertension I've had for the last 10 years)

So. When Julie's little award popped into my reader, I got all smiley! And I realized that in spite of the day gone wrong, life's pretty dang good.

SO...I know that the rules say to pass this on but I'm going to nominate everyone who comes by to visit. Thanks Julie and thanks to all of you, who be-friended me and my little corner of the world. :-)

Saturday - Pictures and Everything!

2010-04-03T12:51:00.005-04:00

HI everyone!
First of all, I want to wish everyone a blessed Easter! How wonderful is our God!
Alleluia! HE IS RISEN!!!

I have pictures! See patience IS a virtue!
I finished Blackbird Designs, Summer Basket, a few weeks ago. I stretched it and now I am saving pennies to frame it. I'll probably go to Michaels and with my trusty coupon, I'll let them mount it.

I stitched my Mom's initials (NK) in the sampler because the sampler just reminded me of her.

The entire sampler:

The alphabet:

I stitched it with the recommended GAST on Weeks Dye Works linen. The jury is still out about the linen. I found that it was very soft and very stretchy. Maybe it was my cut.

Here's a close up of City Stitcher's, Lucy Minton and the whole sampler. I'm getting closer to finishing Lucy, only the algerian-eye alphabet band and the button hole flowers to go!

Lucy's stitched on 32ct Flax linen with the recommended DMC.

Lately, I've been drawn to primitive patterns and Schoolgirl samplers. These samplers were the type of stitching that drew me to cross stitch initially. I've dabbled in many styles of samplers but I seem to return to this style. And another return to my roots is that I am enjoying being a "One at a Time" stitcher. I've vaguely felt uneasy stitching on more than one project. I couldn't put my finger on why though. Then I realized that I get anxious because I have so many Wips (like 30) so I made a decision to concentrate on one of those (Summer Basket) and then if I wanted, I could start a smaller project (Lucy). So far, it's working and I'm enjoying my stitching so much more! My current project is Lucy and when she's done, I'll return to Hand To Work's, This is the Day. I can't work on it for a long time, I get bored with the solid stitching.

I've been debating on what I am going to stitch next. I am not in the mood for another hugh project. I want to stitch another sampler. I've been bad with ordering patterns, I ordered a slew of Goode Huswife and kitted up the samplers in BBD's new book. Then I go blog hopping and see the cute little pillows and tags and pinkeeps and I want to stitch a gazillion of them cause they are so sweet scattered about. But before I chose a brandy-new project, I'll rummage through the Basket of Incomplete Projects.

I was messing around with the camera (the kids got me a new one for Christmas). I'm not familiar with it but I have to say I love it. It's 12 megapixels and I'm finding that the quality is quite good for a little point and shoot!

Obligatory cute kitty pics: :-)

Frankie

Olivia

So in closing, I wish all of you a blessed and joyous Easter! I hope that you will be spending it with family and friends. The DH and I are by ourselves (we'd better get used to it) and I'm planning on a nice dinner with pinapple upside down cake for desert.

Happy Easter!!!! Happy Spring!

Drive By Posting - PLEASE take this survey

2010-03-30T18:01:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post, I know, I know I owe you a ton of news. Life is busy and I am slowly adjusting to life without my 2nd Lieutenant & the lovely Jenna being 3 hours away. Alabama and Texas aren't exactly day trips and I know I won't see them until Fall or much later. I really got depressed and I'm finally coming up out of that funk.

Anyway, the reason for this quick post:
Please take this survey: The 2010 NeedleArts Survey,

The needlearts community needs your advice and opinions, whether you are a beginner or an expert! This survey is only conducted every few years. Your input is very important and will be included in a published national report. Your answers are ano...nymous. No one will use your survey responses to market to you. In return for your participation, you will receive valuable benefits:
(1) Gain a chance to win 1 of 5 $100 needlearts GIFT CERTIFICATES.
(2) Ensure stores and suppliers provide what you want. (3) Explore your needlearts interests. Your valuable input will help the needlearts community, too:
(1) Advocate for more programs to support the needlearts, such as Helping Hands Needlearts Mentoring, Stitch N’ Pitch, and Stitching for Literacy.
(2) Help independent retailers and family-owned suppliers succeed by giving them the customer feedback they need.

It's important because our passion is dying and we need to let the needlearts community know what we want and how to keep our beloved past time alive. Please take the survey - a few minutes is all it takes~
Thanks!

I am here - REALLY!!!

2010-03-11T11:48:00.001-05:00

First of all, thank you very much for hanging with me. I wanted to be a better blogger and post more often but life surely had other plans for that!

This weekend, the 2nd Lietenant and the lovely Jenna will begin their Air Force journey. Their first stop is Montgomery Alabama, where Mike will attend ASBC (officer's training) for 7 weeks. Then it's off to San Angelo Texas, for 7 months for Intellilgence School. Please, if you would, keep them in your prayers. It's a transistion for them, leaving home pretty much permanently. It's going to be a big adjustment.

I did start Lucy Minton. I crumpled. It's a fast stitch and I'm enjoying it a lot. It's a different style of sampler than I normally stitch. I do love it. Simple and primitive. It'll look nice in the family room.

And, I am stalking the mail person for stash from Nashville. I am breathlessly waiting for my Goode Huswife book and the Blackbird Designs. I also won an older Sheepish Designs pattern, the Hedgehog Sampler. Oh and I bought soap too...Goodies are coming!

Well, I just wanted to touch base with you all. I am glad you stop by even though my posts are sorely lacking in pictures. I'll remedy that soon.

Are you ready?

2010-02-28T16:55:00.000-05:00

Are you ready for this?

I know I am! We got clobbered earlier this week with a nor'easter that dumped 16.5 inches of snow on top of 10 inches that was already on the ground. Oh, how I want warmer weather.

Anyway, I've been stitching, I am almost finished with this:

I only have 4 stars on the right side to stitch and the letters G, R & W to go. I ran out of Clover thread. Bummer.

Next up, I am planning on stitching this:

I am so looking forward to my purchases from Market too! I ordered the new Blackbird Designs book, Honeysuckle Manor and Bird in Hand. I also bought the new Goode Huswife book and the new Prairie Schoolers. Just because I needed a mid-winter pick-me-up.

I am focusing on my wips too. Summer Basket was one. I am proud of myself because I've resisted a new start, even though, this sampler from the City Stitcher is calling my name loudly!

I think it's the house that won me over.

So that's all that's going on in my little stitchy world.

What's new with you?

Just Some Here and There

2010-02-16T15:19:00.003-05:00

HI everyone! How are things in your world? In mine, it never is a dull moment.

First of all, my sweet MIL fell down her basement stairs. Mom is 85 and frail so she didn't fare well with her tumble. She broke her arm in 3 places, her wrist, arm and elbow. She banged her head up too and in general, is just a big bruise. She spent a week in the hospital and is now in a rehab nursing home until she is steady on her feet. Please keep her in your prayers. Thanks!

The Second Lietenant and the lovely Jenna are getting ready to leave for the South. Initially, they go to Alabama for 2 months while Mike attends officer's training, then onto Texas for 7 months while he's in Intelligence school. I am getting sad that they are going. I know it's not rational, they are away now and we don't see them but once a month or so. I guess I am concerned that they will be AWAY, more than a day trip away. And now is where things get interesting, they will be on their own, for real!

Moms worry, don't we?

I have been stitching. I'm doggedly working on WIPs because at last count I had about 30. Yes, 3-0! I am not exaggerating. Most are about 1/2 done. I think I have a phobia or something about closure. I get going on a piece, get all excited and about 1/2 into it, the bloom is off the rose and I'm looking for my next piece to give me that stitcher's "high". You know, the one that you feel when you start something new and you are in love, love, love until....until the frogs come or there's stuff you dread stitching like big blocks of solid colors or teensy tiny pieces of pattern that's stitched in eleventy dozen different shades of chartruese. You know, the thrill is gone and the piece just becomes another WIP. This is the reason I have 30 pieces in various stages of "done". So I thought I'd do something about it.

First, I went through EVERY box, bag and hidey-hole where I thought a WIP could be lurking. What treasures! And I thought that I would find things that I didn't want to stitch anymore but I was wrong. I still love everything that I have going and I sighed to myself and wondered why I didn't finish them up long ago.

So I chose 2 pieces to concentrate on, mainly because they have bright colors and I felt I needed a bit of color after so many grey days here in Upstate NY. I chose This is the Day by Hands to Work. The pattern is in one of the JCS magazine issues. I am doing it on 36ct Vintage Autumn Gold with the recommended threads. It's a cool piece that is completely out of my comfort zone for color. This is the Day was about a 1/4 done when I began this adventure. Now it's 1/2 done and I gotta tell you, stitching the entire alphabet and number area is slow going. I like the effect but it's taking forever to see any progress. I make myself stitch at least 2 threads each time I pick it up.
And I also decided to work on another(!) Blackbird Design, Summer Basket. I figured that I subscribed to all the Loose Feathers, so I should at least stitch one, don't you think? It's also stitched on the recommended fabric with the recommended fiber because I bought it as a kit from Needlecraft Corner. Summer Basket was just a start when I put it up but now it's almost 1/2 done. The colors are very soft and the linen is not as crisp as I'd like but it's an enjoyable stitch.

And I'm stitching a replacement piece for the Blackbird Designs Exchange that I host.

My stitching plate is full. But it's a happy full and I am less stressed about stitchy things cause I have a plan. When I finish with one Wip, I'll continue with another. And maybe allow myself a new start or 2 but not a free wheeling, no holds barred start everthing in sight. That's how I got 30 WIPs in the first place.

Now, don't get to thinking that I won't buy another pattern cause my cupboards are chock full o'WIPs. Oh no-o-o-oo, I am supporting the needlework industry already in a BIG way cause I've pre-ordered a few things from the Nashwille market. I had to have the new Goode Huswife book, the new Blackbird Designs, the new Prairie Schoolers and a few things from With Thy Needle and Thread. I am debating on the new Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow but I am holding out because I haven't even started Village or Houses of Hawk Run Hollow.

How 'bout you? Are you lusting after anything from Market? Is there anything that you can't live without?

So, I hope I'll get some pics up on the old blog soon. The kids gave me a new digital camera for Christmas and I am still learning how to take a decent picture with it. I am so glad that you've come by and I'd love to hear from you! It makes me happy that you've stopped.

Some Chit-chat

2010-01-21T21:02:00.002-05:00

Hi all! I hope you are having a good week. Tomorrow is FRIDAY! YaY! It's been a busy week at work, I am conducting an internal audit and literally on my feet all day. I go home and collapse.

I stitched though, I worked on the Miss Snow Fairy. I added her right wing and started on her pot o' holly on the right. I've been trying like the devil to resist the urge to start something new but I caved tonight and started yet another Blackbird Design. I started stitching the heart from Truly Thine, one of the early Loose Feather Designs. I guess I got bit by the Valentine bug after seeing all the Valentine finishes on your blog. I want to stitch all the Valentines that you have done but unfortunately I must work to feed my addiction.

Have you been keeping up with With Thy Needle and Thread blog? Brenda's got the best tease on her site for an upcoming sampler she's going to post on Country Stitches. I LOVE the colors and I am sure that it'll join the gazillion other samplers in my ever growing stash. She's got neat punchneedle designs too. I like how they look but I haven't had good luck with punchneedle.

Do you think the designers could just cool it for awhile? I know Nashville is just around the corner and there are teases everywhere on various designer's blogs. Go check or the Blackbird Designs blog too. Eye Candy! Love that sampler she's got in captured in the hoop.

The Second Lieutenant got his official orders yesterday. They will be leaving in March for Alabama. He's going to Officer's school for 7 weeks and after that they travel to Goodfellow AFB in Texas for 7 months. Say a prayer for them, it's a big change for both of them. They've settled in nicely in Rochester, made some great friends and have nice jobs that they will have to leave. They are sad but I think excited too. Both of them are a little anxious. And fearful of the unknown. They'll get through it but it's just another strain on the newlyweds.

Well dear friends, I am going to close for now. I am so glad that you stopped by for a chat. I hope that on Saturday I'll have pictures for you. So thanks for your comments and your visits. I love that you come by! :-)

Happy Saturday!

2010-01-16T15:40:00.003-05:00

Ok, Take 2 of this post. IE just shut down blogger on me while I was uploading pictures. I hate Vista.

Anywhoo...as I was saying...

It's a glorious Saturday here in Upstate NY. The sun is out and it's warm. Yes, W-A-R-M! Almost 40 degrees warm! The David and I actually washed the cars out in the driveway and I was wearing a hoodie! No, I wasn't bundled up to the point where I couldn't move. Contrast today to last Saturday when we were barely above 10 degrees, this is down right balmy. Not complaining one bit. I'll take it and I wish it would be this way for the rest of winter. Not going to happen though, ol' Man Winter has a few snowstorms up his sleeve, I bet.

Anway, back to stitching. I've got pics. Hopefully IE will allow blogger to upload them. Well, blogger is being a poop and doesn't want to upload all my pics but here's Miss Snow Fairy. She's getting done! This piece puts a smile on my face. And it's one of those pieces that I am enjoying every stitch.

I've made some progress but not as much as I'd like. Miss Snow Fairy now is standing on some snow and her holly is in it's container instead of floating in mid-air. The week was very busy and I was very tired when I got home so last night really was the only night I stitched for more than an hour. It was nice. There will be no stitching tonight though, cause we are going to a wedding celebration. My boss' son got married out of state in November and there wasn't many of us invited to the actual wedding. So tonight we are going to a party to celebrate the wedding. It should be ok. I am a little anxious about it cause I don't really know any of their family and I'm not sure who will be there that I know. It's at their church so it's going to be dry. At least I won't have to worry about having too much to drink and saying something stupid. I'll just do that sober...ha, ha!

When it was so cold outside, the cats took turns laying in front of the fireplace. Ella is toasting her belly...

And her back...

This is Frankie. Frankie showed up at our door in the Fall around Halloween. He was really timid and wouldn't let us even touch him. It took him weeks to allow us to pet him. But today, he rules the roost and is quite content. I really like him.

It's a little unnerving being in one room with 3 housecats and 2 barn cats. I feel like I am turning into one of those crazy old cat ladies hanging out with 5 felines. (Not really, but...it does get crowded in the family room with all of them.) Oh, geez, excuse the cat tree. I didn't realize how terrible it looks. The cats use it as their scratching post (better than my sofa, although they've managed to claw that too) and I didn't realize how shabby it looks...gee whiz. The DH and I will have to do some repairs on it.

So, I think I'm going to pull out a bit of stitching or maybe my Kindle. Thanks for dropping by! I hope you are having a great weekend. Until next time, happy stitching!!

My Sentiments...EXACTLY!!!

2010-01-09T09:26:00.002-05:00

The DH just informed me (sadistically, btw) that it's a mere 10 degrees outside.
With the wind chill it's a balmy -10.

Yay.

He wants to go cross country skiing.

Stupid man.

I think this sums it up quite nicely, don't you?

I saw this pic on With Thy Needle and Thread. It made me laugh.

Thanks! I really, really needed a chuckle.

Stay warm, kids!!

P.S. Stitchy pics to follow!!!!

Baby, It's C-O-L-D Outside!!!

2010-01-08T18:49:00.003-05:00

Wowser, it's bitter cold AGAIN in Upstate NY...I must tell you I am really, really tired of this weather. After a few years of relatively mild winters, one's with a week or 2 of this weather, a winter like this is just plain brutal. And a dreary steel-grey color to boot.

I've been stitching. I've worked on Miss Snow Fairy last week. I'm about 1/2 done now. I switched out working on her with This is the Day. You remember that sampler in JCS by Heart in Hand? The one with exhuberant colors?

Well, with all the grey in the recent days, I've decided I needed something colorful to work on. So I pulled it out of my ever growing stash pile. I'm stitching it with the original colors. I have a love/hate relationship with the sampler, though. The linen I'm stitching it on, 36ct Lakeside, Autumn Gold, is very, very scratchy. It grabs the thread. It distorts the stitches. It makes me unhappy. But I'm too far into this sampler to start over. This linen will NOT get the best of me.

So tomorrow, I'm hoping for some sun. Then I'll take some pics of my stitching. And BTW, I snagged the pic from Edgar's blog, Blacksheep's Bit of the Web...

So until tomorrow, stay warm! I'm curling up by the fireplace with my Kindle, my stitching and a cup of cocoa. How about you?

The holidays are officially over

2010-01-03T23:09:00.000-05:00

The Second Lieutenant and the lovely Jenna have returned to their home and tomorrow we head back into the routine of work. I really enjoyed the 2 long weekends we had for the holidays, not quite as good as the 2 weeks I normally save but none the less, a welcome break from the office. Now, back to the stress of projects and money and bills. It was nice to put aside all the routine and have a few days where I didn't worry about anything.

All things end, right?

Tonight we watched Iron Chef America and I stitched some on Miss Snow Fairy. I am disappointed that the Steelers didn't get into the playoffs as a wild card. But honestly, they didn't deserve to be in the playoffs so I'm not too disheartened.

Anyway, I do want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you who come by and come back to see what the ol' blog has to say. I thank all of you who leave comments and I thank those who don't too. I enjoy everything that you write and I hope that you find something worthwhile when you visit here. I am grateful to all of you. Many times over the past year I thought of deleting the blog. But I am glad I didn't.

So, it's onward and upward to Monday. I wish everyone a great week, I hope you stay warm cause it's freezing here in good ol' Upstate NY.

See ya later!

Hello everyone! My Stitchy Year in Review

2010-01-01T16:34:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone rang in the new year in grand fashion. We did...on the sofa with the DH softly snoring beside me. Actually, he woke up about 11:45 and we watched the ball drop on Times Square. We were snug in our bed by 12:30 AM. Such party animals!

The 2nd Lieutenant and the lovely Jenna went to a friend's house for a little get together. They were home relatively early but I couldn't say for certain what time cause I didn't even hear them come in.

I have been blog surfing off and on today and I see many of you've posted your stitchy accomplishments. My 2009 accomplishments were very, very thin this year. Mainly I started many, many pieces and most aren't too far along. My usual MO.

The biggest accomplishment I had this year was to finish Bea.

I also finished Parson Brown, a lovely snowman from Notforgotten Farm.

I participated in a few exchanges and had a couple of small finishes. Nothing to brag about, really. I am hoping my stitching 2010 will be better! I'm going to work at it. As I said in my previous post, my plans are to stitch from my stash and to work on my Wips. Currently, I am stitching on Miss Snow Fairy on an evenweave with the intention of making her into a pillow too. She's about 1/2 way done.

I have been bad with buying new things though.

The 2009 Blackbird Designs Loose Feather Club:

Some Lizzie Kate, LHN, Prairie Schooler..oh too many to list! I feel like if I don't get what I want when I see it, it will be gone forever. I can thank all of you for that! I see what you are stitching and then I MUST have it too! Much to my husband's displeasure, I am sure. LOL!!! I tell him it's cheaper than therapy and when I am old and gray, as long as I have a magnifier, I am ALL SET!

I also have been drawn to more Primitive pieces, particularly for bowl fillers and little sachet pillows. Have you seen this designer, Country Rustic Primitives? She sells in e-patterns which I absolutely LOVE. They come quickly and I like that you can save them on your computer. How green!

Well, I should go for now, we've had a rather lazy day here. I hope you all are having a great start to the new year! See ya soon!

Looking forward to 2010!

2009-12-31T09:37:00.005-05:00

Hi there, friends and fellow stitchy folk!
I want to wish you a very Happy New Year! I hope that all of you who read my musings had a wonderful and MERRY CHRISTMAS, too.

I am looking forward with anticipation that this coming year will be filled with GREAT things.
Do you make resolutions? I do but rarely do I keep them. This year, I only have 2.
1. To get healthy.
2. To stay positive and not be so afraid.
This year, I VOW (and you are my witnesses) that I will get healthy. That means to continue my Weight Watchers journey to finally lose the 35 pounds. I will eat healthy but not deprive myself. I will exercise and that doesn't mean only to walk on the treadmill which can get mighty boring.

The next thing that I VOW to be is more positive. If you haven't guessed by now, my glass is pretty much 1/2 empty most of the time. My life is tinged with blue most of the time. And I am a complainer. I've worked on the complaining part and I can say that I do less of it but I'm not exactly where I'd like to be. I want to look at my glass and say, "Hey, it's 1/2 full! I've decided to stay away from those folks who suck the life right out of you. (This is going to be hard cause I spend most of my waking hours at work with someone who is SO negative, it's contagious. But, I'm going to do my best not to let him get me down.) I'm not saying I'm going to be Polly Polly-anna but I am going to be less Chicken-Little. I want to be more open and embrace change and new things. Look for the good in people, situations, LIFE. Stop burying my head in the ground.

Have faith.

I think that these lyrics by Nickleback sum it up perfectly for me:
If Today Was Your Last Day

My best friend gave me the best advice
He said each day's a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less traveled by
That first step you take is the longest stride

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had, if today was your last day?

What if, what if, if today was your last day?

Against the grain should be a way of life
What's worth the price is always worth the fight
Every second counts 'cause there's no second try
So live like you're never living twice
Don't take the free ride in your own life

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had?

And would you call those friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories?
Would you forgive your enemies?
And would you find that one you're dreaming of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day?

If today was your last day
Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?
You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars
Regardless of who you are

So do whatever it takes
'Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life
Let nothing stand in your way
'Cause the hands of time are never on your side
If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had?
And would you call those friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories?
Would you forgive your enemies?
And would you find that one you're dreaming of
Swear up and down to God above
That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day?

2009 was a year of change for me. I had big changes in my life and I came to terms with stuff I tried to forget about. A lot of it I didn't like but I had to face it. I had wonderful things happen, a lot of FABULOUS times, proud times (the wedding, the commissioning, a promotion) but I was AFRAID. Afraid to lose my job, afraid of losing 2/3 of our income when the DH retires and (OMGosh) what if, what if he can't find a teaching job in September?! Afraid now that the 2nd Lieutenant is married, he would grow away from me (I know, weird...) Facing my financials, making peace with my half finished wreck of a house. Working on forgiving my self and the people that hurt me. Realizing that it will all get done in God's time and not MINE.

So anyway, I apologize for the post cause it's rambling. It helps to write it down and then be accountable.

And for stitchy things...I'm going to work on my WIPS and stitch from my stash. I am not rotating but will work on whatever I want at any given time.
I will blog more often and guess what! I got a new point and shoot camera for Christmas (and a KINDLE, oh it's so wicked!) which means that I have NO excuse for not posting pictures.

Anyway, out with 2009 and in with 2010!

I wish you all the most blessed, abundant, love-filled New Year!

It's going to be a GREAT year!

With Heartfelt Gratitude

2009-11-26T08:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have so much to be thankful for and so many blessings that I am overwhelmed and humbled by them. I am thankful for so many things, too numerous to list but I'm gonna list a few of them anyway!

I am thankful for:
My faith- Without my love of Jesus, I don't know where I'd be
My husband - who loves me through and through
My Second Lieutenant and the Lovely Jenna - they bring such pride and joy into my life
My health - for a tough old bird of 52, I have just a few aches and pains that are expected.
My hearth - It's not a palace and it's a work in progress but I love it!
My job - I love it and am thankful everyday that I have a means to feed my needlework addiction!
My critters - They teach me unconditional love every day.

My friends - Wow, I am thankful for you, dear blogging friends!
My hobby - A 30 year addiction.

And much more.

I am not as eloquent as other bloggers but when I look at what God has given me, I am amazed, grateful and thankful. He promised to meet my needs but He's certainly met my wants too!

Have a wonderful day with your family and friends. The DH and I are trekking to Rochester to have dinner with Jenna's family.

Enjoy your day!

Check out the Giveaway

2009-11-20T08:39:00.001-05:00

Hi! The Linen Stitcher is giving away a really nice OOP Carriagehouse Samplings pattern. American Sampling!

Go check it out and sign up!

Have a great day everyone!

I'm Back...

2009-11-15T20:41:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone! I'm back! Did you miss me? Yea, like a bad rash! LOL!

I took a little break from my life. I was exhausted mentally and physically. I was so surprised by how much the wedding took out of me. And, I've been dealing with a bunch of personal things here at home. I decided to let some of my commitments go, take a break (and give myself one too!) and make peace with some of the stuff I can't control. That's a first for me cause I am a control freak extraordinaire. I am feeling much better.

Anyway, I've been stitching. First off, I finished Notforgotten Farms, Parson Brown.

I stitched him on 28ct lugana with DMC. It came out pillow size so I went and picked out some homespun fabric to back him and I'll have another snowman for my collection.

Also, I'm working on a few exchanges and a Christmas gift or three. And, I am stitching ornaments for Jenna and Mike. I've finished 2 ornaments so far, a Prairie Schooler and one from Angel Stitching that was in the '06 JCS ornament issue. But I've not put them together. Recently, I've developed a fear about finishing things. Mainly, because I've ruined a couple during the finishing process. So I've decided that I have to have quiet to concentrate and not rush things. I've discovered that I like the stitching process more than I like the finishing process.

Are you looking forward to the holidays? I approach them with caution because this isn't my favorite time of the year. I'm not a fan of the hustle and bustle and with the economy, our resources are tight this year. I've been bummed about that and I'm having a hard time knowing that Santa's pack won't be as full as it was in Christmas' past. I don't have any vacation either so the holidays overall will be different. Usually, I have 2 weeks off but this year with the wedding and a forced vacation via a July 4th shutdown, my vacation is very short. The 2nd Lieutenant won't be here on Christmas Morning (he's off making holiday memories with the lovely Jenna). Different indeed!

Thanks for hanging in there with me. I'll be posting more often and if I get enough light, I'll try to take some pictures (if my dinky camera cooperates). So stay tuned!

Anyway...I'm off, I've got to get ready for tomorrow. It's back to the work week for me! Thanks for stopping by..I do appreciate all of you!

No longer a Cadet

2009-10-03T09:56:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, Mike commissioned into the Air Force as a Second Lietenant. The ROTC detatchment had a little ceremony and here are the pics:

Mike and Jenna:

The Lietenant:

And all of us.

We are very, very proud of our son!

More Wedding Pics

2009-09-29T13:26:00.003-04:00

Ok, some more wedding pics...the snapshots are coming in from friends and family.

This is me coming out of the church right after the ceremony. I love the dress! I do wish I'd worked my arms a bit...but...hey...it is what it is.

Mike and Noah doing some line dance...the kids and their friends danced the entire reception. Of course, I did too. Made a proper fool out of myself.

Jenna dancing to the same song. I love her dress. You can see some of the "bling" on it. All pics are clickable and will get BIG.

And the happy couple.

Stitching is going very well all of a sudden. I've gone from famine to feast. I'm back 100% and want to start everything I see (which is very, very dangerous). I allowed myself to start Notforgotten Farms, Parson Brown, a very cool snowman. I'm stitching him on 25count evenweave with the recommended DMC. I did change out one color cause it faded into the fabric. I'm planning on making him into a nice homespun Winter pillow. He'll join the other Frosty Friends in my collection.

Oh, if you are interested, today is the last day to sign up for the Blackbird Exchange Blog Round 3 exchange. Pop on over and sign up. Or email me. Names will be assigned tomorrow. We've got very talented stitchers in the group. No lack of creativity in this bunch. Please join us for a fun time!

Thanks for stopping by. I love when you visit. I enjoy your comments and I hope you enjoy your time in Joanie's World. Stitching pics soon cause I've made enough progress to share. My progress is distinguishable now, not just blobs...hee-hee!

Slowly, slowly my MoJo is coming back

2009-09-26T21:53:00.006-04:00

Thanks to everyone for commenting on my last post. I am getting back to normal and feeling more like myself. A few nights, I went to bed with the chickens (one of my Mom's fav sayings). And I am stitching again. Small things. I can't stand the thought of stitching on anything BIG.

So, I worked on Where My Heart Blooms, the house is about 1/2 done now and I am about 3/4 of the way finished. About this time in the progress, I usually just focus on that piece and finish it. It's like an obsession. But I haven't gotten to that place just yet. Soon, I bet! And I am working on the Plum Pudding freebie and I am working on October from Mary Garry. I've stitched that little witch before but gave her away.

I cleaned my house today. It's mostly clean. I stitched most of the afternoon, put out some of my Autumn decorations (I LOVE Fall!!!) I ordered new drapes for my living room (got 'em from JCPenney at 50% off which softened the blow when I told the DH how much they cost).

It's been a good day!

Have you been watching out for the new market releases? There are MANY that I want but I will practice restraint and do my very best not to purchase, um-mm, much. (I'd like to say I am only going to stitch my stash but I would be lying. I am trying to do that. I have so many cool patterns and I love them all!)

I love the new Carriage House Samplings! Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow and the tombstone are too cool. But I am drooling over the new Goode Huswife release, the Colonial Garden Series book. I will buy it and it will be my Christmas present to my self. Everything else that I love will go on a Wish List. Unless I lose my resolve, get stressed out, the planets align and I lose 10 pounds. At that point, there's no telling what I'll buy!

So what's on your Must Have list and your Wish List?