Just a Qucik Dash...

Good Morning!

Just a quick dash here before I run off to work. It's been a crazy morning for a Monday, and as my Mother always said "So goes Monday, so goes the week!" I sure hope that isn't true of this week!! I woke up at 5:30 AM (VERY early for me) and couldn't go back to sleep. So I did a little stitching, a little straightening up the house, and a little breakfast for the guys before they headed out. A few minutes after DS left, we got a call from his cell phone that he had missed the bus. As we were getting to run out to drive him to school, the phone rang and there was a message that the buses were delayed due to an accident (gee I hope noone was seriously hurt!) He just thought he had missed the bus, but his Dad took him to school so he wouldn't be late anyway.

So, with still a lot of time left before I have to head out, I thought I'd finally update things. It has been a slow few days. I stayed home from work Thurs and Fri because I have the bug that everyone has been passing around. Guess it was my turn. I got some stitching done those few days.

Saturday I went dress shopping. I have been asked to be a Bride's Maid in a co-worker's wedding. I'm very flattered to have been asked, but mortified at the same time, as the dresses they have for attendants are very revealing and not too flattering for someone of my age. But it was a fun day trying on dresses and joking around. I was only out for a few hours, but after battling the bug it left me pretty tired.

Sunday DH and DS begged me to go to a movie with them. We've been hearing all sorts of things about 2012 and decided to check it out. Now for the record I want to say I don't believe anything will happen on Dec 12, 2012 other than a regular day. I just happen to like action/adventure movies. And if you like sitting on the edge of your seat, cringing and gasping for air over AWESOME special effects, you will LOVE this movie! It left all of us raving about the movie. It sucked you in, it made you cry in some spots, it made you think about what YOU would do in certain situations, and when I tried to stand up after the movies, my knees were locked up. Not because I had sat there so long, but because I had remained tensed through the whole movie. I didn't realize I had done that until I tried to stand up after the movie. *chuckling*

Oh, before I forget, here are a few pictures to satisfy your curiosity. First is my Mother's Christmas gift. Shhhhh...not a word to her if you please! I was pleased how quickly I was able to stitch it. I hope she likes it!

Here is the project I started because of my disease "Startitis". It's called Quaker Seasons by My Big Toe. I'm stitching it on 32 ct Antique Ivory over one using the Weeks Dye Works threads it suggests. I've made a mistake though. The "wreath" is supposed to be a greenish color. I can't decide if I should keep it this color or frog. Since I'm stitching over 1 it's going to be a challenge to do...any suggestions?

Last (but not least) is another picture of my crazy cat. He loves boxes, and I think he overheard me saying I was going to throw this one away. It's sitting in my kitchen and even though it's out of the way, he has too many of them scattered about. As soon as I said it was on my "hit list" he jumped in and gave me this maniacal look. I decided I like my appendages right where they are and the box has remained untouched (except by the cat of course!) LOL

Hope your Monday is less chaotic than mine! *Hugs*

Temptations and Secrets

How's that title for grabbing your attention? Cloaked in secrecy and loaded with temptations, my guess is you are wondering what I'm up to. Nothing as devious as the title sounds but you'll have to read on to find out what I'm talking about! LOL!!

I know we're told to flee temptations, but I have a couple here that i just couldn't resist. Hold on to your socks and be thankful that you aren't at my house or you'd be tempted too! So what's the temptation you ask? Here they are...yes, the infamous Oreo cookies. There is a package of them sitting on the counter in the kitchen and they call my name whenever I walk by. *sigh* DH buys them and then there they sit...tempting me, and I try so hard to avoid them...and every now and then, my resolve dissolves.
But the REAL temptation that I should have fled and didn't is this.... Thea Gouverneur's London. Yes, I justified it by saying it was my birthday and it was the ONE thing I REALLY wanted, and it arrived at my LNS yesterday. Today was my day off soooooooo...I had to make the pilgrimage to get it. We visited London a few years ago and these are all the places we visited. Isn't it great? Am I insane? YES! But I can't wait to sink my teeth into this baby...and I'll be good and wait until after the first of the year. Any bets on how long this will take? And if I'll be completely insane at the end?

I'll treat you to a few of the things I'm working on now...are you ready? Today week 45 came out of the ASAW. I'll be so sad when this finishes as I'm having a blast trying to make each one unique. Here are two pictures, one of this weeks pattern, and one of the entire piece I have stitched so far. The middle is missing because I can't decide what to do, if I want the alphabet or the garden motif. It's a quandry...and suggestions?

I've been thinking about Christmas...eeek! It's a bit early for me, but with the Christmas commercials on tv coming out already, decorations in the stores, and people clamoring to get their framing done before Christmas it's hard to ignore. So I broke down and stitched this. It will go in a whimsy frame with a snowflake on it, maybe I'll take another picture when I get it framed. Cute isn't it?

Now...for the secret. Shhhhh...don't breath a word of this to my Mom. She doesn't do the internet thing so I'm going to post a picture of something I'm making her for Christmas. I'm curious to see if anyone knows what this is. Any guesses?

Last but not least, I was sitting here quietly typing (ok not so quietly) and I heard an incredible ruckus upstairs. I ran up to see the rug in front of the door askew, the cat tree toppled on its side and a pounding on the stairs. I thought I might have been overrun by a burglar but all I found was this...

How could such a cutie make such a mess? Since he and I are the only ones here, it had to be him because I know I didn't wreck the havoc I found. They sure know how to look innocent, but underneath all the fur lies a demon in disguise! LOL

Have a good evening!
*Hugs*

Life has a new spin!

Hi! I've had a productive weekend. To begin with, I finished the medicine Thursday (finally!) that contributed to the dizziness. By Friday afternoon I began to feel much better. I can actually remember events that have happened since Friday afternoon. What a mess that stuff was!! I hope I never have to take that again!! So...I was able to attend the football game at DS's high school. They are still undefeated!! Yay!! I was also able to help with the pit crew which really is a lot of fun! I remembered my camera and got a picture of DS in his uniform. Doesn't he look spiffy?

I also got caught up on the ASAW SAL! I even have the one from this past Friday. I realized after I had uploaded all the pictures that I had missed a couple weeks worth of patterns on the far right. Don't despair...I'll get them in next time I update the picture. I cannot begin to tell you how much fun I'm having with this SAL. I'm learning new stitches, and being adventurous in how I stitch things. Thanks Friendly Stitchers! You are helping me broaden my horizons and it's a lot of fun!

Over the past few months I've added a few stitches here and there to the Marquoir du Jardin found here http://squarenews.blogs.com/linsanslautre/stitch-a-long-with-me/ I just love the colors (my picture doesn't do them justice!) and I'm very far behind, but it doesn't take long to do one of their weeks worth of patterns (if that makes sense). I hope I can catch up one of these days.

I also got part of the Victorine Sampler shown here http://clarelis.canalblog.com/ I'm not quite caught up, but hopefully by the time they post another pattern, I'll have the flowers on the side done.

Last but not least, I threw in a little project that I could keep in my bedroom. Now I know this sounds strange, but I have a TV up there, and when the guys are watching their sports programs on the "big TV" in the basement, I escape to my bedroom and watch "chick flicks" up there while I stitch. To keep my sanity, I leave my big projects in the basement and keep a smaller one up there. It eliminates a lot of running up and down two flights of stairs! Anyway, here is the finish of "Live, Love, Laugh" by La-D-Dah. The colors are going to go so well in my kitchen! Can't wait to get it framed!

Guess that's all the news for now. Hopefully life is going to have a lot less "spin" and I'll have some silly stories to impart next time. In the meanwhile, I hope your life is full of sunshine and happiness. Till later....*Hugs*

I'm Baaaak!

Hi! Did you miss me? LOL I'm sorry I've been MIA (missing in action) for so long. Life has just taken a few twists and turns but I'm still kicking!

Where do I begin? Well for starters, today is my birthday! My DH tells me I'm a year away from being a half century old, but I prefer to think of myself as 29.....with 20 years experience! LOL Part of my birthday gift this year was that DH added 1 G of RAM to our computer and now with Verizon FIOS I'm surfing the net at the speed of light. What a change! I have to hang on for dear life when I enter the net as the speed is so intense! That means I can find twice as many freebies as I used to!!

I wanted to show you some finishes that I've had since my last posting. There isn't much so don't be too excited! My first one is a SAL I found on Gazette 94 http://gazette94.blogspot.com I started the Grand Abeceda on December 3, 2008 and finished on September 1, 2009. It is stitched on 36 ct Natural linen over one using DMC 815 and 3865. This was fun to work on and I appreciate the freebies I find on this site. I've saved quite a few, and there are some santas and another 4 part sampler she has going right now so check her out!
The second one is from Sticktreff and is their band sampler. I began this one on February 6, 2009 and finished it on September 6, 2009. I stitched this on 32 ct white over one using DMC 924, 926, 927, 928, and 3768. I used a different color on each "band" and since I wanted to end it with the same color I had to add a line. Can you find the added line? Good luck! LOL I'm not listing where I found this, as the group has decided to not give out freebies any more due to people abusing their generosity. It's a shame this has happened and I hope it's not an omen of things to come.

Now for those of you with inquiring minds and have been wondering where I've been...I'll share a little of what has been happening. First of all, it's been a wild ride since I returned from New York after my Dad's funeral. My old boss called me while I was in NY and asked me to come back to work for him. As soon as I was able, I did just that. It was busy while he was away on vacation...a little too busy! LOL DS went back to school and became a member of the Marching Band. He's keeping us busy as we volunteered to be in the "pit crew" which helps move the larger instruments as well as the stand for the Drum Major on and off the field during football games and band tournaments. It's actually a lot of fun!

Then, things started spinning out of control. Literally! I've been having attacks of vertigo. Since it's a hard thing to diagnose where the vertigo is coming from, I've been on three different types of medication, the current one making me even dizzier and actually caused me to make a trip to the emergency room one night with heart palpitations. The vertigo has caused me to experience fall in a brand new way...with a trip down the staricase in our house and a few mishaps at work. Fortunately the only thing seriously hurt so far is my pride! I do have a few lovely bruises that have added some color to my life...and caused a few raised eyebrows. LOL!! I'm lucky to have an understanding boss who hasn't fired me even though I've missed a few days of work. One good thing has come out of this...I haven't had to do housework in quite a while! DH has been doing his best, but let's face it, he's a guy!!! I cringe when I walk through some rooms but try to turn a blind eye. When I'm feeling better it will get done, though I may need a back hoe to get the job done. LOL When you visit Gillie, you may find me buried under dust and debris, but I'm still so excited that I'm going to meet you!

The only thing that irks me about all this, is that I haven't been able to stitch as much or as long as I used to. It makes me dizzy to glance down at my work, then back up at my pattern. I feel like I've lost my best friend, as stitching relaxes me so. But hopefully after a few more tests and a few more doctors visits they'll find and fix the problem and I'll be back to my old self in no time. In the meanwhile, I'll do my best to keep up with my pals on the yahoo groups and keep posting here.

Thanks for reading this far, I know it was a long one and you were a trooper to get this far. I hope you're enjoying fall or spring depending on where you are. Take care! *Hugs*

Finally, some stitching to show you!

Hi! Just wanted to show you a little progress I've made! The first picture is the A Stitch A Week SAL being offered on the Friendly Stitchers yahoo group. I'm so excited because I fell a few weeks behind, but now I'm back on track. The 33rd week just came out today (the lovely little butterfly) and I actually finished it the same day! Now I'm going to be caught up for a whole week, and life is feeling pretty good at this moment! (If only I were caught up on my other SAL's!)

The second picture is of the Victorine Sampler and again, as of yesterday there were only five parts posted. I'm caught up with that as well. This is a pretty easy one to keep up with, the patterns are coming out with quite a long spell in between so it's not too late to get started! You can find it at this website http://clarelis.canalblog.com/

I've had a long dry spell with no stitching, and I have to tell you I was getting anxious! It's amazing how much it relaxes me. I ended my 8 day streak of straight days working with a sick day, and when I wasn't sleeping, I was stitching! That's how I accomplished so much. I don't think I'll try working that many days in a row again, it's exhausting and takes a toll. I skipped work yesterday, skipped a luncheon date today and missed out on Ben's band camp exposition for the parents tonight. I hope I'm feeling better tomorrow, we have tickets to see "Damn Yankees" at Toby's Dinner Theater in Baltimore tomorrow. I'm sure we can find someone to use my ticket if I don't. *Sigh* I'm missing all the GOOD stuff! Ah well, there's always stitching!

Off to work on another SAL that I'm behind in. I'll keep you posted on my progress. *Hugs*

My life as I know it is over!

Good Evening!

I hope all of you are having a great day! Mine? Well, it's been a little off the wall...Where do I begin?

First let me say, this is day 7 in a row working. I'm tired. And I have two more days to go ... Eeek! Friday I have "off" from work, BUT, it's the last day of Band Camp and there will be a performance and a picnic that evening. I hope it cools down before then!! The heat index the past two days has been well into the triple digits and I melt in hot weather. LOL

Tonight was a meeting for the "band parents" that lasted 2 hours! *sigh* It's the last thing I needed today was to sit in a HOT room, with an agenda three pages long and people who love to hear themselves talk. I learned that there is a calendar of events for the band that is two pages long and that only covers September through December and that the band's first performance will be the first week in September. I learned that the band has to raise $120,000 just to attend all the events that have been planned this year. Not to mention that the band teacher (who is WONDERFUL!!! by the way) is celebrating his 40th year teaching at the same school this year (and I thought my silver wedding anniversary was something special!) and they want to raise enough money to start an endowment in his honor that will give the school money for new band instruments every year for eternity, but that means raising at least $250,000...so the story is we are supposed to raise close to 1/3 of a million dollars this year *falling over in a dead faint* It's a commendable idea, I'm seriously going to pray that we can do this, but in these economic times, I shudder to think of the work that will be involved. As I sat in the band room, my eyes glanced around at the shelves on the wall that are COVERED in trophies. This band teacher knows how to inspire the love of music in his students, he knows what music entertains (I've been to a few of the concerts he's directed) and knows what judges are looking for when they judge a performance. He has put DS through his paces these past two weeks, but he's more confident than I've ever seen him and it makes me inspired to be a involved band parent. However...I know it's going to take a lot of time. So being a full time employee and an involved band parent is going to take away from my stitching time. I think I'm in shock, and in mourning a little too. It will be an interesting year.

Well, sorry for the weird post, just had to write my feelings and sort it out in my head. Thanks for reading (if you made it this far). *Hugs*

I'm two days late but...

Hi Everyone!

Just wanted to share that DH and I celebrated our 25th Anniversary on the 4th of August. In some ways it's hard to believe that so many years have passed, and in other ways, it feels longer. LOL!! We both took the day off to share the day together (DS was in band camp for the day...yippee!) and we had a very enjoyable day. My Mom sent us a lovely silver platter with our names and our wedding date on it, what a sweet surprise! DH went to Jared! And DS went to Game Stop. LOL On our wedding day we gave each other silver crosses and I thought DH had lost his (well he did for a short while) so I searched everywhere for a replacement. Then two days before our anniversary he found his other one...but I think he liked the new one as well. If nothing else it was a sweet memory of our wedding day.

It's been a blur since then. Even though it's a slow time at the store, work has been busy for me. It seems there are not enough hours while I'm there to accomplish everything that needs to be done. Oh the pressure! We are just barely keeping ahead of the orders (but at least we aren't falling behind...yet)

I solved a puzzling mystery the other night. Each night just after I get into bed, I hear strange noises on the deck behind our house. I run down the stairs and peek out the back door and see the garbage can on it's side, lid still securly in place. Well the other night I couldn't sleep and was wandering around the house when I heard the noises again. I ran to the window, and guess what I saw!?!?!?!!? It was a masked bandit! Oh, not the kind you're thinking, this one had four feet. LOL Yes it was a pesky racoon. Now we keep our garbage can lid on securly, and he hasn't been able to pull it off, but he keeps coming back nightly to challenge himself I guess. He sat on the railing glaring at me as if to say..."How's a starving racoon supposed to survive?" I tried to shoo him away but he sat there (the cheeky critter) until I threw the lock on the door, then he scampered away. Who would think, in such a metropolitan area, that I would have racoons and foxes in the back yard, and deer eating the heads off flowers in the front yard? I guess I don't need to go to the mountains to see wildlife! LOL It's a shame, I guess, that we've encroached so far into their territory...but I can't help thinking "What's next? Hopefully not a bear!"

That's it from the wildlife sanctuary. How are things in your neck of the woods?