Where's Waldo??? Guess to Win!

Well, I have decided that my life is like a page out of Where's Waldo! A few posts ago I mentioned that I had some interesting news to share with you and now is the time ~My husband and I are moving....AGAIN.

To date we have lived in:

• Massachusetts
• New Hampshire
• Virginia
• Texas
• Maryland
• New Jersey
• Connecticut
• and have spent much time in our 2nd home in Vermont.

As some of you know I wanted to make Vermont my permanent home, but that is not going to happen; not yet, maybe never.

I am currently on a house hunting trip and am sitting in my room at the Marriott Hotel...My question to you is: Where's Waldo? I shall not reveal my location at this time, I will let you play along if you like. Leave a comment and let me know where you think I am moving to.

Here are just a few hints:

• We had the chance to move to Germany but decided to stay in the USA.


• You won't find me on the Ski Slopes very often.


• I will no longer be a 3 hour car trip away from my boys who are in college in PA, I will be a 3-4 hour flight away.


• I really should give away my winter clothes.

No need to guess the city/town just the State. If you guess correctly your name will go into a drawing for a finished cross stitch piece. If no one gets it right I will draw a name from all who post. I would show you the piece but then you would know where I am moving to (also, it is not yet complete :D).

Sorry, but those few that already know where I am moving to are not permitted to play. :)

I am happy to say that we have found our new home and are scheduling the closing. I am even happier to say that this is a corporate move so I will leave the packing and moving to someone else, Yippee!!! Can you see me grinning ear to ear?

Until next time...

Winter Exchanges

I am excited to be able to show you the wonderful exchange that I received in the mail today; it is from Goldie who had my name for the SBEBB Frosty & Friends Exchange. What an adorable snowman pinkeep! The design is a Lizzie Kate titled, Share the Season. Goldie also sent a bunch of extras, just look at how she spoiled me…

SBEBB: Frosty & Friends Exchange

Received from: Goldie

Thank you Goldie, I am so grateful for all that you sent and shall cherish the beautiful pinkeep.

I am able to share a few exchange pictures of items that I sent out. The first is a Winter Exchange that I participated in with the Friends Through Threads group. My partner for this exchange is a very talented stitcher named Brigitte. I selected a Mary Garry design titled, Ice-Skating Party and think it is just perfect for a Winter Exchange. I decided to finish it as a sewing caddy and am pleased with how it turned out.

• Designer: Mary Garry Sewing Cabin
• Design: Ice-Skating Party
• Finish: Sewing Caddy

Inside of sewing caddy

Friends Through Threads

Winter Seasonal Exchange

Sent to: Brigitte

Jane contacted me to let me know that she received the Fair & Square round #11 blocks that I sent.

Fair & Square round #11

Stitched for: Jane

I spent Friday traveling to Vermont for a ski weekend so I am sorry to say I was not able to stitch on my HAED Wintery Heirloom. I do plan to join the HEAD Friday SAL this week and hope that I can make some headway.

Okemo Mountain ~ Vermont

I had a great weekend skiing with my older son and his girlfriend. We had one slight mishap on the chair lift and all I can say is I am thankful that I did not break my leg! I have a huge bruise on my calf to remind me of how lucky I was. Overall, it was a great day, not as cold as I had thought it would be except at the very top of the mountain with the wind whipping violently around!

Snowboarding at Okemo

To make up for all the carbs I ate, in preparation for the long ski day (ya right), I "paid the piper" by spending 3 hours at the gym today working out 1 hour each on the Arc Trainer, Treadmill, and Elliptical. I do believe that I need to end this so I can creep slowly down the stairs and rest my weary body on the couch…time to stitch!

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Do I Dare???

After reading Vonna’s post on her recent HAED project I quickly ventured over to the HAED website and fell in love with the Jane Wooster Scott Designs!

Oh my, do I dare???

My favorite is Witches and Crones, yes those Halloween designs get me every time. I also love scenes of winter and pondered whether to purchase Wintery Heirloom instead; decisions, decisions, should I purchase both? After giving it some thought I decided that it would be best if I purchased just one. Let’s face it these are not “quick stitch” projects and what is the likely hood that I will finish even one? After making my decision I emailed Vonna with a few questions and then placed Wintery Heirloom into my shopping cart. Yes, I decided against the Halloween design, for reasons I shall reveal in a later post.

HAED: Wintery Heirloom by Jane Wooster Scott

Seeing the massive, and I mean massive, pattern I was so thankful that I only purchased one! In a bit of a panic I emailed Vonna, (thank goodness for Vonna) to find out her “strategy” for completing the HAED. I am now doing as she does and stitching on Wintery Heirloom on Fridays. Without further ado, here is my first Friday SAL progress:

HAED Jan 16th SAL

Stitched on 25ct Lugana over 1

1,063 stitches completed

YIKES!!! I spent hours stitching a teeny tiny section of the sky. Do you see all those shades of blue for that one little section?

Did I mention there are 162,000 stitches in this design? I have completed a mere 1,063, only 160,937 to go. If I were lucky enough to stitch even 1,000 stitches each Friday (not going to happen) it would take me 162 Fridays. Well, there ya go ~can you say UFO? :)

Seriously, I do not give up that easily. This is a truly gorgeous design and I am confident that the Friday SAL will keep me motivated. Thanks Vonna for inviting me!

Well, I shall end so that I can spend just a few hours stitching on Wintery Heirloom.


Thanks so much for stopping by~

Until next time...

Unexpected Surprise

I received two very special birthday gifts from some truly special online stitching friends. The first arrived in my email inbox in the form of a gift certificate from Down Sunshine Lane given to me from my dear friend Vonna. Vonna was instrumental in helping me get my blog up and running many years ago and we have remained good friends. A huge thank you my friend, you have been a shining light in my life and I value our friendship more than you know. I will be sure to post a picture of my purchase from DSL.

The second “unexpected surprise” arrived on Monday from another special lady, and extremely talented stitcher, CathyB (yes, the same CathyB that surprised me with the heart ornament from the last post!). What a gorgeous pinkeep!!! Cathy and I share a passion for Mary Garry Designs and I must say I love this one. Cathy, I cannot thank you enough for this beautiful gift AND for the gift of your friendship; your thoughtfulness touched me deeply!

Gorgeous Birthday Surprise From CathyB

Thank you Cathy and Vonna for making my birthday extra special!

I have another M Design Word Tree Ornament to share with you: JOY. Boy, do I love these! I made this one for a friend in Texas, whose name happens to be Joy.

Have you visited Anita’s Little Stitches online shop lately? She just set up a new blog with a great tutorial for Floss Tags. Her instructions are excellent and she has included a number of pictures of her beautifully finished Floss Tags. Much like Anita, I like to mount my floss tag piece on cardboard but was struggling with how to get the eyelet through all of that bulk…I love what Anita does. Thanks Anita for sharing that on your new blog. You may also want to stop by her online shop; she has everything that you need for finishing those very popular floss rings! While there check out the Davo scissors: a good friend sent me a pair for Christmas and I love them! I did purchased the 4” Chanticleer (made in Italy) from Anita, these are wonderful as well.

Stay tuned as I shall be sharing some interesting news in the near future....

Thanks for visiting with me~

Until next time...

Beautiful Heart By A Talented Woman

I received a very unexpected surprise in the mail from CathyB. She sent me the most gorgeous Heart Ornament that was made by her Mom; I see where Cathy gets her talent. I only wish that I was skilled at Tatting, maybe I should put that on my long list of "Things to do in 2009" ~ learn Tatting! Thank you to Cathy and her Mom for the beautiful heart, I will treasure this forever.

Heart Ornament

From CathyB

Tatting by Cathy's Mom

I was able to finish two Personalized Name Trees for Christmas. M Design Name Trees are one of my all time favorite ornaments. I have name tree patterns for both of my sons but I have not started them. They are now on that growing list, you know “Things To Do In 2009”~

Vonna Personalized Name Tree

Jerryann Personalized Name Tree

I happened upon a freebie Tote Bag pattern from Lazy Girl Designs that I though I would share with you. This too will get added to my "Things to do in 2009" list. :)

Well, I just said good-bye to both of my sons who are venturing out for the evening. One is heading to NYC with his girlfriend to ring in the New Year and the other is ringing in the New Year at a party in the next town. I shall retire to the couch, pick up a my stitching, and stay warm while I view the ball drop on television. I should point out that I will almost certainly be heading out (in the freezing cold) in the wee hours of the morning to pick my son up from the train station upon his return from the city...the benefit of being a night owl.

Thank you for popping in periodically throughout the year to read my blog. I wish each of you a very happy and healthy New Year~

Until next time...

SBBC Birthday Gift, Holiday Recipes

I participated in the Stitching Bloggers Birthday Club and I received my birthday exchange from Judith. Apparently she is aware of how much I like Halloween designs because she selected this great design and finished it as a long skinny pillow, how cute. Judith also stitched a floss caddy using some wonderful Moda fabric. Thank you Judith for the wonderful surprise.

SBBC: Birthday Gift from Judith

Do you need a side dish recipe for your holiday dinner??? I like this one because it taste great, and looks so festive on the table.

Festive Side Dish Recipe

Green Beans and Pearl Onions with Tarragon Vinaigrette
Serves: 8-10

1 red bell pepper

12-14 oz pearl onions, about 3/4" in diameter, unpeeled

1 T salt, plus a pinch of salt

2 lbs green beans

1-2 T tarragon white wine vinegar

2 T olive oil

freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

Cut red pepper into thin strips and saute in 2 T of olive oil until tender. Set aside.

Fill a saucepan 3/4 full with water and bring to a boil. Add onions and 1 T of salt and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat slightly, cover partially for 2-3 minutes; drain and plunge into cold water.

Cut off the root ends; slip off skin and set the onions aside.

Trim the stems from the green beans and cut beans into 3/4 inch lengths. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and cook, uncovered, until just tender but still crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice water. Drain again and set aside.

Just before serving, combine 1 T of the vinegar and the pinch of salt in a small bowl, then add pepper to taste and whisk together. Pour into a saucepan and warm over medium heat. Add the bell pepper, onions and beans and toss until heated through, 1 minute. Taste for seasoning, adding more vinegar or salt if needed.

Here is one of my very favorite salad recipes:

Orange-Avocado Salad
Yield: 8-10

3 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 C honey, mild flavored
3/4 lb baby spinach salad, washed and trimmed
fresh pepper
1/2 C olive oil
2-3 ripe avocados
2 T minced sweet red onion
1/2 t salt
1/2 t minced fresh mint or 1 t crushed dried mint
4-5 oranges

Wash spinach and wrap in clean, damp kitchen towel . Place in refrigerator for at least 2-3 hrs to chill/crisp.
Cut avocados in half, remove pit, peel, cut lengthwise into thin strips; set aside.
Peel orange, remove white membrane; cut crosswise into thin slices, remove seeds; set aside.
In small bowl stir lemon juice + salt until dissolved. Whisk in honey and a little pepper, then whisk in olive oil, onion, mint. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.
To assemble:Arrange chilled spinach on individual plates. Top w/avocado slices and orange slices. Whisk dressing again and drizzle on salad.

I do hope that you all enjoy the holidays!!!

Until next time...

Gorgeous Ornament

I am so excited to have received such a wonderful ornament from Valerie! She tells me that this is her first pillow finish, hard to believe seeing as it is so nicely finished. The design is from the November 2008 Gift of Stitching ~ I recognized it immediately since it tops my list of projects from this issue! Valerie stitched the ornament on 32ct Lakeside Linen Vintage Light Examplar using Crescent Colors (Cupid). It is perfect and I love what she did on the reverse side, take a look...

In addition I was treated to this lovely array of extras.

HOE Ornament Exchange from Valerie

Many thanks Valerie for this wonderful exchange, you certainly made my day!

My friend just had her very first grand baby (a baby girl) and here is the baby quilt that I made.

Khloe's Baby Quilt

My younger son arrived home from college and I am anxiously awaiting the return of my older son who is busy with finals. He is expected home on Friday, that is if the weather holds out. We are expecting icy conditions but nothing like what those in MA, NH, and parts of VT are dealing with~that is truly dreadful!

I was watching Martha Stewart prepare this potato recipe and I have decided that I will include it in our holiday meal this year. What I like about it is you can prepare it ahead of time and bake it later. The recipe is courtesy of chef Emeril Lagasse and can be found in his cookbook, "Emeril's Potluck."

Potatoes a la Boulangere

Yield: 10-12 servings

Ingredients
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cups thinly sliced onions
2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
5 pounds red bliss or Yukon

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until caramelized, about 30 minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Transfer onions to a large bowl and let cool.

3) In the same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat, and cook a quarter of the potatoes until lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Transfer to a platter and let cool. Repeat process three more times with remaining butter, potatoes, salt, and pepper.

4) Arrange a quarter of the cooled potatoes in a slightly overlapping single layer in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with a third of the onions and sprinkle 1 teaspoon thyme over the dish. Layer another quarter of the potatoes over onions and thyme and top with another third of the onions and 1 teaspoon of thyme. Repeat process and finish with a layer of potatoes.

5) Pour chicken stock over potatoes and transfer baking dish to oven. If you like you can refrigerate until ready to bake...

6) Bake for 25 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, and continue baking until potatoes are golden brown, about 30 minutes more. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before serving.

I know that you are all quite busy so I thank you for taking the time to stop by ~ I do hope that you are able to find a few minutes to sit and stitch!

Until next time...