On The Move

My blog has been neglected but for good reason, we sold our house and have temporarily moved to the next town. Our plan is to purchase a permanent house in Vermont but after this move I need a break from all the packing and unpacking so, I will start my house hunting early next year. Given the depressed housing market I am truly thankful that our house sold and that we can move on.

Since I have had no time for stitching, I shall share a few before and after pictures of what I have been busy with:

Before:

After:

(Notice the three boxes? These were used to "try" to keep Lily out but she managed to squeeze through the railing and leave me a little surprise!)

Although I have lived in seven states and nine homes, I have been fortunate in that I have not had to engage in the daunting task of packing and moving, our moves have been corporate moves…except this one. Having to pack up a 4400 square foot home, taking care to inventory each box, and moving many of them on our own makes me truly appreciate the benefit of a corporate move. We did have the movers come in to handle most of the furniture and heavy boxes. They lifted furniture with easy, toted large boxes with minimal effort but when it came to hauling the commercial treadmill, they truly struggled. I honestly was not sure how they would accomplish this task without dropping it, but they did. Even "the big guy" (actually huge guy) was straining, not to mention sweating.

Somewhat settled I have resumed my stitching and am busy trying to complete some exchanges before I head off for a one month stay in Texas on the 18th. I am going to spend a month in Houston where I will visit my good friends and attend International Quilt Festival. I am also hoping to meet up with an online friend, Anita; this will be the first time that I get to meet an online friend...there are so many of you that I would love to meet!

Well, little Miss Lily is adorable but I am still struggling to housebreak her. Consistency is what I am aiming for and she just does not seem to get it. Therefore, I must live with baby gates and hope that she will “get it” very soon so that we all can roam freely about the house.

Oh, what is that? I hear unopened boxes calling my name…Grrrr!!!

Until next time...

Drum Roll Please...Meet Lily

Fortune truly does come to those that wait! For the past few year I have been looking for another female Yorkshire Terrier and am so happy to say that I found her ~ Meet Lily:

LILY

12 weeks old

We picked her up a few weeks ago when she was 12 weeks old and she has certainly been keeping me busy. The timing of her arrival was perfect, we brought her home on a Sunday and both of my sons left for college on Tuesday. My house is certainly not as quiet or boring with Lily in it! But I must say that I really do miss G & D, and I let them know that almost daily! :)

Yesterday the postman delivered a package from Gaby which contained the HOE Needleroll Exchange. I was thrilled to see her name on the envelope; she had filled a wish for me on the MAW board and stitched up the most gorgeous Biscornu. I quickly tore open the package and gazed upon an equally gorgeous Needleroll. I had to smile because it is the very same design that I stitched for my partner, I do believe that we are not the only ones that selected this popular design. Every detail is simply perfect ~the stitching, the beading, the finishing! I do wish that I could finish the top/bottom edges as nicely as you do Gaby, I just may need a few tips from you on that!

HOE: Needleroll Exchange
Designer: M Designs
Design: Five Roses Needle Roll
Stitched by: Gaby

In addition Gaby included some wonderful extras she stitched the most adorable little Biscornu scissor fob, this little gem measures a mere 1 ¾ across! I have stitched and finished hundreds of items but never have I made a Biscornu and certainly could not imagine making one this small. Thank you Gaby for that little treasure and for the Flower Pot stitching kit, the Heart for finishing, and the large cut of 32 count linen which will be perfect for a Halloween design. My life is a bit hectic these days and I must say that you managed to brighten my day with all of these wonderful treasures, thank you so much!

Tiny Biscornu Fob

I have heard from Margaret that she received my Needleroll exchange so I will share a picture of that:

HOE: Needleroll Exchange
Stitched for: Margaret S.

I participated in a Small Santa Exchange on the Prairie Schooler Fans Yahoo Group and here is what I stitched for CJ:

PS Friends Small Santa Exchange
Designer: Prairie Schooler
Design: St. Nicholas II – Book 36

And for your viewing pleasure (I cannot resist) I will leave you with another picture of the Princess and the Pea (Misha and Lily)...

Misha age 11 years
Lily age 15 week

Until next time...

And They're Off...

The day is fast approaching for both of my sons to head off to college, one will be returning to start his senior year and the other will be starting his freshman year. Have I been dreading this? Yes! Although I am quite happy for both of them I will be deeply saddened to see them leave. As fate would have it, I have finally found a new puppy that I will be bringing home on August 18, just one day before both guys head off to school. As some may know I have been looking for a new puppy for well over a year often frustrated that I could not find one. We often hear that “things happen for a reason” and in this case it is true the timing could not be better. Stay tuned... Cute little Lily, will be featured in an upcoming post!

I received my Fair & Square blocks from AmySC yesterday and am thrilled with the design that she selected. Not too long ago I put a few bird feeders in my backyard and have enjoyed watching, and posting on, the many birds and critters that visit. Take a look, Amy’s design selection is perfect…

Fair & Square round #8

Stitched by: AmySC

Amy also changed the dress color and stitched it in green (my favorite color). She really did make this block perfect in every way. Thank you so much Amy for the beautifully stitched blocks that you sent!!!

Thank you Michele for the Brillante Weblog Award, I am truly honored!!! Again, I must pass this honor on to all those that take the time to maintain a blog and share their talent. There are far too many (as you can see from my ever growing sidebar) inspiring blogs for me to select from so let me pass this on to each of you...Congratulations!

Like so many others I am in awe of Anita’s talent. I was very excited when I learned that she opened an online store and it did not take me long place my order. Her strawberry emery design is wonderful, and the pattern is fantastic; she includes the design, a tutorial for constructing the strawberry emery and a tutorial for making the fancy ribbon bow. Pleased with what I received I jumped at the opportunity to purchase her Patriotic Collection. There is no wait time since she sends the pattern in a PDF file! I did order the Accessory Pack (well worth it, I might add) and she was super fast in send that to me, thanks Anita!

Latest purchase from Designer: Anita's Little Stitches

Like Vonna, I am going to spend less time stitching exchanges and more time stitching from my growing collection of WIP/To Do projects. I am hoping that this will afford me the opportunity to stitch on of Anita’s gorgeous Strawberry Emery designs.


Maybe not the storm of the century but it was a wild ride…We had a strong thunderstorm, with some of that summer ice, pass through which caused us to lose electricity for 17 hours. Thankfully, we have a generator so it did not cut into my stitching time.

August 7, 2008 Hail Storm

Did you know that…

Hail forms when strong currents of rising air, known as updrafts, carry water droplets high enough in a thunderstorm for the water droplets to freeze.

Most hailstones are smaller in diameter than a dime, but stones weighing more than a pound have been recorded.

A strong updraft allows hailstones to grow large enough to reach the ground. In general, the stronger the updraft, the larger the hail.

Once hailstones grow large enough to begin falling despite the updraft that has been holding them up, they hurtle toward the ground as fast as 90 mph.

Small hailstones often melt before reaching the ground, but the larger ones reach the ground and can cause extensive damage to crops and vehicles caught in the storm.

In the USA, hailstorms are most common on the Plains, especially just east of the Rockies. Other parts of the world that have damaging hailstorms include China, Russia, India and northern Italy.

While hailstones are ice, hail is mostly a spring and summer phenomena because the strong thunderstorms needed to produce hail are much more common during warm weather.

I will leave you with another "ugly" picture... This "ugly" critter returned to my backyard feeder with his family! Some have suggested that these are Buzzards, I thought that they were Wild Turkeys but could be wrong ~ I do know that they are ugly.

I hope that you are all enjoying your weekend!

Until next time...

Gorgeous Pinkeep

I participated in a Pinkeep Exchange with the Prairie Schooler group and received this beautiful Pinkeep from Anna. I had requested a Fall/Halloween design so this is truly perfect. Anna stitched this on 40 count Lakeside Linen (a real favorite of mine!) using WDW and Gast Threads and she used Gloriana silk ribbon on the finishing. Anna, you did an amazing job on the stitching/finishing of this Pinkeep; it is gorgeous, and I shall treasure it!

Prairie Schooler Pinkeep

Stitched by Anna

Anna also included some fun fiber trim, a bead container and a very tiny pincushion that is adorable. I often make “smalls” so I can appreciate the work that went into this. Thank you for such a wonderful exchange.

PS Pinkeep Exchange

Anna mailed her package from Norway and I am sorry to say that she encountered a problem when mailing. I am very happy that her exchange did not get lost and that it arrived safely at my house.

I have seen this award on a number of blogs and, thanks to Paula,I am able to post it on my blog. I appreciate the nomination Paula, and please know that the feeling is mutual. Blogging has certainly changed the learning landscape. We all seem to have that innate desire to express ourselves in significant ways to create, to learn, and to share. I am thankful for all of the amazing “stitching” blogs and find it impossible to select just five so I must bestow this award on each of you. I would also like to thank you all for inspiring me with your outstanding creativity


I will leave you with pictures of the latest visitors to my backyard feeders.


AND A CLOSE UP...

I hope that your weekend brings endless hours of creative stitching!

Until next time...

Hello Neighbor

I completed my block for Karen's NRR and mailed it off to Deb yesterday. I and am pleased with how this turned out; I especially like the fence and the Yorkshire Terrier in the front yard.

Hello Neighbor

Karen's NRR

I found a wonderful book at the library called “House and Garden Samplers” by Mary Jenkins that I used extensively to design my block. It is a great resource for designing blocks for a Neighborhood Round Robin because it takes you from the history of samplers to design planning and execution. There are 47 illustrations of various specialty stitches, a great chapter on designing your own house, and many illustrations of various doors, roofs, windows. The chapter on gardens illustrates a nice selection of flowers and trees, and the chapters on Animals and Alphabets has an array of patterns. This is an older book (copyright 1996) that I was able to purchase on Amazon…whoo hoo! I cannot wait to add it to my library.

I am busy working on exchange pieces so I have no other stitching pictures to share at this time.

I do however have this "ugly" picture.....

This is not exactly the type of "bird" that I was hoping to attract to my backyard feeders! Is this wild turkey ugly or what?

It is hard to believe that it once looked as "cute" as this...

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your week!


Until next time...

Wishes Do Come True.... AND The WINNER Is..

Two wonderful wishes arrived... As a participant in the MAW exchange I requested a Biscornu and my wish was granted by Gaby. How lucky could I get since Gaby is known for her Biscornu talent. I was so very happy to open her envelope and find this gem!

She even impressed me with her packaging. I opened the little gold bag and my eyes danced when I saw both sides of this biscornu.

Make A Wish: Biscornu from Gaby

This is so very beautiful and the workmanship is amazing! Gaby, you have managed to select the perfect design and the perfect color ~ I love my new Biscornu and cannot find enough words to adequately thank you. You really did make my wish come true, thank you so very much I shall treasure it!

I had requested a Biscornu because, like many others, I have never made one and for some reason they look as if they would be difficult to make. Yes, many have assured me that they are not difficult but I figured it would be better if I had one in front of me while I attempted to do the finishing. Now, all I need is the time!

Lucky me, a few months ago I had received some handmade "scrubbers" from Paula and once I used them I was hooked. I was not sure if these little things would really work, but they do and they have become a "must have" gadget in my kitchen. They are particularly useful in cleaning my Pampered Chef Stoneware pieces ~ the ones that you should not use soap or detergent on and that should not be washed in the dishwasher. I use them all the time and what's nice is you can wash them. I liked them so much that I asked Paula if I could order some from her and here they are...

Scrubbers made by Paula

I got a bunch so that I could give some to friends. Thank you Paula!

As promised I am posting the winner of the Ultra Bright Book Light Gadget Give-A-Way. Thirty-eight comments were posted and using Random.Org comment number 20 was selected as the winning number.

THE WINNER IS

Julianne

Congratulations Julianne!!! Please email me. :)

I do hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend. We are in for some very hot days here in the northeast so I will most certainly remain inside stitching on some exchanges.

Thanks for dropping by!

Until next time...

PIF Received, Exchange Sent, New Feeder

Last week I received a package in the mail from Julie that contained a beautiful pinkeep that she stitched as a PIF gift for me. Julie, I love the LHN design that you selected and I am truly thrilled to have such a beautiful gift from you, many thanks!

I love to visit Julie’s blog; she has great music and fantastic pictures that always make me smile!

PIF Received from Julie

I completed my Make-A-Wish (MAW) Exchange for Carol. She made a request for an ornament and I jumped at the chance to stitch one for her. I am such a fan of M Design’s Word Tree Ornaments, they are so different and quite clever, and I thought that Carol would like one to add to her holiday tree.

Designer: M Design

Design: PEACE Tree

When turned on its side you can easily read "PEACE"

I have four personalized name tree designs that I ordered and need to stitch, I am hoping to get these stitched before Christmas.


My Prairie Schooler Pinkeep Exchange has found its way across the ocean and now resides with Elisabeth in France.

Prairie Schooler Book 27
Design: Nursery Rhymes

Prairie Schooler Pinkeep Exchange

As a birthday gift for Vonna, I stitched a Mary Beale Design and mounted it on a wooden plate. I do hope that you had a wonderful birthday my friend! She too has some great tunes on her blog.

Designer: Mary Beale

Design: Sampler

I cannot believe how many birds now flock to my feeders; yes, I have four feeders that I must fill daily. I thought that I found a “squirrel proof” feeder (is there such a thing?), but I was wrong….

"Watch Me...."

"Get inside..."

"This bird feeder...."

"And back out again....IT'S SO EASY"



"Sometimes there is food left for the birds!"

Just 5 more days left before I draw a name for the Gadget Give-A-Way...If you are interested go here and leave a comment.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Until next time...