2008 Finishes
Dec 31, 2010
Dec 27, 2010
Marvelous Monday Update 12/27/10
CHRISTMAS
My parents announced this year that they won't be hosting Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays anymore, so it's up to us kids to take turns. This year, my oldest brother hosted both holidays. I missed Thanksgiving due to being sick, but made it for Christmas.
It was a lot of fun. :) Much to my surprise, I was able to get my ENTIRE family involved in playing a game where participants had to use a crayon to draw a Christmas picture according to my verbal directions. Easy enough, right? Well... the trick was that they could NOT look at their papers while doing so!
We decided to draw names this year... adults drew adult names and kids (cousins) drew kids names. We all sat in a circle and took turns opening our gifts. My oldest brother couldn't wait until our niece (who is going to be 20 soon) got to the house so she could be the "featured gift opener". He made a point of telling her that basically he felt sorry for her over the years because she always got crappy gifts (lol), so he got her something really good. As she was opening her gift, one of the youngest cousins squealed in delight when she saw the box: a zhu zhu pet! (If you don't know what a zhu zhu pet is, click HERE.) She excitedly told her cousin how she had one JUST like it, and proceeded to ask if she had the zhu zhu pet cities... LOL! My niece opened the box to find....
a BIG LUMP OF COAL!
I'm talking at least 4x6x1". It was way too funny. The good sport that she was, she suggested my youngest brother (her step-dad) use his high pressure tools and turn it into a diamond for her. Someone else suggested she put it under a stack of books, and in a few million years she'd have a great diamond.
She did get a real present, though. My brother finally handed over a gift card which technically was from her cousin.
And now, the family photos:
Aside from a wedding or funeral, this is about as dressed up as you will ever see my Dad. And yes, his shirt is *always* unbuttoned! My Mom, on the other hand, she always wears something fushia and sparkly for the holidays.
This is the featured gift opener, my oldest niece, along with the newest niece in the family. The baby slept through most of Christmas. She was sleeping when everyone got there, and when she woke up there were TONS of people. The look on her face was precious... kind of like: 'Holy Crap. Where did all these people come from?'
My nephew and his Dad decided to travel by snowmobile to the Christmas celebration. On the way, he crashed his sled and smashed his thumb. Obviously, the injury didn't hinder his video game playing ability!
Two more nieces. The older one has moved away from home and goes to college. The younger one complained that she doesn't know how to smile for photos, lol.
This is another of my oldest nieces, along with her BF. Both are sporting Christmas presents -- hers, a pink plaid hoodie, and his the 49er's cap.
Lastly,
My niece, the princess. She was excited to tell everyone she got a Princess Ariel Styling Salon from Santa. Then when she opened her Christmas gifts, she got a Princess Ariel crown and jewelry, and a Princess Baby Ariel who also had a crown!
STITCHY STUFF
I've been using the Gingerbread House as my travel stitching for quite awhile. It's almost finished, so I decided I'd get this one finished up by the end of this year. I did a bit more stitching on it after finishing TMQ:
Other WIP pics can be seen HERE.
Both Nancy and Vickie have been prodding me to get moving on JG. In 2011, I will be devoting more time to it.
ON A SAD NOTE...
Rene of Rene la Frog's Ramblings is one of my online buddies and co-moderator of the i-love-cross-stitch group. We have "known" each other for the past 6 years. I recently found out she is gravely ill, and may not be with us much longer.
A virtual candle lighting has been started for her at Greatfulness.org. Please send good thoughts for her and her family. In addition, many stitchers have been participating in a week-long SAL dedicated to Rene.
Also, I am dedicating my TMQ finish to Rene. ((Hugs)) to you, my friend. You are in my thoughts.
GIVEAWAY
Nina at Between Crosses with Nina is hosting a New Year's Giveaway. Go check out her beautiful stitching and the details about the giveaway.
My parents announced this year that they won't be hosting Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays anymore, so it's up to us kids to take turns. This year, my oldest brother hosted both holidays. I missed Thanksgiving due to being sick, but made it for Christmas.
It was a lot of fun. :) Much to my surprise, I was able to get my ENTIRE family involved in playing a game where participants had to use a crayon to draw a Christmas picture according to my verbal directions. Easy enough, right? Well... the trick was that they could NOT look at their papers while doing so!
We decided to draw names this year... adults drew adult names and kids (cousins) drew kids names. We all sat in a circle and took turns opening our gifts. My oldest brother couldn't wait until our niece (who is going to be 20 soon) got to the house so she could be the "featured gift opener". He made a point of telling her that basically he felt sorry for her over the years because she always got crappy gifts (lol), so he got her something really good. As she was opening her gift, one of the youngest cousins squealed in delight when she saw the box: a zhu zhu pet! (If you don't know what a zhu zhu pet is, click HERE.) She excitedly told her cousin how she had one JUST like it, and proceeded to ask if she had the zhu zhu pet cities... LOL! My niece opened the box to find....I'm talking at least 4x6x1". It was way too funny. The good sport that she was, she suggested my youngest brother (her step-dad) use his high pressure tools and turn it into a diamond for her. Someone else suggested she put it under a stack of books, and in a few million years she'd have a great diamond.
She did get a real present, though. My brother finally handed over a gift card which technically was from her cousin.
And now, the family photos:
Aside from a wedding or funeral, this is about as dressed up as you will ever see my Dad. And yes, his shirt is *always* unbuttoned! My Mom, on the other hand, she always wears something fushia and sparkly for the holidays.
This is the featured gift opener, my oldest niece, along with the newest niece in the family. The baby slept through most of Christmas. She was sleeping when everyone got there, and when she woke up there were TONS of people. The look on her face was precious... kind of like: 'Holy Crap. Where did all these people come from?'
My nephew and his Dad decided to travel by snowmobile to the Christmas celebration. On the way, he crashed his sled and smashed his thumb. Obviously, the injury didn't hinder his video game playing ability!
Two more nieces. The older one has moved away from home and goes to college. The younger one complained that she doesn't know how to smile for photos, lol.
This is another of my oldest nieces, along with her BF. Both are sporting Christmas presents -- hers, a pink plaid hoodie, and his the 49er's cap.
Lastly,
My niece, the princess. She was excited to tell everyone she got a Princess Ariel Styling Salon from Santa. Then when she opened her Christmas gifts, she got a Princess Ariel crown and jewelry, and a Princess Baby Ariel who also had a crown!
STITCHY STUFF
I've been using the Gingerbread House as my travel stitching for quite awhile. It's almost finished, so I decided I'd get this one finished up by the end of this year. I did a bit more stitching on it after finishing TMQ:
Both Nancy and Vickie have been prodding me to get moving on JG. In 2011, I will be devoting more time to it.
ON A SAD NOTE...
Rene of Rene la Frog's Ramblings is one of my online buddies and co-moderator of the i-love-cross-stitch group. We have "known" each other for the past 6 years. I recently found out she is gravely ill, and may not be with us much longer.
A virtual candle lighting has been started for her at Greatfulness.org. Please send good thoughts for her and her family. In addition, many stitchers have been participating in a week-long SAL dedicated to Rene.
Also, I am dedicating my TMQ finish to Rene. ((Hugs)) to you, my friend. You are in my thoughts.
GIVEAWAY
Nina at Between Crosses with Nina is hosting a New Year's Giveaway. Go check out her beautiful stitching and the details about the giveaway.
Dec 25, 2010
Six Hundred Fourteen!
That's how many knots I put into the perimeter of TMQ.
TMQ is finished!! I did a big Happy Dance on Christmas Day!! Woo Hoo! Can you tell I'm thrilled to have this finished and out of my UFO pile??
Designer: Lois Winston
Magazine: The Cross Stitcher, Apr-Aug 1997
Started: 1997 ~~~ Finished: 2010
Fibers: DMC
Size: 41x67"
Dec 20, 2010
Marvelous Monday Update 12/20/10
As the holiday approaches, I want to wish all my online and offline friends a very Merry Christmas. I know for some of you, this will be a very difficult holiday. I'm sending warm thoughts your way.
SCHOOL
Our instructor said he'd mail us the grades for the presentation/paper, the final exam grade, and our grade for class if we gave him a stamped self-addressed envelope.
I received an excited email from one of my group partners telling me what he got for the presentation grade. I wanted to leave work right then and there so I could go to the PO to see if my envelope was there.Sure 'nuf, it was!
I got a 98/100 on my presentation & paper!! Overall, for the class, I got an A. Woo Hoo!!
GIVEAWAYS
Cat from Kittycat Cross Stitch is hosting a Christmas giveaway. If you're curious as to what the prizes are, give her a visit.
Nataly at New England Stitchers Retreat is also hosting a nice giveway that will end soon. So hurry!
Carolyn at Taking One Stitch at a Time is hosting a Christmas giveaway, too. Hop on over to her blog and check out her latest stitching as well.
STITCHY STUFF
Imagine my surprise when I opened a package from Canada and it contained the chart for this:
It's a good thing Donna put a note in with it because I don't even remember entering the contest on the Stitcher's Circle group. The chart came with the charms and is by one of my favorite designers, Lorri Birmingham. Thank you, Donna!
A while back, someone asked how large TMQ is. I finally got around to measuring it. It's 41 x 67" -- the largest project I've ever done. I finished most of the floral border, the branch on the right side, the pine trees on the left side, and the quilt designs between the cabins. It won't be long now!
Lastly, a bit of humor....
Kristin can probably relate to this since her family has two kitty cats.
Dec 18, 2010
Holiday Spirit
The title of my post has more than one meaning :)
First... It's a finish!! This was so much fun to stitch.
Holiday Spirit
Designer: Samplerbird Stitchery
Fabric: 28ct White Cashel Linen
Fibers: DMC Color Variations
Time: 3.5 Hrs to stitch
Embellishments: Beads, Runched Satin Ribbon
Second... I managed to get my Christmas decorations and TWO trees up early this year -- I put them two days after school was done. Anyway, it was early for me. LOL
Third... I did a bunch of Christmas baking today!
8 Dozen Cookies so far: Chocolate Chip,
Snickerdoodles, and Maple Cookies. I still
have to bake the Sour Cream Sugar Cookies.
Lastly... I am making Sweet & Sour Meatballs and Crab-Stuff Mushrooms as the dishes-to-pass at Christmas dinner with my family. I made all the meatballs so all I have left to do is throw them in the crockpot with the sauce mix. I also did a test run on the stuffed mushrooms.
First... It's a finish!! This was so much fun to stitch.
Designer: Samplerbird Stitchery
Fabric: 28ct White Cashel Linen
Fibers: DMC Color Variations
Time: 3.5 Hrs to stitch
Embellishments: Beads, Runched Satin Ribbon
Second... I managed to get my Christmas decorations and TWO trees up early this year -- I put them two days after school was done. Anyway, it was early for me. LOL
Third... I did a bunch of Christmas baking today!
Snickerdoodles, and Maple Cookies. I still
have to bake the Sour Cream Sugar Cookies.
Lastly... I am making Sweet & Sour Meatballs and Crab-Stuff Mushrooms as the dishes-to-pass at Christmas dinner with my family. I made all the meatballs so all I have left to do is throw them in the crockpot with the sauce mix. I also did a test run on the stuffed mushrooms.
Dec 13, 2010
Marvelous Monday Update 12/13/10
SCHOOLSchool is officially over for the semester! Woo Hoo :) Can't tell you what a relief it is. Our group presentation went really well, with the exception of one group member who dropped the ball. Unfortunately, there was one in each group. I think out of all the presentations, ours was the most interesting as far as involving the audience. We took the final exam after the presentations. Since I was SO preoccupied with the presentation, I didn't have a lot of time to study. I think I did OK (*fingers crossed*). Afterwards, a bunch of us went out for a drink to celebrate. :)
THE HOMESTEAD
My 17-year old water heater decided enough was enough and let it all out... all over my basement floor.
Why do these things happen around the holidays? Financial gurus always tell people to set aside so much each pay period for an "emergency fund". Thank goodness, I have one because I think this qualifies as an emergency.
I have a brand-spankin' new water heater for the low, low price of... nevermind, it wasn't cheap! The old one provided many years of service; may she rest in peace.
STITCHY STUFF
Last week, Sierra of Patchework Stitches inquired as to how people kept their floss organized for BAP's (Big @ss Projects). For me, large or small projects, I store my floss the same way:
As you can see, I wind the leftover pieces end-to-end on the bobbin. Then they are stored in a plastic bobbin cases, separate from my main stash.
For more on how I store floss, click HERE.
I did do a lot of stitching over the weekend. I don't have a lot to show for it since I had to frog almost all of it.
As I've mentioned before, I'm having to re-chart the entire center section of TMQ because the original design doesn't fit in the afghan fabric I chose. Up to this point, it's gone pretty well. The quilt squares between the cabins did not go so well. I thought I figured out the placement, but I was off a few stitches... Hence, I had to frog all of them. I had most of them done before I realized there wasn't enough space for the last one. :( Here's my progress after frogging and re-stitching:
Do you see the white space below the cabins and squares? That plus the flower heads on the vines is how much I have left to stitch! I'm excited that I'm *so* close to finishing it!
GIVEAWAYS
Veronica's Stitching Vault is hosting a giveway! It's Veronica's birthday :) Click on over and wish her a happy birthday, and check out her beautiful stitching while you're there.
Kate from The Flying Needle is hosting a Christmas giveway. Go check out her blog!
Down Sunshine Lane is also hosting a Christmas giveaway HERE.
Mel is celebrating 200 followers on her Epic Stitching blog by hosting a dual giveaway. Check out her blog for the details, and while you're there admire her stitching.
CHARLEY
Some of my readers have indicated they enjoy the antics of Charley. She does two things when she *really* wants my attention. She will get excited and "dance" back and forth along her perch, bopping her head around. The other thing she will do it hang herself upside down on the side of her cage and spread her wings.
Lastly, a bit of humor....
Dec 6, 2010
Marvelous Monday Update 12/6/10
AND SO IT STARTS....
My area was under a winter storm warning last Friday. For days, forecasters told us that we could possibly get 6+" of snow. Well, they were right. My city received about 7" of the white stuff between Friday night and Saturday morning. Wet, heavy snow! It took me over 2 hours to clean my driveway with "Little Blow" and "Push".
STITCHY STUFF
Last week I showed you the ornament I sent off for the HOE Christmas ornament exchange. Now I get to show you what I received.
A big thank you goes out to Becky in OK! Now, I just need to put up my tree so I can hang it. :)
I did quite a bit of stitching on TMQ this week. Well, more than last week anyway! Here's what it looks like:
GIVEAWAYS
Jennifer at Feathers in the Nest is playing Santa with a fabulous giveaway. Check out what she's got in her gift sack!
Lisa of Mad Stitches is also hosting a giveaway. She received an unexpected gift and is sharing her happiness.
SCHOOL
Ahhh... This is the last week of the semester. I am SO glad we're at the end of the tunnel! Group oral presentations will be given this week. I *hope* I do better (i.e. Don't stutter or stammer) than I did with last semester's oral presentation. The same night as presentations, we also have our final exam. How sucky is that?!? On the upside, I got my second paper back and got 96%. The instructor took off points for two (very stupid on my part) grammar errors. And... after Thursday, I'll be "on break" until Jan 10th. Woo Hoo!
My area was under a winter storm warning last Friday. For days, forecasters told us that we could possibly get 6+" of snow. Well, they were right. My city received about 7" of the white stuff between Friday night and Saturday morning. Wet, heavy snow! It took me over 2 hours to clean my driveway with "Little Blow" and "Push".
STITCHY STUFF
Last week I showed you the ornament I sent off for the HOE Christmas ornament exchange. Now I get to show you what I received.
A big thank you goes out to Becky in OK! Now, I just need to put up my tree so I can hang it. :)
I did quite a bit of stitching on TMQ this week. Well, more than last week anyway! Here's what it looks like:
GIVEAWAYS
Jennifer at Feathers in the Nest is playing Santa with a fabulous giveaway. Check out what she's got in her gift sack!
Lisa of Mad Stitches is also hosting a giveaway. She received an unexpected gift and is sharing her happiness.
SCHOOL
Ahhh... This is the last week of the semester. I am SO glad we're at the end of the tunnel! Group oral presentations will be given this week. I *hope* I do better (i.e. Don't stutter or stammer) than I did with last semester's oral presentation. The same night as presentations, we also have our final exam. How sucky is that?!? On the upside, I got my second paper back and got 96%. The instructor took off points for two (very stupid on my part) grammar errors. And... after Thursday, I'll be "on break" until Jan 10th. Woo Hoo!
Dec 1, 2010
Blessed Be
As you may recall, Julie from I'll Cross That Leg was the winner of my floss organization contest a while back. I got word that she received the package, so now I can show what I made for her:
Blessed Be
Designer: Plum Pudding Needleart
Fabric: 32ct Brown Linen (Brand Unknown)
Fibers: DMC
I changed the wording to Needles and Pins since I knew I was going to make it into a needlebook for Julie. Unbeknownst to me, she didn't have a needlebook. Now she does! I stitched just the pumpkin for the back cover of the needlebook.
Designer: Plum Pudding Needleart
Fabric: 32ct Brown Linen (Brand Unknown)
Fibers: DMC
I changed the wording to Needles and Pins since I knew I was going to make it into a needlebook for Julie. Unbeknownst to me, she didn't have a needlebook. Now she does! I stitched just the pumpkin for the back cover of the needlebook.
