Have You Ever...

...done something nice for someone without expectation of something in return from that person? Or, have had someone done something for you? Did it not just make your day?



That's the concept of Pay It Forward (PIF). If you've never seen the movie (or read the book) by the same name, I highly encourage you to do so. It's very good!


In the spirit of PIF'ing, CJ of Tea and Stitches offered to Pay It Forward. I thought it sounded like fun, so I signed up. So now it's my turn to Pay It Foward!

This is so easy. No sewing involved, and you get 365 days to send out your PIF's :) The "rules" are as follows:

1. I'll send no less than 5 stitching related items per person within the next 365 days.
2. Items can be DMC, other threads, stitching needles, straight pins, buttons, scissors, ribbons, etc. - a combination of items such as 3 threads, 1 pack of straight pins and 1 pack of stitching needles or just 5 threads.
3. The items must be new and not used. (Send things you'd be happy to receive.)
4. If you win, you must be willing to post this PIF on your blog and do the same for at least 2 people.

If you are interested in Paying It Forward, please comment on this post with your email address so that I can contact you. I will PIF three readers. If there are more than three comments, the names will go into a drawing to determine the lucky ones :) Good luck! I'll announce the PIF receipients on the 15th.

Marvelous Monday Update 10/5/09

Holy smokes, Batman! It's October already. Unfoturnately, I don't have any exciting stories from last week. No Ms. Fix-Its... no homestead updates... no critters... no cooking... no accidents, even. Pretty ho-hum stuff around here.

It's been cold and rainy here. Several times in the past week, I've been tempted to turn on the heat because of the cold, damp weather. Brrr!

Here's how last Saturday morning went:

{Look outside}
Self: "Hey it's not raining. I can get the garden cleaned out."

{Put on shoes}
Self: "Crap, it's raining."

{Take off shoes}
Self: "I'll just do a few things inside."

About 30 minutes later...

{Look outside}
Self: "Hey, it's not raining. Better get outside."

{Put on shoes}
Self: "Dang it. It's raining again!"

Sounds like a bad cartoon strip, doesn't it? I ended up taking my shoes off and decided I'd just take advantage of the "indoor time" to dig out my winter clothes, put away my summer ones, and purge closets/drawers of things I haven't worn... and probably won't wear.

I was thrilled to get some stitching in, too. I finished a TQM motif and started another one while watching Old World Wisconsin on TV. What a neat place! Without further adieu, may I present.... Postage Stamp Basket:

The motifs aren't very detailed, but they're great
for those days you want to stitch but don't really
want to think too hard and/or want many color
changes. :)


I also went through a bunch of my charts/leaflets. Decided there were a lot of them that are no longer my taste, so I'm working on scanning them and putting them on my stash-for-sale blog. What a trip down memory lane that was. Interesting how our tastes change...

Marvelous Monday Update 9/28/09

Before I start this week's MM post, a couple of thank you's are in order. First, thanks for all the wonderful comments regarding my niece and the photos I've taken of her. She's got stunning beauty even though she doesn't think so. Secondly, thank you for all the awesome comments about the question I posed in the last post. I was overwhelmed at the number of comments!

And now... on with the show!

WEATHER
Boy, has the fall weather set in. A good part of last week was cold, dreary, and rainy. Sunday was one of the few nicer days left for this year. Mid 70 temps, sunny and nice breeze. My type of weather! This morning, I woke up to 30mph winds and blustery cold. Brr! Unfortunately, the winds toppled the trellis I made for my climbing beans in the garden. :( It also knocked over a couple of my potted plants.


GROUNDHOG DAY?
Remember in the movie where Bill Murray woke up at the same time every day and the day repeated itself? I'm starting to feel that way in that every morning I keep waking up between 3:30 and 3:45am... every day for the past week or so! Most of the time I go right back to sleep, but it's starting to get really annoying. Not to mention I'm not getting good rest!


OOPS!
There were yet more things in my grab bag that I forgot to show last week... Check this out:

28ct Cashel Linen • Antique Almond
Dinky Dyes Cotton Floss • Mint, Hawthorne, & Bush Baby
Pure Palette Floss • Sunflower Petals (great name!)
DMC #5 Pearle Cotton #211
GAST Floss • Cheesecake, Shell, & Sunburst

NOT SO NEW RESIDENT
For the past month or so, this BIG guy has taken up residence outside my bedroom window. He is H-U-G-E! I don't know what kind of spider it is, but I'm definitely not used to seeing anything larger than a Daddy Long Legs.



OTHER STITCHY NEWS
If you haven't taken a look at my stash-for-sale blog in a while, I've recently added a lot more charts, magazines, and kits. I'm slowly working my way through the big box of "stuff" I keep adding to that sits in my 4-season room.

I did some stitching this week! I'm *this* close to finishing another "quilt square" on TMQ. I'd say, I have about 10 more stitches. Since I am so close to finishing the current motif, I didn't take a photo. Stay tuned... coming soon!

Twice a year, the local domestic violence organization hosts a used book sale... the proceeds go toward helping battered/abused women. This year, they have opened an actual bookstore. I went and took a look around. Hundreds and hundreds of books -- even a craft/hobby section! There was a bin of cross stitch charts and magazines (mostly magazines). After I took a look at the other books and such, I sat on a stool and went through all the cross stitch stuff!

All for less than $1!

Did You Know?

... that in addition to my cross stitch addiction (Yes, I'm seeking help. *not*), I also collect porcelain dolls? Half the closet in my spare room is packed with my porcelain doll (and Barbie) collection.

While perusing at the local SA thrift store today, I came across porcelain dolls which are part of a Fairy Tale series. These photos definitely don't do them justice!

Cinderella/Wash Girl -and- Rapunzel
Goldilocks -and- Little Red Riding Hood

The details on these dolls are absolutely stunning!

Eyelashes and Jewelry
Basket with breadcloth and bread
Little sewn bears

Trip Down Memory Lane

It's strange how thoughts pop into your head years after the fact, and how they seem to linger there. I have been stitching off and on for over 25 years. Toward the end of my marriage (over 10 years ago), my exDH made lots of negative comments regarding my stitching. So much so that I stopped stitching for over 5 years. When I started up again, it was with much gusto and the online stitching community opened up a whole new world to me.

My question to you all:

How would you feel or react if your DH or significant other expressed that your hobby/stitching was a "waste of time" or that they "didn't see the purpose in it"?