A New Look, Gifts, Round Robins and a WIP

I've got a new look and I love it. I hadn't changed my blog since I started it so it was definitely time. Thanks to Google search I found Lena's blog :-). She has loads of wonderful free blog templates.

I came home to lots of good mail. First, I received a gift from my dear friend Karin. She sent me this gorgeous piece by Liberty Hill. It's a pin cushion and the inside of the top is stitched. There was also a Moda stitching box with pockets and a place to put your needles. It's fabulous. I didn't include a picture but she sent me some yummy Bath and Body Works body wash and lotion and a Yankee Candle too.

I got my new 20" Handiclamp frame from JoAnn's. I've put my Toccata Four WIP on it. Karin and I are doing a stitchalong. Our plan is to do three sections a week so we can finish it by the end of the summer. If you pop over to her blog she's finished the first two sections. I need to get caught up :-). We've also decided to stitch the newest Loose Feather for each other, the sentiment is sweet and very fitting for an exchange.

I've managed to actually get myself ahead on Round Robins. I finished Erin's piece last week. I used bits and pieces from several Bent Creek designs.

I stitched an EEF design on Karin's piece. I don't have a single round robin right now. It feels a bit strange but it is nice to have some time to work on a few other projects :-).

I can tell it's summer, things seem to stay very busy with working in the yard and travel and puppies :-). We are going camping next weekend. That will be an adventure. I am not a camping kind of girl, but my DH is dying to go so I will try to endure, LOL. Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment on my blog.

Lots of Pics Gifts, Round Robins and Puppies

I have lots of pictures to share :-). First is my PIF from Su, it's gorgeous. It took the long way around to get here, Su mailed it weeks and weeks ago. I love it, it's so pretty and delicate.

I also received a wonderful gift from Annemarie. It's a floss holder. She is just the sweetest person and I am so happy to have something she made for me.

I've been busy working on round robins, my goal is to get caught up so I can work on other things. I have two more to go. I think in the future instead of waiting until close to the mailing dates I am going to kit up the pieces and finish them right away. This piece is Lynn's, she's a part of the Welcome to Our Neighborhood group.

This round robin belongs to Cathy. We are doing the Hello Neighbor Group 3 round robin together. She asked if we would stitch something with things significant to where we live. I did lots of pine trees and my favorite birds, bluebirds.

Also on the round robin front, I did finally get my other neighborhood round robin back from Lauren. A day late and a dollar short but at least it is home. At this point I am not sure what I am going to do with it, I've already started the second one and it's the same as the first so using it for another group isn't an option. I have made up my mind that I have done enough round robins. I've enjoyed every one in spite of the little hiccups here and there but I have a lifetime's worth of stash to stitch. I am going to start being a bit selfish with my stitching.

I've started ATS again, for the third time. I decided to go ahead and put ATS back on the scroll bars. I thought it would be a good idea to damp press it, the dye ran :-(. In my defense I had done it a couple of times before with no problem. I thought it might work if I put a teeny, tiny bit of diluted bleach on a Q-Tip and try to fix it. Not so much, I totally ruined it. So I have officially started over once again. I must really want to do this piece a lot. My other projects are one the BBD loose feathers and the new Toccata Four. My friend Karin and I are going to do a stitchalong on Toccata Four. We are hoping to be finished by the end of the summer.

I will leave you with a couple more pictures of our puppies. They have so much energy, they are lots of fun. Hope you all are well and getting lots of stitching time :-).

Some Stitching and More Puppy Pics

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted. Between puppies, two stitching weekends and life in general I haven't really felt like blogging.

I took my two Merry Cox classes, lots of fun. I spent the weekend up in Denver and did a bit of shopping with my friends and had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. That's always a treat :-).

The Sampler Guild I belong to had Jane Timmer of Fancy Work for our seminar. Jane has a fabulous blog. I've ordered bits and pieces for the Madeira Tin as well as the Longaberger basket in anticipation of one day being able to do those projects as well. I am a big fan, her class was wonderful and I learned so much about finishing. I still have the bag that everything goes in to complete but I've posted pictures of the finishing I did in class.

The puppies are so much fun they are little bundles of energy :-). They love to chase each other, play and cuddle with us when they need a break. I am so glad we got two, they definitely keep each other entertained. Housebreaking is going well, we haven't had any accidents in weeks and they are sleeping through the night. We've had two vet visits for shots and check-ups, they each weigh 7 lbs. One of Chloe's favorite spots is the laundry room. She loves to get in the laundry basket and nap, LOL.

Sophie loves to play with her "big brother" when he comes to visit. She likes to hang and twirl, LOL.

They had their first trip to the groomer last week. I really love their "puppy" look and I didn't want to change that, but they needed a trim. We are very happy with the results, not quite so much fluff when they need a bath and blow dry and they still look like puppies :-).

I haven't got as much stitching done as I'd like but after my classes, I am out of my slump and ready to start making some progress on my large list of pieces I want to do. First I have to finish up a couple of round robins. I have one I am working on and I hope to be done with it today. After that, I will make Friday my "round robin" day. I hope that will be enough time to keep me on track and allow some time to stitch on all the other things I want to finish :-).

My DH has been traveling for work, thankfully it's not too much. Most of the time he's only gone for a night or two and it's not every week. It gives me a night off from cooking, LOL. Work has been a bit busy for me, we are getting ready for an audit so I will probably work a bit more here and there. I also need to start getting organized to do some spring cleaning and gardening. I think we are going to do some big projects this summer, finishing our basement, landscaping in the backyard and hopefully putting new counters in the kitchen.

I hope you all are well. I haven't been commenting as much as I usually do but I plan on doing better :-). Have a great weekend!

The Puppies are Home...

...and life is crazy, LOL. I promise to get back to stitching posts but for now I am all about puppies. Chloe and Sophie are the sweetest babies and everyone in the house is madly in love. They are doing great and settling in to life at home. My DH said last night he's really enjoying them and in a weird way happy they are very different from Shelby. We don't feel like Shelby has been replaced which was very important to us. They love to play and chase each other and don't like to be separated. At the same time, they have very different personalities. Chloe is mischevious, bossy and loves to cuddle and a bundle of energy. Sophie is a bit more laid back, loves to play but she needs a bit more sleep, independent and she's very affectionate. She follows Chloe everywhere. When they play in the yard they run next to each other and play together and they like to sleep next to each other.

I am currently working on my BBD loose feather when I can, a round robin and I have a Merry Cox class coming up the end of this month so I am trying to work on my prestitching :-). Hope you all are finding lots of time to stitch! Thanks for stopping by.

Meet Chloe and Sophie

I am hoping housebreaking two puppies is not going to be that much more work than one because today I bought two little Shichons. They are a hybrid dog, half Bichon Frise and half Shitzu. The girls are 8 weeks old today. We are picking them up in 10 days, I can't wait. We have to make a quick trip to Virginia next weekend and it wouldn't be fair to leave our DD, Meggie, in charge of two new puppies for four days hence the wait. Chloe is on the left and Sophie is on the right.

We had talked about getting another dog a couple years ago but when we consulted with our vet he didn't think it would be good for Shelby at her advanced age. He said it would just make her miserable and not for anything would we have wanted Shelby to be unhappy. When we started talking last week about a puppy I told my DH Iwanted two from the same litter. I think if we are going to get two we might as well get them at the same time.

I am off to work on my BBD Where My Heart Blooms, I will post another picture later this weekend. Thank you all for you comments and taking time to read my blog. Hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend!

Round Robin Rant and New Start

I am in a Neighborhood Round Robin with a great group of ladies, well all except one. Lauren Winter has had my and Michelle's round robins for months. She stopped communicating with the group well before Christmas. Despite numerous emails from more than one of us she continues to ignore every attempt we've made to fix this situation. Three weeks ago as a last resort I sent her a stamped envelope. There was enough postage to mail both pieces on to the next person in the rotation and still nothing. I've also posted to her blog asking her to make things right. I feel sure she's looking because I've seen her coming and going on Feedjit for the neighborhood blog. This morning I emailed her and told her if she didn't send me proof that she had mailed the pieces in the form of a USPS tracking confirmation that I would post something on my blog. I am very upset. I understand that sometimes we can't fulfill our commitments but never in a million years would I keep someone else's piece. I just don't understand it. No matter what is or isn't happening in her life, how hard is it to drop a package off at the post office. So this week I will start a new piece, thankfully Michelle and Judith have both said they will stitch my piece again, thank you ladies. Poor Michelle has yet to even have had someone stitch on her's. She is going to have to start over as well.

On a happier note, I've been working on BBD's newest Loose Feather piece, Where My Heart Blooms. It's so much fun and the colors are gorgeous. I think Alma and Barb are fast becoming my favorite designers. I went to Fancimats on Monday for the Market Day and got I Thee Wed, Mildred's Garden House and Thank You Sarah Tobias. They are all wonderful. I also met up with Chelle's sister Joy. We shopped a bit and then went to lunch at Panera's. It was a very nice day :-).

We are still missing Shelby terribly. Today was beautiful, sunny and 55, just the kind of day she'd have loved. Whenever it was nice out she'd go in and out all day and lay in the sun. She liked nothing better than to nap on the deck :-).

I hope everyone is having a great week! Thank you all for taking the time to read and comment on my blog, I so appreciate it.

***In answer to Carol R's comment: Like you I would truly love to give Lauren the benefit of the doubt and that's how I approached this situation. This has been going on for several months. Based on all the information I have available to me she's ignoring the group. According to her blog she's 24 so I don't think she's died. I've googled her extensively to try and locate a phone number. I feel sure I would have come across that kind of information. I considered a computer crash but I find it almost impossible to believe in this day and age, particularly when someone works, they'd not have any access whatsoever to a computer. What's more, before she stopped communicating she'd assured the organizer of our group several times that she'd sent out the round robins. I also sent her a stamped envelope in the mail, she doesn't live alone if she were very ill someone would have still opened the package and known from my note there was an issue. I also know that she bailed on at least one exchange. Unfortunately, I know more than one person who has had their round robin piece "kept" by someone. I wouldn't have posted about this situation if I didn't feel I had made every possible effort to resolve it privately. I hope that eventually the pieces are returned but at this point I am not counting on it. {{{{{hugs}}}}}

Thank You and Stitching Rambles

Thank you all so very much for all your comments about our sweet Shelby. They often brought me to tears but at the same time were a great comfort. We are still very raw and sad and missing her very much. I know it will get easier as time passes but right now it just hurts.

I neglected to post a picture of a gorgeous pinkeep I got from KarenV. I just love it, I am a huge La D Da fan and it's perfectly finished. Thank you again Karen.


I finished a couple things besides round robins this month. This is the new Shepherd's Bush 2008 scissor fob. I wasn't crazy about the ribbon that came with it so it's finished a bit differently.

I also finished a Christmas ornament, it is the Midsummer Night Designs piece from the 2007 JCS Ornament issue. It was one of my favorites this year.

I thought I'd also post a couple of stitching decorating pictures. Here is a basket with several exchange pieces I've received.

This is a picture of my "tree". I know someone who does woodwork and he made this for me. I love it. My goal is to fill it up with smalls and ornaments this year.

Have you all seen the new Drawn Thread Toccata Four piece? I am in love. I can't wait to get my hands on it, I plan to start it as soon as I get it. I am also anxiously waiting to see all the Market releases. I know there will be at least a few must haves :-). I am trying to decide if I need to change my work schedule next week so I can go to Fancimats Market day. I hope you all have a nice week with lots of stitching time.

Sad Goodbye

We said goodbye to our dog Shelby today. She was almost 15 years old. She was the sweetest dog and we loved her so much. She started deteriorating last week so we knew it was coming but the last two days were really awful. She couldn't eat and could barely get up and walk around. I was trying to hold off because my DH is out of town on business this week but she was so bad this morning I couldn't wait anymore. We had to carry her to the car and into the office. I have the a very good vet he and he was so kind today. My DS and I stayed with her until the end and I boohooed all over her. She will be missed more than words can say.

Exchanges and Round Robins

Leena made the most gorgeous SBEBB winter house piece for me. It's a mixed media piece and it's amazing. She also sent along some gorgeous bits and pieces. Thank you again!

Funnily enough I sent to Leena for the same exchange. I made Lizzie Kate's Winter Wishes for her and finished it as a little pin cushion. I was really pleased with how it came out.

This is one of the neighborhood round robins I am in. I stitched Chessie and Me's I Thee Wed for Sue's piece. It's such a fun group.

I used the same chart for Carol's piece. I had to scale it down a bit because the stitching area was a bit smaller. I am still very pleased with how it came out.

Hope everyone is happy and getting lots of stitching done. I've finally finished all the year end processing at work so I have a bit more time. I've tweaked my lists and rotation. Hopefully I will make some progress and have some finishes to show. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my blog :-).

New Years Stitching Resolutions...2008

I really want to work on some big pieces this year as well as finish some small things. I haven't quite decided how I am going to rotate projects. I tend to get the most done when I am concentrating on one or two designs at a time but some of the pieces I want to stitch are so large it's not realistic to think I could just work until I finished them. I will just have to see how things develop as I work through the year :-). As I complete the smaller pieces I will add other designs into the rotation.

Stitching Rotation Projects 2008:

1 Carriage House Samplings Village of Hawks Run Hollow
2. Drawn Thread Alphabet Sampler
3. Midsummer Night Designs Oh Heaven
4. Blackbird Designs Their Song
5. Blackbird Designs Maude Eloise 1891
6. Blackbird Designs Where my Heart Blooms
7. Ewe & Eye & Friends Love Letters
8. Shepherd's Bush Love Letters
9. Bent Creek Summer and Autumn Snappers
10. Frances Eden 1809
11. Merry Cox Diminutive Sewing Set Pre-Stitching
12. Blackbird Designs Willow House (for my parents)
13. ...And They Sinned
14. Ann Trump
15. Good Huswife June Morning
16. Scarlet Letter And All was for an Appil
17. Neighborhood Round Robins
18. One Christmas Ornament a month
19. Lots of smalls for my wooden stand

So there it is! My plan for the year. I don't expect that I will finish all the bigger projects, I would be happy if I finished even two of them. I hope everyone has a great New Year with lots of finishes.

Happy New Year and Present!

I got the most gorgeous Christmas gift from Karin. She stitched a beautiful ornament with the Eiffel Tower for me. She also sent all of these gorgeous bits and pieces from Sajou, thread winders, Eiffel Tower Scissors, pins, stationery, and a thread holder. I also got a book, a sampler coffee cup and a few other bits and pieces. I was thoroughly spoiled.

We had a wonderful Christmas. I got an absolutely beautiful right hand diamond ring from my parents. It's a piece of jewelry my father bought for my mom 35 years ago so I am especially thrilled to have it. Jeff also got me a ring and earrings, they are wonderful, made in Israel. I got a new Sansa E280, the Maryland Girlhood Embroidery book, SB Come, Frances Eden with the thread pack from HDF and the Elizabeth Meadow Sampler. I also got clothes, shoes, cologne and a really neat lap desk. I think I did very well this year.

I haven't got much stitching done, but I plan to finish up my last exchange and a little gift in the next day or two. As tempting as it is to sign-up for a few of the new exchange blogs springing up, I am going to try and control myself a bit this year. I love, love, love doing them but with my part time job and taking care of my family it seemed like I didn't get much done for my walls this past year. I am going to try and post my goals for the year on New Year's day. I have an idea of what I want to accomplish but I need to put it in writing, LOL. Then I am committed, I think... :-).

Our family has had lots of transitions this year: graduations, retirements, new jobs. There were as always, happy times and sad times, it's a part of life. I am deeply thankful that I always have the enduring peace of knowing that God has a plan for me. My favorite Bible passage is Jeremiah 29:11-13. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart".

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year. Thank you all for taking the time to read and comment on my blog. I so appreciate it. I love reading everyone's blogs and I try to leave little notes as often as I can.

Merry Christmas, PIFS and Exchanges!

The tree is decorated, presents are wrapped, menus are planned and my parents will be here this afternoon :-). I am so excited about Christmas this year. We've spent the last three Christmases traveling to see family and friends, they were all wonderful, but it's nice to be home for a change. I've planned a gorgeous 4 course dinner, salad, pasta, prime rib and dark chocolate cheesecake stuffed cake for dessert. In addition to shopping for everyone's gifts, I do most of my own shopping too and wrap it and put it under the tree. I can be a bit picky, LOL. My DH is so sweet, he always gets me a couple of surprise gifts. He did his shopping yesterday and when he got home he told me how much he must love me to go out shopping at Christmas time. It's nice to be loved :-). He hates to shop. When we were dating, we went to the mall and he looked at me and asked me if 20 minutes was enough. I knew then we wouldn't be shopping together, LOL.

I have finished all of my PIFs and they are winging their way to various destinations all over the world. I won't say who is getting what but the pictures are below.

I had Cari for the Stitching Blogger's Christmas Exchange Blog this year. For her Birthday I sent her a Sweetheart Tree design and some other goodies. Heather did the finishing for me :-). I am sewing machine challenged, LOL. I also sent her one of the SB ornaments for Christmas.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas with lots of stitching gifts, I have a few under the tree :-), and most important, happy times spent with family and friends. I am so thankful to be able to celebrate the birth of our Savior with people I love and cherish.

Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10-11

New Years Stitching Resolutions...

I am already thinking about the New Year and stitching resolutions. I have been in a a stitching slump the last several months. I love participating in exchanges, PIFs and making gifts for people but I feel like lately that's all I do. I really, really want to stitch on things for me. I hope that doesn't sound selfish, I want to concentrate on stitching for my own pleasure for a bit :-). One of the pieces I would very much like to finish in 2008 is Village of Hawks Run Hollow. So far I have one block done.

I am going to finish my last few PIFS, an exchange and a couple of ornaments for my stitching group and guild exchange this weekend. I am off work Thursday and Friday and my DH is traveling for work this weekend so that gives my four days of turbo stitching.

I hope to spend some time this month setting a few goals for next year and going through my stash, that always inspires me to get busy :-). Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was great, food was good and I sent all the leftovers home with my DS and his roommate. I did a lot of online Christmas shopping so I just need to get odds and ends now :-).

BTW, I was trying to figure out why no one commented on my last post. I realized when I changed my settings around last month, I disabled the comments. I was trying to make things a bit more secure because I was getting some "junk" posts here and there. I think I've fixed it. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my blog and I love reading your comments.

Quick Post and an Exchange

We got home on Monday! We had a wonderful trip to Germany and Ireland, lots of sightseeing, eating and relaxing. For my DH and me the best part of the trip was the time we got to spend with our friends :-). I've been playing catch up at work and home all week.

I received a gorgeous exchange from Terry. She made the cutest pinkeep and fob for me. In addition she included CCN Home Sweet Home, some gorgeous stickers and ribbon! Thank you again Terry, it was a wonderful exchange.

I sent to Leena for the same exchange. I can't take credit for the finishing on this piece. I really wanted to make a pillow out of this Sweetheart Tree design, but my sewing skills leave something to be desired. I really need to practice, LOL. I asked Heather to help me :-). She did an amazing job putting the pillow together, all I had to do was stuff close it.

I am hopelessly behind on my blog reading and posting. I hope everyone is well and planning for a wonderful Thanksgiving. We are spending it at home with the kids and a few of their friends. Then I have to start getting ready for Christmas, I need to shop gifts, put the tree up, and decorate the house :-). My plan is to find some more blogging time this week, I have a round robin picture and another gift to share.

Finally I am Back...

Life has been so hectic lately, I haven't had time to post :-(. On the plus side, it's a good busy. My DH is home full time again, my DS comes for dinner quite often, and my DD is always coming and going with school, work and a a social life. Between taking care of them, working and doing the things I normally do it seems like I am always on the go. Everyone is happy and healthy, you can't ask for more than that.

My DH and I are going to Europe next month, Germany and Ireland. I will get to visit with my DF, Karin, and her family. I can't wait, that will be the highlight of our trip :-). When we get home it will be time to get ready for the holidays, my parents are coming here for Christmas. We usually to go there, so I am looking forward to pampering them.

I got the prettiest exchanges in the mail. For the SBEBB Autumn House exchange I received this pinkeep from Nicki. I love it, it's so tiny and delicate. Thank you so much Nicki. Funnily enough I sent to her :-). There is a picture of the piece I made on her blog. I took a picture before I mailed it but I had a little camera snafu and accidently deleted it.

I also received a gorgeous needleroll from Judith as a part of the SBEBB Grateful Heart exchange. Its so pretty and finished beautifully. Thank you again Judith! I sent to Tuula, there a picture of the cube-it on her blog, same camera issue.

My current WIP is BBD Their Song. I just love their designs. I think I would like to stitch Willow House next. I don't think the pictures do it justice. Carol posted a picture of her framed piece it's stunning. I can't stop thinking about it :-).

I hope everyone has a nice weekend planned. Tomorrow we are going out with a group of friends to Vines Wine Bar for dinner, music and a nice glass of wine ;-). Sunday we will probably just go to church and then watch football all afternoon. For us a perfect weekend!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog!