It's a New Year

I can't believe it's been so long again since I posted. I hope I can manage to update my blog at least once a week for the rest of the year. January was a bit of a crazy month again, I had all the yearend processing to do at work, we went to Hawaii for a week and my MIL came for a visit. I am ready to get back to some sort of normal. I like to having a routine.

One of my goals for this year is to stitch everyday even it's just sitting down and stitching for 20-30 minutes. So far I haven't missed a day. I am honestly a little impressed with myself considering my DH and I spent a week in Hawaii this month :-). I actually finished a scissor fob and started another while we were there.

I love making lists so as usual I sat down and made a list for this year. My friend Karin always laughs when she sees my rotation list, I tend to think I can get more done that is realistic, LOL. I like to think big, we will have to see how I do this year :-).

Stitching Rotation Projects for 2009:

Handwork Frances Eden 1809 (large project)
Midsummer Night Designs Peaceful Paradise (large project)
Needleprint Mary Peacock (large project)
Scarlet Letter Ann Grimshaw 1818 (large project)
Blackbird Designs Willow House (UFO project)
Merry Cox Diminutive Sewing Set (UFO project)
Round Robins (I have several home that need a bit of stitching to be ready for framing) (UFO project)
Bent Creek Summer and Autumn Snappers (small project)
Blackbird Designs Blessings and Kind Wishes (small project)
Blackbird Designs Where my Heart Blooms (small project)
Good Huswife Ms. Lila’s House (small project)
Little by Little Mecklenburg 1775 (small project)
Little by Little Reward of Plenty (small project)
Primitive Needle Earth Sampler (small project)
Primitive Needle Simply Live (small project)
Shepherd's Bush Love Letters (small project)
Carriage House Samplings Village of Hawks Run Hollow (weekend project)
Two Christmas Ornament each month (weekend project)

Rotation:

Monday: UFO projects
Tuesday thru Thursday: Large Projects
Friday: Small Projects
First Weekend of the Month: Christmas Ornaments
Second thru Fourth Weekend of the Month: Village of Hawk Run Hollow

Christmas Ornaments:

1998 JCS BOAF Twas the Night Before Christmas
1999 JCS Nostalgic Needle Tudor Rose Ornament
2006 JCS La D Da Christmas Cardinal (finished January)
2006 JCS BBD Quaker Medallion Strawberry
2005 JCS Brightneedle Home for Christmas
2004 JCS La D Da Snow Bird
2001 JCS Little by Little The View Above
2003 JCS CEC Christmas Acorn
2002 JCS Bent Creek Roly Poly Snowman
2000 JCS Theron Traditions The Berry Bird
Plum Street Sampler Emmanuel Freebie
Midsummer Night Designs Jingle, Sparkle, Joy

My BAP project is Needleprint's Mary Peacock. I am using the conversion that Shepherd's Bush did. So far I love it.

I finished several scissor fobs this month. The 2007 fob was a re-stitch, my rotten puppies went through a stage where they liked to steal my fobs and scissors and take them out in the yard. It's a good thing I love them, LOL.

I also stitched Blackbird Designs Buttons for a Cure. I sent this piece and my Christmas ornaments to Deb for finishing. I will post a picture when they come home.

Finally, I did my Christmas ornament(s) for the month. Karin and I are stitching two sets of twelve ornaments this year and exchanging the second set at Christmas. It's so much easier to stitch something twice than to kit and stitch another piece. This way we end up with 24 new ornaments each :-). I did La D Da's Cardinal this month.

I hope everyone is having a happy New Year and getting lots of stitching time :-). Thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my blog.

I've only had time to do a bit of stitching. We've been busy getting my parents moved into their new home and reorganizing our house. We were using one of the bedrooms as storage space for my parents stuff, it's now going to be my stitching and reading room :-). My mom gave me a gorgeous couch and several bookcases for the room. I just need to figure out how I am going to arrange everything.

I did manage to get my CEC ornaments sent off to Deb for finishing. They are absolutely perfect, she did an amazing job. After Christmas I am going to go through my finished stuff to see what else I can send to her :-).

I am fighting a cold which has slowed me down a bit but other than that things are great. Sophie and Chloe are lots of fun, I can't believe they will be a year old on Monday. Sophie has finally conquered the back of the couch. It's one of their favorite places to hang out, I think because they can see so much from there, LOL.

I hope this finds you all well and ready for Christmas. I have one more shopping trip and I think I will be done. In all honesty I do most of my Christmas shopping via the internet. The crowds make me crazy and I like being able to look for coupons online before I buy. I just need to wrap presents and get the tree up. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my blog!

Has it been that long?

In my defense, life has been a tiny bit past crazy. My parents have been living with us for several months, it's been fun but makes things a bit more hectic than usual :-).

I have finished a fair bit of stitching, I made a birthday gift for my friend Karin.

I also made Karin an exchange gift. We wanted to do something to honor our friend Sue who died unexpectedly in August. She was very dear to me, we'd been 'cyber' friends for several years.

I've been on a round robin "mission", LOL. My goal was to fulfill my commitments to my two round robins by the end of the year. I am happy to say I actually finished a month early. Below are pictures of all the round robin stitching I've done since August.

As much as I love them, I've decided the deadlines, my huge stash and my personality are not suited to for round robins. I tend to feel that I need to finish any commitment stitching before I can work on my own projects and because sometimes I just don't 'want' to stitch on a round robin I end up doing nothing. It's ridiculous I know, but there it is. It's time to be a bit selfish and start stitching my stash :-).

I was lucky enough to go to the Attic Sampler Symposium with Karin. We had so much fun and were completely inspired by all of the classes, models, linens, and silks. The classes were wonderful and now I have so many ideas of things I want to do. Here are pictures of the class projects from Shepherd's Bush and Blackbird Designs.

My goal for December is to stitch on whatever I please ;-). I bought several of the conversions they've done at the Attic for different projects so I may stitch one of those. I also want to work on all the Loose Feathers for this year and maybe finish some ornaments.

I hope this post finds you all well and happy. I am looking forward to Christmas, my parents should be happily settled in their new home, their furniture is being delivered today, and my sister and niece will be here for the holidays. My DH and I are going to Hawaii the beginning of January, I am very excited about that :-). Thank you for taking the time to read and/or comment on my blog. I've been doing lots of reading not so much commenting but I hope to do better when things settle down a bit.

Long Time, no Post and Very Little Stitching...

...so I am setting some Goals for August, more on that later!

In my defense, life has been a bit nuts. We decided to refinish our basement which required lots of sorting and cleaning out. My house is a construction zone right now, LOL. My parents sold their house and are moving here. Luckily the basement will be refinished since they are going to be living with us for the time being. Funnily enough those two decisions weren't related, just a happy coincidence :-). I've also resigned my position at church. They are restructuring things which would require me to work at least two more days a week and I don't want to do that. I've agreed to stay until 1 October so they have plenty of time to fill my position. In truth the timing is perfect. I want more time to do things with my parents. They love to go out to lunch, movies, day trips that kind of thing so I expect we will be a lot busier in a good way.

I did managed to get a teeny, teeny bit of stitching done. I finished Susan's neighborhood round robin.

I also worked on DT's Toccata Four a bit. I hope to get a fair bit done on it this month, it's such a fun piece.

I decided if I am going to get back on track and stitch more I need to set some goals for August.

1. Finish Georgie's round robin.
2. Work on ATS, I’d like to at least get the top portion done and the clouds outlined
3. Finish BBD’s Where My Heart Blooms
4. Finish a Christmas Ornament
5. Finish 4 sections on DT Toccata Four
6. Work on BBD Willow House
7. Do one block on VoHRH
8. Blog on Fridays (I really admire everyone who manages to blog several times a week, I'd be happy if I could manage once a week, LOL.)

I think it’s an ambitious list considering how much I haven’t stitched the last few months but maybe having some goals will motivate me ;-).

I have a lot fun things coming up the few months. Heather is visiting Colorado. We are going to spend a day together and go to Fancimats and lunch. My friend Karin and her daughter are coming to visit us this month. My parents will be here late August. The Sampler Guild starts back in September which is always a lot of fun. Finally in November Karin and I are going to the Attic for their Blackbird Weekend. We are anxiously awaiting the final details. I think they will be in the newsletter today :-).

I was given a "Kreativ Blogger" award by Sherry. I so appreciate it, especially considering I haven't blogged in over 6 weeks. I am suppose to nominate 5 blogs for the award and send them all a message. This was so difficult. I read over 200 blogs, all of them are inspiring and creative and I wouldn't want to slight anyone. I think all of the blogs offer something special. I finally decided to chose: Karin, Margie, Michelle, Jacque, and Jackie. I feel like I have personal connections with all them and I love their blogs.

This was a long post, I guess I shouldn't wait 6 weeks between entries, LOL. I appreciate everyone who reads my blog, thank you all. I will leave you with a picture of Sophie and Chloe.

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}}}}}