Getting Older Sucks!

Yes, it really does.  Last week for some unknown reason my back started to ache, it was a throbbing pain on the right side. It hurt so bad I couldn't lay on my back to sleep I had to try and stay on my left side, anyway I thought maybe it was a kidney stone.  So I started drinking more water and cranberry juice, no improvement, it got so bad that I drove myself to the emergency room.  Once there the doctor checked all the vital signs, asked all of the important questions and then sent me for a CTscan, after telling me that the pain could be anything from a aneurysm on the aorta to muscle strain.  As the pain meds started to kick in I finally got the results, all the test were negative and the only thing he could tell me was maybe I had slept wrong or tweaked (not tweerked) my back some how. I was happy that there was no major problem and this was categorized as old age aches and pains for no reason. But I guess I'm luckier than some as long as I'm in pain I'm alive. Okay that's the end of the rant, now for some stitching updates.
I  missed sharing  my IHSW progress and my Wipocalypse report so this will cover everything.
I made no progress on any of my original wips:
Angels of the World
Africa
Three Kimonos
Idelia Mae Rich
Rose Sampler
Around the World in 80 Stitches
But I have managed to add to their numbers with:
Spiral

Thine is the Trick or the Treat

The Way to Happiness (a free SAL from Facebook)

As if this isn't bad enough I have also signed up for another Facebook SAL that starts this coming Sunday all I have is the floss toss.

Last but certainly not least I have the floss and chart for my daughters wedding sampler still awaiting the fabric which is on it's way as we speak.

The pumpkin I posted yesterday I purchased a couple of years ago at a craft show, I thought it was rather unique. It was posted for Cathey at Pumpkin Patch & Co in celebration of her blogoversary and sponsored by Sharon from It's Daffy Cat.
Well I won't promise to post more often because I hate to keep breaking promises but I will try my best. For now thank you all for the wonderful comments and I'm off to make some more wonderful little xxs.

PUMPKINS FOR CATHEY

Have a great day Cathey! To see more pumpkins visit Daffy Cat.

37 Years and Still Together...

I met my husband when I was 12 years old, we were both tall and rail thin but we fell in love at first sight. All through junior high and high school we were inseparable, he played on the basketball team and I was his biggest cheerleader. Even when he went away to college and me to the Army, nothing came between us, we vowed to grow old together and so far we are doing just that. 

This past Saturday we celebrated 37 years of marriage.  We may not be rail thin anymore, and our hair is a lot more salt than pepper but the same love we felt way back then is still going strong to this day. For our anniversary we spent the weekend in Atlantic City at Harrah’s casino, and I got to stand next to a box of money (supposed to be a million dollars).

 I would have loved to be allowed in that box for a few minutes. We played a few slots and walked the boardwalk and I enjoyed spending alone time with my soul-mate.

Last week I showed a piece I was working on a piece called Thine is the Trick and the Treat well; all I showed had to be ripped- out.  I usually start my stitching in the center and work outward, but that I thought would have been confusing with this design so I began with page 1 which is the top left corner and as you saw I had finished that whole first page. Just as I was removing the q-snaps to start the second page I noticed that the fabric was turned the wrong way. So on Thursday I began to slowly and carefully remove all of the stitching, I worked from the back cutting the floss.  It was hard work but saving the fabric was more important than the floss (fabric $27.00 vs floss $.39) you do the math. Anyway I restarted on the drive to Atlantic City but it was a little hard working on the uneven threads of the linen  in the car, so this is all I got done.

On Sunday after being out walking the boardwalk and enjoying a delicious lunch at “Pickles Deli” (Rueben on marble rye)

 we went back to our room to relax and hubby watched the football game I decided to start the other design I took with me (just in case). It is called “Spiral” from Jardin Prive, the fabric is 32 ct Lakeside linen called Woodsmoke and it is stitched with DMC #5200. I love the all-white on this color it really pops.  

As if I need another project to stitch, I have just joined another SAL this morning (it’s free) from http://lesmarottesdenath.free.fr I will start gathering my floss and fabric in just a little bit. 

Thank you all for stopping by for a visit and I hope you come again and leave lots of wonderful comments as I go to make some wonderful little xxs.

TUSAL Time

Presented by Mr Cleo Jenkins himself.

TADAAAAA!

MIA again...

Yes I have been missing again from here and if I have disappointed anyone I apologize.  I guess the blogging bug can leave you just like the stitching bug.  Hopefully it will return permanently. I have been doing some stitching and listening to some audio-books  A couple that was really good is: “The Apple Turnover Murder” by Joanne Fluke and “Southern Comfort” by Fern Michaels.  I made trip to the library today get more and I picked up “Death’s Half Acre” by Margaret Maron, “Wicked Appetite” by Janet Evanovich to name a couple, I love murder mysteries as you can probably tell.

As for stitching, well the coward in me has come out and I have been afraid to try assembling the needle book again after my last disaster and I haven’t framed my son and daughter-in-law’s anniversary sampler even though I have everything on hand to do so.  I have ordered the fabric for my daughter wedding sampler and have the chart decided on so that will be my next major project. 

In the mean time I was stitching on “Thine is the Trick and the Treat” when I saw a beautiful sugar skull being stitched by a friend on a Facebook group and I thought about the chart that I have had for a while and decided that I should stitch it for Halloween so I started and just couldn’t put it down.  The name given to it is “On the brighter side of life”.  I got the chart as a freebie on the Director of Cross Stitch (to find skull click on DMC on the upper left, go to page 5 and scroll down)  however it now has to be purchased for $4.00 and it is by a designer known only by “beauty123”.  This was a very easy and colorful design and I really enjoyed it, now to decide what to make of it, maybe a large hanging ornament or a small pillow. 

I am so excited tonight is the first “stitch-in” at In-Stitches Needleworks since the lock-in back in June. It will be nice to see the other ladies and see what they have been working on if anything over the summer.  I may even pick up a couple of items from my wish list while I there. I guess I should get a move on so I can make a snack for tonight and maybe put in a few stitches before I go. 

Thanks for dropping in and hope to see you soon, oh snap I almost forgot to post my few pictures, which is probably what you came to see.

"On the Bright Side of Life"

Until next time I’ll be making those wonderful little xxs.

August Wipocalypse

Yes, I am posting again this soon and I’m still a day late for the full moon.  I just can’t seem to get everything done in my days.  I usually check emails, and then read Facebook post, visit About.com Cross Stitch and read blogs (not necessarily in that order), but by then half the day is gone and I do (believe it or not) have to sometimes do actual housework and cook.  My poor stitching is suffering greatly, even though I have finished a couple of things, there are so many more that need my attention. This brings me to my Wipocalypse post, this month I have not touched “Angels of the World”, “The Rose Sampler”, “Idelia Mae Rich”, “The Three Kimonos”, “Africa” or “Around the World in 80 Stitches”.

I have, as mentioned finished the stitching of an anniversary sampler, stitched a piece (that I can’t show yet) for a needle book (twice) and finished this piece “Stitching Mend the Soul” by Waxing Moon Designs. 

finished

close-up of beautiful face

And of course I have neglected my blog terribly. Hopefully I can get a little more organized soon.  I’ve got to design and stitch a wedding sampler for my baby girl who is getting married in November.  She and her soon to be hubby are taking care of all of their wedding plans and preparations so that I don’t have to worry with but this sampler has to be perfect like the one for my son and his lovely wife.  

Thank you to my followers for hanging in here with me and coming to visit, I really enjoy the comments.  Well as always I have got to make some more little xxs.

IHSW and a little more

A lot of activities this past week. First Friday was the beginning of the IHSW (to see who else was hermitting), second my monthly “Stitch & Bitch” and last but not least the beginning of my “Summer SWAT”. Also last week I had a slight mishap with a piece for a needle book exchange  I think I mentioned before, so I used the weekend to re-stitch the whole thing and I can’t show you what happened until the exchange next month, but I promise to share the whole terrible mess. I also started something new by Waxing Moon Designs, called “Stitching Mends the Soul”.

before

after

So this is my IHSW report and I will keep working on this one for the rest of the SWAT.  I did finish the anniversary sampler and have everything to finish it but need to gather my nerve before any cutting on this one after my last attempt at finishing a gift.

Well I can’t finish anything if I don’t make some little xxs. See you next time.

TUSAL Time

What is a TUSAL, you ask?  Well, it’s when you save your little old ratty tails (thread ends) and share a picture with friends and love ones. Why? It’s a TUSAL (totally useless stitch along).  If you would like to join the fun scoot on over to “Its Daffy Cat” and sign in.  I am so ashamed I missed TUSAL last month and by the time I realized, it was way too late to post so I continued to collect my orts for a double dose this month.

Bud even likes the electric blue

As you can see I’ve been very careful of threads on the wedding/anniversary gift so there is a lot of electric blue and gray. Can’t have carry-over threads seen through the white fabric. 

See you again soon until then, I’ll be making those little xxs.

My July IHSW & WIPOCALYPSE Reports

Before I show pictures I have to say that I didn’t get as much stitching done and I’m going to blame it on my husband.  On Saturday when I was just sitting down to stitch DH came home from the golf course (yes in 90 degree heat) and asked I mean announced that he was taking me to the movies to see RIPD. (Which was really cute, I liked it.) Anyway after the movie we had to eat and then walk off some of the food so we stopped at B&N and I picked up a little light reading.

Long story short… not a whole lot of stitching got done that day. Then came Sunday, well after he had again gone to play golf and got back home I was obligated to cook dinner since he wasn’t forcing me to go out to eat. While the oven was already on cooking dinner, I decided to take a bag of Amish Friendship Bread batter out of the freezer and make a few loaves.  These are what I call Pina Colada because it is flavored with Coconut cream pudding, shredded coconut, and pineapple extract.

As you can see it is really good.

As a result of all the interruption by DH I was only able to stitch another row and a half on the wedding/anniversary sampler which from now on will be SO,SN (Something Old, Something New).

As for the Wipocalypse part of this post, there was no progress on any of my current wips. I stitched a design for my up-coming needle book exchange (which I can’t show), I stitched the third part of the LHN Hometown Holiday Series “Caroling Quartet” I stitched LHN “Needleworker” and you’ve already seen these pictures.

So there you have it, if it hadn’t been for DH forcing me to do other things I would have had much more to show. So while he is at work and the laundry is in the washer and dryer I’ll sit and make some more wonderful little xxs.  Thanks for stopping byJ

It's that time again... IHSW

Why not join in on the fun of the IHSW (International Hermit Stitch Weekend)?  I know if you’re like me you’ll be stitching this week end anyway. To sign up go to Random Ramblings and join the fun with everybody else.  I have been working on this design for an anniversary gift for my son and daughter-in-law. It is from a May/June 1988 issue of Cross Stitch& Country Crafts.

It’s being stitched on 28ct white evenweave with DMC#995 Dk Electric Blue and #413 Dk Pewter Gray. In place of the little pillow with their names on it I will be adding the heart from this design I stitched as a practice for me and the hubby.

 I suck at making heart shape pillows and this will fit the space perfectly.  The heart was freebie on a French blog unfortunately I can’t remember the name. So far this is what I have done.

The IHSW couldn’t have come at a better time, with the temperatures soaring into the upper 90s and the high humidity, the only thing to do is stay inside where it cool and stitch.  I hope you all join in and stay cool.  Thanks for stopping by and welcome to all my new followers. I’m off for now to make some wonderful little xxs.

Here I Am...

I was going to say that I was once again late with my blog post; however there is no deadline or specific time I have to post so here I am.  As I’ve said before I love that you all come to visit and leave great comments, questions, and compliments, but it is totally beyond me as to why? Don’t get me wrong, I definitely don’t want you all to stop but it is surprising that so many of you keep coming back to read what an old woman writes and to see what she stitches next.  Awwww Haaaaa! That’s it, isn’t it? It’s the stitching J well I do like to stitch the not so usual and it doesn’t matter to me who the designer is.

Let’s see what news do I have to share… I received the latest issue of Cross Stitch & Needlework magazine and it has the most adorable design on the cover “Witchy Witch” by Ursula Michael and another inside (a spooky haunted house) “Spooktacular” by Alma Lynne Hayden. There is also a brand new 12 part series by Joan Elliott “Treasures of Christmas” these are just a few, looks like a very good mag.

I also received a copy of A Cross-Stitch Christmas Handmade Memories from Craftways, it is also chucked full of wonderful charts and Christmas card ideas.

I got a few tips from a friend on facebook about some very useful apps. Just think have you ever wished you could keep an inventory of all of your flosses and have it on your iphone or ipad, well wish no more there is an app for DMC, GAST, WDW, Crescent Colors, Anchor and even HDF. Go to your app store and search for xstitcher, all of the apps should come up. These are not free apps but for $1.99 each they are a bargain.

Ok, ok I’ll get on with what you came to see, some stitching. Here is the Needleworker ready to be ironed and framed.

And my latest projects, first one is #3 in the Little House Needleworks Hometown Holiday series “Caroling Quartet”. I am stitching it on an unidentified piece of fabric from my stash with the recommended CC and DMC threads. Of course as you can see I’ve changed a few of the colors just to put my touch on it.

 Second one is the beginning of the anniversary sampler for my DS and DIL. More of that one later.

That is about all I have for this post, I hope it was worth your time and I’ll see you all here again next time until then, thank you for stopping by and I’m off to make some more wonderful little xxs. 

My excuse...

Life happens. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. For all of my complaining earlier this year about the lack of sunshine and warmth I have been enjoying “Summer”.  I’ve been doing some walking, playing golf and stitching outside on the balcony. Last month for my birthday I spent 4 days in Las Vegas. I must have walked a hundred miles. Because I am such a big fan of CSI hubby surprised me with the CSI Experience which is an interactive tour through a crime scene to collect evidence, then analyze what you’ve found in the crime lab and at the end if you can tell what happened and who dun-it you get a diploma.  We are now both Crime Scene Investigators, at least according to Supervisor Gil Grissom. 

I loved it!  We also went to a show that was a tribute to Michael Jackson, it was awesome, and this guy looked and sounded exactly like him.  The rest of the time in Vegas was spent contributing to their local economy by way of the slot machines. Needless to say I did not win anything but I had a great time losing. 

Here is a picture of the other gifts I got for my birthday, that gorgeous chart was from my very good blogging friend Shirlee. Thank you again, I love it. 

While out exploring the new Post Exchange on Fort Belvoir here in Alexandria, VA I came across this beauty and I just had to have it. It is an apothecary cabinet with all of those lovely drawers for floss storage.

On the stitching front I have stitched a design for a needle book exchange and I can’t show you everything but here’s a sneak-peek.

 I’ve got the sewing part to do but it not due until Sept so I’ve got time.

Also I’ve been stitching on the Needleworker by Little House Needleworks and it’s coming along pretty quickly. 

Hopefully it won’t be such a long time to my next post and I have more stitching pictures to show you.  I have got to start a piece for my DS and DIL’s 10^th anniversary so until next time thank you all for stopping by and welcome to any new followers.  I’m off to make some wonderful little xxs.  

June 2013 IHSW

This weekend was a little hectic and I didn't get as much stitching done as I would have liked, there was no Stitch & Bitch on Saturday but I went to a "thirty one" party and picked up a couple of great organizers for my craft room and Sunday was Father's Day.  My DD and maybe SIL came over to help wish DH a Happy Father's Day w/ dogs and burgers on the grill, Lime-a-ritas and "The Great and Powerful OZ" in 3D.  In between I got in a few stitches here and there.

I filled in more of her dress and am about ready to finish the fruit basket and start the lidded pot sitting at her side. I also was able to put in another whole letter and part of a third on "Needleworker".

These stitch up pretty fast and I am loving the colors.
I also want to share a couple of pics of AW80S, this is the 12th part, so I am half way there. At least with the stitching, I'll have to go back and add the beads.

This I worked on last week.  Thank you, thank you all for your wonderful comments I love them and I try to respond to everyone, some I can't because they are no-reply emails but I still love them all so keep coming to visit and commenting. Got to go now so I'll have more to share, got to make those little xxs.