Friday, December 31, 2010

2010 Stitching and Reading update


Wow! I can't believe this is going to be my last post for 2010!!! I have had an interesting year to say the least. I am hoping and praying that 2011 will be a little better than this year. So lets see how I did on the Stitching and Reading goals I met/did not meet this year.
Stitching Finishes:
1. Mothers Wisdom - Heart in Hands Patterns
2. Snowy Day by Mill Hill
3. Winchester House by Debbie Patrick
4. Kim R's RR Quilt Block Piece
5. Cinderella by Mirabillia
6. Seasons of Love Ornament for Vicky L
7. Joy for the ILCS RR
8. Wedding Sampler for my friend Jammi
9. Historical Fashions
10. Santa Ornament for the ILCS RR
11. Karins Ornament for the ILCS RR
12. Christmas Stocking Ornament

Reading: My goal was to ready 150 books....I am pretty certain that I did not reach that goal since I stopped keeping track around Aug. Next year...I will do better.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Afghan update and Dragon Finish



I have reached the 1/2 point on one of my baby blankets. It is turning out so cute!! The baby isn't due until April so I have some time to finish it (I hope, that is). I finished Karin's ornament for the RR. I love how the scales turned out. The Krenick I used really made a difference.
I have a question that I would like some input on if you feel like commenting. I just want to make sure that I am not wrong to feel like this is just wrong. My LNS is having a HUGE sale on Friday. The email went out on Christmas Eve what the End of the year sale was going to be. Friday was the best day, 70% off the entire store from 9-10 am, 50% from 10- 12 and then 40% off in the afternoon. Talk about excited, I had won a $50 GC in a Drawing and was really going to do some shopping. Of course, I would have spent more than the GC. We were making plans to attend. Tuesday I got an email letting us know that she has placed restrictions on the sale. So now we will not be able to use our GCs, coupons and or any other discounts we may have in our possession. I find this is bad business. I think that if a store gives you/sells you a GC then you should be able to use it when you want. I understand this is her store, however, I also think the restrictions should have be placed in the first email announcing the sale. What do you think? I have decided not to attend the sale. I was so excited about using my GC and now I am just not going to go. I have so much stash that I will use the GC later. There is no expiration date on the GC so I will use it later on for some fibers or something.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Where would you like to go???


I have added a new ticker to my blog. I am the most unmotivated person in the world when it comes to exercise. To make matters worse...my jeans are so tight I had to move up a size which put me in double digits sizes!! I know some may roll their eyes but I was a size 2 when I graduated from graduate school in 2000. I was a perfect size 4 when Mark and I met....from then it has gone downhill and Up in sizes for me. So I am going to make myself lose weight. I checked an online weight calculator and for my height/frame etc....I should be 105 lbs!!!! Which means I am 35 lbs overweight!!! Which is VERY scary for me. Since my favorite place on earth is Disney World...I have decided I am going to walk there by using the treadmill and/or park trails while walking the dogs. I always stay at the Wilderness Lodge Hotel and that is where I am walking too. In case you are wondering, I went to google maps and put in the address to my location and clicked the walking icon. In reality, it would take me 14 days and 21 hours to walk there. The picture was taken from our room at the Wilderness Lodge this past June.
In case you are wondering...I am treating myself to a week at the Wilderness Lodge once I have walked there. I will tell Mark when I reach 1/2 way towards my goal. His thoughts of Disney is that it is HELL ON EARTH!! He would rather pull out his fingernails than go to Disney...but if I do this...lose my 35 lbs then he has to go with me!!! It will be my reward and his week of torture!!
So my question is...Does anyone else want to join me on this little adventure of mine?? If you had to pick a favorite location to walk to ...where would you go???

My Fantastic Christmas Present!!!!

I have the best husband in the world!! Here is the FABULOUS Christmas present he told me to go get myself!! It is a Brother 1250-D Innovis Sewing and Embroidery machine!!! I LOVE IT!! I was able to pick it up prior to Thanksgiving and I put it away until Christmas. I still haven't used it yet but I plan on figuring it out tomorrow. I was so tired with all the traveling and exicitment that I took several naps on Christmas day. Today, I am trying to finish some cross stitch projects. It comes with Disney designs!!! OH I am thrilled!!!!!The boys had lots of fun with our packages after we opened them yesterday. As you can see they destroyed our living room!!!!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

I made a purse!


My mom mentioned that she would like a new purse and we happened to be in Joanns so we checked out their patterns. She found a bag that she liked so I decided to try my hand at stitching it up! After a few mistakes...ripping things out and sewing them again, this is the finished product. The only thing I am not happy with is the elastic bands that go over the buttons. I cut them to measurement but they still needed to be tacked down. Other than that...I think it looks good!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Winter Solstice Exchange


My ILCS group had a Winter Solstice exchange and I received a wonderful package from Berly. As you can see she sent me this great box of stitching/cocoa gifts. I received: a snowman mug, a tin of peppermint Hot chocolate, Twisted Threads - Christmas Basket Chart, Cape Cod Christmas from Pickle Barrel, snowman wire Welcome kit, package of 32 ct Jobelan Solo fabric, one skein of each GAST: baked apple, summer meadow, cranberry... Isn't this a fantastic package??? I LOVED everything and I can't wait to try the peppermint hot chocolate.
On top of this package, I received this HUGE package from Vicky L, for the 12 days of Christmas exchange!!! I want to open the package right now!!!!! I am being good however, and refraining!!!!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Need Opinion on Ornament

I have been stitching this ornament for my friend Karin and I am not sure how I like the backstitching of the words "Peace on Earth". The chart calls for DMC 3371 (dark brown) but I am not sure how it goes with the silver Krenick on the dark blue fabric. Here are a couple of pictures...there is a the whole ornament and then the close up of the words. As you can see I only stitched the "PE" of Peace on earth. I was thinking of switching it to DMC 415 (light grey)....what does everyone else think???

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Stitching, Quilting, and Round Robins

I am officially on Christmas Break!!!! I honestly didn't think I would survive the first nine weeks. I have LOTS to show off!! In my last post, I explained about the ornament exchange for my stitching group. This is the ornament tree of everyone's completed ornaments from the JCS 2010 ornament issue. Everyone was given a kit with the fabric, fibers and finishing trim. I was able to get 5 new kits!! WHO-HOOO!!!This is pretty panel of fabric I found at a discount fabric store on my way to Branson, MO one day. I just added the back, stuffing, border and I had a Christmas present for my secret pal at work.
I took a quilting class earlier this year and this was our project. Since we took the class in Oct, I made a Halloween throw. I just finished it because I really hate the binding part of quilting. Too me that is just tedious stitching and I don't like it. However, I wanted to get this out of my to be finished pile and I bit the bullet to finish it.I was in a RR in my Ozark Sampler group and I decided to have stitched these cute little cupcakes using Ozark Samplers threads. I have had these in my to be stitched pile for a while and thought they would make a cute RR design. The sprinkles are beads.

I have to add this to my To be Stitched pile since I still need one more cupcake to finish and it looks like I need to finish backstitching one of my wrappers.
This week I plan on finishing a RR ornament of Karin which is a Dragon Dreams pattern. I am hoping she likes what I have done with it...I changed the fabric and changed one of the Krenick threads because I thought they would look better. SHHH!!! We just won't tell her I did this...lets just keep it here between us!!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

ornament finish


I have a small finish to show off. I finished Christmas Candy Sock Hop by Fresh Threads Studios. You can find this design in the 2010 Just Cross Stitch ornament issue. I love how it turned out. Now I Just have to finish it by Sunday. My stitching group is having a Christmas party where you finish an ornament from the JCS issue....then you kit it up for how many people are attending. This way you have a finished ornament and 6 more fully kitted ornaments to stitch up!! Isn't that a great idea??? There are 7 of us attending so I will have to kit up 6 ornaments.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Afghan, Yoga, stitching question and I must be crazy chart

Family Picture (cats refused to pose)

I LOVE being off work for Thanksgiving Break even if I haven't been home for each day! I swear there has been something going on since I got off work on Nov. 19. I had a Girls Night out since my friend got married today. (yep...I was in a wedding today!), birthday parties, trip to Branson and then one to Mountain Home (3 hours away)...Thanksgiving...wedding rehearsal and then today's wedding. I am tired!! Jammi and I at the wedding today.
I have managed to stitch on a few things. As you can see, I am working on a cute animal baby blanket. I have 7 letters completed and only 19 to go!! WHO-HOOOO!!! I am supposed to be making another blanket but I just can't find a design that says stitch me. So I am going to make her a lap quilt with dragon flies and then I am going stitch her a ladybug birth sampler that I found in a Just Cross Stitch magazine. I loved this design and I just know it is perfect for her. So...would you be disappointed with a birth sampler and a quilt instead of a cross stitch afghan?
I also finished page 2 of Yoga...only 1o pages to go!! I can't wait! Besides an ornament or two....this is the chart I am going to be working on until the end of the year...unless something just bites me like my 3 foot scarecrow I should be working on(not going to think about that UFO!)
Now...I must be crazy. I found this chart titled An Afternoon Embroidering (click link) and I just fell in love with it! I want to buy this chart ---did you see the price???---and stitch it next year. I know I have 10 other UFO's that i need to finish...but this chart is just calling me!!!!!! I just can't justify the price....or should I just bite the bullet and say..get it and stitch it???? decisions, decisions!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Historical Fashions is FINISHED!!!!!



That is right!!! I have finally finished Historical Fashions!!!!!! I am so excited!!! I was dancing and dancing! After 2 years and 1 month it is complete!! I can honestly say I met one of my goals this year! I was going to have a contest to pass the pattern on but I think I am just going to send it to someone I know who really wants it. That is all I am going to say. I am not telling who is getting this design!! I love my little secrets!!!
When this person gets the pattern, I do expect them NOT TO SELL IT once complete. I was given this pattern as a gift so I am gifting it to someone. The receiving person will have to gift it to a new person once complete!
Just wanted to share my news!!!! I am so happy to have it finished!!!!!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Historical Fashions

Check it out!!! I need to stitch the rest of her dress and the final border...then fashions will be finished!!!!! I am so excited! I thought that I would really work on it this weekend but life got in the way as it usually does. Friday, night I was exhausted so I didn't do much. Saturday I got up and played on facebook for awhile. My Island on Treasure Island needed to be dug!!! After that, I organized,..well..somewhat, organized my spare room. I went through my boxes of books. I sorted 9 boxes of books.. Put away five boxes and now have 4 boxes to give away or post on paperback swap. I might sell them on ebay..who knows..I just need to get them out of my house. Today, I went to the mall and bought 3 christmas presents and then off to Wal-mart with my mom. Mark asked me to make him some homemade Chocolate Chip cookies so I did that....Homemade..flour, sugar, eggs...etc. They turned out wonderful!!!
Mark told me to go buy the VERY expensive Christmas gift that I want...I am so excited!!!! I have to check out some prices but I am going to get a FABULOUS CHRISTMAS GIFT this year. I was in shock, I told him the price and he said..ok go get the one you want with the accessories. If it would make me happy and not so cranky, he is all for it!!!!! YEA ME!!!!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Santa finish and Fashions is almost finished!

That is right...I am so close to being finished with Historical Fashions that I can taste it!! I did take a small break from Fashions last week and worked on Sandy's RR piece. It is a cute little roly poly santa! I just want to tap him and watch him wobble!!!
Fashions is one fashionable lady with a big hat from being finished. I am so thrilled. I will be so excited to finish this one HUGE design! I will have reached at least one of my stitching goals! I guess that is better than nothing!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Couple #11 is finished!!!

I suffered from Insomnia last night and I put it to good use! I was up until 5:00 am this morning watching movies and stitching. I am so excited to have couple 11 finished. I googled the actual fashion period and it is the Victorian period but I really didn't want to change the wording on the design. I can't believe I am 120 x 120 stitches away from being finished!!!!!! YEA!! I am so close to being finished that I am going to go ahead and start on the final couple!!! Who knows...I may finish before Thanksgiving that is if I am lucky. I am still going to give this pattern away to someone...I just haven't figure out how I am going to do it.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Yoga update; RR finish and a little about me

Wow! Has it really been that long since I updated my blog? UGH!! I have been very busy on the stitching end of things. I worked on Yoga this weekend. I am slowly but surely working on it. I do hope I finish it by May 28th of next year!!!!
I have a finish!!! This is for Berly in our ILCS Round Robin. He is so cute!!! Very easy to stitch. I hope she likes him!
I have been working on my animal alphabet afghan. I am up to the letter E. I will post a picture later in the week. I found out that one of my 2 pregnant friends is having a girl so I am going to play in my stash and find my purse/shoe alphabet to make her afghan!!! I have been wanting to make a purse/shoe blanket!!! This is going to be so cute!
Thanks for all the well wishes at work....it is going slowly and I am trying to make the best of a bad situation but it is hard!!! I do appreciate all the good thoughts you send my way!!!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Yoga


Time for Yoga! As you can see I am still working on the background. This is quite boring but I am happy to say that I will eventually start working on the Yoga pose!!!
Mark brought me home a video game on Friday. He bought me this game called Heavy Rain for the PS3. This game is a murder mystery game where you have to solve the mystery of who is the origami murderer. You go through the game and talk to people...look at clues etc. We spent all Friday evening playing the game. It is a GREAT game however, there was one thing I wasn't expecting!!! I saw a girls boobies!!! I mean who expects a boob shot on a video game???? As soon as it happened, I checked the rating....it was M for mature!!! I usually buy E for Everyone and I have NEVER played a Mature rated game. Since Mark was in a game buying mood I sent him a list of 5 different games that I want!!!
I used to love Sunday afternoons. I would spend the day sitting in my recliner, stitching away while watching the Hallmark Movie Channel Mystery Sundays. I would watch Diagnosis Murder, Matlock, Mystery Woman, ...well you get the idea. Now my afternoons are spent knee deep in grading papers, Physical Science, Environmental Science and any other subject I need to get prepared for. This is a rough year. Last year I taught 2 separate classes, Math and English. This year I teach: Civics, English, Math, Environmental Science, Physical Science and Personal Growth. Which means I have to prep for each class individually. UGH!! I am tired!!!
Funny Speech for the week: Guys Don't mess with your Business in Class. It is still there and won't fall off anytime soon. It isn't appropriate to mess with your business in public! Yes I actually said this to my class.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Historical Fashions update


I have 1.5 couples left to stitch!!!!!! Talk about exciting!!! My goal is to finish by the end of December but I am hoping to finish earlier!! This period when I did the research said it was the Victorian era but I decided not to change the wording. To be honest....I have had so much trouble centering this piece that I wasn't sure I could center the words and dates correctly.
School is driving me crazy. I did go speak with my principal concerning the problems I am having in my classroom. He openly listened and said he would try and help me in some way. I hope so it is like a 3 ring circus in my room. I come home and cry almost every evening. Mark has no idea how to help the situation he just gets mad because he knew I didn't want this position. Oh well....I should be thankful I have a job!!!

Monday, October 4, 2010

I stitched on YOGA!!!


Wow!! I haven't worked on this piece in a LONG LONG time!!! I posted last week that I needed to get this done for my sister by her birthday in May! This is a 12 page design and is solid stitching!!! I have stitched one page so that means only 11 to go. I calculated that I would need to stitch 200 stitches a day, everyday until May 31st, to get this finished on time. I worked on it all weekend and put in enough stitches that I don't have to stitch on it again until Friday!!! YEA ME!!!!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Wedding Sampler Finish


My Jammi is getting married in November and my gift to her is a wedding sampler. I found this in the June 1993 issue of JCS magazine. Our bridemaids gowns are cranberry and I have to say very PRETTY!!! I used GAST Cranberry and the borders are surrounded by cranberry seed beads by Mill hill.
I am so tired! School is kicking my backside!!! I hate to admit it but this year the kids may get the best of me!!! I am off to watch Bones with Mark. We love our DVR!!!!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Halloween wall hanging


If you have been following my blog you know that I have tried to take a quilting class but that didn't go to well. I also tried to teach myself and I have made a few things but I felt I could learn more by taking a class. I found a class at our local sewing center. I signed up and have really enjoyed this class! As you can see I am making a halloween wall hanging. I need to finish stitching in the ditch and then this next Saturday I will be adding the border!! I love this!!!!

Fashions Update


Here we go...I have started couple #11 and I am so close to finishing I could almost taste it! However, with the baby blankets, wedding sampler and the yoga piece (yes it is a UFO) that I need to finish I have calculated how many stitches are left until I finish the pattern and divided it by how many days left in the year. Math teacher I am came up with the number 271. That is how many stitches a day I need to stitch in order to complete this design by Dec. 31. Now, if I finish it early that will be just bonus. My sister sent me a message asking about her yoga piece...so I need to dig that out and work on it. I need to stitch 203 stitches a day, every day, starting Oct 1 and ending May 31 in order to finish a few days after her birthday on May 28th. Looks like I am going to be busy.
Just an FYI...once I finish fashions, I will be selecting one lucky follower of my blog to send this pattern to. I will come up with some sort of contest I think...but you must be a follower in order to win the pattern and this will need to be the pattern you start on in 2011. Another condition is that you can't sell the pattern....you have to PIF to a new stitcher when finished. I would love contest ideas because I really can't think of one now!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

1 down 51 to go!


I posted a little while ago that I had two friends expecting and they both wanted me to make them something.....so that means 2 alphabet afghans which is 52 letters I have to stitch. Crazy huh???? I was going through my magazines and I found a couple that I was interested in but nothing just said STITCH ME!!!!!! I went to BN last week because the new Cross Stitch Collection magazine from Britain was in and it had the first part of a new Sandy Littlejohn pattern. I love her designs. I was flipping through it and found the CUTEST alphabet which would go for either a boy or girl. It is an animal alphabet and I just had to stitch it. This is the first letter that I have finished now I have just 51 more to go!!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Finished Quilt and new Wedding Sampler

I put the final stitches in the quilt. This is just a small corner so you can see the fabric, border and binding. I love how it turned out!!! Now just to get it in the mail to my aunt.

I started a wedding sampler for friend Jammi. She is getting married in November and I put it off for a long time because I couldn't find just the right pattern. I did find it this summer when I was at my cross stitch retreat. I am stitching it on summer breeze jobelan with cranberrry GAST. In the middle will be two doves with a heart. The border will look like the small box in the middle. There will also be mill hill beads all over the border and box. I did modify the pattern because I didn't like the traditional sampler 1234567890 numbers on it...so I took that away. I think once I get the big border and beads on it...it is really going to pop!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Historical Fashions Couple 10

Couple #10 is finally complete!!! I have to admit they turned out lovely. I look at these clothes and think WOW...people actually wore things like this. They actually had to hand stitch all their clothes...can you imagine sitting and hand sewing the ruffles, puffy sleeves, gathers and they buttons..OH the buttons!!! The happy news is that I only have 2 more couples to go! However, they are going to have to be put on hold because I have a wedding sampler to make and then I have 2 baby blankets to stitch!!! I thought about making 2 different designs but since both ladies do not know what they are having, I found the cutest Animal Alphabet in the October Cross stitch Collection magazine. It has frogs, tigers, bears, gators etc ...so they both getting the same blanket!!!!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Murphy's law for quilting!!!


My aunt called me a couple of weeks ago to ask if I would put a backing on a quilt. I said sure! I popped over to my moms Friday Afternoon and I assumed that she wanted me to put together a baby quilt that was premade or something like that...but no!! She brought me 2 yards of Razoback Fabric and 2 yards of Black fabric. YIKES!!


So off to Joanns I went. I bought the White fabric with black circles, red binding ribbon and in my stash I had some black Batik fabric. WHOO-HOOO!!!!

I had basically 2 days to put this together. However, I also had my friends Erins' 30th birthday party Friday night and then a trip to Branson Saturday for a day of shopping and wine tasting. I was very vital to this trip because I don't drink (that much) and I can drive a standard. So I was up until 2:30 putting together the top. Which I thought was a great since I didn't get started until 11:00! So off to bed I went!


After a long day of shopping, I finally made it home around 10:00pm. I started putting together the back of the quilt. I finally was ready to pin it together when I realized that the batting was about 2 inches short on BOTH sides!!!! OMG!! it is 11:00 on a Saturday night, no way to buy more batting and my aunt was leaving at 7:30 in the morning! I now have to priority mail it to her on Wednesday so it will be there by Friday for the raffle on Saturday!!!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Historical Fashions and Christmas RR

I set a goal for myself this weekend. My goal was to pick and finish an ornament for the Christmas round robin and to finish the upper body of my Historical fashions Lady #10. This lady was very detailed and called for 10 different colors for backstitching!!! Can you believe that??? 10 different colors!!! UGH!!! She is turning out very pretty I think.School is interesting this year. I was very concerned about being in the behavior room again because I had very bad memories for the last time I taught in the behavior room. In case you are wondering a behavior room has students with learning problems and along with that some severe behavior issues. They can be very argumentative, disruptive and just down right rude. This job is very tiring and emotionally draining. I wish I could tell you more but I just can't because that would be breaking the law. I am still uncertain about this year...I have 6 preps which is 6 different courses to teach and prep for which does take a while to do. So this morning I spent the time working on Physical Science and Environmental Science. It is just a little stressful!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Christmas Round Robin


I am in a Christmas ornament Round Robin with my ILCS (I Love Cross Stitch) yahoo group. If you don't know what a RR is then let me explain. In this RR, there are 6 people wanting to stitch ornaments. We were to pick a minimum of 5 ornaments they wanted to stitched. You send a copy of the pattern, fabric and any specialty fibers/buttons/beads that you want on your design. If you want DMC used then the person who is stitching it uses their dmc.
Vicky L sent me several cute patterns but I finally decided on this little gingerbread design. She sent Blending Filament for use with the color white. I didn't like how it looked so I upgraded her design to having beads...which turned out so cute!!!