A Winterly Heirloom UFO

My A Winterly Heirloom HAED was calling my name this week so I pulled it out to stitch on it.  Here is what it looked like before I stitched on it....

 This is what it looks like now.  As you can you see, the tree is filled in more and more of the sky is filled  in also. I only have 149,980 stitches left to go on this project!!!!

Betty Crocker Moment!!!

Mark was wanting Lasagna this week so I pulled out my Betty Crocker Cookbook and found a recipe.  It was really simple to make and it turned out YUMMY!!!!  

Smiles from Heaven and Winners!!!

I got the best surprise today!!!  My Lilac bloomed for the first time!!  My granny, who passed away 3 years ago, gave me a cutting from her lilac bush 6 years ago. Mark and I had just bought our house and she decided I needed a cutting.  She and I decided to plant it in front of my house where I could smell the lilacs when the windows were open.  I have been waiting and waiting for this to bloom.  Mark just thought it was a GREAT big bush!!!  I told him to wait,...be patiently because it would bloom.  Today, my granny is smiling down at me because her lilac bush finally bloomed!!!   I am just so happy.  I told Mark that if we ever move, the bush is coming with me!!!!


Winners of the Patchwork Sampler and Ozark Sampler Mystery SAL....Plus my houses..


Karen  from my Stitchers UFO Challenge - she is getting the Patchwork Sampler SAL




Paula from Paula's WIPapocalypse - She is getting the Ozark Sampler Mystery SAL


Sue...you won my Disney houses chart..I need you to email me your address!!!

Winter 9-patch and spring break wrap up!!!

Who-HOOOOO!!! I have another finish to show off!  I worked on my seasonal 9 patch and I finished the Winter Section!!!  As you can see, I just have 2 more boxes to stitch in the Summer section and it will be completely finished!!!! 

So this project is being put away, because a HAED is calling my name.  I am going to work on my Wintery Heirloom project.  I loved all the responses I received about my stitchers guilt.  I am going to put my 7 UFO"s in a 4 day rotation until School is out at the end of May.  Then I will start adding a new project here and there.

Spring Break is over and I have to go back to work on Monday.  I set out some goals...lets see how  I did:

1. Go get my taxes done

Got the notice from the state Dept.  about our refund!

2. Finish 2 houses in my Victorian Village

Finished Ice Cream Parlor and Mercantile

3. Take all the recycling to the recycling center

You saw the garage photos!!!

4. enter 2 binders of charts into my excel program

Actually entered all my charts that I know of...still gotta look in the nooks and crannies.

5.  Go in my Classroom and finish my Annual Review Conference paperwork 

(each conference takes about 2 hours to plan and I have 13 of them!!!!)

I went in and worked for about 5 hours, finished my conferences, failure notices, graded all papers and I can now see the top of my desk!!

Because I worked really hard this week.... I went and had new nails put on my fingers!  I love them!!!!  The only problem? I have to learn to type and text with them....this is going to a learning experience!

2 UFO's needing new homes and my stash.

Today I spent the afternoon entering the rest of my charts onto Excel.  As of right now, I have entered all my charts and all my kits into an excel spreadsheet.  I haven't checked the nooks and crannies though.  You know how us stitchers are, we have things EVERY where!!!    As of right now, I have over 500 charts and 300 kits to be stitched!!!  I think that is enough to last a life time!!   
I still need to go through my magazines and write down the charts from them I want to stitch.  Who knows how many that will be when I get finished. 


New homes:  I decided to give away 2 of my UFO"s to people who may actually want them. 

This is an Ozark Sampler Mystery Stitch Along. It has all the patterns, and specialty threads needed to complete this project.  This was designed by Debbie Draper.  It is a sampler and I am not a sampler person.  It does turn out really cute. I won't tell what it is since it is supposed to be a mystery....

  The second one is my Patchwork Sampler. You can see the finished design here at Catiacrafts.   This was a freebie SAL design a few years ago.  I started it over one with Ozark Sampler threads.  I will include everything needed to finish it.


If anyone would like to have one of these projects...just leave your name.  I will rehome them on Monday.  Hopefully, there will be someone who would like them!!!

Victorian Village - Mercantile Finished

Yesterday, I was talking about my Stitcher's Guilt and if anyone else suffered from it.  I was amazed that I am not the only one who does suffer from it.  I got some good ideas on how to handle my guilt.  I realized I left off a UFO.  How I could forget my Disney castle design, I will never know!!!!  I do have this one left to finish.  I have 2 more pages of it and it will be completed.  This is a retired chart that is very hard to find.

The Victorian Village is coming along great.  I have two more buildings left to stitch and it will be finished!!!

The Mercantile was actually fun to stitch up.  It wasn't that hard either.  If I could have stayed off Pininterst then I would have finished it sooner.  


At the end of the school year last year, one of my parents bought me an hour massage for helping her son graduate.  I cashed it in today and I am SORE!!!  I carry all my stress in my shoulders and neck. She spent most of the hour there and I can't believe how sore I am from her breaking down all the knots in my body.  Note to self---Get more Massages!!!!

Stitchers Guilt- Real condition???

I am not sure if I am the only one who suffers from Stitchers Guilt but  I do!!!!  Stitcher's Guilt is where you have started several Big Projects and you really want to finish them but there are other Big projects calling your name!!!  So, do you start a new BIG project or do you finish the ones you have started before starting something new????  


I have some stitching friends who have 10 to 20 Big projects in their rotation and do not think twice about it.   I am not sure I can do that.  I think it is the teacher in me.  I see a project, I start it, and then I finish it.  


I have other friends who suffer from Startitus - They have no problem starting new projects and do not care if they ever finish them!!!!!


So, My question is ...Do you suffer from Stitchers Guilt or do you just don't worry about it??  


Should I just go ahead and start some of these projects before finishing the UFO"s below?????  Just curious...which is your favorite????


Below are some BAP charts that I REALLY REALLY want to start.... (we'll get to the smaller ones later)

First:  My Thomas Kinkade Disney kits (the only one that isn't a chart is the center one)  The other 8 are in my stash begging to be started:

Thomas Kinkade Disney Kits

My Love of Pride and Prejudice just wants me to stitch Pemberely

Darcy's Pemberley  540 x 349

Then again...there is my new chart that I just received....

A gathering 331 x 212

This is my DREAM chart...Just love it!!!!

An Afternoon Embroidering  250 x 160

Once again, my love of Disney is begging me to stitch my Haunted Mansion portraits...

Haunted Mansion Portraits  242 x 704  Each Portrait!!!

.

Here is my love of Jane Austen again...I just love this house....It just needs to be stitched

Mystic Stitch - stitch count uncertain. (too lazy to get up and look)

This chart I fell in love with it the first time I saw it....Not sure why....

Musical Fete -HEAD  625 x 501

Then I have my UFO's!!!!  In my UFO pile of BAP we have:


A golf Pattern for my husband.....

Augusta #13  Mystic Stitch  325 x 216

My Victorian Ball scene....

Summer Ball by Sandy Little John  478 x 129

This is the SAL I started with my friend Kim...we have both stopped working on it. I think she got bored and I was iritated because of the trees at the top.  They are a pain to stitch!!

A wintery Heirloom   HAED   450 x 360

My love of Faery Tales made me buy this one.... but for some reason I don't enjoy working on it...probably because I am only in the top left corner which is very dark threads.......

Faery Tales HAED  575 x 453

So there you have it my guilty confession.  I have tons of HUGE projects to start...others to finish.  Am I the only one that suffers from this condition????

Yiotas Cross stitch Patterns and Kits Review

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by Yiotas Cross-Stitch Patterns and Kits to see if I would like to review one of their items.  Of course I said I would LOVE to review one of their products. I had seen her name appear of other bloggers sites about her products and the rave reviews she had been getting.  My friend, Shari, over at Shari's Sharings reviewed a beautiful kit called Winter Sunset Cottage.  

Yiota offered to let me order a kit or pattern my choice. If I chose a kit, then I would get to chose between aida or evenweave fabric.  The pattern would be printed on regular chart size or 11 x 17 size which means less pages.  Well...since I love Victorian style pattern I fell in LOVE with four different designs:

A Gathering

Reading by the Lamplight

The Letter

Gossip

It was like being a kid in a candy store.  So many choices.  So I let Yiota pick for me and she chose my top pick...A Gathering (top photo).  The designs I LOVED only came in pattern format. Which is fine with me....I got my pattern in the mail yesterday and this is how it came:

Sturdy envelope with cardboard in the back so it wouldn't bend

The pattern came wrapped in a plastic covering.  The front of the design has a beautiful picture, the stitch count (a whopping 331 x 212), the size once finished along with her email, website and telephone number. Which is nice because it shows she wants us to contact her if there is a problem.

A gathering

I chose the larger paper for this project.  It came on very sturdy paper. The symbols are very easy to read.

pattern

The symbols page is very easy to read and lists the number of DMC and the color beside it.  It also include the layout instructions, number of threads and how many skeins of each color needed to finish the design. 

Symbols Page

I am VERY please with this company. Her cross stitch patterns  are easy to follow which is great for a BAP!!!  I will be ordering from them again. They have wonderful intricate designs and I can't wait to see how this stitches up!!!!

Ice Cream Shoppe and to do list

 I finished my Ice Cream Parlor tonight.   It turned out really cute.  I just have three more buildings to go on this design and it will be finished.  I have the Mercantile, Barber Shop and Sweet Shop left to finish.














To Do list!!!


I mentioned earlier that I needed to take things to the recycling center in town.  We don't have a service that picks up our recycling we have to take it to the center.  So We don't always make it there when we should.  My garage was so full that I felt like everytime I got out of my car...a box would fall on my head and crush me!!!!


As you can see below the before and after pictures!

Flat Belly Diet
Today was the first day on this diet.  I have to say this is the worst thing I have ever done to myself!!!!!   The salad water is gross and I felt all day that I was hungry!!!  I am not sure if I am going to finish this....

Blog Award!!!!

My good friend, Berly, over at New Year! Blog has awarded me the 

Liebster is a German word, meaning favorite, dearest or beloved, and the Liebster is awarded by bloggers to other, newer bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers, to spread the word and help the new(er)bies gain wider recognition. The award comes with four conditions that each recipient must satisfy when accepting:

1. Choose five up-and-coming blogs (with fewer than 200 followers) to award the Liebster to.

2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.

3. Post the award on your blog. List the bloggers you are giving the award to with links to their sites. Leave comments on their blogs so they know about the award.

4. Share five random facts about yourself that people don't know about you. 

 

Ok, the bloggers that I am giving this award to are:

1) My friend Kim, over at Kims Northwoods Discoveries.  Kim is an amazing stitcher and quilter!!!  She is the mom to two cute furbabies - Stewie and Rodger.  I love chatting with Kim almost daily via Yahoo Messenger!  

2)  My friend, Shari, over at Shari's Sharings.  I met Shari through one of my Yahoo groups.  We have been to one retreat together and she is a lot of fun.  She is an amazing stitcher and a wonderful grandmother to triplets!!!!

3)  My Disney friend, Keebles, over at Keebles World.  I actually met her at the disboards where many Disney lovers go to chat about disney things!!  We were on the Disney cross stitch section and became great online friends!

4)  My Idol, Cindy in MA, over at HAED and other Cross stitch.  Cindy has numerous Haed projects going and doesn't feel the least bit of stitchers guilt.  When I get to be an adult stitcher I want to be just like her!!!

5) My final award goes to Julie and Yes and Dear over at Julie and Yes Dear's Ravings.   Julie always has interesting projects going on and I love hearing about Yes Dear!  

Ok, now for the hard part.  5 random facts about me that people don't know 

1)  I grew up on farm in Oklahoma with all sorts of animals.  However, I am SCARED to death of riding horses!!!  I love to brush them, feed them, walk them but everytime I ride them, I get bucked off!  EVERYTIME!!!!  It is a running family joke.

2)  I learned to drive by plowing the garden with the tractor.

3) Even though I have 3 Labs, I used to be very scared of big dogs.  

4)  I still have to sleep with a nightlight.  I never got over my fear of the dark.

5)  I would love to travel back in time and attend a Ball during Victorian times.  

Ok...Hopefully you will stop by and visit my friends blogs!!!

Spring Break - Day 1

Today was the first day of spring break.  I actually accomplished something off my list:

1. Go get my taxes done

2. Finish 2 houses in my Victorian Village

3. Take all the recycling to the recycling center

4. enter 2 binders of charts into my excel program

5.  Go in my Classroom and finish my Annual Review Conference paperwork 

(each conference takes about 2 hours to plan and I have 13 of them!!!!)

Taxes are finished!!!!!  We get a small refund from federal and state!! At least it is a refund and we do not owe!!!

                                     

This is my salad water I get to drink all day tomorrow.  It has cucumbers, freshly grated ginger and lemons.  Looks tasty!!!

This is it from the side view.  As you can see my Sonic Sweet tea cup right behind it.  I don't get that this week!!!!  I will be very cranky as I go through withdrawals!!!!!

I worked on my Ice Cream Parlor today.  I am moving right along.  Hopefully, I will finish it either late tonight or tomorrow.  Several people have asked where I found these patterns.  

The Victorian Village is an Afghan Series that was designed by Lois Winston.  It was published in the US Cross Stitcher Magazine in the months of:

December 93 - Flower Shop/Ice Cream parlor

Feb. 94 - Cross Stitch Shop and barber shop

April 94 - Antiques and Mercantile

June 94 - Quilt shop and Apothecary

August 94 - Dress shop and Book Shop

Oct. 94 - Sweet Shop and Millinary

Spring Break Week - To do List

Spring Break has started this week and I have a small to do list.  Mark is going out of town on Sunday so I will be home by myself until Wednesday Night.  So, I have some random things I want to get finished this week while he is gone.  My list looks like this:

1. Go get my taxes done

2. Finish 2 houses in my Victorian Village

3. Take all the recycling to the recycling center

4. enter 2 binders of charts into my excel program

5.  Go in my Classroom and finish my Annual Review Conference paperwork 

(each conference takes about 2 hours to plan and I have 13 of them!!!!)

Here is what I have stitched on the Ice Cream Shoppe so far:

My Diet:

I have gone off my diet for a while.  I got totally frustrated about exercising and Not losing weight.  I am sure you know what I am talking about!  It is just hard when I try so hard and nothing happens.   So after eating like crap and enjoying myself.  I am going to try the diet from the book I bought a few weeks ago.  

This is a good time since the first 4 days is like a body detox to get the bad things out of your system.  You get to eat 1200 calories these first 4 days and then you get to eat 1600 calories for the next 28 days.   You have to drink this special water for the first 4 days.  It has cucumbers, grated ginger and lemon in it.  You have to make it fresh the night before and then drink it all day the next day.   It says you are supposed to lose up to 7 pounds in the first four days, and lose at least 5 inches.  I am not sure if this is going to happen...  I am going to start this on Sunday, since that is the day Mark is going out of town.  I will keep you informed on how this works out!!!!!!