Cross Stitch Retreat in Colorado Springs

I left Arkansas, my DH, and my furbabies this morning so I can attend the ILCS Cross stitch retreat in Colorado Springs.  If you are scratching your head because you have never heard of this, let me explain.  I belong to a yahoo group, ILCS, and we get together for one 4 day weekend a year to stitch, visit and sight see!!!!    I think this is year 6 for us.....Each year we go somewhere different.  

I left at 11:30 am CST and arrived in Colorado Springs at 10:00 PM MST.   It was a very long trip and Kansas is a very, very long state.  I would like to say thank you to all my friends who chatted with me on the way.  I stopped at truck stop for gas and I found a hotel coupon book!!!  I found a coupon for Comfort Suites for $55 a night!!!!  My room is AWESOME...let me give you a tour:

Seating area with desk and sleeper sofa

Very nice Bathroom with lots of towels!!!

Microwave, fridge, safe, coffee maker and sink with a nightlight!!

Kingsize bed all to myself

TV and Closet...

 When I travel, I always manage to tangle my cords.  So below you see my Ipod, car charger and GPS charger.  Sigh......too many cords.

I am headed to bed.  Been a very long day!!!  Will post more updates later this weekend!

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

This is a young adult novel and I did not enjoy it!!!  I LOVED her first series, the Pretty Little Liars, however this book is very similar to her first series.  In the Pretty Little Liars series, there was a twin sister who showed up unexpectedly and no one new that she was a twin impersonating her sister.  Same plot in this book just a different scenario.  Same teenage drama, bad attitudes and teens you just want to slap.

I was so disappointed in this book because I really, really, wanted to like it.  I just didn't....

Lemon Tart by Josi S. Kilpack

I LOVED this book!!!!!  I had no idea who the killer was until the bitter end.  It was not the person who I thought!!! Even though this is a cozy mystery, it had several twists and turns, plus some great recipes!!!!


Sadie Hoffmiller is retired and likes to help her neighbors.  She  doesn't mind watching kids afterschool, giving advice, or just letting repair men in her neighbors house. She is so trustworthy that she has keys to every neighbors house.   One morning as she is canning applesauce, police cars whiz by her house to her neighbor Anne's house.   Being the nosy old lady on the street, she heads down to check it out.  She is very helpful to the police since she does give them the key to get into Anne's house. As she follows them in, she finds a lemon tart baking in the oven. The police find Anne's body out in the yard but her toddler son, Trevor, is missing!!!! Sadie is determined to find out who killed Anne and find Trevor!!!


Great characters and I actually copied down some of the recipes to try later!  

Just Like Heaven by Barbara Bretton

This was one of my poolside reads.  I checked it out from the library because the opening of the blurb was "It all started out with a red lace thong."  So, I thought, "WOW!!" this is going to be good.  I was wrong.  I hate to say that about a book, but I just didn't enjoy it.  I read the whole thing because I was at the pool and I didn't have anything else to read.  


After returning from an overseas trip, Kate suffers a heart attack in the college parking lot. She is rescued by a guy wearing a grateful dead tee shirt.  She has no idea who he is but she would like to thank him once she is recovered. Mark, her good samaritian, has no clue what who she was but he would like to check on her and to return some items she left in the parking lot once she collapsed.   He manages to track her down and sparks just fly.


I guess I just didn't like the characters and the story line.  

Disney and Faery Tales!

I have been working on Faery tales this week.  This is one of my HAED pieces.  I finished page 3 of 49.  Yes, I do go out of order on my Haeds...I don't like following the rules on this one....not sure why. 

I got Mickey Mail!!!!! My friend Lisa went to Disney in May.  She was kind enough to send me 2 tinkerbell pens.  They write blue ink which is what is required in all my Special Education meetings.  I love these pens!!!!!  One died  and one actually broke thanks to a lovely student.  

Cinderella's castle is coming along!  I am about 3,000 stitches away from finishing a page on this one.  I love how this is turning out!!!!!  

No progress to show on my summer goals.  I am about 1/2 way through several projects.  Will be glad when I get them marked off!!!

AWH update, summer goals, and College

Last week was ROUGH!!  I had Math/Physics workshops that was held at the University of Arkansas.  I realized that I am not that smart being around all those Physics teachers!!!  It was an interesting few days. I did enjoy staying in the dorms and being on campus again.  

I enjoy it so much that I am headed back to college.  In order to finish my teaching certificate for 4-8 grade regular education I need to take Arkansas History.  I found out that the local community college offers classes for free for certified teachers. You just have pay the other fees involved.  I will be starting class on July 2 through Aug. 3, Monday -Thursday 6-8 pm.  I contacted the instructor and explained about my trip to Rome...he told me not to worry about.  Just get the notes from a classmate and make up any exam I may miss!!!

AWH was on the rotation this week. This is the before picture of AWH.....

I made some progress on this rotation......When I finish this page, I will be at the halfway mark on the first row of pages!!!!  

Wanted to share a photo of Bert and Gibbs.  They are such good buddies!  We can ask Gibbs where his cat is and he will go find Bert!!!

Dining room table is looking better.....

However, the pile of laundry on the bed isn't looking good at all!!!!

Look who I found hiding in the clothes...Jag didn't look to happy at me when I found his hiding spot!

I have made Great progress on my goals!!!!

Summer goals so far:

1. Clean out laundry room

2 Clean out desk Area in Kitchen

3. Go through the laundry basket of magazines so they can be recycled

4. Organize recipes torn from the magazines into a recipe binder.  I found this awesome site to help me get organized.

5. Print all my pinned pinterest recipes.  I love this site so I am going to start printing and trying them out.  Will let you know how they turn out.

6. Make a binder of my pinterest holiday items.  

7. Wind all DMC Floss onto binders.  -Finished up to 801.

8.  Put one of each DMC color into a Jammer box so I can have a box for travel.

9. Write Common Core Goals for my classroom. - School goal

10. Write an assessment test  to go with the common goals - school thing

11. Write my Life Centered Career Lesson plans for my kiddo's

12. Review and figure out the Xtra Math website I want my kids to use next Year

14. Make a teacher binder for next year .

13. Make and mail a class supply list before July to all my kids.

15. Make a household binder.  This is an example.  I have several pinned on pinterest that I want to combine. 

16. Finish my Donor Choice application for supply donations to my classroom.

17. Make a shopping price list of all things that I use regularly so I know where the better buy will be.

18.  Get my photos organized. Right now they are stored in drawers, discs, flashdrives and my computer.  I need to get them in albums or photo boxes..something better than I have now.

19. Finish organizing my coupon binder.

20.  Finally go to the Electric Company and Cable company to get my name changed from my maiden name to my married name.  It only has been 6 years..

Consigned to Death by Jane K. Cleland

If you like antiques, estate sales, tag sales and a mystery....this is the read for you.  This is the first book in her Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series.  I would love to say this was a planned read, however I just stumbled upon this book in the library!!!  I am so happy that I did...I loved reading it!

Josie Prescott has moved to New Hampshire after helping the police out in a price fixing scandal in her most Prestigious New York Firm.  She is hoping to help restore her reputation in this new location.  She has been contacted by Mr. Grant to get his houseful of antiques ready for auction.  She is in awe of all the pieces she has found in his home.  When she is contacted by Chief Alverez about her business with Mr. Grant and then asked to the police station, she is very concerned.  It seems that Mr. Grant has been stabbed and she is the prime suspect!!!!

Mr. Grant's daughter and granddaughter, show up and ask Josie to continue her research on the antiques so they can take them to New York to be sold.  This is not what the Psycho granddaughter wants...however he mother is boss.  Seems there are some priceless treasures that can bring millions that are hidden away...

GREAT Mystery series.  I am headed to the Library on Friday to get the next book in this series.

Just Desserts by Barbara Bretton

I found this book in the library, read the title and then grabbed it.  I didn't bother reading the blurb on the back because I just LOVED the title.  I figured food must be involved somehow since it had a picture of a bakery on the cover.  Yes, I will admit I sometimes pick books by their cover!!!!  I read this by the pool on a very overcast day and I really ENJOYED IT!!! However, I came home a crispy critter from the pool because it was such an overcast day.

The book:
Haley owns a bakery in South Jersey.  She is struggling to keep her business open, her daughter, Lizzie, in school and all 5 pets fed.  One day she is offered the chance of a lifetime that will finally put her business on the map and won't have to worry about money as much as she does now.  She has been asked to bake a cake for the world famous aging Tommy Stiles.  She isn't sure why an this famous rocker who could have any baker in the world make his cake, has chosen her but she is going to do her best.

Little does Haley know that her mother had an affair with Tommy over 40 years ago which resulted in her mother becoming pregnant with Haley. Tommy has just found out he has a long lost daughter and is anxious to have a relationship with her.  He sends in he lawyer Finn to work out all the details.  When Finn sees Haley for the first time he is WOWED!!!  Sparks are flying....

Haley's Ex-Husband is a gambler who has gambled all their money away and is now IM'ing his daughter Lizzie for money out of her college fund to pay his debts!!!!!

Loved this book!!!  It was a great easy read, it had romance, a little mystery, a little danger...

Ghost in Trouble-Carolyn Hart

I just finished reading Ghost in Trouble by Carolyn Hart.  This is the 3rd book in the Bailey Ruth Raeburn series.  It is an excellent cozy mystery series.  This is fun fast read especially if you like mysteries.  The characters are entertaining and real to life. Carolyn Hart does an excellent job of writing the story where you can picture everything in your head as the story unfolds.


Bailey Ruth Raeburn is a ghost. She and her husband, Bobbie Mack, was lost in the Gulf of Mexico during a storm. They are currently residing in Heaven where Bailey Ruth works for the Department of Good Intentions that is led by Wiggins. This dept. sends heavenly guides out to help people in trouble and Wiggens watches over the guides as they complete their tasks.  


Bailey Ruth is sent back to her hometown, Adelaide, OK, to help out a lady she knew when she was alive and they did not get along. Throughout this adventure you are going to see Bailey Ruth break several Precepts (rules) as she tries to figure out who is causing all this chaos for Kay Clark. 


I have enjoyed this series.  The other two books are: Ghost at work and Merry, Merry Ghost.  

My Messiness and Disney Stitching!

As you know I have been very busy organizing my house.  I had someone ask me what I was doing with all the stuff.  I am throwing away and donating quite a bit.  If I don't put it back in the room, then it goes here...my dining room table!!!  As you can see, it is a mess!!!  By the end of summer I hope that it is cleaned off and usable.

I went to an estate sale on Wednesday. The town I live in used to be known as a retirement village. So the majority of the population is retired and enjoying the life in AR.  I found a new glider rocker for my sewing room for $16.

I also found a new lounge chair to lay out in by the puppy pool. The chair and cushion (see next picture) was only $8.00

Gibbs is inspecting the new cushion....Inspect is all he can do because.....

If you look at my old chair, it is covered in duct tape, because Gibbs ate the good chair.   The duct tape worked for a while but it isn't holding up anymore.  This is the puppy pool that I like to hang out in and read.

I also found some sets of 6 linen napkins.  These were a steal at $1.50 each!!!!  

My desk is finally organized!!!!!  I pulled a chair in from the dining room until I can get a new one for the kitchen. Yes, my tea maker stays out since it is summer and you can't go a day without a glass of sweet ice tea!!

Here is my Fantasia piece!!!!  I worked on stairs this rotation.  I just love how this is turning out!!!

We Have a Winner!!!

Earlier this evening, Mark picked a winner for my little Giveaway.  He picked - Betty in AZ!!!  Betty your GC to 123 stitch has been ordered and should be arriving in your box soon!


Thank you for all the comments!!!  I loved hearing about the projects you hated and how you handled stitching them or throwing them away in some cases!!!!