I'll Cross That Leg When I Get To It.....

Warning! Nausea ahead!!

2012-01-29T10:32:00.000-06:00

Good Sunday Morning!

I had planned to get up and clean this morning and then I remembered I have a wedding reception to go to and if I clean I will have to shower again. With these darn hot flashes, I am just a mess after I clean anymore. What a great excuse to just play today instead of doing what I should be doing, right? At least that's what I'm telling myself! If you think otherwise, do you mind keeping it to yourself? I don't want my bubble burst when I've gone to so much trouble creating it.

I promised last time that I would show you the other project I am working on. As you might recall, we're going to have a display of Little House and Country Cottage designs in the shop in May. I figured I should help to create the best display possible so in the spirit of the things I am stitching one chart from each designer. I know, I know. It's a real hardship I tell ya, just finding a cute chart in the hundreds that are available was a chore in itself, but what's a person supposed to do?? It was my idea after all, so I sucked it up and chose Little House's The Inn at Fox River Mill (seen in my previous post) and Forest Snowfall from Country Cottage. I'm stitching it on 40ct Pearl Grey linen over 2 using the called for colors except the Deep Fennel has been replaced by Belle Soie Ocean Tide. Deep Fennel just wasn't cutting it for me. This is such a soft looking piece, very soothing. I've just hated every minute of it...NOT!!

Since Gracie has been ill, I have taken to locking the two dogs up in the bathroom when we leave the house. If there is an accident I can at least find it easily instead of hunting on my hands and knees nose to the floor like a bloodhound scenting it's prey. Those that actually know me are probably wishing right now that I hadn't put that image in their head...the picture isn't pretty...trust me. Anyway, I put a baby gate across the opening so they can see out and not get claustrophobic but apparently one of them is not terribly happy with this situation. Dan came home from work the first night to see this...

When Dan told me about finding Kallie on the counter when he got home he was all concerned about how long she might have been stuck up there. I, on the other hand was more concerned that she might not be stuck up there. Kallie has species confusion and has a tendency to think she's a feline instead of a canine. Cat's do not have a problem jumping and my concern was she might try to jump from the counter over the gate and onto the floor. But I was hoping she wouldn't be that brave. I was hoping in vain. The next day I once again locked them in the bathroom and turned around to get my coat. Hearing movement behind me I spun around just in time to see Kallie attempting a dive worthy of an Olympic gold medalist! I swear she did a triple twist with a tuck before losing her form and landing flat on her back only to spring back up and leap into my arms. I didn't even have time to yell stay at her before this brilliant feat of gymnastics. I was so worried she might have hurt herself, but apparently she really is half cat and seems none the worse for wear. We've now taken to blocking off the toilet (her springboard to the counter) and this seems to be taking care of the problem. For now. Until Houdini figures out another way to escape!

Yesterday was Last Saturday Stitching at the shop. We have stitching on the second and last Saturday of every month and our group of ladies has grown from the 4 we started out with in the beginning 2 years ago, to between 20 and 25 now.

It's such an awesome group of women, from beginners to experts, some young, some not so young, stitching on such diverse projects. When I look back 2 years to our very humble beginnings and see how much we've grown, I am in awe and I thank God that he brought them all into my life. I look forward to our stitching days and hate the months that have 5 Saturdays as there is a longer gap between stitching. Thank you ladies for all of your support over the last couple of years, for taking time out of your busy lives to come and stitch at the shop. For the awesomely good food you bring, for the laughter, the companionship, and lets face it for the money you spend on supplies and framing. Without you and your support we wouldn't exist. And while the shop closing would be a loss...for me, losing all of you would be a tragedy. You're the best! SMOOCHES!!!

I hope I haven't nauseated everyone, I rarely get this sappy but I just felt the need to say thanks today. And while I'm at it. Thanks to all of my wonderful followers that make it a pleasure to sit down at the computer and try to entertain you all with the boring and mundane stories of my life. I sometimes question whether I should continue or not and then I will receive an email from someone telling me how much they enjoy reading my blog and it makes it all worth while.

Have an awesome Sunday everyone!

Take care till Next time!!

Julie

Can you feel it?

2012-01-26T09:07:00.000-06:00

Can you feel the crackle and sizzle of electricity?? That's not static electricity my friends. No siree bob. That is lightning striking twice!!! Two posts from me in the same week?? Inconceivable! LOL!! I'm trying to be a better blogger this year. We'll see how long it lasts before life steps in and blows it all to pieces.

In my last post I spoke of all the preparation that went into getting ready for Adam and his girlfriend. One thing I didn't mention was the lack of a dresser in the guest room. My sister needed a chest of drawers for her sons room at least 6 months ago and since we didn't really use the one in the guest room I told her she could have that one. We'd find something else. Which we did. A rough around the edges antique walnut dresser that we fell in love with at the thrift store. Dan loves walnut and the bones were good, it just needed some love. A lot of love. When Adam told me he would be bringing M home after the holidays I told Dan the dresser would need to be done before their arrival. In typical Dan fashion...he waited until the last minute. Now in his defense he did have other things going on...like the kitchen and the island. In fact when I thought he was out in the garage working on the dresser, he was actually working on the island so you can imagine the panic I felt when it was January 1 and the dresser was more or less untouched. Rising to the challenge, in spite of not understanding why having a dresser in the guest room was necessary, he worked his fingers to the bone and pulled off a miracle. Literally. Dan does not ever use an electric sander. He prefers to do all the sanding by hand. And it was a lot of sanding to get down to the bare wood. I only have one before picture to show you but it clearly illustrates the amount of work that needed doing. The left side Dan has sanded, the right is the original finish.

Wow huh? He spent hours out in the cold garage sanding and staining and moaning and groaning and cursing, and while he might not agree, I think it was worth it. What do you think?

It shares the room with an antique walnut bed. Handmade in the 1800's, I first saw it in a store here in Omaha that was part antiques and part Barbies. It was covered in Barbies and Barbie paraphernalia. What a waste that was. Originally, I bought the bed to go in Amy's Harry Potter bedroom.

It worked quite well in there, but after outgrowing her HP room, she wanted something more modern looking and the bed was moved to the guest room. I think the two pieces were meant to be together. What do you think?

The visit with M went well. She was nervous, we were nervous, but I think she had a nice visit and we look forward to getting to know her better the next time. It was unfortunate that the coldest weather we have had so far this winter coincided with their visit. Of course the temps moderated once they left. At least there wasn't snow while she was visiting!

And on the stitching front...an update of The Inn at Fox River Mill. I'd say I am almost half done. I'm also working on another piece but I'll save that for next time.

Thank you to all that posted about Gracie. She is doing fine at the moment. Still on the antibiotic though so we won't know if they worked until she is done with it. I'll keep ya posted.

I need to eat breakfast and round my stuff up for work so I better get my butt up off this chair and get moving. Thanks for all the comments on my last post! Have a wonderful day everyone!

Take care till next time!!

Julie

Life

2012-01-22T12:45:00.000-06:00

You know that quote by John Lennon that goes "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans"? That sorta describes my world the last 3 weeks. I'm going to attempt to condense as much as possible the events that have occurred since Christmas but it's still going to be a book!

It all started with Gracie. She looks innocent enough doesn't she.

Don't let that sweet face fool you! She has been nothing but trouble and large amounts of money since right before the holidays when she ate a ton of chicken bones. Now it could be coincidence that she became sick after that but I'm not sure. We've been to the vet at least 6 times, had x-rays, blood work, her stools have been checked and her urine has been checked. Anti-biotics have been given, food and water removed, hamburger and rice given, weaned back on regular food and on and on with no real results. Take her off the drugs and she gets a temp and starts throwing up. The vets (yes, we've had a second opinion) are somewhat stumped. She is now on a very strong anti-biotic and we are hoping this will work although the blood work didn't show anything wrong. All this illness has resulted in an extreme loss of sleep for me and lots of cleaning up after her.

During this same time we were trying to get the house de-Christmased and ready for our son who was bringing his girlfriend home from DC to meet the family. Naturally, my "everything has to be perfect gene" kicked in and we have been madly cleaning, repairing and planning to get ready for the visit. Everything came to a head this past Wednesday. The new family room carpet was scheduled to be installed that morning...Adam and M were arriving on Thursday evening. I was fine, had the day planned out, carpet first and then cleaning followed by grocery shopping and cooking. The day began with Abby coming into the bedroom at 6a.m. When asked what she was doing she responded with...there's no hot water in my shower, I need to get ready for work. This was a problem. Her shower is the shower for guests. Dan had spent all day on Sunday replacing the shower head and handle in that bathroom and cleaning up all the caulking and such. But apparently, he never tested to see if it all worked. Dan said he would work on it when he got home from work that night. Alarm bells and warning lights went off in my head. I got up, got ready and then Gracie vomited all over the floor before I could get her out the door. While waiting for the carpet layers to arrive I put in a call to a different vet. I needed a second opinion. The receptionist said he would call when he was out of surgery. The carpet layers arrived and created more problems. They did not like how the guy that came out to measure instructed us to prepare the floor. When we decided to get new carpet we also decided to remove the railing between the kitchen and the family room. It served no purpose and was a nuisance when it came to arranging the room. Dan followed the directions given but the layers said it wasn't right and although they would go ahead and lay the new carpet they were going to make me a sign form saying the carpet would wear poorly and the warranty would not apply. On top of that, before Missy passed away she apparently had been leaking urine and now with Gracie being sick she was also having issues and they recommended we seal the underlayment with 2 coats of oil based primer before laying the carpet so that further pet damage could be avoided. I almost started crying. Instead I called Dan who I might add, was sick as a dog, and asked him what we should do. After some heated arguments, and an assurance from the layers that they would come at 7a.m. Thursday morning and have the carpet laid by 9:30 so I could be to work by 10, it was decided we would fix the floor to their specifications and we would also seal it. Dan took the afternoon off and came home. Meanwhile, I texted a stitching friend of mine who has a brother that is a plumber and asked if she thought he could help me out with the guest bath. She responded by giving me her nephew's cell (also a plumber) and calling him to tell him I would be calling. Keep in mind, I was doing this on the sly and hoping I could just present the repaired plumbing to Dan as a fait accompli. Sadly it was not to be...the plumber was here when Dan arrived and he was not a happy camper. Chad got the plumbing fixed and it was a good thing that I called him because I am pretty sure if Dan had attempted the repair we'd have had a bigger problem. Dan and I (mostly Dan) got the floor fixed and painted and I took Gracie to the vet late that afternoon. No cleaning could be done since the contents of the family room were all over the rest of the house and I was in a panic over how it was going to get done before Adam arrived Thursday night. But I'm happy to say, the carpet did get laid, I got to work on time, and we cleaned like demons after I got home from work finishing up 20 minutes before he came through the door. Remind me never to do anything to this house ever, ever again because it's always a disaster when we do!!!! Here are some updated family room pics for you.

Needless to say, stitching hasn't been a priority the last few weeks but I have gotten some done. I think I will wait and share that on my next post though.

I did want to mention some exciting news regarding our retreat. Here's an excerpt from our latest newsletter telling all about it.

"Our “Fear the Frog” Retreat will be held Thursday May 3rd through Sunday May 6th, 2012. We are very excited to announce that Darlene Anderson will present a program on Adam and Eve samplers which will include a powerpoint presentation and a history of each sampler. She will also share her sampler tree ornaments and show a slide of each one. Darlene presented her program in Arizona at the Attic
Needleworks Sampler Symposium this past weekend to rave reviews.

Paulette Stewart of Plum Street Samplers will once again be designing the shop
exclusive chart for retreat and hopefully she’ll stop in at some point so you all get a
chance to visit with her."

I have never seen Darlene's samplers in person but have heard others talk about them so I was thrilled when she agreed to come to retreat and present her program.
I'm hoping some of you might come too as it would be wonderful to meet you in person!

I need to get caught up on my blog reading and do some planning for retreat yet today so I will end this sad story now. I hope to post again in the next couple of days though. Fingers crossed, knock wood and all that other good stuff. Thanks for hanging in there and thanks for the comments. They are much appreciated!

Take care till next time!

Julie

Stitching Progress...finally!

2011-12-30T08:26:00.000-06:00

At last the post I have promised for weeks, one about stitching! I really truly meant to only stitch on Elizabeth and Tuscan Rose. And I did stitch on Tuscan Rose a bit...See?

But then I had this idea for retreat and the shop. Wouldn't it be nice to put together an exhibit of Little House and Country Cottage designs using the models we have at the shop and asking our stitcher's and retreater's to bring pieces that they have stitched up and finished. Can you imagine how incredible a display this might be if we have good participation? Well, I think it would be incredible anyway so I decided maybe I should stitch up a couple I have in my stash which means that TR and E have to be put to the side temporarily. After retreat I would like to continue to borrow as many pieces as possible and bring the display to the shop so those that aren't at retreat could enjoy it too. Of course, those that don't live locally will probably take their pieces home with them but it would still be a neat display in the shop. I started stitching The Inn at Fox River Mill on Christmas Eve and here is my progress so far.

I would have had more done if I hadn't got caught up in watching Beverly Hills Cop last night. That movie is still able to make me laugh even all these years later. Amy had never heard of it so I put it in her stocking for Christmas. Amazingly enough...she liked it!! We don't often like the same movies so I was relieved at her response.

That's it for today, Amy has an appt. this morning that she needs the car for so I have to go to work early in order for her to make it to her appt. on time. I must say, sharing a car is the pits.

Take care till next time!

Julie

Christmas Decorations, Gifts and Retreat Announcement

2011-12-26T13:38:00.000-06:00

So how was Christmas for those of you that celebrate it?? Ours was good. Not without it's share of drama though. Amy fell down the stairs and has further damaged her already damaged knee. We're giving it until tomorrow to feel better before we call the Dr. She said she heard a snap when she fell so I am praying she didn't tear any more ligaments or cartilage in it. Then Abby called to say we should go ahead and open gifts without her and the boyfriend. She wouldn't explain any further than that except to say they hadn't left his parents house yet and it is a 2 hour drive from our house. I told her we wouldn't open without them and if necessary we'd open after we got home from my parents house. What she didn't want to explain was that Jordan was not feeling good and had thrown up. Further, several in his family had had the stomach flu in the last couple of days. BUT, she didn't know if it was the flu or if he was sick due to having a bit too much to drink the night before. When they hit town she called to explain what was going on and if it was okay for him to come over and when I said no, she got herself all bent out of shape. And lets just say the day went downhill from there and I was really happy to get home last night and call the holiday over. Apparently the boyfriend is feeling better today and they plan to come over tonight but to be really honest with you...I don't want them here. I'm sure he's still shedding virus and since Abby has been exposed she most likely is percolating it right now and I don't want it!! Horrible of me I know.

I have some holiday decor to share with you if you are interested. And if you didn't see the previous post with the link to our Christmas Village, I have put it in my side bar and will keep it there for a while. I didn't decorate as much as I usually do and I didn't take many pictures but here's what I've got.

Entryway

The Libray

Library Tree

Close Up of Library tree

DiningRoom

Kitchen Hutch

Fireplace in family room

Candles lit up

Family room tree

wall above couch

Nutcracker

Santa Smoker

I hope you enjoyed the decorations. I meant to post them before the holiday but time just got away from me. The last two pictures are pieces I bought at craft shows. Both were made by the same lady and the detail is just amazing. I haven't been to a craft show in several years now so I don't know if she is still making things or not.

I must have been a really good girl this year cuz Santa was very good to me. I am the proud and thrilled owner of a Kindle Fire and finally I can say I have an app for that!! It's a pretty cool little toy and if that had been all I received I would have been completely content. But Santa Dan also built me this:

It has 3 drawers that open which is awesome since I only have 7 drawers in my kitchen and one of those doesn't really count as it's so small.

And in this picture you can see the new curtains too. That pretty much finishes off the kitchen remodel except for a few little details which knowing my husband the way I do....will never get done.

I received many other nice things too, a new building for the village, some craft stuff, gift cards, a popcorn popper and still more I can't think of right now. I am a very lucky lady. Thank you family and friends for all the lovely gifts this year!!

Still not much stitching to show you so I will hold off on that till next time. Maybe by then I'll actually have something to show you!

I put a link to the shops latest newsletter in my sidebar. We announced our Spring Retreat and all the pertinent information is in there for those that wanted it. I do hope some of you might be able to come!

Gonna end this here. I'm working on Laundry and my washer just buzzed at me.

Take care till next time!!

Julie

Coming Up for Air and a Christmas Village Slideshow

2011-12-23T16:51:00.000-06:00

Good Lord I can't believe the month I have had. Not that anything momentous occurred but it has been jam packed full of busy I tell ya. Some of the highlights include but are not limited to...

1. Decorating for Christmas
2. Physical Therapy
3. Cleaning the house for the open house
4. The Open House
5. Christmas Shopping
6. Orthopedic appt
7. Gyno appt.
8. Dental appt.
9. MRI
10. 400 Christmas framing projects, okay, not that many but you get my drift
11. The Open House part II
12. Appt with the floor guy to start the claim process on our kitchen floor
13. Painting the Hallway
and a million other things too numerous to mention.

Ya know what didn't happen?

1. Stitching, none, nada, zip,
2. Blog Reading
3. Book Reading
4. Christmas Baking
5. The watching of my traditional Christmas movies
6. Talking with friends
7. Announcing the winner of the first time story teller.

But I am here to rectify that right now.

The winner is....

Sarah from http://kiwigetscrafty.blogspot.com/

Congratulations Sarah and thanks for taking part in the sharing your first time giveaway! Either people don't remember their first time cross stitching or they were too scared to read what it was all about but there sure weren't many entries. I did enjoy reading about everyone's first time and wish more had shared theirs. So Sarah, email me your snail mail address and I will get a little something mailed out to you.

And for those of you who couldn't come to the Village Open House, here's a picture to whet your appetite and link to a slideshow I was finally able to put together. The pictures aren't the greatest as my camera hates low light but I hope you can overlook the poor picture quality and enjoy it anyway.

https://picasaweb.google.com/109322071450085611930/ChristmasVillage2011#slideshow/5688228471526248530

My First Time

2011-11-29T10:38:00.000-06:00

I have been a bad blogger girl. My friend Doreen (aka D or DD) informed me yesterday that I have been bad. Are you ever going to update your blog she said? I replied that I really didn't have anything to blog about lately to which she said, "You ALWAYS have something to talk about Julie". I'm not really sure how to take that, is she saying I am a drama queen stirring up trouble wherever I go? Or maybe just that I talk too much? Either way, it got me to thinking about a post. All day long I thought about what to talk about. All evening I thought some more. And even in my sleep last night I was pondering what to say. Finally I decided to talk about my first time. Now, I realize some might think that's really not an appropriate thing to blog about. But I think it's fun to hear and yes, even see pictures of everyone's first time. After all, each one of us has had a different experience and maybe by sharing those experiences, we might encourage others to let go of their inhibitions and try it. It's fun! After all, it can be a stimulating activity, or it can be relaxing. It can make you go weak in the knees, or squeal with excitement. It brings people together and connects them even when they are apart. I don't see the harm in sharing all that with you out there in blogland so grab a cup of something and enjoy my first time. I'll try my best to keep it clean.

I was only 22 or so when I experienced it for the first time. I'd dabbled with other forms of it of course since I was 12 or so but by the time I was 22 it was harder to find the other forms. Most of the gals I knew had moved on to...you know....it. But being old fashioned, not to mention stubborn, I had to be forced the first time. We were visiting friends and I remember complaining loudly to my friend (Diane) about not being able to do what I was used to and she finally knocked me upside the head and told me in no uncertain terms that I was going to try it and not only was I going to like it but I was never going to go back to the other way of doing things. I believe I laughed in her face and said that just wasn't going to happen. I enjoyed my way of doing it and didn't want to change. But she insisted and went into her bedroom dragging me with her. She got down on her hands and knees, reached under the bed and pulled out a small plastic bin. Telling me I was not to mention what I was going to see to her husband, she started to remove the lid. I closed my eyes, afraid of what I might see and peeked through my eyelashes as if that would make it any less shocking. As she pulled away the lid I could finally see it. Fabric of a kind I had never seen before. Leaflets with little symbols on them, EEK! and finally something that looked familiar to me...DMC embroidery floss. My mouth went dry with fear. How in the world was I supposed to create a picture without the pattern already on the fabric??? She was nuts! Picking up the leaflets, she handed them to me and said, choose one you like, these are all really easy patterns. Reaching out with a shaking hand I took the leaflets from her and sat down on the bed. The pictures were pretty but all I could see were symbols, lots and lots of little symbols. How was I supposed to do this? It was a month away from Christmas so after looking through what I later found out were called charts, I chose one of an angel. Next she handed me some fabric. It was nothing like what I used for stamped cross stitch. Finally she said choose some floss and lets get you started. Now? Here? Can't I think about this for a minute?? Huffing with impatience, she quickly grabbed the colors needed, put the lid on the box and shoved it under the bed, just as her husband came into the room to see what was going on. Assuring him that all was fine and we'd be out in a minute she sat me down on the bed and began my instruction on all things counted cross stitch. She taught me how to tape the edges of the fabric so it wouldn't ravel, (big NO NO now) how to find the middle of the fabric, how to follow the chart and to start in the middle of it, what the fabric was called, some weird word spelled A-I-D-A, but we weren't sure of the proper pronunciation and finally how to make my crosses and that they all needed to go the same way. All I could think about was how it was so much easier when the pattern was printed right on the fabric!! But she ~~hounded~~ helped me the rest of the day until I knew sorta what I was doing. I went home that night with Dan and continued to work on that Angel. I worked on her until she was finished and then I had Dan make a frame for her. She was beautiful! And I was hooked. Diane was right. I never looked back. 30 years later I am still enjoying it

I hope all of you will share your first time. In fact I challenge you to do so. I will give one blogger that shares the story of their first time a little giftie, don't know what it is yet as I just thought about it. All you have to do is blog about your first experience with counted cross stitch, share a pic of it if you have one and then post on this post only saying you have done so and leave your blog address so we can all read about it. I'll draw the name of the winner on the 14th of December.

Take care till next time!

Julie

Stitching Progress

2011-11-17T09:01:00.000-06:00

Just a fly by to show you my stitching progress. I had planned to post yesterday on my day off but somehow the day got away from me. Just want to thank everyone for their wonderful comments on my last post and to those that wanted my conversion on the Quaker Noel I will certainly share that with you when I get a free minute.

Have a great day and take care till next time!

Julie

Elizabeth

Tuscan Rose

Give Thanks (Plum Streets newest freebie)

A Dental visit, Stitching finishes and Sock Monkeys

2011-11-09T18:45:00.000-06:00

Thank God that's done! I've said it before and I'll say it again...I do not like the dentist. Today was the second half of my dental cleaning. I was so bad about going the last couple of years (I have a reason) that they didn't have time to clean them all the first time. So today found me in the chair for the second time in 2 weeks. And to make matters worse, I not only had to finish up the cleaning but I had to have a cavity they found in round one filled today also. Normally, despite my hate/hate relationship with the dentist, I go every six months for a cleaning. But a couple (or more) years back I needed a root canal. And even after the root canal, I still had pain. So they re-did the root canal...twice. Still had pain. I finally went to a different Dentist and he replaced the crown which alleviated most of the pain. But not all. After another trip to an oral surgeon, it was decided that the tooth behind the one with the root canal, also needed a root canal. And still we have pain. Not so much in the tooth but in the gum tissue itself. You'll have to excuse me for not wanting them digging around in my very sore gum tissue with sharp pointy things designed back in the dark ages as instruments of torture, so when they said let's wait a bit to do your cleaning and let that calm down....I took them at their word! Only it never did, calm down that is. So I never went back. Then I lost my crown after my surgery and I had to go in and have it glued back on and they cornered me. Crap! Guilt trips get me every time. So now my teeth are clean and shiny but my face is immobile from the massive quantities of Novocaine injected into my gums. I feel like I have drool running down my chin but when I check in the mirror I can't see any. You'd tell me if I was drooling wouldn't you??

On the stitching side of things...I have been holding out on you. A couple of months ago, I took it upon myself to stitch Bent Creeks Quaker Noel. But when I pulled the colors I was not thrilled with Wood Smoke as the main color. Soooo naturally, I changed it. I decided to use CC Blacksmith Blue in place of the Wood Smoke. I stitched on it whenever I felt like I needed to do something other than Tuscan Rose, Elizabeth or Double Dutch. But as I was stitching I kept thinking, yuck, I don't like all this blue. If any of you have the chart, you'll notice that most of it is done in the one color with small accents here and there of other colors. So I decided to change it up a bit. Okay, so I changed it a lot. You can't tell me you're surprised about that. It is me we're talking about and my changing things seems to be the norm! Anyway, I love it! I am tickled pink with how it turned out. Here's what the original looks like (all pics should be clickable)

And here is my version

stitched on 32 ct. Valor using most all the colors called for

I finally got Summer by Blackbird Designs framed up yesterday too.

And I stitched on Tuscan Rose last night for the first time in what seems like forever but didn't get enough done to show a picture. I'll try to post one in a couple of days.

My in-laws came down this past Saturday to deliver birthday and Christmas gifts before they head south for the winter. They took us out to Village Inn for brunch (yum!!) but before we left the house I snapped a pic of the girls since they were both dressed and presentable at the same time. Doesn't happen often. I was only allowed to take 2 pictures, only 1 turned out okay. I long for the days when they would cooperate with me and my camera....

And I have to share this picture of Abby and her boyfriend. I call it A Girl and her Sock Monkey. It's my new favorite picture. Too stinking cute!

Jordan's Mom made his costume for him and he wore it to the Nebraska game the Saturday before Halloween. I gotta say I find Sock Monkeys a bit freaky and 6 ft. tall ones even more so but you have to admit, it took some balls to wear that costume to the football game!

You all take care till next time!

Julie

DONE!!!

2011-10-30T17:21:00.000-05:00

I'm doing a virtual happy dance here since I can't do one in real life. Double Dutch is done!! Finished. Completed. I was of course the last one to be done which just proves what I have said for a long time, I am the world's slowest stitcher! But it is done. Back to Tuscan Rose and Elizabeth now. I want to try to hold off on any new starts until I finish Tuscan Rose. But I don't know how long I will be able to deny myself a new start. BTW, did I mention Double Dutch is done??

Mary finished hers a week or more ago. Is this not gorgeous?? Trust me when I say that my picture does not do it justice!

Mary also finished her Anniversaries of the Heart. She brought it to stitching yesterday so I snapped a picture. It's now been added to the pile of stitching I need to frame. It's beautiful now but she chose a gorgeous frame for it and I can't wait to see it all done. Such a special piece.

I made a Scissor bird this week to match the Tessa Scissors. I'm not a big fan of primary colors so I can't say I'm totally in love with it but I think it's perfect with the scissors. Now she just needs a scissor fob to match.

Have you ever had someone take something you said and twist it so it bears very little resemblance to what you actually said? I have recently had this happen and I have to say I'm a bit sick to my stomach over it. Now I'll admit, I should never have opened my mouth in the first place, and believe me, I won't make that mistake again but I would have thought that women over the age of 50 would be above that kind of thing. But apparently not. So lesson learned. Lips are zipped.

I'll leave you today with a piece I just finished framing. The stitched piece, Salem Sisters by Plum Street Samplers, was donated to the shop by Carole. Thank you Carole!

I need to go do something about supper and my washer just buzzed at me which is my cue to get up off my butt.

Take Care till Next Time!

Julie

Writers Block

2011-10-23T14:12:00.001-05:00

I think I have writers block. Or more likely I just lead a very boring life at the moment and don't have the ability to make the mundane and boring sound exciting and fun! Either way, this will most likely be a somewhat uninteresting post but I didn't want to wait to post until I had something really good to post about because who knows how long that will be?

First up, in an effort to get 'er done, I am focusing all my stitching attention on Double Dutch. It's coming along as you can see but really not as quickly as I would like.

Did you all check out the Online Needlework Show?? What did you see that you liked? I went through each shop and found only 1 thing I wanted for myself but then I had to knock myself upside the head in order to bring myself back down to earth. I mean really, I so do not need another BAP in my stash. Especially one with 100 colors of floss. Seriously? Why am I attracted to things like this?? And the Name...The Tree of Life. More like Death if I were to try this.

In my head I can see it stitched up over one on 40 count using the tent stitch. It.Would.Be.Stunning. I.Would .Be.Stupid. Perhaps if I keep telling myself that I might even believe it.

Now for a framing project I recently finished up at the shop.

This sweet little southern gal brought in some buttons right after my surgery that she wanted to have shadowboxed. The buttons were originally attached to the uniforms of civil war soldiers. Specifically from the states that seceded from the Union. Some were in perfect shape and some not so much. It took me a while to figure out how to attach them without doing any damage. Some had shanks and some did not so stitching them on like you would a button was not an option. Glue is never an option so finally I decided to use netting wrapped around each button, then pulled through a hole in the mat and attached on the back side of the mat/foamboard combination. The next hurtle I had to jump was getting it all spaced out correctly. That took some time too. Finally I was ready to assemble it all. You can't tell from the picture but the top mat is raised about an inch above the bottom mat. It was very time consuming getting everything attached the way I wanted and put in the frame but it was well worth the effort I think. The buttons are in the order of when the state seceded and the two nipple like objects on either side of the belt buckle (reproduction) are bullets. Those suckers weighed a ton. I would not have wanted to be shot with one. Well really, I wouldn't want to be shot with any bullet or projectile but you know what I mean, right? :)

Dan is back to working on the kitchen again. He has finally caught up with his bird orders. Good thing too since I think we will be hosting Thanksgiving and right now I don't have anywhere to put anyone since he has been using the dining room as his workshop for the kitchen. It's also time to start thinking about our Village Open House. We were planning to add a waterfront this year so I have been slowly buying a building here and there but no waterfront has been built yet. It has occurred to me that the Holidays will be here before I know it and I am still not moving very well. Decorating will be a several week project because if it so basically if we want to be ready, I need to start putting up the trees long about November 15th. At the latest. Yikes! So sometime in the next 3 weeks, the kitchen needs to be completely done, the old refrigerator needs to be moved out of the library so I can clean and be able to get a tree in there and a waterfront needs to be built. Did I mention in order to move the fridge, the garage needs to be cleaned out???? We are so screwed.

Gonna call this good. Thanks for all the comments on retreat and hello to the new followers!

Take care till next time!

Julie

Fall 2011 No Frills Retreat Recap

2011-10-16T12:59:00.000-05:00

I promised a post on our Fall no frills retreat and although I am a bit late with it, I try to always keep my promises so without further ado, let me Welcome you to the Prairie Creek Inn!

To give you a bit of history on the place, this home was purchased by Bruce, the innkeeper and his wife for the low low price of one dollar. It was then moved from it's original location and placed in it's current location. The house was then completely gutted and rebuilt so basically it's a new house inside an old body. The inn has only been open for business for a couple of years and is still a work in progress. The original farmhouse on the property was also moved, it now resides behind the main house and is called "the cottage". It too is a work in progress. Cabins are being planned for the future out by the lake which is only a short drive down the lane. Even though things are still being worked on, the inn and it's surroundings were beautiful and we all had a wonderful time there. In fact, we can't wait to see all the changes next fall when we return for No Frills 2012!!

Here I am, waiting anxiously at the curb for my ride to pick me up.

Mary Ann, Connie and I started our retreat adventure with a stop at Omaha Fixtures. The three of us rarely get a chance to be away from the shop at the same time and with the expansion of the store we decided to take the opportunity and look at some display possibilities. Then it was on to a shop meeting at Noodles. This was my first trip to Noodles (i don't get out much). I ordered the Macaroni and Cheese, it was okay but Panera's is much better. But I digress, after lunch and a lively discussion about Spring retreat, we arrived at the Inn around 2:00 p.m. It was a gorgeous fall day and the weather was predicted to be beautiful all weekend. Bruce came out to the car and and helped us unload everything after which he gave us a tour of the house, showed us how the elevator worked, set up the tables and chairs and helped get the extension cords run for the lights before leaving us for the day. The rest of the gang started to arrive an hour or so later. Here's Sandy looking all lady of the manor on the porch swing.

Connie was in love with the little elevator in the house so she took charge of ferrying everyone up and down and getting them settled in their rooms, showing them the bathroom locations and getting them back down to the main floor without any mishaps. Our own personal concierge and elevator attendant! All weekend, every time someone needed something from upstairs or down she'd pop up and volunteer to get what they needed just so she had a reason to take the elevator! After checking in, everyone quickly settled in to their stitching and before you knew it, it was time for supper. A couple of us brought homemade soup and the rest filled in with snacks and such. With our bellies full and the kitchen cleaned up it was time to settle back into stitching for the evening. Long about 11:00 people started to drift off to bed. I managed to hang in there until midnight or one but that pretty much did it for me.

Saturday morning Bruce had breakfast ready for us around 8:30. Here's Bruce working on breakfast.

After we ate we got back to the serious business of stitching. Here's a sampling of some of the projects being worked on.

Connie Jo working on a Pine Mountain design:

Connie Jo came to retreat with her 2 sisters-in-law. Sister-in-law Denise was working on a Little House design called To bee or not to bee.

Sister-in-law Deb was working on a La-D-Da design called Trick or Treat.

Mary Ann was working on Double Dutch by The Sampler Cove:

Connie was working on a Country Cottage design:

Mary was working on the Blackbird Designs Anniversaries of the Heart, she has stitched them all on one piece of linen and has personalized each block. It's very cool.

I worked on Elizabeth

I didn't get pictures of everyone's WIP's but Sandy was working on these cute little sled ornaments that you will see later, Lois was working on a White Willow Stitching butterfly, Doreen worked on a Halloween design and a Siamese cat design that you'll see later too. Linda was working on a piece she is giving as a wedding gift, and Sue was working on a birth sampler and a Halloween chart.

I can't begin to tell you how much fun all these ladies are. Every last one of them is unique in their own way and a delight to know. I know my life has been much richer since they have come into it and I would be truly saddened if they were no longer a part of it. Now they might tell you differently but that is how I feel about them.

We had some finishes occur during retreat. Some of them were legit and others were brought to retreat with just a few stitches needing to be placed so they could say they had a finish at retreat. I'm not going to point a finger at anyone in particular but let me just say this.....CHEATERS!!! I was not one of the ones with a finish I'm sorry to say. But Mary Ann stitched her little fingers off and was the first to finish the Double Dutch SAL that she, Mary and I have been working on.

Doreen finished 2 projects. A Rovaris chart

and a Halloween design by I can't remember who

Sandy finished these little sled ornaments. Just too cute! Everyone wanted them.

Connie Jo finished her Pine Mountain design

and Denise finished her Little house design:

Lunch Saturday was provided by Mary and Doreen. Mary brought the fixings for taco salad and Doreen the fixings for sandwiches. YUM! Saturday afternoon I took a break from stitching and went outside to enjoy the beautiful fall weather. A porch swing, gorgeous view and the friendliest barn cat I have ever had the pleasure of meeting made those two hours the best 2 hours I have had since my surgery! And that's in spite of the fact that I am horribly allergic to cats and paid the price for cuddling with him. It was worth it though! Linda took some pictures of me on the porch with the cat but she hasn't responded to my request for them so use your imagination please.

Saturday late afternoon found us at Lonestar Steakhouse for an early supper. We needed to eat early in order for those that wanted to watch the Nebraska game to be back in time for kickoff. It was nice to get away for a couple of hours, and supper was delicious! One thing though, why in the world would you give a new waiter a table of 12 women??? 12 obnoxious women at that! Poor guy didn't stand a chance.

After supper, the "fans" went down to the basement and watched the game while the rest of us stayed upstairs.

While we were stitching I happened to mention my daughter was looking for a red trench coat for her Halloween costume and was wondering if anyone happened to have one in a size 6ish. No one did but Connie whipped out her IPad and went to Etsy.com and voila! 6 pages of red trench coats appeared. I scrolled through them and found one I thought might possibly work. Called Abby, and told her to check her email for the link. She approved of the the coat and the price and since Miss Connie already had an Etsy account and a paypal account she went ahead and bought it for Abby and then Abby would just give her the money when it arrived. Awesome! It was about that time that Sandy finished one of her little sleds and everyone was ooohing and ahing over it. Sandy says oh, they have other designs too and I think I will order them. She asked Connie if she could look at her IPad to see the other designs. Pretty soon Connie is ordering the other designs for Sandy using her Paypal account. Then the sisters/sister-in-law started asking Connie about her needlework stand. Where did she get it, how much was it etc....the IPad comes out again and Connie finds the stands on Ebay. Yep, you guessed it, Connie used her paypal again and bought the stands. So now whenever someone mentions wanting something, we just tell them paypal Connie will take care of it!

The game ended in a loss so we drowned our sorrows in ice cream sundaes and cupcakes. The cupcakes were brought by Denise's daughter. She works for The Cake Lady in Lincoln and man were those good cupcakes. They were pretty too but I forgot to take a picture of them so you'll just have imagine their sparkly goodness!

I think everyone went to bed around midnight Saturday night. Check out was at 11 on Sunday morning with breakfast being served at 9. Most of us got up and stitched a bit before we ate and then we managed to scarf breakfast quickly and stitch a bit more before it was time to pack up and head on down the road tired but happy. I think I can speak for everyone and say that we had us a rousing good time and we can't wait to do it again next year.

Back row left to right Mary and Lois. Middle row l-r: Mary Ann
Linda, Sue(peeking over Linda's shoulder) Sandy, Doreen, Julie
bottom row l-r: Connie Jo, Deb, Denise and Connie

And that is the end of my retreat story. I hope you enjoyed reading about it. I'm sure reading about it is not nearly as fun as actually being there was though. Maybe next year some of you join us!

Take care till next time!

Julie

A post to tide you over while I work on a retreat post.

2011-10-12T17:40:00.001-05:00

Helloooooo? Helloooooo? Helloooooo? Anybody out there? there? there? there?

Yeah, I know, long time no post. No excuse other than laziness I suppose. Well, that and I just didn't feel like editing all the pictures from retreat. I wish either my camera skills were such that my pictures didn't require editing or that my camera automatically edited the pictures for me thus saving me the time and trouble of doing it. See it really all goes back to laziness! Hello, my name is Julie and I am a lazy bum.

I'm not finished with editing the retreat pictures but the grumbling of certain people has finally ~~irritated~~ encouraged me enough that I figgered I best post something on here in the meantime.

I can't believe it is already the middle (almost) of October. I wish winter went by as fast as summer and fall seem to or maybe I wish summer and fall lasted as long as winter seems to. Either way, winter is just around the corner and I don't feel like it should be. The shop is gearing up for the Christmas rush on framing, Dan and I are discussing the village open house and what changes need to be made. I pulled him off the kitchen to get the birds that were ordered finished so I didn't have that guilt hanging over my head so once he finishes the birds he has to finish the kitchen or there won't be any open house this year. The kids birthdays are all coming up starting with Amy's this Friday and the garage is still crammed full of stuff that needs to be gotten rid of so my car can fit in it before the cold hits. I'm a little leery about icy sidewalks this year due to the continued pain in my ankle and foot. Last thing I need is to slip and fall. I'm still in PT for both ankles and I am still struggling with pain. I'm not able to stand or walk for very long so I am behind at work which stresses me out. Our customers are used to a quick turn around and they aren't getting it. So far everyone has been mostly understanding. But I can see the writing on the wall the closer it gets to the holidays and the crap is gonna hit the fan then. So lets put the brakes on and make October last for an extra 2 or maybe 3 weeks this year. Everyone okay with that plan?

Been doing some stitching and working on birds. My friend Connie loves everything Paris so I hunted and hunted for some Eiffel Tower paper to fill her request for a bird. Took me a while but I finally found paper that I liked and was able to present her with her bird last week. She'd been patiently waiting since March and thankfully she was thrilled with her bird. I also made her a little matching needle minder to go with it.

I finally got around to stitching another of Paulette's Hare charts. This time it was her Autumn Blessings Freebie. Had to change the colors a bit (don't I always?) so the rabbits would show up on the gold fabric I chose. Now to get it made into a pillow.

Double Dutch is coming along well. I say that but I don't really mean it. Seems as though I stitch and stitch and then stitch some more and still no progress is made. I know progress is being made, it just doesn't feel that way and I am chomping at the bit to start something else!! Sucks that I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't start another large project until I have finished it. I did sneak in the rabbits though which helped and I am working on Bent Creeks Noel Row off and on which also helps and Elizabeth on the weekends but mostly it's been Double Dutch so I can get the dang thing finished!!!!! Anyway, here's an update for you.

The family is all doing well. Adam has put in for a job back here in Omaha. No offense to all of you in the DC area but it's just not his cup of tea. It'll be a while before we know whether he gets it or not. The bad part is he has met a nice young lady while out there and he feels bad about leaving. She however, was born and raised in DC and has no wish to see what Omaha is like. Abby is still working PRN at the hospital and going to UNO to finish her bachelors degree. Her blond hair is now a dark auburn and last Saturday she added clip in hair extensions. Add in a spray tan and when she walked into the shop I didn't recognize her at first! She is celebrating one year of dating her boyfriend this month and announced that she thinks it's time for me to get to know him better. Uh-oh. Amy is doing well at UNL. She's officially changed her major to pre-med. She wants to be a shrink. I'm a bit uncomfortable with that idea as I know that every word out of my mouth will now be analyzed. I know I'm messed up but I don't need my daughter telling me so! Fall break starts this weekend and Amy is flying to Seattle to visit a friend up there. She's a bit nervous about it. She has never flown by herself before and the last time she flew, she threw up all the way home from DC. Hopefully this will be a better trip. Dan is busy working on birds and all the other stuff I can't do yet like grocery shopping, yard work, and quite often the cooking and dishes. He's been a real trooper and I don't know what I would have done without him!

Think that's about all I have for now. Hopefully I will finish up the editing and be able to post about retreat this weekend. I have both days off so barring any unforeseen activities we should be a go!

Oh, and Carole, if you read this you should definitely duck and run! LOL!!! Doreen, consider yourself head slapped!! Remember I know where you two live. Just saying...

Take care till next time!

Julie

Fall Retreat

2011-09-30T09:55:00.000-05:00

Just a quickie to say have a great weekend everyone! I'm headed to P.T. and then leaving for our Fall No Frills Retreat! I really need a weekend of good friends and fun times to take my mind off of other things. I'll fill ya in on all the fun when I get back Sunday!

Take care till next time!

Julie

ER visit, the invasion, Elizabeth and more

2011-09-19T09:58:00.000-05:00

Good Morning!

I hope everyone had a great weekend full of lots of stitchy stuff! We had an exciting weekend here and not in the good way. For some reason I thought that once the kids were of a certain age...they would be responsible and mature enough that I would no longer have to worry about middle of the night trips to the ER. Asthma has been a part of our lives almost as long as the kids have been a part of our lives. So I thought that at some point they would be intelligent enough to avoid those situations that they know will lead to trouble. Or at the very least, figure out the early warning signs that they are headed for trouble and get the hell outta dodge. I now know I was completely delusional. Last year at Christmas we had almost the exact same scenario. Abby went someplace she knows is going to cause her problems (boxer dogs and her don't mix) and ended up in the ER. Fast forward to this weekend and she is back at the same place and guess what?? She landed herself and her father in the ER during the wee hours of Sunday morning. Not only that but she drove herself home in the middle of this major asthma attack rather than having the boyfriend bring her home or take her to the ER. Then she woke me up to ask if I thought she should even go!! Yes Abby, your lips are blue and you have no air with which to breathe...might be a good idea to go see a Doctor! 3 hours later, having received oxygen, nebulizer treatments x3 and IV steroids and they finally let her come home. She is still not breathing well and I am hoping she will take herself off to the Dr. like she is supposed to do but apparently, common sense is not her forte. Someone please tell me she'll wise up at some point??

We had fog here last night and this morning when I let the dogs outside I just about lost it. EVERY spider web was highlighted by moisture and clearly visible to the naked eye! They are everywhere! Every surface, tree, play set, blade of grass is covered by webs. We've been invaded and we don't even know it until a little fog happens! How would you like to be the little kid swinging on this swing?

Did some stitching on Elizabeth this weekend. She's coming along nicely but since I am sticking to my weekends only vow, not as nicely as I would like her to.

I haven't shown you the Double Dutch stitch along for a while now. That's cuz none of us have really been working hard on it. Well, maybe Mary Ann has but Mary and I...not so much. But I really want to finish it so I have put down Tuscan Rose for the moment and am working on DD during the week. Here's mine as of Friday night.

Sorry no pics of Mary's or Mary Ann's. I'll do better next time!

The drywaller has started the patching of the wall at the shop. He should finish up tomorrow and then we'll start the paining process. I took pictures of the shop as promised but you have to remember, it still looks empty since we didn't want to bring in the new display pieces and spread things out too much until the wall was fixed. Just that much more to get dirty and to move around. So far everyone that has come in has said it already looks 100 times better. Not quite sure how to take that. Must have really looked like crap before!!

I'm running out of time before I have to leave for Physical Therapy so I am going to call it good for now. Have a great week everyone! And thanks for all the comments!

Take care till next time!

Julie

Stalkers, Elizabeth and Vacuums

2011-09-08T20:59:00.001-05:00

Do you ever have the feeling that something or someone is watching you? Maybe you get that prickly feeling up your spine or you have a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach. I have been dealing with this feeling for over a week now. The reason for this feeling? I'm being stalked! I can't tell you how scary it is to know that I'm being watched. By multiple pairs of eyes too. I discovered one of the stalkers last week. I was in my bathroom, sitting on the toilet of all places, taking care of business when suddenly I knew I was being watched. I went down the checklist of possible reasons for the feeling. Curtains open? No. Dog snuck in? No. Husband standing there? No. The bathroom is not that large so it didn't take me long to eliminate the most likely suspects. That left unlikely or less noticeable suspects. As I was sitting there I checked up on the ceiling and in the vent. Didn't see anything that shouldn't be there or any sign of a hidden camera. That was a relief. Nobody needs to see video of me taken with a hidden camera. Or a not hidden camera for that matter! But I could still feel eyes on me so I continued looking around. Suddenly, my heart stopped dead in my chest. I'd found the cause of my unease. Across the way from the toilet stands the shower. And clinging to the base of the shower was a large.black.spider!!!! I think I might have mentioned once or twice that I don't like spiders. At.All. So I'm sitting there staring at the spider to make sure it doesn't move and he's staring back at me with all his many eyes just waiting to pounce when the time was right, most likely when my back was turned. But that wasn't going to happen. Now here's the dilemma. I was still on crutches at the time and I knew there was no way on earth I was going to be able to crutch my way over there and kill the sucker before it skittered away and hid itself until the time was right to crawl up my nose or into my ear during the night. No freaking way was that going to happen! I knew Dan was downstairs asleep on the couch with the T.V on. What were the chances of calling loudly enough to wake him up but not so loud that the vibrations would startle the creature into fleeing? I could pound on the floor which happens to be right above the family room where Dan was busy sawing logs instead of protecting me from hairy arachnids but I was pretty sure that would startle him (the spider) into moving. While I was thinking these thoughts, he and I were maintaining eye to eyes contact and I could almost hear his hissy little voice saying...I'll get you my pretty! Deciding that yelling was going to be less likely to disturb spidey, I proceeded to do just that. DAN!!! DAN!!! Then I waited, cuz Dan only has two speeds and they consist of slow and slower. Being that he was asleep I knew he'd be moving slower. I also knew if he heard me he would recognize the distinct tone of my voice that indicates the presence of an eight legged critter and he would come prepared to do battle. So while I waited spidey and I continued our stare down. By now I had one eye squinted to show him I wasn't scared because you never want to show them weakness or they'll pounce then and there! But although I gave Dan plenty of time to slowly make his way upstairs...he didn't come. So now I was left with 2 choices. Sit on the toilet until Dan woke up on his own (usually around 2-3 in the morning) and came up to bed or take the risk of pounding on the floor loudly and hoping it woke him up. I pondered for quite a while, even called a couple more times but eventually I knew I was going to have to risk the pounding. Taking a deep breath I grabbed my crutches and as hard as I could I hit the floor 3 times with them, all the while maintaining my squinty eyed stare. Sure enough Spidey moved! But I think he thought that the pounding wouldn't produce Dan any better than yelling did because after one hop he went back to staring at me. I could hear Dan coming up the stairs and finally the bedroom door opened, followed by the bathroom door and Dan who said, how big is it? See? I told you he can recognize the panicked sound a spider causes even when it's a pound and not a call. I pointed at the critter with a shaking finger and said...it's huge!! KILL IT!! Which he promptly did. Boy was that a relief. I thought my butt was going to be permanently attached to the toilet seat by this time! So you are probably thinking boy is she a wussy and you would be correct. I admit it openly. You are also probably thinking, it's one spider, you can't be stalked by one spider! HA! Where there is one...there is always another! The next night I went upstairs to bed and thoroughly checked the bathroom before taking care of business. Crutching my way to the bed, I suddenly felt that feeling again. I checked the ceiling and walls several times and threw back the covers to make sure nothing was lurking under them before finally deciding perhaps it was a hold over from the night before. I sat down on the bed, removed das boot and swung my legs up onto the bed while laying back on my pillow. My head no more than brushed the pillow when I spotted it! Right above my head on the ceiling, hiding in the shadow of the texture!! I bounced up off that bed and threw myself into the chair while yelling loudly for Dan. He arrived quickly, paper towel in hand and asked. "where is it?" I pointed to the ceiling, grabbed my pillow and threw the covers out of the way in case he missed and spidey jumped. But the great white spider hunter was successful once again and he smashed that thing dead. Now you would think that maybe word would go out in the spider kingdom that this is not a spider friendly environment and they would leave for better pickings. But no. The next day I made my way downstairs after showering (only after a thorough inspection of the bathroom) and sat down at the computer to begin my morning ritual. And then I felt it. That eerie sensation of being watched. I slowly looked around the room, all the while hoping I was wrong because I was home alone and knew that if I saw spidey, I would have to find a way to take him out by myself. Not something I like to do but unlike a certain daughter of mine who shall remain nameless...Amy...I won't leave it there and go to another room thereby giving said spider permission to stalk someone else at their leisure. No, I kill the suckers even though I am risking an attack on my person while doing so. Lucky for me, someone had used the swiffer the day before and instead of putting it away it was leaning up against the china hutch. Swiffers work pretty good for killing things that are up high. It allows you to be somewhat away from the wall so if you should happen to miss it doesn't fall on your head causing a sometimes fatal heart attack. My swiffer did not let me down. Yelling DIE Spidey DIE, I obliterated the thing all over my suede painted wall! But I didn't care. All I cared about was that the sucker was dead. Dan could deal with the debris later. So you see now why I feel as though I am being stalked. Almost every day another one appears to take the place of his fallen brother. My paranoia is at a peak, my eyes are constantly roaming around the room looking for the next one to appear. But I'm not going down without a fight. Do you hear that spiders?? Get out while the getting is good or I'll take you out or have Dan do it for me!!

Here's an update on Elizabeth. I'm only allowing myself to work on her on the weekends. I asked several people when the weekend started and ended last weekend and it was decided that Monday being a holiday meant it was a part of the weekend so I got 3 days of stitching done on her.

And finally, a shot of the shop sans vacuums!!! He is completely out of the shop now and we couldn't be happier. First thing we are going to do is add a little color on the walls. First they have to be repaired since Dude had slatwall the entire length of the wall. Looks like it was shot up in a gun fight and the wall lost! But we've spent the last couple days rearranging and it looks much better already. I'll take a picture tomorrow and share it later. Still have a long long way to go before I am happy with how things look but for now it's a huge improvement over vacuums, belts and bags.

Take care till next time!!

Julie

Hallelujah!!

2011-09-03T11:58:00.001-05:00

Good Morning!

I am just popping in for a few minutes to say THANKS for the prayers...I think they worked!! To give you a little background, almost 2 years ago, in order for the shop I work at to survive we entered into an agreement to share a bay with the ~~devil~~ vacuum cleaner dude in the bay next to us. This would have worked fine if he had stuck around to run his own side of the store but after 3 months, his help at his other store quit and he went over there and never came back. We have run his store ever since and have received nothing for doing so. Dude's business has steadily dropped since he quit being there, who wants to buy a vacuum from a custom picture framer? We had no training for the job so were not very helpful if people asked questions or needed something that required a bit of knowledge. We were under the impression he would be moving out at the end of the lease since that is what he had been telling us was going to happen. When I asked for prayers it was because he had told us he had sold his business and the new owner did not wish to move so we would have to. Dude held the actual lease and we sub-let from him so we did not have any legal standing with the landlord. His hands were tied. Our current location has been so good for us that moving elsewhere made no sense. The bosses looked at another, much larger bay 2 doors down and in spite of it being more money, decided to lease it. Only someone else got there before us. Long story short after several weeks of stress, ups and downs, thinking things were going to work out and then having a wrench thrown in the mix, my boss and dude reached an agreement and he is moving out. In fact, he should be out after this weekend. The majority is already packed up! However, I won't feel completely comfortable and at ease until November when the original lease expires and the bosses have signed a new one. So if you think about it over the next couple of months send up a quick prayer that all goes well. It's going to be a great thing for the shop to have the vacuums out of there and we can't wait to paint and make it all purty! It was hard to do anything with 50 vacuums all over the place! Not to mention bags, and belts of every shape and size known to man! It's going to be a ton of work getting it all fixed up but I'm so excited about the possibilities ahead of us!!

What are your plans for this holiday weekend? I was going to clean my house some but Dan has grounded me to the chair. I had to go to the Dr. this week because I started experiencing pain in my left Achilles tendon. That's right, the supposedly good ankle! It was a very familiar pain. Diagnosis: Achilles Tendonitis and Plantar Fasciitis most likely caused from wearing that dang boot.

So I am now having physical therapy on both feet/ankles and they will re-evaluate when I go back in 3 weeks. Not much they can do for the left one without messing up the right one. So I guess the 3 inches of dust are going to have to stay right where they are for now and as for me....I'll be in my chair stitching on Elizabeth while watching HGTV. Things could be worse!

Take care till next time!

Julie

OOPS! I did it again

2011-08-24T14:25:00.002-05:00

You know that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you see a new chart and know you must have it??OMG! When I saw the new Miribilia I had that feeling and I just couldn't ignore it! I haven't stitched one in years but for some reason Elizabeth was screaming, take me home the second I laid eyes on her! She goes no where in my house but I will find someplace for her to live even if I have to put her in Amy's room which now that I think about it the colors are perfect for her room. Hmmmm, of course Amy would probably kill me if I did that but hey, she's off at college, says she isn't coming home until the kitchen is finished and since that will never be completely done...I'm just saying. Anyway, even though I had promised myself I would not start anything else until either Tuscan Rose or Double Dutch was finished I just couldn't wait. I had to start her. I chose a 32 count linen by Picture this Plus called Heroic and I am using the called for threads which are DMC.

And here is an update on Tuscan Rose.

I've been in a slump the last week or so due to that problem I alluded to in my last post, so not much progress has been made. The problem is still ongoing for now (been something of a roller coaster) so please continue to pray it all works out.

This past weekend, Dan and I worked on the hutch in my kitchen. Here's a before shot of what it has looked like in the past.

And here it is now.

I still have some tweaking I want to do but for now I think it looks okay.

The market charts are starting to filter in now. I was very sad we were unable to attend this time due to my surgery but am hoping we'll be going to Nashville in February. Do you all have any that you are excited to see? I don't think I will top my Miribilia but ya never know. The new BBD's are awesome! The Christmas Quaker from ByGone Stitches is gorgeous. Barnwood Buttons from Rosewood Manor is adorable but the cost for the buttons is out of this world! I will be finding my own buttons thank you very much!

I just ran across this Love a Local Business campaign and was wondering if any of you would like to vote for the shop I work at? You have to say a few reasons why you like us which since most of you have never been there might be a bit of a stretch but if you could see your way clear to do it, we could possibly win some grant money which would be very helpful in growing the business more. If you don't wish to vote that is fine, I completely understand! But if you do just follow this link.

http://lovealocalbusiness.intuit.com/fan

type in Reflections and Papillion NE Then follow the directions. Thanks for helping!

Finally I want to thank everyone for their prayers and for all the wonderful comments on my stitching and the kitchen. I so appreciate them!

Take care till next time!

Julie

A little bit of everything!

2011-08-17T20:21:00.000-05:00

Miss me? I wanted to give you all plenty of time to do so. Did it work? Actually, the truth of the matter is more like a combination of laziness and being tired after going back to work. One legged framing is not as easy as it sounds! By the time I get home in the afternoon or evening as the case may be, I am exhausted. Most nights I find myself sitting in my chair fighting to keep my eyes open while praying I don't become a head bobber like Dan. What's a head bobber you ask? You know, when they (the sleeping person aka Dan) are sitting upright and they've fallen asleep and their mouth is open and their head is bobbing forward and then they jerk it back and it then it bobs backwards and then forwards again...head bobbing. Kinda reminds me of those birds that were around when I was a kid. They looked like this:

The bird would bob forward and get a drink and then snap back upright only to slowly bob forward again. I do not want to look like that. EVER. Anyway, to get back to the subject at hand, the last thing I have been thinking about is trying to string a few sentences together to make a semi-coherent blog post. I knew it just wasn't going to happen. Happily, I am starting to have a bit more energy so tonight I thought I would give it a shot.

I got my pretty pink cast off a week and 2 days ago. At that time I was given a beautiful compression stocking and an even lovelier black walking boot to compliment my wonderful silver crutches. I'm pretty sure I've started a new fashion trend. Soon everyone will be copying me and you all can say, Hey! I was there at the beginning when Julie was just starting out. You can be like...famous!!! Aren't you just the luckiest followers in the world?? Kidding!

I was given instructions by the doctor that I could now put 25% of my weight on my right leg. Ummm okay...how am I supposed to know how much 25% is? I guess first I would have to know how much I weigh and since that is a number I do not ever want to know I decided to just wing it. After a week and 2 days I'm to the point where I can take a few steps without the crutches. Despite my recent fashion setting fame I have to admit that I can't wait to get rid of my lovely silver friends. It is so hard to do anything with your hands full of crutches! I get to start Physical Therapy next week and I get to go 3 times/week for 6 weeks. Awesome!! Now to figure out how to get there and to work. Amy goes back to school this Friday and after that I am to all intents and purposes....stranded!! Hopefully I will be able to shed Das Boot by the end of the month and driving will be added back to my list of things I can do.

The kitchen project has slowed down considerably. But the back splash is now done, under cabinet lighting is installed and the shelves at the end of the one run of cabinets are finished. So now the kitchen looks something like this:

Still lots of little details to finish though. Dan plopped my little blue beehive measuring cups on the one shelf but they look a bit silly don't they? I can't wait until I can get out and find some cute accessories.

Last Saturday was our second Saturday stitch at the shop. Had a great time chatting with everyone. Usually I am busy helping but since I was unable to be on my feet I actually got to sit and stitch and visit. It was nice for a change!

I remembered to take my camera with me so I can share some WIP's and finishes with you. I'll start with an update on the Double Dutch stitch-a-long.

Mary's

MaryAnn's

Mine

Here's a sweet finish by one of my bestie's Connie. A simple rather plain design got some pizazz with the addition of some pink gingham fabric! Too stinking cute!!

Lately, we seem to be on a gingham kick here at the shop. I fell in love with the first part of BBD's new Loose Feathers chart but I don't like to start something unless I know exactly what it will look like first, which would mean waiting for the rest of it to be released. Being the impatient person that I am, I made the choice to stitch it as a stand alone piece and from the moment I saw it I could envision it on gingham. So I went with it. Do you like it? I've chosen a great moulding to frame it with and will share when I get it done.

I have now been sitting here for 3.5 hours. Where did all that time go? I think I will call it a day, take my boot off, do my exercises and probably fall asleep in the recliner!

I want to thank all of you for stopping in, leaving all the wonderful comments and for hanging in there when I disappear for a while. Finally, there are some things going on in my life right now that I can't talk about but if you could spare a prayer for things to work out I would appreciate it greatly. I'll share when I know more.

Take care till next time!

Julie

Should I be worried?

2011-08-02T20:04:00.001-05:00

Today marks 31 years that I have been married to my husband. I've known Dan since I was a senior in high school and he was a sophomore in college. We met at a boy/girl fraternity pajama party. He'd seen a picture of me prior to that time though as my brother and Dan are frat brothers. I was visiting the campus for the weekend, both my brother and older sister attended the same college. My brother asked for volunteers to take me out while I was visiting and a whopping 3 guys raised their hands. Dan and I hit it off quite well and I forgot about the other 2 guys. I think it might have been the diaper he was wearing as his party pajamas that first attracted me. There's something about passing an orange under your chin to a guy in a diaper that really sets my heart a flutter! No that isn't right, the diaper just clinched it. What really got me interested was Dan's resemblance to one of my biggest heart throbs of the time...Sean Cassidy. Earlier in the day, prior to the party my sister and I had been cleaning up the kitchen at the TKE house, Dan ran through the kitchen in a burgundy track suit and that was it. I saw Sean Cassidy and I think maybe it was love at first sight. Later that night when I saw him in a diaper...well what's a girl to do when faced with 140 pounds of skin and bone all wrapped up in a diaper but fall head over heels! Of course I had to go back to high school and we both vowed to write to each other. Surprisingly, we did! I still have all his letters to me. God only knows where the embarrassing letters I wrote to him ended up. Hopefully in a fire somewhere. Although we continued to write to each other, he was at college and I was home and when another guy I ~~lusted after~~ liked asked me out I said yes. After all I had been singing a little ditty about him for months prior to meeting Dan, I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity. What ditty were you singing you ask? It went something like this...All I want for Christmas is a date with J.L, a date with J.L. a date with J.L. etc...you get the idea. So now I am writing to Dan and talking to him on the phone and dating J.L. The funny thing about wanting something so bad and wishing so hard for it is...sometimes reality is not as good as the fantasy and such was the case with J.L. The guy might have had the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen on a guy but he was boring! A regular snooze fest but he was here in town and Dan wasn't so this situation went on for months. Prom was coming up and J.L. and I were making plans to go even though I knew I was going to dump him. Suddenly, Dan decided to come home for the weekend with my brother. Yes folks, that would be Prom weekend. Can we say uncomfortable? J.L. came to pick me up and there was Dan, hanging out with the family. I introduced them, they shook hands and off I went to Prom. Prom was boring, I didn't want to be there with J.L. I wanted to be home where Dan was. I think I managed to wait like 3 days after prom before I dumped J.L., looking back I feel bad about it but I was young and immature. What do you expect?? After that Dan came to Omaha to visit on a regular basis. We were now officially dating. I enrolled for college at the same school as my siblings and Dan and thought I had it made. Until I got to college and discovered a vast array of hot guys. And I was curious. And wanted to know more about the hot guys. Maybe even make out with a few of them. But I didn't want to lose Dan in the process. I made the suggestion that we needed to maybe date other people for a while. Dan was not thrilled with the idea but went along with. I remember one night in particular. Somehow, I managed to end up with 5 "dates" in one night. I'm using the term "date" loosely. they asked to stop by the dorm and I said sure, not realizing until it was too late that I had said sure 5 times. Hey, again young and immature. Try not to judge! I lived in an all girl dorm. Every guest had to be escorted in and out. Thanks to my roommate and friend, the whole dorm knew the situation I had gotten myself into. Each and every one of them was waiting in the lobby to see if I could pull this off without getting caught. And I almost did. Until I was escorting Dick (number 4) out and Dan was coming in. Can we say Awkward? I introduced Dick to Dan and finished showing Dick the door. I could tell Dan was not pleased but he didn't say a word. Not at that time anyway. No siree, he just waited for the right time and then he retaliated. He actually had the audacity to date another girl!!! The hell you say! That was not part of my plan. No! Time out! That is not happening! So, I quickly decided that dating other guys wasn't quite what I thought it would be and I broached the subject of becoming exclusive again. Dan was okay with that and life settled down to an even keel. It was good. Dan graduated, asked me to marry him, took a job in Wyoming and with all our worldly possessions in the back of a pickup and a homemade trailer off we went. That first year it was just us, the town he taught school in was only 100 people big. I didn't drive, didn't have a job and no family within a 15 hour drive. But I had Dan. I believe to this day that the year we spent in that little town is responsible for keeping us together all these years. We were all each other had. We had no choice but to depend on each other. This is not to say we haven't had our ups and downs because we have. We've weathered job changes, money problems, job lay offs, 3 sick kids, a closed head injury, and on and on. Sometimes he makes me so mad I want to scream! But I can't imagine life without him. He's my guy. And for all these years he has made me feel special and loved. Every anniversary he's gone out of his way to do something special to celebrate the day. And then today, I received this:

and an anti fatigue mat by Martha Stewart.

Do you think maybe he's trying to tell me something??? LOL!!

Seriously, in my mind the kitchen renovation is my gift. He has worked his butt off on it all summer long and I really couldn't ask for anything better than that. Thank you Dan. I love you more than you could possibly know.

And on that note, I need to go put my foot up.

Take care till next time!

Julie

For the Naggers out there...

2011-07-24T13:49:00.001-05:00

My husband Dan works in an office where most of his co-workers are women. He gets along great with women, flirts, pulls little pranks, gossips with the best of them and generally they share all of life's up and downs with each other. One might say he's just one of the gals! Well, one might say that if one doesn't want one's kitchen finished! Aw heck, I'll live dangerously and say it anyway! Today, I am dedicating this post to two of his friends from the office. Judy and Lynn. The reason for this dedication you ask? They get the top ranking for biggest nags when it comes to my blogging and pictures of the kitchen. Every day Dan comes home from work and says, did you blog today? Judy and Lynn are wanting more pictures of the kitchen progress. Every day I've been responding with no, no blogging today dear. Just don't feel like it. Or, no I didn't have time today (a blatant lie, I mean all I can do is sit on my butt right now, so how can I not have time??) Finally I responded with I'm not going to blog until you have the pantry doors done and you can tell Judy and Lynn that . I figured this would surely do one of two things. They would either quit asking Dan about it and in turn he would quit asking me or they would turn their nagging on Dan and start dinging him about getting the pantry doors done. It's a win win for me, he works harder so they quit dinging him or they quit dinging him altogether and I wouldn't have to feel guilty for not blogging. Amazingly enough it worked!! I didn't hear those dreaded "Did you blog today" words come out of his mouth until he got the doors done. Now I feel I have no choice but to share the progress that has been made in the almost 2 weeks since my last post. Been a lot going on so sit back, grab a cuppa something and get comfy.

When last I wrote, Abby had just graduated, we'd had her party and she was preparing to take her boards. This has been a very stressful couple of weeks for us all. As Abby's stress level rises so does her snarkiness and we've all been tiptoeing around trying not to set her off. Hard to do since all you really needed to to was look at her and she'd explode. The girl has no confidence in herself and her ability to pass the boards. I know she's smart, but she doesn't. Well, I am pleased and proud to announce that this past Wednesday she sat for her boards and she passed them with points to spare!!! Dan and I were both in tears from relief and from being so gosh darn proud of our daughter. Two years ago this was just a dream on the horizon and now it is a reality. It's also a reality that x-ray jobs are few and far between so between me, my sister and Dan we convinced Abby to go back to UNO and finish out her bachelors degree. She's re-enrolled and signed up for classes and hopefully if all goes well and she can get and pass all the classes she needs she will graduate next summer. I have no doubt that next year we'll be having another graduation party for her.

I was also headed to the Dr. the last time I wrote to get my splint off and my cast on. I was hoping the cast might be somewhat more comfortable than the splint but it really isn't. I've been ~~bitching~~ complaining ever since my surgery that my heel hurt and I couldn't figure that out because the portion of the tendon that was bad was quite a ways from the part of my heel that was hurting. I discovered why when they took the splint off. The incision went clear down onto my heel!! Color me stupid because I had no idea it would go that low. I will put a picture of the incisions before they took the stitches out at the very bottom of this post. It's a bit gruesome looking and if you are squeamish you might not want to go there. So that explained the pain which made me feel somewhat better anyway but the darn cast rubs in the same place as the splint did so that is still bothering me quite a bit. The rest of it feels mostly good unless I do something stupid like slip on my crutches and come down on my right leg. Which I did. OUCH!! I was told I could have any color cast I wanted except yellow. Of course I had to ask why I couldn't have yellow (not that I wanted yellow but inquiring minds want to know why no yellow cast). The response? They were out of yellow. So I chose pink. Amy wanted me to choose orange, I didn't think I wanted to look like a construction cone though so I ixnayed that quickly. My wonderful family have put some very warm and loving sentiments on my cast. For instance, Amy wrote...

Abby bless her heart drew me a picture.

That would be a Tyrannosaurus Rex and the reason for that drawing is because my wonderful and loving husband says that I'm not really all that short, I just have T-Rex sized arms. The family finds this hilarious and takes every opportunity to bring that up. Including hanging a plastic one from my rear view mirror in the car. They are lucky I wouldn't do well in prison...I'm just saying.

Dan signed my cast this way.

Ahhhhh, that's more like it! And serve he has. He's been very good trying to meet all my needs and I really appreciate it.

I started back to work last week on a part time basis. I have to say, framing whilst standing on one leg...not so fun. I stand for a bit then sit, then stand, then sit. By the time I go home my ankle is swollen to the point of pain and I am exhausted. But it feels good to be back doing what I love. Thankfully most folks have been very patient and understanding about having to wait for their framing.

In just 2 more long and drawn out weeks I will get my lovely pink cast removed and then I get a beautiful black walking boot!! Still won't be able to drive but at least I'll be able to stand on two legs and go ~~shopping~~ walk.

Do you need to go get another cup of coffee or tea? I can wait for you. Hurry up!

I've been stitching some and I'll show you one thing I finished finished but won't get into the rest of it today since I am sure Lynn and Judy are foaming at the mouth by now. You didn't really think I was going to hop right into the kitchen stuff did you Judy?

This is Blackbird Designs Thistle House stitched over 2 on Cream 40 count linen using the called for fibers. This chart can be found in their book A Stitcher's Journey. I chose this chart knowing exactly what I wanted to do with it. It was perfect for these sweet little Treasure Boxes we have in the shop. I love how it turned out!

Okay, I best talk about the kitchen now before the girls completely stroke out. Quite a lot of progress has been made. The cupboards doors that were not done in the last picture I posted are done and hung. The counters are finished. The new sink and faucet is installed and the pantry doors are now finished. Dan is currently working on the back splash. No pictures of that yet.

Can I just say how much I love my new pantry? It holds so much more than the old one and you can find what you want without digging through everything! Best thing we did. And to think Dan didn't think it was necessary!

I've been thinking hard about accessories, I ordered some fabric for curtains, but it will be a while before I can sew them and I don't know anyone that sews stuff like that. I can't wait till I can get out there and look for some of the things I want.

Dan and I are having an ongoing conversation regarding an island. He wants one. BAD. I don't think we truly have enough space for one. If we custom build one and make it a skimpy 15 inches wide, that leaves us with only 32 inches of aisle space on either side. Doable maybe if I were a skinny minnie but even when I am able to exercise once again and hopefully can lose all the weight I have packed on in the last 3 years, I still won't be a skinny minnie. But he really really wants one for some reason so we are still discussing it.

Finally, here's the picture of my leg with stitches.

Kinda gross right? Now you know why Amy called me Frankenstein. Luckily I have always healed up pretty good and generally don't scar much. Let's hope that holds true.

That's it for today folks. I'm all out of interesting things to say . I hope you enjoyed today's blog and as always, I love comments and questions. Thanks for stopping by and take care till next time!!!

Julie

Framed finishes, kitchen update and more!

2011-07-11T11:56:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday! I have to say I am glad the weekend is over. I'm worn out after getting ready for Abby's graduation party. Not that I did a whole lot but what I did do was tiring and by the end of the day yesterday, I was hurting pretty good. Then having everyone in just 2 rooms (too much construction crap in the dining room and library) was a bit too close for me. Dan tried valiantly to get as much done in the kitchen as he possibly could but we were both slightly disappointed that some things just did not come together. But really, there were so many people you couldn't see anything anyway! I didn't get to go to the graduation ceremony. Dan said it was very nice though. Now we just need to find the girl a full time job and life will be good.

I think I mentioned that Adam was going to be moving to DC. Well, he left here last Wednesday to begin the drive and arrived there on Thursday in the late afternoon. He called me from his local Safeway store to let me know he had arrived and he sounded so tired and stressed out. In fact he told me that driving in DC and the surrounding area was the single most stressful thing he has ever done and the next time he drove his car would be the day he moves away from DC. That about broke my heart. I did my best to talk him down so to speak, told him not to make any decisions when he was so tired and already stressed. Told him there would be an adjustment period, Omaha is a larger city but compared to DC it might as well be a small village. That will take time to adjust to. In the end I think he was feeling much better. Things didn't get any better for him though. He stuff was supposed to be delivered on Saturday and the moving company somehow mixed up the dates. Instead of July 9th they had him down for August 9th. As of this morning, he still doesn't know when his things will arrive. He did however, make it to work on time this morning, via the bus and the metro and was feeling more relaxed about that. Can you tell my family doesn't do change well? I shudder to think what they would have done if we were military and moved all the time.

Before my surgery, I did my best to get as much framing done as I could. On the last day I was finally able to frame a couple of stitched pieces. This first one was stitched by Mary Ann. She finished it up right after Halloween this past year if that tells you anything about how busy we've been. I really love how it turned out and I think she liked it too. Sorry for the poor quality picture. I had one without the glass on it but it's on the shops computer and since I'm not there....I had to send Abby in to the shop last week to take pics for me. It's hard to get a good shot when there is glass on it. The chart is from Kit and Bixby and it's called Creep Sheep.

You can't really see the frame in this picture. It's a distressed burgundy frame with beading on the inner edge from East Side Mouldings. The top mat has a cool/creepy mottled finish that you can see if you click on the picture to enlarge it.

The second piece I was able to finish was my Jenny Bean Friendship Sampler. I debated back and forth on the frame for this one. On the one hand, I have used a black frame on the other 2 Jenny Bean's I have stitched and I kinda wanted to keep with that theme. But in the end, I just loved this frame from Valley House Primitives. Maybe, if I hadn't made that big mistake with the color on this piece I would have liked the black frame but stuff happens and I love how it turned out. LOVE.IT.

I want to thank everyone for all the get well wishes and comments. They warmed the cockles of my heart and made me feel loved. Thanks Everyone! I had several who commented on the acrylic finishing technique. I don't know if there's a tutorial somewhere out there. I kinda just did my own thing on it and happily it worked out! The acrylic stands looks sorta like an "L" and the short end goes into a notch on the bottom of the package. It's about an inch wide. I'm not sure where you can find them locally, we order ours from one of our suppliers but if anyone is interested, you can order them from the shop. Off the top of my head I think they run around $3.00 I can try to write a tutorial on it but please don't hold me to it anytime soon. I'm still trying to fill bird orders!

Finally, I will leave you with a shot of the kitchen. I'm excited to see it finished but know that is still some ways off.

I need to sign off now. Have a Dr. appt. this afternoon to get ready for. This will be my first time out since surgery! Of course there would be a heat index advisory so I won't be able to enjoy the outside as much as I might like, but it will feel good just to leave the house.

Take care till next time!

Julie

Feeling better and some stitching updates!!

2011-07-08T11:48:00.000-05:00

Now that I am out of my drug induced stupor which might have allowed me to post things that shouldn't necessarily be out there in the world, I think it's safe for me to re-enter the blogging world! Then again, the drugs would have given me a perfect excuse to say whatever popped into my head and you all wouldn't have held it against me because I was on some very strong painkillers. Darn! Missed a good opportunity once again.

My surgery went well. The nerve block that was supposed to allow me to wake up from surgery with no pain however, did not work! I never wake up from anesthesia well and I'm told this was no exception. I woke up in a lot of pain and they were not prepared for that. Luckily, Dan had filled the prescription for pain meds already and they were able to get me comfortable fairly quickly. Surgery was at 1 and we got home about 6:30 that evening. Later than they anticipated and I think they were happy to see me go.

Recovery has not been too terrible. Yes there was/is pain but with the meds it is tolerable. I think the complete and utter boredom is worse than the pain. One can only do so much from a seated position and crutching it isn't working so well. My left hip does not like bearing all my considerable weight so I am pretty much stuck in my recliner chair all day long with the exception of those times when I transfer to the rolling chair and roll around in the kitchen. Everything I do is a process that has to be thought out because the last thing I need is to fall and break a hip or tear the sutures holding the tendon together. It really makes you appreciate the little things in life. Like washing your bum. Hard to do when seated. Nuff said.

I also apparently act out my dreams as I found out the other night. My dear dear wonderful husband had installed a plastic spider in the ceiling vent of Amy's room and she discovered it before going to bed the other night. Amy and I both have an irrational fear of spiders. Just talking about them can bring on a nightmare. And that night I had one where the floor was covered with the little buggers and I was stomping on them. With.my.right.foot. The foot that had surgery. As I was stomping in my dream I was also stomping with my leg IRL. Can we say OUCH!! Even though I wasn't stomping on the actual floor just the action was enough to cause considerable pain. I cursed the man a blue streak once the pain subsided and if parts of his body should happen to fall off in the next little while...he deserves it.

I go back to the Dr. on Monday and I think they take the splint off and cast the leg at that point. I'm hoping to get the green light to go back to work at this time also. Won't be able to do a ton of framing but I'm sure I can do some things. I miss the shop and all the people.

I'm getting some stitching done but not as much as one might expect. The first week I couldn't see well enough to focus on the stitching. Good drugs will do that to you. LOL!! I'm doing better this week but I gotta say, after 6 hours I'm pretty much tired of it and want to do something else. Never the less progress is being made. I stitched up this Blackbird design from their book A Stitcher's Journey and will mount it on a wood pedestal base.

And I've stitched on Tuscan Rose too. Finished all that back stitchy crap for now and am happy to see the end of it. For now. There's another band of it further down. I had to frog some last night so I didn't get as far as I wanted to. Rotten frog. I don't think he should visit people who are recovering from surgery. Do you hear that Frog! I don't need any more stinking visits from you!!! Go see Doreen or Connie!! Sorry girls. I had to send him somewhere. Forgive me?

Before surgery, I finished up these two cuties for a customer. This was my first time using this particular finishing technique. It's not a flat fold, it uses an acrylic stand and I really like how it turns out. The customer did too and now she wants to finish the series.

I could go on and on today but most likely you have tuned out by now. I'll have to post again sooner than normal so I can get it all out. I have kitchen pictures and more stitching pictures and on and on. Anyway,

Take care till next time!

Julie

And the winner is....

2011-07-06T13:44:00.000-05:00

Catherine from Bramblewood Stitches

Catherine said...

Best wishes with your surgery!

Love your kitchen - the cabinets look great!

Your giveaway goodies are great - I'd love to give the bird a new home! Thanks and congrats on all of your followers!

June 28, 2011 9:28 PM

Congratulations Catherine! If you could email me your snail mail address I will do my best to get Dan to mail your package in a timely manner! If I don't hear from Catherine in 5 days I will draw another winner.

Thanks everyone for entering the giveaway and thank you all for the comments on the kitchen and my surgery. I am doing well, I quit taking the heavy duty drugs 2 days ago and the pain is tolerable so that is a good thing. I'm bored out of my mind and to be honest, kinda tired of stitching! So today I have been scooting around in a rolling chair and sorting through paperwork that has piled up and paying bills that really should have been paid before I had surgery! OOPS! My bad. Also fighting with the insurance company regarding a charge from the Dr. that they are not paying on a bill for Amy. I hate insurance companies.

The Kitchen is coming along nicely. No pictures today but maybe the next post. I'm running out of energy now so will keep this short and go take a quick nap.

Take care till next time!

Julie

For the Birds Giveaway

2011-06-28T10:33:00.000-05:00

Today is the day! I have procrastinated long enough and as you know...The early bird gets the worm! I am finally posting my giveaway and let me tell you folks, it's for the birds!! Something to crow about! This goose is cooked! He flew the coop! And if I continue this you'll be madder than a wet hen so without further ado, let's feather your nest with a little giveaway that's for the birds!!!! Sorry, I couldn't resist!

To celebrate and thank the awesome 200+ followers I have and you are all awesome putting up with my long stretches of silence, let's take a birds eye view of what you will be receiving if you are the lucky duck that wins this little prize. I hope you will think it's something to crow about!

First up is a Shabby Chic Scissor Beak Bird made by Yours Truly. Your bird will arrive Naked as a Jay Bird!

Meaning it WILL NOT have scissors or valdani balls or old wooden spools when it takes roost at your house. You get to have the pleasure of choosing your own accessories,

but here is a picture of the bird all tricked out to give you an idea of what it will look like.

Next we have a wonderful Bluebird chart by Blackbird designs. Too cute!

To go with the Bluebird design, I am including a lovely piece of White Swan 30 count linen and one skein each of Crescent Colours Blackbird and Gentle Arts Blue Jay Overdyed Floss because as the wise old owl would say, what's sauce for the goose might not always be sauce for the gander. That owl is wise because a little bird told him some people might prefer a Blackbird instead of a Bluebird. Right?

And finally I'm sure your eagle eyes have spotted the swan song of this giveaway, that lovely piece of bird print fabric in the background. Use it for gilding your cage or your pincushion, or whatever makes you proud as a peacock!

So here it is all ready to go to it's new home. All you have to do to enter the giveaway is to be a follower/become a follower and leave a comment on this post only saying you would like to be entered. Leave me some way to reach you if you should win. No email address or blog means you don't win. For a second chance to win, please mention the give away on your own blog and let me know you have done so. The giveaway is open to everyone! I hope you like it!!

Finally, a quick glimpse of what the kitchen is looking like. Progress is slow but steady. The color of the cabinets is actually closer to the the top ones than the bottom cabinets. The flash made the bottom look whiter.

I can't get blogger to cooperate with centering the pictures today so please forgive me. I am out of time as I need to be at the hospital for surgery in a half hour and want to post this before I go. I will draw the winner of the giveaway on Tuesday, July 5th. Gotta fly!

Take care till next time!

Julie

Stitching and Kitchen progress!

2011-06-17T09:15:00.000-05:00

Well dang, where did the time go? I just realized how long it has been since I last blogged and I’m shocked! I knew it had been a while but certainly not this long! Once again it seems I must apologize for being a bad blogger! I.am.sorry.

Let’s start with some stitching progress pics. We had second Saturday stitching this past weekend and I was able to snap some not very good pictures of the Double Dutch stitch along. My camera battery was about to die so please forgive me for the crappy photos.

Mary Ann's progress. She hasn't had much stitching time so not a ton of progress.

Mary's progress. She's has been working on other things lately. Progress has been made though!

I cheated a bit and didn't take this picture until after I have had a chance to stitch a bit more. The others were taken last Saturday.

I am having a hard time fitting stitching into my life at the moment. Between work, regular house stuff and this kitchen re-do, stitching is falling way to the bottom of the to do pile. Not for long though. I found out last week that I am having surgery on the 28^th and will be non-weight bearing for 6 weeks. Should leave me with plenty of stitching time!

The kitchen is coming along slowly. Dan and I have spent a considerable amount of time looking at counter top options, back splash options, sink options, faucet options, hardware options and paint options. We found an incredible deal on granite counter tops but after looking at everything else that still needs to be done and paid for, we have decided to go the laminate counter option and have Dan do the install. In a couple of years we can always replace them with granite or whatever might trip our trigger at the time. I have put back splash options on the back burner for now along with hardware options but need to seriously decide on a sink and the faucet. Dan finished up the pantry drawers last night so I can now start to wipe all the dust and debris off of the foodstuff and start putting it away. That will be a huge relief!

I think I will pull him off the pantry and have him finish off the cabinet to the right of the dishwasher so I can put the silverware and such away. The appliances arrived last Friday. I'm sending the refrigerator back though. It arrived with 4 dents/scratches in the side and although they are not bad and I could have lived with them given the right amount off, they would only cut the price by $100.00 and I figured for that I want a dent free fridge! Of course they were out of stock on it so I am waiting for a new one to arrive, hopefully Saturday. The delay on the fridge is also causing a delay in the microwave. When we bought the fridge, we received a gift card for $150.00 but can’t use it until we have accepted delivery of all the appliances. I plan to use the gift card towards the new microwave so until the fridge arrives, no new microwave. Appliances sans the microwave. Oh! and the floor was installed last week also. Love love love it!!! Btw, ignore the white thing under the dishwasher, Dan hadn't installed the kick plate yet. My dishwasher is uber quiet. It's Awesome!

I must confess to feeling a bit of panic over this renovation. Did I mention Abby is graduating from Radiology Tech School on July 9 and on July 10 we are having her party at our house. And let’s not forget that I will be off my feet during this time. I’m a little anxious about being able to pull the whole thing off. Dan is only one man and although he is an incredible one man he is still only one single male specimen trying to do all this work by himself. My mother-in-law said…Julie if it’s not perfect it’s not a big deal and I am trying very hard to think that way but it’s not working so well. I find myself biting my tongue so I don’t harp on Dan to hurry it up a bit. I am a horrible person! Please keep us in your thoughts and wish us luck on getting the house put back together, if not completely finished.

I have a bit of progress on Tuscan rose to show you also. Still not enjoying the process of the double running back stitch but love the results!

Think that’s about it for now. I am almost done gathering the items I want for the give away. I have one other thing I am looking for and then I will post it. In the meantime…

Take care!

Julie

Have you Seen my Tape Measure?

2011-06-04T18:10:00.000-05:00

If I have heard it once I think I must have heard it a million times in the last 2 weeks. Boss,(that's what he calls me. Says he's seen that job and doesn't want it.) have you seen my tape measure? Yes dear, it's hanging from your jeans. Yes dear, it's right there on the counter, Yes dear, it's in the bathroom. Yes dear, your holding it in your left hand. If he's not careful, the Boss is going to staple the tape measure to some portion of his anatomy. Oh wait, he's already stuffed it in his pants, asked me if I've seen it and when I turned around he had it extended out his fly 12 inches. He dreams big when he dreams! Anyway, that sight was enough to burn my eyeballs so I guess stapling it in place is out of the question. He'd be playing with it all day!

So obviously the kitchen reno is still a work in progress. At the rate we are going it will be a work in progress in the year 2525! The focus right now is on the pantry but since the floor is to be laid this coming Wednesday, the focus is going to need to change to moving the electrical, and getting the plumbing ready to go for the new dishwasher. I'm not quite sure how this is all going to be done by Wednesday but it has to be or no floor and that just isn't gonna fly! So here's what the old pantry looked like. Not very functional at all. The opening was small and it was hard to find things way in the back.

This is the start of what will be the new pantry.

after tearing out the walls

New back wall


looking better


with some stain


2 drawers ready

Pull out drawers = functional. You can ignore that nice orange color of the wood. We will be painting all the cabinets but wanted to start with mostly the same finish on everything just in case it would make a difference in the final product. Probably it wouldn't but I would hate to find out differently after we had painted.

I was supposed to share our progress on the stitch a long but forgot to take a picture of Mary's. I've emailed her and asked her to email a picture of her progress but in the meantime, I'll just share my progress on TR. The section I'm working on is all done (or supposed to be done) with a double running back stitch. Not sure that's what I'm doing and I can't say I am in love with the process but I am enjoying the results.

Today was mostly spent cleaning the basement so Adam has a clean place to rest his head when he gets here. The act of cleaning led me to putting some stitching stuff away which led me to seeing just how many different things I actually have started that I haven't finished. YIKES!! And to think I used to be a one project at a time person with no UFO's!!! I will never clean again. Cross my heart. Done. I do not need to know that kinda information. No siree bob! From now on the basement will remain a filthy pig sty and I am just fine with that!

Dan is back from Menards, Amy is home from babysitting so I guess I should do something about feeding them. Keep an eye open for a giveaway. I've reached 200 followers and I think that deserves a celebration! Just need to pull everything together for it.

Have a great rest of the weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Take care till next time!

Julie

Tuscan Rose update

2011-05-26T07:57:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday! The sun is shining this morning and life is good. On second thought, as I'm sitting here looking out the kitchen windows and the sliding glass door...maybe the sun is not such a good thing. Apparently I really need to wash windows! Yuck!

Not much to report here. The kitchen is moving along. Tore out the pantry and Dan is busy trying to rebuild it for more functionality. Not much to see yet so no pictures. The kitchen is a mess so not much cooking is going on. I'm not complaining but certain members of the family who shall remain nameless are.

Spent yesterday waiting on news of the birth of a dear friends first Grandchild. Marsha is so excited to be a GiGi as she wants to be called. I'm happy to report Clara was born in the wee hours of the morning and mother, child and gigi are all doing well.

Stitching is coming along. This week I'm working on the Double Dutch stitch-a-long and will show pictures in my next post. We have Last Saturday Stitch this weekend and will snap a pic of everyone's progress at that time. Last week I worked on Tuscan Rose. Not a ton of progress but she's coming along nicely. I have the itch to start something new but am fighting it off tooth and nail!

Need to leave for work early this morning as I have to go to the post office and get a package in the mail. I hope everyone has a great rest of the week and a wonderful Holiday weekend! Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate so much the wonderful comments!

Take care till next time!

Renovating with Dan

2011-05-21T14:22:00.000-05:00

Happy Saturday Everyone!

I must say, as much as I love my job, I am happy that I have the next 2 days off. Between a lack of sleep due to thunderstorms and a doggy that is terrified of them, and all the things that need doing around the house I could use a big kick of ambition and a couple days of sleep. One of which is not going to happen. It's hard to get anything done if you are sleeping and the project Dan and I started last weekend really needs to get finished before Abby graduates in July and we have a house full of people! What project is that you ask? Or maybe you don't ask but I'm going to tell you anyway...we are doing a partial renovation of the kitchen. With the appliances starting to go bad or parts on them breaking, it is time to start replacing them. Since the flooring runs under the dishwasher, I saw no sense in replacing the dishwasher without replacing the floor which was damaged. Did you know that laminate flooring and water do not mix? A concept that some do not entirely grasp in this house. I saw no sense in replacing the floor when I wanted to remove part of the cabinets and counter and move the location of the dishwasher. I have a one butt kitchen. By removing the "L" part of my counters, my kitchen becomes at least a 2 butt kitchen. But this would leave a hole in the flooring as they do not lay flooring under the cabinets. So it only makes sense to remove the "L", change the floor, replace and move the dishwasher which is unfortunately going to involve new counter tops at some point. Since I am replacing the dishwasher with black instead of white, the other appliances will also need to be changed sooner rather than later. Since I am loosing 4 of the 7 drawers I have in my kitchen by chopping off the "L" I need to buy a new cabinet to replace them and so forth and so on...this is commonly referred to in these parts as The Snowball Effect. I would love to replace all the cupboards. I am so over orangey oak...you have no idea. But, I cannot afford to do that. So for right now, it will be a partial renovation and who knows, I may end up loving my orange cabinets! NOT!

My kitchen before:


as you walk into kitchen from front of house


to the left

sharp left

from the dining room

see how tight?

another example of how tight it is

Me, on tiptoe trying to reach 2nd shelf

A couple of weeks ago we went to the Furniture Mart and chose new flooring for the kitchen. This was not an easy decision. I knew I didn't want ceramic tile or stone, too hard on the legs, knees, hips and ankles. I knew I didn't want hardwood. Water + hardwood = warping. I have already been there done that with the laminate, don't need to beat me over the head with a stick to teach me a lesson. I knew I didn't want cork, sheet vinyl or linoleum. Which I have to admit doesn't leave much to choose from. And then I discovered a product called Armstrong Alterna Luxury Vinyl Tile. Has the look of stone, but more give to it which means it is easier on the body. You can soak it in a bathtub for a week and it won't be damaged, it can be installed over an existing vinyl floor (we have one of those lurking under our laminate) it can be installed with grout to make it look more like real stone and it comes in a ton of colors. We chose Mesa Stone in Chocolate.

Got the bid back last night and are set up for installation on June 8th! Only 3 more weeks of hand washing the dishes!!!

We (and by we I really mean Dan) started the demolition by disconnecting the dishwasher and removing the "L". I gave assistance by overseeing and telling Dan to shut the breaker off after he shocked himself. Which he did but since he shut down the wrong breaker, he shocked himself a second time. Hence the nickname Zap.

After a full day of demolition and clean up we now look something like this:

to the left

from dining room

Big difference already! We've purchased a new dishwasher and the drawer base cupboard. Dan will have to rework the drawer fronts to make them match the exiting ones. He's gonna need a new tool for that and it's gonna cost me extra. That's his mantra whenever I want him to do something. I owe the man so much by now that it's not even funny!

Up next is the pantry redo. Oh, I guess I didn't mention the pantry redo before. I have one. It needs work. But I'll cover that in the next installment of...Kitchen Renovation starring Zapper Dan! We should have our own show on HGTV!! :)

And now my fine stitchy friends I must bid you adieu as I need to go to Hobby Lobby to get some fabby and trim for some flat folds I am doing for customers. Ya'll have a great weekend and...

Take Care till next time!

Julie

Stitching, bad hair and the tree!

2011-05-14T18:53:00.000-05:00

Happy Saturday/Sunday! Not sure if I will get this done today or not so thought I would cover my bases by addressing both days! It was second Saturday Stitch at the shop today. Our group today was a bit larger than we had anticipated! When I had checked my email for the last time on Friday to see who was coming and who wasn't, there were only 11 that had said they were coming. We ended up with 16! It was great!

There was enough food to feed a small army and of course the companionship was the best! Such a fun group of ladies, each delightful in their own way. I used the group as guinea pigs today and tried a new recipe for crock pot macaroni and cheese. Trying a new recipe on people outside your family is not necessarily the smartest thing to do since you never know if it is going to turn out okay or even edible! It was pretty okay and several asked for the recipe. I still prefer my regular recipe but for a pot luck type of dish this is something I would make again. If you are interested you can find the recipe here.

Since it was a stitching Saturday, I was able to take pictures of the stitch-a-long project Mary Ann, Mary and I are doing. Mary of course is the furthest along.

I think I might be next but I'm not sure because I discovered something today. My mind does not work like everyone else. (Connie, quit rolling your eyes and saying you knew that already!) Mary and Mary Ann are stitching their projects a page at a time. I am stitching mine in rows. I thought Mary Ann was the odd one when she said she was doing it that way and now I have to come to grips with the fact that it's me that's the oddball!!! Inconceivable!

Mary Ann hasn't had a lot of stitching time the last 2 weeks so she hasn't made much progress.

Crap, I think I have to turn the dang furnace back on. It's cold in here! Hold on, I'll brb.

A couple of weeks ago I won a give away from Robin over at Robin Pich I won this beautiful pincushion made by her own two hands! Robin makes some wonderful hand made items that she sells on Etsy. Head on over to her blog if you aren't familiar with it and check it out! Thanks Robin! I love my pin cushion!

I've got an update on the take down of the tree. Dan has most of it down except for the trunk and a little tuft of branches at the very top. He thinks it's cute and should stay this way. I think he's got another think coming! And tell me, what person in their right mind wears their dress clothes to do this kind of thing? Does anyone else have a husband that refuses to change into appropriate work clothes to do yard work or painting or any other kind of physical type chore? Drives me nuts cuz he's forever getting paint on his dress slacks or tearing holes in his shirt!

Ewwww, I just noticed my elephant skin in the pics of the pincushion! When did that happen? Gross!

Guess I better wrap this up and feed the hubby. Can't expect him to make birds on an empty stomach! Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I'll leave you with this final image. Please don't judge, she was having a rough time of it with the storms! LOL!

Take care till next time!

Julie

Happy Mother's Day! Pine Mold and stitchy update

2011-05-08T12:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!

It's a windy but warm Sunday here in the heartland. My plan for the day is to do nothing that looks anything like work. I think I'll stitch some, maybe do a bird or two but that's about it. Dan got up this morning and had breakfast waiting for me when I got downstairs, he made homemade biscuits and gravy with sausage and orange juice. Very good it was! (said in my best Yoda voice)

I hope everyone out there has a wonderful day, whether you are a mother or not!

Yesterday, while Dan was teaching, I decided to start taking down the last of 3 dead/dying Evergreen Trees in our back yard. Pine Mold is a bad bad thing!

I've heard it can spread to other types of trees too and there is nothing you can do for it either. This tree should have been taken down last fall but Dan kept saying it would "come back". Yeah, right. I really think Dan was thinking "I don't want do all that work". I've done it twice already. So while the cat was away this mouse decided to take the bull by the horns and get 'er done!

Here she is after 3 hours of work.

And after 5 hours of work....

I found some interesting things while I was chopping away. Garbage bags, wire, cool whip bowl, part of the shed, a golf ball and this little guy!

I think he's been out here a while! He has an incredibly poopy butt!

Then there was the tragedy. Now keep in mind, although I am currently not very fond of birds (see previous post) I wouldn't deliberately throw a baby bird to the dogs but sadly that is what happened. I checked the nest before chopping that branch off and it was empty but apparently, it must have been flung out prior to that without my seeing it because when I found it, it was in Gracie's mouth and she was chomping away. I screamed and she dropped it only to have Kallie swoop in and pick it up and start chomping. I yelled SPIT! (handy thing to teach a dog to do btw) She SPAT but it was too late. Baby bird did not survive. Rest in Peace baby bird. Bad dogs! Bad Bad Dogs!!

And after another hour or so of clean-up we have this.

The rest Dan will have to do as my short little self couldn't reach that high up! I'm hoping it will get finished today. I must say this was one of dirtiest jobs I've had to do. I don't even want to know what kind of creepy crawlies were in there. That's one of the reasons I wanted this done sooner rather than later. Later gives the creepies time to really settle in and I just can't have that!

After all that work I took a shower and sat down to stitch for the rest of the night.

Just got a Mother's Day call from Adam! He's planning on doing some sight seeing in Alaska today. Not much is open up there yet but he wants to see what he can while he's there. Abby just got home, she gave me a nice card and Amy posted a really nice thing on FB so all my chicks have checked in today. I'm lucky to have them, they turned out to be good kids. Even if they do drive me nuts sometimes!

Snapped these pics of Abby yesterday before she headed out for the night. She said it was her Grunge look. WTH is a grunge look? I didn't want her to think I didn't know what she was talking about so I just said cool but inquiring minds would really like to know!

Think I will go do something productive now. Thanks for stopping by and leaving the great comments on the last post! I have printed them out to show the ladies that participated! Keep the comments coming and Welcome to my new followers! Looks like I am approaching the 200 followers mark. Best start thinking up a giveaway!

Take care till next time!

Julie

Needle Art Exhibit and a stitch a long

2011-05-03T20:22:00.000-05:00

Oh gosh, time has slipped away from me again! I had the best of intentions to post on Saturday but after Last Saturday Stitch at the shop I was pooped and just couldn't do it! Stitching was tremendous fun as usual although I didn't get the opportunity to stitch at all. We were on the go the entire day! I didn't even get to talk to most of the gals that were there. Saturday we announced the winner of our 3rd annual Needleart Exhibit. This year we didn't have many entries which completely bummed me out but still it was fun to see the ones that were there. I have made it known to all that next year I expect better participation and I followed that announcement with "the look" which according to my kids is enough to scare anyone into doing what they are told. LOL! I'm a bit sad and confused that none of the guild members brought any of their pieces in for the exhibit. I know they do fabulous work and I would love to see them in the exhibit. I don't understand why they didn't participate. Anyway, here's a pic of the entries for this year...

I was thrilled to see that despite being up against a Lavender & Lace Angel (they always seem to win), One Nation managed to get just enough votes to take the top prize. It's a beautiful piece, especially when you see it in person. Congratulations to Mary H. who stitched this wonderful design from Bygone Stitches.

Second place in case you didn't guess went to Angel of Hope by Lavender & Lace. This beautiful piece was stitched by Shellie.

The only Hardanger piece entered won third place. Kasja was thrilled to hear she won when she stopped in today to pick up her framing.

Honorable mention goes to Connie who couldn't win because we don't allow employees to enter. Her Jardin Prive Eiffel Tower deserves to be mentioned as it generated the most "do you have that chart" comments!

A little over a week ago I was eyeballing a Sampler Cove chart called Double Dutch.

I mentioned to Mary Ann that it would be cool to have it stitched up in 3 different colorways to which she immediately said she'd stitch one. Then I wrangled Mary H. into doing a third color and Voila we have a stitch-a-long going! I am way behind the other 2 though as I started mine and decided I didn't like the colors I'd chosen. So I started over with new colors.

Mary Ann is doing the chart using Carrie's Creation silks in colors that mimic the called for fibers.

Mary H. decided to use Mardi Gras colors again using Carrie's silks.

My second choice of colors were picked to be something different from the other two also using the Carrie's silks.

I've also stitched on Tuscan Rose some but haven't made much progress since I have had to stitch twice as much on Double Dutch than I should have! I don't care if I like the colors this time, I'm not starting over again.

Think I will stop here for the night and maybe go stitch on TR for a while. Glee is on and I need to eat some supper yet. Thanks for stopping in, hope you enjoyed seeing the winners work!

Take care till next time!

Julie

Squatters, stitching and a scissor fob

2011-04-25T19:15:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday weekend. We were supposed to go over to my sister's for Easter but they were all sick so we just stayed home and had a relaxing day. Ate a non-traditional dinner of steak, garlic bread, fruit salad, baked potatoes and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Easter dinner was delayed quite a bit though due to unexpected visitors. Adam had a flight to catch and needed to head to the airport by 3:30 so I had planned dinner for 2:00. Dan went into work and was to be home by 1:30 to start the steaks. I put the taters in the oven at 1:00 so they would be ready by 2:00, made the fruit salad, cut up the strawberries, buttered the garlic bread and was on target to serve dinner at 2:00 sharp. Dan arrived home, I gave him the steaks and sent him out back to start grilling. Only he wasn't out there but a minute before he came back inside, crossed his arms over his chest and said..."You're gonna want to take a picture of this". I'm thinking, what, a picture of you grilling? Been there, done that. So I replied, a picture of what exactly? "Just get your camera and come out here". Aw shit. It can't be anything good and I had a sneaky suspicion I knew what was coming...and I was right. SQUATTERS! Damn BIRD squatters!! Are you freaking kidding me??

First the attic and now our grill. Between the rabbits eating my car and the birds wanting to co-habitate with us I've about had it with wildlife! It took us, and by us I mean Dan, an hour to move the nest, clean up all the debris and scrub down the grates. I mean, who wants to eat a steak that's been cooked on a grill full of bird crap and god knows what else! Gross!! Nasty stuff I tell ya!

Adam had to eat and run due to the delay. He left in such a hurry that he forgot his last load of laundry in the dryer. That's nothing new though, he did that the last time too and he wasn't running late that time! It was wonderful having the boy home but I think he was ready to leave by Sunday.

Not much to show in the way of progress on Tuscan Rose. Just more of the same but I will share it anyway.

I also want to share the beaded scissor fob that was made by Abbie. She attended our retreat and wanted to make everyone at retreat a scissor fob. She had us all write down our color preference and address and then shortly after retreat fobs started showing up! I had requested black and white. It looks so cute attached to my black and white ginghers which are resting in my black and white shabby chic scissor beak bird! Thanks again Abbie!

I going to go sit down and stitch now since I am temporarily home alone. Took Amy back to school this morning and Dan is still working. The puppers are here though so I'm not lonely and they will snuggle up next to me once I am off the computer. Have a great night everyone!

Take care till next time!

Julie

So far not the best week I've ever had!

2011-04-20T13:22:00.000-05:00

What a week and it's only Wednesday! I started off the week by forgetting to put my car in park, exiting the vehicle and having it roll forward and hit my year old garage door. Big dent in garage door. Luckily, not in the car. But really who does that? Granted, there is a lot going on in my life right now but boy do I feel stupid! Dan was good about it and the kids think it's hilarious. Me? I'm just pizzed at myself. Then...Tuesday morning I threw a load of towels into the washer. Thought it sounded strange, opened it up and yep, the agitator was not agitating. Great, we stripped out the agitating dogs (that's what they're called, I'm not pulling your leg!) once again. That is twice in less than 4 years. My old Kenmore washer lasted 27 years and never had a service call on it until it rusted through the bottom. I miss my old washer! Finally, last night I went to open the dishwasher and the fricking handle broke off! Fan Freaking Tastic! Now it matches the broken handle on the microwave! Gotta love a matched set! Luckily, there is enough handle left that I can still open it but I am not sure how long that will be the case. The stove/oven has issues too so I can see new appliances looming on the horizon. Normally that would make me happy but we also need a new a new roof. Hmmmm what to do...at least that should be my three bad things and the rest of the week can only go up from here, right? Okay everyone, just nod your heads and agree me. RIGHT? There, that's better. Connie, I saw you back there shaking your head no. Stop that!

Been doing a little stitching in my spare time. Stitched up BBD's Remember me. I'm not sure I like it. I'll reserve judgement until I get the finishing done. Maybe it will be better then.

Then I stitched some on Tuscan Rose too. I'm happy to be working on it again. The colors are so pretty!

FAMILY MATTERS

Adam arrived home last night. He has some work conference to attend and will be home until Easter. It'll be nice to have him home for the holiday even though he will have to leave around 3 that day. I made spaghetti for supper, one of his favorites. He's always so appreciative of my cooking that it almost makes it fun to cook for him. Almost. Dan browned the burger for me but not without supervision. Ya gotta watch him like a hawk apparently. At least Gracie thinks so!

She literally stood there like that the entire time he was cooking and the meat was frozen so it took a while to brown! I don't know why she was watching him so intently, it's not like he gives her any bites of meat and she never does it when I cook but for an entire half hour she stayed right there! Silly pup!

Amy has 3 weeks of school left. I can't believe how quickly this year has gone. Neither can she. She's been bringing stuff home every weekend so that there is just the essentials that will have to be loaded up the last day. Smart girl! Her job at the new ball park has been quite the mess. She actually has yet to work. She got a call last Wednesday from her boss saying she was scheduled to work the opening game of the season on Friday. The game was cancelled due to rain but she never got a call saying not to come in. She asked me what to do and I said call and ask but they haven't given her a contact number yet so instead she drove out there. The secretary was snippy about her coming out there, saying she should have received a call not to come in to which Amy replied that she hadn't. Then the secretary said, well you didn't need to come all the way out here, you could have called to which Amy replied, no one has given me a contact number yet. Then the secretary checked the schedule and says, you weren't even scheduled to work today to which Amy said her boss had called on Wednesday and told her she was. Can anyone say...disorganized!!! After getting a contact number, she left a message for the boss wanting to know if she was to show up on Sunday for the makeup day and never heard from him so she called again. Got a hold of him and explained everything to which he replied, gosh, I must have forgotten to write you in on the schedule after we talked. We've got today covered. I'll call you middle of next week to give you a schedule. Wanna bet she never hears from him? Douche bag..

Abby is doing well, she will graduate in July and is chomping at the bit. She did get a PRN job so she is picking up hours now and again but really needs to have a full time position so she can fulfill her dream of moving out. I think moving out would be a great experience for her and that's all I'm saying on that subject!

Dan has taken on a temporary part time job with his old employers and is working every evening till around 9. This is slowing production of the birds but for those of you that ordered them, please know he is working on them a little every night. We haven't forgotten you!

I think that catches everyone up with what is and is not happening around here. Without going into details I would like to ask for prayers for my sister and my 5 yr. old nephew. Both are facing serious medical issues right now and your prayers would be appreciated. Thanks!

Thanks for stopping in and leaving those awesome comments. Some of you are interested in when our next retreat will be. I'll keep ya posted through the blog!

Take care till next time!

Julie

Part Two of the Retreat Rehash!

2011-04-13T20:58:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning was very foggy but most of us were up and at 'em in time for breakfast. Shay and Diane opted to sleep in and had told me they would not be at breakfast which was a good thing as I might have knocked on their door otherwise. For breakfast there was a cereal bar that included fresh fruit or you could have the hash brown egg casserole with cheese and salsa, I think there were scones that morning also and let me tell you those scones were delicious! After breakfast was over everyone walked back to our stitching building and got down to the serious business of stitching.

We also set out the Plum Street Sampler charts in case anyone was interested in purchasing one for Paulette's autograph. Quite a few were interested and I had to call her to bring a couple of extras. Calling her was a good idea anyway, I needed to warn her about the road so she didn't freak out.

At noon it was time to head over for lunch and since Paulette hadn't arrived yet, we left a note on the door telling her where she could find us. There was a salad bar for lunch along with hamburgers and for dessert we had brownies. I had just put my tray on the table when my cell phone rang. It was Paulette, wondering where we were (so much for leaving a note!) I explained our location to her and stepped outside the building so she could spot me and since she had yet to eat lunch, she grabbed herself a tray and sat right down to join us.

After lunch, I began introducing the ladies to Paulette but it wasn't too long before she just plopped down at a table and people were coming up to her to get their charts signed and to visit with an actual Stitching Celebrity! Not that Paulette thinks of herself that way because she doesn't. I think she was more than a bit surprised that everyone was so eager to meet her and get her autograph but she was so gracious to everyone and handled it like a pro! I have to interject here and say, this woman looks like a freaking 12 yr. old! If I hadn't met her before, I would have said she sent one of her girls in her place. I wonder if she keeps a mirror in her attic ala the Portrait of Dorian Grey? I'm just saying....LOL!!

Saturday afternoon we also exchanged recipes. Everyone, including Paulette was asked to bring 30 copies of their favorite recipe to exchange. I cheated and brought 2 but only because at our last Saturday stitch in March I had made Pizza Soup and everyone wanted a copy of that recipe but I had already done my recipe for the exchange and didn't want to waste them so they got an extra recipe from me. We also brought a massage therapist in on Saturday afternoon for those that were interested in getting a massage. It was well worth the $1.00/minute fee, let me tell you! Throughout the day on Saturday we also sold raffle tickets. The raffle prize was a tartan plaid pair of Sajou scissors. The proceeds of the raffle will be donated to a Scholarship Fund for Non-Traditional students.

After autographing the afternoon away, Paulette finally sat down to stitch and she says she did a whole 12 stitches before getting up and wandering around to see what everyone else was stitching but I think she's stretching the truth a little. I didn't actually see her put needle to fabric so I can't say for sure how much she actually did, but I would guess she did more than I did the entire 3 days. You won't see a stitching update from me on this post! At around 3:00, MaryAnn left to come back to town and pack up the store so we could have merchandise night. She and Jim got back to camp around 5:30 and then it was a mad dash to get everything set up before supper. After some pondering on Paulette's part she decided to stick around for supper before heading home. We were happy to have her stay. Supper that night was Roast beef, potatoes and carrots and lemon cake for dessert. I inhaled supper quickly and headed back to continue setting up the store. All too soon the ladies were back and chomping at the bit to shop! But first, we had Paulette draw the winning Raffle Ticket.

And the winner is.....ABBIE!!!

She and all the others helped us raise $250.00 for the scholarship fund! Thank you ladies, you are the best!

Sadly, time was passing and Paulette wanted to be back on familiar ground before dark so everyone said their goodbyes and she set off for home. Everyone was sad to see her go and we all hope she will join us again for our next retreat.

Here's what the room looked like before we let people in to shop.

And the shoppers browsing the store for goodies...

We closed up the store around 9 and spent the rest of the evening laughing, stitching and talking, the later it got the louder we got.

I think Shay and Diane were the first to retire for the evening. They had to get up to leave by 7 or 8 in the morning in order for Shay to catch her flight back to Chicago. It was 1:00 before the last of us headed to bed. Waaaay too late for me!

Breakfast Sunday morning was the cereal bar or French Toast and sausage. After breakfast we opened the store again for those last minute I thought about it and decided I wanted to buy it shoppers.

I have to tell you a funny story about Carole. She is the sweetest lady you could ever meet. She's always talking about how bad her memory is anymore and how she no longer needs to buy new books because she doesn't remember reading the ones she has so she just keeps re-reading them. I personally don't think her memory is as bad as she makes out but Sunday morning I had to wonder. She supposedly started the retreat chart on Saturday and when she retired Saturday evening she rolled up her piece and left it on the table. Sunday morning when she unrolled the fabric, there was no stitching on it! It was a completely blank piece of fabric. She stood there holding the fabric up as though the stitching would magically appear and protesting that she knew she had started that project on Saturday and what the hell could have happened to her stitching. The rest of us were practically rolling on the floor by this time because the look on her face was hilarious. She finally set the blank fabric down and wandered around for a few minutes and lo and behold when she returned to her table the stitching had magically reappeared! I still don't know who the prankster was in our group and maybe we shouldn't have found the incident funny but we did and Carole was such a good sport about it! We love you Carole!!

A lot of wonderful projects were worked on during the retreat and I would love to share some of them with you.

Below is Stacy. She drove all the way from Peoria with 3 kids in the car to attend retreat. She used to be a regular Last Saturday Stitcher until her husband was transferred. We miss her.

Doreen has been struggling with her missing stitching mojo. She started Rosewood Manors Inspiration while at Retreat. Hopefully she'll be able to keep the mojo flowing!

Merrilyn's Town & Country Sampler stitched over 1 on 40 ct

2 of Abbie's WIP's


Abbie's other WIP

Nancy found a WIP at the stash swap that she fell in love with!

Elaine with her Shores of Hawks Run Hollow

Merry worked on a Just Nan called Crystal Roses

Mary worked on the Retreat Exclusive

Sandy and her Little House Rosey piece

Lois (our oldest stitcher at 82) and her butterfly

Connie finished her Joyful Summer by CCN

Shay came to us all the way from Chicago, via Kansas City where she picked up or maybe I should say was picked up by her sister Diane. Doesn't she have the prettiest smile?


Diane working on her Fall Leaves picture

Deb is new to our group but seems to be fitting in quite nicely. She had a heck of a time with her stitching though! She spent most of her time reverse stitching!

Denise with her finish

Here's Carol wandering around after her stitching magically became invisible...

She was admiring the Show and Tell that Elaine brought. The beautiful Houses of Hawks Run Hallow

Taking a break to have some fun!

Connie was working on and actually finished the Sampler Roundy from Shakespeare's Peddler.

She gets the prize for most readers belonging to one person. And this is not her entire collection. She left some at home.

And even with all that help from the readers, she still managed to do this...

Closer...

Seriously, how does that happen?

Laurie finished her Primitive Needle chart By the Light of the Moon...

Nancy if you are reading this stop now cuz you can't see the next picture. Donna said so.
Donna finished this picture to give to Nancy. She must like her sister way more than I like my mine!

The morning passed by too quickly and before we knew it, lunch was ready. We had ham, au gratin potatoes, and jello poke cake. And then one by one the stitcher's packed up their equipment, loaded their cars and headed on down the road. The Stitcher's Recipe for Friendship Retreat was over and although everyone was a bit sad to see it end, I think I can speak for the lot of us and say that we all made some wonderful new friends that we will hopefully stay in contact with and perhaps see again in the future. Maybe at the next retreat!

And that is the end of my story. I must apologize for the quality of the pictures. My camera really does not do a good job indoors. One of these days, I will upgrade but not any time in the near future. If you lasted through this entire novel, kudos to you! Thanks for hanging in there and thanks for the comments! I appreciate them!

Take care till next time!

Julie

Retreat Rehash! Picture Heavy Part 1

2011-04-11T22:29:00.000-05:00

I'm back from retreat and I lived to tell the tale...oh wait, I was told what happens at retreat stays at retreat so some things I will have to keep to myself. Sorry. BUT, as a consolation prize I have lots of pictures to share, I hope that helps take the sting of my editing away!

We'll begin our story at, well, the beginning! I was up and packed and ready to go in plenty of time, even managed to get to the shop before Mary Ann. We discussed some last minute things, packed the cars with some last minute items and were just about to head out the door when a customer came in. It was a good thing she came when she did, 2 minutes later and we would have been gone and she would have been S.O.L. because she needed a color conversion and fabric chosen for a project and Jim, Mary Ann's significant other and owner of the shop just isn't up to speed with color conversions and fabric choosing. As those of you who have done a color conversion before know, it is not always an easy process but I got her done as quickly as possible, but unfortunately, the customer was in a chatty mood and it was an hour later before she finally left. Putting us an hour behind schedule. Connie had no idea we had been delayed and she headed out from her house at 10 as agreed, consequently, she hit the unexpected road mess first and luckily for me she called me to tell me to be careful. The road she said was an absolute @#*&@#& mess with road graders and large trucks tearing it up and since it was a gravel road, and it had rained all day on Thursday she was not exaggerating as I found out when I got to that point. My car barely made it through and I was instantly worried about all the retreaters getting through it. Not that there was anything we could do about it at that point. Putting that worry aside we pulled up to Calvin Crest. NOTE: All pictures are clickable to enlarge them.

It was kinda cool to see our event up on the sign!

Unloading the vehicles as quickly as possible we got to work getting everything set up, deciding how to put the tables, running the extension cords, hanging the Plum Street Sampler models, putting the little packets on their pillows...all the little things that needed to be done before everyone arrived and due to our being late, we didn't get finished until 20 minutes before the first retreater was scheduled to arrive!

Stitching Room waiting for stitcher's

Plum Street Sampler Models

Small friendship bag was placed on each person's pillow

Contents of the above friendship bag

Connie and I were on luggage and room duty while Mary Ann manned the desk and got everyone checked in.

At check in the ladies were given a Friendship box, a goodie bag, and their name tag.

The box contained an exclusive chart designed by Paulette Stewart of Plum Street Samplers, the fabric and the fibers to stitch it and a special card with a Stitcher's Recipe for Friendship on it. My friend Eloise and I spent a week of long nights working on the boxes to get them just right. She's a Stampin Up rep and has all the tools and such that were needed.

The finished model

I finished the model by mounting it on this pedestal made by the hubby. He made 30 of them and by the time he was finished he was sick to death of them! The pedestals were offered to the retreaters for a special price during vendor night.

Abbie was the first to arrive. She is such a brave lady, she didn't know us from Adam and yet she drove by herself for 6 hours to attend the retreat, her very first retreat. I would never have had the nerve to do that. Connie took care of getting Abbie settled into her chosen stitching spot while I stayed on duty at the door to help the next attendee that arrived. For a while it was a steady stream of cars and a few panicked phone calls from ladies afraid they were on the wrong road or worried about getting stuck in the mud. Happily, everyone made it through okay and the last retreaters arrived around 5:30p.m.

Supper was served at 6:30 and after supper we set up the stash swap and let the ladies in to swap to their hearts content. There was a lot of stash! Tons of it in fact.

Stash for the swap

More Stash

Chairs with fabric


Another view

Swapping for Stash!

The rest of the evening was spent stitching and talking and getting to know all the new people we didn't know. I can't tell you how much fun we had and the laughter was out of control at times!

Stacy and Linda

Carole and I

I called it a night around midnight. Breakfast is served at 8a.m. at Calvin Crest. Too early if you ask me!!

And so ends the first day of our Recipe for Friendship Retreat.

I'll stop here for now. It's almost 10:30p.m. and I have ignored the puppers all evening.

Stay tuned for part two!

As always, thanks for stopping by and take care till next time!

Julie

Goodbye!!

2011-04-08T08:26:00.000-05:00

In keeping with my vow to blog a bit more often, I thought perhaps I should pop in this morning and let you all know that I am leaving for retreat in a few minutes and will not be back until late Sunday afternoon. The car is mostly packed (how one person can need so dang much for 3 days is beyond me!), just have the last few things that have to go. One thing that won't be going is my brandy bread. I was in the middle of mixing it up last night when my phone rang. It was my older sister. She never calls me. Ever. UNLESS she needs something. I considered not answering the phone but figured that would be rude so I answered. I was right, she needed something. Apparently there was a strange smell in their house and could I come and identify it. I sighed heavily and said I would be right over. I couldn't leave them to die of carbon monoxide or something just because I knew it would mess up my bread could I? No, I couldn't. So I drove on down the street and entered the house. Yep, there was a funny smell. Like something was hot. I had no idea what it could be though and I couldn't even tell her who she should call. It's not like there were flames or anything, just this smell of something hot. I left after a half hour of looking for the source. Her husband was home and I figured he could handle it from there. Called her this morning and they are still alive and well, they think it was a piece of plastic on the heat lamp in the lizards cage, yep that would do it. Anyway, all that was to say my Brandy Bread is not going with me to retreat because that half hour of wait time in the middle of mixing the ingredients did not do it any good. It's edible but not up to par. Oh well, at least I earned brownie points with the big guy upstairs, or I hope so anyway.

I will take lots of pictures at retreat and give you the scoop when I get back.

Have a great weekend and take care till next time!

Julie

My new Chicken!

2011-04-04T20:04:00.000-05:00

It is a very good thing I don't ride a broom to work most days cuz today with the way the wind was blowing I never would have made it! Good Lord it was blowing something awful. So awful in fact it took out one of our lights on the front of the house. I came home from to find it on the ground. One of the glass panels broke but I'm hoping we can turn that side toward the house when we re-hang it and you won't notice. Providing of course that it can be re-hung.

I had a pretty good weekend. Saturday I made a Hobby Lobby run for retreat stuff, stopped at the thrift store and bought a chicken, went to Weathered and Worn and bought a lamp, headed home, picked Dan up and off we went to a different Hobby Lobby since the one closest to my house did not have enough of what I was buying (i can't say what it was, retreat related and all). Whilst I was there I bought a basket I had been admiring for quite some time and then I bought some eggs to go in the basket since the chicken I bought at the thrift store wasn't going to be laying eggs any time soon, if ever...but if she did happen to lay some, I bet they'd be worth a pretty penny! Here's my chicken, you can call her Henrietta, sitting by her nest of eggs. See now why any eggs laid by her would be worth something? They'd have to sell for at least as much as the face of Mary on a grilled cheese sandwich sold for don't ya think?

And here's my new lamp that I have to return. The switch is bad. Dan got it to work long enough for me to snap a picture but then I unplugged it cuz he said to keep an eye on it or it might burn the house down. He also said just kidding after that but my husband didn't get the nickname Zap for nothing. He and electricity do not get along. I'd rather play it safe, return the lamp and not worry about burning the house down. Hopefully they'll have another lamp and I can just exchange it.

Talked with Adam today. He was finally given a date for his move to D.C. Last day in Salt Lake is May 27th. He's looking forward to the move. According to him, there are 5 girls for every guy in D.C. He's hoping to find a wife while he's there. Gotta be better odds than he had in Salt Lake. I've heard housing is horribly expensive. I'm a bit worried about him finding a decent place he can afford but he's not too concerned.

Amy was home this past weekend. She got a job at the new ballpark in town and was home for some training. I was talking to her about how I don't think anyone is reading my blog and she scolded me! She told me what can I expect when I only post once a month! She's right. I've been neglectful. So I have vowed to try to do better. Just in case you couldn't tell, this is me, trying to do better.

Finally, I will leave you with an update on Tuscan Rose. As soon as I finish here, I'm going to go stitch on her some more. I should be working on retreat stuff since it is only 4 days away but I'm not feeling it tonight so stitching it is.

Take care till next time!

Julie

Tuscan Rose

2011-04-01T09:18:00.000-05:00

I find it amazing that the appearance of the sun after days and days of gloom can lift a persons spirit and cause instant happiness. I feel lighter, thinner even. More ready to face the day. The birds are out doing their thing and even they seem happier. Who needs pharmaceuticals when the sun is shining! Not me!

Still not a lot of stitching going on around here. I am now finished with all the projects for retreat so that has freed up some time in the evenings but so far I have spent them cleaning up after myself. I craft kinda like I cook. Completely trash the place during the process and then have to go back and perform miracles cleaning it all up! It's looking some better but I have a ways to go yet. I thought I would show you what I have done with the stitching though. I started Tuscan Rose by Sampler Cove a couple weeks ago when I found myself unexpectedly attending a stitching retreat. Mary Ann and Connie were supposed to go and I was going to man the shop but at the last minute something came up and Mary Ann had to stay so I went. This was my first retreat aside from the ones our shop has hosted so I was interested to see how things were done. Connie and I had a good time, saw some amazing projects from hardanger to counted canvas, to needlepoint, to some fancy thing I can't remember that a lady at our table was doing. It was gorgeous! Then there were all the HAED being stitched there. Almost made me want to bring out the Twelve Dancing Princesses! Almost. Such talent these ladies have! The food was great too. All in all it was a good time and for once I actually got some stitching done! In case you are not familiar with Tuscan Rose, here is a picture I borrowed from European Cross Stitch.

And here is what I have done so far.

I am really enjoying this piece. The colors are luscious, I'm using the called for silks from Vicki Clayton and I am stitching it on 40 count linen but can't remember what it is. I'll have to look when I get to work. All the wording is done over 1 and I am not minding that at all even though I thought I might. I can't wait to stitch more of this wonderful design!

While I was cleaning up part of my crafting mess Wednesday, I decided to rearrange the family room. I was feeling the need for a bit more open space and in order achieve that I had to remove one larger piece of furniture which left me with no place for a lamp in the corner. It's a dark corner and it needed a lamp so I decided to bring up one of the thrifting finds that I haven't shown you yet because I was intending to paint them. In fact, I had just decided I would paint them cream with a wash of brown glaze and now I am glad we hadn't gotten the actual painting done. Cream would not be my first choice for the family room. I'm thinking maybe leaving it or painting it an olive green with a glaze. Anyway, the table fits perfectly at the end of the sofa and I am so glad I thought to bring it upstairs. What do you think? Leave it or paint it?

It's 9:15, I haven't eaten breakfast or made my lunch yet so I better get a move on here else I will be late for work. Thanks so much for stopping in. Comments are much appreciated!

Take care till next time!

Julie

They're Back!

2011-03-24T09:14:00.000-05:00

Good Morning!

Something is just not right with blogger these days. Or is it just me?

Some time ago, I shared a scrapbook page I had done about the damn birds that keep moving into our attic. Well, guess what? They did it again! This past weekend, Dan and Adam removed a 3 foot by 5 foot nest again, covered in 2 inches of bird droppings and containing several eggs. This time to fix it, he went up on the roof and covered the vent from the outside with wire mesh in addition to the wire mesh on the inside. I sure hope this takes care of it for good!

Not much stitching to share today. Not because I haven't been stitching, but because most of what I have stitched or worked on has been related to our upcoming retreat. I can't very well share pictures of it or I will let the cat out of the bag! But I can say, Paulette (Plum Street Samplers) did a wonderful job designing our retreat exclusive! I've got it all stitched up and have almost finished the mounting of it. I hope everyone loves it as much as I do! With only 2 weeks till retreat I am going to be a very busy girl getting everything pulled together and Dan is a very busy boy working on the piece the stitching can/will be mounted on.

Scissor Birds have been put on the back burner until after retreat. But we have decided that for the Eastern Nebraska Segmented Hardwood Scissor Beak bird, (shown above) we will take orders. This is for the all wood version. It does not come with the scissors, threads, or thimble. Just the bird and base. The cost for Dans bird is $50.00 + shipping. I also must tell you that I can't give you a time frame on them. Dan works 2 jobs so the birds are made in his free time. They will be done on a first come first serve basis and we won't ask for payment until your bird is ready to ship. So, if you are interested in the wood version, send me an email with your name and address and I will add you to the list. I will send you an email when he starts working on your bird and again when your bird is finished.

That's it for today folks. I need to get ready for work. I have a display of arrowheads to work on today. Gonna be a pain in the patootie to stitch those puppies down!

Take care till next time!

Julie

Birds and a finish

2011-03-15T09:29:00.001-05:00

Good Morning!

The sun is out and it is supposed to be in the 50's today! Makes me want to play hooky from work but if I do that the millions and millions of framing projects I have to do will never get finished!

Just a quick fly by post today. I wanted to say thanks for all the lovely comments on the birds. It's funny, I took them to work with me on Saturday (it was Second Saturday Stitch) and everyone wanted the red and blue birds but not one person wanted the pink whereas here, the pink seemed to be the most popular. Anyway, Dan and I will be selling both styles of the birds but haven't decided yet how to do it. Orders? Just post one when we have them made? I don't know. But I'll let you know as soon as possible if anyone is interested.

I have a quick finish to share and then I need to go pack my lunch. This is a freebie from Plum Street Samplers that can be found here about 3/4 of the way down the page. Hope you like it!

Take care and have a wonderful day!!

Julie

Busted and Birds

2011-03-09T19:49:00.000-06:00

OMG! I have been a bad blogger. You know you've been a bad blogger when your son calls you and says, "So, you've given up on your blog huh." Crap. Busted. And he isn't the only one dinging me about it. Apparently, some actually miss reading it! So here I am having spent my entire day off at the computer working on the information packet for retreat, my butt has already taken on the form of the hard oak chair I've been sitting on all day so another hour or two isn't going to matter! LOL!

Since Nashville was weeks ago already, I won't comment on it too much except to say we had a good time in spite of the passing of Mary Ann's mother the day before we left. We drove straight through on that Thursday which allowed us to play on Friday a bit. The best thing about the whole trip was this billboard we have passed by every time we have gone to market. Now maybe I have a warped sense of humor but it makes me laugh every time I see it. I have wanted to take a picture of it but I kept forgetting which town it was in and by the time I would spot it, it was always too late. Not this time though! We were on the lookout for it about a hundred miles before we actually saw it. Mary Ann spotted it before I did and pulled over to the side of the interstate so I could get a good picture of it. May I present:

Just too funny!

I know in my last post I promised to show you what Dan was working on. Part of the reason I didn't post as soon as I got home from Nashville was the vendor I needed to buy from didn't show. I have since learned they were ill and I ordered what I needed but I didn't get it until this past Monday. I need to give you some background on this project before I show it. My good friend Connie is an Etsy addict and she always finds the cutest little things there. A few weeks ago she came to work with this little wooden folk art bird that holds a pair of scissors.

The end of the scissors pops through and makes the beak of the bird. I thought it was the cutest thing so I took it home to Dan and said can you make me one? He said sure, piece of cake! However, Dan has a wee little problem. We don't talk about it much but it still exists. He has this insatiable desire to make things better than the original (sometimes he succeeds and sometimes he doesn't) Plus, he likes to give Connie a hard time. So he took the above bird and he made it into what he has named:

The Eastern Nebraska Segmented Hardwood Scissor Beak Bird.

It started out looking like this.

I kept pointing out to Dan that Connie's didn't look that way. He kept saying...I can make it better, stronger, fly higher and faster than the original. And in the end, when he was done, it looked like this...

But still the man was not happy. No, he needed a wooden thimble. And wood handled scissors. I thought the man was losing it. A wooden thimble sure, but Wood Handled Scissors? Not gonna happen dude. You're dreaming. Pull that head down outta the clouds! Except that fate stepped in and Sajou announced their new beautiful wood handled scissors that were to be available at Nashville. And Dan was happy, estatic even. So we waited. And when I got home from Nashville, I had to give him the sad news that the scissors were there. He made me promise to call and order them, which I did. But no one answered the phone. I left a message. I waited a couple days and then I left another message. Waited some more and called again. I got a man on the phone. He told me they had all been sick but someone would call me back. So we waited again. No call. I placed another call and SCORE!! The nice lady said the scissors were in stock and she would send them out that day. So we waited. Monday the UPS truck pulled up at the shop and the nice UPS man got out carrying this little box. I just knew it was Dan's scissors. And I was right! Now, eight different types of wood later, here he is in all his wooden glory...TA DA!!!

See the wooden thimble? Connie donated it to him. Even though Dan had to go and one up her cute vintage bird. She's nice like that. Plus I think she was worried about his sanity! LOL!!

BUT! The bird saga is not yet over. I had an idea of my own. I'd like to say I one upped Dan but I can't compare my efforts with his. His bird is art. My birds are craft. But I think they're cute and others must think so too since I have had several requests from friends for one. So here is what I call The Shabby Chic Scissor Beak Bird!

Shabby Pink:

and Shabby Red:

And now I am going to call it a night, go sit in my comfy stitching chair and work on the model of the chart Paulette designed for retreat. It's gonna be here before I know it!

Have a wonderful evening, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I love comments and would very much like to here what you all think of the birds!

Take care till next time!!

Julie

Projects, Jenny Bean and the Luck 'O the Irish!

2011-02-16T20:40:00.000-06:00

Hello! I wanted to post something before I head off to Nashville. Things have been just crazy busy around here. I know I keep saying that but it's true! Broke my record of 24 framing projects by 2. Yesterday morning I had 26 projects. By the time I left work last night I had 9 fewer but today we have taken in another and I heard from 2 customers yesterday that said they have several they are bringing in. Job security folks, that's all I have to say about that! I'm actually tickled pink about it. I want this shop to be a success and stay around for a long, long time.

Dan and I have been working on a couple of crafty type things that I just can't wait to show you but sadly, we're all going to have to wait a little while longer. I absolutely can't show it until after I get back from Market. A critical part of the whole design needs to be purchased there. So make sure you tune in next week to see it. Dan is so thrilled with his _______. OOPS! I almost typed it!

I've also been working on a peyote stitch fob. I bought the kit in St. Charles last fall and it has taken me this long to get up the guts to open the package and give it a try. I've never beaded like this before and I have to tell you, I think my brain has atrophied in the last 10 years. I read the directions about a billion times and I might as well have been reading Greek. None of it made sense to me. Then I googled Peyote stitch and read about 15 different websites on how to do it until I finally found one that sort of made sense to me. I am now at the point where I need to attach the clasp and I am in the same boat as before. I have read and re-read the directions, for a week now I have been reading the directions and I am still clueless. I think in another 10 years I will most likely be a blithering idiot if this is anything to go by! I still haven't opened my knotwork chart that I bought in St. Charles How long do you think it will take me to figure out a colonial knot?? UPDATE: Sad sad news. I was cleaning up the kitchen when I got home from work and knocked my fob off the counter without noticing. The fricking fracking dog that shares space with me decided it looked like something to munch on. I will need to repair it so you don't get a picture of it mostly done. Instead you get a picture of it half way done.

Jenny Bean is coming along slowly since I have been doing some other crafting as of late. Progress has been made but not much.

I've also stitched up Lucky from Plum Street Samplers. I plan to make it into a pillow when I get back.

In Offspring News...

Talked with Adam on Sunday. He's doing well and is ready to leave Utah. There isn't much work for him to do anymore so he's a bit bored. The latest news is he will go to either D.C. or Orlando. I'm voting for Orlando. I"ve never been to Disney anything and would love to go sometime before I die. This would give me the perfect excuse!

Abby is doing well. She and the boyfriend are getting along nicely. School is good too with the exception of one gal that hates her guts. I would say there might be some merit to her complaints if any of the other supervisors in that place had a problem with Abby or if any of the supervisors in the other rotation hospitals had a problem with her but they all have given her glowing reviews. This particular one has ripped her to shreds three times now. I keep telling Abs that she is going to run into people like that all her life and there isn't a dang thing you can do about it but she still cried on my shoulder for an hour. Makes ya just want to go find the woman and bitch slap her!

Amy quit the newspaper at school. She just couldn't handle the fact that her performance was based so heavily on other people returning her emails and phone calls. She was getting migraines and stomach aches and finally could not take it any more. She's much happier now. She's still planning a journalism degree but now wants to add pre-med into the mix. She and her friend Rose have decided to room together next year and were hoping to get into one of the suite style dorm rooms but they didn't get chosen so they will stay in the dorm they are both in now. I'm thinking that's not such a bad thing. 4 girls in one space is 2 too many!

Finally I will show you another of my thrifty finds. This time it's a sewing box. Paid a whopping 5 bucks for it! Dan will pretty it all up for me and I will either take it to the shop or use it here at home. I'm not sure yet.

And now, I best get my rear in gear and get my packing finished. Mary Ann will be picking me up at 8:30 in the morning and away we will go. Don't know if I will be able to check in at all while I'm away but I'll try.

Take care till next time!

Julie

My Almost Dead Family, Paulette Stewart, Jenny Bean Update and a thrifty find

2011-02-08T19:19:00.000-06:00

I have to tell you that I almost killed my entire family when I came downstairs last Tuesday. If you read my previous post you will know that the last thing I said to them before heading to bed on that Friday was do the dishes and wipe off the counters. Can you believe that when I came down I found that not only had the dishes not been done the entire time I was sick but the counters were never wiped off either! I know I raised the kids to do their chores and when I tell them specifically to do something I expect it done. Somehow, now that they are grown they feel that it is no longer necessary. I'm not sure how that happened but I made damn sure everyone in the house knew I wasn't happy. I must have made my point because everyone, including Dan has been very good about cleaning up this past week. They better not slip back into their old ways either or they may wind up dead anyway!

Last Friday Paulette Stewart of Plum Street Samplers came to the shop to discuss our retreat. For those that might not know, she is designing a special chart for our retreat and will be also be attending the retreat for part of the day, most likely the Saturday. This was the first time I had met her in person and I must say she is delightful! I'm sure many of you have seen her soon to be released chart called "The Flood". Paulette brought her model with her to show us and I have to say she has outdone herself with this one. It.Is.Stunning!!! And I am not a Noah's Ark fan! The picture doesn't do it justice but I swiped it from her facebook anyway.

She also brought Hare's Autumn and Hare's Winter. Both are adorable and must haves for this Hare's fan!

I promised to share my thrifting treasures with you in my last post. If you have been a long time reader of my blog you might remember this post about thrifting with my husband and you also might remember that thrifting with my husband is something of an adventure. He makes up stories about every item he picks up, and let me tell you, he picks up everything. I warned Connie about this before Dan joined us so she wouldn't be taken by surprise. To my surprise, Miss Connie jumped right on the band wagon and started making up her own stories! I was outnumbered for sure! Thankfully I was able to talk to the two of them out of the leather water flask that supposedly came from Morrocco, the railroad spike that was the very first spike used in the transcontinental railroad, the pottery that was from Pompeii, and a Peruvian something that had been dug up by the Indians in the Andes mountains. So what did we come home with?

The first item is a silver teapot that according to Dan if you rub it a genie will appear and grant you 3 wishes. I've rubbed the dang thing off and on since Saturday and so far, no genie. But that's okay cuz I really like it, genie or no genie!

And here she is with all her tarnished friends:

I'll share another of my finds in my next post.

I haven't done a ton of stitching since recovering and nothing while I was sick but I did finish filling in that middle part of Jenny Bean and I have another of the houses done. I changed the colors of the house as you can see. I sure hope when I get this finished that I like it! What do you think?

I need to mention that Cranberry Samplings is having a wonderful giveaway to celebrate her 300th follower! Quite the impressive feat! Congratulations! Head on over there if you haven't already!

That's it for today folks. Thanks for the get well wishes on my last post, I am feeling better every day.

Take care till next time!

Julie

Rejoining the land of the living!

2011-02-06T10:58:00.000-06:00

Been a while hasn't it? In my defense I do have a good excuse. I was sick! Sick as a dog sick. Took to my bed for 5 days sick and I never go to bed when I am sick. Sicker than I can ever remember being sick. I started feeling bad on January 20th. Had a tickle in my throat during the day but by that evening I felt like I had been hit by a truck. Went to work briefly on Friday to do a couple of framing jobs that needed to be done and then went home. Made supper that night and went to bed, told the family to do the dishes and wipe down the counters and that was it until I stumbled down the stairs on Tuesday afternoon. I vaguely remember going to the doctor on Saturday, missed my birthday entirely on Sunday the 23rd and on Tuesday when I came down the stairs it was to head to the Dr. again. I couldn't stand not being able to take a deep breath and when I was breathing I was also squeaking. Having 2 kids with asthma has taught me that the two symptoms are not a good sign so I took myself off to the Dr. where after listening to my litany of symptoms both past and present, he stuck a long q-tip up into my brain while saying, this is going to hurt a bit, not only did I see stars but I swear I saw horns sticking out of the mans head and heard chuckling while he was wiggling around up in there. The verdict was I did not have influenza but pseudo-influenza. Looks just like the real thing only not. After refusing a shot of steroids, apparently I wasn't so sick that I would willing submit to that, he gave me an inhaler and told me to hang in there, it would all be over soon. I wasn't sure quite how to take that but opted to believe he meant the being sick would be over soon and not that my life would be over soon. Went back to bed and by Thursday morning I was up and sorta recovered enough to go to work for a few hours. Worked a short day Friday too. In fact, it wasn't until just yesterday that I could take a deep breath without pain and a coughing fit. So what did I do? I went thrifting! And then I paid for it last night with several bouts of coughing throughout the night. I mustn't be as recovered as I would like to think. But it was worth it. I took my friend Connie with me and Dan joined us later and the 3 of us had a great time. Found several treasures that I will show you over the next few posts. I could write a book today if I wanted to but I think I will keep it short since I should be doing things like the laundry, the grocery shopping, cleaning the house etc. etc. etc...

Take care till next time!

Julie

Addiction, Stitching updates, Guessing game and Framed finishes.

2011-01-19T13:07:00.000-06:00

It's snowing again. I was hoping the weather guy was wrong but nope, the little white stuff is once again falling out of the sky.

Today was laundry day. I had intended to stitch between loads but somehow I never got as far as my stitching chair. Zuma Blitz was calling my name. Have you played it yet? If you haven't, don't. It is waaaay too addicting. If you have, you know what I'm talking about. You keep playing and playing trying to better your score until you run out of mojo. Then you quickly run upstairs, grab a load of laundry from the bathroom floor, rush back down, switch the load in the washer to the dryer, hang up what can't go in the dryer, toss in the new load and run back to the computer to see if your mojo has reappeared. It's insanity. Then if your son happens to play the game, and he gets a better score than you do and he calls and says Bwwaahahaha and hangs up, well then you have to run to the computer to see just how bad he's beat you and then of course you have to try to beat him back so you can call him and go Bwwaahahaha back and hang up. Guess I can always finish the laundry this weekend.

Despite my addiction, I have been stitching although it feels like I've been stitching in place. Filling in that big center block is going to be the death of me.

In fact, I'm so bored with it that I decided to start something else just to give myself a break but it's not much better at this point! Bad choice on my part. Anyone wanna guess what this chart pictured below is? First follower to guess correctly will win a prize. Not gonna say what it'll be yet, I have a couple of ideas but I haven't quite decided.

Have a couple of framed finishes to share. I don't think I ever showed them framed up. The Stitching Lady by Homespun Elegance
And Holy Night from Shepards Bush

American Idol is on now so I think I will make this a short post for once and go sit down, watch the train wreck and maybe stitch some. Have a great night everyone!

Take care till next time!

Julie

It's cold, Jenny Bean update and bad framing

2011-01-12T12:06:00.000-06:00

Hello!

As my dear hubby would say, it's colder than a witches tit in an iron bra out there today! Personally I would think that anyone's tit in an iron bra would be just as cold but apparently not!

I heard on the news last night that there is now snow in 49 of 50 states. Quite an accomplishment for ol' mother nature! But enough is enough Mom and it's time to loosen your grip and let some warm air in to melt all this stuff away!! At least around here we are not dealing with the ice that those in the south are dealing with. I hope it warms up there soon or my friend Debi and her dogs are going to be awfully hungry. She said this morning she only has 2 more days of doggy food left.

We took Amy back to school on Sunday morning so we could avoid all the weather that was headed our way. We timed it pretty well, as we were leaving Lincoln it started snowing there pretty good but we drove out of it and had clear roads most of the way home. Amy is mad cuz they canceled school Monday and Tuesday and she doesn't have classes on Wednesdays. She could have stayed home in her nice comfortable bed for 2 more days!

Yesterday while at work, I had to take apart a cross stitch picture that was brought in on Saturday. The picture had been professionally framed at Ben Franklins at least 10 years ago and the frame was coming apart. Our customer wanted to know if I could fix the frame for her. I explained to her that the frame was falling apart because it was not a hefty enough frame for the size of the piece. I could certainly glue it back together but the same thing was going to happen again.

She decided to choose a new slightly larger frame instead. Knowing my customer the way I do, I know that she wants her stitching framed in a manner that will preserve them for as long as possible so I then pointed out to her that the matting on the piece was not acid free.

Orange/brown bevels = acid mats. She was horrified that the mats were acid. Why would her old framer use acid mats she wondered? Now I happen to know who the old framer was. I'm told she was a very nice woman and everyone always says what a wonderful job she did with her framing. I'm not trying to diss her in any way. But I have re-framed quite a few pieces that she had framed and none of them were framed with conservation in mind. If it's a throw away piece it's not such a big deal but on an heirloom piece it can ruin it. Part of the issue might be that in her day, acid free was not generally thought to be important, it was more expensive and fewer people were really interested in conservation framing. What ever the reason, I thought my customer would want to know. The decision was made to re-mat the piece. Knowing from past experience what I might find when I opened up the old frame, I brought my camera to the shop yesterday so I could document what I found. I was shocked and surprised when I opened up the back and found what I did though. Masking tape on the cross stitch fabric...

mats taped to the front of the stitching...

rusty pins and of course acid foam core. The foam core I expected. The faded mats I expected too as there was not conservation glass used.

The masking tape and mats taped to the front of the piece I did not. There is some damage where the masking tape was and a bit of discoloration where the tape was holding the mats to the piece but the new mats will cover that up.

I'll cut the damage from the masking tape off so the acid cannot leach any further into the fabric and it should be good to go after that. So all this is just to say...if you had something framed 10 or more years ago that you wish to keep around for a while, it might be in your best interests to have it checked out to be sure that everything was done with conservation in mind. Check your mat bevels to see if they are discolored as that is the first clue that there might be a problem. We'll now return you to your regularly scheduled programming...

I'm coming right along on Jenny. Still trying to decide if I like the burgundy chimney. I think so but I'm reserving judgement until I get further along. I've changed a couple of other things as long as I am at it. The door is supposed to be mustard seed and I just wasn't digging it so I changed it to Toasted Barley and the little hanging fruit things were supposed to be caramel corn but I changed them to Grape Arbor. So...what do you think?

I've managed to waste most of my morning off playing Zuma Blitz and chatting with friends on facebook so I better finish this and go do something productive with my day. Not sure what that might be but I'm thinking huddling under a blanket while stitching sounds like a good idea! Maybe I'll put a pot of soup on for supper while I'm at it. Or not. We'll have to see. Thanks for stopping in and commenting!

Take care till next time!

Julie

Jenny Beans, Shop models and Golf

2011-01-03T08:42:00.000-06:00

Good Morning!! (side note: started this post yesterday and didn't get it finished)

It's back to work for me this morning. Don't have tons to do until tomorrow when my order arrives but I can putter around with a football jersey, stretch a couple of cross stitch pieces and catch up with MaryAnn since we haven't seen each other for a week.

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Years weekend. I spent most of mine doing laundry. Boat loads of laundry. But it's all done now and yesterday I only had one final load to do and the rest of the day was spent doing...pretty much nothing! It was awesome. I made some yummy homemade French Onion Soup New Years Eve and yesterday I made homemade Chicken and Dumplings. Haven't had much time to cook lately so it was nice to do a little of it over the weekend.

I want to say thanks for all the wonderful comments on my last post. I always hesitate to write about what really goes on in my life because usually its just one long list of things that have gone wrong. I don't want all of blogdom thinking I'm making this stuff up or that my family is a complete mess (it is but I don't want you all thinking it) but then I think maybe Julie's version of the Perils of Pauline will make someone else think that their life isn't as bad as it could be, kinda like soap operas do for me and so I go ahead and lay it all out there. I will try to balance this all out with good stuff as much as possible. Like telling you that my toilet is now functioning properly. This is a good thing because going up and down stairs really hurts my ankle and now I don't have to leave this level of the house to take care of business.

Also a big WELCOME to my newest followers. One of my newest visitors made a comment about being sorry for laughing at my various misadventures. Mary, I love to hear that I have made someone laugh or have brightened their day. Makes it all worthwhile! Don't be sorry about it. Anyway, thanks everyone for being such great ladies!

I think I might have mentioned once or twice that I really don't have a fondness for sports, especially golf and football so you might understand my reaction when Dan announced last night that he needed to be up and out of the house by 7:30 this morning to go play golf. GOLF??? In January. In NEBRASKA. Are you serious? I've known for a while now that golfers are a different breed of people. I will never understand the attraction but hey, whatever floats your boat, but Golfing in January in Nebraska is just insane! He must have realized I was getting ready to call the men in white coats because he quickly explained that they weren't playing outside. Nope. Not outside. Golfers have managed to come up with something called Virtual Golf! Apparently you stand in front of a net, hit the golf ball into the net and a computer takes over and shows you where the ball goes on different PGA courses. As he's standing there explaining how the whole concept works in an animated sort of way with hand gestures and everything, different thoughts were running through my head. None of them very nice and then it hits me. Before I continue with that thought you have to understand that IN MY OPINION, the only saving grace to the sport of golf is you get a nice walk out of it if you choose to leave the golf cart behind. What hit me was, OMG now you don't even have to walk! You can stand in one place and golf an entire 18 holes of golf without ever breaking a sweat! That's just wrong. In every sense of the word. But being the loving wife that I am, I only made fun of him for an hour or so before letting the matter drop and going to bed. Okay, so if it hadn't been bedtime I probably would've continued to tease him about it but that's beside the point. The real point is...there are no longer any redeeming qualities to the sport of golf and it can now become obsolete and all those beautiful open spaces can be made over into something better. Like a park or horseback riding trails or a shopping mall. UPDATE: Did you know you can pull your groin muscle while standing in one spot? I'm here to tell you it can absolutely be done and my husband did it!! Poor man is a bit sore from all that hard work! :)

I'm having a lot of fun reading all the posts for the 15 in 15 challenge. So many beautiful projects are being started. Does anyone know if there is a centralized location for seeing what everyone that is involved is working on? I know I'm missing some of them and I would like to keep up on it all. It's not something I could do, I have decided I really am a one project at a time person. My ability to rotate comes in at an impressive ZERO. Seems I get into one and don't move on to another no matter how much I tell myself I can do it. I'm resigned to it and that's okay. I'll just live vicariously through all of you that can do it. So if you are taking part or know someone that is could you mention it in the comments section please? Or if there is a central location post that site for me? Thanks!

Here's my update on Jenny Bean. As you all probably noticed, it looks somewhat different than the original. I would love to be able to tell you that this change was deliberate. Planned out. On purpose. Sadly, I would be telling a big ol' whopper of a lie if I did that. No, I mis-read the symbol and since I use a working copy I didn't have the colored picture to refer to at my fingertips and although I thought at the time, huh, somethings not right, by the time I realized my mistake it was too late. I wasn't going to frog the dang thing. I like how it looks enough to keep it that way. So, now I need to decide where to go with it from this point. That bright orange runs throughout the entire piece either in the houses themselves or in little details around the house. The way I see it I can either leave it out entirely and use the burgundy color in it's place, which would be the easier fix or, I can rip out the light grey thingamabobs that I have already stitched around the first house and replace them with the orange and continue on as charted. I'm waffling. Ultimately, I will have to decide (and soon) what I want to do but if you all would like to weigh in on the subject please feel free. My version:

The original version:

I would also like to show you a couple of shop models just recently finished by my good friend Connie. As those who know me best know...I'm bossy and opinionated. That's part of who I am, I've always been this way and at this stage of the game it's probably not going to change. That doesn't mean that people always listen to me or that they always do what I want but in this instance, I get to tell Connie what to stitch and she has to do what I say. Isn't it great! LOL!! Seriously, I usually consult with her on what she would like to stitch and with any changes I would like made but ultimately, I have the final say. Blackbird Designs Snow Garden was one such chart. I loved the design but didn't care for how washed out it looked on beige fabric so when I chose it for Connie to stitch and then showed her the fabric I wanted it stitched on she gave me the fish eye, raised her eyebrows and said okay in that tone of voice that clearly said I think you're nuts Julie. But a week later she came back after starting it and told me she was pleasantly surprised and was loving the combination. She also said it was going to be hard to give this one up. I'm really glad she ended up liking it because it's hard to stitch something you don't care for and this isn't supposed to be a hardship and despite what I might think, my way isn't always the best or only way. Of course Connie's stitching is perfection as usual which is half the battle. The fabric in case anyone is interested is a 30 ct linen from Weeks called Dolphin and has a bit more green to it than it's showing in my picture.

Connie also stitched By the Bays Winter Cove for the shop. We chose a Picture This Plus Fabric called Tarnish in 16 count Aida for this one. I love this design and wouldn't mind stitching it myself.

Finally, I finished the framing on Jenny Beans Halloween and thought I would share a pic of it. Looks a bit crooked in the picture but it's not in real life.

As usual, I've written a small novel and since it has taken 2 days to get this far I think I will stop here and call it good. Have a great week everyone!

Take care til next time!

It's always something around here!

2010-12-29T11:02:00.000-06:00

Merry Belated Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone!

I have the day off today and plan to do absolutely nothing that looks, sounds, smells or otherwise resembles work! I did go to P.T early this morning but that is the extent of my planned plans for the day. Amy asked if I wanted to watch a movie with her and I said I don't know, right now I'm trying to write my blog cuz that's what I feel like doing. She gave me a strange look until I explained that I was taking a me day. Selfish? You bet, but dang it feels good!

So how was everyone's Christmas? Ours was good overall. The week leading up to Christmas wasn't the greatest. Ya know how bad things come in 3's? Well, I'm hoping we are done now. First the toilet in the powder room on the main floor sprung a leak and leaked water all over which ruined the ceiling in the basement, specifically in my craft room. It also ruined the oak parquet flooring in the bathroom. And to top it off, it's still not working right. Dan is not a plumber. I don't consider having to take the lid off the tank and lifting up the black doo hickey in order to make it flush fixed. Not in any sense of the word.

After the toilet incident we move on to the garage door. Just had it installed this summer. New door, new opener. Which quit working for some strange reason and guess what? Dan is not an electrician either.

And finally on Thursday morning, Christmas Eve, Eve I went out to my car to go to P.T. before work and turned the key to start the engine only to have nothing happen. N.O.T.H.I.N.G. The lights and radio would come on but not a peep from the engine. No click, no grind, just dead silence. I called next door to our neighbor to see if he could give me a jump and he said sure so we get the cables hooked up and...Nothing. Thanked Steve nicely, went in the house and called Dan. Explained the situation and after he ran down a list of things for me to try, he agreed to call a tow truck and get it to the dealer. I called and canceled my P.T. appt. and then begged Steve the neighbor for a ride to work. Later that afternoon I received a call from Hyundai. They located the problem. And.....I said. Well, you aren't going to believe this ma'am but we found a rabbit inside your car. It ate your wiring. Scared my mechanic half to death, we took video to prove it to you. Actually sir, I'm not surprised at all because this is the second freaking time a rabbit has eaten my wiring!!! Why it eats my car and not Dans is a mystery to me. They are both sitting in the driveway, side by side. But it always seems as though my car is tastier to the little buggers! Set me back $200.00 and I must admit, I'm not feeling the love for Thumper right now. (click the pic to enlarge and read)

We managed to top the week off with a trip to the ER on Christmas day. Our dear darling adorable daughter Abby (said with much sarcasm) had traveled to her boyfriends parents house on Christmas Eve. They stayed the night there and then he brought her home Christmas morning. She arrived home unable to breathe. Had apparently stayed up all night because she thought she was going to die and refused to go to the hospital when the boyfriend suggested it. Her lips and fingers were blue, the rest of her was the color of skim milk. She couldn't talk without panting. And what do you think she said when I told her we were going to the ER? Yep, her response was...I don't need to go. I'm fine. I finally had to threaten her with staying home from Grandmas if she didn't go and she finally caved. But first she had to shower and clean herself up and when she was doing that she almost passed out so by the time we got to the ER she was starting to think that maybe it was a good idea. 2.5 hours later, oxygen, a breathing treatment, a shot in the butt of steroids, several puffs on her inhaler and 3 prescriptions later, we came home to overdone prime rib, rock hard baked potatoes and dried out dinner rolls. But she was still alive and that was all I really cared about. The boyfriend and I will be having a chat about ignoring Abby and listening to his gut where her health is concerned since she is her own worst enemy.

Way back before Christmas I won a giveaway from Meari of Meari's Musings and I haven't had the opportunity to say thank you publicly and to show what I won. So Thanks Meari! I love everything! Showing all the goodies is perhaps a bit harder. In all the hustle and bustle of the season, I put everything in a "safe" place where I would remember where it was and now I can't remember where that "safe" place is. But it has company because I also can't remember where I put Amy's Christmas Ornament or the gift for my sister in law. It's all here, just not HERE if you know what I mean. I can show you the needle book though as I put that with the other 2 smalls I have. Isn't it cute? It's my very first needle book! Thanks again Meari!

Started a new stitchy project. I haven't had much time to stitch but here is my progress so far on Jenny Bean's Friendship Sampler. I'm stitching it on 40 ct Sandcastle (I think that's it's name) over 2 with one thread. Once again I am enjoying the process and can't wait to see it all finished!

We had a first at work yesterday. Our first male stitcher! He is working on some hardanger ornaments and came in for some fabric. He ended up leaving with Blackberry Lanes Journey to Bethlehem, the new pendants in the same theme and The Three Wise Men along with his hardanger fabric. He said his wife would kill him if she knew so he wasn't going to tell her. Guess we women aren't the only ones who hide our stash from our spouses!

So I have probably bored you all to the point of why do I read this blog anyway so I will call it good. Thanks everyone for hanging in there with me and for leaving me wonderful comments and I hope the new year brings everyone nothing but great things like toilets that flush themselves, garage doors that open and close and rabbits that prefer carrots to car wiring!

Take care till next time!

Julie

Jenny Bean Finish and other stuff of importance? Maybe?

2010-12-15T17:42:00.001-06:00

I finally have a few minutes to sit down and say hello! I hope everyone is doing well and that most are ready for the holidays! I'm a long way from being ready but closer than I was a week ago at this time. As usual, life has been one long series of busy, busy and more busy! Work is slowing down a bit now, I think I only have 3 more orders due for Christmas, then a football jersey, and a half dozen cross stitch pieces to frame after that. Not bad considering the 22 I had at one point! I finished framing this piece for Connie (a friend) yesterday. She's giving it as a gift this Christmas.

And speaking of finishes....I put the final stitches in Jenny Bean's Christmas late last night. What a fun stitch this was! I think I only changed 2 things on it. One was the one tree color and the other was the letter B. Just didn't like how it was charted.
A friend asked me today what I was going to work on next and I was a bit stumped for a minute or two. Then I remembered Jenny Beans Friendship Sampler. I'll kit that one up tomorrow and get a start on it. I was tempted though to start LHN's The North Wind. Of course if Journey to Bethlehem was in house right now I would most likely start that one. Can't wait to see it come alive as I stitch it!

Back to the busy part of this post, some of you might remember that my husband and I have a rather large Christmas Village. (click here to view last years village) Every year we try to host an open house so that those who are interested can see what changes have occurred in the village. This year we added a light industrial park. We cut it really close and finished the village on Friday. Here's a little peak at some of the new section.

Saturday was the open house. Friday morning I still needed to finish decorating, clean the entire house go grocery shopping and make food. Needless to say I was a bit busy and matters were not helped by my having to wear an orthopedic boot. I was prescribed one 2 weeks ago today due to chronic achilles tendonitis and it wasn't going well. It's awkward, heavy and because you are higher on one side than the other it makes your back and other hip hurt. In other words it was hampering my ability to get things done which caused me to be so far behind. Anyway, Saturday morning dawned cold, snowy and with winds blowing upwards of 50 miles/hour. I got to work on the cleaning all the while keeping one eye on the weather and finally, after Dan came home from getting groceries so I could start making the food for the open house we decided it was stupid to risk people coming out in the weather and we canceled the open house. I'm not gonna lie, it was a huge relief to me. I really just wasn't ready. By this time my ankle was a mess so the boot came off, I finished the cleaning, froze the groceries and re-issued invites for this Saturday. Once I have the open house behind me I will be able to concentrate on buying Christmas presents. I've started but am far from being done.

Monday I called the Dr. and asked if the boot was supposed to make things worse before it makes things better and she said no. She discontinued the boot and I am now in physical therapy for 6 weeks. I hope it helps because the only other option is surgery and I am just not jiggy with that!

Amy comes home tonight for the Christmas break. Dan is picking her up as I type this. Adam will be home on the 23rd. He received a promotion at work and they laid out their future plans for him. It's looking like D.C. will be his new home some time next year but it's all subject to change. Abby has been having issues with extremely dry skin and was starting to look like a lizard. The Dr. put her on some special cream which seems to be doing the trick. She and boyfriend Jordan have been getting along nicely, he seems to be treating her well so far so I will continue to let him breathe for now. :) Kidding! School is going well for her and she will start her final rotation after the new year.

And that friends is about it for this post. At some point I will take pictures of this years village and I'll let ya know when that happens. In the meantime, here's a pic of our tree, Merry Christmas!

Take care till next time,

Julie

Are you happy now?

2010-11-27T18:04:00.000-06:00

First let me say I am dedicating this blog post to all the stitchers from our stitching group that dinged me unmercifully all day today. If I heard it once, I heard it a dozen or more times...When are you going to update the blog. Jenny Bean has been done forever! You all know who you are and I hope this makes you happy because God knows I live to make you ladies happy! NOT! LOL!!!

Second, let me apologize to my followers for being absent for so long. Life has a way of taking over and the 21 framing jobs that came in at once certainly took over! I have never in 8 years of framing had 21 jobs at one time and while I am in no way complaining about the workload, it did make it difficult to find the time for blogging. Or cleaning, Or cooking. Add in all the other things going on like surgeries, Dr. appt's., Adam being home, Amy being home, Thanksgiving etc. and of course this time of year there is always the Christmas village to work on before the open house so given all that perhaps you will forgive me. I'll try hard not to let so much time pass between posts.

As my fellow LSS stitcher's pointed out to me today, Jenny Bean Halloween has been finished for quite some time. I changed quite a few of the colors in this as I just wasn't liking the substitutes for the original limited edition thread pack and I'm very pleased with the result. To finish it off I've chosen a sweet little black frame with a raised leaf design on it but the framing will be a while as it has to take a back seat to customer orders, of which I still have 12 in the queue. For now I will just post the unframed finish.

After finishing JB Halloween, I moved on to Jenny Bean's Christmas. I am loving the whole Jenny Bean thing, can you tell?! I'm stitching her on 40 count R & R Americana Blend fabric with the called for fibers. Love this fabric color with the colors of the floss. My picture doesn't show the true color of it, although it's close.

Speaking of true color, have you all seen the new LHN chart called the North Wind? I adore this chart so as soon as the fabric information was released we hopped on the phone and called Lakeside Linens to order the called for Vintage Tundra. It arrived today and looks nothing like the picture. The picture shows a blue fabric and the fabric itself has more green to it than pictured. I have to say I was a bit disappointed, the fabric is beautiful but just not what it looks like in the picture. Just wanted to warn you in case you are planning to stitch this cutie and want it to look like the actual picture.

Finally, I also started the chart called Sweeping Snowflakes. It's by With thy Needle & Thread. Such a cute idea don't ya think?

There is a drawback to this chart though. I hate stitching with white floss. It just never looks good to me and on top of that I get bored stitching so much of it at one time. Needless to say, I am not making a whole lotta progress on it. But here's what I have done so far.

And with that I am going to call it a night. I didn't sleep well last night as I was thinking all night long about what in the world I was going to bring for a snack today at LSS. I just couldn't come up with anything that sounded good. I think maybe because we've had so much food around the house the last few days. Anyway, I'm tired, cold and plan to go crawl under a blanket and veg a bit. Tomorrow will be a very busy day of decorating the house for the Holidays.

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend everyone and take care till next time!

Julie