Stitching updates, general updates and a sunset

Hello!!

Another month has flown by and fall is just around the corner. I am thoroughly enjoying laying in bed in the morning instead of getting up at the crack of dawn to take a child to school. Now instead of the crack of dawn, I get to lay there until 7 which is nice, very very nice. I should still get up early and go walking but really, why would I want to do that??? Now if I could only convince Abby that slamming into my room at 5:45 in the morning to use my hairdryer and root lifter is going to lead to her untimely death, (because I am going to kill her if it doesn't stop) I might get to sleep until 7 instead of just laying there.

I am happy to report that the sickies are now almost well again. Abby came down with bronchitis last week but the antibiotics are taking care of it and she is back to eating normally again. Dad is doing okay. He has several Dr. appointments yet but so far things are okay. He seems a tad disoriented and forgetful though. Not like I have any room to talk! I can't even remember my own name these days without wearing a name tag!

Amy came home from college last weekend at the last minute. This meant I had to drive to Lincoln to pick her up. For most folks that would not be a big deal but for me it is. I do not do the interstate. It's too fast and there are too many other vehicles on the road for my peace of mind but as there was no other option, I begged my friend Eloise to ride along with me and we made it there and back with no problems. My entire body hurt the next day though from being so tense the whole trip. It'll get easier I'm sure the more I do it. Kallie was so happy to see her mama...at first anyway. Her tail was going a hundred miles an hour and the tongue was all over the place. Then it was like a switch was flipped and she remembered her mama had left her for over a week, she started to struggle to get down and you could see she was mad just by looking at her. It was pretty funny! Gradually she warmed back up but when Amy started packing again on Sunday the ears started drooping and the tail was tucked between her hind legs. Poor puppy. Gonna be a long year for her. We had a very nice visit while Amy was home and we heard all about her classes and the interesting people she is meeting.

Adam is coming home this weekend for the holiday. He's anxious for some good home cooking and he has all kinds of plans already for his brief visit.

I have been stitching quite a bit. I finished Hare's Christmas but don't have a picture of it yet as it is being pillowized as I type. I have mostly finished The Stitching Lady. Need to find some buttons for it, no way am I paying the price they want for the recommended buttons. I found a large mistake in my stitching as I was stitching the border on the right side. My lady is one row too close to the right so I had to remove the purse that is supposed to be hanging there from her floor stand. I suppose I could do something to make it fit but quite frankly, I don't miss it being there so I'm not gonna bother. The stitching police can come and arrest me if they don't like it.


Golden Ice is also progressing although I don't feel like it. Dan says I'm moving right along and getting a lot done but I feel like I am standing still. When I compare pictures I can see that progress is happening but just not fast enough for me I guess.

My friend Doreen and I have a bad case of I wannastartanewprojectitis. I made her promise to finish a couple she has almost complete first and I made the same promise to her. By finishing Hare's Christmas and The Stitching Lady, I have fulfilled my promise so technically, I could start something new and I have my eye on something but I also would like to finish Golden Ice before Fall Retreat. What to do, what to do??

Speaking of retreat, we are having a great response so far. Thanks to all those that posted about it on their blog and helped me spread the word. Mary Ann and I really appreciate the assist!

This past Saturday was our Last Saturday Stitching and there were a few finishes by our ladies so I thought I would share them with you since none of these gals have a blog. First up is Sandy. For as long as she has been attending our LSS group she has been stitching on her Beatrix Potter piece. She has finally got her finished and what a beauty it turned out to be! I have this chart in my stash. Someday....

Next is Linda, showing 3 of her finishes with a little help from Connie.

And then Linda with a framed (by moi) finish and again a little help from Connie!

Finally we have Eloise with her Nativity finish. Eloise bought this chart several years ago at a shop in Des Moines and it wasn't until she saw the model of it on loan from the old owner of said shop that she remembered she had it in her stash. She stitched it up real quick then and is in the process of getting it stretched for framing.

I'm going to leave you with a picture I snapped in the parking lot of Hobby Lobby the other night. It was beautiful, far more so than my photography skills could capture. As I was standing there taking the picture I heard a lady in her car say to the other person, what is she taking a picture of? By the time I turned around she had pulled her camera out and was snapping away too!

Have a great week everyone! Thanks to all my followers, both old and new. I really appreciate the prayers and comments from everyone. You all are the best!

Take care till next time!

Julie

And the winner is...

Drum roll please...

Oh, wait I have some things to say first! Wouldn't want to end the suspense this early in the post, what would be the fun in that??

First I would like to say thank you to all the wonderful ladies that left comments on the give away post and offered prayers for Dan and Abby. I am very sorry I haven't posted since Abby's surgery but life has been a bit weird for lack of a better term. I meant to post last Wednesday but the shiz hit the fan that day and today is actually the first time I have had a chance to sit down and collect myself.

Let me start with Abby and her surgery. She came through just fine, her tonsils were necrotic and full of infection so it was a good thing we did it when we did. Recovery has been a bit harder. It was like having a newborn that you had to get up to feed several times a night only it was a 22yr old needing meds every 3 hours which led to a severe lack of sleep and a complete inability to think straight on my part. I could type out everything that occurred during her recovery but lets just leave it at, she wanted to die and kept repeating that while tears were running down her face. Broke my heart. Then last Wednesday, while my sister and I were picking up a mirror for my mom's bathroom, and mom was babysitting my sister's kids...my dad disappeared. Mom got home from Mel's house and no dad. Anywhere. Mel had her look in the closets. Nope not there. Billfold was gone but cane was there and mom had the car so he didn't drive anywhere and without the cane he couldn't walk very far. We called our other sister and our brother thinking they might have come over and taken him somewhere. Sis had no clue and we couldn't reach my brother. We checked with the guys he plays chess with thinking perhaps they came and got him. Nope. Time is passing as the phone calls are flying and finally we tell mom to call the neighbors, see if perhaps an ambulance had been there. Mom argued the point, but finally called. Yep, the neighbor said, the ambulance was there at about 1:30. It was now 4:00. The neighbor thought mom had gone with them. We called around until we located him in the ER of a local hospital. He was stable but that is all they could tell us at that point. I hopped in the car and picked up mom and Mel and off we went. First thing mom asked was why weren't we notified that he had been picked up and where he was. Come to find out, Dad was passed out when the paramedics got there and when he came around as they were leaving the house he told them we would know where he was and they didn't need to leave a note. The hospital said they would have called eventually. Now how in the world we would know he had called 911 and been taken to the hospital is beyond me and why would they listen to an old man that had been unconscious? They couldn't tell us anything at this point except they were going to admit him. By 8 that evening they still weren't saying anything. Dad told us he had suddenly gotten dizzy, nauseated and was having trouble breathing so he took a nitro pill and laid down before calling 911. He doesn't remember much after that till they were leaving the house. Some of the tests showed a thickening in the blood in his lungs so they gave him extra blood thinners, said that was all they were going to do that night so we headed home. Because we weren't home to give Abby her meds she got off schedule that day and was feeling poorly when we got home. Got her situated and then addressed the issue of Amy needing to be taken to college the next day. It was decided we would wing it in the morning. Got up at 3 to give Abby her meds and went back to bed only to be rudely awakened at 4:30 by Abby slamming my bedroom door against the wall and announcing she was going to throw up. Which she did.
Both of us were worried it might break open her scabs and cause bleeding so I kept an eye on her while she went back to sleep. By 8 that morning phone calls were flying again. Mom was up at the hospital, Dad was doing fine, they were planning a stress test and an ultrasound of his legs to look for blood clots. If both were fine they would either release him or keep him for more tests. The Dr.s were split on what they wanted to do. Abby was doing okay, no further vomiting, no bleeding and she decided to stop taking the big drugs and drop down to tylenol so I made the decision to go with Dan and take Amy to college. And might I say what a freaking zoo that was!! OMG!! Cars and kids everywhere. I saw kids taking love seats in, 45 inch TV's, tables, rugs...you name it they were carrying it into the dorm. Amy traveled a bit lighter and we got everything into her room, unpacked and put away before our 1 hour time limit for the up close parking was over. We then took her out to lunch, picked up some groceries and dropped her back off at her dorm before heading back to Omaha. Dan cried half the way home. I had to distract him to get him to stop crying. I hate to see a grown man cry. I was surprisingly okay. I cried a bit but I think my mind was on so many other things at this point and functioning on very little sleep and then to have to get Dan's mind off of things that I don't think I had time to process that my baby was off at college. I miss her and I have talked with her almost every day. She is having a blast and joining all kinds of clubs and meeting all kinds of people. Loves her classes and is getting a tan from having to walk all over campus. I'm thrilled for her. Back to Thursday...we went straight up to the hospital when we got back into town. The stress test was good, the ultrasound showed no clots, so they decided to release him that evening. They don't know what it was, they haven't ruled out a heart attack or a blood clot. The Dr. that released him, and I use that term loosely as the man was a complete dweeb, when Dad asked if he should call 911 if this happens again told him he should just lie down and see what happens, it wasn't necessary to call 911. I about crapped my pants and so did Dan and mom. The nurse waited until the Dr. left and then told Dad that he should ignore what that azz just said and call 911 as soon as he feels any similar symptoms. Got Dad home about 8 that night and then went home to see about Abby. I had been in touch with her throughout the day and she seemed to be doing better. She was still sick to her stomach and worried about vomiting again. I stayed home from work on Friday so she wasn't alone just in case but she continued to improve as the narcotics left her system. I was practically the walking dead at that point so the weekend was spent doing absolutely nothing but sitting and resting. By Monday I felt almost human again and was back at work and now here I am. Ready to announce the winner of the giveaway! Are you still with me??? It was a long saga. But I swear it is all true. Mary Ann, my boss, says she has never seen anyone with as much drama as my family has. Let's hope for a good long stretch of calm now.

I guess I will go ahead and announce the winner and save all the other stuff for another post. So Congratulations to PegC of Lightening Fingers, you are the winner of the giveaway! Please send me an email with your snail mail address and I will get that mailed out just as soon as possible! If I don't hear from Peg within the next 7 days, I will draw another winner and announce it at that time.

Thanks again everyone for participating in my giveaway. I wanted to post on everyone else's blogs but...well...life happened and I didn't get it done.

Have a great evening!

Julie

A Giveaway, Retreat Invite and updates....

Hey Everyone! Sorry to be away for so long, getting a child ready to go off to college is very time consuming. The other 2 stayed here at home so there wasn't much to get ready but Amy's want and need list was a mile and half long! I think we have most of it taken care of now, she still wants a butterfly chair and clothes and she has refused so far to even think about school supplies but I'm going to let her handle those things.

Abby abcessed her tonsils again and is having them removed a week from today. Why is it everyone and their brother feels the need to tell her their tonsil horror story? My scabs broke open and blood gushed out of my mouth, my scabs broke open and I filled a bucket with blood in the ambulance, my scabs broke open and I had to have a blood transfusion.....you get the picture. The girl is scared shitless. Please say a little prayer for her if you do that sort of thing. I'd appreciate it.

Dan had a biopsy done on a spot on his chest and the results came back yesterday. He does have skin cancer and they will be removing a football shaped piece of his chest in a couple of weeks. Nothing to get upset over. I'm hoping they have to shave his entire chest to do the procedure and he'll like it so much that he'll continue to shave his chest. That man is a woolly bear!

Dan and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary on Aug. 2nd. I had mentioned in an earlier post that he bought my anniversary gift and I had hinted at it being blue and sparkly but I couldn't show it to you until now as he took it away from me until our anniversary. I can show it off now.
Isn't it beautiful? Don't ask me what stone it is. I don't know. I do know it is lab created and it changes colors and I love love love it!! BUT, the man did not stop there. I came downstairs Monday morning the 2nd and found a ott light magnifier attached to my ott light. I tried to get him to take it back but he wouldn't do it. Guess that's one of the many reasons I still love the guy 30 years later. He's a keeper, furry chest and all!

I've been stitching but haven't stopped to take any pictures of it. Instead I would like to announce 2 things.

The first is to invite everyone to our stitching retreat "A Stitcher's Recipe for Friendship" next April. We're announcing it early to give everyone enough time to make plans to attend. Paulette Stewart of Plum Street Samplers is designing a special chart for the retreat and will be making an appearance for some or all of the retreat. Our previous retreats have gone over so well and more people have expressed a desire to attend than our previous location would permit so we have found a retreat center about 25 miles from Omaha that will hold more stitchers. Our goal is 40 but it can hold 60 if we needed to. I don't anticipate that but it's nice to know it's available. If you would like further information please go to our website at : www.reflectionsframing.com Click the newsletter tab on the left and all the information plus registration forms can be found in the July newsletter. I hope some of you will attend. It would be awesome to meet you in person and we are looking forward to making a bunch of new stitching friends! If you have any questions not answered by the newsletter, you can contact either MaryAnn or myself at: maryann@reflectionsframing.com Hope to hear from you soon!

The other announcement I have is my long awaited giveaway to celebrate 100 followers. Now if I could only get more than 6 of you to comment I'd really be doing good! Here's the details. Post on this thread only! If you are already a follower just post saying you want to be entered in the giveaway. If you are not a follower, please become one and post that you are now a follower and would like to be entered in the giveaway. You can earn a second chance of winning the giveaway if you mention it on your blog and a third chance can be earned if you mention the retreat on your blog. The giveaway is open to all, both in the states and over seas. Make sure you leave me contact information if you don't have a blog! The winner will be announced on Aug. the 25th 2010. And now I bet you would like to know what the giveaway consists of. Here ya go:

It's kind of a seasonal giveaway. To represent spring I have included an older Just Nan chart with charms called Tall Flowers.
Summer is represented by Jeanette Douglas' Summer Stackers.

Fall is represented by Hob Nobb designs Happy Fall Ya'll and 4 of Carrie's silks in fall colors.

Winter will be represented by The Prairie Schooler's 2010 Santa:

Then just because I can, I am including one of my scissor frogs and vessels that I shared with you a while back.
Of course a person needs to have scissors for their scissor frog so I'm including a pair of those also. Not the ones I wanted to include but they got back ordered so you'll have to settle for this pair.

Finally, some Piecemaker needles and a needle minder will be included.

I want to thank each and every one of my followers for all of their support and kinds words. It's truly been a delight getting to know some of you. I hope you like the items included in the giveaway. I've had fun choosing them.

It is well past supper time and my tummy is growling. I hope I covered all the bases where the giveaway and retreat are concerned but if you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Take care!

Julie

SCORE!!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend and a good beginning to the week. I had a good weekend. Went grocery shopping for most of us at Walmart, came home unloaded and then went to HyVee for the gluten free stuff for Abby. Came home unloaded and went shopping to Kohls for Dan's birthday. They were having a big sale and then there was the early bird sale and on top of that I had a coupon for 30% off so I scored big time. Pretty much got the man a new wardrobe since he says there is something wrong with our closet. According to him when the clothes go into the closet they fit but when he takes something out to wear they are too small. I don't have the heart to tell him it's not the closet. I also bought some things for Amy for college while I was there and I found something I wanted for our anniversary that is coming up. Got home from Kohls, told Dan about it and made him go back with me to look at it. He bought it but I don't get it until August 2nd. :( But here's a hint, it's sparkly and comes in a small box. After Kohl's we headed to Lumber Liquidators. We had to look at flooring for Dan's parents so while we were there we also looked for the family room. Found some I really liked but no way in hell heck can afford and found some that Dan liked but I didn't so finally we compromised on one but it's still slightly out of our current price range. Too many medical expenses coming up. It was fun to look though. After that it was off to the shop cuz I left my cell phone there on Friday. Then I was supposed to make Dan his birthday dinner: fried chicken, potatoes, cream gravy, corn on the cob, biscuits, fruit salad and strawberry shortcake for dessert (all his requests) but sweet man that he is he knew my hip and ankle were hurting so he said we could put off dinner till Sunday. Sunday came and we had a lazy morning while waiting for the thrift stores to open. We had a successful treasure hunt, found some frog vessels, here is one Dan picked out:

Found some red transferware to go with my already existing red transferware. Some are chipped but I don't mind.


Had to bring these poor tarnished silver pieces home. The patina is awesome on these so I'm not sure I want to polish them up.
This coffee carafe might seem like a strange choice for those that know me and know I don't drink coffee but again I just thought it was a cool piece and I loved the patina. I just need to find a home for it now. Since I moved the little dresser out of the dining room and into the family room I can't put it there. Would have been a good place for it though.

The ladies working at the thrift store were oohing and ahhing over this black and white cup and saucer. They had apparently overlooked it or they would have bought it themselves they said.

And finally, Dan thought this piece was cool so we brought it home too. It'll look great in the kitchen I think.


Dan has been watching American Pickers lately and he was all over a pair of vintage sprinklers. He was practically foaming at the mouth and going on about how he could turn around and sell them like the guys on AP. They wanted $4.00 for each sprinkler which I thought was a tad high so told him we'd go home and research them and if they were worth anything he could run back and get them. Research showed they sell for $4.00- $16.00. Mostly the $4.00 though so he opted not to go back for them. I didn't take my camera with me, or I would have taken a picture of them. We had a good time and are looking forward to going again.

Abby had strep throat again last week. By the time she thinks she might be sick she's really sick and this was no exception. The Dr. told her a couple more days and she would have had an abcess again. He's sending her to the ENT to have her tonsils out. Why they didn't do it when they removed her adnoids years ago is beyond me. I remember saying I would prefer it if they did but the Dr. at the time didn't think it was necessary.

Adam booked his flight home for Labor Day. He's still working long days but he was able to go bowling with the guys from work this weekend and then he went to the driving range and hit a bucket of balls so at least he is getting a bit of relaxation in.

I've been stitching on three different projects so not a ton done on any of them but I'll share anyway. Last time I showed my progress on Golden Ice it looked like this:

Now it looks like this:
I started Plum Street Samplers Hare's Christmas cuz it's just so darn cute!

And I have had The Stitching Lady by Homespun Elegance in my stash for a while now so I started her too. Not sure I am crazy about the fabric or the floss on this one but I wanted to use what was available.


Thanks for all the wonderful comments on the family room. I appreciate the kind words more than you know. Meari, I'll hunt down the picture I have of the treadle in it's before state. When I do I'll post it for you. That's it for now. Need to go start some supper and then it's So You Think You Can Dance night.

Thanks for stopping in, leaving comments and just being who you are.

Take care and have a great week!

Julie

Family Room! WARNING: Picture heavy

As promised, here are the pictures of the family room but I need to point out a couple of things. First, excuse the dust, fingerprints, misc. dogs and other things that I didn't get taken care of before taking pictures. Second, my camera really doesn't like indoor pictures so excuse the grittiness of some pictures. Third, I do not like my carpet, I would like to put in a wood floor but I spent my wad on a crown for my tooth so we must live with the carpet for a while. Fourth, I am not thrilled with the fireplace , the brick and the wood color annoy me. We are in discussions as to what to do with it. And finally, I'm still tweaking things like what is on the top of the treadle sewing machine, haven't found what I am looking for, mostly because I don't know what I'm looking for! LOL!

Got to thinking last night that maybe a before pic would be nice.


After:

See that lovely green carpet? It really needs to go. Even an area rug would be better. We would also like a small coffee table but so far I haven't seen one I really like.

Starting on the left side of the room as you look at it, you'll see my Grandmother's Antique Rocker. It's a lovely shade of baby poop green but I haven't located an upholsterer that comes highly recommended here in town and I don't want just anybody touching it. I kind of snookered away from my aunt. She lived with the grandparents and when they passed it was supposed to come to my mom. It didn't. So one year shortly after Dan and I were married I called my aunt and told her we didn't have the money to get mom a Christmas present and would it be okay if we came to Sioux City and picked up the rocker as that is what G'ma wanted. She couldn't very well turn me down at that point and I wasn't lying. We didn't have any money for gifts that year. Mom was very happy to have the rocker but after several years passed she decided I should have it so it's been in my house for about 13 years. You can also see an antique dresser in the picture. Dan and I bought it years ago at a 2nd hand store and Dan refinished it as it was in terrible condition. It's been in the dining room for many years and prior to that it was in my bedroom. Quaker Diamonds likes her new home there. the amber colored plate and covered dish are courtesy of Goodwill about a year ago. The lamp is one of a set that we bought a couple of years ago. It's kinda big but somehow, I really like it there. The curtains and sheers are new, both from StuffMart. The sheers are really cool, almost like cheesecloth. Great texture. The sign above the windows says "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain. A sentiment we should all learn from.

Here's another shot of the dresser and rocker.

Moving around the room, I'm still looking for pillows for the sofa. It needs some . Badly. The armoire was gift from Dan several years ago. On the top are some quilts and quilt tops. One of them is an antique quilt top that my great-grandmother was making. She never finished it. I have the template that she used for cutting out her pieces. The others are tops I have never finished and then there is a store bought quilt up there also. The cardboard stars were bought 7-8 years ago at a store called Gordmans. Used to be called the half price store. I liked it better then. They didn't think it was a classy enough name.

Moving on to the fireplace, I am really over the whole orangey oak wood and I have never liked the brick with the oak color. Dan doesn't really want to strip the wood and darken it which is what I would like to do so it will most likely remain the way it is.

On the mantle is an antique oval portrait. While I would like to say the 3 kids in the picture are relatives, I would be lying. I have no idea who the kids are. My neighbor across the street bought the picture at an auction and he didn't want it. I thought it was pretty cool so he gave it to me. The sconces and mirrors were shiny brass and relegated to a drawer in the little dresser I showed earlier. A little spray paint and some new candlesticks and they work great with the picture. The cream color plates were purchased at Stuffmart a year or so ago in the clearance aisle. The transferware plates were also purchased a year or so ago from TJMaxx. The little cream colored pitchers and silver dish were thrift store buys about a year ago.

Can you tell I like balance in my arrangements? I try and try not too but that's just the way I roll.

On the left side of the hearth is an old sewing machine purchased at an estate sale about 10 years ago. The framed quilt block came from a quilt my great-grandmother made. It was literally in shreds so I cut out 5 pieces that were still somewhat whole and framed 4 of them up. I kept one and gave the others to my siblings. I don't really think they cared one way or another but someday I thought they might. The 5th block is laying on the sewing machine. I realize it doesn't go color wise in the room but I like it anyway.

On the right side of the hearth we have a bunch of dried grasses? Sticks? I don't know what to call it. I bought it new a couple of weeks ago at a store here in Papillion called the Weathered and Worn Store. Pretty neat stuff they have there. I could do some serious damage if I had any money! Sitting in front of the sticks are some random books from our library and a black tin my sis-in-law gave me many years ago. In the tin are vintage threads and spools, needle threader, tape measure etc....I picked them up at a garage sale earlier this spring.


to the right of the fireplace is my stitching corner. You saw a picture of it a week or so ago I think. I've tweaked it a bit since then.

You can't see it very well in the picture but there is a little table on the side of my chair that Dan and I picked up at an antique store about 10 years ago. On top of the table is a book I'm reading, one of my flower frogs, and an antique wooden box that folds out and holds sewing machine bits and pieces. We bought it at a thrift store an number of years ago. Cool huh?



The lamp was shiny silver but spray paint took care of that. The shadow box was bought last week at the Weathered and Worn store. The cream pitcher was purchased at TJ Maxx a couple years ago, the picture, again of no one I know was an antique store buy and the 2 glass jars are from my cupboard and full of buttons from my button box.

The quilt holder in the corner behind my chair was bought on clearance at Hobby Lobby a couple weeks ago. It's actually supposed to be folded in half and it has shelves on it but I unhooked the chain and straightened it out and voila! Instant quilt holder! The top quilt is a store bought quilt, the yellow quilt is antique purchased in Fremont Ne. at an antique store a couple three years ago and the bottom quilt is one my grandmother made.

See the butterfly? The whole quilt is covered with them. I can remember looking at all the different ones when I was a kid and picking out my favorites.

Coming over to the west wall is my treadle sewing machine. It was white when Dan and I bought it at a garage sale a few years back. Dan refinished it and it is beautiful! I'm not sure what I want to put on the top of it. Eventually something will trip my trigger but for now a bowl I have works for holding all the remotes. Everything on the wall above the sewing machine was bought at the Weathered and worn store. I started this whole room with that picture and now I am not sure it goes with the rest of the room. Maybe a bit too primitive. Some say yes and some say no. What are your thoughts? I can't hear you. Did you fall asleep?

Almost done now, the computer desk area is all that is left. The mirror is a few years old, like 8 I think. I added the wreath which was on clearance. The antique phone was bought in Wyoming when we lived there. It was painted white and again Dan refinished it. The guts aren't there but we hide a cordless phone inside.

The little chest on the desk was bought on clearance at Hobby Lobby a couple of weeks ago. I dry brushed green on it and added labels on the drawers. The stone-look saying is one of my favorites purchased 2 years ago and the lamp base was bought at StuffMart. Shade courtesy of Weathered and Worn.

And that my friends finishes this tour of the family room. You probably know more than you ever wanted to know about my stuff! I hope you enjoyed it. I'm quite pleased with myself as I did not spend much money on the re-do. It was something of a surprise to me how much I was able to pull from other rooms in the house.

I've been stitching some but this is long enough for one post. I did want to answer Meari's question about whether Adam has recovered from his broken heart. Sadly he waited in vain for a call from the girl the entire time he was home. She had called him earlier in the week and begged him to still be her friend. He thought she would call and want to see him while he was home. I felt really bad for him. Do you think he will ever stop hoping?

Have a great rest of the week everyone!

Take care!

Julie