No dishes this week but.............

Well, no stacks of dishes to show this week. I managed to avoid most of them. DH and DIL did them all the only night we had a stack.
Our Jackson spent the week with us. What a fun week we had! He is such a cutie. He is trying to test his limits a bit and has learned to argue but all in all it was fun! We are in Ottawa today as we brought him home last night. We have some visits to do while we are here so will stay for several days. I love my son's wireless house - I can be online as much as I like!!!!

There have been lots of stitches lately.

I gave Dani her completed neighborhood last Sunday so I can post photos now. Every kingdom needs a coat of arms and so I added it to finish hers off.

I think her neighborhood is very original and quite attractive finished.


I put some more stitches in my Mirabilia - worked with some silver and grey for a change. It still doesn't look like much but someday.


I backstitched the elephants and around them and Noddy looks more complete.



I received my Round 12 Fair and Squares this week. Poor Nicky. Her first set of squares disappeared into mail neverland and so she graciously stitched me a second set.


I have been stitching or should I say counter-stitching on "Nobody Loves Me" I have restitched "oves me" three times now.I have been off each time. I have left it blank and moved on to a flower pot to give myself a much needed break. I will try the lettering again later! I love the colors in this one and would like to have better progress but those darn frogs!



Melissa's blogaversary gift is complete and will be off in the mail this afternoon. I hope she likes it.

Well folks, I'm off to stitch a bit - don't know what will strike my fancy this week. There is only one good thing about the lousy - rainy, gray, damp - weather we are having these days. I don't have to be outside pulling weeds so I can be inside stitching.

Until next week, I hope all is well and those darn frogs leap off!!!

Stack em high

I thought I would share this photo with you. It made me laugh when I realized what I had done.
Those who know me well, know that I HATE doing dishes!! The home we have now does not have a dishwasher or room for you. One of the things I negotiated with DH when we retired was that he would do the dishes - ALL of the dishes. He agreed. Yesterday he was painting the front deck and I was baking. I ended up with a huge pile of dishes. Well, begrudgingly I washed them - but dry them - absolutely not. And so, I stacked them as high as I could! And then laughed at myself - how foolish is that. But, those dishes stayed there and as one of my friends says "God dried the dishes" LOL.

On the stitching front.

Look what came home this week. My Winter Neighborhood RR. I LOVE IT!!!! I asked that a snowman be included in each square. It is easy to see that each person put some time and thought into their square. I will finish the snowflakes on each side and then make it into a wallhanging.

My Round 13 Fair and Squares have arrived at their home. I chose this design from an old book called 500 Cross Stitch Blocks to Stitch. It had been so dreary here that I wanted to stitch something summery and sunny.


I have added some stitches to my HAED and Mirabilia's Royal Holiday but they still look much like a blob so I will add photos another time.

Noddy came out of the bag and had some serious stitches added to him in the last few days. My friend Ann from Knowledge and Needles decided to give me a little heads up and calculated the stitches in this one - around 45,000 stitches! It is larger in stitch size than Paradigm Lost. What was I thinking! I can see a finish with this one now. I was beginning to despair that I never would.



It has been a busy couple of weeks here so blogging time has been short.

My parents spend the summer in Nova Scotia and left this past weekend. Before they go, I try to spend some quality time with them. They are in their late 70's and I know they won't be around forever. I only see them for a few short months a year - we are gone for 6 months and they are gone for 3 - so I try to squeeze all the time I can when we are together.

My bathroom has been painted and bordered and is looking lovely. It took 5 coats of paint to cover the green I had in the bathroom before. That does not count the coat of paint that I was covered in as I worked. It looks lovely. I did it around a lighthouse theme and am very happy how it turned out. Will post photos another time.

I have over 350 posts in my Google Reader and will do my best to catch up this week. I look forward to seeing what you all have been up to.

Happy Stitching everyone.

Yeah - I ben stitching!

I hope you all had a good week.
I have been putting needle to thread every chance I could. Not much housework got done but that's ok.

My first stitch I can't show you as it is a square on Dani's Neighborhood RR. Beatrice and I finished her last two squares and she has not seen it yet. We will be giving it to her next weekend and I will show photos then.

I stitched a needlebook for the Make A Wish Exchange and have received notice that it had arrived. I have only made one other needlebook for myself and this one I am much happier with.
I understand my recipient liked it.


My Mirabilia RR is finished and ready to go in the mail. Well, except for the $%^%##$ thread that I lost and cannot find anywhere.



I received a package in the mail yesterday from the Netherlands. Annemarie has started a new Sisterhood pattern and I am the second person to receive it.

Heidi (from Holland) was first and she included a lovely piece of hand dyed fabric and a skein of Carrie's Threads - Hot Pink for me.


I also received a lovely RAK from Erin. She has been following our Mirabilia RR exploits and when I said I was low on fairies sent me this pattern as a gift. Thank you Erin. I appreciate it very much and will try to see that it gets used during this RR.


Other than that, I pulled threads for a couple of new starts. Well, I finished Dani's RR so that counts as a finish. I have pulled the fabric and threads for Melissa's blogaversary prize and the fabric and threads for the Sisterhood II.

On the swan front - the first couple who had little ones have no more. Predators have gotten them. The second couple have been sitting on the nest for two weeks now with no luck. So, no new little swans this year.

Thank you to everyone who tossed their name in the cereal bowl for my blogaversary. I appreciate you taking the time to stop by, read my little posts and comment when you can.
Take care one and all.

Oh, and the frogs! I'm hoping by putting them on my blog they will stay away from my stitching.

And the winner is.......................

Missy Ann

I was sitting at the computer having my morning coffee and english muffin when DH walked by. I said draw a name from the bowl. His answer "What for?". So I had to explain the whole blogaversary thing. He didn't get it. "Why would you give something away when it's your anniversary? Shouldn't they be giving you gifts". Men, sometimes they just don't get it.

Now Melissa, I have all the pertinent information. I think I have a lovely lighthouse pattern here somewhere with your name on it. Sorry, couldn't resist!!!!
Please give me some time to stitch your gift. I will let you know when it is ready for mailing.
Congrats my friend!

Blogaversary #2

My second blogaversary slipped right by me and so I am having a belated drawing.
Please add your comments to the post previous to this and I will be drawing the lucky winner on June 1st. Good luck everyone.

Back from the great beyond

Otherwise known as finding my feet at home again. I am so sorry everyone that I have vanished for a while. It just seemed so hectic once I returned home and blogging just slipped.
We had lots of internet issues and I'm not sure it is still resolved. The dialup that I have been forced to use for years (country living) has gotten even worse and opening and reading blogs let alone posting was no longer an option. So, along comes the latest in wireless - cell phone internet.
YIPEE!!!! I sign up, purchase 1 G and am off and running - NOT! I used 500 MB in one week. Now, I have to carefully monitor my usage or somehow convince my (thrifty) DH that $66.95 plus tax a month is worth it for 3G of usage. Thankfully, we are visiting with our son presently who has wireless built into his home and I am free to roam the web endlessly!
We have had both of our grandson's to visit for a week each. We do want to remain sane and so only keep one at a time. We love them dearly and enjoy spending some quality time with them. That does not allow us to get our home projects done though and so we are behind with that. I did manage to get my flowers in and so my gardens are looking lovely again.
And our, oh so wonderful, grandsons gifted both DH and I with that lovely flu that has been going around. It has been 5 days and my stomach still has it's moments and I have not fully recovered my energy.
I had a great deal of stitching to catch up on as well. I had a number of things all coming due around the same time and had to do some serious stitching.
I have a set of Fair and Squares done and ready to mail. Sorry, no photo until they are received.

I have a Make A Wish on the way to it's recipient. Same here - no photo.

I completed my heart on Karin's RR and it is in the mail. This I can show you a photo of.


I finished my house on Melissa's Winter Neighborhood and it is in the mail to Annette. This was the last stitch in this RR and mine is winging it's way from Australia.

Melissa's fabric is actually the most beautiful shade of blue and I just could not get a good photo of it.

As you know, I have joined a Mirabilia RR starting in June. Finally, I have something to show.
Here is my piece in progress.


It is stitched on 32 count Summer Winds Lugana. I have gridded it in wedges and bordered each - some in gold and some in black/silver #4 Kreinik braid. You will notice one wedge is unfinished. I have lost the spool of thread and cannot find it anywhere. Not only that, I do not know what number it was as I forgot to write it down. Now what?
I have chosen to stitch Fairy Moon in my square. What do you think of it so far?
I am excited to get this in the mail in June!

And an update on my Neighborhood Round Robin. My BFF Beatrice agreed to stitch one of the empty squares. Here is what she did. I am a big fan of lighthouses not like my stitching friend, Melissa. Right, Melissa?

I just love it. There is one square left for me to stitch on, then border it. It is on 36 count linen and so dainty.

My dear stitching friends also gifted my recently. Here is the cute little gift from Beatrice.


Here is the beautiful little gift from Barb (no blog).


How lucky am I!

We live in an area where there are lots of swans and it is mating season. We have two pair who have decided to grace us with their presence this year and I managed to snap this photo of one pair. One pair has little ones now and we are anxiously waiting to see when the second couples little one's will hatch.

Well, I think I have caught you up on things to date. Thank you so much for bearing with me while I sorted myself out.

BTW, my second blogaversary was May 16th and it just slipped by. So, if you would like a little something stitched by me to celebrate that occasion, please leave a comment. I will draw a name on June 1st and hopefully have something in the mail to the winner shortly after that. Please feel free to pass the word around.

Until next time,
May the frogs stay in their own pond LOL

Return of the Prodigal Stitcher

Hello there fellow stitchers.
I have finally returned. We had a very eventful trip home! Snow, freezing cold, closed interstate - high winds and a dust storm and that's the first day. We had to detour around Denver due to the onset of the biggest snow storm of the season. We could not get through the mountain passes. We had to map our way between two storms - snow in the north and torrential rain and tornado warnings in the south. We stopped to visit with some friends in Iowa halfway home - wicked winds, rain and cold there.
We arrived home on April 24th to warm greetings from our families. My parents gave us a family dinner for 15 the first night, our oldest son a BBQ for 17 the next and those who could get up and moving went for breakfast on Sunday. It is good to be home and surrounded by family!
Our 4 year old grandson, Jackson, did not go back home with his parents. He missed his Poppa and wanted to stay. How do you say no when you have the sweetest face looking up at you.
We moved back to our house last Monday. We gave the mice their eviction notice, cleaned up their mess from the winter and unpacked boxes. I could not believe the amount of stitching supplies I had to put away.
I did take a little time and stitch with Beatrice, Adriana and Dani on Sunday afternoon. Thursday, I was back at Ann's and with the stitching group. It was so nice to see them all again and catch up on their stitching progresses over the winter.

I have a few stitchy things to show you. I spent my time in the car on the way home working on a birthday gift for Dani.
Well, let me tell you. The frogs moved into my van and would not leave. I wove the entire diamond pattern on both sides of her afghan and then discovered they were in the wrong place. It took me two days to cut the yarn out! Needless to say it was not finished in time to give it to her as soon as I got home. It is being delivered to her today when she and I go out for dinner.


I finished this quilt top recently. This will be a toddler quilt for the Linus Project. They provide quilts to local police units and they keep them in their cars for accident victims and people in crisis. I found a great black fabric with paw prints to do the back. This will go on the frame soon to be hand tied.


I stitched this little pillow for my BFF Beatrice just before we travelled home. I often tease her about being a "serial starter" and knew this was so appropriate for her. I made it into a little pillow as soon as I found the sewing machine. She laughed really hard when she saw it. I had her bring it to Thursday stitching and it caused lots of laughs there too. We all agreed the saying was perfect for her.

And a little hint, if you start this design, start in the top left corner. I started in the middle, had half the writing done and I was in the wrong place. Those blasted frogs visited me for this one too!

I stitched this pillow for Gaby for the Make a Wish Exchange. She wished for a pink pillow. This is one of the medallions from Paradigm Lost done in DMC variagated pink and on a piece of 32 count Limited Edition Silkweaver lugana.



The latest Friendship Sampler RR's have come and gone.
This one is Willeke's.


This one is Diana's (no blog).Nicky has notified me that she received the latest round of Fair and Squares from me. They are stitched on 32 count antique white lugana. The pattern is a freebie but I am not sure where I found it!

I have the last of the Winter Neighborhood RR's in my hands now and hope to have it finished by the end of the week.
I have joined the Mirabilia RR on the Worldwide Round Robin site and am busily gridding my fabric for that. I think I have the idea laid out to my satisfaction.

Not a single stitch in my HAED, Mirabilia, Noddy or Fairies in the Garden. Not a one. Oh well, next time???????????

Stitch often, laugh much, unstitch rarely!!!

P.S. Edgar's blogaversary is coming up and he's having a giveaway. Check it out!