HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wishing all a Happy New Year.

May your new year be blessed with few troubles, many blessings and lots of stitching.



I finished the biscornu this morning and that makes 50 finishes for 2009.

In case you think I don't stitch

Before, I get started, I want to say -Thank you to Secret Santa for my wonderful gift certificate to ehandcrafts.com. I really appreciate it and it has been spent. I will show you what I bought with the certificate and what I bought extra when it is received .

Well, sometimes it is better late than never. I have been stitching but not nearly to the extent that I normally do. I have been busy with other things for a while and it has taken from my stitching time.

I will show you my latest stitches small though they may be.

Here is Annette's Mirabilia RR - I stitched Iris

And here is her RR to date.



Here is Missy Ann's Mirabilia RR - I stitched Fern.


And here is her RR to date.

Take a closer look at this one. Each one is bordered in Kreinik and beads in the colors appropriate to each Pixie. Stunning!

I love the Mirabilias - each one is so different and so beautiful. I want to keep them all.

I finished "3 stockings" into a little pillow.

I didn't stuff it tight as I wanted it to look like it had been around a while. And well - it has - as I look around I don't see it which means it is behind the couch or on the floor somewhere. I guess I will have to look for it after dinner.

I started this "little" stitch a week before Christmas thinking I would have it done in lots of time. This is from the 2009 Cross Stitch Calendar. This was a gift for a quilting buddy. Thank goodness she went home for Christmas and I have some extra time to finish it up.


Obviously I didn't read the fine print. It is 70x70 stitches and solidly stitched. I am hoping to have it done by tomorrow and then make it into a biscornu. Gran Torino is on the dish tonight so some quality stitching time ought to finish the stitching and back stitching.

I won a blogaversary draw from Michele and it arrived a couple of days before Christmas.

Look at all these lovely patterns, the gorgeous fabric and ohhhh - the lovely Christmas fob. Thank you so much Michele. I have been very lucky lately and really appreciate my luck.

My dear sweet husband surprised me with a new watch for Christmas. We don't exchange gifts any more as we have more than we need so it was indeed a surprise. I love him, the watch and the thought he put behind it. Geez, as I'm reading this, I'm thinking - you should have taken a picture. Trust me - it is beautiful.

I am hoping to get some more stitches in soon. I have finished the 25 redwork squares and they are sewn into the quilt top. I should have it finished soon too and will post a photo then. I'm hoping the quilting turns out as well as the stitching did.

Until next time, everyone, keep on stitching and stay in touch.

Merry Christmas Everyone

IF A FAT GUY GRABS YOU AND PUTS YOU IN A BAG,

DON'T WORRY

I TOLD SANTA I WANTED

A GOOD FRIEND FOR CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas to all my stitching, blogging friends. May you be blessed with love, family and laughter.

Some good news!

Well, our son had his appointment with the surgeon yesterday. The news was very encouraging.
Surgery is scheduled for late March or early April. The tumor is very small - 5 mm. therefore the surgery will be fast and easy. They will operate by making four little incisions, lasso the adrenal gland and pull it out. He should be in hospital no more than a couple days and back to work in a week or so. He will have to start replacement therapy two to three weeks before the surgery.
The surgeon seems confident that it will go very smoothly. He will have to wear a medic alert bracelet from now on, but that is a very small price to pay.
The thyroid is being re-evaluated and may not be an issue.

I want to thank you all for your prayers and best wishes. See what the power of prayer can do. My entire family has heaved a big sigh of relief.

Till next time, thank you so much everyone!!!!!

Naughty Clicky Finger

You know, when one is sitting around waiting for something to happen, one tends to spend far too much time on the computer.

The end result:

Nutcracker Pattern - SuzLet Creations

The newest Gingher scissors - I love the plaid!


Threads and beads for Chatelaine's Desert Mandala


Vikki Clayton threads - online needlwork sale

I emailed Vikki to thank her for these beautiful threads and to tell her that I was busy fondling them as they were soooo soft. She sent me back an email saying thank you - now stop fondling and stitch with them. LOL

Laura Plantation from Nouveau Encore.

DH and I toured this amazing plantation while in Louisiana and this shop specializes in Louisiana cross stitch. Gayle included several free patterns. She tells me it is called "lagniappe" (LAN-YAP) in Louisiana. What a great way of putting it.

I ordered and received the Crescent Colors so that I can start this beautiful etui.


Nutcrackers in Blue by Imaginating.

oh and a pattern for a Hockey Santa - can't find where I put it - maybe it is with my missing calendar and DH's boating license.

I have stitched some but my stitching urge seems to be on hiatus. I seem to find everything small to do that detracts from my urge to sit and stitch. Hopefully it will be short lived.

Here are my latest finishes:

More squares for my redwork "Postcards from Canada" wall hanging. All the squares are now stitched and the coordinating squares are done. It is almost ready to put together - next post.

Two Friendship Sampler RR's have come through the door, been stitched and sent on their way.




And here is the reason I move to Arizona every winter.


How many ways can you say sunny!
Till next time - keep on stitching and thanks for stopping by.

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

My husband reached into the pretty blue bowl after questioning what this is all about - just doesn't get it!!!

And out came Hazel's name. Congratulations Hazel. A package will be on it's way to you soon.

Gifts from friends

I am so lucky!! I have the most wonderful stitchy blogging friends. How I wish I could meet these people.

When I arrived in Arizona this lovely package from Ranae was waiting for me.

Last year I had RAK'd her this time of year and she remembered!!!
Since I missed Halloween I decided to have my own special Halloween and so this gorgeous gift is still sitting on my computer desk with the card.
and the answer to the question on the front of the card - because he was goblin his treats.

Several months ago I sent Wendy a Disney kit that I had purchased and realized I would never stitch. She is a huge Disney fan so it went to a good home.
A couple of days ago I received this package in the mail.

Wendy picked this pattern from my wishlist. She hand made the card and it is gorgeous. Very talented lady.

Cheryl and I decided on a personal Christmas exchange this year. She let me know she received my package.
The mittens are a JBW design and I reversed one pattern so they made a pair of mittens.

Those chocolates are filled with caramel and are to die for. There were 4 packages of them but I ate one before I could stop myself. BTW, my Canadian friends - I can't get them here!!!!!

Cheryl's Christmas package arrived in yesterday's mail. A beautiful ornament, gorgeous fabric, pretty beads and ribbon in my favorite colors and a lovely Bent Creek pattern.


And from my friend Fran at home. When we received the news about our son, Fran stitched this for me. I have not shown it before now as I choke up every time I read it. I think I will make this into a pillow soon or I may keep it for a while and then finish it when some time has gone by. I just wanted to acknowledge her very beautiful and thoughtful gift.

BTW, our son has heard from the surgeon. His first appointment is Dec. 11th. Hopefully we will have some further information and a possible date or time frame for surgery.

I have posted a giveaway on the entry below this. Draw date is Dec. 5th. If you are interested, check it out!

Giveaway - Spreading a Little Christmas Cheer

How about a little Christmas giveaway.

JBW Mittens - I liked it so much I bought two.
A Needle and Fred - Three Stockings - This was in the giveaway from Patti. I stitched it and loved it.



Leave a comment on this post and I will draw a name on December 5th. It would be nice if you became a follower but it is not required.

Finally A Stitchy Post

Hi there everyone.

Well, I am as unpacked as I am gonna get lol! I have only lost my calendar and my husband's new boating license in the move. I don't think that is too bad but I'm not sure he would agree.

I was going to post about my stitches as I crossed the country but decided to hold them for a future post. I want to share with you the wonderful gift that my stitching friends at home gave me before I left.


A couple of years ago I started a RR that did not work out. When it was returned to me, my friends decided they would help me out and stitch for me. It has taken quite a while and I did not see my RR in all that time. My friends would not tell me who had it and who stitched on it.

Ann of Knowledge and Needles had a retreat in November. I was able to spend Friday evening with everyone before I left at oh-dark-thirty on Saturday for the trek to Arizona.
My RR was returned to me at that time.

I owe a large debt of thanks to my wonderful friends - Beatrice, Dani, Judie, Angie, Ann and Barb for the amazing job they have done. To Katrina, who was the first person to stitch on this RR and who has not seen it since - thank you for sticking with it.

I think I will change the names and put them under the lighthouse each one has stitched and put something else in that area.

There are still 3 lighthouses and all those little boats to go around as a border. Oh well, someday it will be finished.

Thank you again to my wonderful stitching friends for the gracious gift of their stitches and time. I love you all!!!!

Sunshine and Warm Weather

Another brief note - we have arrived safely in Arizona. Once I unpack and hide (LOL) all my stitching supplies from the boxes, shake out the dust and fill the cupboards, I will sit down and blog away. My google reader has over 300 posts so it will take me a while to catch up on everyone.
Will do my best.
Still no news on a date for son's surgery!! Just keep those prayers coming!!

Hugs to you all

Southward Bound

Just dropping by with a brief note.

My mom's cataract surgery went well and she is rapidly on the mend.

We discussed what to do with our son this week and the decision was made that we would head south to your winter home in Arizona. We will fly home to be with our son when the date has been set for his surgery.
We are at present 30 miles west of Des Moines, Iowa in a hotel for the night. I have stitched my way along and will have some things to show you when I can.

See you on the sunny side.

Check out my new kitties

Another week has come and gone and we are still here. Our son called his endocronoligist and was told that they have contacted the surgeon. He is to wait for the surgeon's call. We have no idea how long that could be.
Our grandsons had a wonderful Halloween. Here they are dressed in their outfits.

Jackson is Ironman and Hunter is Venom - bad Spiderman he calls it.

Jackson was fascinated with all the things in his bag and kept running back to show us how full it was. Hunter was more interested in the decorations and costumes around the neighborhood.

Our son went deer hunting for the first time this week. He did indeed shot Bambi. Although I am not impressed with hunting, it was nice to see him smile and chatter about his big week.

Our week with the grandsons went like this - Monday - Jackson home sick with fever and lethargy, Tuesday - Hunter home - threw up, fever and lethargy, Wednesday afternoon and Thursday - Mommy home with fever and lethargy. They have all recovered now except for coughs and sniffles.

DH spent three days putting together a chest of drawers from IKEA and he and I had a few choice words when he tried to show me what went wrong. He finally drove the thing 40 minutes into town and made them put it together. What fun!!!

And me, I did laundry, dishes, tidied, made meals and stitched lots!!

I concentrated this week on Fairies in the Garden and got a lot done. Since I took this photo I have almost completed the backstitching and that will finish up this page. If you look closely you will see two fairies near the bottom of the page.



Oh, and the kitties- here they are in the kitchen having a plateful of corn.




Hunter making sure he gets every bite.



And Jackson is having a cat nap LOL.


We are headed back to our home area tomorrow. We will stay with my parents for a week. I will take my mother for her cataract surgery Thursday and her follow up appointment Friday. At the end of next week, we will look at things again and decide whether to stay or go.

Until then, I'll keep stitching and you stitch along with me. I am not sure what my focus will be next week. Will have to see what calls the loudest from my stitching bag.

In my bag - nope, bags

First of all, thank you all so much for all your wonderful notes, comments and hugs!!!! They are so needed and so appreciated. Nothing new is happening. No call from the doctor this week so we have moved on to stay with our two grandsons again. We want to see them enjoy Halloween. Our son is going deer hunting next week and we want to be here to help our DIL with the two boys. They are sweet fellas but they are a handful lol.

Anna had a meme on her blog about showing the contents of your stitching bag. I made a comment that I wouldn't show mine as I had two large bags. Well, sweet Anna, dared me to . My only excuse is that they are packed for travelling.

Bag #1
This is my first big bag and the one I used to carry all the time.

A box of candy wreaths
A bunch of magazines - Cross Stitch mostly
WIP and UFO list
Q snaps
Mailing envelopes
Box of my favorite cookies - everyone needs sugar now and then
Lighthouse ornament made for my by my friend Ann
Book of suduko puzzles
Pattern - Verandahs of South Battery - to remind me I need the fabric
A takeout bag from the Lone Star Restaurant - my favorite - Dani and I ate there last week
A house biscornu to make up
The Friendship Sampler RR pattern
Piece of beautiful blue hand dyed fabric I spotted at Knowledge and Needles and couldn't resist
Paper crocodile Jack made at school
2010 Cross Stitch calendar
My stitching friends Address Book
Thanksgiving Turkeys the boys made at daycare
A turkey stuffing bag - don't ask lol
kit ready for Desert Mandala - no threads - they are in AZ waiting for me
My neighborhood to finish when I get to AZ
scissors, fob and case from Chris

Bag #2 - Who can turn down a big bag that has room for photos of the grandkids!!!


My HAED kit - Peacock Lagoon
My Mirabilia kit - Royal Holiday
My Christmas stocking kit
Bedouin needlecase kit
Fabric and accessories for Postcards of Canada Wallhanging with redwork
Ann's neighborhood to stitch on
Gingher scissors with fob from Carol S.
4 new JBW designs
Red threads and beads - because
Calendar - schedule
Fairies in the Garden kit
Piecemaker needles and ort box
Beatrice new business card for her singing group "Noteables"
a Lizzie Kate pattern
and two little blue bags

One little blue bag holds pens, pencils, highliters and a pencil sharpener.

The second bag holds

A ruler
long needle - not sure why
magnetic wand
Sulky thread for gridding
needlecase holding Star DeTailor
2 needle threaders
2 paper clips
2 thimbles
2 Thread Heaven
2 - #28 Piecemaker needles
1 Piecemaker beading needles - don't recommend - they break too easy
Post it tabs for magazine browsing
Measuring tape
Small cutter
Needlecase with needles
and an ort box.

And there you go!!! Now, you know why I am embarrassed.

I have done a lot of stitching these past two weeks. With not being in our home, I don't have a lot of house work or other chores to do. When I am stressed, stitching helps so much. And so, here's what I have done

HAED - Peacock Lagoon - we now have a moon minus a few confetti stitches


Mirabilia's Royal Holiday - nice progress even with using Whisper



My Christmas stocking - the second stocking is complete. One more to go.



And a new piece - I'm working on a quilted wallhanging called Postcards from Canada. There are 25 blocks. I have completed the first 10.

That's it for now. Happy Halloween!!!!!! one and all.

And life throws another curve

We arrived at our oldest son's house on Friday for a visit before heading south. After dinner, our son told us he had heard from his endocronologist again. The endo sent his MRI to another doctor who found the tumor (about 5 mm) and they decided it had to come out sooner than later. They also informed my son that his thyroid has grown back. The thyroid is one of the few glands that can regenerate. They told him it will also have to come out in a seperate surgery. The endo is contacting a surgeon to do the surgeries. We have cancelled all plans for now. We will stay home until our son hears from the surgeon and we have some indication of when things will happen. Our house is closed up so we will be living with our two sons alternately for the foreseeable future.
My son, DIL and granddaughter are all being very brave. DH and I are trying to be brave too.

Please keep up all those prayers. We need them!!

Done, gone, outta here!

Packing up is all finished. Suitcases are in the car. We are now visiting with our DS, DDIL and two grandsons for a week. What fun!!!!
And I've been stitching. I have no RR's coming through my door for at least three weeks and so I have time to do some of my own stitching.

From the bottom of my stitching bag we have

1. My HAED - Peacock Lagoon after approximately 800 stitches.

Before:

After:Yep, that's a moon!

2. Fairies in the Garden - some pretty pink flowers


and a photo of what mine should look like someday.



3. And a new start - Three Stockings stitched with WDW and GAST threads. This was in the Blogaversary package I won from Patti. It is fun!!!

I took the leap yesterday and ordered the threads for my Desert Mandala. I debated long and hard about that one as it is a big chunk of change. But, one of my stitching buddies said "We are on the back nine of life and the clubhouse is in sight!" Well, if that clubhouse is anywhere in my vision, I better enjoy my stitching while I can.

Well, off to hug the grandsons and stitch some more. Have a great week!

Boxes, boxes everywhere

Hello everyone.
What a wonderful Thanksgiving/Christmas we shared with our family. There was lots of laughter, cries of happiness and that contented feeling that comes from eating too much turkey. We had a great time. I did not get any photos that were especially great so will just share that it was fun.

By noon on Monday, Leo and I had it all down, packed into their crates and stored away.

Now, my house is full of packing boxes as we prepare for our trek to Arizona. I am a stitcher and a quilter so several boxes are supplies alone!! There are 2 sewing machines, a laptop, our clothes and whatever food that is left in the house. What we do not pass to our children for consumption, we take with us. With no heat on, there is not much food wise that can be left in the house.
And so, we prepare to move out. I know the field mice are packing their bags getting ready to move back in. They move in every year. We have done all we can and they still come in. We leave Warfarin out so I don't have any bodies when we return.
In between everything else, I have done a little stitching.

Here is the latest Mirabilia RR completed and ready for mailing.
I stitched Violet in honor of mine and Drew's purple hair.

Sophia will add the beads once the RR is returned home. That's why Violet has a gap at her waist.
And here is her RR to date.

I picked up my neighborhood that was returned to me quite a while ago and had a blank space for me to stitch. Well, I finally sat down and here it is - done, finished.


I am not sure how I want to finish this - frame it, pillow it, quilt it????? Any ideas.

I also picked up a UFO and put some stitches in it.

This is Fairies in the Garden from one of the British magazine. This is my third attempt - the first two went in the garbage - didn't like the fabric. I am liking the 28 count Opalescent I chose this time and I think it will get stitched completely now. Trust me, there will be fairies here at some point lol.

Blogging may be a little scarce for a bit as we transition from here to Arizona but I will do my best.

Keep stitching everyone. You amaze me each and every day.