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.

It's beginning to look......

..... a lot like Christmas. I have spent the last two days decorating for Christmas. Our children and grandchildren will be here this weekend and we will celebrate Christmas/Thanksgiving on Sunday.

And so we have ( Warning - Photo intensive!!!)

1. a decorated Christmas tree full of nutcracker and other special ornaments and under the tree the Nativity that Leo brought back from his tour in Israel



2. Nutcrackers on the end table



3. Nutcracker music box on the sofa table - beside my stitching



4. Nutcracker mat on the dining table


5. Nutcrackers on the beam across the room


6. Nutcrackers at the door


7. Nutcracker placemats on the sun room table


8. Nutcrackers in front of the TV and a nutcracker in my cabinet of Swarovski collectibles


9. Nutcrackers on the fridge in front of the hunting cabin made by my dad



10. Nutcracker quilt on the rocking chair


11. Nutcracker dishes in the kitchen


12. Nutcrackers and whirlygigs (right one is nutcrackers) on the chest


13. Nutcrackers on the floor

14. Christmas Hat on the giraffe (Leo's trip to Kenya) and snowmen on the chairs


15. and last but not least, the travelling tree - this tree holds ornaments purchased on our travels including Elvis in his gold lame suit!


And there was time to stitch.

I finished this Stitcher's Sampler and then made it into a pillow.

Sophia's RR arrived in my mailbox.

She has selected the Pixies from Mirabilia. I have never seen anyone so organized. She has it all laid out, including the patterns and sections she would like us to pick from. She will stitch those not selected when she gets it back. I chose Violet

and am making good progress.

And Santa came to visit - in the name of Patti of Tapestry of Dreams. I won her blogaversary and look at the wonderful stash that arrived in my mailbox today.

HO HO HO.

Take care one and all and Merry Christmas!