Lisa's Stitch and Share

I'm back

2009-11-18T20:32:00.002-05:00

I have been away from this for a long time. I have been reading the blogs that I follow regularly, I just haven't had much to say. Derek has moved out and is working two jobs trying to get by. Erin is still working and going to school. Claire is still in high school. They all had birthdays last week. They are 22,20 and 16 respectively.

I went on a scrapbook retreat last weekend. Jody, my best friend, and I got to spend 12 hours at Paradise Valley Golf Resort working on our projects. We had lot of fun. There is a summer retreat in June at Salt Fork State Park. We are going to try to go to that. It's something to look forward to.

On the cross stitch front I am almost finished with the teapot of the month series by Just Another Button Company. I think I'll get November finished tonight and get December in the frame. I'm looking forward to completing this project and moving on to something new.

I hope everyone had a good summer. I know I did, it went by so quickly. I'm looking forward to the holidays, it's my favorite time of year.

2009-07-27T23:40:00.004-04:00

Here it is. Another Monday. Things have been crazy as usual around here. The dogs have been crazy today. O.K. they're crazy every day, maybe just more so today. Derek left this morning and left Trix outside by mistake. This was not the end of the world, because I was at home, just sleeping. She was all kinds of mad at him when he got home. Being female, she holds a grudge. This set off a chain reaction that lasted the day through. Thank goodness it's bedtime and they have calmed down.

I have been hanging around with Jodi at Scrap and Stamp Haven. We have such a good time there. Becky, the owner is at CHA this week. I am jealous. I can't wait to see what she orders. Hopefully the new Distress Stickles will be included. I have been trying some of the ideas on splitcoaststampers.com I have really stepped out of the box. I love experimenting with different inks and techniques.

Last week Ed went to a school in Virginia Beach. He took the Stihl gold certification and passed with a 95%. This is a big honor in his world. I'm very, very proud of him. I missed him when he was gone, and was really happy to see him when he came home. Poor man was so tired and stressed when he got here he barely made it to 6pm before he was snoozing on the couch with the remote. Such a guy. lol.

Derek has been taking summer classes at Kent State and he and Erin will both be attending full time this Fall. Claire will be a Sophomore in High School. Derek is working on his Chemistry degree and Erin is majoring in psychology, this week at least. She changes majors frequently. I'm O.K. with that as long as she eventually gets a degree in something.

I know it's been a while since I last posted. Life tends to get away from me in the summer. I have still been reading the blogs I follow on a regular basis. I hope everyone is having a good summer.

2009-07-08T09:38:00.002-04:00

Wow, time flies when your having fun don't you think? I have been so busy lately I didn't realize how much time had passed since I posted here. I have been getting Claire ready to go visit her step-mom in Michigan for 10 days. Gosh I'm going to miss her. The house will be too quiet without her. Ed works all the time, Derek has school and work, and Erin works and has a "friend" that she spends a lot of time with. I have a day off today. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet. I'd like to go scrap, but I'm not sure if I should.

Last night when I got home from work, I caught up on all the blogs I follow. There are some super creative people out there. I am always inspired by them, cross stitchers and card makers alike. I have been stitching on September teapot. It is coming along. My order from ABC Stitch Therapy should be arriving in the next day or two. One can never have too much stash. My Mom made hotel reservations for our annual Fall trip. We are going to Stitching Jubilee in Lancaster Pennsylvania, we always have a good time. She is a riot to travel with, makes friends everywhere she goes. October is a while away, but it gives me something to look forward to.

I guess I'd better get started on my day. Hope everyone has a good one.

2009-06-28T09:39:00.002-04:00

I had a good birthday. I got to spend some time with Ed. He took me to Arnie's (a local steakhouse) for a nice dinner and gave me a gift certificate to the scrapbook shop. Erin gave me a tool I need for the cricut I'm buying, and some money, and Derek is giving me a gift certificate for brunch at the Vue (that's a very nice restaurant where he works). I am so looking forward to going there. I've been wanting to go forever. I get my cricut next Friday. I can't wait.

Yesterday I went to Scrap and Stamp Haven and met Jody and Heidi there. We had a good time laughing and really not getting anything accomplished. Becky, (the owner) was entertaining as always. I have decided to make my Christmas cards this year so my goal is 1 card a week. I don't really send out many, but this year they will be extra nice. There is talk of a night crop at the shop. It should be a good time. After that I took Claire to Michael's and the grocery store. We went to Olive Garden for dinner with the gift certificate that Amy from work gave me. It was a nice time, just her and I.

On the way home We stopped to get some feeder fish for Filbert, her turtle. He is doing pretty well. Does anyone know how much turtles are supposed to eat? We feed him everyday obviously, but yesterday he knocked back 8 feeder fish inside 10 minutes. Will they overeat? LOL. I'm sure we'll figure it out. He is looks healthy and is active so we must be doing Okay. I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

2009-06-25T13:15:00.004-04:00

Happy Birthday to me! Today is my birthday. I have decided since I've reached a certain age that I should start counting backwards. I have the day off and I'm going to work on my scrapbooks and spend some time stitching. Here are some pictures I took. Claire and her best friend on Desiree's birthday with all of Ed's clutter in the background. God that drives me crazy. Claire is on the right. A picture of the birthday card I made her. Last but not least pictures of Ed and his kids fishing. They had such a good time.

I am finally going to buy a cricut. My friend is selling hers and it's almost brand new. I can't wait. I get it next weekend I'm hoping this week goes really fast. I hope all of you have a good day. Leave me a comment, I love to read them and appreciate them all.

2009-06-17T23:30:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone. Gosh it's been ages since I've posted here. Sorry about my absence. Actually I have been here every day, I just didn't really have anything to say. I have been reading all th blogs that I follow regularly. I think my stitching mojo is on it's way back. I've missed it. I ordered 4 or 5 charts from ABC Stitch Therapy today. I'll post pictures of my new stash once it arrives.

Today I spent with Claire and her best friend Desiree. It was a great day. I took them to All Fired Up and we painted ceramics. Claire painted a lion piggy bank, Desiree, a hippopotamus piggy bank, and I painted a square plate. It was fun. I have to go back next week to pick up the finished product as it needs to be fired again. It was absolutely pouring when it was time to go. We were about half way back to the car and the sky just opened and it poured. I took the girls to MetroBurger which is a really neat place in Highland Square for lunch. After burgers and silliness it was back out in the rain to go to PetSmart to by a habitat for the turtle Claire wants. Then on to Michael's craft store for me. I got a new embossing punch, I love it, also some ink pads, new markers and some storage supplies. We came back home and rested for a while. I really enjoyed the girls company today.

I talked Derek into going to the store for me, and then I made homemade tacos. I make homemade deep fried taco shells, the kids love them and they really aren't hard. It's a good way to get a vegetable into picky eaters.

I have some more garden pictures but I'm too tired to get the camera, I will try to get them up in the next few days. It feels good to be back. I hope everyone has a great evening.

2009-05-28T21:20:00.002-04:00

I have not been feeling very stitchy lately. No, definitely not in the mood for cross stitch. I hope this is not a permanent feeling. I have been creative in other ways. I have been scrapbooking, making cards, working in my garden and cooking as always. Maybe I just need a break. I'm still following stitch blogs, and I love to look at what everyone else is doing, I just don't feel like picking up my own work. Hopefully I'll get back to it soon.

Tomorrow I want to get in the rest of the annuals. Some marigolds for sure, and I know Claire wants to plant some gerber daisies so I'm sure to get some of those as well as whatever else catches my eye. I have a mess of empty flower pots outside that need filled up and arranged. Time to get to work. Ha ha!

Finally, here are the pictures that I promised a week ago. I have been incredibly busy. I'm sorry it took me so long to get these up. I hope they were worth the wait. The pictures are cherry blossom super bells, lewesia, iris, clematis, chives, argerarum, the mystery flower, and wigelia. Some of the spellings may be incorrect, please forgive me.

Tomorrow is Friday, what a short week this was. I have a long weekend off, so I really do want to get things planted here. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

2009-05-28T21:13:00.003-04:00

2009-05-28T21:05:00.003-04:00

2009-05-19T10:08:00.003-04:00

Sorry it's been so long since I posted. I have been so busy. Taking care of my family, work, gardening, cross stitch, and card making/scrap booking. Yesterday was a beautiful day. Chilly, but great to work outside in. I finally, yes at least a month later, got my violas planted. In one bed I planted violas and sweet allysum randomly around the hostas. They should fill in and be lovely. In the other back bed I moved one of the yuccas because they were spreading asymmetrically and it bugged be. They are in the center of the bed. Then I planted sweet allysum in a semi circle around them. I moved the cosmos to another bed and then spread the black eyed susans out a little so they didn't look so spotty. Next a row of snapdragons and finally I filled the bed with more violas. I really like violas together with sweet allysum.

Yesterday also included a trip to Battaglias Garden Center. One of my most favorite places ever! I found some interesting perennials to put in the side beds. I also purchased some sweet basil, Italian parsley, pink and white petunias, cherry blossom super bells, ivy geranium, giant snowflake, and last but certainly not least a beautiful silver curry. Oh, and I almost forgot, I picked up a really nice white bleeding heart for Elsie, a friend of the family. She asked Ed to pick one up for her, and when I saw this one, I couldn't resist. It is simply huge. I am planning on taking it to her today.

Besides going to Elsie's, I need to go to the grocery store, yay, yes that is sarcasm, and I want to make some cards, two of my coworkers have birthdays this week. If I have any extra time I will probably look at eBay and think about bidding on a Cricut machine. I really, really, really want one, but it's just not an option right now. Oh well, I guess I can't have everything. LOL. Have a good day everyone. I will try to get some pictures of the flowers up tomorrow.

I almost forgot, after all my hard work we had a frost warning last night, yes in the middle of May. Welcome to Ohio. Erin and I took all the extra bed sheets and covered what we could. Fortunately everything looks fine this morning. I would have been so upset if everything was ruined.

2009-05-11T20:24:00.002-04:00

Today was relatively productive. I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon and got a relatively clean bill of health. This was cause for celebration, so I treated myself to a few sheets of scrapbook paper and some scrapbook bling as well. I went to the grocery store when I came home I was inspired by my scrapbook purchases, so I made a card for my husband. It is pictured below. I cut 2 of the flowers and a butterfly out of the decorative paper that I used. I used a punch to cut the leaves out of the same paper. I think it looks pretty cool. I bent the flower petals and the butterfly to give them dimension. It was also my first experience with cutting a window and using vellum.

The other pictures are Rose Pansies in a window box on the deck. My White Bleeding Heart is just starting to bloom. A Midnight Rose Heuchera that my husband gave me for Mother's day, and a purple mystery flower that I can't remember the name of. If you recognize it please let me know what it is. I hope you all have a good night, I'm going to go finish making dinner.

2009-05-11T20:11:00.003-04:00

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T19:02:00.002-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there. I had a lovely mother's day. I went to brunch this morning at my Mom and Dad's house. I got to see my brother Andy and his family, and my sister and her family as well. My children weren't there. Derek and Erin had to work and Claire had a friend spend the night. The food was wonderful, my mom is an amazing cook. I gave her some note cards and thank you cards I made especially for her. She loved them. On the way home Ed suggested stopping at Battaglia's, the local nursery. YAY for me! He let me get a cart and everything. We got celery, patio tomatoes, brussel sprouts, rosemary and cilantro, as well as sweet allysum, some lovely rose colored pansies, a new clematis, and a heuchera. I will try to post some pictures tomorrow. Erin painted a picture for me, it is really nice. It's of a child's hand reaching for her mother's hand. She is so creative.

Thursday was our 4th wedding anniversary. Ed bought me mulch, what a sweetie, huh? Erin spread a lot of it for me on Friday, it looks really nice. We went to Amish country for the day. It was an awesome day. It was sunny and a nice day for a car trip. We bought cheeses from Guggisberg Cheese House and had dinner at their restaurant. The food was not fabulous but the company was. It was really nice to have Ed to myself all day. We went to a shop called the "potter's shed," they had some really interesting fairies to put in the garden. It was an awesome day.

I am going to go pick up Chinese food. It is Mother's day after all, and shouldn't have to cook. Have a good week everyone.

2009-05-06T23:31:00.003-04:00

I just read the neatest blog. It's called "Blacksheep's bit of the web." It is their blogaversary week and they are having a contest. Check it out. I found the link on another blog that I follow called "My stitchin time." Have a good night everyone. I hope to have more for you later this week.

2009-05-05T14:37:00.002-04:00

It has been raining. Imagine that. I did manage to spend a little time outside the last few days but nothing exciting. I finally finished splitting the hostas and Ed took them to work to give away. I STILL haven't planted the flat of violas I bought forever ago. It is so wet in that bed I'd need hip waders to go back there. Where is the sun?

In the front yard things are getting ready to bloom. It's not nearly as wet. I have pictures of the phlox that are planted around the base of my clematis. I do need a sunny weekend that I don't have to work to get some annuals planted. The soil should be warm enough soon. Ed got some of the pots and planters out of storage so I want to start thinking about them as well. I hope every one that reads this is having a wonderful week and that the sun is shining wherever you are.

2009-05-05T14:32:00.002-04:00

2009-05-05T14:30:00.002-04:00

Okay. I think I finally got these in the correct order. My goodness how frustrating. I actually had to walk away for a minute.

I haven't really had much interest in stitching these last few days. I wonder why? Maybe I need to start something new. In the back of my mind I have been thinking about ordering fabric for the two newest couture faeries by Nora Corbett. I may do that later today. I just can't seem to bring myself to work on my dragons or start another teapot.

I have four days off this week, I took some personal time. My fourth wedding anniversary is Thursday. I don't even know if Ed knows, but on the off chance that he does, I don't want to have to work. Tomorrow I am meeting some new friends from Scrap and Stamp Haven to scrapbook, I want to make a Mothers Day card and a Birthday card for my mother as well. I have been very interested in scrapbooking lately. I made my first page titled "Derek's First Snow" on Saturday. Here are pictures.

2009-05-05T14:27:00.003-04:00

2009-05-05T14:18:00.002-04:00

I think it turned out pretty well for a first attempt. I don't really have any pictures so I borrowed one of my mother's albums and made copies. The album was dated 1987 to 1989. I have quite few more albums to go through. It's hard to believe that those pictures were taken twenty years ago. Time flies.

2009-04-29T22:45:00.002-04:00

Today was another busy day. I had to track down a cell phone charger for Erin, she managed to suck the one she had into the vacuum. I had to take Claire to get her nails done. The kids are all leaving tomorrow to go their step brothers wedding in Michigan.

I weeded the flower beds this morning. Again. We had just enough rain to get them going again yesterday. It has been a dry spring here. I actually had Claire water yesterday. Almost everything survived the winter this year. I only lost a few things. My rosemary, lavender, and 2 rosebushes didn't pull through. The geranium is really doing well. The edelweiss has buds. It didn't bloom last year. I wonder if it's only supposed to every other year. My foxglove is having a hard time. I have never had a lot of success with them and they are one of my favorites. It seems like no matter where I plant them they struggle. I have 3 of the 6 I put in last year. Erin gave me a really lovely one for Mother's Day the year before last. i wonder if it's one of the survivors. My stargazer lilies are getting taller, and I saw the balloon flowers peeking up today as well.

I haven't really had much time to stitch this week. I've been busy with the garden and the kids. I have to work a day shift tomorrow, maybe I'll have time in the evening. There won't be any kids here so I don't have to worry about feeding them. It will be a quiet weekend, at least until Saturday night when we get Ed's kids. I would like to go to the scrapbook store for open crop on Saturday, hopefully that works out. I have some ideas for pages I want to try out.

2009-04-23T20:56:00.003-04:00

Today Ed took the day off and we went to Lowes and bought a new grill. He put it together and then he helped me clean up the yard. I'm beyond the halfway point. He got rid of most of the leaves for me. I still have a little weeding to do but then I can start to PLANT! My shoulders ache but it's a good ache.

I went to the garden store today in search of violas. It was nice to see the owners again. They remember me every year. The husband likes to tease me, said it was about time I showed up. I really like it there. I bought a flat and I want to put them in the back bed. There isn't a lot of light back there after the trees fill in and I think they will do well. I also have some hostas back there in desperate need of splitting. I swear you can have one hosta per county and soon have several in every yard. I started with two, six years ago and now I have 7 and have given countless numbers away. I'll have Ed take them out to the farm and plant some there. I have to figure a way to stop the erosion and keep the grass from creeping up into the bed as well. It's on a slope and I am constantly pulling grass up.

My stargazer lilies are starting to peek out of the ground and my foxglove is trying. I have never had good luck with them and I really like them. I cut back my mini rose bush (it's like ten years old), my hibiscus and my butterfly bush as well. Soon I should be seeing columbine and a few others. I love this time of year!

Ed grilled steaks for dinner, hamburgers for Claire, she doesn't like steak, strange, I know. I threw a couple of potatoes on and dinner was wonderful. I like to grill. Clean up is quick and Ed does most of it. Gotta love that.

Now Ed has gone to bed, and it's my stitching time. Hopefully there is a good movie on.

New Look

2009-04-21T13:10:00.002-04:00

What do you think of my new look? It only took me 2 hours and a teenager to finally get it right. How frustrating! I managed to set the language to Hindi, it only took 20 minutes for me to figure that out, LOL. I do like it though.

Spring has finally arrived in Ohio. I think. It's been raining a lot. My pink bleeding heart is getting ready to bloom. I'm so excited. My poor lavender didn't make it through the winter. That is sad. I've had it for several years. I will replace it soon. I still have a lot of weeding and clean up to do. Will it ever end? I'm not sure how these weeds got so out of control. I have always kept up with it.

I did find a little while to stitch last night. I am working on the canopy of the carousel on my dragon project. It is on Gothic linen 28ct by Picture This Plus. It is coming together nicely.

I have a scrapbook class tonight. I'm taking a 5 page layout so I can finally start the scrapbook(s) I've been talking about. I'm excited.

I hope everyone has a good day!

2009-04-20T01:28:00.000-04:00

It was another busy day today. I did get to sleep in a little, but that was the end of my "me time" until Ed and Claire went to bed. Derek is in Erin's room playing video games and Erin is studying with Heather for an exam in the morning.

I took Claire to David's Bridal today for a fitting for her dress for her step brothers wedding next month. She is going to tend the guestbook and gift table. The dress was too big and has to be altered. I will take her for another fitting the week before the wedding. I spent some quality time with her today, did a little shopping and took her out to lunch at Max and Erma's. I enjoyed myself. I hope she did as well.

After we got home I worked in the yard until it started to rain on me. I did get some of the weeds cleaned up. Darned dandelions! I have a lot more work to do. I'll try to do some each day till it's cleaned up completely and ready to plant.

When it started to rain I came in and cleaned up the kitchen and then made spaghetti for dinner. We finally ate at 9:00. I cleaned up the kitchen again and then finally sat down to stitch.

I got my dragon out of the box and started to work on it again. It's nice to be working on a challenging piece again. I'll say that until I have to frog. I put in a few hours on that and then wanted to post here. I'm ready to go to sleep. I'll get my book, I'm currently reading "Slay It With Flowers" By Kate Collins, and read for a half hour then go to sleep. Hope everyone has a happy Monday.

YAY!!! My Teapot Is Finshed! Only 4 more to go.

2009-04-16T13:39:00.001-04:00

It's finally finished. A happy dance is definitely in order. Excuse me a minute.... Okay, I'm done now. I sewed on the last button at 1:36 last night. I think it turned out really well. I wish you could see the variances in the fabric but it's to subtle to show up.

I have 4 more teapots to go, but I think it's time to work on Dragon Carousel for a while. After I complete another page of the chart I will do another teapot. I hope you like it as much as I do.

2009-04-16T13:34:00.000-04:00

This is the remainder of the teapot series materials. I received my order from Picture This Plus earlier this week. They made it really easy to order with chart packs that included hand dyed fabric, floss, buttons, and of course the chart.

I love making cards!

2009-04-16T12:59:00.002-04:00

Here are some pictures of the cards made in the classes I've been taking. I made the box too. I have really enjoyed the classes. It's nice to meet new people. I made the box and cards with the C monogram for my mom for her birthday.

2009-04-14T00:22:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday. I hope everyone had a nice Easter. I certainly did. It was a nice quiet day spent at home with the kids, my very favorite kind of holiday. I was sorry Erin had to go to work, but she ate leftovers today. I think everyone enjoyed the baskets I made for them and the dinner as well. I made ham, cheesy potatoes, pineapple casserole, cinnamon apples, candied carrots, a relish tray, devilled eggs, and for dessert a strawberry torte. I think everyone was very full.

To those of you that were concerned, I managed to avoid the Hannah Montana movie. Nothing against Miley Cyrus. I like her music. I just didn't think the movie was going to be my thing. Erin, with her brand spanking new drivers license took Claire to the movie God bless her. Congratulations on the drivers license Erin and good luck tomorrow George! My girls loved the movie and both came home singing songs from it.

I did find a few hours to stitch late last night. I am truly almost finished with August. The September, October, November and December teapot kits arrived today from Picture This Plus. I will get some pictures of my new stash up tomorrow. If you have never used their fabrics, you should absolutely
check out their site www.picturethisplus.com I use their fabric almost exclusively. I have never had a bit of trouble with their dyes running. They are colorfast.
I have the next 2 days off and hope to find some time to finish my current project. I also have 2 classes I want to take at the scrapbook place. Ah. So many hobbies, so little time...

2009-04-11T01:31:00.000-04:00

Today was certainly a busy day. I got up at the butt crack of dawn to go to work. (6:30 am is early for me, I'm a night person). It is now 1:39 AM here. I just finished putting together the Easter baskets for the kids and their various associates, or should I say accomplices? I'm kidding, they are all good kids. Some of them are in their 20's but your never too old for holidays. Ed's kids will be here next weekend so I packed they're candy in ziploc bags and will arrange it later. I colored eggs after Claire and her friend Desiree were finished with they're eggs. We did over 3 dozen. We'll be eating egg salad next week.

Tomorrow Erin takes her drivers exam. She just has to do the hard part. Maneuverability. Lucky her. I know she'll pass this time, she was so nervous last week. After that I need to take Deseree home and take Claire shopping. She needs a few things and I need to get the last few things for Easter dinner. I am going to take her to see a movie this weekend as well. She wants to see Hannah Montana. It wouldn't be my first choice, but she really wants to go, so I will take her. If I'm lucky I should have some free time tomorrow evening to stitch. I can really use the down time. It was a tough week at work. Next week will be better. Goodnight.

2009-04-08T23:27:00.000-04:00

It's been a busy week since I last posted. I have been stitching on my August teapot. I will post an updated picture soon. Claire has been on spring break and home during the day. She had her best friend over to spend the night on Monday and she will probably be back another day this week. Erin is getting ready to go to her friend's house to watch movies all night. Derek is just home from work. Ed is sleeping. He's been working a lot.

I made and wrote out some really cute Easter cards. I have been experimenting with quilling. It's fun. I went to a card class tonight and learned some new techniques including embossing and glimmer. I also got to use a cuttlebug machine to give texture to the card stock. Neat stuff. I've really enjoyed going to the classes. I like making cards and seeing what other people are doing.

We had SNOW this week. What's up with that? Actual snow on the ground. Yuck! Not enough that it had to be shoveled or anything, but still, it is April. Today was my day off and I worked in the yard for a while this afternoon. I got one of the beds cleaned and prepped. I have peonies, bee balm, edelweiss , chives and my beloved geranium coming up all ready. I'm excited for the weather to turn nice so I can be outside in the garden. I have some things I want to move and others I want to add. I would really like a weeping cherry tree this year. I know exactly where I would put it. Of course if I had my way I would have no grass. Just various beds with interesting stone paths and statuary, let's not forget the trellises and stone walls. It never hurts to dream.

2009-04-01T01:30:00.000-04:00

Here is one of the Toy Fox Terriers. Her name is Zoe and she is a terrifying toy fox terrier. Her full name is Zoe Annelise Zaraa T. Pishney. She thinks the T. stands for ta da, but it really is for trouble. She is an energetic, fiesty little thing. She is resting. She had a busy day barking at leaves and cars and keeping her family in line. It's a rough job, but someone has to do it.

2009-04-01T01:25:00.000-04:00

Here is a picture of one of my babies. Her name is Trixie and she is 8 years old. She is a wolf-huskey mix and a big old lap dog. She is tired and having a nap after a long day of sunning herself and watching out the window.

2009-04-01T01:19:00.000-04:00

Here finally is the picture of my WIP August Teapot. It's coming along nicely. It is stitched on haven lugana hand dyed by Picture This Plus with WDW and GA hand dyed floss. I haven't really had time to stitch today. I had to work but maybe tomorrow.

2009-03-31T10:59:00.000-04:00

This is my current BAP WIP. I've been working on it between teapots. A kind of rotation but their is no schedule. I simply switch when I get bored. This piece is very challenging. It has a ton of metallics, beads, and backstitching. I really like the detail. I've been working on it for nearly a year. I saw it on the ABC Stitch Therapy site and had to have it immediately. I am stitching it on Gothic Cashel linen, hand dyed by Picture This Plus. PTP is my very favorite source for hand dyed fabbies. I use them almost exclusively. The ladies there are awesome. They will do a floss toss on the fabric of your choice and let you know if your choice works.

2009-03-31T00:18:00.000-04:00

I have a problem. Apparently I'm obsessed with the new vacuum cleaner. I really like it a lot. It makes neat lines in the carpet. I think I may need medication. LOL. We all (with the exception of Ed he had to work) pitched in and did some cleaning this weekend. It's been really cluttered since Christmas with so many people here. I feel like it looks a little more organized. The house still needs some work, but it's much improved. Now if I can just get Erin to paint the bathroom...hint hint...things will be in good shape.

I tried to work in the yard this weekend but broke the rake. No I didn't get a new one yet. I'm still hoping Ed will pick one up for me. I did manage to uncover some of my perennials. Both bleeding hearts survived the winter. I have a lovely pink one and and a white one as well. My chives are up, and a few bulbs have pushed through the ground. I got some columbine on clearance at the end of the season last year. They were pretty sad looking, but now are healthy and green. I wanted to put in some pansies but it started to rain before I got that far. It's just as well because it snowed overnight. I'm hoping this is the last snow of the season.

I did find a little time to stitch this weekend. My August teapot is coming along. You can actually tell it's a light house. I took a picture tonight but the cord is in Claire's room and she is in bed for tonight. I really will try to get it posted tomorrow.

I watched a movie last night with Derek while I was stitching. That boy has a strange sense of humor, but his laughing was contagious. I really enjoyed spending time with him. Not many mothers have that kind of quality time with their adult children.

I'm tired, it's been a long day. It's time to pick up my current book (Murder of a Real Bad Boy) and get comfy on the couch. Goodnight

Blah

2009-03-27T23:21:00.000-04:00

I'm so glad today is over. It just seemed to go on and on. I really didn't accomplish much at all. I managed to break the vacuum yet again. Piece of ^@#$!!! So I bought a new one. That made me feel marginally better. Then I went to work. I"m so happy to be home. There is a dog beside me and one at my feet. Life is good after all.

Tonight I am going to relax with my cross stitch. Tomorrow I am going to class with Erin in the morning and baking cookies in the afternoon. Claire is having a friend spend the night. If it doesn't rain I would like to get some of the flower beds cleared. Ed has to work again so I'm sure he'll be tired and want to relax in the evening, I'm OK with that. Have a nice weekend everyone!

2009-03-26T20:22:00.000-04:00

I finally took a picture of my July teapot. I don't usually do cutsie but my mother really likes them. I have to go to her house to get pictures of the 1st six because I have already given them to her. I want to get a picture up of my next one but truthfully it's not really very interesting at this point. Maybe after the weekend there will be something to see.

I went shopping today with Erin. I didn't really get much but seems like we spent a ton of money. How does that work. I did find some neat little organizers to put our scrapbook tools in when we go to class but nothing else really interesting.

Saturday and Sunday are sale days at Picture This Plus. I have my wish list made up and I will order the last 4 teapots and some lovely new stash as well. Is it Saturday yet? I have to work tomorrow so hopefully the day will pass reasonably fast.

The local garden center is open. Whoo hoo! I will be stopping in there Saturday to get some pansies. Time to get started on the garden. My beds are sad looking. Maybe Derek will be around this weekend and I can get some free labor out of him. I can dream can't I?

2009-03-25T23:32:00.000-04:00

I put is an hour or so on my new teapot. It's coming along. This is a very busy time of year for me so I have to stitch as I can find time. For some reason I have been very tired today. I hope I'm not getting sick again. Ever since I became diabetic I have no resistance. I am a pharmacy technician and I get exposed to lots of bugs. I never used to be this way. What a pain. OK. Enough whining!

I took a card class at the local scrapbook shop this morning. I really enjoyed it. I made three cards and learned how to do quilling. It's fun. It was nice to be around other women.

Tomorrow I want to bake cookies and catch up on some chores around the house. All right, I do want to bake, but wish someone else would do the chores. If I get a minute I want to post a picture of July's teapot. Hope everyone has a good day tomorrow.

2009-03-23T23:27:00.000-04:00

I am getting ready to put the first stitches in August teapot. I really like the color black raspberry jam by GA. I'm excited to see how it looks on the haven linen. Hopefully as good as i think it will.

I just got home from work and I'm ready to relax a little. Erin and Derek got home within the last hour as well. Claire and Ed are both sleeping. I haven't seen much of Ed lately. He is working too much again, both at the garage and his regular job. It's just that time of year. You'd think I'd be used to it by now. I miss him when I don't get to spend any time with him. I know he does what he does so that he can take care of me. I have to work again tomorrow. It will be a shorter shift though.

Time to break out needle and thread.

2009-03-23T01:08:00.000-04:00

This is another design by Teresa Wenzler. It is called The Fortunate Traveler. This piece took 18 months to complete and has a story that is stitched over one. I think this is the most challenging piece I've ever done.

2009-03-23T01:01:00.000-04:00

This is Father Winter. I really enjoyed the white work in the border on this. It is a design by Teresa Wenzler

2009-03-23T00:59:00.000-04:00

This is a fairy by Black Swan. She won best of Show at
the Randolph fair in 2007

2009-03-23T00:51:00.000-04:00

Santa of the Forest

2009-03-23T00:47:00.000-04:00

This is one of the first pieces I did after my return to cross stitch

July's Teapot

2009-03-23T00:12:00.000-04:00

Ta da..... July's teapot is finally complete. I will post a picture soon. I put the fabric (PTP's haven lugana) in the frame and pulled the threads. I'm already to start August tomorrow. Picture this Plus is having a sale next weekend to celebrate their moving to a new location. I will order September through December along with the JABC buttons and all the WDW and GA threads to go along with it. I'm more than halfway through them now....Yay!

I gave my Mom June over the weekend. She really liked it. I will have to get some more frames built too. I have been ordering these three at a time because they are custom made and I'm sure boring to make at 7x7 each time.

I have been looking at some other blogs on this and other sites. I need to figure out how to make the pictures smaller. I don't like how much room mine are taking up, so that is my assignment this week.

Scrapbooking class.

2009-03-21T16:30:00.000-04:00

Today has been a good day so far. I went to a class at the local scrapbook store with Erin. We had a good time. We learned how to make shadow boxes all from paper. They look really neat. The ladies were all nice, it was a relaxed atmosphere. I am going to take a different class Wednesday.

I am still fooling around with the July's teapot from JABC. It would take me maybe an hour to finish it but I just can't seem to get motivated. Maybe I need a nap. Yes that's it. A nice quiet nap before the kids are all home. I'll do that in a minute.

I was just scrolling through the pictures and I find that I am missing one. I'm missing TW's Fortunate Traveler. I can't find it in the computer either. Grrr. I will have Claire help when she gets home. I wonder what happened to it.

I am going to take a quick break before the house fills up again. I will write again tomorrow.

Pictures

2009-03-19T19:46:00.000-04:00

I posted some pictures of my work today. Claire helped me download the pictures, but now I may be able to do it myself. The pictures are not the best quality. I should have sprung for the non glare glass. I will in the future. I am really excited to have pictures of my work here. I am proud of it.

Deepest Love Mermaid is looking a little green. She is more blue and definitely more defined in real life.

All of the pieces here so far have been honored with either Best of Show or 1st place in the Portage County Fair in Randolph Ohio.

Erin is cooking dinner tonight for the whole family and her bff Heather. It's nice to have someone grocery shop and prepare a meal once in a while. It's a nice break. She did bribe Claire to do the dishes, however. I really don't care as long as I don't have to so them.

I am going to start scrap booking. Erin and I are taking a class Saturday morning on how to make shadow boxes. I am really looking forward to it. They have all kinds of cool toys and they will let you play for a nominal fee. I'm a gadget girl. They gave me a demo on a machine called cricut. talk about cool. I want one.

I am going to finish July's teapot tonight. Then start August. I need to order September through December soon so I can get them all done.

Dinner is ready so I am going. Goodnight.

Saturday

2009-03-14T18:13:00.000-04:00

It's a Saturday. What more can I say. I have been running errands all day. I've been to the bank, the title bureau, the license bureau, The nail salon, (Yes I got a pedicure, I needed it), and then back home. Then I picked up Erin, took her to work, ran to Deerfield and picked up Claire's BFF, and took them to the mall. I went to the bookstore and browsed and then to the jewelry store to have my wedding ring inspected white the girls shopped and checked out the boys. I brought them home and they are closeted in Claire's room doing each others hair. She is happy so that's good. Ed is home from work now, and he and I are having a date night. I think we are just going out to dinner, which will be nice. Since all my kids are living here at the moment we have a limited amount of time together and no privacy.

I will hopefully get some pictures up soon. I need a halfway decent day to take pictures. A little natural light would be nice. I am going to stitch a little after I'm finished here. I want to go to Stitcher's Village on-line and see if there is anything I want to buy. I need a little SEX (stash enhancement experience) I think. Just a little something to look for in the mail I think. Until next time.......

Computer Illiterate

2009-03-13T16:04:00.000-04:00

My daughter Claire took my picture and posted it for me. I feel so helpless. Not only that but she's cruel. I asked her if she could edit it to make my face less red. She said "sure, I just took that big thing off the side of your face". What big thing? I am not aware of any big thing on the side of my face! It's a sad day when one has to have their child teach them technology. (I'm sure I still can't do it by myself.)I am going to take pictures of some of my work tomorrow and see if I can't get her to let me post them. If I do it myself I may remember for next time. Also she's jealous because she doesn't have a blog. She is making fun of me for having one. I should probably go beat her about the head and neck to teach her a little respect. Nah, I'll wait until after she teaches me to post pictures myself. No need to call Children's Services, I'm just kidding. She has never been beaten in her life, which is probably why she's so darn cocky. Erin on the other hand is talking about getting her own place. Apparently there are too many people living here. I tend to agree, but what's a mother to do? I am not holding my breath however. I'm pretty sure a college student working 16 hours a week at Walmart is not going to be able to afford much apartment. She's been looking at furniture at IKEA. She should be looking on curbs. LOL. Derek is still on the couch. I can't imagine he's going to put up with it for long. No one has any privacy, especially him. I have to gt ready to go to work. Yay!. That was sarcasm. I definitely have better things to do on a Friday night. One of which is stitch. I could go play bingo if I didn't have to work. Of course if I don't work I can't afford to play bingo. It's a catch 22. I get off at 10 then I can come home watch a movie and stitch for a few hours.

The Beginning

2009-03-12T22:46:00.000-04:00

This is a new beginning. I have been thinking about starting a blog for quite a while. I wanted a place to share my thoughts and post pictures of my counted cross stitch and so on. I tried to get one of my teenage daughters to help me, but as patience is not one of my strong points I decided to just jump in. If your reading this try to bear with me. I'm sure I'll get it figured out in a reasonable amount of time. I need to learn how to post pictures. I guess I may need to get one of the girls after all.

Today was a day off work so I helped Erin clean her car. My husband Ed and his friend Mark built it for her. She is a lucky girl to have such a good step dad. She had to buy the parts but all the labor was free. It's a little Dodge Neon that should get her through college and more.

I have been stitching the teapot series from Just Another Button Company for my Mom. I did have time to put a few stitches in today. I'll get back to it as soon as I'm finished here. I have January through June finished, and I'm halfway through July. I'll get some pictures posted as soon as I can.