Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Progress on Buckeyes and Another New Start



I've made some progress on the Buckeyes over the past week, and I started a new piece. I wanted to do a Patriotic piece for the 4th of July. This one is called Unity by Brittercup Designs. It has the Australian, Canadian, and English flags on it but I am leaving them off and may possibly order the charms later. I know, cheat, rather than go through all that stitching!

The Buckeyes piece is moving. I need to have it done in a couple of weeks so I can get it into the mail. It's due Aug. 1. I thought I gave myself plenty of time but I don't know.

Sunday we went to my brother's new house. It's really cute. They downsized quite a bit but all 3 of their children are grown and living on their own. So this house is much easier to keep up with. They bought a 3 bedroom home with a finished basement. The basement even has a bomb shelter. They have a really nice sun deck in back of their house and Beth will be spending a lot of time back there. That may be her craft room! The one extra bedroomn is an office and the other is for Johnny and Kate when they spend the night with them.

It's going to be another warm few days....but I'll take this over winter any time. I just keep my air conditioner running. Yea, pay the electric bill but it's not that bad, the apartment isn't that big.

My brother, Tim is now home after having back surgery last week. So far he is doing very well....Hopefully mom will do as well next week when she has her knee replacement surgery.

I saw the cutest video of my great nephew, Nicholas on facebook today. He's 9 months old and he was lifting the hose over his head and then after success lifted his arm as a "hooray", even his facial experession was that of a weight lifter, only he was sitting down not standing up. I say we have a future weight lifter in our family. But we'll see...I sort of hope not.

Well....until next time Happy Stitching!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Bunny piece is done


This was such a fun stitch! I will be doing more pieces from the book for sure.
Now I will be going back to the butterfly piece for a few days anyway. But it is so nice out today I may look for something with water, a beach scene or soemthing. Something easy to do on side of Butterfly piece. This piece is for a quilt we are doing at Cross Stitching for Charity. The quilt will feature the animals from Stoney Creek's Farm Babies book. I signed up to do the pig too but will do that later. The two pieces aren't due until Oct. or Nov. There was an awful lot of white on white stitching but I back stitched as I went along and that helped a lot. I really loved doing the backstitching. It really makes this piece.
Saturday we have a picnic at a friends house. She does it every year for those 50 and over at church. It's a fun time.
My brother had another back surgery on Tuesday. So far so good. He's in a lot of pain but hopefully this time the surgery will work and relief the pain.
Kids say the darnest things sometimes. Johnny apparently got mad at his mom and dad and his baby sister was screaming so he told his sister he would start taking care of her. (Of course he was mad at his parents about something and wanted to throw them away!)
Well, I'm going to read some blogs. I love reading blogs. Some of you do such nice pieces and are so good at writing I'm jealous.....Until next time Happy Stitching

Monday, June 21, 2010

Progress on Bunny


This piece is flying. I may just decide to finish him on out as there really isn't a whole lot to do on it. Hopefully early Friday he will be done. I've made a little progress on the butterfly too, but I'll continue on him after this one is done. I also am wanting to do an easy beach or Patriotic. It's that time of year. It seems to work having an easy piece to go along with a more detailed piece. And yes, even though by Stoney Creek this piece is quite easy.

Thank you for your comments to my blog. I want to clear something up. The little ones I talk about, Johnny, Addie, Kate, Nick, they are my great nieces and nephews. I have 12 of them with another one on the way. Some of you thought they were my grandchildren. I couldn't love them more if they were my grandchildren though.

Tomorrow I have Care group. The lady that is picking me up and I are going to the Flea Market just before it. So guess I better make my 7 layer bars tonight. I love going to the Flea Market, I love red potatoes, green beans, cucumbers, and may even pick up a couple of tomatoes. My mom has a tomato plant and sometimes I can get one from her plant but I don't get there but once a week. This time of year I love fresh vegetables! I get tired of the same meals all the time so love vegetable meals from time to time.

Lately, when I eat my little companion, Whiskers, jumps on the shoulder or back of the chair and makes his presence known the whole time I'm eating making me pet him etc. And if he can have it, I will offer him a couple of bites. Lately he's been on my lap a lot and when he's not he'll come up to me tap me and want me to either pet him or give him a kiss. It must be because he's getting older. He's 17 1/2 now so getting up there for a cat. What will I ever do without him. I know I'll get another cat but it won't be my Whiskers.

I also found out by way of our church prayer chain my brother is having back surgery tomorrow. What a way to find out. Actually I knew he was having it by mom told me July 22. She was only off a month and I talked to her earlier today and she mentioned nothing about it. Now I'm trying to call them and the line is busy...that means dad's home and talking to people on the phone. We joke he's married to church first, computer second, and mom 3rd. But that isn't necessarily true.

Today is my niece, Heather, birthday. She's 33 today they grow so fast. Today she's married and has a 2 year old daughter of her own. Right now they are all up north camping. Her, her parents, brother and sister in law and sister and brother in law and of course the important 2 Addie, and Nick are all up there. Bryan and Chrissy have to leave tomorrow though as they have to work Wed. The rest will be there to the end of the week.

Well....I knew I was feeling chatty, but I better go do my dishes and make those 7 layer bars! Until next time Happy Stitching!

Friday, June 18, 2010

More Progress on Buckeyes


The second butterfly is coming into play here and the first leaf is almost done. I think I've made a lot of progress this week.
Today is rainy. We've had quite a bit of rain lately and will have the next few days I guess. They say pop up storms. Hope it's nice for my sister and her family as they are camping up north. The one daughter and son in law are coming up from CO and wanting to get away from all the rain they've had. Think they are bringing it with them. It'll be an interesting week for the family as they'll have a 2 year old who is sweet and adorable who knows she owns grandma and grandpa, and a 9 month old who is up from CO who doesn't know grandma and grandpa but will by the time the week is over. Hopefully there won't be too much jealousy between the two. I love living in the age of electronics. Although family is far away through pictures and videos you feel like you know the child as they are growing up. Such is the case of Nicholas and Chelsea. (Chelsea lives in MO). Though I haven't seen either baby since they were 2 months old I feel like I know them. Can't wait to see either one in August.
Well until next time Happy Stitching!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Bunny Start


I got eager to start this piece from Farm Babies by Stoney Creek. I seem to love those Stoney Creek Patterns don't I? I love this piece. There is a lot of white on white so I'm doing the white first to get it over and done with. White on white is not easy to work with and harder to take out if there is an error. Fortunately I haven't made too many errors. This one I'm doing for Cross Stitchers for Charity. The squares will all be pieces from this book.
I have made quite a bit of progress on the butterfly piece too. The one butterfly is completely done and the first leaf is almost done. I just laid it down for a couple of days as I hit a snag, and when I do that it's best if I just lay it down for a couple of days then go back to it and it goes smooth again.
Did you see the new templates Blogger has. I love them. I had a hard time choosing but in the end chose this as it reminds me of beach sand. And in the summer I love to go to the beach a lot. There are a lot of lakes around here plus Lake Michigan. Usually we go to Lake Michigan and walk on the trails. I love it. Only now the friend I walk with can't walk right now as she injured her foot so until it heals I'll just do my own walking around here or the exercises. I found a new exercise program on TV that I really liked though I didn't buy the program I memorized the different steps. It's a workout believe me. With my asthsma I'm puffing 5 minutes later so I just do it 5 minutes 2 or 3 times a day, and walk a lot. (Living on the upper level of the apartment doesn't hurt either I'm up and down those steps a dozen times a day it seems like sometimes.
Today my brother and sister in law are moving after living in their house about 24 years, and raising all 3 children in it (2 were born while they lived there). They decided to downsize. They are moving closer to the Lake which will be nice. It's a 3 bedroom house so when Johnny and Katelyn sleep over they can. Johnny saw them take down his bed in the room he slept in and was a little unhappy as he didn't know where he would sleep. But he'll love his new room at the new house. Katelyn is only 3 months old now and is growing. She's getting so cute!
Thank you to everyone who reads my blogs and thank you for the comments. I don't get a lot of comments but I do appreciate them. I really appreciate the fact people come back and read my blogs from time to time.
Well...until next time.....Happy Stitching!

Friday, June 11, 2010

Progress on Butterfly piece


I just love stitching this piece. It is very challenging yet fun. It seems like I'm not making any progress but then I notice how much progress I've made after a couple of days stitching. This piece isn't due until Aug. 1 so little by little I'm getting it done. I am getting anxious to start the barnyard babies though so I keep thinking of them.
Well, until next time Happy stitching. This is short as I just posted yesterday.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

It Is DONE!!!! Happy Dance


In the end I hated doing this piece. It started out so much fun and it was so cute. The cuteness deceived me! I made so many mistakes and did so much improvising it isn't even funny! Yet I would do another piece from the book but give myself more time. I rushed through this and even feel the stitching is sloppy. Why send it, because I did put in so many hours and hopefully it will work well into the quilt. Jeanie may have to redo the shoes.
Now I'm anxious to go back to the butterfly piece which I really enjoy and is clicking with me and start the barnyard babies.
Sadly two members of our family lost members of their own family the past two weeks. Wendy first lost her grandfather last week, Then yesterday her step father who raised her died after battling cancer the last few months. And Sunday my nieces husband's grandfather died.
Our Pastor and his wife are on vacation this week but one of the things they are doing is making a CD down in Memphis. They have good singing voices. Char especially, so we'll see how it goes for them. At this point they have no intentions of changing careers.
Well....until next time Happy Stitching!

Monday, June 07, 2010

Almost done with Boy Soccer Player!


I know I have spent entirely too much time on him and I really need to get some housework done and what am I doing? Stitching of course. I really hope to have him done at the end of the week. I know he looks a little funny as I wanted to get the legs and feet done. I knew those shoes would drive me nuts so i wanted to get them done and over with. They are almost done. I hated doing those shoes they drove me nuts. Tomorrow, I'll finish the shoes, put in the grass and finish his pants, and do outlining. The outline will take time but the others will all be done in a couple of hours. Then Thursday, I can finish the shirt and ball and be done with it I hope!
Last Thursday my sister came to town for a couple of days. Friday we went shopping. I got floss and material. Why is it all that floss and there were still colors I was out. I bought plenty of floss so hopefully it'll be awhile before I need more. I also bought some walking shoes. I hadn't bought shoes since my niece, Heather, wedding 5 years ago. I hate buying shoes. So I am wearing them to break them in but they will be strickly walking shoes.
Saturday my sister went to Heathers. Heather told Addie who is just 2 Grandma was here when she woke up from her nap. Addie asks "Great Grandma too?" Awww, that melted our mom's heart when she heard that story.
Well, now that I can get to blogger, like so many others today, I couldn't get to it for a few hours to make comments, I'll go to some of the blogs and make comments I wanted to. Until next time.....Happy stitching!

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Progress on both pieces



How was everyone's Memorial Day weekend? Mine was nice and quiet. I got a lot of stitching done. I've made quite a bit of progress on both pieces. Yes, I've been stitching a lot.
I really am enjoying the butterfly piece a lot. I now remember why I like Stoney Creek patterns so much after the Giraffe piece almost killed them for me. The soccer player is a great piece to work on in the afternoon after spending most of the day on the butterfly, the soccer player is nice and easy. He actually is due today but I knew when starting him I wouldn't have him done on time. It's for a quilt at Cross Stitching for Charity. The butterfly piece is for a girl at Love Quilts who chose Butterflies as theme of her quilt. That will be a beautiful quilt.
Well....until next time Happy Stitching!