Another new start

I thought this would be a pretty piece to do.  I know it's definitely spring like but I really like it.  I'm not sure what I will do it,  It may possibly go to Love Quilts for a future religious quilt for a girl.
   
I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoys all the food.   I'm going to my brother's for Thanksgiving dinner.   It'll be fairly quiet as the little ones will be at their other grandparents so we'll miss them.   But we'll see Kevin and Beth, and I think Jeremy and Christina and their other halves will be there so that will be nice.

Well....until next time Happy Stitching!

And Yet Another Finish! Two in one week 4 in 3 weeks.

November seems to be my month of finishes!   I don't think I've ever done 4 in a month let alone in the first 3 weeks of the month.
     
The Little Mermaid nearly didn't get finished.   Yesterday I was working on her in the Food Pantry as it was quiet and she went flying across the table and unto the floor, with my help.   The hair and face were so frustrating!   They took 4 days to finally finish.  That was this morning!  The rest of it was done in about 3 hours.   I still say if I decide to do a Disney Princess again I may go to a Psychiatrist first to see how sane I am!  The piece I'm doing now is fairly easy too.   It's a flower and butterfly by Imagination with Ps. 17:8.

Well....until next time---Happy Stitching!

And a third finish in November!

I am on a row.  Three finishes in November.  I haven't finished 3  within the first two weeks of a month in I don't know how long if ever.   I received this as a RAK from Sue V about 3 years ago and finally had time to do it.  I had to leave the bottom part off as I miscalculated and left too much on top.  I am not only finish deprived but center challenged as well!  Now to get out Arielle and hopefully finish that within a week.  Than that and the rooster can go get framed and be mailed out to Missouri for Christmas.

Well--until next time Happy Stitching!

Rooster is finished

Hi Everyone.    Two finishes in two weeks!  That's rare for me.   I finished this this morning and really enjoyed doing it.   Now to select my next project!

We had our first snow fall yesterday.  It snowed hard for a while and I really thought we would be covered, but fortunately the ground was too warm and it didn't last long.   Reality is though it will be here soon enough like it or not.  Oh don't get me wrong, winter is a pretty season, and when we were young I loved sledding and figure skagting etc.   Now I'm older, the older I get the more I dislike winter.  Oh well...this is Michigan and we do get the best of all 4 seasons so we are lucky.   About a month ago on ABC News they were saying the 5 safest weather places to live in USA and Michigan was one of them.   It surprised me that Alaska  and Hawaii were in the top 5 but they were.

We are making plans for Thanksgiving.   We are going to my brother's house.   So it'll be nice.  I don't know if all the kids will be there or not, probably 2 of them, but the one that's married may be with his family.  Nuts, I want to see Johnny and Katelyn.   But I will shortly afterwards as we'll get together for Johnny's  5th birthday in Dec.   Can't believe he's turning 5 already!  He is still a loveable character.

Well, until next time Happy Stitching!

A New Start well under way

This is from the same book the Pig and Bunny I did a  year ago were from.   Stoney Creek's Farm Babies.   I love doing the animals in this book and I'm sure I'll do more.   This rooster will go to my brother who collects roosters.   I love doing this piece.   The rooster is so much fun to do I decided to do the grass and sun before I finish him off.  
Well....until nexst time Happy Stitching!

Soccer Players Finished

 

Hello Everyone!   How was your Halloween Night.   Mine was a lot of fun.  We had Trunk or Treat at church and we had a lot of children show up.   They were so cute.   The highlight for me was my niece, Tabbi came with her 9 year old son , Ashton.   Unfortunately we were really busy when she came so I didn't get to talk to her much.  I really felt bad as  I didn't mean to ignore them.   Also my niece Melissa and her husband John, brought their two little ones over to the apartments to see her Grandmother and me.  Johnny was Captain America and Katelyn was a bunny.  They were so cute.   So it was a great night.

I finished the Scocer players about an hour ago.   I'm not sure why the different skin tones one leg one tone, the other another or the arm different too.   But that was the pattern.   It was a fun stitch but I'm glad to have it done. I have started a Rooster for my brother.   My next few pieces will be animals I think.  The rooster is from Stoney Creek's Barnyard Babies.  So far it's going well.

We are enjoying some nice weather but it is suppose to get colder.  It is that time of the year.

Well....Until next time  Happy Stitching!

Soccer Players

Once again it's been over 2 weeks since I've bloogged.  Truth is I almost lost my stitching mojo and for about a week just didn't even stitch.  I got so frustrated with that wedding piece I laid it down for a while.  Maybe after the first.   Blending filament is absolutely awful to stitch with.   I have the second bell almost done but just couldn't take it any longer.

   So I got this piece out to do for a girl at Love Quilts.   She likes the colors of lime and blue.   And also likes Soccer along with other things.   So I got this piece to do.  It is  going quickly.  It got me back into stitching.  I even have my next piece picked out.

   This past week our Landlords who live in another state and owe several Apartment Complexes decided to have all our hot water turned way down and would only have thenm turned up if everyone in each section would sign a waiver saying we would not sue if we got burned by hot water.   Totally ridiculous!  Our manager had all the water tanks turned down without telling us ahead.  Didn't even tell us we had to sign a waiver to get it turned back on until we called the office to complain!  We are so upset.  Long story short, all 4 of us in our unit did sign the waiver yesterday  I came right out and told them off and told them they should have warned us first and told us about signing the waiver ahead of time.  I never complain I have lived here a long time and never caused any trouble but I was angry.  I told them the least they could do is send out notes telling people about the waiver.  But they won't I know that.  I said I know you don't care about us and left.
Okay I spouted out they saw a side of me they never saw before.   I called today and apologized for my behavior they accepted it and told me I wasn't the only one upset. 

   My last post I mentioned I was going Apple Picking.   Well I went and it was fun.   We even got a hayride without the hay!   There was about 35 of us on that.   We were going to a couple's house for potluck dinner but there  were too many of us so we had the potluck at church.  It was so good  we had the best Barbeques.   I made my 7 layer bars  they liked those too.  I didn't take any home.  It was a beautiful day and it was fun.

     Monday we are having Trunk or Treat at church.  I'm doing the Apple Cider and donuts again.  Last year we didn't do it and people missed it so we are doing them again this year.   I'm looking forward to seeing the kids all dressed up. 

Well until next time Happy Stitching!

Still stitching on Wedding Bells

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted.   Mostly because I really hadn't had time to stitch that much on this plus working with metallic threads really slow you down.   The bells are completely done using blending filament with 1 strand of floss.  Not my favorite thing to do  Metallic thread is not easy to stitch with.  I have found using shorter threads does help. 
Tomorrow my sister is coming in to town for a couple of days.   Wed. we'll go do some shopping.  I'm hoping to go to Jo Anne's and get some floss  and also some 4 braid thread for my next project.   I'm doing a Halloween piece   a cat sitting on some pumpkins.  Also by Stoney Creek.   I must like Stoney Creek as I've done well over 50 of their patterns.

Saturday I'm going Apple picking with our SS class.   I've never done that before so am looking forward to it    Only it's suppose to be done in the 50's Sat.  Brrrr....after having 70's for a few days.

I don't get into sports too much but I really am happy the Detroit teams are tunrning things around.   After loosing so much the last few years, this year so far has been great.   Especially the Tigers and Lions.   So I'm rooting for them.

Well....untill next time Happy Stitching!

Still Plugging Away

Thank you for the comments to my last post.  It's coming slow but sure.   I did take a few days off to work on a baby elephant for Bryan and Chrissy's 8 month ol;d son, but I made a bad error in the beginning and didn't notice it until it was over half done so it went into the garbage.   I am completely convinced that I cannot do baby pieces.   I've made so many attempts and they've ended in the garbage.  It must be a mental block or something.   Out of 16 great nieces and nephews 2 of them have pieces and a 3rd one will get one when her grandma makes it into a pillow.  I've decided maybe by the time the kids are teenagers they'll have a piece maybe, just not a baby piece.  The picture doesn't show it well but the bells are done with metallic threads and also the blue ribbon has metalic thread with the pink in it.     I am still enjoying this piece..   It's over half done now.

We had our second week of KIA Club last night  (Kids in Action).   We had 15 the first week 14 last night.  Down one but had several new ones and those that weren't there last night we knew they were out of town at least most of them.   We use to have 70-100 kids in Adventure Club several years ago but  when we changed leaders although the format was the same the kids stopped coming then we tried a new program for a couple of years that failed miserably.   So now we have something really good again and it's just going to take time to build

We are starting to get our fall colors.  I thought it was a little early but the middle of October is jsut a couple of weeks away and that's when they are suppose to peak.   I love seeing the fall colors.   I just don't like the season that follows.  I use to love winter but the older I get the less I like it.

Well, until next time....Happy Stitching!

Progress on Wedding Bells

Hello everyone!    Hope you had a great week.
    
I did get quite a bit done on Wedding Bells.   I'm glad I started it all over as it looks like it will come out right now.   I think I am going to take out Christiana's and Bryan's names and move it over a notch.   I didn't think I would have enough room to get booth their names on it but I had more room than I thought.  Do the letters B and C look alright.   I had to sort of wing it as I couldn't find those two letters anywhere in the book.   And of course they didn't have an alphabet guide.

It's been sort of a busy week.  I haven't been home much and today Whiskers is soaking up all the attention he can get.  I try to do something and he meows wants me to sit down  in the chair so he can get on my lap.   Right now he just jumped onto the computer desk and is rubbing me to get me off.  At almost 19 he pretty much gets what he wants.   He's been so good about letting me brush him lately.  It use to be he wouldn't let me and he got a few mats.   Slowly but surely they are coming out.

Earlier this week we went to Ludington State Park where my sister and brother in law were camping.   I can't believe the fall colors were really starting to show on our way up there and back.   It was a nice day cold but nice. 

I am going to be honest here.   I can't decide to keep blogging or not.  I enjoy it.   People do seem to read it but I get so few comments I'm thinking no one likes my pieces.   Only problem with that is if you will notice, the pieces I do always go to other people or to Love Quilts so I go with their tasttes and wants, not always what I would choose to do if I were stitching for myself.     I know I don't have a way with words like a lot of you do. Some of you are so gifted in writing.   I don't know, I'm just started to get discouraged.  The main thing is the receivers seem to like my pieces.

Our Food Pantry is growing in staff.   We now have 7 people working in it and another one started training today and another person may start training soon.   Plus a couple of people take me shopping and like being involved in the food pantry that way as they can't commit to one day a week.   We also like so many other food pantries are getting more people needing food and  having a hard time keeping the stock for it.   Fortunately next month we are having a food drive and the church usually comes through in a big way on them.  We've only had 2 other ones in the whole time we've been open which is about 4 years now.

Well.....until next time Happy Stitching and thanks for reading my blogs.

Twin Towers

Shortly after 9-11 my brother asked me to do a Twin Towers piece.   I found this one by Mystic Stitch and really did ennjoy stitching it.   Today it hangs on his walls.

Like everyone else I remember where I was and what I was doing the moment I found out.   Tim had called me and said a plane hit the Twin Towers.  So I turned on the news and shortly after saw the second plane hit.  I knew it was an act of terrorism that second plane didn't even try to miss the tower it headed right for it.   Like everyone I was almost glued to the TV.   I called our church office told the secretary so she turned on her radio.     After the other two planes sturck I wondered  what would become of us.

A few days later we found out a man in his 30's that had gone to our church mostly in the summer and was on the softball team was  working in Windows in the Twin Towers.   He did not get out.   I had seen him and his wife and daughter a few times but did not know them personally

My nephew was shot in Kuwait training for Iraq.   He lost complete use of his left hand.   He saw the bullet coming and ducked, putting his hand above his head.   At least it hit his hand not his head.  

Anyone alive that day will never forget and it changed America forever.  

Well until next time Happy Stitching.

Started all Over

I made a serious error on the original piece so I had to start this all over.  I was so mad!  But it was easier to start over than to frog it.   It's going good now.   A lot of what I had done on the first piece is done here only I took a little different approach for the right side as it's so much easier to work down then up.  I see the picture is a little crooked and I think I'll use my other scanner as it shows the piece clearer as the colors in this piece are so light.   It is a pretty piece.  I hope Bryan and Chrissy like it.

I have a dumb question   Can you make Meatloaf with eggs.   I ate my last two eggs this morning and I should have saved them for the meatloaf I had planned to make tonight.  I have to do something with the   hamburg I unthawed and I had wanted meat loaf.  

I won Last DMC Standing game at ESC a couple of weeks ago and received my package today.   A lot of floss!   It was nice.  I love that game but this was the first time I won it.

Well until next time Happy Stitching.   Have to figure out what I'm going to do with the Hamburg. 

Wedding Bells Started

Hello!   I hope everyone is having a good and safe Labor Day Weekend.   I can't believe the summer is over!   Usually I am looking forward to fall but not this year I so enjoyed the summer I hate to see it end.  Although I do like the fall colors and we can already see the trees starting to turn.  A large group from our church went up to Center Lake (our church camp) for Family Retreat.   Friday was nice but not sure about yesterday.   We had some big storms in our area then it cooled doown a lot and tomorrow is suppose to be cooler.   Hopefully the storms didn't hit them up there.   And as far as tomorrow, they probably won't swim anyway as they go home that day.

I promised my nephew and his wife a Wedding piece 3 years ago.   They were married in Feb. 09 and now have an 8 month old son so it's about time I got this done for them.   I started one for them three years ago but it just didn't take off, I kept making mistakes, didn't like the material I chose and the pattern just didn't click with me.   This is much different.  Though very detailed and tedious it is clicking with me and going okay.  But I love Stoney Creek patterns.  It isn't a large piece though so hopefully I can have it done by the end of the month get it to the framers and then hopefully give it to them at Christmas.   They live out of state and I'm hoping we'll see them at Christmas.   If not I'll give it to my sister and she can give it to them when she sees them.

Well until next time  Happy Stitching and have a Safe Weekend!

Lighthouse Finish

This was a real quick finish.   It's actually from a book called Lighthouse Sampler by By the Bay Needlework.   I did have a problem in that I didn't have a couple of colors and I misread one of the symbols by the time I discovered it I had too much done to take out plus I didn't have the correct colors.   I'm sure I'll do more from this book and the colors I was missing will be replaced by the time next spring or summer comes.  Living on the shores of Lake Michigan I love Lighthouses.   We use to go down to the Lake a lot and watch the lighthouse and go to the channel see the big boats come in.  Those days are over the big ships don't come through like they use to but smaller boats do.  

I had thought about doing another summer piece,  or doing the soccer piece.   But instead I have kitted up a Wedding piece I promised my nephew and his wife I would do for them.   They've been married 2 1/2 years now so about time I did one.   They also have the cutest baby boy who is almost 7 months.   I really need to start doing pieces for my family too.  The great nieces and nephews have very little if anything I've stitched.  Problem is I'm not big on baby or young child pieces and most are 3 or under!   All in time since there are 12 of the 16 that don't have anything stitched from me it will take time maybe by the time some get them they won't be so young.

I just heard I'm average as far as Americans drinking Pop go.   I drink about 4 cans of Pepsi a day which is average.   I need to cut down thouogh.

Well.....I hope everyone has a Good and Safe Labor Day Weekend.  Until next time Happy Stitching.

Lighthouse Start

Hello everyone!  Thank you for reading my blog.  I hope all of you on the east coast made it through the hurricane, flooding and earthquake with limited damage, well as limited as they can be.  I have never been in any of them so have no idea what it is to go through them.   Well I do know know what high winds are like as we do get those sometimes.

 I had hoped to finish this tomorrow but it's not going to happen so I decided to post this today get one last post in in Aug.   I really hate to see August end.   It was such a good month this year.   Usually August and December are the two months I hate the most.   But not this year at least not Aug.   Maybe December will be almost as good.   It sort of sounds like Friday will be the last warm summer day for the year after that it drops to 70 which really isn't all that bad.   Still a little cool for those who want to camp one last time though.  Yes cool even by MI standards.

This summer you may have noticed I'm on the kick of doing summer projects.   Who knows I may be in such denial that the summer is ending I may sneak in one more summer project before doing the soccer players.

Well---enough whining about the end of summer.   Until next time Happy Stitching!. 

Black Bear finish

I loved stitching on this piece.   It was so much fun!   I hope we do another Camping Quilt and I can do another piece from the book.  Think I better buy the book though.  

To those of you on the East Coast I hope and pray you stay safe the next few days and that the hurricane will break down and not be quite so strong.   But stay safe!

Tomorrow we are having our KIA (Kids in Action) Kickoff Carnival.   We are having games and a petting zoo.   I can't wait.   I'm working the Prize Table.   Hopefully it will go smoothly.   We are hoping for no rain.  Right now scattered showers are in forecast but in certain areas and I think later than what our fun will be.   We are even having a Dunk Tank.  Three of our Pastors are going in it at different times.  I'm  looking forward to the fall season's programs to begin.

Oh I'm having a problem with making comments on some of your blogs this message comes up saying I don't have permission to view the page.   What do they mean, I've seen the blog, read the page yet I don't have permission.   I'm wondering if people are having problems comment on mine since lately I have been a little dissappointed by how few comments I'm getting.  I don't know if people just don't like it or if they can't comment.  I know I don't comment on everything I see either, but right now on some of you I'm having problems with the comment page, others no problem. 

Well, until next time......Happy Stitching!

Lots of Progress on Black Bear

I know I am speinding entirely too much time on this piece but I love doing it and it's hard to lay down something I enjoy so much.   Only problem is I don't see any eyes on this poor bear.   But the pattern doesn't call for them so he must have hidden eyes.

Earlier this week tragedy nearly struck at church.  A teen-age boy from a family our church just loves was hit by a hit and run driver while running with his cross country team.   They were crossing the business disstrict of the expressway had the green light and a driver from another state trying to get past the semi's and run the red light hit James.  Worse part is it happened right in front of his younger sister Abigail who also was running with the team.  Fortunately James thought enough while flying through the air to put his arms in front of his head so he would hurt his arms before head when he landed.  He was able to get back up.  A couple of teammates  flagged down a driver had her take him to the hospital while other team members took care of Abigail who was very shook up.   Why do drivers hit people and drive off as if it never happened.  One of the semi drivers did take off after the driver and came back with a partial license number unfortunately the hit and run driver was from another state.  Police told James parents they may not be able to track him down but did contact all Police posts between MI and the state the driver was from plus contatacted that state.  No way of knowing if he lives here or in the other state.   Fortunately James didn't have to have surgery and was hoping to be able to run with the team today if he felt up to it.  They had their first meet today.

Sunday is our annual church picnic down at Lake Michigan.  Hope it is a nice day.  I'm going to make Pizza Casserole.  That usually goes over big.    One of my friends  said she was making her Macaroni and Cheese, which is always a favorite.   This time I hope I get some.   We are having a Pig roast but I really don't like Pork.   I like barbeque spare ribs if they are tender and fall off the bone.   Speaking of spare ribs that's what I had Sunday when we went out for my birthday.  I loved the red skin potatoes.   The spare ribs tasted better the next day.  Funny how some foods are like that.   I made Spanish Rice last night and had some left overs today and it tasted better than it did last night.

I just noitice we can change the font size if we want.  LOL!   Last Sautrday my brother posted on my Face Book Wall:  "Friends of Barb....starting tomorrow you will need to use a larger font so she can see it.  As she will be at that age.  This has been a public service announcement from her much younger brother....Kenn"   He's only 3 years younger than me!   I felt like replaying and saying Kenn?  Kenn who?   I didn't know I had a brother Kenn.   But I was good I didn't.

Well...better close this book and do some more stitching....well read some blogs first.   Thank you for reading my blog.   I notice I get very few comments but people do keep coming back and that encourages me.   Until next time.....Happy Stitching!

Bear for Camping Quilt

We are doing a camping quilt at CSA for Love Quilts.   I love doing this piece even if the bear has a lot of black in it.   I really wish I would have joined in on an earlier quilt but hopefully we'll do more.   All that floss I have , I didn't have 3 of the colors so I ordered them from 123stitch.  I'll have the floss by the end of the week.   I was so proud of myself, I only ordered floss, aida cloth and floss robbins.  I didn't order any patterns!  

Thank you for reading my blog.   I hope you enjoy it.  I enjoy reading others and do leave comments sometimes.   Well....I better go downstairs and put the clothes in the washer into the dryer.  Until next time Happy Stitching!

Butterfly finish

This was a quick Butterfly finish we are doing at CSA for a teenage girl.  The quilt will be this butterfly only in 3 different colors and 2 different angles.   This is the one sent to me to do.   At first I was disappointed because of the colors I really wanted blue, but I really liked this.   It was a quick finish.   I'll kit up the camping quilt square and start it tomorrow morning.

Yesterday was my birthday and it turned out to be a nice but busy day.   We went out to eat where I got a free meal and ate the left overs today.   The left overs were actually better than yesterday.  Some left overs are like that.  I got talked into barbecue spare ribs and I like spare ribs as long as they are not dry.   These were so moist and tender.  And I loved the red skin potatoes.  Yummmmmm.

Well  until next time.....Happy Stitching.

Seashell is finished

I finally finished this earlier this afternoon.  I really wanted to do a seashell.  Why I don't know and I really don't know why I picked this one except it was in a book I hadn't stitched from and I'm wanting to stitch from books I haven't stitched from yet.   It's ridiculous over 1,000 books and only stitched from almost 300.  Although there may be books I stitched from I didn't record.

Tomorrow I will start a butterfly piece I'm doing for CSA.   We are doing a butterfly quilt for a teen age girl.  It looks like it will be quick.   I also received the material for the camping quilt we will be doing for a boy.   I am looking forward to that one.   The butterfly looks like it will be fun too.

This weekend Unity Festival is going on  down by the Lakeshore.  I went last year enough for the next 5 years.  It was good but soooooo many people.   This year Michael W Smith will be closing it tomorrow night.   I forgot who the other one was.  

I got my new Bible earlier this week.  I got New King James Study Bible and I like it.   My sister sent me a lot of  money for my birthday so that was the first thing I got.   My birthday is Sunday and oh no I'm hitting the big 60!  I remmber as a child that was so old.   In fact I remember Grandma Cooper who I just adored (she was not my real grandma but I called her grandma her family and I were so close.)   Anyway she seemed so frail and old when I first met her, and I think she was 59 or 60.  I don't feel frail and I don't feel old.   Although I got notice this week that my Disability will continue.  We sweated that one out.  

Well, until next time Happy Stitching!