Real Quick -

Many thanks to those of you who have wondered why I was MIA.  You know how we women are - can't learn to say "No" well enough.  I've just had a lot of stuff going on that I've said "Yes" to and it's been keeping me from doing the things I really enjoy doing.  I've also had a bit of a health scare, but I'm OK; not to worry.

What I am putting this post up about is my Blogaversary.  Blogger tells me that I made my first post three years ago.  Wow, I can't believe it's been that long!

To celebrate, I'm having a giveaway.  Two weeks from now - or so - on the 14th of March - I'll draw the winner.  What's the prize?  Well, it's all my gently used Lizzie Kate charts for Christmas Rules.

It includes all the charts, the freebie header in case you want to do it all as one like I did, and the bonus chart "Jingle All the Way".  Most people didn't put the bonus on their piece, but I did.  What is NOT included is all the little buttons and things.  Leave a comment on this post or put on your blog for a second chance to win. 

Granddaughter's birthday is coming fast, and this was a Make-It request.  More on that in another post.

I am totally stoked about the trim I designed for this pillow that I'm delivering to a customer today:

Hope you all have a wonderful Leap Day tomorrow! 

I Watched My Most Recent DA Episode - and some Stitching!

Well !!!  That's almost all I can say!  There was certainly a lot of gasping on my part last night while I was watching.  I was shocked!  Shocked I say!  By Lord Grantham.  I kept saying - doesn't anyone know how to look in on these two????  Good Grief! 

And does anyone else out there think that Mary is a biyatch of the first water?  I just cannot bring myself to like her.  I don't hate her, but I sure don't like her either.  Saying that butler's were basically a dime a dozen in Carson's hearing was just awful!  I guess I'm showing my blue collar roots.

I was schlepping on PBS.org yesterday and they have quite a lot about DA - another thing that everyone else is probably up on.  But, one thing I did see is that they have a very nice set, season one and season two on DVD plus a book and CD of the music.  And the price has been slashed down to $55.99.  Yowzzza!  That is a great price!  So, I ordered me a set!  I think I must have missed the very first show in season one so I'm hoping to catch up on that, but I think I will want to watch the whole darned thing several times over.  It is SO fabulous!

I actually have some stitching to show to you.  It's an update of the stocking I'm working on for my daughter in law. 

The top one shows the progress on the lower portion (heel and toe) where I'm now working.  I used to do these and wait until the very end before I put in any of the detail work.  But, I can't stand to wait anymore.  So, when I got to the point above, I worked on my details as shown in the bottom photo.

You can see the Crayola crayons and box, the detail on the cats and coloring book as well as the blocks.  Also, as much detail as I could put in on the chair.  In the blank between the chair and desk, there is a stack of books that I'm working on stitching now.  The linen is by Weeks Dye Works, 30 count - and is a lovely light lilac color.  Purple is my daughter in law's favorite color.
Hope you enjoyed!

I Keep Forgetting to Tell You . . .

Probably, I am not telling anyone anything new here.  That's usually the way it is with me - new knowledge just comes to me late and then I'm like all excited about it and when I talk about it, turns out, everyone else already knows.  Like Downton Abbey.  I still remember the Spinster Stitcher rhapsodizing about Downton Abbey and then when I finally caught up, I wanted to rhapsodize about it too.  That time though, I remembered before I said anything that everyone already knew about it so I kept my mouth shut.  But, just in case you are not in-the-know and perhaps even more behind on new news than I am (pretty hard to do that), here goes -

First - In the Company of Friends.  I ordered their Honeysuckle Cottage gift set for my stitchy friends to have as Christmas presents this year.  I thought that the set was extremely reasonably priced at under $40.  This set has sold out - so, why am I telling you about it?  Not necessarily about the set, but the product.  ItCoF has a wonderful product.  I cannot tell you how impressed I was with the quality as well as the packaging.  Things that were delicate were packed up inside the main box with bubble wrap and tissue and the whole thing was wrapped twice in bubble wrap so that the boxes arrived safe and sound at my house.  I really felt that I got an incredible bargain for my money.  And my friends - they were just stunned.  I can honestly tell you that they don't think I spent under $40.

Go and check out their site and find something wonderful for yourself.  I really regret that I did not order a box for myself.  My one friend says that she will sit down in the evening and just take all the pieces out of the box and admire them; it's like a jewel box for stitchers.  Keep your eyes peeled on this site for new items.  They usually announce them on their blog, so if you're not a follower - be one!

Second - The Prairie Schooler.  Every now and again, I go to the site to see if they're offering a download of a new freebie.  The freebies come from the minicards that they produce.  I have never been lucky enough to shop at a stitch shop that gave out (or even sold) these little gems to customers.  I have taken to schlepping around ebay, whistfully looking at the cards available there for WAY more money than should be paid.  Well, apparently the divine ladies at Prairie Schooler have picked up whisps of my whistfulness because low and behold, the last time I checked the site, they are now offering the minicards FOR SALE!  I wrote a check that day and sent it out to them ordering all three sets.  In the return mail I got something wonderful!  Not only did they send the three sets of minicards I'd ordered, but they included a freebie bookmark card (with freebie chart on it) and a card of all their availabilities that showed pictures of the spring designs!  Newest designs are August, January, 3 Billy Goats Gruff and - this one's for you Glenna - BUNNIES!  They're too cute!  And I was just being even more whistful lately wondering when she was going to come out with the January design!  It's like we're connected!  And even better - they have a fourth set of minicards!  Yes, I've already sent in my order for that one too.  I am just in hog-heaven! 

Third - Well, I can't remember third at the moment - that happens sometimes!  I got so excited to tell you about one and two that I forgot 3.  Anyway, your good thoughts and great wishes seem to be doing the trick - I am actually beginning to feel better.  Have a heck of a hoarse cough that comes from somewhere down by my left pinky toe, but hey, that'll be gone by summer - right?  Anyhoo - sorry for no pictures - hope you enjoyed.

Oh! Oh!  I remembered 3!!!  Downton Abbey - I haven't watched this past Sunday's show yet.  Hopefully tonite!  But, I saw last week's preview.  So I was thinking that this is what's going to happen - Lady Grantham is going to get the flu - and Matthew is going to get married to the pretty redhead - and he's going to get feeling back somewhere below his spine - then Lavinia, isn't it?  She's going to die in childbirth.  Meanwhile - badd Mr. Newspaper man - is going to marry Mary and they're going to set up shop in the new house with Carson.  badd Mr. Newspaper man is going to beat Mary and Carson is going to have apoplexy because he can't do anything about it.  But then, after Lavinia has conveniently died in childbirth, Matthew is going to beat the living begeezus out of badd Mr. Newspaper man - killing him - and Carson is going to swear it was an accident and they're all going to go back and live happily at Downton.  Whatever is going to happen to Edith - who can't seem to make up her mind whether she wants to be bad or good or what (maybe she'll learn to fly as well as drive a tractor and go to Canada to search for Patrick?) and the other sister - Ophelia?  who is so hot for the chauffeur I can't believe she hasn't lit up the filmstrip yet - I don't know.  Bad lady's maid is going to confess her sin of the lye soap when she thinks Lady Grantham is dying - but doesn't - and she'll be out without a reference - and the nasty little bugger is going to be found out to having murdered the Turk and Anna and Mr. Bates (goodness, I love that man in Candleford!) are of course going to get married now that the wicked Mrs. Bates is dead (killed by the lady's maid, of course!).  And finally, just for the record, I think that Lavinia is prettier than Mary and I just adore Maggie Smith!

Whew!  There, that was number 3 - talk to you again soon!

This Winter Really Sucks

The doctor's say that it's because we keep going from mild to cold.  There are fleas, ticks, germs that aren't being killed by the cold weather.  My son works at a grocery store and handles dirty money.  And he hasn't been all that careful about cleaning up well when he comes home.  Whatever the reason, I'm sick again.  I have now been sick - in some sort of way - since December 3.  My husband had to go to the doctor this week.  His sinus was so full on one side, his eye was swollen shut.  So, I had to take him.  He saw the same doc I saw back in December.  She asked how I was doing.  I said I was now fighting off whatever he's got, but also I've had a nagging cough that just won't go away.  She nodded - lots of people are having the same trouble.  She recommended we run the humidifier.  Last night I lost the battle against the newest germ.  However, the nasal spray and the Coracidin seem to be helping me fight back.  I am just so sick of being sick.  Spring, and consistently warm weather, just can't get here soon enough for me.  Punxatawny Phil better be wrong.

We did get some snow last weekend and are supposed to get a little bit more tonite - but it will only last a day and we'll be back in the 60's again.   I pulled a huge tick out of my dog last night that wasn't there a few days ago.  Yuck!  So here's some pics of the snow.

 

So there I was, last Sunday morning, sipping my coffee and BAM!  A hawk lands on my deck railing.  POOF!  All my songbirds disappeared instantly.  Amazingly, the hawk looked straight at me inside the house and then hopped to the other railing.  That gave me the opportunity to get up and grab my camera.  First shot is of the hawk - not the best, but it was looking right in my direction and they don't call 'em Hawkeyes for nuthin.  After that picture, it was up up and away - much to the songbirds delight.  I went outside and grabbed a shot of its prints in the snow.

 

 On the sewing side of things - I've got a lot of things on the burners for clients.  Thought I'd resolved my issues with the pirate quilt and have managed to make great headway with Opus Magnusson.

Did this for a client - it's a needlepoint plaque; just a large ornament really.

I saw a piece on Fons & Porter last weekend about painting with Fabric dyes.  Finally found the dyes on a website and ordered the "Classic" colors.  Got an email today saying oops, sorry, we're out of stock, how about we send you the "romantic" colors or the "country" colors.  Well, I wrote them back and said, how about you issue me a refund and keep better track of what you're in stock of and not.  Get pissy when I'm sick.  I was just really annoyed.  I'd spent hours looking for the darned things and then thought I'd resolved my problem.  Not so much.

When I finished stitching on AotH in January, I went right into Opus Magnusson.  Remember how I really hated this tiger?

Well, to use one of Siobhan's euphemisms, I yanked up my big girl panties (because the darned thing was driving me nuts!) and did this:

I have not edited the stitching in my photo software.  I edited the stitching on my kitchen counter instead.  Yep.  I went out to Michaels and purchased a packet of orange fabric dye.  I mixed up the tiniest bit of the dye with a little salt and a little water and painted it on with a watercolor brush.  I am MUCH happier with the whole thing now.

Also, I've finished the top four blocks:

 

I have decided that I'm going off the reservation again with the recommended colors.  As noted before, Cidermill Brown is not a satisfactory substitution for orange (that's what happened to the tiger).  So, I pulled some GA orange - Pumpkin Patch.  And it turns out that it very closely matches my dye job on the tiger!  YAY!  At least that went right, right?  And then I decided that there was just too little use of the red.  So, I made the birds red with a little orange.  They make me think of phoenixes.  The bottom row is supposed to have more people in the corner, but I think that's too many people, so I'm going to make a substitution.  My husband, who has been rather blase' about this piece in the past went WOW!  when he saw it this past weekend.  I'm now back to work on the stocking for my daughter in law (no pic for now).  

I am probably late in discovering her, but in case you haven't heard about the Pioneer Woman, she's had a blog (now website) for a long time and recently went into the t.v. business on the food channel.  I made her brussel sprouts for Christmas dinner and want to make her Knock-You_Naked Brownies soon.  I just love the name!  I have to write her because she recently did something on her show that I went - wow, why haven't I been doing it like that, I'm smart, I should've figured that out!  So, gotta run!  Hope you enjoyed!