Prairie Schooler Stitch-A-Long

Sue, the owner of Every Stitch Counts (ESC), and I have both been stitching the Prairie Schooler Country Seasons. I have finished Summer and am working on Autumn and Sue has finished Spring and is working on Winter. I know between the 2 of us we will have a complete year of seasons completed soon but we really didn't plan it that way. These designs are so cute and colorful and a joy to stitch. Here is my progress so far and I'm hoping to finish it soon after the start of the New Year. Of course, then I'll be working on the Winter piece and who knows which season Sue will choose next! I must point out the squirrel that is eventually going to be sitting on a branch of a tree eating on an apple, but currently is a "flying squirrel". My husband always teases me that I'm the only person he has seen that starts a house from the peak of a roof and works their way down. LOL

As you can see, I managed quite a few stitches this week since my last update. A fellow stitcher, Rene from my Yahoo group, I-Love-Cross-Stitch, is in the hospital and is not expected to recover. In honor of her, the group decided to do a Stitch-A-Thon and many of us participated in stitching on their various projects. I found a quote from Rene on-line that says, "A Stitch in Time Saves the Mind" and you have to think how many of us, cross stitchers and other crafters who turn to their projects when they are stressed, hurt, sad, or whatever emotion. In turn, this creates friendships far and wide as we join groups such as our Yahoo groups and we support each other through our happy and sad moments in life.

Do any of you have plans on participating in a stitch-a-long this year? There is another SAL going on in the ESC group starting in January to stitch an ornament a month. I was looking at our new monster tree the other day and was thinking I really needed to get some ornaments stitched and finished in order to help fill in/up the tree next year. So I guess I'll be picking out an ornament design in the next few days to start.

Now, the dilemma..... which UFO piece to start working on first? I'm thinking that with the BRD Tiny Trees and Gifts for Thee I'm going to try and finish a certain amount of blocks per week on it. Of course, there is some pieces which require so little sewing to be finished that I can probably just sit down and finish them off within a weekend or so. Be on the lookout soon after the New Year for a progress report on these neglected items as they are pulled out and worked on after so much time. My other on-line groups each have a "UFO" day of the week which I think I'll be utilizing to put some work on these pieces as well and by 2012 my stitching bag can be bought off of life support and returned to a more reasonable size.

On another note, there is also one more stitch-a-long I'll be participating in but this doesn't have any strings attached...... or does it??? It is a Totally Useless Stitch A Long (TUSAL) throughout the year. Daffycat is hosting this and it sounds like a lot of fun and even includes a prize for the lucky one who has their name drawn. Here is the basic rules she has posted but to get more information, check out her blog here.

1. Get a glass container and save your thread clippings or ORTs (Old Ratty Threads!) Some stitchers include fabric trimmings, thread bands or any other stitching cast-offs they gather.

2. On (or about) each New Moon take a picture of the ORTs in your jar and post it to your blog. Yes, you MUST have a blog to be included. Reasonably "late" posts will be accepted...posting several updates at once is cheating!

3. Yes, you can use your current ORT jar. This is no contest...the stitcher with the most ORTs doesn't automatically win!

4. You must post a picture each New Moon, even if there has been no "progress" to show.

5. Label your Totally Useless posts with "TUSAL" to make it easier for me to find your posts at the end. If you don't know how to "label" your posts email me.

That is all there is to it. Of course, serious stitchers can always be picked out from a crowd because of those little threads which stick to their clothing, not to mention to all the members of their family. What a great way to have fun with these 'ratty little threads' with some other crazy stitchers. Please join us!

Well, I guess this is the last post of 2010. Hopefully my posting will continue to pick up during the next year, my stitching mojo will continue to flourish and my knitting will improve. Wishing everyone a wonderful New Year as the clock strikes midnight to be filled with sweet moments, happy times, love and laughter with friends and family! :)

P.S. On another note, this morning when I logged in to start this post I was floored to realize I have 50..... yes that is F-I-F-T-Y, followers on my blog. Wow! I am so amazed someone enjoys reading my ramblings on life, stitching, knitting and whatever other errant thoughts may rumble through my mind, so thank you all for showing your support! Of course, this means that I will be throwing a give-a-way which I will post online sometime this weekend. Stay tuned!

Another buttonhole scarf is done!

Last night I finished Becky's scarf after getting some help from some of the ladies from the Annapolis Knits group. Genia and Marseille had graciously offered to help me out with any problems or techniques when we had our Christmas party and I took them up on the offer last night. After getting my slipped stitch back on the needle, I realized I had twisted 1/2 the stitches on the row, but I finally got all the problems fixed and took off at the knitting speed of a herd of tortoises. Final result, a buttonhole scarf in a vibrant array of colors for my daughter who loves anything loud and bright. The yarn used is called Shibui and is 100% merino wool. Here is a picture of one very happy daughter modeling her scarf.

For Christmas, my mother-in-law picked me a set of harmony cabled knitting needles from the online store, Knitpicks. These are made of birch and range from sizes 4 to 11 and have interchangeable cables. So after finishing up Becky's scarf, I picked up Ray's scarf which I had started on my new size 8 needles. Wow ~ what a difference! Even though the needles are made of wood, the yarn is not grabbing and is easily sliding off the needles when needed.

Ray's scarf is being knitted in Dragonfly Fibers in a color called Villanness. It is 100% merino and is so soft to the touch and the color is just a gorgeous variegated green. I am doing a checked pattern of knitted and purled rows so it is a little change-up from the scarf I made for Becky. So far it has been going pretty well and I finally figured out how to use stitch markers. While you more experienced knitters are picking yourself off the floor, Genia had handed out gorgeous handmade knitting markers during the Christmas party. At the time I had figured eventually I would figure out how to use them or would come across a project where someone would say, "Do you have stitch markers?" and I could proudly pull them out and pretend not to be ignorant of their use. Last night in the middle of the night I had an epiphany and realized I could use them to mark where I changed over from knit stitch to purl stitch in the row and that way I wouldn't be counting every 5 seconds like a idiot when trying to knit at our group meetings. So now I have new harmony needles with scrumptious merino wool with bling! :) See.....

Well, I better let you go and see if I can make some more progress on knitting this scarf. Until next time!

2010 is drawing to a close.....

Can you believe the year is almost over??? I always heard that the older you get, the faster time flies but if it keeps at this rate, it will be in warp speed before I'm 40!!! The kids have been enjoying their week off school and reveling in their new DS XL's and also the new Wii games that appeared under the Christmas tree this year.

Ray has decided he wants to try his hand at cross stitching so I'm hoping this weekend to spend some time teaching him the basics. I worked with Becky 2 years ago and since that time Ray has been impatiently waiting for his turn. Of course, I had to wait for him to develop a little more hand/eye, fine motor coordination before attempting this. Wish me luck and hopefully he will amaze us all and become one of those 'male stitchers' who make beautiful projects and becomes the envy of all us females.....

New Year Resolutions are usually something I try to avoid thinking about but every December as the year is waning to a close, inevitably I begin to think of what I want to improve upon/work on in my life. I decided this year to make one a stitchy resolution. There are so many UFO's that need to be pulled out from their dusty little corners and worked on or finished that I decided that would be one of my resolutions for the year. Of course, the first step in this process is to own up to all the woefully neglected items that have been screaming "Stitch Me!" from the bottom of my sewing bag. I plan on showing before and after pictures of each one as it is worked so you can see how I'm doing and hopefully help cheer me on in this effort. So with no further ado, I will list them here and I'm hoping to finish at least 1/2 of them this year.

1. Starlight Sampler by Little House Needleworks

2. Merry Friends '03 by Lizzie Kate

3. Monthly Flip It's by Lizzie Kate (this is a collaboration of 12 monthly designs)

4. Quaker Seasons by Little Toe Designs

5. Kind Fond Love by Brenda Keyes (this is a BAP and I would like to finish at least 3/4 of it this year)

6. Dance of the Roses by Marilyn (hopefully can "fix" the hole in the fabric that formed from using a hoop; will explain more in a later post)

7. I see the Moon by M Designs

8. Biscornu by Floss Box Designs

9. Amish Washday by ???

10. Tiny Trees and Gifts for Thee by Blue Ribbon Designs

Of course, some are so close to being finished it isn't funny so I'm hoping that I can work some of these pieces and by this time next year be proudly proclaiming all I have accomplished. If not, well........

Then, throw on the pile the effort to try and improve my health.... exercise more, eat better, etc, etc, etc. Another blogging buddy, Vickie, is making a resolution to "walk" to Disney World. She has sent out a invitation to anyone who would like to join her to choose their destination and then to track their mileage as they exercise to see if they can reach their destination. This sounds fun and so I think I'll join in on the adventure. I want to take the kids to Niagara Falls in New York because I remember seeing this when I was about 9 years old and was just thoroughly amazed at the splendor of the water. I had been talking with Mom about going there again the day before she died and so I think that will be my goal; all 405 miles. Wish me luck and if you want to join us, please do!

One thing which I have been very happy with this year has been the amount of reading that I have accomplished. About July, I decided I was going to start going to the local library more often and help hook Raymond onto reading just as much as Becky and I already are. Well, I am happy to report that Ray has discovered Ron Roy and the Capital Mystery series as well as the A to Z series. He is addicted to these books and I couldn't be happier. In turn, I have managed to read 35 books since the beginning of July. I found that the more time I was spending in the library I was finding more and more books I wanted to read. Of course, I knew that I couldn't check them all out at once and possibly read them in time so I decided to start a book log. This is just a composition book that I write down books I want to read and then I check them off the list as I finish them and list the year that I read them. Here is a list of the books I have read since July:

1. The Covenant (Beverly Lewis)

2. The Betrayal (Beverly Lewis)

3. The Sacrifice (Beverly Lewis)

4. The Prodigal (Beverly Lewis)

5. The Revelation (Beverly Lewis)

6. The Shunning (Beverly Lewis)

7. The Confession (Beverly Lewis)

8. The Reckoning (Beverly Lewis)

9. The Preacher's Daughter (Beverly Lewis)

10. The Englisher (Beverly Lewis)

11. The Brethren (Beverly Lewis)

12. A Single Thread (Marie Bostwick)

13. A Thread of Truth (Marie Bostwick)

14. Garden Spells (Sarah Addison Allen)

15. The Girl Who Chased the Moon (Sarah Addison Allen)

16. Late for the Wedding (Amanda Quick)

17. The Quilter's Legacy (Jennifer Chiaverini)

18. The Master Quilter (Jennifer Chiaverini)

19. The Christmas Quilt (Jennifer Chiaverini)

20. Circle of Quilters (Jennifer Chiaverini)

21. A Quilter's Holiday (Jennifer Chiaverini)

22. Knit One, Kill Two (Maggie Sefton)

23. Needled to Death (Maggie Sefton)

24. A Deadly Yarn (Maggie Sefton)

25. A Killer Stitch (Maggie Sefton)

26. Dyer Consequences (Maggie Sefton)

27. Fleece Navidad (Maggie Sefton)

28. Sweet Memories (LaVyrle Spencer)

29. The First Princess of Wales (Karen Harper)

30. The Fatal Fashione (Karen Harper)

31. Grace Under Pressure (Julie Hyzy)

32. Thai Die (Monica Ferris)

33. Blackwork (Monica Ferris)

34. The Other Queen (Phillippa Gregory)

35. The Red Queen (Phillippa Gregory)

Hopefully I'll have one more stitchy/knitty update before 2010 comes to a close. Until then, enjoy the winding down of another year and let me know what your plans are for 2011.

Christmas 2010

Christmas..... one of my favorite times and this is why you will see my counter until Christmas stay on my blog year around. I love seeing the tree decorated, the kid's excitement as the day draws near, hearing from friends and loved ones and spending time reminiscing of Christmases past.

This was the first Christmas since my Mom's passing that I have even felt remotely excited about my favorite season. Christmas 2008 was spent in Washington Heart Center hoping she would make it to 2009; and Christmas 2009 was spent facing the stark reality that there was no more Christmas Seaons to be spent with her.

However, as it is said ~ time heals all wounds and while a scar may be left behind, life goes on. So this year the tree was decorated (even bought a new 7 1/2 foot tree to mark the occasion), Christmas cards were sent to friends and loved ones and presents were bought and wrapped. Even the kids realized that this year marked a turning point in our family and that we were going to make it the very best Christmas in a long time. We spent the weekend before celebrating with my extended Zepp family (cousins, my Mom's sister, nieces, nephew, sister-in-law and brother) by having a family dinner and present exchange. The 18 of us spent the day together and long into the night talking and laughing.

Christmas Eve we saw Santa go by on the firetruck at Aunt Bern's house and then spent time with George's family. His cousins from North Carolina had made their way North to spend Christmas Eve with us and then were heading to Delaware to spend time with their son who had to work. We enjoyed watching White Christmas (a favorite of mine) and Miracle on 34th Street before calling it a night. Christmas arrived with a flourish the next morning and the kids were so excited as they gazed in awe at the presents that awaited them. Both received the Nintendo DS XL gaming systems and since has been rarely seen without them. Becky received books on mythology and Ray received Bakugan toys and both received art supplies.

Stitching

Stitching is coming along very well; I think I have managed to get out of the stitching blues because I am looking for time to stitch almost everyday. Of course that doesn't mean that life doesn't get in the way but it seems like I'm finding more time for crafting time. Maybe I'm managing to prioritize and organize a little more (hopefully) and I'm planning on making this one of my goals for 2011.

The Prairie Schooler Autumn piece is coming along very nicely, I think. I am looking forward to finishing this piece and the other 2 seasons, Winter and Spring, next year. Sue is also stitching these pieces so we are doing a stitch-a-long together on these. If you are interested in joining us, let me know!Unfortunately the frog came to visit me on Christmas Day but after attacking him with the dreaded seam ripper (some guests aren't welcome no matter what the day), he saw fit to leave the premises and hasn't been seen since.

Of course, I have realized that my poor sewing bag is starting to gasp for room and when I looked into the bottom of the bag I found lots of UFO's lying there waiting for their day to be brought back out and lovingly worked on again. Some of these pieces have shamefully been in storage for years and I have decided that 2011 will be devoted to finishing some of these designs and finally displaying them in their completed glory. I have been utilizing past blog entries to come up with an approximate date when they were surreptitiously pushed to the darker bottom of my sewing bag. This sometimes take quite a bit of research as I realize that some hasn't been stitched on for over 2 years but New Years Day is going to be spent cataloging and prioritizing them for completion. Wish me luck. Right now, I am debating against these two poor souls, my Lizzie Kate Monthly Flip series which lost steam last year or even worse the Little House Needleworks Starlight sampler which hasn't seen the light of day since September 2008. Some of these pieces were from the period when Mom had started having heart problems and then were never brought out when I finally decided to pick up the needle again.

Knitting

Knitting has been worked on as well. I attended my first Christmas party with my knitting buddies earlier this month at the Macaroni Grill in Annapolis. We had a wonderful time and I received a knitting project bag in the secret Santa gift exchange. I absolutely love this bag!!!! As you can see, I have a project in the works (a scarf for Raymond) inside and it is so convenient to take along. When we were at the mall for a photo session of the kids and also they decided to pose with Santa too. The nice part of this bag is with a clip, I was able to connect it to my purse and my hands were free for knitting. I stood in line for 40 minutes and really made progress on the scarf I have been working on for Becky. I am almost done but need to figure out a small dropped stitch before I can say it is complete. Hopefully I will have a finished picture next update.

So here is the Santa picture of Becky and Ray. I love the fact that they were willing to take this picture for Mom. I know that eventually I won't be able to drag them for a picture with Ole St. Nick no matter how much I try to wheedle, beg or threaten them soon so every picture is precious. The portraits are to be ready by the 30th of December and I can tell you from seeing the proofs that the pictures turned out wonderful! Will plan on sharing these as well.

ABC's of me.....

A - Age: 38
B - Bed size: Queen
C - Chore you hate: folding clothes (don't mind washing them; but I hate to fold them!)
D - Dog's name: Dudley the Bulldog; Lu-Lu the Boxer and Whitey the Bichon
E - Essential start of the day item: brush teeth first thing every morning
F - Favorite color: Green
G - Gold or Silver: Gold
H - Height: 5'10 1/2"
I - Instruments you play: Violin (since the age of 8) and piano (since the age of 17)
J - Job: Systems Administrator
K - Kids: 2 kiddos.... Becky (daughter; age 11) and Ray (son; age 10)
L - Living arrangements: Family home since 1978 which we purchased last year from my Mom's estate.
M - Music you love: Country, country, country!
N - Nicknames: PUMP-kin (compliments of Sue V); Boo-boo (hubby's name for me); Care-bear (friend Steve gave this to me when I was in high school); Care-care (Daddy's nickname for me); BRAT (nickname from my brother)
O - Overnight hospital stay at hospital: Nope and hope to keep it that way!
P - Pet Peeve: Not having a conversation with someone because they can't hold up their end of it.
Q - Quote from a movie: "Quite frankly my dear; I don't give a damn." - Rhett Butler, Gone With the Wind
R - Right handed or left: Left and proud of it!
S - Siblings: 1 older brother; Charles
T - Time you wake up: 7:00-7:30ish if no alarm clock is set
U - Underwear: Of course, don't do Commando! :) LOL
V - Vegetable you dislike: Asparagus
W - Workout Style: Like taking long walks when I can
X - X-rays you've had: Lets see.... this question would be easier answered if I told you what hasn't been x-ray'ed.
Y - Yummy food you make: Chicken and Dumplings from my Great Grandmother's recipe
Z - The best place to visit: North, South, East, West.... I love my home the very best!

and now you know my ABC's, won't you play along with me????

Let's get this show back on the road!

Well, I have been very bad about updating this poor blog; so there is only one thing to do about it. Give myself a swift kick in the butt and do better! The kids have been keeping our family so busy that sometimes I think I meet myself at the door coming in while I'm heading back out but the kids are doing some really good things in life so a mother can not complain. Becky has adjusted to middle school like a duck to water and I'm so happy to see her excited and content in her schoolwork. Ray is happily working his way through 4th grade and is still keeping us on our toes with his antics. Both children made Mom very proud with their first quarter report cards ~ Becky made Principal Honor Roll with straight A's and Ray made honor roll with 2 B's and the rest A's.

I have been assigned the task of being the secretary for the middle school band boosters organization which has it's own set of worries in and of itself. We are trying to raise money to replace old school equipment (music stands, instruments, etc) and also help defray the costs of the kids participating in several music competitions this year. The boosters has about 275 kids involved in it and one of my goals this year is to improve the parent participation in activities by making sure the information is out there for all. I have been setting up spreadsheets, getting meeting minutes online, and helping figure out new ways to raise money for our school. I love getting involved in things like this and seeing the kids getting excited about their accomplishments just does a person good.

Girl scouts and Cub scouts is in full swing as well. Becky is a Junior scout this year and Ray is a 1st year Weblos. We are working on several activity badges for both of them and of course for Becky the big award is the Bronze Star and for Ray is the Arrow of Light.

Then add in to the mix our weekly bowling leagues for the kids; the family going bowling once a week for family time/activity time; mommy playing with her tractor (I love my Farmall!); house renovations and housecleaning and I'm sure you are wondering when I'm finding time for my full time job and sleep. I seem to have no problem finding the time for the J-O-B but sometimes sleep seems to be alluding me.



However, I have managed to finally.... hold on that wasn't quite right...... FINALLY finished a piece this year that I wanted to make! This was the first piece that I have completed since my Mom died that wasn't associated with an exchange that had a hard due date that needed to be met. Just something that I saw, fell in love with and had to stitch. The piece is from Prairie Schooler called Country Seasons (Book 123) and is titled Summer. I loved the colors in this piece and it was a fun, entertaining stitch which is just what was needed. I have already started working on the second season, Fall and am enjoying this one as well.


Knitting is coming along; I have made several knitted washcloths which are going to find their way into Christmas presents this year and I am currently working on a scarf for Becky. The colors in this yarn immediately caught my attention for Becky since she loves bright, cheery colors all the time. My friends have teased me that I need to make sure I include a pouch for a battery pack but I can just see Becky falling in love with the colors. Ray is anxiously awaiting me to finish her scarf so I can begin one with him and of course it will be in the color green since that is his favorite color. In fact, the current washcloth is being worked in the pattern I plan on using for his scarf; a checkered pattern created by alternating between knitting and purling.


Until next time, I hope you enjoy reading on current happenings in my family and I thank you all for the wonderful comments! They really help motivate me to realize that someone out there enjoys reading about this crazy ride called life...... Hugs!