jackie' s x-stitching

Another new year

2012-01-09T14:46:00.003-05:00

Well, I see by looking back it has been almost a year since I last posted on this blog. A lot has happened in this last year. I have been accepted to nursing school and this past December I completed the first semester of nursing school.

We also suffered through losing one golden retriever to hemangioma cancer and almost lost our new golden retriever puppy to an attack by another dog that left the puppy with a broken jaw in two places.

Here it is January 9th and I have finally completed Cirque de Circles by Ink circles (Tracy Horner)... I also started Cirque de Triangles. Who knows when I`ll finish it with studying for classes but it is started!!! :-)

Start of Spring Semester

2010-01-24T11:31:00.003-05:00

I never could understand why they call it Spring Semester seeing as you start in the dead of winter...

Anyway, my spring semester at Manchester Community College has begun. I've been to my math (algebra) class so far. The semester started on a Thursday (why in the middle to end of the week I can't fathom?!?!) and I don't have any classes on Friday so math is the only class I've been to so far. It is going to be an interesting class. The professor has warned us that we will be covering a week's worth of information in each class seeing as it is a combined course of Basic algebra and intermediate algebra in one class (it is also 2 1/2 hours each class! and she let us know we would be in class for the ENTIRE 2 1/2 hours!).

During the winter break I did get some stitching done on my Cirque de Cercles. Actually quite a bit more than I thought I would...

I'm posting three different pictures of what I've been up to...

This first one was taken on 1/11/2010...

This one was taken 1/15/2010...

and this last one was taken on 1/24/2010...this is about 1 1/2 pages complete of the 6 page pattern...

Most of my stitching time now that classes are back in session will be on Monday evenings when I have an hour that I'm sitting at the ice rink while my daughter takes skating lessons. There really isn't a space for me to study there and it is easier to stitch while sitting in the "bleachers" with my headlamp around my neck for light vs trying to juggle books, pads and pencils to do math...

Thanks for looking and I look forward to updating my progress again soon...

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-02T17:05:00.003-05:00

Welcome to 2010!! Doesn't seem possible that 2009 is already in the history books.

It was quite a year for my family. Father in law sick with yellow fever (luckily he survived), son transferred schools, daughter moving on to middle school, my decision to go back to school after being out for over 20 years.

Having gone back to school has definitely cut into my blogging time not to mention my stitching time. I have found some time to stitch here and there but it has definitely been a minute here and a second there...

I finished Cirque de Carreaux in early September and started Cirque de Circles. Here is a picture of where I stand on it at the moment.

As I said, not moving as fast as in the past but making some progress.

As far as my classes, I just got my grades for the Fall Semester and I stand at a 3.82 GPA. I got an A- in my Anatomy & Physiology class and an A in my Intro to Computer Software class (how to use Microsoft Office 2007 Products).

My goals for 2010 include taking General Biology, General Chemistry, Math, the second half of Anatomy & Physiology (and doing as well on them as I did this first semester) and applying to the Nursing Program at Capital Community College. My stitching goals include working on projects when they fit into the rest of my life and possibly having one or two finished before the end of the year. I also plan to get the projects from 2009 (Blackstone Fantasy Garden and Cirque de Carreaux) framed (although I may hold off on Carreaux until I have finished Circles and Triangles- which I received as a Christmas gift- so they can all be in the same type of frame seeing as they are all going to be stitched on the same fabric with the same floss)...

Best health and wishes for all for the New Year...

Long Time no posts!!

2009-10-31T13:20:00.003-04:00

Well, it is official...school can take over your life!!!

In fact I'm taking a break right now from studying my muscle groups to make a quick post here...

I just found in my picture files a picture of Circles I took on 9/27 and then I just took now when I sat down to type up this quick post.

9/27/09

10/31/09
As you can see I haven't been doing much studying these days. In fact, my stitching used to travel in my bag with me everywhere...these days it is some type of anatomy that you'll find in my bag...hoping to get some stitching in when this semester is over but then the second half of Anatomy will begin again in late January/early February...

Happy Halloween to everyone (who celebrates it!!) My kids are so ready to go out tonight and get some candy!!

A Finish and a Start

2009-09-18T07:33:00.004-04:00

Yesterday morning (9/17/09) I finished Cirque de Carreaux...It took me two months (and a day) to complete it.

I have put my measuring tape and a quarter next to it to give you perspective on its size. It is completed on 32ct lugana evenweave over one in Wedgewood blue with DMC 4240 floss. The finished size is 5 5/8" x 7 5/8 inches. It took a little over two skeins of floss to complete (this includes the floss needed to fix frogging incidents!?!?! LOL)

I am now starting on a complementing piece to this...it is Cirque de Circles.

Another Ink Circles pattern (I LOVE Tracy's designs!!). It is also going to be done on 32ct lugana over one in the same blue and the same floss. I hope in the future to get the third piece (Cirque de Triangles) and display all three (and more if Tracy does more- Hey Tracy that's a hint!!!). When I originally got the fabric and floss for these two patterns I got enough to do them over two. Well, now that I decided to try my hand at over one, I've got more than enough to do these two plus Triangles plus any others that come out in this vein of design.

Below is the progress I made last evening and this morning...I have already had to frog on this one and I hope that is the last of that on this piece, although I had to frog early on in CdCx and it came out well so hopefully this one will follow along the same way.

Have a great weekend all and thanks again for checking out my blog...

the Promised picture of CdCx

2009-09-16T19:15:00.004-04:00

Here is the picture of Cirque de Carreaux I promised to post in my blog earlier today...

I have completed the small square and have over half of the larger piece that is left completed...hopefully I will complete it in the next week or so but that depends on how my studying for Anatomy & Physiology goes...

First grades and ALMOST finished!!

2009-09-16T09:57:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I received my first grade for my computer software class. When I took the quiz last Thursday (9/10) I thought I had done pretty well on it but didn't want to get my hopes up because in the past I've thought I did well on exams/quizzes and come to find out I did HORRIBLY. My professor finally posted the grades online yesterday and I found I got a 50 out of 50 (100%)!!! I was ecstatic. I have a feeling this class is going to be very easy for me (lots of people/kids in the class don't seem to have a clue about anything). Now if I can do this well on my anatomy & physiology (A&P) class I will be beyond the moon!!

At the moment I'm composing this post at the school library while taking a break from studying the A&P. I've got an exam in this a week from today on the first three chapters and I'm worried about it...it is a lot of information to digest. In the next 6-7 days I'll be putting a lot of time into reading, reviewing, reviewing, reviewing!!!

During breaks from studying I've been putting in a few minutes here and there on Cirque de Carreaux...later today (tonight) I will post a picture of two on my progress...I've got probably an hour or two worth of work to go on it...in the "progress of CdCx" on the right bar, the final picture is the last I've taken of it. I have finished the small square and I'm working on the final "icon" and have about half of it left to do...

CdCx and back to school...

2009-09-07T09:47:00.003-04:00

I thought I'd do a quick update here before I got my nose back into the books on this Labor Day... The kids are busy in the basement looking for the tv remote that has mysteriously disappeared again, Ed is running the New Haven Road Race with his Uncle Bill (hope you guys set new PR's!!) and I've got time to do studying, stitching and whatever else before we all head to Grandma & Grandpa's for little Eddie's birthday dinner. I can't believe my BABY turned six this past Friday. We did his height measurement against the basement door jam and I'm amazed at how much he's grown in the last year. In this past year, he grew 3 1/2 inches which makes him 2 1/2 inches taller than his sister was at her 6th birthday and 1/2 inch taller than she was on her SEVENTH birthday...maybe I'll get UCONN basketball tickets out of one of them after all!!! LOL...

As far as my stitching goes, it is going much slower now that I've gone back to school but it is still making some headway...

This first picture was taken 9/1 and I totally forgot about having taken it. I just downloaded pictures from the camera and compared to what I've posted on this blog last and realized this one hadn't been posted yet.

This next picture I took yesterday (Saturday-9/6) in the morning (about 7:00am after I'd worked on it for about an hour and a half).

I have been having lots of sinus issues so I took yesterday as a "day for me". We went to the local Farmer's Market and got lots of fresh fruits and veggies. When we came home the kids and hubby did their own thing and I sat back and did some stitching. Head was throbbing too much to try and think in the school books.

This next (and last picture for today) is what I accomplished yesterday and early this morning (and yes, I was too lazy to take it out of the q-snaps before taking the photo)

As you can see, I'm on my final page of this design...and getting close to having only 1/2 a page to go on it...maybe next week I'll be able to publish about a finish, although I doubt that seeing as I've got my first labratory quiz coming up next Monday and an exam in two weeks that I don't feel prepared at all for...

As usual, thanks for looking...your warm and kind comments are great inspiration for me...

New Month, New School and no Finish

2009-09-01T14:37:00.003-04:00

These are pictures of my kids on their "first day" of school!! My daughter started 6th grade last Wednesday, August 26th and my son started with a half day today and he's doing kindergarten this year...

This first picture is what I had done up until Friday, August 28th in preparation to go on my weekend of work/stitching.

It ended up being a strange weekend here. With "Hurricane Danny" threatening the northeast on Saturday the race I was supposed to work was canceled for safety reasons. Because of that, all of my "extra" stitching time disappeared while doing things around the house here instead of sitting in a hotel room all afternoon stitching.

I did do more stitching once I did get to the race site the evening before Sunday's race and then I've continued to stitch this morning before the kids got up and then as a reward while I was on campus today after doing about an hour and a half worth of studying I gave myself about 30 minutes worth of stitching time before my class started today.

This picture is shows what was done over the weekend and as my "reward" today. Unfortuately, I didn't get it completed as I had hoped but I guess the moniker stands true of slow and steady wins the race...I figure I'll continue to work on this slowly as a "reward" and that eventually it will be complete...

As usual thanks for looking...

Frogs on 32 ct over one...

2009-08-24T20:41:00.003-04:00

I'm finding that frogging on 32 ct lugana stitching over one is NO FUN!

Now don't get me wrong, frogging is NEVER fun but is definitely an increased dread when you are stitching over one.

I took this first picture on Thursday, August 20th figuring it would show what GREAT progress I had over the weekend while being away overnight for work on Saturday night.

Well, so much for those plans. I've been working on the lower left edge and it would be so nice if I could actually count. In fact I lost count of the number of times I had to rip out the section that has the full larger diamond on the lower left side there (the one that is a border to the inner design and along with it the smaller motifs around and below it.

Well, I finally approached the area from a different direction (from above by the area already stitched rather than along the bottom edge) and it seems to have worked. What you see in the above photo is what I've accomplished up until 8:30pm on Monday, August 24.

I have 6 days and 11 1/2 hours until my first class starts (not that I'm counting!!). If I continue stitching in the pattern I have in the last four days (stitch, frog, stitch, frog, stitch, etc) I'll never get this completed before I start classes.

On another note, my daughter starts back to school on Wednesday. She's not looking forward to it but mom is so maybe I'll have a little more time for something else (yeah, right, I know I'm dreaming!!)

Thanks for checking out my blog. I hope you enjoy following it as much as I have been updating it.

9 Days and counting...

2009-08-17T17:53:00.003-04:00

Until my daughter goes back to school, 13 days for me and 14 days for my son and I can't wait...They are both going stir crazy and driving each other (and ME!!) nuts!!

Well I've gotten stitching done since last update...again I had taken pictures a few days after the last update but didn't get around to posting, so the first photo is just that (taken on 8/14) and the second photo was taken yesterday(8/16.)

I have now almost completely finished three pages. I have moved to page 4 which is back on the left lower edge of the piece. I really want to finish this before my classes start on 8/31 but not sure if that will happen seeing as I'm working the next two weekends, although the weekend of 8/29-8/30 I'll be in Lakeville, MA for a race Saturday morning and then have the majority of the day to myself with NO ONE ELSE around so I may get quite a bit done then. Of course there is the whole getting kids ready to go back to school which cuts into a lot of time too...only time will tell.

I'm also trying to decide if I'm going to enter my BoInk and/or Blackstone Fantasy Garden into one of the local "country" fairs this year. I really got burned by one last year that changed its rules in one spot in there "Premium Book" and not in another so I wasn't able to enter all the pieces I brought to display and I was very upset with their attitude and lack of response to the letter I sent regarding the situation at the close of the fair. I'll let everyone know if I do decide to enter and which piece or pieces I choose to enter.

Home again, Home again

2009-08-11T07:16:00.008-04:00

I'm home from the shore and finally the HOT weather of summer is hitting after we were at the beach. Yesterday (August 10th- HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!) was the first day since April that the temperature went over 90º and today is supposed to be a little cooler but not by much (maybe 88º instead of over 90º).

We had a lovely time at the shore. We had quite a few days of sun (and a few of clouds) and the kids had a ball playing in the "surf" (for as much surf as you get in Long Island Sound/Narragansett Bay).

As you can see from these pictures, fun was had by all...

The first picture is my son on his boogie board. (He really improved his swimming during lessons just before vacation and was swimming in the waves like a fish- we couldn't stop him!!). The next picture is my daughter (on the left) and her friend that spent the week with us, showing off their sand castle creations.

The third picture is of all three kids "eating" their lobsters...well, my son polished his off, my daughter ate the large claws and some of her tail and her friend had the small legs and nothing else...we had yummy seafood pasta the next night with all the leftover lobster from the girls. The final picture is of my kids and my husband hanging out in their "pool" they built at the edge of the water. No there aren't any pictures of me (which is fine!!) because I'm the photographer by design!!

As you can see below this, I also had fun on this vacation. I got lots of stitching time, whether it was sitting on the beach under the umbrella or at the house sitting on the couch under the window utilizing all the natural sunshine I could.

This first picture I took this on Tuesday (we'd been at the beach house for three days at this point). I would have updated the blog then but we had LIMITED connectivity that wasn't stable (was there one minute and gone the next!!)

This picture was taken yesterday (8/10) in the morning, so it shows the work from 8/4-8/10 in the early am. The small "square" that has the floss coming out of it is the upper most and furthest right, so the top edge is complete. I have completed 99% of page 2 and about 50% of page 3.

Almost a month ago now I mentioned in my post I was applying to go to some classes at the local Community College for some pre-requisite classes before starting a nursing program. I was accepted and I've signed up for my two classes (anatomy and physiology 1 and an intro to computers). Yesterday I purchased my textbooks online (if you know a student going to college- have them find out what books they need and look online, I saved $170 on my books over what I would have spent in the school bookstore!!). So now I'm challenging myself to finish CdC before classes start on 8/31. We'll see if that happens with all I have to do between now and then with getting the kids ready to go back to school too...

Update before the Beach

2009-07-31T19:45:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow we head off to the beach in Rhode Island for a week so I figured I should do an update now before we left because my connectivity there is always in question...

I'm amazed at the progress I've made this week since Monday. I didn't think I'd spent that much time on it this week but I'm blown away when I compare the pictures...

As you can see in the above photo compared to the below photo, I had to do some frogging but I survived that and continued on...

I am almost complete with the second page (I've completed the top half of page two and now working on the bottom of it). This leaves me with one full page and then three 3/4 pages to complete this piece. I may be too positive on how much I'll get done at the beach house but I just cut my fabric to take with me to do the companion to this piece (Cirque de Circles). We'll see how I do on this and possibly start that...

See you in a week or so (I'll try to post from the beach house but I'm not promising I will)... JS

So Much for Sunday Updates...

2009-07-27T15:25:00.004-04:00

Didn't even make it through the first consistent Sunday Update...well as the saying goes (I think- well this is how I say it) "so much for the best made plans of mice and men"! but I have a good excuse!!

This past weekend the kids and I accompanied my husband to the Catskill Mountains of New York. He was running in the 33rd running of the Escarpment Trail Run. What is that you ask? It is a trail race along the Escarpment Trail. It is 30K (18.7 miles) long from North Wyndham to North Lake in Tannersville. This is the third time he's run it and he loves it no matter the weather or trail conditions. Last year when he ran it there was a MAJOR thunderstorm that followed the runners along the 5 mountain peaks and made for some very nervous spouses and significant others waiting at the other end of the trail. This year he completed the course in just over 5 1/2 hours...the trail was complete mud this year with all the rain we've been having in this area of the country. Many runners were complaining of their slow speeds this year because of the wet, slippery rocks and mud this year.

My husband is in the blue hat and how do you like the mud pack on his legs and believe it or not those were NEW SHOES before the race? How about the gal next to him?? They all seemed to have a great time running the race but they were all DEFINITELY muddy by the time they finished.

You would think with him out on the trail for 5+ hours I'd have lots of progress to show on Cirque de Carreaux (CdCa)...but it didn't happen. The kids and I volunteered at the finish area helping to cut up watermelon, mix Gatorade, mix pasta salad, etc and the time just flew by before I could even get the stitching bag out.

I did make some progress in the last week on it though. I was going to post last Wednesday or Thursday. Got the picture taken and uploaded to the computer but never got the post made so the first picture here is the one from last week...

...and then the second is for this update.

I have "completed" the first page (except for a couple of stitches here and there which are part of another "major" square located on an adjacent page.)

I am going to try to update again later this week and there won't be another update on Sunday seeing as we leave for the Rhode Island shore for vacation on Saturday.

Thank you all for following my progress. Knowing others are enjoying seeing my progress as much as I enjoy making it is very fulfilling...JS

Sunday Update

2009-07-19T20:15:00.003-04:00

So I thought I should start trying to do a daily update or at least weekly on Sundays. I can't believe the progress I'm making on this design already...

This first photo is the work I did after correcting my mistake in the "arrow head" on the left side. This photo was already posted on Friday but I figured to show it again to show you the time line of how it is going.

This next photo is my progress as of Saturday... and I didn't spend much time on it Saturday because my husband was out with our son and one of his buddies and his son, so my daughter and I had other projects going with no guys around...

And here is my project tonight (Sunday) as of about 8pm...

I have a little more than half of the first page completed...I love the colors I have chosen for this one and am already looking forward to doing Cirque de Circles and thinking possibly of getting Cirque de Triangles too...

Frogs and storms...

2009-07-17T05:37:00.002-04:00

It was to be expected with all the wet weather we've been having here in the Northeast this "summer" (if you want to call it that- hasn't felt like it, that's for sure!!). The frogs hit my Cirque de Carreaux last night. I was just about complete with the first of the "larger" squares and I realized the stitching inside wasn't balanced...I counted, recounted and counted again and realized I miscounted at the top (where I started the inside design) and everything was dropped by one stitch...so a frogging I went...

The nice thing is that Tracy at Ink Circles took a look at my blog (I messaged her at Facebook about finishing BFG) and she noted back to me that it looked like the count was off on Carreaux (THANK YOU AGAIN Tracy!!).

As you can see, I finished frogging and I've now restitched the frog area as well as got more done too...major thunderstorms will help with that...couldn't sleep last night with the storm that was literally in our backyard (I think one lightening strike hit a tree in the gulley next to our house)...

I feel fairly positive I'll get an even bigger piece of it done today with son's swimming lessons and then the after lessons swimming with both of the kids...

Cirque de Carreaux

2009-07-16T18:58:00.003-04:00

I decided today after doing my community college application that I deserved to "treat" myself. So instead of pulling a project out of the back of the MIA WIP pile I'd work on Cirque de Carreaux from Ink Circles.

Back in May I played with it a little bit when I was getting ready to go on my crazy adventure to Indiana (remember "to Indiana and back in 3 days or less"???)... At that time I had decided to try and do this project over one (my first try at working over 1 and only my third project on some other evenweave other than aida).

This is a picture of what I had "accomplished" on it at that time.

I still haven't dealt with the edges of the fabric but here is what I accomplished on it today while my son had swimming lessons, waited for the nurse practioner to give me my MMR vaccine and then waiting for my daughter at the library while she was involved with a program there.

Not bad progress if I do say so myself!! The blue in this lower right corner is truer to the actual color of the fabric.

Here is what it will look like when complete.

I'm doing mine on 32ct wedgewood blue lugana with 4240 DMC variations floss...

A finish and a NEW start...

2009-07-16T09:57:00.003-04:00

I just finished Blackstone Fantasy Garden at 6:00am (eastern time) this morning... I just figured out it took me a total of 6 months and 20 days...it didn't actually take that much time but I started it on December 26, 2008 and finished it on July 16, 2009. I've had many days of no progress on it between working on other projects or dealing with real life.

I'm posting pictures of it I took a few days ago with 6 or 7 areas to be complete and then the final pictures. Not sure when I'll get it framed but as soon as I do, I'll post a picture of it here on my blog...

Now on to the NEW start in my life... this morning I took the plunge and applied to the local community college so I can start taking classes this fall to start working towards getting my nursing certificate... this may not seem like a big deal to some but it has been well over 20 years since I've been to school and two kids later it is a VERY scary proposition for me but with the love and support of my family I'm sure I'll get through it...

I now have to get on the phone and find out from the college what they mean by "proof of immunizations" so I can try and figure out what I need and get what I don't have.

As usual thank you for reading my blog. I'm sure future updates will be both stitching and groaning about classes.

Getting There...

2009-07-10T05:53:00.003-04:00

This title is so appropriate for so many things around here lately...

My father in law is getting there in his recovery. He was given a clean bill of health by his general practioner earlier this week. He is going to PT a couple of times per week to regain muscle strength and balance.

Our road is under reconstruction...makes "getting there" a challenge some days (which way do I turn out of the driveway to get off the road???).

And Blackstone Fantasy Garden (BFG) is getting there...got two more sections of the blackwork completed and only have 8 small and one larger (the final corner which I've started) to complete...

I'm thinking I may actually finish this by the end of next week (and depending on when I get to Vermont this weekend for work and how many registrations I have to enter for work before my co-workers get there, maybe this weekend but I doubt that one!!)...

I love this pattern and can't wait to have it finished, frame it (myself because I have too much Scottish in my background to pay some one else to do it!! LOL I don't mean to offend any of my Scottish friends with this one!! ) and get it hanging on my wall...

Have a great weekend all and hopefully my next post will be with a finish (or maybe two if I get the alpha blocks done too!!)

Missing Stitching Mojo and Dad in law...

2009-07-05T19:43:00.004-04:00

WARNING...this is a LONG post!!!

Boy I've been MIA for quite awhile...Thank you to Sadie for her email checking up on me...you don't know how much that meant to me to hear from a stitching friend across the pond that hadn't seen hide nor hair from me here or on the stitching groups in a bit...

In my last post about the auction I mentioned about a family member being ill...well, let me tell you that was an UNDERSTATEMENT...

The Monday before that last post (Memorial Day here in the states) my father in law was admitted to Yale-New Haven Hospital to their neurological intensive care unit. He was on that unit for over 3 1/2 weeks and here we are at the brink of six weeks when he was admitted and we still don't have a definitive diagnosis. It all played out like a BAD episode of the tv show "House". One day we'd have one diagnosis, then the next it was ruled out because some of his symptoms didn't line up with the day before's diagnosis. At one point we thought we were going to lose him and another we were given a 50-50 chance that he'd survive. The good news is he began improving as fast as he had gone downhill. On June 19th he was transferred to a Rehabilitaion center (through this whole ordeal he's lost over 40 pounds as well as muscle strength and coordination) and even better news is he was discharged from there to his home on July 3rd! He still has to do some outpatient rehabilitation to continue regaining his strength but he is now home in comfortable surroundings. It has been a roller coaster of a month for sure!!

Well, while all this was going on with him health wise it had put quite a damper on my stitching mojo. Between worrying about him, worrying about my husband and his dealing with his dad (and mom's state of mind- she doesn't deal well with doctors, hospitals, etc) and keeping my kids calm as well as dealing with keeping my house going and making theirs look lived in, I just couldn't get my self in the swing of things to stitch. Even sitting in the hospital with my mother in law, I figured I'd get a lot of stiching done but truthfully only a minimum of stitches went into anything during that time.

Well, in the last week I seem to have made up for some lost time...

I got bored with the alphabet blocks I was working on, so I switched back to Blackstone Fantasy Garden.

At this point I estimate I have only about a quarter of the backstitching/blackwork to go and I'll be finished with it! I'm challenging myself to get it finished before we go on vacation to the shore at the beginning of August. That gives me a little over 3 weeks to finish what I've got left, do you think I can do it?? I do...

And once I do finish it then the big decision...do I start in true ernst Cirque de carreaux (which I'm going to try doing over one- and I've cut the material to that size already) or do I go back to working on the Patchwork Sampler by Catia Crafts (catiacrafts.com) that I started last summer and but to the side to finish Boink and do Blackstone??? Such decisions to be made...and of course I have those alphabet blocks to finish too (they are almost done with the stitching and then it is a matter of assembly)...

Until the next time (and I plan on it not being such a long time between posts!!)...

Auction Results...

2009-05-31T15:04:00.003-04:00

The auction was last night...I'm pleased to report that the "Rosebud Wreath" earned the school $40.00 and the "Footprints" piece brought in $25.00. I was kind of upset because they were put into the "silent auction" portion of the evening and feel if they had been in the "live auction" portion they may have brought in more money. I say this because one of the nuns of the school did a charcoal drawing and another did a crocheted afghan and the auctioneer was GREAT and put the guilt trip on people when they wouldn't start bidding on an item, especially these two items seeing as the nuns were both in attendance and the items both went for well over $100 each (in fact the afghan went for $175. The auctioneer tried opening the bidding on it at $100 and no one was biting so he went as low as $30 before someone put a bid on it and then it took off with people fighting over it.)

No pictures to show of updates seeing as it has been a very stressful week here with dealing with a family member's illness and keeping the rest of the family updated on his condition and trying to keep my kids calm about it. Hopefully life will be back to somewhat normal soon but only time will let us know that for sure.

Until next update...thanks for looking...

Two finishes Framed!!

2009-05-22T12:39:00.004-04:00

Footprints and Rosebud Wreath are COMPLETE with frames and will be delivered to my son's school this afternoon for next week's auction.

I'm so happy with how both of these came out...I hope they will bring in a good chunk of cash for the school...I'll let you know after next Saturday (5/30) on how well they did...

To everyone in the United States...have a wonderful holiday weekend and please remember to thank a vet for their service and remember those whom we've lost in their service to our country...from a daughter of a vet and sister/sister in law of active duty air guardsman/woman...

My trip and stitching

2009-05-21T09:17:00.001-04:00

Arrived home last Thursday night (5/14) from my whirlwind trip to Indiana around 8:30pm (eastern time).

Let me start at the beginning...about three weeks now my boss emailed about 5 of us (crew of 20 or so) asking if we were interested in going on a road trip for some training on a new system he has just purchased. Well with some creative figuring and lots of support of my husband and other family members I was able to go along on this excursion. So on Tuesday at 6:15 in the morning I met the crew in Sturbridge, Massachusetts and we started our trek to Indiana.

I took plenty of stitching projects with me to work on but didn't get much accomplished.

I did finish the cross stitching of the rosebud wreath and started on the backstitching on it but didn't get too far on that before hitting bumpy roads in western New York state.

Later on I tried stitching on it and Blackstone Fantasy Garden but the roads in Ohio were no better than New York.

I did finally finish the piece next to the "heart" in the center of the picture one morning before we left either to get back on the road coming home or before we went to class, don't remember which.

Here is what the full piece looks like so far... looks like I'm about 1/2 way through the blackwork.

I also started another alpha block. I'm trying to get two more of them done before June 10th for my son's teachers. He loved the first one I did and asked for me to do some for his teachers in their favorite colors. Again though it was a challenge trying to work on this on the road. I'm doing them on 22ct white aida and I'm planning on making them into keychains for the teachers.

I've also gotten a couple of pieces done... awhile ago I finished "Footprints". This morning I put in the final french knot on rosebud wreath. I took these pictures just before washing them. They are now drying. I'll then press them and frame them and hope to have them to my son's school tomorrow for the auction they are having next week.

I plan on taking pictures of them when they are framed and I'll let you know how much they sell for next week. The auction committee has gotten one of the "big" local radio talk show hosts to be the auctioneer.

Two Finishes

2009-05-01T09:37:00.005-04:00

One stitching finish and the floor is finished...

The kids arrived home on Tuesday evening from Disney World. They had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa and all (including G&G) were exhausted.

The Floor project was complete on Tuesday morning and major part of the furniture was moved back in then.

I'm quite happy with the results I got...some spots need some further work but with two active kids and a dog and a cat, I'm sure I'll be "redoing" this floor again before the end of their stay (the kids) in this house...

My other finish is the Alphabet Quaker block from the Stitch Creations blog...

I'm also quite happy with how this came out and have my son finding out his teacher's favorite color and probably going to make one of these into a keychain for her for the end of school.

Off to finish reloading all of the stuff into the dining room, the hutch is still empty, etc...have a wonderful weekend everyone.

I hope to have an update on rosebud wreath and Blackstone Fantasy garden early next week.

No Stitching this week...

2009-04-24T15:02:00.003-04:00

Instead of stitching, I decided since the kids were away in Florida with Grandma & Grandpa for the week I should do a project that would be easier to do minus two kids running in and out.

I decided that project should be refinishing our dining room floor. The people who had owned the house before us had slapped down a quick coat of polyurethane to make it look good for selling the house but since it has been peeling and was awful.

The kids left on Tuesday, had a play day with my friend Dee where we went to a restaurant in Rhode Island that we've been trying to get to together for over a year. On Wednesday I started with the massive project I've dubbed THE FLOOR... Wednesday was spent emptying the hutch and packing up the stuff in the room. Whoever knew how much stuff we had in this small room (definitely time to purge after the floor is finished). On Thursday, Dee came over to help me move the table, hutch, etc out of the room. From there I hung plastic sheeting over the doorways (hoping to keep down some of the dust) and headed to the local hardware store that rents different tools. I got myself a floor sander for four hours and sanded as close to the walls as possible within that time.

Now on Friday I'm on my hands and knees with a palm sander and a belt sander getting even closer to the walls.

Now this picture may scare some, so be forewarned...Haha...

This is what I'm looking like after about 4 1/2 hours of sanding and I'm still not done with all the edges...hoping to finish today and put the first coat of polyurethane on tomorrow but we'll see what happens. No matter what happens have to have this project done by Tuesday morning seeing as the kids will be home Tuesday night and Dee has offered to come over on Tuesday to help move the furniture back in the room.

Blast from the past

2009-04-22T10:27:00.004-04:00

Just a quick note for today...

I just received this picture from my friend Dee. I did this piece for her many years ago. I've still got the chart for it and I'm very tempted to do it for myself some year!!

The kids got off to Florida with the grandparents after a delay because of fog. My floor project was delayed because I took a Play Day with above mentioned friend Dee and we had a GREAT time playing hookey!! Dee, we need to do that again, maybe you'll get the $696 one next time!!

Stitching Update, partial finish and the airport

2009-04-21T06:10:00.004-04:00

I was getting "bored" working on the Rosebud wreath the other day (well not bored but intrigued by another design) so I started a new thing...

It is the latest SAL at Stitch Creations blog...it is a cutie and I thought "what the heck it looks like a quick stitch"...and boy is it...I've only got the first three parts (I'm assuming it will be 5 or 6 parts) and I've got the first three parts complete in two days.

This isn't the best picture (maybe I'll try to get a better one later in the day). I've used DMC 69 for the floss and I'm doing it on 18ct Aida by MCG Textiles that was in my stash. The color of the fabbie is an ecru.

Seeing as this seems to be such a quick stitch I was contemplating doing two more of them and making them into keychains for my ds' teachers for the end of the year.

Now I did get more work done on the rosebud wreath also. I've completed the right side (except for the backstitching) and now working from the bottom of the heart upwards on the left side...This is another kit that is definitely a quick stitch.

Later this morning I'm assuming I'm taking my kids and my inlaws to the airport. They are heading to Florida for Spring Break. Grandma and Grandpa are taking the kids as their Christmas gift and mom & dad were invited to come but were informed we had to pay our own way. We told them to have fun and we'd see them all when they get back.

No dh and I don't have any fabulous plans for while they are gone. In fact, originally I had been planning to clean out and paint ds' bedroom (it still has the pink flowers around the doors and windows that were there when we moved in 10 years ago!!) but now it looks like I may rent a floor sander and tackle the dining room/hallway floors that are in DESPERATE need of attention. Got thinking about it and realized it would be easier to do the floors when the kids weren't around and dh was at work and I only had the dog and cat to contend with during the day.

Off to make sure I've got everything packed for the kiddos and get dh ready for work. Then it's off to my parents' house to let their dogs out (they are away for spring break with my brother's family so I'm babysitting too!!).

Have a fabulous day. I'm going to try!!

More than green or brown

2009-04-13T09:32:00.003-04:00

Just a quick update on Rosebud Wreath...I've actually got more colors now than just greens and browns!! I've added some pinks and white!!!

This is probably the only stitching I'll get done today. My son doesn't have school today and he heard on the weather report this morning that it is to be "breezy" today and he's dying to try out the Spiderman kite the Easter Bunny left for him. I told him, if he helped me with some things around here this morning we'd head off to a local field to try and fly his kite.

Also have to pick daughter up for an orthodontist appointment this afternoon so have to get things done quick so we can go fly kites...

Enjoy your day where ever you may be...as Tiger from Winnie the Pooh says "ta-ta for now!!"

Happy Easter, A finish and a Start...

2009-04-12T09:55:00.004-04:00

Happy Easter to those that celebrate!! My family will be getting together with the others from the family later today for a late lunch/ early dinner. So far this morning, my kids have attacked their baskets left by the Bunny and found all the eggs they dyed last night which the "Bunny" hid before leaving their baskets.

Here the kids are dyeing their eggs last night.

This "quiet" morning has meant some stitching time for me this morning and with this being a holiday weekend meant we weren't running around all day with the kids so I was able to get in a fairly good chunk of time stitching yesterday also.

All this time meant I was able to finish "Footprints" and start another quick (at least I hope quick) project to also donate to my son's school's auction at the end of May.

It is a kit by Donna Dewberry called Rosebud Wreath. I made this design for my dh's grandmother a few years ago and it is the kit that I was searching for to originally do for the auction before I found "Footprints".

I started this last night and have worked on it for a short period this morning. This is the progress I've made so far on this project. It does seem to be working up quickly so far but I'm getting tired of greens and browns already...can't wait to get to some of the pinks and purples.

Seeing as I've been working on these two "quick" kits I haven't done a single stitch in Blackstone Fantasy Garden, although it is still traveling in my canvas bag, just in case I get bored working on these quickies and need something different to do for a stitch or two. I'm hoping to maybe have the wreath done this week or early next week and then get back to BFG. I have read on some other blogs that people feel they move quicker on their BAPs after working on a "little" project that was quickly finished. We'll see if that happens with my stitching.

Till next time...thanks for looking at my progress on my projects and following my crazy family...

Progress after one Week

2009-04-09T09:06:00.004-04:00

It's a little wrinkled (UNDERSTATEMENT!!!) but here is my progress after the first week of stitching on this kit.

I'm very excited at how quickly it is coming together, especially seeing as it has been a VERY hectic week around here.

I got some good stitching time in last Thursday and after that we've been very busy working to get a referendum passed here in our town to renovate our local high school. The vote was on Tuesday (I did absolutely ZERO stitching on the vote day!!) and we were lucky after doing so much hard work that the referendum passed.

There was a group of moms that "camped" at the end our the highway entrance ramp down the street from my house this morning waving signs thanking the voters for supporting the kids. Here is a picture of them...

My daughter is the one on the far left in the red and black jacket with the "THANK YOU" sign...

New Project

2009-04-03T06:23:00.004-04:00

I decided there is no way I'm giving my Blackstone away for the auction at my son's school (even though I've had at least two parents suggest I do so). I did decide to do a cross stitch project or two though.

Yesterday I went out very early in the day (as soon as the store opened) and went through the racks at Joann's ETC to see what they had which would be nice but also a quick stitch. I already had in mind that I'd like to do the Donna Dewberry "Rosebud Wreath". I've done this in the past and I'm kicking myself because I couldn't find the pattern in my "STUFF".

When I was at Joann's I did find a kit by Jiffy. It is Footprints, thought this would be a very appropriate design for a Catholic school.

I'm including a photo of the front of the kit (it isn't the best).

Here is my progress for yesterday.

I prepared the material, threads, etc while the photocopier was running at my daughter's school (I volunteer doing copying for the teachers of her grade so they don't have to spend that time away from the kids). Then while I was overseeing "rest time" at my son's school, I started stitching. I then stitched while he was at gymnastics and then after dinner. I'm amazed at how quickly this is coming together.

Hopefully, this will continue to be a quick stitch and the old brain will start firing on all the right cylinders and remember where that other pattern is. If it all works out maybe I'll have two pieces for the auction at the end of May.

Cars, stitching and TGIF...

2009-03-27T15:01:00.008-04:00

Today I got to spend the better part of the day sitting at the car repair shop getting the van looked at and fixed. Yesterday the "check engine" light went on and that's NEVER a good thing I've found in this van. The first time it happened it was the EGR valve (of course went in at least twice for this before the complete fix was found!!). After that when it came on it was time for a new transmission (thankfully it was still just barely under warranty so no cost just headaches getting it done that time.) Today come to find out it was time for a new catalytic converter.

I've been finding if you leave it for them to work on when they get to it, you are looking at not getting it back until the evening. With me sitting there I got it back before noon today. I went in at 8:30 (after having to get it jumped seeing as the lights got left on last night and the battery was DOA this morning- just to add fun to the day!!) and was out three hours later...

So I had plenty of time to work on stitching.

I worked on a 15 sided biscornu I started the other day. It is a free design from Solaria which I've slightly modified. It was supposed to have tulips in the center of each section but the material I chose (which was a scrap in my stash) was too small and the tulips weren't coming out correctly (they looked warped).

I'm planning on doing this in 15 different old DMC variegated and new DMC Variations threads...

I also worked on Blackstone Fantasy Garden for a break from the light green I was using on the biscornu...

I can't believe I'm almost half way done with the black work!!

Here is a close up of the area I'm working on now...

A parent at my son's parochial school saw me working on this out in the parking lot while waiting to pick him up after dismissal one day and she commented on how perfect this would be for the auction in May... I loved the compliment but not sure if I'll do that...I'm loving doing it for myself but not sure if I'd love to do it again for myself after donating the first...

At this point I'm so glad it is Friday and the day is almost over...no more running kids to school (although Saturday's around here are pretty nuts with gymnastics and swimming lessons). It is a beautiful SPRING day out (just a teaser from the sounds of this weekends weather forecast- RAIN), so I'm now going to go outside and see what damage the boy (my son who gets into EVERYTHING) and the dog have been creating...

Spring and Blackstone Updates

2009-03-23T11:23:00.005-04:00

It is beginning to look a little like spring outside here...doesn't feel like it (the temp now at 11:30 in the morning with bright sun is only at 30º and the weatherman just said normal temp for today should be about 50º!!) I was out looking around the yard while my daughter was waiting to get on the bus and I found these definite signs of spring...

This first one is of tulips in the front garden just starting to peek through the mulch.

Some daffodils that have survived the road salt through the winter next to the telephone pole by the post box...

And last but in no means least the one that actually got me looking closer for signs of spring...the pretty crocus that I never planted. Not sure if previous owners of our house planted or if a critter left it behind...

Now here's the Blackstone Fantasy Garden update...been working on it when I get a few minutes (while waiting for son to be dismissed from school, in the morning before the kids get up, in the evening after dinner and before my eyes bug out for the night)...I'm amazed at how fast it is coming together

This photo was taken on 3/17 (Happy St Paddy's Day!!)

Now this one was taken this morning and shows the entire project and the following are upclose photos so you can see the detail better.

and I'm definitely liking the addition of the DMC to the Elk Snout- it is definitely helping the ES and not overpowering the other colors (it is in the "tear drop" areas that "point" toward the center square and it will also be used in the center square).

and it is hard to believe I'm almost half way done with the black work!!

Well, until my next entry, get out and enjoy this cold but sunny weather!!

DON'T Join the Inkcircles Yahoo group

2009-03-15T19:27:00.002-04:00

I've been a "member" of the inkcircle yahoo group while doing BoInk. I love doing Tracy's designs and will continue to do so but I have now dropped this group. Towards the end of doing the Book of Ink Circles I was reprimanded by a person for "requesting" one of the final installements. I responded to her "reprimand" and was immediately SLAMMED by the moderators for doing so. Come to find out the moderator is friends with the "person" in question. I even received a reply from Tracy, herself, letting me know she wasn't offended in the least for requesting the installment be posted.

I've noticed as of late that it has been taking forever and sometimes days for my posts to show up on the webpage, so I asked one of the moderators if I was on moderation for some reason or had there been problems so everyone was on moderation?

I just received a reply to this email and here is what it said, " You are on moderation because of your recent rudeness on list during the "kerfuffle". Also you don't trim your posts consistently. You will be taken off moderation when ALL the mods review and decide you are sorry for your on list behaviour and remember to trim consistently."

I unsubscribed because of this attitude...I'll continue to do Tracy's designs because I so love them but who needs to be bossed around by a bunch of catty hens that worry themselves over such nonsense?? Not me!!

Now that I've blown off steam, I'm back to doing my data entry so I can get back to working on my Blackstone Fantasy Garden!!

Night everyone!!

All Opinions Welcome and Appreciated

2009-03-12T19:59:00.007-04:00

I've been playing with different colors tonight trying to figure out what to do with my Elk Snout dilemma on Blackstone Fantasy Garden...

At first I tried adding the coffee that is used in the borders of the knots but that was TOO much and completely obliterated any sign of the Elk Snout.

I then pulled out my handy dandy DMC color card and brought the spreadsheet I have listing my stash of floss up on the computer and I sat there and pondered my next move.

I tried #632 that I had just used in BoInk but it too was too dark and obliterated the ES (Elk Snout). I then pulled #'s 869, 610, 611 and 167. #167 seems to be very close to ES, so I veto that one. I then tried the #611.

This is plain Elk Snout

This is Elk Snout with #611 added to it

I think this works.

As usual I'd love to have some comments and suggestions as to what you think...

Thanks to Suzie she gave me some comments on my post earlier today which got me thinking along these lines...

By the way here is an update of how all the black work is looking so far...

Elk Snout- Needs Help

2009-03-12T10:49:00.003-04:00

Today I started the "loop" section of blackwork with the Elk Snout from Carrie's Threads that was recommended for Blackstone Fantasy Garden and it just disappears into the fabric. When I did the floss toss after getting the threads from my LNS they all worked well but I guess the Elk Snout worked as long as it was a large bunch but with the single thread it is just blending into the tone of the fabric.

I'm looking for ideas of what to either a) switch the Elk Snout with or b) what to blend with it to make it stand out more...

Spoke too soon!!

2009-03-09T14:27:00.003-04:00

Well so much for spring being here...

This morning dawned gray and cool with rain. As the day has progressed the rain has changed to sleet and now snow (all within about an hour's time period).

Not sure if you can see it in this picture but the snow is coming down like crazy. I've already had one mom call to see if our Girl Scout meeting this afternoon is on or not...it is as far as I'm concerned...

I've also got a little update on BFG. The blackwork is coming along quite quickly...

Until the next time, happy stitching!!

Spring has Sprung in CT?!?!?!

2009-03-08T11:39:00.004-04:00

This photo shows what it looked like out our front window after last Monday's storm.

And here are my kids this morning!!

They are crazy but they are mine!!

Facial anyone???

Yes, they went out with boots on!! I blame this on my dh's family, none of them like wearing shoes either!! LOL

Yesterday the temperature hit about 65º and today at 11:40am(EDST) it is already 67º. Of course the weathermen are saying we are supposed to be cloudy and only get as warm as 57º and I just told you what my thermometer is reading and it is BRIGHT and SUNNY!!!

My children are loving this weather, can you tell...

I also have a stitching update for this blog!! I have finished filling in the knots on Blackstone Fantasy Garden and started doing the "black work"...I'm not doing it as proper black work in that I was trying but got so totally lost and confused and it looked so horrible that I pulled it out and I'm doing it now as backstitching...

I'm loving the way it is coming out and am so excited about this piece...I even showed it to my sil who isn't crafty at all (and I mean she doesn't even OWN a needle- she gives me all of her clothes to be mended- hemmed, buttons, etc- because she can't handle it!!) and she loves it and was even hinting that it would be a lovely house warming gift (she and her dh are looking to buy a house)...

And here is a little bit of the blackwork I've done so far...

Thanks for looking and see you soon...

So Close, Yet So Far!!

2009-03-06T13:27:00.003-05:00

I've almost (ALMOST) completed the insides of the knots on Blackstone Fantasy Garden.

I have probably two to three more strands of floss to complete the final green knot.

I get to work on this primarily in the morning while having some coffee and before the kids get up, in the afternoon while I'm waiting for my son to get out of school and occasionally in the evening if the eyes are cooperating. I also get to work on it while my son is at swimming lessons and at gymnastics.

If I'm lucky I'll get the knots finished either tonight or tomorrow while son is swimming and then I get to work on the black work!! I can't wait for that and as I've promised myself I wouldn't start that until the cross stitching was done it has been good motivation for myself to keep at it.

Well, speaking of my son, it is time to run to school to get him...

Have a great weekend everyone and happy stitching!!

Framed and hung!!

2009-02-28T08:53:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the glare on this one...that is the one problem with glass...

Well, BoInk is truly complete as of 8:30 this morning!! I was able to find a frame at AC Moore that was a perfect match for the cat corners and it was on SALE to boot!! So other than having to buy a gizmo to put the points in the back to hold the piece in, it only cost me $20 to frame this piece. I had taken it to AC Moore to have it "professionally" framed and even with the 50% off coupon I had it was going to cost well over $200 to frame this with NO MAT... I should see if they need framers at AC Moore or Michaels or JoAnn's ETC because I seem to be framing more and more of my own pieces and think I do a great job (if I do say so myself!! LOL)

I've also been working like crazy on Blackstone Fantasy Garden. I've finished the inner work of the center knot (pinky colored one) and now working on the outer knots (the ones in green/purples). I've still kept to my word of not working on the blackwork until I've completed the cross-stitching knots...

This first one shows the "pink" knot almost complete...

This one is showing the "pink" knot complete and one of the three "green/purple" knots complete...

Thanks for looking...

Pictures of BoInk

2009-02-25T11:02:00.003-05:00

Here it is February 25th and I'm posting my pictures of BoInk. If you'd like to see more beautiful examples of this design by Tracy Horner go to www.inkcircles.com She has posted many beautiful versions including mine!!

I will post one more picture of this as soon as I have it framed. I've purchased a frame for it and now I just have to press it and mount it in the frame.

I replace the "20" in the pattern with my initials...

Thanks for watching my progress on this wonderful design...

First Finish of 2009 and BSFG Update

2009-02-19T19:30:00.003-05:00

Well I have my first finish of 2009 and I can't show a picture of it!!! Tracy Horner of Ink Circles was kind enough yesterday to offer to those of us that were up to date on BoInk (Book of Ink Circles) to get the final piece early. I took her up on the offer but every offer comes with some restrictions LOL!!!

Tracy asked that if we requested the last piece that we follow a few simple rules...

" If you are caught up AND
you want the last piece early AND
you are willing to not post pictures until Feb 24 AND
you won't get mad if you ask at midnight my time and I don't mail you
anything until the next morning AND
you believe in karma"

So I will abide by her request and not post pictures of it until the 24th. This came out as a beautiful piece and now I just have to frame it up!!

In some ways I also have a finish on Blackstone Fantasy Garden too!! No, I haven't completed the entire piece yet but I have completed the outlines of the knots. The dang frogs FINALLY left me alone so I could complete the outlines in peace.

I've now promised myself to complete the "filling" of the knots before I start doing any of the blackwork in the open areas.

The family and I seem to be finished with whatever the "bug" was we were passing around although my poor ds is still suffering with the cough and has been put on an inhaler for it...hopefully we'll be able to start weening him from that soon though.

Of Frogs, Bugs and kids...

2009-02-14T16:23:00.006-05:00

I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted...

The first thing to report on is my BoInk...I finished the next installment within a day of receiving it and have only one more piece to go before completing this lovely piece from Tracy Horner of InkCircles.

In that time I've had many frogs visit me.

They started off as tadpoles and only a stitch or two here and there and now today I think it is a whole entire family of frogs including grandparents, aunts, uncles and long lost nephews!!! All of the critters attacked my Blackstone Fantasy Garden.

I've finished the "brown" knot outline with no problem (well, haven't found a problem yet!!) and was beginning to progress on the lower right portion of the "green" knot and it seemed to be going fairly well until I noticed a problem with the lowest swirl in the bottom right corner. Ripped/frogged that out and thought I was set and was again happily stitching along when I realized that the inner swirl and the "boxes" leading up to it were off by ONE STITCH...

I've spent the better part of today ripping out and recounting and trying to find the ends of threads so as to rip out...

and here is where I'm at now...time to re-stitch and hopefully not see anymore frogs for awhile...

And on top of all these frogs a bug has come to visit my house!!

I truly think it was the flu for my dh and I. He started not feeling well on Sunday 2/8. I started feeling "off" on Monday and by Tuesday we were both in a total fog (which is probably when the frogs saw their opportunity to join my stitching projects. Well, dh and I both were on the mend by Friday when ds started with his "cough". He's had this cough in the past and it is so frightening to hear him. It is a croupy cough that just won't stop and he can barely catch his breath, so I picked him up from school and off to the pediatrician we went and got his usual prescription for it. He's still hacking up a lung but you can tell he feels better because he wants to go outside and play.

We thought for sure that dd had some how avoided getting the "DISEASE"...we thought too soon...on Saturday, 2/14 she decided she didn't want to go to gymnastics. This is never a good sign because she loves going. It was a good thing we didn't push her though. By the time her class would have been underway she had spiked a fever of 102º and was a pile of mush on the couch alternating between hot and cold periods.

Hopefully Sunday 2/15 will be a better day and we'll all be on the mend soon... I can't wait until Spring is officially here and the weather warms up so we can open doors and windows to air out the bugs and the frogs...

Finally another Blog post...

2009-01-26T18:43:00.003-05:00

Well it's been a bit since I last did a post...in fact the last time I posted about Blackstone Fantasy Garden was back on January 14th.

As you can see from these pictures I have progressed some since then.

I have almost completed the outline of the "knots" on the first three pages and some done on the next three pages...and I also have a good portion of the filling of the knots done on the first three pages (the first page is actually complete with a small piece yet to go on the second and I'm working on the third also)...

This past weekend we were busy with getting the kids here, there and every where and then on Sunday we went with my husband to Western Massachusetts for another snow shoe race.

Once the race started I kicked the kids out of the car to play which gave me about 45 minutes of quiet time to stitch.

From the sounds of the weather reports, I may get quite a bit of stitching time tomorrow...it is being predicted that we are going to get 4-10 inches of snow, changing to sleet and freezing rain and then back to snow...I'm almost 100% sure the kids will be home from school tomorrow.

and before I sign off I'd like to thank Sadie for this "award" she bestowed upon me last week...and to think people are actually looking at my blog?!?!?!

As part of the award, I am supposed to list 5 of my addictions and then name 5 bloggers who I think are "Fabby". So, here are my 5 addictions:

My husband's Coffee (he's better at making it than I am!!)

My kids smiles

Cross stitch

Lost & The Biggest Loser

Reading blogs

Now for the 5 blogs I am going to nominate.

Have a great day everyone...

Waiting for February 3rd!!

2009-01-18T12:01:00.002-05:00

Well I finally finished the latest release of BoInk and now I get to go back to working on Blackstone Fantasy Garden until Tracy from InkCircles(http://www.inkcircles.com/) releases the next piece on February 3rd with the final piece to be released on February 24. So this piece should be complete by mid-March (depending on how long it takes me to do the final two releases).

I'm showing you an up close picture of the latest piece as well a picture of the whole piece. The February 3rd piece is to go in the center spot with the final piece going into the spot on the right hand border.

Enjoy...

BoInk Update

2009-01-18T07:11:00.001-05:00

I got some work done on BoInk yesterday. I finished the green, started the gold and started the black (seeing as it will be easier to place the orange and gold with the black in place.

Back to work on it I go...

A look back...September 2007 Freebie Fractal

2009-01-17T07:10:00.002-05:00

Back in mid-September of 2007 I was introduced to the website xs-collectibles.com where I fell in love with the freebie that month so I printed it off and started.

These are just a few of the pictures of the progression of the piece. It took me about 9 months to complete this "bookmark" as the website calls it. I did this piece on 28ct monaco and the finished piece is 3 1/2"x 9", I'd hate to see the book they think these would fit into easily!!

This pattern was definitely a challenge for me. It was the first piece I'd ever done on such this type of material (smallest stitches and first even weave), it had over 92 different colors in it (lots of confetti stitches in this one!!) and first full coverage piece I've ever done.

Probably the smartest thing I did with this piece (which was also another first for me) was gridding the fabric with fishing line. If I hadn't done that I would have been so lost as to what color went where. You can see the gridding in the first and second photos. Some of the colors were so close in tint and hue that without the gridding I wouldn't have been able to count and figure it out.

I did this entire piece using my 3" embroidery hoop (hadn't yet discovered Q-Snaps!) which meant I was moving the hoop quite often but it did keep the fabric very taut also.

I finished this piece in mid-July and framed it myself. It was entered in the Hebron Harvest Fair in September 2007. It was one of three pieces entered in the framed category (I was only allowed to enter one framed piece even though I had more). I was thrilled when my "small" piece was the one that was awarded the blue ribbon in the framed country cross stitch category. The final picture is of it at the Fair.

The Frogs came to visit...

2009-01-17T06:50:00.002-05:00

Well this piece of BoInk is taking me longer than I expected...and the frogs came to visit...as I was working on the red last night I realized that the blue at the bottom of the piece was "off". Finding an end to pull out was probably the hardest. I got the blue "oops" out, finished the red and then re-stitched the blue that had been wrong.

Today I'll continue with the green and maybe even get some of the orange and or yellow in too...Saturdays are one of those days I get a big piece of time to work on stitchery while I wait for my daughter during her 90 minute gymnastics class. If I stitch quick enough and the frogs stay away maybe I'll even get it finished and get to do some work on Blackstone Fantasy Garden which has fallen to the side this weekend.

Tomorrow, my husband is registered to run in a snow shoe race in Guilderland, NY so I may get some time then to work on stitchery too. The kids and I go along for "support crew" but depending on the race I get time to stitch or chase the kids around.

Until next time...stay warm!!!

Egads it's cold outside!!!!

2009-01-16T09:32:00.004-05:00

With it is so cold out here (-1ºF at 9:32 in the morning- Southern New England isn't supposed to get this cold!!) you'd think I'd be getting lots of stitching done...unfortunately NOT...

Thursdays are a busy day here with the kids. I volunteer at my daughter's school in the morning and my son's in the afternoon. I then pick her up after school so we can get him to gymnastics...and then we don't get home until dinner time so it is a matter of slipping in a stitch here or there...

Here is where I'm at on BoInk and I haven't put in a single stitch on Blackstone Fantasy Garden since Tracy at Ink Circles released this latest piece of Book of InkCircles...can you tell I LOVE Tracy's designs at Ink Circles (I have two others in the to-do pile also)...

Here is hoping everyone is staying warm and safe in these cold days here in the US...

BoInk & BSFG- Don't you love abbreviations???

2009-01-14T08:51:00.003-05:00

Hello Everyone-

It has been a crazy couple of days here, which has kept me from updating this blog. Unfortunately, with it being so busy I also haven't gotten to do much stitching either.

Yesterday (January 13th) was the date the next installment of Book of Ink Circles was due out. I completely forgot about the date until Gail J posted a note on the BoInk yahoo group wondering where the file was...shortly there after Tracy posted the file. Of course, I was busy getting ready for my Lions Club meeting last night so wasn't able to just drop what I was doing and get stitching. So after my meeting last night I got to start on it. Didn't get too much done but it is a start and I'll work on it more tonight and maybe get it done for tomorrow or the day after.

Here is my work on Blackstone Fantasy Garden to date... this picture shows my work through Monday (1/12) morning...

and this is what I've done through this morning...it is put aside for a day or two while I do the BoInk section...

Thanks for looking...I think tomorrow I'll show my update on BoInk and review a piece I've done in the past...

DH keeps me from stitching!!

2009-01-11T11:52:00.008-05:00

This is the stitching I got accomplished on Friday between getting kids to school, pediatrician and chipping the ice off the driveway before the impending storm arrives.

And this is the little bit I got accomplished on Saturday morning.

Didn't get to do very much stitching yesterday in getting ready to go to my father-in-law's birthday party last night. Took longer than usual to get ready to go out there because we also packed "just in case" overnight bags because of predicted storm "Carlos".

We got home (with of course leaving the kids at grandma & grandpa's because grandma wouldn't allow them to travel in the bad weather- we came home so the dog could go out last night and this morning) with no difficulties (most people stayed home because of the "weather" the weathermen were threatening with.

When we woke up this morning there is about 5-6 inches of white stuff on the ground (boy am I glad I spent the time on Friday chipping up the ice coating off the driveway!!). Well, my dh decided that I've had enough "indoor" time lately and insisted that we go for a hike in our local "park". Now let me tell you, this isn't a park like Central Park (NY) or Hyde Park (London) this is a small piece of land that our town has purchased next to some land owned by the state of CT and it has a trail that leads to the blue blazed trail (Shenipsit trail) http://www.ctwoodlands.org/blue-blazed-hiking-trails system of Connecticut.

So off we went for a hike and here are some photos from the excursion.

The ice on the edge of the rail cut throughs is beautiful too...

Sunny had a great time on the hike too!!

And now I'll get some stitching time in, while dh tries to get out of this predicament...

(No husband's were hurt in the making of this blog!! LOL)

Another BSFG Update and Looking for ideas...

2009-01-09T16:12:00.004-05:00

Hi Everyone...

Most of today was spent chipping ice off the driveway in preparation for the storm predicted to be coming in tomorrow night. I was able to do a little work on BSFG yesterday and this morning before my adventures with ice. So here is the latest update photo on this...

Now on to some other things I've worked on in the past...the one I'm going to post today I need some assistance in what to do with it. This was one of the first projects I EVER completed with counted cross stitch. I saw this in a magazine and fell in love with it. The original design of it was for the center to be a clock. Well, I loved the "border" of the clock and thought it would make a very unique border for a wedding photo. During July of 1991 I had some surgery which meant I was home on medical leave two months before my wedding. So I did this project and it was completed before my wedding day. Fast forward to 2009...this piece has lived through moving into my home with my husband just after our wedding, lived through a house fire which destroyed many things because of water damage, survived our move to our new home almost ten years ago and now I'm still trying to decide how to use it.

I have long since lost the pattern and have no idea what magazine it was that I found it in originally, so hopes of finding it and completing the center as the clock as originally planned is hardly an option. I would still love to use it as a mat for a photo but not sure how to go about doing that. Any and all suggestions on this would be greatly appreciated.

Snow Day Update

2009-01-08T07:23:00.000-05:00

Well I think I'm starting to like snow days. As you can see I made quite a bit of headway on BSFG with the kids being home. They spent the day playing and watching videos while I snuggled in front of the fireplace and stitched the day away. Nothing else got done around the house but that will change today.

The kids are back to school today (although my son's school is delayed), so that means I'm in to volunteer at daughter's, then home to do some things before picking him up at dismissal. Home again long enough to get him changed for gymnastics, pick her up at school and off to gymnastics class (where I'll get to do some stitching!!) and home for dinner. Ok, I'm exhausted already looking at the to-do list for today.

Future posts are going to take a look back at other stitching projects I've completed and I'm presently working on. I even have one I'm trying to figure out what to do with...but until I get it out of storage to photograph that is on hold too.

Until next time...thanks for reading...

Ice/ Snow Storm and stitching...

2009-01-07T09:38:00.000-05:00

Below are my updates from the work I did on January 4th- January 6th (the first picture was taken on January 5th and the second on January 7th before I started working on BSFG).

I'm actually starting on page two in this picture. I've decided to do all the blackwork after I've finished the cross stitching.

Well our weather in Connecticut today is a mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain and supposed to change over to all rain by later in the day. The kids are home from school because of the weather and it is one of those days that there is no way they can go out to play, they'd be soaked to the skin before too long. So it looks like the day today will be spent watching videos, playing games and stitching for me. Hoping to have another update later this afternoon. May even get the material ready for one of the other InkCircles projects I got charts for as Christmas gifts, we'll see.

Also here are some photos of what the trees are starting to look like outside my windows. Hopefully it will warm up sooner than later so we don't get too much more ice. The weathermen are warning of many power outages because of the possible ice build up.

I hate being sick!!

2009-01-04T10:12:00.000-05:00

Well, I did get some stitching done yesterday but not as much as I'd have liked to. My dh decided to share his head cold so I was in a medication fog most of the day and not wanting to get out of my own way for the rest of it. I won't be getting much done today either seeing as we are going to Old Sturbridge Village with the kids and the inlaws.

Have a great day!!

HAPPY New Year a day late!!

2009-01-02T20:07:00.000-05:00

Here it is January 2nd and I'm just posting a Happy New Year to all...will you forgive me???

On January 1st, it is actually tradition with my family that we load up in the car and head to Rhode Island to go for a walk on the beach and then we go to a favorite restaurant for a late lunch/early dinner. So per usual, our friend Eric met us at our house and we headed off to Grandma & Grandpa's house to pick up the kids. It is also tradition for us to go out to the movies with Grandma and Grandpa and the kids, then to dinner and back to G&G's house for snacks and ring in the New Year and then dh and I head home while the kids stay at their house (Grandma won't allow her "genetic dividends" to go out on the road after midnight on New Year's Eve!!).

We picked the kids up and headed to Rhode Island. Now mind you we had a snow storm on New Years Eve day so the roads still weren't pristine for driving. Half way to G&G's I realized I'd left my wallet and my cellphone at home (I guess 5 hours of sleep wasn't enough the night before!!). So I actually behaved while driving seeing as dh HATES driving the minivan...we got to the beach and froze our buns off while taking our walk and then we headed to the Mews Tavern and had a wonderful time.

Even with all this running around I've managed to get quite a bit done on Blackstone Fantasy Garden. Here are some pictures for you to see on it...

This one was taken on the morning of New Year's Eve while the snow in Connecticut was starting to come down hard...

This one was taken on New Year's morning before I began doing any stitching in the New Year.

This one was taken this morning before I began working on it today.

This one was just taken after working on it today (January 2nd)

Well that is it for this evening...maybe I'll get better at doing these posts on a daily basis rather than when my dh gets after me saying I haven't posted in awhile.

Blackstone Fantasy Garden

2008-12-30T13:50:00.000-05:00

I started Blackstone Fantasy Garden by Tracy Horner of InkCircles (www.inkcircles.com) on December 26th. I received it as a Christmas gift from my dh along with two other InkCircle patterns (cirque des Circles and cirque des carreaux).

I decided when I started this pattern I was also going to blog my progress on it as well as the other two patterns and all my other WIPs that are hiding in my closests, in hopes that this will keep me on track with my stitching and life...

As I said, I started Blackstone Garden on December 26th. Along with it I'm also working on Book of InkCircles (Boink) which is a SAL from Tracy Horner. We receive a portion of the pattern every three weeks from Tracy and we have 3 pieces remaining to complete it by the end of February 2009.

The top photo is the piece we just completed for December 23rd and the second photo is the complete project so far.

I am also working on the SAL from Catia Crafts. I haven't gotten as far on that one but here is the most recent photo I have on that one...

Now back to Blackstone Fantasy Garden...

I started it on 12/26/08 and I've taken a picture each day before I've started working on it so here is the progress on it so far...

This is the progress from 12/26

This is the progress from 12/27

and now 12/28

I am doing this on 32 ct belfast linen (light mocha is the color) and I'm using the thread pack developed for it from Carrie's Threads.

This is my first real project (I've done a small before but that's it) on linen and my first time using overdyed threads.

I will try to add to this blog on a daily basis but I will definitely try to make it on a weekly basis...

Thanks for reading...