Happy 2009

I have never been big on new year resolutions but I think this year I will have to come up with one for my stitching stash. There are so many UFOs in my stash that I need to make better progress in completing. Not only in getting the stitching done but also to get the finishing done either by me or someone more qualified.

This weekend I did have success in completing my stitching of the 2007 limited edition from Prairie Schooler called "Let It Snow". I now have 2005 - 2007 completed and need to start/finish 2008 in the next several months. I still hope to have all four of these pictures framed together in some sort of design.

Our holiday was wonderful and it was great to spend time with family and friends. The biggest highlight of our holiday was the new addition to our family. We have a new puppy, Brinkley who was born on November 1st. It is amazing how much we forgot about puppy care in the last 15 months since Josie came to us. She is being an amazing big sister to her new brother. So far they love to run and play and don't like to be apart. I think she will be a great help in the potty training area.

If I am not blogging as regular as I should be know that Brinkley must be keeping his mommy and daddy very busy. He loves to play and is amazed at all of the toys that are in the toy box that his big sister has accumulated in the last year. Here he is playing inside of the toy box in seventh heaven.

Happy Stitching and I hope your resolutions are reachable.

A Christmas Letter From Josie

Ho Ho Ho,

This is so funny. I watch my mommy surf the blogs night after night and she is always amazed at the wonderful stitching items that fellow bloggers send to each other. She knows that it is her turn to join into the fun and stitch something for someone else but I think she is scared her work is not up to their quality.


Well, today I got one step up on her. Today in the mail a very lovely handmade stocking was sent to me from my very favorite Aunt. She lives very far away and I have never had the chance to meet her but I know that very soon she will be coming out to spend lots of quality time with me and oh yeah, my parents.


Here is lovely picture of the wonderful stocking that I got with my name on it. Oh, of course I had to pose with it. It is the holiday season of taking family photos and I think this occasion calls for a picture of me.
My wonderful aunt does the most amazing plastic canvas work. She could make a career out of it and I know she could sell millions...... Maybe I should be named in her will instead of my parents.

Here is a closer shot of it. Mom made me get out of the shot. Gee whiz.....

You should be here with me tonight. My dad is busy baking his wonderful holiday cookies and the house smells so lovely. My poor mom is busy cleaning house. I have been a big help to her tonight. After she washes a spot on the floor I run over to look closer and let her know if she has missed a spot. For some reason after I walk away sure enough a new spot appears. I guess I have helped her so much tonight she is giving me a break by shutting the door so that I can lay down and rest. The holidays are so much work.

Well, I am going to curl up by the tree and enjoy my new stocking. Poor mom... Hopefully she finds some time soon to sit down a stitch for a friend. I know that will put a smile back on her face.

Merry Christmas to all my friends. May 2009 be a happy and healthy new year for you all.

Love, Josie

Bad, Bad Blogger

Okay, so I am heading towards getting a huge lump of coal for xmas since I have been a really bad blogger. Sorry.... What can I say. First Thanksgiving was here and with the weather being nice I had to go outside and help with the yard decorations for xmas. So, with that done the next job was to start thinking about ideas for xmas presents but that didn't happen too quickly. WHY!!!! Well, let me tell you the great news. Josie went to test for her certification to be a Therapy Dog. Yippee, she did it with flying colors. We were so proud of her. Now it is time for me to sit down and fill out the paperwork that goes along with the testing. YUCK..... I hate paperwork. Okay, so now another week has passed by and what did I get done in stitching?

During the week after Thanksgiving I started and finished.... Gertie Gobble from Bent Creek.

I hope to make her into a standup but that will have to wait until after xmas. So, next I felt like doing a bit of knitting and made a couple of dishcloths from a pattern for Breast Cancer Awareness that I found on the Internet. I just love the pink cotton yarn I found.

If you are interested in getting this easy pattern go to http://knitwits-heaven.tripod.com/breast_cancer_awarenesst.htm. This was a very quick project. Course, then I got excited to find a couple of xmas patterns to knit but gave up when the first one didn't turn out. Okay, so maybe knitting isn't my favorite hobby. So, to wind down from that disater I decided I needed to read a book and picked up Nicholas Spark's book called "The Guardian". It was so good I couldn't stop reading to pick up my cross stitch or update my blog. Again, bad, bad, bad blogger.

Since my shopping is just about done, the xmas tree is up and decorated, I allowed myself to pick up a bit of stitching and worked a tiny bit more on La-D-Da's Bushel & a Peck. I don't think this will be done in time for xmas since we still need to wrap the gifts, put up the xmas village, and bake some cookies. Oh yeah, and the most important part, attend a few parties.

Maybe I will be more together next year..... Or not....

JOSIE - sends you love and happiness for a great holiday season and blessings for a great 2009.

Till I find time to sit and blog again, have a safe and quiet night.....

Happy Thanksgiving Stitchers

Thanksgiving Ghost
The last piece of apple pie is gone;

How did it disappear?

The bowl of delicious stuffingHas also vanished, I fear.
It happens each Thanksgiving,When leftover goodies flee,

And each of us knows the responsible one

Couldn’t be you or me.
The only way it could happen

Is readily diagnosed;

It must be the crafty, incredibly sneaky,

Still hungry

Thanksgiving ghost.

By Karl Fuchs

Hope that all you fellow stitchers find time today to sit a bit and stitch today. I am enjoying a quiet morning before all the family time starts to watch the Macy's parade and stitch up "Gobble Gertie" from Bent Creek. Maybe I will have it done for tomorrow and pictures to follow later.

Enjoy your day......

Another Manic Monday

Happy Monday fellow bloggers. Did you survive the day? I did and I sure do hate Monday's. But, now that the day is almost over a feeling of calmness is settling in.

Over the weekend I got some stitching done that I hope to make into a xmas gift. It is from La-D-Da called "Bushel & a Peck". I am doing it on 28 count "Foglifter". This saying is one that my mom's favorites and I am trying to think of a neat way to finish it off when I am done. I would like to somehow incorporate it with a shadow box frame with a couple of old family photos or maybe even put it into a covered photo album. If anyone has any other ideas please let me know. I hope to have the stitching done this week so that I have enough time to get it finished.

Gosh, I am trying to get better at blogging and sometimes I need to hide away from everyone so that I can think about what to blog. Well, look at this. Josie doesn't seem to want to obey my wishes. It is amazing how quickly dogs learn to open doors.

I cannot complain, she had a very rough week last week. We had to take her to Purdue Vet school for tests. She was a good dog and seemed to have enjoyed getting extra playtime in with everyone there. Bad part, they played with her late into the night and the next night when we got her home she decided that playing at 3am was fun.

Since she had to have a test done which means removing some of her fur they did give her a really pretty bandanna to wear for the holiday to cover up her missing fur. I think she likes it. I know I do.

Well, stay tuned for more updates. My fans are complaining again that I am not keeping up with my postings so I plan to hit this again as soon as I can.

Recent Buys

Fall time is my most favorite time of the year. I love the trees changing colors and the wonderful fall days when it is just warm enough to wear a sweatshirt while raking leaves. Okay, I don't enjoy raking leaves and it is so amazing for someone that has no trees in her front yard on how many leaves I have to end up raking. Okay, maybe it is a pay back for when I did have the most amazing maple tree that changed into the most fabulous colors. Course, we decided to build a planter box around the base of this old maple tree and ended up killing it. Oh well...

So, to add to my enjoyment of fall time I picked up "Harvest Time" by Prairie Schooler at my local stitch shop.

http://www.prairieschooler.com/books/bk93.htm

Sorry, I don't know how to add a picture from their website to my blog.

Also, I picked up an old pattern from Waxing Moon Designs called "Autumn Minis" since it had a really cute turkey that I think I will stitch into a pincushion.

I also enjoy doing Redwork and went out to review the patterns at Crab-Apple Hill Studios. Take a look at this link of the really cute Snowman that I purchased.

http://www.crabapplehillstudio.com/items/411_vintage_candy_cane_snowman.aspx

I will have to jump into doing this one as soon as possible. It will make a really nice Christmas gift as a pillow for a special friend.

I know that I haven't given you much of an update on my stitching progress but I should be just about done with Blackbird Design "Blessings & Kind Wishes" which is from their Loose Feathers collection. Stay tuned since I did change the fabric color and it is turning out really nice.

Well, I wanted to give a small update on what is happening since I have heard that I don't post enough.... Enjoy Ladies... More to follow.

Finished Project

Wow, I did it... I have finished another project on my own. What another huge step. If I play my cards right I should have one more item done this weekend. We will see what tomorrow brings.

This is the project I received in September at the Shepherd's Bush Retreat. It is called Shared Stitches 2008. On one side is the alphabet used with the names of all the designers that were at this retreat. It has been finished into a pinkeep designed by Merry Cox. She wrote the best instruction sheet for finishing this. Thank you "Merry Cox"....

I have to admit that there are very few items that I have totally completed from the past retreats. My goal from now is to work on these items and get them done before I head out for any new retreats. Also, if I do a good job I should be able to finish them myself except for anything that I will have framed.

"I am a TV star" says Josie..... Yep, she is all excited that yesterday on Halloween her picture was shown on the Chicago CBS morning news show. Wow, she is still beside herself that Ed Curran showed her picture from last year dressed as a skunk.... Hey, stop laughing. At least she will be remembered. Sad part, I don't think they even understood her costume. Well this year she played it up big waiting on the front porch for the kids. She was the queen of her castle

From our house to yours ---- Happy Halloween..... Love Josie