Completion #3 and some progress, and frustration

First, here is Feb. Flip-It Blocks framed- this is the one I am going to put on my desk at work and switch each  month.  I waited too long and missed January. lol I stitched this in 2004! Pitiful, isn't it, that I am just getting it framed.   In my defense, I had "ordered" a frame from my dad a while back and it was the wrong size- not sure what happened- and so it was delayed a bit.  I wasn't in any hurry.  (as you can see. lol)

This weekend was icy and snowy, and I was so excited I had a good reason to stay home, because I needed to frog my HE "Mr. Snow Tired", and I wanted to be able to frog what I had to and still have time to re-stitch what I pulled out.  Well I got quite a bit done- but ran out of WDW Whitewash!! And the threads that sometimes can be subbed weren't close enough this time.  So I have to wait til Tuesday when the quilt shop is open and see if they have some that is in the same dye lot.  I got some there last time I needed it I think so hopefully they will.  And now I think I have messed up on it again- I think it's workable but I want to get the white stitched first and make sure.  So the rest of the weekend I'm going to work on my Mary Engelbreit ornament.

Here are some pics of our snow- not much really but it got very icy so school is cancelled tomorrow.  I would love to stay home with the kids but the 1st is always a busy day for me at work so hopefully the daycare will be open, otherwise Rob will have to take the day off.  The main roads aren't too bad but please keep us in your prayers anyway that we will get there and back ok.  Here are a few pics-

You can tell we haven't shovelled! lol

David trying to hit Hanna with some snow/ice!

I don't know why he made that silly face..

 

And the winner of the "Celebrations" magazine is...

Heather!! Please email me at angelrose1108@yahoo.com with your address! Thanks!  Keep an eye out, I have a lot more oldies but goodies to give away!!

A race car...

That David drew- I think it is Lightning McQueen, of course!

Progress on "A is for Aran"

From the Brooke's Books ABC SAL!

Other than that- not much going on- there is a "wintry mix" in the forecast for Saturday.   I hope we get it, and I hope I can stay home and watch it out the window.. :)

Another oldie giveaway..

Up for grabs- the Premier Issue of Celebrations to Cross Stitch and Craft magazine.  There are some neat things in here, -Christmas cross stitch designs as well as instructions for making home-made gift bags, dough teddy bear ornaments, and primitive ornaments too. :) I will draw a name Friday the 29th.  Good luck!

Precious Moments Winner!

I used random.org for the first time tonight- kids were in bed and Rob wasn't home. lol  The winner is Cindy!Please email me at angelrose1108@yahoo.com with your address. Thanks and congrats!

SAL progress and found thread!

I found my Wisper floss last night! I had put it on my jewelry armoire and covered it up with something else. I was so relieved to have found it- it was driving me crazy!
And here is my progress so far on "A"- in the Brooke's Books SAL:

Now, off to work on "Sense and Sensibility!"

All my flip-its

Robin had the great idea for me to post a pic of all my flip-its together- so here they are!  I can't remember if I mentioned before- I have a small frame my dad made me, and I plan on interchanging them monthly and displaying them on my desk at work. I think I have them in the right order- May and June - I couldn't remember which was which, and I have gotten rid of the patterns. I am posting some closeups too.

And there they are!  I couldn't really tell you when I started them- probably when they first came out.  I would do some than move to something else, then do some more.. you get the idea.

Now watching Colin Firth on The Daily Show- hubba hubba! But I am wondering.. is he wearing a hairpiece now? His top hair looks reddish and his bottom hair looks dark. And they kind have a division. Although for "A Single Man" it looks like he had highlights or something so maybe he attempted to have it colored back to his natural color. Oh well doesn't matter, he's still a hottie. ;)

On the stitching front I am a bit frustrated- I bought a skein of Wisper floss for "Mr. Snow Tired" and I can't find it anywhere!!! ARRRRGH.  I have looked all over and I don't know what I did with it. I hope it didn't get thrown away or something by accident- like I left it in the bag, took out the charts I bought and threw it away.  I don't think I did, I think I put it in something but I can't remember what exactly.   This is one of the reasons I have started the flylady program. LOL

First finish of 2010!

LK December Flip-It Blocks are finished. Now I have completed the whole series. It only took I don't know how many years. lol I stitched on unknown linen with all the recommended friends except I used WDW Whitewash instead of Snowflake (didn't have any Snowflake), and I used Confetti instead of Louisiana Hot Sauce on the Christmas tree.  And I am pretty sure I didn't use any Aztec Red, only Louisiana Hot Sauce on the other red parts. The symbols were similar- one was / and one was \, and I realized today I don't think I used two different reds on this. OH well.. lol My bird charm swung a little to the right when I laid the piece down- it's not really that crooked. :0)  OK now off for a little stitching on my SAL!  If you like Precious Moments don't forget to check out my giveaway in the post below!! Comment for the giveaway ONLY on that post! Thanks!

Giveaways

Last year I received several older leaflets from a couple of different people, and I'm going to be giving some away on my blog from time to time when I have the money for postage. :)  Just thought I'd give you a heads-up! I thought today I would start- so here is the first one- will draw a name on Friday. And I won't be offended if no one wants a particular leaflet- no worries!  This giveaway is for the above- Precious Moments "Forever Friends" -book PM-5. :)  Leave a comment on this post only if you'd like to be included in the drawing. Thanks!

just another quick post

It's been a long day and I need to get to bed! But here are a couple of progress pics-

And my LK December blocks-

In the home stretch!!

That's about it for tonight- sorry so short but I am sleepy!

Mr. Snow Tired:

Completion #2

Today I framed "In The Kitchen With Jane Austen" (by the Sampler Girl). Another frame by my dad- :). Can you tell he sent me a bunch of frames at Christmastime? LOL Will show some progress on "Mr. Snow Tired" tomorrow, though so far he is mostly stomach and feet. hee hee..
Welcome to my new followers! Great to have you here!

The Squeakuel and some progress pics!

A while back, when "Wall-E" was in the theatres, Rob tried to take David to the movies. I told him David would get scared, but he wouldn't listen- needless to say as soon as they turned the lights down David wanted out. So Rob paid money for tickets for nothing. I was a bit nervous when Rob told me David said he would go see "Alvin and the Chipmunks- The Squeakuel" today- I was afraid we'd have a repeat of last time. He was a little nervous at first but was fine, he really enjoyed it. Hanna wanted to see it too but she's at a friend's house so she's going to be mad at me- so I think we will try to go once more before it's out of the theatre. Even though the chipmunks totally annoy me sometimes, it was actually a pretty cute movie. I have eaten way too much already today though, and don't even know if I'll want dinner at this point. Ugh.

Here is my progress on my Brooke's Books SAL- not much of anything yet but I made more progrees this week than I did last week.

I'm pretty excited about this SAL, I just know it's going to be so pretty when it's done!

Here is my progress on my Sense and Sensibility sampler as of last night-

I also got some stash mail yesterday- I ordered from the Stitch and Frame Shop in Rock Hill, SC- got some beads and a charm I needed and the Sampler Girl's "Camille's French Sampler".  If anyone has been wanting to add this to their stash check out the Stitch and Frame shop-she has it on clearance for $2.50! And it's out of print! Snatch it up while you can! :)

My first completion of the year!

I decided today that's how I will differentiate(sp?) between items that I've finished stitching, and finished items I've made into something or framed. Finished stitching=finish Stitched piece made into something/framed= completion. :) Ironically, my first completion of the year is my first finish of last year! lol Here it is! Another frame courtesy of my dad and his talent. I think it really looks good with the browns on the cats. This one is for Hanna. Now off to stitch my ABC SAL- will post a progress pic soon!

Something to think about!

I got this email from my mom today- it included a picture of the violinist but it didn't copy over. The snopes link is at the bottom- it is true!


PERCEPTION




. . . Something To Think About.. . .







Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.





4 minutes later:





The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.





6 minutes:





A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.





10 minutes:



A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.





45 minutes:





The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.





1 hour:





He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.





No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.





This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.



The questions raised:



*In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?



*Do we stop to appreciate it?



*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?





One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:



If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.



How many other things are we missing?

I also think (me, Tracey) that so many of the people rushed by or hustled their kids on by because they thought Joshua was homeless, or a bum.  How quick we are to judge! I wish I would have heard him. What a treat that would have been!



http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/bell.asp

Progress on "Pixie Spoken Here"

I hadn't posted any pics of this one yet- it was supposed to be a Christmas present for Hanna but I didn't get it done in time. Still trying to keep it a secret though. :) Sorry about the crappy picture- I took it with my phone.

Finally I can show you...

I had been waiting to hear from my cousin that she received the ornament I made for her and her baby Jaclyn... I heard from her today so now I can show you.  :) This is a Brooke's Books freebie. Stitched on Silkweaver fabric I believe- not sure of the color, sorry, using almost all the recommended threads. I didn't have any of the particular Rainbow Gallery fuzzy thread recommended, but I had a similar one also by Rainbow Gallery so I used that one.  The pattern is "Penguin's First Christmas", an exclusive freebie available to the members of the Brooke's Books Interactive Yahoo Group.

Yesterday was a somewhat relaxing day- Rob went to a fishing expo in Raleigh- I took Hanna to get her hair cut after zumba class yesterday morning, then she, David, and I got some lunch. I took her to a friend's house then David and I headed out to my somewhat-LNS.  It's 20 minutes away, or thereabouts.  I got most of the beads I needed -she didn't have 552 so I guess I will have to order those, since Michael's only has a handful of Mill Hill beads left. :P Also got some larger Q-snaps that will hopefully work for my alphabet SAL. And I got  Blackbird Design's leaflet "Willow House" at a bargain price! I will probably need to go back soon and get a bead organizer or two.  We came home, I got some things done around the house, and later got some time after David went to bed, before Rob came home, to watch whatever I wanted to watch on TV and do some stitching. lol

Today, was not so relaxing. David and I went to church this morning-we were late. After church (it started at 8:30) we got some breakfast, then headed over to Michael's, as I wanted to see if by some chance they still carried the above-mentioned bead organizers. They don't. But David found plenty he wanted, and changed his mind several times.  He onely came out with some Lightning McQueen pencils and an Alvin and the Chipmunks coloring book.  I did find some of the foam board I use for framing in the clearance aisle- I guess they couldn't sell it cause it was pink on one side? I got a huge board for only $1.50! Which is awesome because I got a bunch of frames at Christmas that my dad made for me.  Which brings me to my failed ..already..

New Year's resolution.

Which was, to "finish" a stitched item a week. I have piles of finishes in a drawer that have not been framed or made into anything. I had hoped to frame some today, or at least one, and didn't make it. I had planned to do it after lunch. But we got home from Michael's, Rob wanted to go out for lunch, then wanted us to go grocery shopping with him. He does the shopping cause he does most of the cooking. So by the time we got home from shopping, and I picked Hanna up from her friend's house, and came home and  helped her with some things, and do some housework, and eat dinner, and take Hanna to her confirmation class.. then pick her up, you get the picture. And I hate doing things like sewing and framing later at night because inevitably something goes wrong, and it's late, and it ends up waiting til another day anyway.  Phew. Sorry to unload like that! I guess I'm just a bit frustrated.  Maybe I can frame/finish two things this week and get caught up.

On a positive note, reading Sharlotte's blog reminded me I had wanted to look into the flylady program, as she mentioned it in her blog.  So I have joined, and begun, and looking forward to feeling a bit more in control of things around the house!

I guess I better go if I want to get any stitches in on "Mr. Snow Tired!" So here is a pic of David after going to the LNS with mama yesterday- he looks a bit how I feel!

Giveaway winners!!

OK, I numbered you all and had Rob pick the numbers- the winner of "God Bless America" is Catherine, and the winner of "You Have Stolen My Heart" is Lulu! Congrats ladies!!

some progress pics..

I'm afraid I didn't get much done on Mr. Snow Tired this weekend- but here is his belly. lol

And here is my progress on my LK Flip-It Blocks-

I'm going to have to re-work my rotation.. have so many projects I am working on- have to figure out where to fit them all in so I can make decent progress on them. lol 

a little new year's giveaway..

I found a couple of charts while organizing stash this weekend and thought I would have a little giveaway! Actually two, one for each chart- feel free to enter one or both, just specify which, and please leave an email address if your comment doesn't link to a blog with one. :) Thanks! I will draw names Thursday or Friday.

I am a kid at heart, and one of my childish hobbies is playing with Webkinz.  A friend of mine bought one for Hanna a few years ago and after getting her started (and playing on the website) I was hooked.  I added a "child" to my Webkinz family this weekend- meet Emma:

Isn't she sweet? hee hee..

As for stitching, I started a new project this weekend. I have so many snowman patterns so I decided to try to always keep one in my rotation.  I started "Mr. Snow Tired" by Homespun Elegance last night. I will post some progress today or tomorrow, as there isn't much to show yet! I love snowmen- but all I'm stitching is a whole lotta white right now.. that's probably the one thing I dislike about stitching them!  Maybe I will try to break it up a bit by stitching other parts every once in a while.

Happy New Year!

Ok, now that most of the ornaments I mailed I have been received, I can post some pics!  These are the ornaments Rob helped me sew up after my needle on my sewing machine broke, and he replaced it and my bobbin. The "Joy" and "Starry Starry Night" ornaments are from Just Cross Stitch Ornament issues-not sure of which ones but I can find out if you want to know! The other is a Jane Austen quote- a freebie by the Sampler Girl. I love it! Well-here they are-

Have one more to show you- but I need to be sure it's been received first! :)