The Drifter's Wheel

The Drifter's Wheel: A Fever Devilin Novel by Phillip DePoy


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Phillip DePoy's "Fever Devilin" series are like nothing I have ever read. With quirky characters from Appalachia, lots of folklore, and a touch of supernatural, you can never predict how the story is going to end. I love it! And the combination makes for a very interesting read.


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Just listed a few items on ebay

if anyone's interested.. Starting bids are low. :) I'll even post pics of what I listed. My ebay ID is hannasmom1198.

A sure-to-be-gorgeous giveaway at Lola B's

Just click here! And enter for some surprise, sure-to-be-lovely goodies!!

Handmade goodies giveaway

My Little Raggedy Blessings is having a giveaway of some handmade and lovely goodies that are a complete secret. Check it out!

Stormy weather

I love rain and storm clouds!

New finish and new stash!

I finished another ornament kit for my MIL- I think I have 4 left to go. Phew! I went to Lazy Daizy in Raleigh today to pick up the remaining threads I needed for the Sense and Sensibility sampler. They were having a sale and I got one chart with three free. :) Also picked up Country Cottage Needleworks' new "Mermaids" to make for Hanna eventually. I got a cute Curtis Boeringer chart free! Also picked up a skein of Crescent Colours for another project. I got some stitching done on the way, on "Home is Where the Snow Flies" by Val's Stuff- and realized she is based in O'Fallon IL, where my FIL lives! I used to date someone from O'Fallon back when I lived in Illinois. Small world.

And more Derbyshire..

Isn't this a fine prospect? Another photo courtesy of Beautiful Britain.

And another great giveaway...

of surprises!! Check out Patti's blog to see how to enter. :)

Because I love all things Irish and you might too..

Micki is having a great giveaway at her blog! Lovely Irish things! I do hope to visit there someday. It seems my link is not working so to go to Micki's blog click the "Irish Muses" button on the right!

Better picture of Big Bee, Little Bee!

I went outside and took some more.. in this one I think you can see the true fabric color a bit better...
I think I am going to ask my dad if he can make me a pretty wooden box with a lid I can insert this in.. I think that would be so pretty!

Big Bee, Little Bee

It's finally finished! I was able to go get the last beads I needed today. However, I realized today that I used the wrong size braid for the gold stitches.. what do you think? Does it look too bulky? I'm wondering if I should buy the right one and re-stitch..
This was done on a really pretty fabric called Desert Sky(I think) by Sugar Maple Fabrics. The lighting in my house really does not do it justice; I will try to remember to take a picture outside soon.

Some Fourth of July pics!

We found a little bit closer spot this year without having to sit in the crowd at the mall(where they launch the fireworks.) Most of the pictures of the fireworks were taken by dh- I also took a couple of pics of the sky before it got really dark- it was so pretty!

The Everything Austen Challenge

Stephanie is hosting a really cool Jane Austen challenge- click the title of this post or her name to check it out! As I am a die-hard JA fan, of course I am going to participate- I probably would even if there wasn't prizes! tee hee.. Anyway, I am officially listing my six Jane Austen things-to-accomplish:

1. Read Pride and Prejudice (again :) )
2. Read Emma (again :) )
3. Cross-stitch "In the Kitchen with Jane Austen" by the Sampler Girl
4. Cross-stitch "Sense and Sensibility Sampler" by the Sampler Girl
5. Watch "Sense and Sensibility"
6. Watch "Emma"

Stash Mail!

Tammy and I did a pattern swap, and look what she sent! The rose covered box is a collapsible ort box, it is so neat! I should've left it folded up for the picture.

Marshmallows roasting on an open fire...

Oh wait, that's not how it goes is it? LOL Oh well, it's the summer version. ha ha! DD had a friend over tonight and we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. I won't post a picture of said friend until I have her mom's permission, but here are some others in the meantime. DS wasn't that interested in it so I didn't get any pictures-he didn't care much for stretchy marshmallows but he liked the Hershey bars!
I also took a rather blurry picture of our honeysuckle that grows wild in our yard, a flower from the tree in the back of the neighbor's yard, and our dog Wolf, who sadly is having a pretty hard time these days. :( Does anyone know what the fuzzy flowers are? And how do you put text in between pictures instead of all in the same place?

Derbyshire

I found this picture at Beautiful Britain of Arbor Low in Derbyshire. I can see why Jane Austen picked Derbyshire as the location of Mr. Darcy's estate. What beautiful countryside!

The Moon

“The moving moon went up the sky, / And nowhere did abide: / Softly she was going up, / And a star or two beside.”
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Prairie Schooler Santa

I thought I would never finish this! I thought I did last night- then tonight realized I stitched the pear in the wrong color. Then realized I forgot to stitch his mouth. Argh! Stitched on unknown fabric- instead of DMC I used Gentle Art Oatmeal and Blue Spruce; Weeks Dye Works Sand, Garnet, Schneckley, and Swamp Water; and Six Strand Sweets Fruit Punch.

A finish and an "almost finished"

Here is the Lizzie Kate finish I finished a few weeks ago. I gave it to my friend last night so now I can post it. :) And here is "Magic" without the buttons, but the stitching is finished. I will have the buttons soon. My new snowman project is "Home is where the snow flies" by Val's Stuff. Snow doesn't fly much at my home so I'm not sure what that means.. ha ha!

Sharing the cuteness

My dear friend Mark sent me these- pics of his fur (and feather)babies.. aren't they sweet?

Progress on "Magic"

I am really excited about this one.. I just love the fabric and the way it looks with the colors for the design.. I am hoping to finish it this weekend. Click the picture for a close-up. :)

pool party!

Yesterday we went to a pool party for a friend of ours' daughter(who happens to be friends with our kids. :) ) A fun time was had by all! Here is a pic of my kids.. not a great one of Hanna but in all the other pics she had swim goggles on. lol This was taken by my friend Wanda- the mom of the birthday girl.

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I guess I may be easy to please, judging from some of the other reviews of this book, but I thought this book was excellent. I think all the books in the series are. Some have said that this book had too much going on, but I really don't think it did. To me, it made it all the more a page-turner, and everything was tied together at the end, for the most part. I also liked that we got to see Eric and Sookie interact some more. Eric can be domineering and cold at times, but I think the reader must remember in what time period he became a vampire. I thought this book was great and I can't wait for the next one!


View all my reviews.

Blessings Journal

This is a neat idea I have been meaning to blog about and kept forgetting. I got it from an online friend of mine. This is an especially good idea in this time of economic downturn, etc. Get yourself a small journal or notebook- you can carry it with you or do it before you go to sleep (as I do). In this write at least three things you were blessed by/with during the day, it can even be something that happened to someone else. Just to remind you of the good things in life and how blessed you are!

A super amazing giveaway!!

Not of stitched items but of a gift certificate for fantabulous home decor!! Click here!

Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day

Just got finished watching this fun movie!! Dh had taped it-I had been curious about it so I watched it. I confess I didn't get much stitching done while I watched, the storyline kept you moving right along with it. The ending was slightly far-fetched but I enjoyed it nonetheless. And the music was great! I may have to see if there's a soundtrack. :)

Another giveaway!

Gaynor is having a giveaway on her blog! Check it out!! :)

Stash Giveaway!

Kathy is having a giveaway at her blog! Hop on over and see what it's all about. She has some cute pics of her furbaby on there too. :)

Ebay plug!

I'm currently selling a 1986 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue on ebay- here's the link: hannasmom1198 ebay Thanks for looking!

Pretty in Poppies

My mom bought this dress for Hanna- I just love it! I wish they had it in my size!

Noel by Need'l Love Co.

Finished this one in just a few days- it is from a 1986 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue (oops, think I mentioned that in my last post..). I have also decided since I love snowmen and have a TON of snowman patterns I am going to have a snowman stitching day. Which day this will be I'm not sure, but I've already chosen the design to start it off - "Magic" by San Man Originals. I am excited about this one because the colors are really neat and I am going to do it on some Sugar Maple Fabrics multi-colored fabric- I forget the name at the moment!

Stitchy Weekend!

I've gone into this long weekend determined to stitch, stitch, stitch! So far so good! I finished my Lizzie Kate WIP but will not post it here yet- I want to give it to my friend first. I'm not sure if she reads my blog so I'd rather be safe.. I was so excited to finish it- it was fun but I was anxious to start "In the Kitchen with Jane Austen" by the Sampler Girl. I went to get the fabric I had set aside, and alas, it was not big enough. Not even close. And none of the fabric I have will suffice, and I don't have the money to get any right now. :( Oh well.. I looked through my stash for something else to work on in the meantime and found Just Nan's "Big Bee, Little Bee." I don't think I have ever stitched a Just Nan design, even though I think they're beautfiul, so I thought even though it's almost summer, it's kind of springy/summery, so I'll do it. There is no finis
hed picture of the design with the pattern which makes it even more fun in my opinion. I'm sure I could find one online, or perhaps have already seen one and don't remember, but I want to be surprised. :) I'm also working on an ornament from the 1986 JCS Ornament/Christmas issue- a cute little Santa by The Need'l Love Company.
And that's the update! Please let's not forget the real reason for this long holiday weekend- let's remember those who have fallen, and those who still serve, to keep our country free.

a few leaflets for sale or trade..

I have a few cross stitch leaflets for sale or trade- just go to http://community.webshots.com/user/angelrose1108 and click the "For Sale or Trade" album. All prices include postage within the U.S. Thanks for looking! Please leave a comment w/ your email address if you're interested in any of them. :)

Prairie Schooler finish

Today on my lunch break I finished up this little PS freebie I'd been working on. I'm not sure how I'm going to finish it yet- ornament maybe..or a card.. maybe even a bookmark. What are your thoughts? Oh, and I didn't use the suggested DMC for this. Instead I used- Weeks Dye Works Whitewash, Mascara, Blue Bonnet; Olde Willow Quaker School Blue; Crescent Colors Manor Red; and Gentle Art Blue Spruce and Brandy.

Why did the ducks cross the road?

We were driving through a subdivision the other day and were stopped by these little guys crossing the road! I wish my picture had turned out better...

At the park

Another ornament kit finished!

Here's another one of the ornaments I'm stitching for my MIL. These kits are not made real well. They have DMC floss which is great but the graphs are not consistent with the picture on the package. All the backstitch is not shown on the pattern, just some of it, and there was an open square in the church roof that was not open in the picture. Weird! All in all though I think this is one of my favorites of these ornaments. The colors aren't "Christmasy" but they're pretty!

Pillow finish

Here is something I stitched for my grandma last year. I finished it into a pillow today using the fabric from the Thistle Bee Quilt Shop (see previous post). I can't wait to send it to her, she loves all things patriotic! Also, I sewed (?) up a pillow for Hanna, out of some Pink Panther fabric she wanted me to buy a while back. She cut it and stuffed it, I just sewed it up! :)

An exciting find!!

For several years, there has been a shop near our local Wal-mart called The Thistle Bee Quilt Shoppe. I have never gone by the shop, because I don't quilt (though someday I would like to learn) and don't have the time for another hobby right now! However, I've brought out my sewing machine again and would like to finish some projects, so I thought I'd check them out and see what their fabric selection was like for tucks and such. And wow, did this place have some fabric, and pretty reasonable prices I think. I found the perfect fabric (actually several) to finish a project for my grandma. And to make it the perfect visit, I found they also carry Weeks Dye Works! Not a full selection but quite a few! This was wonderful news for me as the closest shop that carries them otherwise is an hour away in Raleigh. This trip just made my day! Here is a picture of the shop and my fabric find, next to the stitched piece. Also, a piece I stitched back in 2004 but just recently finished into a pillow (thanks to dh's seamstress abilities)for a friend.

a forgotten finish

I finished this right around the time my camera batteries went dead- lol! I was going to work on something else last night and found this in the pouch with it. It's going to be hard to part with this one but I imagine I will make it into an ornament at Christmas and give it to someone special. So if you are the recipient than you know you mean a whole lot to me! ;D This is a design from one of the Just Cross Stitch ornament issues by Blue Ribbon Designs. Please forgive me for the horrible lighting in some of my pictures- there aren't many windows in the downstairs of our townhouse and even using flash some of them come out pretty dark!

A shameless ebay plug..

Including a Disney Princesses cross stitch book and a handmade beaded scissors fob.. my ebay ID is hannasmom1198. Thanks for looking!

Cross Stitch Giveaway!

Simone is having a cross-stitch giveaway on her blog! Check it out! http://soedidee.blogspot.com/2009/04/blogoversary-grab-bag-give-away.html