Hello Friends!

I sent out my CSE (Chatty Stitching Exchangers) kitted up freebie out today. I haven't heard from my partner. I hope that she's okay and I am looking forward to seeing what she sends for me. Perhaps my package will brighten her day. I chose the freebie "Scatter Sunshine" by Shepherd's Bush. I had to include everything needed to stitch the project. Floss, fabric, embellishments, pattern and needle. I forgot the needle, but I am sure she has one of those. I also included the fabric so that she could turn it into a darling little pillow. I hope she likes it. I have the pattern and I love it. Next month's theme is patriotic. I found an adorable freebie over the weekend, and I think that I will use that one. Not much stitching going on around here. Can I be frank with you? I packed everything, and I can't find a thing to stitch. I also packed all of the dishes, cups and utensils. So we have to eat out - sooooo sad! There are only eight days until the BIG day. I have to finish packing the kitchen tomorrow, and then all that is left is Milsey's office space. I am so excited to go, can you tell? Well, I have a busy day ahead of me tomorrow - more packing, errands in the afternoon and then I am getting my last haircut before I leave. I talked to DD's prospective voice teacher today and she said that there is so much for children to do on the island. She also said that she would be happy to help me find things like a hairdresser, grocery store, etc. when we arrive. Well I'm off to bed, write more later!

Saturday Night...

I don't have any pictures to share because everything that I'm working on other than the SAL is for an exchange. My two pinkeeps and the biscornu turned out just precious. I can't wait to see how my exchange partners like their treasures. I have to get on my squares for round 7 in the Fair and Square exchange group. I talked to my partner and she wants a cottage with flowers, so I have picked what I think is the perfect pattern. Hopefully she will like it too. After that I have the HoE Summer Quaker exchange to get started stitching. I can't decide what to do, so I guess I will do a little browsing around the web and see what I can find. I'm actually not all that fond of the traditional Quaker patterns that I have seen out there. I do love the animal patterns from The Workbasket.

Anyway, it's Saturday night and I am watching "The Wedding Date" for about the millionth time. I love it so and the music - well it's Michael Buble - enough said! We went to the post office today so that I could send off the supplies to my mother so that she can join in on the Thursday SAL with me. I thought that she might enjoy having something to look forward to every week now that she is retired from the flower business. We then went to Costco for fillet mignon and a watermelon for our cook-out tomorrow and Monday. We need to get special boxes to pack the dishes next week, so hopefully I can get Milsey (DH) to go to U-Haul and pick up the last few packing items that we will need for the move. I want to say thanks to all of you who have put up with my incessant ramblings on this move. I have only this blog for my rants on this topic. Oh well, it will be over in a few weeks, so please bear with me. Okay, well it's after midnight now, and I should be heading for bed. Write more later!

My First SAL And Two Weeks!

I joined in on my firs SAL today with BeckySC and Vonna and some other very talented ladies. The piece that we are stitching together is called "Happy Home Sampler" designed by Linda Bird and it is featured in the July 2008 Cross-Stitch and Needlework magazine. I didn't get to start today, so I don't have any pictures to share with you. My supplies will come in the mail next week, so I will be able to begin stitching then. I am so excited to get to know others who stitch through a project like this one. I think that this piece will be a delightful addition to my new home in Florida!

As of tomorrow we have exactly two weeks until the BIG day! Next week Lisa (our housekeeper) and I will start working on the kitchen and Milsey's office space. Hopefully we can get them finished in a few days. I am feeling a little under the weather today, so we didn't get but two boxes packed today. We went through the house packing up the items that had somehow not made it into boxes. I am taking DS Ethan on a date tomorrow to the used bookstore to use his Christmas gift certificate. After I am going to take him to Friendly's for lunch. Well I am off to get some much needed rest. Write more later!

New Sweet Treat And 18 Days!

The new block for Country Cottage Needleworks' "Sweet Treats" came in the mail today. This month's block is called "Ice Cream". I really need to get working on this piece, but I am trying not to start anything BIG before the move. I finished the first round of pieces for my May/June exchanges. I have now started working on the July/August ones. I am currently stitching an ornament for an ornament exchange. The only problem is that I accidentally packed one of the flosses that I need to finish it. I am going to try to find it tonight! We officially have 18 days until the big move and my house is completely in boxes. We finished the storage room today and now all that's left is the kitchen and Milsey's office space (but I will leave that up to him). Milsey is looking to purchase a car, and so we went to sit in a VW Bug tonight before dinner. We all fit in it, but it was a little like fitting a bunch of clowns into a car-ha ha! We might get something when we move, but I am sure that we will wait because we don't want to put all those move miles on a car. Well I haven't felt all that great for the past few days, and Bonnie and I are going to drive to The Mannings tomorrow. The Mannings is a spinning/weaving/knitting shop about an hour away. I gave Bonnie a gift certificate for Christmas, and now we have to use it before we move. There is a little diner close by, so I promised to take her there for lunch. For those of you who don't know me, Bonnie is eleven and is a very experienced knitter. She knits socks, sweaters and just about anything that she can get her hands on these days. I promised her a set of interchangeable, circular needles and some kid mohair and cotton yarn for a sweater that she wants to knit for herself. We will see what other "treasures" we come home with! Well, that's it for me tonight. More later!

Busy, Busy

I have been very busy over the past few days. I have finished packing except for the kitchen and our storage area. I am so proud of myself for really being ahead of the game. Milsey says that soon we will all just sit around and stare at each other because I have packed everything and there is nothing to do! Oh well, I would rather be too early than too late. I also finished most of the stitching projects that I had lined up for summer exchanges. I need to stitch one ornament, and then I am finished for now. I was really getting worried that I had bitten off more than I could chew. I was so excited to join these groups, I signed up for eight (yes I said eight) exchanges. I can't wait to see all of the beautiful smalls that I receive from my partners. I am sending some of the items to a friend to be finished, because I have so much to do with the move and all.

Our building had a picnic at the ball field tonight, and we were treated to a baseball game after. Ethan was chosen to be the "Play Ball Kid" which means that at the beginning of the game he yelled "play ball" to start the game. I sure am going to miss having a baseball team close to us when we move to Florida. I don't think that there are any major or minor league teams close to where we will be living. Ethan and Milsey love baseball and Bonnie and I take our stitching and knitting projects to work on while we watch the game.

Well, I am going to start packing the storage room tomorrow. It will probably take me two to three days to get it all sorted out, and then I will wait a week and work on the kitchen. We officially have three weeks until the BIG day. I packed all of my stitching, so I will have to open a box if I want to start working on something. The new LHN/CCN charts come out at the end of next week, so perhaps I will have to get those to work on. Oh wait, I'm on a stash diet. Hmmm, what to do, what to do!

Biscornu Finish

I finished stitching my first biscornu today, and I must say that I think that it is just lovely. I used variegated silks and it turned out better than I expected. I want to do Barbara Ana's "Spring Biscornu", but I will have to order fabric from Sassy's Fabbys in order to get the desired effect. That's just fine with me because their fabrics are gorgeous. I stared working on the LHN piece that I am doing for my HoE exchange. I know that you are supposed to work 2 over 2 on 32 count fabric, but my stitches looked so bunchy - so I am stitching with only one strand of floss. Hopefully my partner won't mind. I am such a perfectionist and I wanted it to look perfect.

I finished packing Ethan's room last night and I am very proud of the progress that I am making. I spent most of Saturday and Sunday stitching and watching movies with dd. Almost all of the channels that we watch were having Mother's Day marathons, so the selection was fabulous. Milsey had to work all weekend, so we will have our Mother's Day celebration next week sometime. Well it's late and I can catch a couple of hours of sleep before the day gets underway. Goodnight!

My First Biscornu

Well, I made quite a mess with my first try on the fabric that I dyed myself. I just wasn't happy with it. My stitches look messy anymore - does anyone else have this problem? Anyway, I started another one with variegated silk and I am very happy with what I have so far. I have finished the top, and am now on to the bottom portion.

We now officially have 25 days until the BIG move. I have finished packing Bonnie's bedroom, the living room (75% finished) and a closet. Lisa and I will start on Ethan's room next week and then on to the master bedroom/stash room. I am dreading it!

Milsey's gradmother is very sick and is in the hospital with several blood clots in her lungs. Milsey doesn't think that she will make it much longer. I know that this is sad. but she is in so much pain from other problems and she says that she is ready to die. I hate seeing her in such pain and even though watching this is hard on all of us, she will be happier when she is at rest with the Lord. Please keep her in your prayers. Well I'm off to bed. Happy Mother's Day to everyone!

Up All Night... Again

Well it's 3 am and I am up again. Actually, I never went to sleep. I am so anxious about our move and it's keeping me up. Milsey is worried that we won't have enough room in the truck, and I'm worried that I won't finish packing in time. Meanwhile, I have a biscornu to work on and I can't seem to get motivated to do it. It's a really cute pattern and it's my first biscornu, I just can't seem to get excited about it. Don't get me wrong, I am very excited to see how it turns out - I just can't seem to get bitten by the stitching bug. I hand dyed the fabric and everything, so it's a work from the heart for sure. I just guess that I have so much on my mind lately with the move and all. It's so stressful to move. When we moved to Pennsylvania five years ago, Milsey did all the packing while I watched the children. Now I am doing the packing and I am tired of it already. Oh well, I thought that I would vent for awhile. Hopefully I can get some sleep, because Lisa is coming at eleven so that we can do some more packing. I am sure that everyone goes through this when they move. I am hoping that because we are starting to prepare so early, everything will go as planned. As for the stitching, I will try again tomorrow afternoon and see what happens. Wish me luck, I need it!

28 Days And Counting!

I received the items that I ordered from The Online Needlework Show and few other things that I had ordered a while ago. A Sajou thread keep, Sajou bobbins, 2 flip flop thread drops, 2 needle minders from Kelmscott, Barbara Ana "Summer Biscornu", fabric gauge, a new pair of Dovo scissors, and 2 Kelmscott mother-of-pearl thread keeps.


I also received a wooden ruler/thread keep, Just Nan "Over The Top" and "In The Tin", Little House Needleworks' "Needlework School" and "Garden Pleasures", JBW Designs' "Baseball", "Princess" and "A Very Merry Christmas", JBW pillows for finishing, 32 count Natural Belfast linen, 28 count Cream Cashel linen, 32 count Lambswool linen, and a wooden tape measure from Sajou. Quite a lot of stash. But that's it for me. I am now on my stash diet until we move. I hope I can make it!

I started on a biscornu for my ILCS (I Love Cross Stitch) group biscornu exchange. It's a secret so I can't give any information about it. I will tell you this, the fabric the I dyed myself, came out a pretty mint green. I am using this for the exchange. I hope that my partner will really like it.

Lisa (our housekeeper) and I started packing up DD's room yesterday and are a little over half finished. We spend about an hour a day packing, and hopefully we will finish by the first week of June. I have been using plastic Rubbermaid bins so far, but tonight Milsey is taking me to get cardboard boxes/tape/bubble wrap/newsprint at the moving store. I hope to finish Bonnie's (DD) room by Friday and then move on and finish Ethan's (DS) room by the middle of next week. I have found some things to give away to Goodwill, and I am sure that I will have a carload of donations by the time we are finished packing. As of tomorrow, we will have four weeks until we move - that's 28 days and counting folks! Okay well, we are off to buy boxes. Ciao!

Hooked On Exchanging/Fabric Dyeing

I just received an e-mail from Carol that I was accepted into HoE. I am so excited, I have been so anxious to get accepted into this group. I've seen pictures of the lovely exchanges that their members produce, and I have been so jealous. Well anyway, I'm in and I am thrilled.

With the help of Nicole, over at Carolina Dreams, I dyed my first piece of linen tonight. I was extra fidgety with it and I don't think that I left it in long enough, but we shall see when it is dry tomorrow. I can always redo it and leave it in longer. I will post pictures tomorrow. That's it from me! Write more later.

Stash and 31 Days!

Okay, the stash part first. I received a large parcel of stash in the mail today, here's what I got. Waxing Moon Designs "My Needle and My Floss, They Comfort Me", 28 count Lambswool linen and WDW to stitch it, Just Nan "When Barnabee Met Bella" kit that includes embellishments and the linen, Blue Ribbon Designs "Stitched With Love", 32 count Antique White Belfast linen, CC Belle Soie silks, Barbara Ana Designs "Spring Biscornu", Waxing Moon Designs "Stitching Mends The Soul", 28 count Antique Gold Country French linen, and the GAST and SS threads to stitch it, 32 count Light Mocha linen, Country Cottage Needleworks "La Boutique", 28 count Cafe Mocha linen and Kelmscott Designs "Love Scissors".

And now, the 31 days part. The countdown is on! There are 31 days until we move to Florida. For those of you who don't know me, my family is moving to Fernandina Beach,(Amelia Island) Florida the first week of June. Currently, we live in a high-rise apartment/condominium building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. There isn't any room for our two children to play and the only children in the building are babies. We are moving to a beach house with a pool and a very big backyard. There are a lot of children in the neighborhood, and the home schooling laws are less stringent than here in Pennsylvania. My husband, the computer guru, works from home and so we can go anywhere we want as long as we have an internet connection. We will be closer to my family and all-in-all this move will be good for all of us. The fact that we are moving finally sank in today when we started packing our first box. We have a lot of stuff, but luckily we are moving from a three-bedroom condo to a five bedroom house - so we will have the room to spread out. Okay well that's it from me. I am just so excited to go - can you tell?

Busy Weekend For Me...

And that means that there isn't much stitching going on around here. First of all, I am spending more time blogging and reading Yahoo BB emails than I am stitching. I know that I said that I needed to find a balance, but that hasn't happened yet. DD has her final piano/voice recital tomorrow, and so we spent Saturday morning at rehearsals. Milsey took me shopping for some more summer clothes today. Next week I will purchase some new sandals and then, I think other than a new bathing suit and a couple of pairs of shorts, I will be all set for Florida. My Mother went to her LNS today and picked up some of the items that I ordered from the Online Needlework Show. Everything will be here sometime next week and I will post photos then. I have been wanting to get a bread machine, and so after much searching, I found what I want and will probably order one next week or the week after. We would really like to have fresh bread every day, and a bread maker will make that easier. Tomorrow is the BIG recital, and we have to go to the florist to pick-up the flowers that I ordered for DD. She's nervous, and I don't want a repeat of what happened in the fall. Here's the scoop: she stood up to sing and I could tell by the expression on her face that she was not a happy camper. Anyway, she froze and burst into tears. Her teacher has been inviting her to sing since then at mini recitals in order to build up her confidence. Hopefully, she will be okay.

I have a few packages of stash coming in the mail next week, and then I am on a bit of a stash diet until we move the first week of June. Milsey says that he is only taking what we have in the house now, and nothing more. Lord help me, but I will tighten my belt just this once. I am going to make an end-of-the-month plea for the new LHN and CCN designs so stay tuned for more information. That's it for me for now, write more later!

New Stash Thursday

In today's mail I received some new stash from Shepherd's Bush. I bought the Lizzie Kate pattern "Be Mine Valentine" a while ago. While reading the Shepherd's Bush blog, I saw that they had worked up the pattern a little differently. I fell in love with it and so I ordered everything to do it the same way. So this is what I received today: 7 count navy Klostern, #3 perle cotton, JABC buttons, and the backing fabric to make it into a pillow. I also received Shepherd's Bush "Green Snowman", and a Leisure Arts book called "Tokens Of Affection" from Amazon. Not bad for a Thursday!

Milsey went out for take-out today and came home with tickets for the Iron Man movie tonight. DS is thrilled to no end because he is a faithful reader of the comic books. Anyway, we will go out for BBQ tonight and then see the movie after we eat. Not much going on around here, we told our housekeeper that we will be moving in June and she was thrilled for us. She may even go with us to help us get settled into the new house. That will give us time to find someone who will live-in as housekeeper/nanny/cook. Hopefully my health will improve and I can help out a little more around the house. Well, I guess that's it for now. Write more later!