A New Update!!!

I had a nice visit with Jean from Charleston, AR. a week ago Saturday at the Rabbit's Lair. I had met Jean back when Judy Roland had her shop. We both loved Paula Vaughn and then e-mailed from time to time. Then when I found Legacy BB.....I had seen she was on there also. It was such a nice visit and to know that she still loves Paula but has evolved like me to love Reproduction Samplers and Antique Needlework tools. So the visit was wonderful. So Jean I'm updating my blog for you....

Merry Cox came and went here in August. Actually it has been one month today since she taught classes. Can it be already a month gone by? When we waited for over a year for her to come to Arkansas. Had a great time. Visited with friends that I hadn't see in a while and friends that I had met in Phoenix, at The Attic in 2005, when Merry taught out there. Plus met some new ones that I had visited with on the Legacy BB. All in all it was such a wonderful time. Merry said she might come back in 2009...so we'll keep our fingers crossed and see if she will be available at that time. Two of my stitching friends were able to get all four of their class projects done either in class or just shortly (like a day or two) after classes were over. Needless to say they didn't have kids starting school, Mother flying in, and Husband flying out all at the same time. So that says a lot. I did get Tend Thy Sheep done this past weekend. It went by fast once I started in on it. Will post a picture if I can figure out how to......

Our new school is going great. I can be involved a lot more and have total control over the directory instead of having to wait on someone else. Also all the font's will be the same this time as I will be the only one typing all the information instead of 10 women. Plus I know the time lines and such and that will be a big help. Once I get this all worked out this first year....it will be a breeze for the following years with the templates I am setting up.
Both boys love their teachers. But they are totally opposite. Ryan is really out going and is getting in trouble a little bit more than Brandon ever did. This is not a bad thing...but he just needs to realize that there is a time and a place for studying and playing and to follow the rules more closely. But other wise he is getting there. With Brandon what can I say. Boy wonder who gobbles up everything and wants more to learn. It was so fun to hear him talk about dinosaurs and such. His teacher said he loves science. So we'll see what his future brings him. It is a bright one that is for sure.
Husband just got back from Australia. Lucky him....We will go back together someday. He brought us shirts and such, the boys each got wooden snakes, and I got a pair of opal earrings. Which I did not think he would get me. He also got us the Tim Tam cookies. Which are to die for especially the caramel ones and the original ones that are called Hide em's. Delicious.....and even the boys just thought they were yummy!!!!
We are on a down hill slide now and maybe things will calm down a bit. I finished my SIS Birthday present to Sandye. I stitched the Whitman's Tin Needlebook, biscournu, and scissor sheath, and even lined the tin. I forgot to take pictures of it...but will ask Sandye to bring it at the next meeting so I can. She loved it. Red is her favorite color. I also received my SIS Birthday present this month...and it was from Stacey. She cross stitched and framed a picture for me. It says "Thread Gathering". Under that it has cotton, wool, silk, and under this is spools of thread. I just LOVE it!! It's pretty bad when the only pictures I have hanging up is of the ones that my friends have given me.
I have changed now to a different rotation. I was writing down what I wanted to get done each week on a project. When I did not meet these goals it would really depress me to where I didn't even want to stitch and got to be to overwhelming. Well I decided not to set a goal on any project but to have certain days of the week that I would stitch on things. You can see my list of what I stitch on for the week on the right had side of the page of this blog. This works out real good. Even if I don't get to stitch on something that night...I will have stitched on something for the week, and I feel like I have accomplished something. And now with the weather getting cooler, fall and winter fast approaching, I hope to get more stitching done.
There will be 3 things that I will need to get done here.....a SIS ornament for our December meeting. Which I just got the JCS issue and I have spied some ornies that might be a possibility. I have also sent in my money for classes with Merry Cox in Minnesota in March 2008. So there will be two kits that will need to be pre-stitched, Flowers in the Fall, and A Shepherd's Sewing Case. Kay has already taken the class for Flowers...and the prestitching went fast she said. She is in the process right now of pre-stitching the Shepherd's Case. She brought it for show and tell...and it looks so pretty. I can't wait to get my kits and start stitching on these. The third thing that I have to get going on is SIS birthday present again. I picked someone with an early birthday....and I want to get started on it now because of the other deadlines I have coming up. Especially classes in Minnesota.
Other wise....life just keeps coming and I keep pluck'in along. Sometimes it is spinning out of control and other times it is calm. (You know "calm before the storm" LOL).

I hope to update a little bit more these days (Jean)....since I'm getting the hang of picture taking and posting. Sorry this is a little bit long but I hadn't updated in forever.

Happy Stitching,
Thomasina

Been Awhile

Well it has been awhile since I last posted. There has been a lot going on and I'm wondering how I am finding the time to do the prestitching for the Merry Cox classes. I have Tend Thy Sheep all stitched. I still have to do the charting out of "In Memory of...." on the back of the scissor case on the Diminutive, stitch that up and then I'm done. I'm about 1/2 done with the Americana sewing case and then on to Milady's Petite box.

One thing that is going on is the Springdale school board can not make up it's mind about the school zones. There are two new ones going in our area. One east of town and one west of town. The one West of town which is going to be called "West" is the one that the school board keeps changing the boundaries. I do not want my kids to really go to the new school. I am perfectly happy with Young Elem. And so is my Sons. Plus I'm supposed to register Ryan for kindergarten on the 11th of April at Young....and the school board will not have their meeting til the 10th of April to confirm the zone. So I really do not know which school they will be attending. The first proposal had Brandon and Ryan in Young zone then they changed it and I looked on their website last week. They had us in the West zone and I looked today and they have taken that proposal off and is under construction for a new proposal. I'm hoping that we will get to stay at Young. So if anyone is reading this....please say a tiny prayer that we get to stay with the school we are in now.

Other wise...spring is here in the Ozarks. Everything is blooming and the pollen is really bad. It is spring break this week. The family went to Murfreesboro to dig diamonds this past weekend. No such luck but found some really pretty rock and minerals. A fun time was had by all!!! I would like to go again now that I know what I'm doing.

I received Ellen's Hornbook in the mail. It is so pretty...I can't wait to stitch it up. I am always late with limited orders. I can't believe I actually made the list to be one of the first to get this chart and hornbook. I will bring it for show and tell for my Stitching Group to see.

I see where Merry will be teaching again for the Minnesota Guild March 2008. I am planning on attending due to she is teaching the Williamsburg piece. I had seen Kay's and think it is stunning. One of Merry's pretty pieces. Plus I just love Merry. She is so warm and friendly and so down to earth. She is my all time favorite designer.

I hope I can post more frequently. I'm going to really try. And try to post a picture or two of things I'm stitching.

Til next time...
Happy Stitching

What a buzy three weeks!!

Ok I have come to realize that I can't do a weekly rotation. As one week here in January I had something to do every night except for Friday. So as for Rotations goes it will have to be a project to project rotation. Set a goal for a project and once I reach that goal move on to the next project. Even if the goal takes me a whole week to do. But once again my rotation will be out the door due to Merry Cox is coming to Arkansas in August of 2007 and all 4 projects are pre-stitched. So I will be stitching on these projects once they come in hopefully here at the end of February or the first of March. I have had all my pre-stitching done for Merry's classes that I took in the past and I don't want to break the chain.

Market is coming up and I'm really impressed with some of the new things that are coming out. I haven't seen anything in the past that really made me say "I got to have this now". But I'm seeing a few this year. So Market might be good for once.

We had snow this past week. Not ice but snow. The kids really loved it. Will have to post a picture of them making snow angels. AAAHHH to be a kid again. It was fun watching them.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Just life right now is a little busy for me. Hopefully I can update weekly for sure.

Back to Rotation Time

Well I have started back to my rotation. It is hard to do a rotation during the holidays, so I was just stitching on what ever I wanted. I have now listed my projects for my rotation so I can keep track of them. I have kept pretty well to it this week except I did not work on the Spool Holder like I wanted to. I have had this flu and cold symptoms all week and this has really drained the energy from me. I feel a little bit better everyday and hoping I'm back to my old self by this week as I have my SIS (Sisters in Stitches) group meeting this Thursday.
And now that I'm starting to get the hang of this blog business I hope to post more often with my rotation progress.

We are back to our regular schedule this week as kids go back to school on Tuesday. Thank goodness. It upsets my schedule at home also. (Back to normal.) I hope.
Have a good week everyone.

Welcome to Our Neck of the Woods

I wanted to start the new year out right with a blog. Mostly about my stitching, so others can see what I'm doing and maybe become inspired to stitch more. Goodness knows I need all the inspiration I can get for stitching.

So "Welcome" to "Our Neck of the Woods"!! This little place is very tranquil at times with deer and other animals running around. Also looking out off our back deck is Beaver lake. Very peaceful and quiet until my two young sons come screaming around the corner, and a husband who loves to hunt and fish. Yes I am the mother of two very bright, energetic and loving boys and a wife to an extremely outdoorsy guy.

I know I won't be posting here daily but I will try to give an update at least weekly. My boys keep me on the go. But if I can post more I will.

So Happy New Year to everyone, and I hope this year a lot more stitching gets done.