Giveaway at Victorian Motto!!

Please hop on over to Victorian Motto.  They are having a giveaway for some lovely threads.   Good luck to all!




Happy Stitching. 

Never Forget!

All I can say is "WOW it sure has been a long time since I have posted......."

My Dear Friends,

I can't believe that life has gotten away from me once again.  Can't believe that it has been a year and a half since I have last posted. 
A lot has happened since then.  Some good and some bad.

Let's just start with the bad and get that out of the way.
2013 clicked right along.  Stitched was going good, job was going great.  Both boys ended up with straight "A's" (So Proud!) and started summer off.  It was a good summer.  B made State again with 3 events with his competitive swim team.  So summer was great.  Time to get back in to the routine of school, and work.  Two weeks after school started, and the Thursday before Labor Day weekend B broke his right wrist this time.  It happened during while he was swimming.  Long story but needless to say, his coaches were horrified that this had happened on their watch. 
We went to the emergency room and we knew his pinky was dislocated.  You could definitely tell.
They x-rayed his wrist, but the Dr. said it looked fine.  I had asked and both coaches and our Pres. and Vice Pres. of our club had heard the Dr. say it looked fine also.  It was just a sprain.  Thank goodness.  Three weeks into healing, B had a bump on his inner wrist that was not going away.  Took him in to our Pediatrician and he thought it might be fluid or scar tissue that he might need a little bit of physical therapy.  I said ok, but he was have the hospital fax over the diagnosis of the accident.
He read it to me and said the final result was a broken wrist and actually he broke his pinky as well.
I was MAD. No crazy MAD.  I couldn't believe that no one had called us back to let us know when the final report had been made.  So three weeks of healing and the bump was one of his bones sticking out.  So off to the orthopedic surgeon.  We have one thanks to the year before B braking his left arm.
I had gotten the x-rays from the hospital so they could see what it looked like the day of the accident.
He had to have surgery to try to push the bone back into place and then cast it.  So off we went. Dr. came back in right after surgery and said the bone had healed and he was going to have to rebreak and possibly pin it in place.  YUCK.  We would not know about pinning until after the surgery.   Surgery went great and no pinning.  So after about 4 months September - December with several casts on and off and then physical therapy we were able to start swimming again.  It really took a toll on B from school work as he is right handed and to not being able to swim.  So now he is extremely careful about what he does. 
Anyway Christmas came and went with out a hitch and then winter set in for Arkansas.  The last two years kids did not use one snow day.  This year they had 13 snow days and we made all of them up too and got out on June 4th.  We went two Saturdays, used a couple of teacher in service days and also used the Monday and Tuesday of Spring break for make up days.
Kids both made straight "A's" this year as well.  So glad I have good boys who want to go to college and make something of themselves.  Can't wait to see what the future has in store for them.

That was really all the bad news for the past year. It was enough I thought.
On to the good news.  My Husband and I celebrated out 15 year wedding anniversary in February.
We planned on going to Hawaii in June.  Kids were going to go stay in Wyoming with my Mother.
My husband was out of town in meetings and he had texted me that he was awarded a 7 day 6 night trip to Maui, Hawaii all expenses paid.  WOW.  It was in May that we had to take it with 288 other people that were awarded this trip as well in different departments through out the company.  My SIL ended up coming and staying with the boys and loved it.  They don't get to visit with her a lot as she lives in Little Rock.  She has no kids of her own and is not married, so my kids are just like her own.  It turned out great as I my mother could not come down to stay. 
I guess they have been giving these trips away for a long time and it was just this past year that my husbands division was given the opportunity to be apart of this.  His numbers were the best and he got the trip.  It was so beautiful.  We even got to pick one activity to do each day free of charge.
So we went on a rainforest/waterfall hike, deep sea fishing, catamaran/snorkeling adventure, helicopter tour, and tour to the summit.  It was a trip of a life time.  I have to get my pictures together and post them.  We stayed at the Four Seasons Resort.  Let me tell you....I don't stay in that kind of hotel with the kids.  They spared no expense with this trip for us.  We even had a luau, and a recognition dinner that was spectacular.  LOVED everything about our trip.  We do want to go back and take the kids to Honolulu as we were not able to get to Pearl Harbor and the big island with the active volcano.  Hopefully in about 3 years we are planning that. 

So here we are, summer has finally come around and I have been stitching a little bit.  Work has been hectic as we got a new tracking system for our jobs and it has been nightmare.  I am just taking it one day at a time.

For stitching I did get PlumStreet Samplers  Brother's Keeper finished in March. 
I just loved stitching this. 

I used the sampler threads that it called for but I can't think of what I stitched it on. 
I am stitching on a Sampler Maria Dale age 6 out of the 1st Sampler & Antique Needlework Quarterly magazine.  It is all one color. I will have pictures to show you here next time around and maybe a few of my Hawaii pictures as well while I reminisce about how I wish I was back there lounging on the beach drinking a mai tai.

Til then thank you for visiting and hopefully I won't stay away for that long.
Happy Stitching
P.S. I am so happy that the 2013 banner won't be staring in my face when I come visit my blog to read all the blogs that I follow.  Yeah!!

Happy New Year 2013.................

Happy New Year 2013 dearest friends......

I am so elated to be sharing some great news. 
I put the last stitches in of "And they Sinned" right after midnight.  My first finish of the year.  That green grass at the bottom seems like it takes forever and I stitched the grass right along with the motifs.  But after 6 1/2 years of having this project on the drawing board.  It is DONE!!  I stitched ATS on 30ct. over 2 on Oaten Scone linen by Legacy with the Sampler threads that it was called for.  I really love this color of linen and the colors of the sampler threads just really popped on this linen.

My last finish of 2012 was "Halloweenies".  I have ordered a frame for it and hopefully will have it framed shortly.  It was a cute piece to stitch up.  This was done on 32ct. Lambswool over 2 with the threads that it called for.  (Sorry about the wrinkles.)

Well lets just jump right into my version of the "Crazy January Challenge".
Usually stitchers gather 15 projects, and for the first 15 days of January they start a new project each day.  My take is that I usually don't get a good enough start on a project with just one day, so I take two days.  Below is my list for the "Crazy January Challenge".  I hope to take a before and after picture and post daily to keep me focused on what I am doing.

Jan. 1-2   PSS Brother's Keeper

Jan. 3-4   MC Victorian Carrier I Accessory

Jan. 5-6   MC Victorian Carrier II Accessory

Jan. 7-8   MC Victorian Carrier III Accessory

Jan. 9-10   MC Victorian Carrier IV Accessory 

Jan. 11-12   MC Victorian Carrier V Accessory

Jan. 13-14   SB Far Away

Jan. 15-16   WB Americana

Jan. 17-18   SB Blackberrie Sampler

Jan. 19-20   TT What Lies Within

Jan. 21-22   SB The Orchard

Jan. 23-24   SB Winter Hearts

Jan. 25-26   SB Advent Sampler

Jan. 27-28   SB Sophies Roses

Jan. 29-30   SB Halloween Treat Bag

The only project that I hope to complete from this list in 2013 is Brother's Keeper.  I doubt the rest of the projects will get finished in 2013 (but you never know, one can be hopeful right).

Here is a list that I complied at the first of December that I wanted to get done for 2013.

1.   And they Sinned Finished 1/1/2013

2. Halloweenies Finished 12/11/2012

3. Billy Goats Gruff (small pic.) Finished 01/27/2013

4. Billy Goats Gruff (large pic.)

5. My Son('s)

6. Sail Away Finished 05/06/2013

7. Souviner Book

8. Sampler in a Year

9. Winter Moon

10. Carried Away

11. Brother's Keeper

Looks like I am off to a great start with a couple of projects already done for the new year. As the year goes by I might add a project or two to the list.  There is two on my list above that I am only going to be doing the stitching part and the final finishing will have to wait til later as I have a list of projects that needs to be finished as well.  You can take a look at my side bar for a list of those.  I plan on doing the finishing on one project a month (hopefully).  I am a slow finisher as I still have kids at home and I don't ever have a moment of piece with out one of them calling "Mom".   So "Slow and Steady wins the race" is my motto these days. 

I am once again going to join the 2013 WIPocalypse "Revenge".  You can click here and it will take you Measi's Musings.  She is hosting this SAL.  She has added a theme a month for this year.  I don't know if I will stick with the theme or go out on my own.  I guess it depends on what I want to work on at that moment. 

I hope everyone has a safe New Year and look forward to all the stitching I will be getting done.
Thank you for visiting.

Merry Christmas........................

Just wanted to wish all my Family and Friends a Merry Christmas!

The weatherman is saying that NW Arkansas should be getting snow for Christmas.

So I guess we will be all snuggled up next to the fire place staying warm. 

I will be back after Christmas with my spin on the Crazy January Challenge, what I want to acheive in 2013, update on ATS and one of the last finishes of the year.

Again thank you for visiting my blog and I hope each and everyone of you has a

Merry Christmas.

Sending prayers to Connecticut........

Happy Friday...........

I am all caught up with what happened during the time I left off blogging that I can concentrate on the "Now" part.

I have been stitching each day.  It has been a real joy to get back in the saddle.  I have been setting aside at least an hour in the evenings and more if I can to stitch and I have made a lot of progress. 

I am trying to get "And They Sinned" done.  I wanted to get it done in July but that did not happen.  I started it in July of 2006.  Was hoping to get it done this year but I don't know right now.  If I do that will be great.  If I get it done at the beginning of 2013....that will be great as well.  It will be a wonderful feeling to get that hugh project checked off of my list. 

As you can see I have a few little motiffs to do above the pond.  The grass is all done below the pond and up around the side by the tree on the right side.  I have left the date open at the bottom as to the month and year of finishing.  I did put in the date of when I started this project.  I can see the light at the end of this long tunnel.  But I am so close but yet so far away.  Doing the grass is very intersting.  I am a little bit farther then what the picture shows.  I have put in a bird on top of the thistle flower by the fisherman and have done all the grass up to the flower as well.   You can see here where I started on this at the beginning of the year.   I have barely started the last half below the grass at the top of this picture.  I think with taking a few months off.....I have done quite well. 

I have also been stitching on  "Halloweenies" by Plumstreet Samplers.  This is my "take it with me" project.  I stitch on this during my lunch and any time that I have free time...like at the pool watching B practice. 

This is such a fun piece to stitch on.  I am farther along as well on this piece then the picture shows.  I have stitched the first half of the other weenie dog on the right along with her witches hat.  I am hoping to get this one done by the end of the year as well. 

Well not much has happend this week.  Just plugging along merrily during this joyful season.  Tree and lights were put up duing Thanksgiving weekend.  My husband and I will probably go this weekend and shop for the family and then everything will be done except for getting the menu narrowed down and to whose house we will be going to.  This year just seams to be so laid back as to past years.  And I am so grateful for that as I think nobody takes the time to slow down and enjoy this time of the year, with the true meaning of Christmas.

Thank you for stopping by.