42 years - really?

Yep - today is our 42nd wedding anniversary. Life seemed more calming then or maybe it was because I was younger and had more patience. After months of reading other blogs and getting some stitching done myself, I'm here to share a few pictures and blow the dust off my blog. I envy those who post more regularly than I do and fully relate to those who say that time escapes us all too fast. I also celebrated my 65th birthday earlier this month and am sharing some heart-made gifts from my stitching friends. (I'll let the pictures speak for themselves). Thank you Lee and Carol -I'm blessed to have met you both through blog-land.

Do something nice for yourself today. Linda

March weather?

Like many others across the country, the weather is a huge topic of conversation around here. Been in the 70's for almost a week and more to come. Windows open - flowers blooming - and still 4 weeks of taxes to go. It's not right. On top of all of this, I have asmatic bronchitis and missed 3 1/2 days of work last week and just not putting in the hours that are needed. Yoys and double yoys.

Couldn't even stitch last week - just sat in a chair coughing my head off listening to mindless TV. By Friday night I was ready to shut down the office and be a retired Enrolled Agent. ::sigh:: my clients would hate me. But thoughts of stitching and reading are clouding my mind. So tell me I'll get bored if I quit working - and that I can't disappoint my wonderful clients. And please please tell me I won't sound like a croaking frog for too much longer.

Do something nice for yourself.

Linda

Found the picture

So here's the picture that I thought went poof - it's the Stitcher's Companion from a BBD book called........rats - can't remember and it's at home. Oh well...here's my contribution to the Stitch Red for the Heart on the Fair and Square exchange.

For those who use the 3-2-1 cake recipe, last night I made spice cakes - DH loved them and they are easy to make. 1 pkg spice cake, 1 pkg angel food cake. Mix well and put in a plastic storage bag. When ready to bake, I used a coffee mug and added 3 tablespoons of the mix and 2 tablespoons of water. Mix well. Cook in microwave for 1 minute on high power. Inverted them into a little sauce dish and added some fruit. DH even asked me to make him a second one.

I'm still here

Not sure where the time goes, do you? I've been stitching and doing tax returns - and retreating too! Shortly after my last post, I spent 2 1/2 days in Ohio at the annual Covered Bridge Needlearts retreat. Lori Markovic of LaDDa was our guest designer. Lori re-introduced us to using waste canvas on black velvet as part of our class piece. You don't want to see mine - the waste canvas shifted greatly, despite the pinning. But I enjoyed myself and met new stitchers and some old friends from a now-closed LNS in the Pittsburgh area.

Shortly after that weekend away, I went to Northeast PA with my Grape Arbor stitcher friends. We spend 3 nights and 2 full days in a super B & B and just stitch and talk and giggle and eat and yes, a little wine too (afterall, we are in wine country up there). Our hostess makes yummy b-fasts and is also a stitcher. We decided to choose a pattern from the '11 ornament issue and kit it up for each of us and we also included our hostess. Unfortunately I've only started one, but Christmas is 10 months away, so no hurry, right?

This past weekend was my third stitching retreat and was for a short 25 hours as those nasty tax returns are piling up around me. It sure was fun to get away with 16super ladies and see such beautiful work and just enjoy each other and forget about anything and everything else. I'm looking forward to stitching with these ladies again.

In the meantime, I've finished a few things and will do my best to add them to this post. First up are the squares I stitched for the most recent Fair and Square round. The theme was stitch red for the heart. My squares went all the way to Australia and the picture went poof off my camera. But I do have a pic of the squares I receved. This is a freebie from Aury.

Next is my version of October Word Play by Brenda Gervais. Since it was a present for an October birthday friend, I omitted the word hayrides and substituted birthday. I had help with the finishing - and just love the simplicity of the jute trim and hanger. I want to play with the December one too and work anniversary into the piece since the destination is to a couple whose anniversary is in December.

Next is Joy - for an ornament exchange in December. It turned out a little big for an ornament, but the receiver said she has several this size and they fit well on the bottom of her tree. I did the finishing and was pleased how it turned out. The backing material was Weeks wool.

I need to take a class in how to put these pictures into blogger. But hopefully you can at least see that I have been working along. I'm on an alphabet kick right now -have one finished La D Da to share next time, am almost done with a piece by The Good Huswife and have started another La D Da - all alphabets. Let's see what I can accomplish in the next 300 tax returns!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Be well and find some time for yourself.

Linda

Catching up

Hello my stitchy friends - Life has kept me busy with tax returns on extension until 10/17 and getting ready for retreat and visiting family. I've been stitching, but nothing for show and tell yet. Today, I'm going to Ohio for a weekend retreat organized by Covered Bridge Needlearts and the wonderful owner, Shelley Musmano. We will be joined by Lori Markovic of La-D-Da and I'm truly looking forward to the next 48 hours. There's been some pre-stitching and will have a finished photo next week for you. I've done weekend get-a-ways, but this is the first time that a designer has been part of the retreat and I'm really looking forward to meeting Lori and seeing how we are to finish our pre-stitching.

I recently participated in a Fair and Square exchange with Ruth B from CA (The Musing Badger is her blog). This is the second time I've been paired with Ruth and let me tell you - this gal's imagination and skills are just wonderful. The photo does not do justice to her over one stitching of the Pt Loma lighthouse and the "Quaker" water and embellishments that she stitched. The second square is her "signature" to me. Isn't it wonderful? Now to determine the best way to finish off the squares.

Enjoy your weekend - it's going to be rainy, windy and cool here. Perfect weather to be inside stitching!

Linda

Stitching with a friend

Happy Monday morning to all.

I have (if I can make it work) a photo of my Mystery SAL with iStitch. Carol sent me a resized, non-clickable picture, so let's see if I can copy it. (I have zero skills when it comes to computers). EDITED: My picture was still too big, so I've removed it. I told you my computer skills were zero!

Friday night, I had the great pleasure of meeting Lee and some stitching friends of hers for a few hours of laughter and stitching. It was a good way to end the week! It's a bit of a drive for me, so not sure how often I'll be able to go. The frog paid a visit while I was with the ladies - just can't talk and count at the same time. I saw such beautiful stitching too. Two of the ladies were doing "Spring Quakers" by Karen Kluba - so, so pretty. And being with other stitchers sure gives you some ideas about needle parks and accessories to make life easier for stitching. I was working on LHN's "Joy" - one of the first ornaments from 2010. Sadly, no picture.

Work is calling, so off I go. Hope to be back later in the week with some other photos - I really do stitch! Find some time for yourself to do what you like best this week.

Linda

Almost Labor Day?

Oh my gosh......where has the summer gotten to? The older I get, the faster the pages turn on the calendar. We had all kinds of plans in May for what would get done around the house and who we would visit. Hmmmmmmm - I'll get back to you on that.

I am, however, making a quick trip to the west side of Cleveland to visit my cousin tomorrow. I have 12 cousins, but this one is my very favorite and the visit is long overdue. DH gave me the timetable this morning - first stop is Just Stitching (and I didn't even have to ask) and then on to see Laura and her gang.

I have a retreat piece to finish and part 2 of the IStitch SAL - and a couple of Halloween ornies I want to stitch, but also have two squares for Fair and Square. And nothing is calling to me. Why is it that we have enough stash to open our own store but when it comes time to stitch for someone else - nothing will suit? Hoping to go through the stash a little more tonight to see if I really don't have something that is "just right" for my partner and maybe then I'll only need threads tomorrow.

Hope everyone's weekend has some time for you and what you like to do best.

Linda