Crazy Challenge Starts

I managed to start my fifteen projects.  I had to change my original list as some of the threads for the needlepoint ornies had not come in and my muse liked something else. I had to take off homage to Japan as the first part of the SAL does not start until the 17 th of this month. But I am pleased with my choices none the less. I have my starts here for you to see.  They do not look like much right now but should grow as the year goes by.

Chalelaine / Christmas Tree Mandala

Snow Poem Tree by Erynne Chard

Peek-A-Boo Christmas by Trilogy 

Needlepoint Candles Ornie -- all the sparkle does not show in a photo

Hardanger Graduation Sampler for my Granddaughter

Knitted Scarf for Special Olympics

A Rose is A Rose by La-D-Da

Pearl Drops by Judy Dixon / I changed the colors

Byzantine Gem by Papillon

chatelaine / Tiny Rose Mandala Garden

Hardanger Table Scarf

Hardanger Angel

There are my efforts, now lets see how many make it to a finish in 2011.  LOL
Have a great day and thanks for looking
BTW  DH is home from the hospital and doing better.

Hectic !!!

Life around here has been anything but dull.  DH is having problems again.  He hasn't felt well since right after Christmas. Tuesday he started vomiting. Anything with GI symptoms get my attention as that is what he has instead of pain when his heart problems act up. He was feeling so bad that he asked to go to the Emergency Room.  He has to be really bad to ask for that. We got to the ER at 12 midnight, of course they saw him right away because of his heart.  Once he was stable we waited for lab results and such.  To make a long story short, they decided to admit him for observation and testing. i was amazed when he didn't kick up a fuss over being admitted. So as of right now he is in the hospital.  I finally made it home at 8 AM and fell on my bed and hugged my pillow.  I was back to the hospital late afternoon.  He is supposed to have some more tests done tomorrow and maybe discharged to home depending on the results. He does well for a while and then he has problems.  He gets so frustrated at times.  Bless his heart.

My stitching for the challenges has had a slow start but I am trying to keep up.  In five days I have managed to have 3 new starts. We will see what time permits. Here is my three new starts.  They don't look like much right now but will improve with time.

Christmas design - counted canvas by Kick Back and Stitch love the colors and all the stitches

   

Another design by Kick Back and Stitch 

Mary Poppins Sampler / Sticklounge part 1 

A Dreary Sunday !!!

It has been a cold dreary Sunday.  I have been futzing around the house trying to get a few things done.  Housework ! YUK !!!!!  But it must be done or we would live like slobs I guess.  LOL  DH and I got lazy and went out for supper.  We received a gift card for 99 Restaurant and decided to use it.  it is always great when your meal only costs you $5.37.  I do love gift cards.  I am on the computer to pay some bills and then I am going to stitch.  Not enough done on any one thing to post a picture but maybe by the end of the week I can show an update.  I hope everyone is enjoying the new year so far.  I am having trouble remembering to right 2011 on things.  LOL   All the dates were transferred from the old calendar to the new one, so at least we have all the birthdays and Anniversaries taken care of.  If I don't right then on the calendar, someone inevitably gets forgotten. With sixteen grands that is not hard to do. Well I am off to stitch.  Have a wonderful day and smile !!

Stitching Challenge for 2011

Here is my list for both the UFO Challenge and the Stitching Challenge

UFO Challenge

1. Morning Glory Fairy /Mirabilia (75%)
2. Sweet Pea Fairy / Mirabilia (75%)
3. Queen of Freedom / Mirabilia (40%)
4. Garden Angel / LaDeDa (75%)
5. Vierlanden Quaker Sampler/ Weihenberg (50%)
6. Canvaswork Snowman Ornie / EGA class (50%)
7. Weihenberg Quaker Sampler (15%)
8. Carnation Sampler / Weihenberg (15%)
9. Zentangle 2 / Sticklounge SAL (80%)
10. When Stars Coillide / Sticklounge SAL (50%)
11. See The Stars / Sticklounge SAL (50%)
12. Hearts Red and White / Sticklounge SAL (25%)
13. White Musings Band Sampler / TGOSM (50%)

Stitching Challenge

1. Hardanger Graduation Sampler for Granddaughter
2. Knit Scarf for Special Olympics
3. Crochet Scarf for Special Olympics
4. Snow Poem Tree / Erynne Chard
5. Chatelaine Workshop 01
6. Chalelaine Workshop 04
7. Chatelaine Workshop 05
8. Chatelaine Workshop 06
9. Mary Poppins Sampler / Sticklounge SAL
10. Homage to Japan Band Sampler / Sticklounge SAL
11. August Canvaswork Ornie
12. September Canvaswork Ornie
13. October Canvaswork Ornie
14. November Canvaswork Ornie
15. December Canvaswork Ornie

Well I think that will keep me busy. Now to see how well I meet the Challenge.
Take care everyone and have a Happy New Year !!!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow !!!

The snow finally found us !!  yikes !!!  It started yesterday around 9AM and is still snowing but starting to stop. We have plenty of it on the ground.  The snow plows have been out and the shoveling has started. Thankfully I don't have to go out in it to go to work. That is one good thing you can say for retirement. The wind is terrible and a lot of people have lost their power because of it.  So far we are ok.

Front yard from porch

side yard from porch

Our Christmas was a good one.  We went to my son's home for Christmas Eve for dinner and gifts.  My DIL makes Lasagna every year for Christmas Eve.  Yum, so good. She decorated their tree this year with teddy bears. So cute !! We had a good time until DH started to feel unwell. So we left around 9 PM.

Charlie and Linda's Tree

Charlie and Linda (my hands weren't too steady )

DH

 We went to Dh's daughter's home for Christmas Day, it was along day but a good one.  All DH's children and his grands were there. Big crowd !!  The teens were all in the basement playing pool, they would pop upstairs every once in a while to get food. And there was a abundance of food.  We ate all day !!!!!

Christmas Tree at Kim and Billie's

Everyone in the kitchen

DH peeling potatoes

Nikki - granddaughter

Kim and Billie cooking

Nikki and Donna (DH's youngest daughter and her daughter)

Jeannie ( DH's ex wife)

Kim and Billie in the kitchen

Donna, Diego, Santiago and Juan Pablo

DH and I in front of fireplace

I Am Getting Better

I am getting better, I just posted three days ago and here I am again.  LOL  Maybe the New Year will be a better one.  I have posted a picture of my granddaughter.  This one of her Senior pictures. She finished her Senior year early and will walk with here class in May. She plans to go to Nursing School next fall. I know I am biased but isn't she beautiful.

Audra Senior Picture

This is another ornie class from the LNS, you can't tell from the picture but each line is a different stitch. Her ornies are always something different.

Glowing Bulb

This next one is a chart that I have had for a while.  the design is one from Cricket Collection.  It was a freebie several years ago.  I finished the stitching on it today.

Cricket Collection Freebie

And finally. I was able to finish part 4 of the When Stars Collide.  This is a SAL for the Sticklounge (German Group) and was designed by Tam. The colors don't show up very well but it is overdyed purple from Threadworx and gold braid from Kreinik on Pink/Rose fabric Monaco.  It really is a fun stitch.  I enjoy Blackwork anyway.
 

When Stars Collide part 4 by Tam

That is all for now.  If I don't get back on the computer, I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year.  Take Care

Middle of December

My time since Thanksgiving has been very hectic.Rich has had some health issues again but is doing ok right now. We also had a death of a long time family friend. My best friend's brother finally ended his ordeal with Muscular Distrophy.  He was only 60 years old and has spent the last 2 1/2 years in a nursing home. My best friend died of MD about 5 years ago. He was the last of the family to go.  My best friend's daughter was pretty upset about her uncle's death and stayed with me during her stay for the wake and funeral.  She has called me mama dusty since she was a very little girl and told me I was all she had left.  It broke my heart. But I told her I would always be there for her and her children no matter what. I just wish she was not so far away.  I am sorry to go on. It was just a very emotional time .

On another note, my LNS has had ornie classes for the Holidays again this year and since I am retired I have been able to attend all of them this year. I was even able to attend an open class for two projects for the EGA.  So my fingers have been busy.  I even managed to do more on Zentangle and am not too far from a finish. Below are pictures of my stitching.

Blackwork Bulb
class from LNS

S

Sparking Bulb LNS Class

Danish Star EGA class (just needs to be assembled)

Zentangle thru part 13

A Fun Day !!!

Today was such a beautiful day.  The temperature got all the way to 70, not bad for mid November.  We (all the neighbors) had our last picnic of the season.  I know November is a little late but we had originally planned to have it around Labor Day but our hostess was bitten on the hand by her cat and was unable to do the honors.  So we all waited and decided we better make a last hurrah while we could.  The grills were working over time with hot dogs and hamburgers. Everyone donated food to the feast. We all had a wonderful time.  I am usually the one with the camera but I forget it this time and only remembered after everyone had finished eating.  We all visited and chatted around the fire. ( fire was in a lone kettle grill ) It was almost like sitting around a camp fire all that was missing was the marshmallows.  LOL We came back home about 7:30 pm happy and contented.  Surprisingly it was not that cold after the sun went down.

After returning home, I was able to finish off another small ornie.  I must have a hundred of the little kits in my stash. It worked up fairly fast. Now to make it into an ornie is next. I also received a surprise in the mail several days ago.  My Aunt and best friend made me a small ornie for my tree.  She said she did it while she was receiving her chemo treatments. So it has a lot of special meaning for me.  She is having trouble with neuropathy in her fingers and occasionally has trouble holding onto the needle.  But she finished this for me.  She is a very special lady. 

Small ornie finish

Ornie stitched by Duggie

Hello Again !!!

Well here it is November, at least I am staying true to form and posting about once a month.  Maybe one of these days I will make once a week and then once a day.  Maybe !!!!!  We had our first snow on Monday morning, about an inch according to the weather man.  The cars and ground were covered. It turned to sleet before it stopped about mid morning.  I am so glad that I didn't have to go out in it. That is one good thing about retirement.  LOL  I have been busy this month working on my Sticklounge SAL's, stitching ornies (just need to finish them now) and I even uncovered the Queen of Freedom / Mirabilia.  She has been buried for a long while.  I really don't know why as I really enjoy working on her.  I have put her in my rotation so maybe she won't get buried again.  Here are the pics of all my stitching this month.





See the Start thru part 4

Zentangle 2 thru part 9

Queen of Freedom / Mirabilia

Ornie from JCS magazine old issue

Bride's Tree September Ornie

An old dollar ornie I found in my stash

Another old ornie from my stash

DMC freebie from a few years ago

Bride's Tree ornie for October 

From the Gift of Stitching Mag

JCS ornie issue not sure of the year, I think this year.
First time using DMC Memory Thread (handle on lantern)

Freebie from internet

Bride's Tree July

Bride's Tree August from UK mag

That's it for now.  Hope everyone is staying warm and getting ready for Thanksgiving.  Take care.