Ups and downs

My opinion -- Although weddings can be stressful, the planning and activities along the way to the altar should be a time of enjoyment and not turmoil. Ok, I feel better now.

I am off to my guild meeting. We are learning to create a'pumpkin' style pincushion. We were to pre-stitch our two sides and in my usual style, I finished mine last night. (posting after completion in class - the finished product

Been spending time helping my son and his fiance get their yard ready. She is having relatives in this weekend who have not seen the house. Unfortunately R & M have not weeded their flower and vegetable gardens for weeks. So here comes mom with her claw scratcher and her five-in-one (love this tool) garden tool. I realize it is hard for them with the hours they work, having a 7 year old and keeping up with classes. Mom loves to help where she can.

Great Give Away

Wow! A posting to tell you there's a great giveaway over on Volarium's blog of this Cross Stitch Letters Bible by Valerie Lejeune. http://violarium.blogspot.com/ You have until July 19 to enter. What a nice book they are offering as a give-a-way. The winner can be sure to live to 125 years to able to stitch them all.

WIP's Status

First a photo of ~new~ leaflets I purchased at Salty Yarns!
The Anne Hathaway Cottage Needle Book and the stitched and stuffed Acorn have already made it into the mail and into the hands of my daughter's as gifts for each of them to stitch. As if they don't have enough WIP's as well. The second is my progress as of May of the second side of my Etui. Unfortunately because of work (work) and yard work and jobs around the house, I have not stitched any notable amount in weeks. Hmmmm, I wonder if that could account for the general mood?
As I look at the pix, definitely time to take another....side two is almost done! Get out the camera woman!

I am a new fan of Little House Needleworks and can't wait to start one of those. Just need to decide which will be first. Also, as I look at my collection, I remember that while at the B&B in June, I started and completed the Pine Mountain My Cup of Tea.
It was fun to start and finish something so quickly. Makes me question why I pick such big projects all the time!!!! I still need to sew a pillow to put inside the sleeve.
Yikes!!! Not as much completed at my memory had it. Better get stitching!!!!

Alarm Systems

So Wednesday I get up when my burglar alarm started blaring at 4:30 in the morning. Off goes the ear piercing, blood curdling noise and like a moron I get up and run out into the kitchen with no glasses on so I can't see. But alas I am armed with a remote control in my hand (?) I can't focus on the numbers on the key pad so I have to go back to the bedroom all the while the alarm is blaring! The cat is staring at me with big wide eyes and is fluffed up to the max. So I get the alarm off and don't seem to worry about the flashing red light. I find the side door is opened. Ok, now I am nervous. Did I mention I am HOME ALONE! I am switching on every light in the house, running from room to room, upstairs/downstairs all the while talking to the fluffed up cat. My house is lit up like a christmas tree. I go from room to room and check things knowing the alarm company will call any second so I feel somewhat safe. If I don't answer they call my son and the police. The alarm company, that will remain nameless to protect the innocent, calls and wants to know if I am alright.....well I tell them......"I am home alone and my side door is open" Now any bad guys in my house know I am home alone! Duh! I tell him... "I am going room to room and closet to closet and there is no one here but I don't know why my side door is open. Someone had to open it! But I don't see anyone." So he says "Have a nice night and good bye!" Thanks a whole freaking lot. And I pay you WHY? And how am I going to have a nice night now with my heart beating out of my chest. It is 4:30 in the morning! I bet this guy's father was a dentist who would ask you all kinds of thought provoking questions when your face was shot of with novacaine and your mouth was stuffed with cotton! What a Ma-roon as Bugs Bunny would say. So what do working women do when they have free (he he) time......I do dishes and fold clothes and have long since locked the side door.......I also got the alarm book out and read what the flashing red light means (reset) and reset the system.

......so now that time has elapsed and because I need to continue to be able to be home alone this is what I have convinced myself has happened. I worked til 9. PM that is, after starting the day by leaving the house at 7:15 AM. So much the life of a 9 to 5 secretary but that is a WHOLE other story. My routine is to come home and come inside, bring the mail in, etc. I secure the side door and I then go out back using the back door, turn off the pool, turn on the outside light and come back in, double check all is locked up and alarm everything. Tuesday night, I was tired and went straight out back. I turned off the pool, turned on the light, then come in the side door and stayed in. I am thinking that because I had two large tote bags, (full of work!!!) one on each shoulder and was tired, I only pushed the door to and not shut. I disturbed the routine. I came in, starting an intelligent conversation with the cat and proceeding to flip on the TV. I am guessing that the a/c off and on jarred the door, or the cat, or a vibration caused the unsecured door to open.

I go to work, feel Wednesday's earthquake (for real, epicenter in the next state over), work late and meet members of my Board at the local diner. As I drive to the diner I am figuring that I have locked any possible bad guy in my house for the day, they have eaten all my food, tried on my clothes and watched my movies and they are still in my house because my alarm never went off again when they grew tired and left. I am telling my friends and one tells me how her the dogs got all freaky at her house around 4:30 a.m. and wondered if it was a tremor before the earth quake.

Hmmmm... what are the chances that I don't shut the door tightly on the one night in 20 years we have an earthquake? I should have bought a lottery ticket I guess. One thing I don't know is what I thought I was going to do with the remote control I was carrying around. And it wasn't even for the tv, it was the remote for the ceiling fan. Did I think I would laser them or sound wave them with the controller? Did I intend to spin the fan to warp speed at the bad guys like some ninja star?

I sit here Wednesday night and of course I am seeing things move out of the corner of my eye and I know that I will have a sleepless night! I have checked each door at least three times! I even used the deadblots! Had I not worked so late I would have had my son come over with his two dogs to search my house but I was sure he was long since in bed because he goes to work so early. I decided to poor myself a margarita.

As a PS......do you think the margarita worked last night..........NO! We had to have one of those mother of all thunder storms that shook the house and rattled the windows..........tonight I will sleep or I will live the words I tell others....sleep is over-rated! Since I am off tomorrow, I just might have to stitch all night!

Boy will I be glad when my husband returns. First thing we will do is find those ugly alarm stickers and put them on the windows. That will at least save any bad guys the trouble of activating the alarm and scaring the you know what out of me (and them)

My Pool

My pool is green. A beautiful shade of spring green. Nothing more I can say after that!

B&B Part II

This was the best. My girl friend and I have vowed to make this an annual event. Time away from work, husbands, kids and life in the fast lane.

So, this is where we were.....Upper Black Eddy, PA staying in the Bridgeton House, http://bridgetonhouse.com/. The Inn Keeper and the staff could not have been nicer. And teh amenities were A+++. I know there are five-star hotels with all the (supposed) luxury. But that is stuffy, fancy, stand-up-straight and be on your best behavior luxury. Are you really able to relax in the formality? The Bridgeton House was majorly cozy, warm, comfy and wonderful. This weekend was better then going to the spa for a massage. A massage lasts an hour, this was 48 hours of total relaxation.

Deb and I sat on our screened second floor balcony and watched the river. We were treated to tea and sweets in the afternoon and then sherry at five, we wore plush bathrobes, and just generally refreshed the mind and soul. And the breakfasts.....to die for. Yum. So I guess this is what all B&B's are like and I am gushing ridiculously about my new experience that I am just slow at discovering? I don't know what I thought a B&B was? A room upstairs in the house of an average family?

So as not to think we just sat all day, we visited nearby Frenchtown, did the flea market in Lambertville and went to Peddler's Village in Lahaska for shopping and a mystery dinner theater event.

I even managed to start and finish a project. I purchased a Pine Mountain Design, "My Cup of Tea" when I was at the Salty Yarns last month. It is cute and I was amazed at how fast it made up. I have not stitched on Aida in years. It was nice to start and finish something so fast. It will also be a reminder of our weekend so every time I see the pillow I can remember the good time we had.


This is the view I stitched to. The Bridge and then the balcony of our room. Of course I didn't stitch in the bridge!

Of course, we bought our own supply of lotion and room fresheners from the Inn Keeper so we can close our eyes and fill our senses with the wonderful scent of the rooms and take ourselves back.....if only in our minds.

B&B's are the best

OMG! I never stayed in a B&B before and will never stay in anything else but one if I can help it. This weekend was better than an afternoon at the Spa. It was like a weekend at a Spa.

More info, links and pics later.....just in and need to unpack and do some laundry....make dinner....Reality!

Girl's weekend

YaHoo! Time to de-stress again. Leaving this morning with my bestest girl friend for a long weekend in upstate PA at a B&B. I have been stressing over not being able to get everything done and came to the very sad realization.....that cross stitching was coming first.

Oh, I know is sounds like sacrilege and it is sacrilege but really.....house wasn't getting cleaned, paperwork wasn't getting done, etc. And for me, I get all wonky inside and out of sorts because of what is not getting done. All those tasks hanging over my head get me stressed.

I just couldn't understand why I never seemed I had enough time to get things done. I used to. I first blamed it on being new to Facebook and they sucking the life out of me. So I backed off with the pledge to only log in once a week and then for no more than an hour. hmmm, still struggling to get things done. Now, yard work, that's a different story. I have not fallen behind on that because I love being outside all weekend long. Power washing and painting the desk are another story.

So, what was I doing wrong. I couldn't figure it out. I was after all getting a lot of cross stitch done. hmmm, what do you think.....I have been spending 2 - 3 hours a day cross stitching....every free minute......rushing to get a shower and get to work in the morning. Doesn't really matter if you get up at 5:30 if you sit stitching until 7 and then have to rush to get to work.

I so desperately don't want to fall behind in the SAL that I am actually a month ahead. Now that is some stitching. So I know it is a sacrifice but I need to go back to what I used to tell my kids all the time....do your have to's before your want to's. And I just may get an added benefit......those 5 or 6 pounds (realty check 15 - 20 lbs.)I want to lose may actually start coming off if I have more movement in my life than it takes to pull thread through fabric.

STRAWberries

Went berry picking this morning with a friend. Boy did is bring back memories of taking my kids when they were little and they ate more than they put in the basket. I think the farmer's must count on it. Also brings back memories of my disasterous first attempt at making jam. If I remember it tasted alright but my m-in-l told me I did it all wrong. Funny thing is I look back now and realize she was an authority but has never done it herself. I do remember I had strawberries from one end of the kitchen to the other. Hey! At least I should have got points for the effort. First and last time I did jam.

I have already wrapped some up to deliver to my son and I am taking some to me son-in-law as well. I just printed a recipe for strawberry rhubarb pie and I am making one to take to my s-in-l as well. I am cleaning the rest and freezing a lot. I will be able to pop them out later to make smoothies, or ice cream or use them in recipes.

Finally posting my WIP on Side Two of my Etui. I actually have more done since I took this photo.

Weird sky

There is really weird cast to the light being shed by the sunset tonight. Everything is kind of pink-yellow looking. Another missed photo op. Kind of erie but it matters not. It is Friday! Yeah! I have stitching ahead of me tonight and this weekend. Tomorrow I am picking strawberries with a friend. Yum-mo! I will freeze some, eat some, take some to my daughter in PA and give my grandson some.

I am so happy to be done with work for the week. So happy I could jump up and do a dance and this is one non-dancing chick-a-dee. Something about 4 days weeks being harder not to mention office politics (and games!) This is exactly why I need to stitch. Non-stitchers can never appreciate how you can clear your mind and lower your blood pressure and release all the tension by stitching. It always cracks me up when the NSer's comment that stitching would get on there nerves. Nah!

I didn't get much stitching in this week. Actually every time I sat to stitch I ended up falling asleep....not tonight. I am getting a big cup of coffee. I need to make progress on the second side of my Etui and I need to make sure a post a picture of my latest project.