Winds of change

Wow!  We dodged the bullit in my location but for an idea of the severe weather we had take a look on ESPN of the Phillies trying to tarp the ball field when a storm blew through here.   The winds were so strong them moved the tarp and the John Deer Gator that was parked on the corner of the tarp! 

To kind of give you the visual....my office is on the 3rd floor of our building.  The Admins sit in the center of the top floor which is rimmed with the Officers' offices.   We are separated from them by floor to ceiling glass and their offices all have floor to ceiling glass and/or sliding glass doors to balconies................the storm came through and it got a very erie dark, crazy dark, crazy wind, crazy sheets of rain....I have never seen a sky turn green as they say and this is as close as I care to get.  It  did not last long but the amount of rain and the wind speeds were wild.  It did knock the temps down about 15 degrees in a very short time......never fear, I believe they have crept back up.  It has been so hot that a short hour later on my drive from work to the grocery store, the roads were completely dry save for a few puddles at the side of the road!  And the true tell tale sign....the parking lots were steaming.  

So all that, I came home and managed a little picking up and cleaning in anticipation of a Stitch 'n Bitch at my house tonight.   That will start AFTER my YMCA workout.    On that front, the workouts are going good and I am falling asleep early for sure.   Even on the nights I don't go, I have been practicing (what I can remember) some of the stretches from my Yoga class.   Boy they make you feel good.  I am really enjoying this class and could kick myself for never taking a class before.......but to everything there is a season..  With the *new* exercise routine, there has not been much stitching going on.   I am disappointed that I am not done my wedding sampler but I am close.   

This weekend I hope to strike a balance between my crafting, my workouts and some much neglected paperwork that needs to be completed.   I also hope to empty and move to the curb a small filing cabinet.  I keep saying I am going to sort the files and figured the best way may be to move everything to xerox boxes and bring one at a time to my family room so I am watch TV and sort in the evenings.   I don't know.....another one of my hair brained schemes that on paper seem to work.......   

As far as the crafting vs. exercise vs. life balance.   Lately, given the choice (what? like I even contemplated a choice) I have been crafting -- either working on my quilt, knitting, stitching, working on my craft room -- and have been neglected other things like flower beds and meeting minutes and financials the auditor for my board needs -- so I guess I have to suck it up.   The flower bed neglect I blame on the avoidance of heat and the mosquitoes.  The paperwork accumulation I blame on it is an ugly job I am trying to avoid -- like it will go away ???  I really don't see how there is a choice - crafting comes first now and forever.  However, there are shower favors to be made which is kind of like crafting; financial statements to gather; profit and loss info for 2009 the auditor needs which is difficult since I only took over the books in April of this year; meeting minutes to be done.........and it all seems insurmountable and that is the real reason why I have been avoiding.      I need to drop back and punt.  I need to use my Touch It Once method.   I need to use the divide and conquer method.   Break these tasks down into smaller manageable tasks.   Pick it up, handle it start to finish, be done with it.   Hopefully I will resurface Monday with a trial of completed jobs behind me.......

Wishing all a good weekend of great weather and tall glasses of lemonade to sip from the patio with stitching or a good book in hand.   I for one will be using my 1 hour timer and curbing my creating time at the sewing machine or with needle and floss in hand......I won't listen to the voice from the little guy on my shoulder saying .....'just a few more stitches'....it will be the guy on the other shoulder telling me.....'get to it and get it done and you will feel better'...........and I know that is true.......so here I go diving in.........

Found a peanut!

I  found my camera in a bizarre place......hanging from a fence post around my pool and I have no idea or recollection of putting it there........

So first for some finishes, followed by some purchases and then some stash enhancment! Here's the little conical bag for the flower girl.  The florist wanted $70 for whatever he was doing.   Cha'ching...not!

Now the finally finished graduation sampler for my s-in-l........

I found a great new (to me) quilt and fabric shop and had to pick up some woolies and a pattern that I fell for.... The pix does not do it justice. ...  it is too too cute.

More stash enhancement.....a guy from work has the difficult task of cleaning out his parents home after their passing.   He knows there are several sewers at work and is bringing in a few tubs at a time for us to to puruse (he has about 40 in all!!!)   He doesn't know what to do with the stuff and is really torn because it was his mother's passion so much so after she passed several years ago, his father couldn't bring himself to get rid of it....... It was really difficult to go through this stash knowing it was so important to his mom and then so painful for his dad to even consider getting rid of it...........so, it took a while but we finally were able to dig in.   I got some trims and ribbons and some awesome metal teeth zippers....

The smocked piece is awesome and so it the ribbed ruffle.   It reminds me of some elizabethian collar and I have no idea what I will ever do with it.

Next, purchases......I got this great three tiered basket from Joanne Fabrics.    It is about 30 inches tall.  Part of the reason it was so great it that is was 1/2 price and I have a 10% off of all purchases from a guild discount.  I quick threw some stuff in the baskets for effect......I am thinking this can do double duty on a buffet table at a picnic or at the holidays.  And lastly  I mounted curtain rods on the wall, hung hooks over the rods and have all my lucite rules at hand.   Not an original idea but I still like it.   Slowly but surely I am getting my crafting studio in shape!

Some finishes to share!

I can't believe it!  I actually have some finishes to share and I cannot find my camera!  It is here in the house SOMEWHERE and it is right where I put it!  I even had it last night.  I am sure I must have been blabbing away or got sidetracked and put it down in not its usual place.  Last week I lost my pedometer and when I located it is was bizarrely placed on a bookcase out of the way.....like when did I walk by and place it there?    And yes, I have checked the bookcase and no camera.    I only have certain places I put things  like the keys, the phone, the remote, to avoid just this........maybe by the time I find it, I will have three finishes to share......because I am stitches away from finishing my wedding sampler!  yeah!  I hope to put the last stitch in before Friday so I can get to the LNS for the framing on Saturday.   Yes, even though my farmer's market guy made good on my last framing job, this wedding sampler is special and I want to go the extra mile with the framing......

Pleased with my progress

Here's the wedding sampler and the little bag for the flower girl. I need to put the date and initials on the bag still  and the ribbons for the handle....I am also seeing I missed four of the darker green sttiches on one leaf......I am happy with how far I am with the sampler considering I have not had much time devoted to stitching the last 10 days.                

I joined the local Y and have been going to a Yoga class and working out in the gym three days a week. Boy after the treadmill, the elliptical and then the weights, when I finally sit down I find I am falling asleep on the sofa with needle in hand and not a stitch taken! This is the first 10 days and I know I will get my stamina up and be back to stitching more than in just the pre-dawn hours before work.  Pardon the wrinkles....I never think about pressing my pieces before I photograph and post them.....because of course I am in a head over heels hurry to post!   

As for working out at the Y, I have a dear friend as my exercise partner and it is so good to be able to spend time with her and at the same time be working towards a healthier body!

A give-away

Check out the give-a-way at Confessions of a Serial Starter!  Don't you just love that name?  It says it all!

TUSAL Posting!!

My TUSAL! and posting it on the right day even.  Me thinks I need to reconsider my orts vessel!

Drum Roll please.........EDITED!!!!

And the winner is......................

#7 - Josie!  Congratulations and hope you enjoy it.  I will follow up in the next day or two to make sure I have your mailing info and hope to drop this at the post office this weekend.  

Edit - Josie sent me a very happy thank you......but....I tried to reply and somehow deleted the comment.   Josie - please email me at red1974@hotmail.com with your address!  Thanks

Thanks all for stopping by and better yet, thanks for the wonderful comments. 

I know you are supposed to wait and do the....

beading last but.......I am glad a started adding the beads to my wedding sampler.   WOW!  did is pop.   Almost like the patterns that call for a lot of back stitching.    I figured it was OK to add them since I work in hand and not with a hoop or q-snaps.   I was going to hold this as a surpirse and have it displayed at the wedding but I think I just might have it for the shower........ 

This just might get me to finish my s-in-l's graduation sampler.   I have taken a bit of ribbing on this one.   My fabulous s-in-l went to night school for 13, year 13 years! Such dedication!  and of course the question is.....will it take me 13 years to finish the sampler......nope!  I am going to sew those beads on this week.

....for now I need to get in some yard work before the t-storms hit later today.   Everyone enjoy the rest of your weekend and have a great week ahead.......remember, my Call it what you will give-a-way.....winner to be announced on June 15th.

Oops! I was playing

And obviously got a little too click happy while looking at the template updates on eBlogger.....why must I dabble in what I don't know?????........I have said the "brown word" several times, fortunately I haven't progressed to the letter "f" yet............no time to figure out how to get back to the simple view I had..........busy day ahead......guild meeting followed by bridal shower and I have to wrap the present and shower myself first!   Oh the joy of too much to do and too little time.

Update - As for the shower present, as I wrapped the last peice and flipped it over I see that the sales girl did not pull off the price tag. So I unwrapped the first two and found one with and one without a price tag.   That'll teach me...check twice/wrap once.      I  love dressing up the package with a fancy ribbon and bow and other embellishments.   That is why I used dollar store paper because it is all about the bow!

Wedding Sampler Progress

This working up quickly and I am pleased.   My son and his wife are of the IKEA generation so I didn't want to pick anything sampler like. Actually, I had no idea of what to stitch and a friend was over and I saw what she was doing for her son and yes, I am copying her. 

I've got a secret...........

my son called last night to clue me in.......he said his wife was about to bust and was sure she would slip and tell me......they wanted to wait til the learned more and had a sure thing to tell me........sounds like my first grandchild!  NOT!!!!  but just a good if everything falls into place correctly.   My son has an interview for a County Police Officer on Tuesday.   He wants this so bad and this will be the third try.   First, the local police attempt - highest written score, highest physical score and then politics.  One of the two officers hired at the time made sense because this young man had put himself through the academy therefore the township could put him right in the field at no cost to the taxpayers.  As for the other one hired at the time, it was politics which is nothing disparging to the officer hired.  It is sometimes who you know.  Second try, he decided to try the County Police and again, high scores, etc., etc. only to end his pursuit with a hiring freeze.    He is a good kid (OMG! he is 30).  He is a volunteer fireman, volunteer EMT, a great step-father, a considerate husband and son..........every mother's joy.   I doubt his sisters would agree.   His is and will always be the little brother.   Sometimes I swear they think he is still 7 years old.  He really never was a problem growing up except for the orneriness and that one speeding ticket early on.  So my fingers are crossed that I am not jinxing this but rather pulling in all the good vibes.   Everyone out there hold good thoughts and say a prayer.   It's only the first interview and as I have found out in the past this is a slow process........I doubt this is for the academy class starting mid-July but rather the September class.........don't know but I am saying that extra prayer.  Good thing he doesn't follow my blog or he'd say I put a "fat" picture of him on here. 

Framing issue resolved

I got my sampler back and although it is not 100% perfect, it is 1000% better.   I haven't made any decision if I will continue to use my current framer or try someone else. 

Of course I was impatient to have it back.  It's final resting place will be in my sewing room because a.) it is a bedroom convert and b.) the coloring matches the new paint and curtains who's fabric is still on the bolt!  I hung it on the dining room wall for the pix so don't be distracted by the rust colored walls. 

Quilt Progress

My daughter came down on Saturday evening to spend the night - in prep for the Sunday afternoon Tea Room trip - and she helped me with the cutting for my Hokey Pokey quilt.   It was so much easier with her reading the instructions then it had been for me.....when I read them it was like, WHAT!   ........Huh?   ....I need to turn what where?      This is just my second quilt and I really don't read instructions well.......problem is I assume I know what the next step is.   'nough said!

We got the first cut on the first set of four fat quarters cut.   To start, you just use one half of what you cut.  One half of what you cut is labeled Left to Right and the other half is labeled Right to Left and put aside until later.      There are various twists and turns and cuts but I have managed to complete  36 of the 180 I need to do.   Sounds ominous but it is going really quick. I have been setting up my project the night before so each morning I can quickly - 15 minutes - sew the next step.   Not the quickest method but hey! if I were to wait when I could dedicated a couple of hours, it wouldn't happen.   I can steal 15 minutes here and there easily.   Looks like I am working on the darker shades.  I love the colors and they just don't appear as bright as they are.   I am excited about my progress.......with no plans for this to end in a WIP pile.

Lincoln Tea Room

One of the stitching guilds I belong to arranged a Tea and Tour of West Chester PA.   I treated my daughter and we both enjoyed the day.   The Lincoln Tea Room so aptly named because it was the cradle of the Lincoln run for the Presidency.  It was so charming.   The staff was so very accommodating insisting on cups of water to carry on our walking tour and I haven't even gotten to the food.   The Tea Sandwiches - of course - were yummy as was the two types of tea and the scones and sweets after.

It was a lovely, relaxed, enjoyable way to spend a Sunday afternoon.   I knew there was history in Lancaster County PA but never knew that West Chester was so rich in it.  

The tour was a quickie since we were worried about the sky opening up with torrential rains.   (Pix to follow - I need my daughter to send them to me.   My first flash and my battery was dead on my camera! That'll teach me.)

Why does an upgrade usually make things less?

I went to the LNS near my office.   It is a tiny place but has always been full of fabric choices as well as pattern choices.   The thing I most loved about the store was the many many finishes they had displayed. In particular, were the non-framed finishes.   But yesterday when I arrived, I see their improvement....they have enlarged.   They are housed in the bottom floor of an old building in an historical section of town.  They shared the space with a stamping store and were divided by a pony walls of sorts.   (Is it still a pony wall when it is 10 ft tall but the ceilings are 15th tall?)   Anyway, their space has doubled and as usual their displays are well arranged and spot on.  A larger framing area is now located in the rear.  But..............there didn't seem to be as many patterns; their fabric selection was 1/3 of what it was; patterns were arranged in several different little groupings and not all one area; there was not as much finished eye candy to check out.....but alas progress.   I just hope it was my speed shopping that didn't allow me to enjoy the new digs.   I really hate when improvement does that.   Haven't you all had a favorite store or even restaurant that you loved only to have it loose it's appeal when it renovated?   Seems to loose its charm.   I will have to shop again when I am not in a hurry and not accompanied by a non-stitcher...........hmmm, me thinks that could have influenced me. 

So much to pass on...

but little free time to let you all know.   No time for pix even.   A (very) brief re-cap

• progress made on my wedding sampler
• progress on my Quaker piece
• progress on my shawl and success on eBay
• progress made on my quilt
• trip to the Lincoln Tea Room
• Wedding shower shopping and shower
• day spent with my D-in-L
• day spend with my D
• grandson time
• meeting-a-palooza week

and it is only Wednesday!!!!!

Time is running out......

Just a reminder that some deadlines are fast approaching.   Please check out my "Call it what you will" giveaway and check out my WIP challenge.   I haven't decided what the prize will be yet for the WIP challenge but I do have a trip to a LNS tomorrow at lunchtime.  I have to pick up some Mill Hill beads so I just might look around.  And I think since everyone is so busy......just be honest ladies and let us know you are ATTEMPTING a finish or attack to the WIP pile at minimum. 

And on the heels of these two, stayed tuned for another give-a-way.    I kind of have to do the third one.   Last year I was lucky enough to receive a Pay-It-Forward. (I think it was from Meari - I have to look it up....oh shame on me!)  I put the challenge out there and had but one taker.   The thing is with PIF you are to PIF to 3 to 5 items to 3 to 5 people.   I think it was the whole economy thing and the time of the year - fall - when everyone was getting ready for the holidays and folks just not having the extra $$$'s. I put a hold on the give-a-way until spring.   But see, of course the highly OCD me,  went out and bought 3 patterns, 3 tablets, sets of 3 flosses, 3 thread cutters so I figure I am kind of obligated to have the give-a-way.   I mean I like JBW Deisngs but the same one/3 times.  Oops! giving away a teaser there.  Some of you guys are such quick and fabulous stitchers that you STITCH things to give-a-way.   I can't even get my own stuff stitched let alone stitch give-a-ways.  lol   It is the whole Crafters ADD I believe I have.......not sold on that excuse......wait til I post the pix of the quilt I started this weekend before you put any money down.   So in a way, I will be paying it forward just with a twist via a RAK........watch for my PIF at the end of the summer.   

And now thoughts of what to get tomorrow.................hmmmmm

A great blog to check out

If you have never checked out Mamie Jane's blog now is the time to.   She has the most clever and creative imagination.  What this girl can do with things she finds in a thrift store is amazing.   Click here to see what she once did with screwdrivers!   She is having a great give-a-way right now that I have to share with you!!  which may not be a good idea for helping my chances.  Check out her site and I am sure you will agree, the girl's got it go on!