"No"ah Chocolate

This is what, the third day of Lent? I have not broken my Lenten promise to give up chocolate but I'm already starting to dream about it. You know the dream.... being covered in chocolate and having someone, Edward maybe (don't tell Rob) lick it off? Yeah, this is going to be a tough Lenten season. Last year I gave up starchy foods; pasta, potatoes and bread. I lost 10 pounds, I think but it wasn't really all that hard. Chocolate on the other hand, is for me, a real sacrifice but I thought I could do it. After 2 1/2 days, I'm not so sure. The worst part is giving up my favorite winter treat. I LOVE hot chocolate in the morning and I drink a LOT of it in the winter (trust me, it's still winter here in Michigan so I am suffering!). I'll drive out of my way, be late to work and not really care if I am, to find a Tim Horton's or Dunkin' Donuts to get that delicious hot liquid. The title of this blog wasn't a joke, it's true..... I really do love chocolate for breakfast.

As you may have guessed, this post isn't so much about No chocolate as it is about No-ah.
I finished TGH Noah's Garden this morning. I love the colors in this little piece and I really just like how folksy it looks. I've already picked the frame - it's on order and I hope it will be ready next week. Suddenly, I've got a little collection of Noah Samplers going. I think my next one is going to be "A Weeping and a Blessing" by Kathy Barrick-Dieter (CHS). It's an older chart but it is beautiful and buried in my craft room somewhere so no pic today. The first Noah I stitched was Kathy's Noah's Stocking although, I changed it up a bit and made it a sampler rather than a stocking. I loved how that one turned out. Here's a pic of that one: The second Noah I stitched was Noah's Webster after seeing a pic of it on Edgar's Blog.


As you can see, I now have three Noah's and will be well on my way to four soon. What is it about religiously themed samplers? Adam and Eve - can't get enough of them. And what's not to love about Noah?

This weekend, while still waiting on my fabric for the ABC Hornbook (aaargh!), and NOT eating chocolate, I think I'm going to stitch some more on Elizabeth Savilles.

I haven't worked on her in a long time.... got tired of that border so I put it down. I'm stitching it on some ivory linen that I dyed a pale pink in raspberry tea. I'm also using one thread over two to give it a soft, delicate look. I really love this sampler and would love to finish it by the summer.



I thought I'd show you a pic of my Prairie Schooler year after February was finished. Actually, I finished the February block last week, I think but never took a pic.
I love how this is looking and think it'll be really cute when done. I'll start the March block on Sunday. Julie finished both of her blocks also so as of month 2, we are right on track.

I hope you all have a glorious weekend. I intend to sit on my derrière and stitch (and not eat chocolate) - Oh, what was I thinking? and watch Meet Joe Black (and not eat chocolate) and stitch some more (but not eat chocolate). Traditionally in our house, Fridays are the night to go out to dinner. But, I met my handsome husband, Rob for lunch today 'cause I had the day off (I'm off work every other Friday) so going out to dinner doesn't appeal to me. I think it'll have to be an EMFH night. That's Every Man For Himself - you are on your own tonight boys!

Thanks for stopping by and for your comments - I really appreciate them all.

Peace,
Terri

Yesterday, when I opened Patti's blog to see what was going on in her life I was shocked to find she had given me an award. Truly, you could have knocked me over with a feather - yeah, a really gargantuan feather but still) - I was so surprised! It is the Special Friends Award and "Love" Pendant. The description for this award reads:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These Kind bloggers aim to be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propogated. Please give more attention to these kind of writers. When you pass this award along please include these guidelines. I am to choose eight friends to share this with".



Thanks so much, Patti! Being new to the blogging world I did not expect this at all. I so appreciate it and your friendship!

Now, passing this on to others is going to be hard. I've been a blog reader for a long time but was not a prolific poster of comments. For one reason or another, I constantly had trouble with getting posts to work. So, while I may be very familiar with you, you may not have any clue about me! I have, since starting my little blog, had much more success and am trying to be good about posting comments. It really is quite a thrill to see that people care enough to actually take the time to write something in response to something you may have said or shown. So, while I read and love many blogs, I'm going to nominate a few that I really enjoy although the list is really long....

I have to give it first to Deb because she is a true and real life friend and her own blog inspired me to do mine. Truthfully, much of what Deb does inspires me and I'm so glad to know her 'cause she's smart, talented and very funny!. Next up would have to be

Siobhan. Does anyone in the stitching world not know Siobhan? I love everything she does and her BAPs inspire me all the time. Next up is not a stitching blog but it's an artist that if you don't know about, you should. Here name isJaneand her art is amazing! Next up is Carin's blog. I got to know Carin thru Legacy and she does beautiful stitching, has two beautiful daughters and has a kind heart. My next nominee is going to be
Chrissie's blog Chrissie is another Legacy gal that does gorgeous work, she's a dog lover, her stitching is beautiful and her photography is fabulous. Next up is
Maggie's blog. Maggie does beautiful work and seems like the kind of person that would fit right in with me and my other gal pals. How many is that? I'm losing count and this MAC computer isn't the easiest thing to work with.... Oh, yeah, number 7 is it? Okay for number 7 I'm going to nominate
Autumn She stitches things that I wouldn't ever have the courage to undertake, she's got three beautiful girls and she's got a generous heart. And finally, last but not least I'm going to nominate
Margie. Margie, like me is another dog lover in fact, she has 3 very cute pugs and her stitching is fantabulous and I am glad to know her. This was a very hard task.... I hope I have shared this award with some who may not have won it before but I really think that all stitching blogs deserve awards. All of them inspire me in one way or another. Thanks again Patti you are a doll!

Now.... on to a wee little finish. I finished up the Honesty virtue from BOAF and so I have 2 left to go. I just love these little guys and think they're so cute.



Yesterday, my BFF Julie and I (did I mention we both work at the same
place??) decided that we needed to go stash shopping at lunch. Our not so local LNS was about a 30 minute drive but we decided to hoof it on out there anyway. It's an even longer distance to the shop from my house so this is about the only way I get there. Anyway, we picked up some stash which is always fun. I got the Primitive Needle charts that I've been coveting since Lisa's new designs first came out. I'm still waiting on the fabric but can't wait to get started on the ABC Hornbook.



I also got this Homespun Elegance chart because I just love the little Welcome Santa and it seems like it would be a fun holiday stitch. The fabric and fibers are for a La-D-Da chart I got but can't find at the moment....


That's it for today.... have a great rest of the weekend. I think the snow has finally stopped flying and I'm going to go work on Noah's Garden for a little bit. Thanks for stopping by and thanks so very much for all the nice comments!

Peace,
Terri

Stitchy Stash, Starts and Sixteen Year Olds!

I was in Columbus a couple of weeks ago for work and managed to find a little cross stitch store to visit on my way down there. I didn't buy any patterns but I did get some fabrics that I thought were really pretty. No clue what I'll do with them but that's no reason not to buy, is it? And, just yesterday I got another couple of pieces of fabric in the mail. Again, I have no idea what I'll do with them but I sure do love adding to my stash. The little check fabric is a WDW Straw Natural something or other. I can't decipher the label - it's the writing, not my eyesight! The lighter colored fabric is from PTP called Legacy, the Greenish colored fabric is LL Vintage Pear (this is a little greener than I thought it would be but that's okay. I'm sure I'll find a use for it). The darkest fabric is WDW Mocha and the last one is a WDW Straw. They're all 32 count fabrics ~ I love the feel of the gingham looking fabric - it's got a really soft hand and looks and feels like an old dish towel.





This is my start on The Goode Huswife's Noah's Garden Sampler.


I saw this a while back (can't remember where) and I began stalking ebay looking for it. I managed to find it and got it relatively inexpensively. I got a teeny tiny little start on it last night. The pattern calls for DMC but I decided to change them to WDW, CC and GAST. If I ever get time to actually stitch, this shouldn't take me too long. I'm really just biding my time till my Primitive Needle Hornbook chart and fabric arrives. I am so anxious to start that one. I must do Cape Cod Girls, too! I love Lisa's designs!!!

Finally.... my son Tyler turned 16 on Jan 20th and he got his driver's license today.




I know this is a major milestone for him and one of his best days but I can't say it's one of my best days. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy for him - it's just that he's my youngest and I can't believe he's driving and well, if he's getting older, so am I! He's been practicing for this moment since he was 14 years and about 11 months. You can take your first drivers training class at 14 years, 9 months in Michigan. It's about a 6 week course and then you get your learners permit See how young he looks now? Imagine him a year and a half ago driving around ~ even scarier!. We will put restrictions on how much he can drive initially but we took a big leap of faith tonight. He had baseball practice at the high school so we (and by we, I mean my husband) let him drive himself to practice.

Okay, it's not far and he's very familiar with the route but it's dark, damp and I was feeling dreary. We told him he had to call us as soon as he got there (which he did) and to call us before he left (which he did). And if you have teenagers, have ever known a teenager or if you remember being a teenager, you can probably recall the sort of eye rolling, heavy sigh response we got when he told him he had to call us. To tell you the truth, I really wanted Rob to follow a sneaky distance behind him just to be sure he'd do okay. Did I mention that Rob thinks I'm a little nuts? Anyway, he made it home safe and sound, I'm finally calming down and I think I'll go stitch.

This is Tyler behind the wheel, all by himself leaving for practice. Please ignore the nasty garage!

Thanks so much for all your lovely comments on my last post and thanks for visiting!
Peace,
Terri

Introducing Sophie and Gracie

I am a dog lover - have always loved dogs and these are the two little gals that live with us. I had to get girl dogs - there was already plenty of testosterone in this house. They are mixed but I think they must both have some maltese in them because of their tails. Sophie is the oldest (she'll be 4 in May) and Gracie will be 3 in August; in fact, her birthday is the same day as mine (August 5th) so we're both Leos. Gracie is not only the youngest, she is also the smallest of the two of them. She weighs in at about 9 1/2 pounds and Sophie is about 11 pounds.

This is Sophie:



And this is Gracie:



Until next time, have a great day, thanks for stopping by and thanks for the posts! I am so excited to be a part of the blogging experience and really appreciate your comments!

Peace,
Terri

Why Chocolates for Breakfast; Stitching for Lunch???

I love chocolate! I mean, I REALLY LOVE chocolate. When my son was just a wee little thing, and I'd be up in the middle of the night breast-feeding, I would unwrap about 15 or so Hershey's Kisses at a time; I'd line them up on the arm of the sofa and eat them one by one. I had to unwrap them all first because I don't like to waste a second unwrapping once I get going. I could eat chocolate at any time of day and what better way to get a little jolt in the morning than chocolates for breakfast? My BFF Julie and I often stitch at lunch when we can manage it; hence the name.



I thought I'd show you a couple of the things in my WIP pile. One is a year long project I am stitching along with Julie; The Prairie Schooler Year. We're both stitching it over one - my fabric is 30 count Iced Cappuccino by R&R. We're doing a block a month so it'll be another 10 1/2 months till it's finished. But, I stitched the CHS Alphabets over one using the same plan so I think this'll work. We've had to make a few adjustments to the pattern 'cause not all the blocks are the same size. Since we're stitching it all on one piece of fabric, the squares have to be the same size. Only other minor adjustment is in some of the colors. For now, the only change is the red clock, I decided to do it in brown which I think looks fine. I didn't want a red clock next to red hearts.....




Next up are the BoaF Virtues: I've finished Love (appropriate for this Valentine's Day) and started Honesty and will do Loyalty and Patience as well. I'm going to have them all framed separately so I can hang them as a group. They're sweet little charts and this is my "stitching for lunch" project for the time being.




I recently finished this little Merry Cox Hornbook. We got them at a Guild meeting (Kindred Spirits Sampler Guild) and I couldn't pass it up. It called to be stitched in tent stitch over one but I like the look of a full cross so that's what I did (still over one of course). Isn't it cute? This was a stitch and finish in one evening project. What's not to love about that?



My DH, Rob got me a movie for my chick flick collection in my craft room so I'm hoping to get some stitch time in tonight and watch the movie 'Night in Rodanthe' with Richard Gere and Diane Lane. Not sure how it did at the box office but I'm always up for a love story so here's hoping.

Happy Valentine's Day to you!
Peace,
Terri

Well this has been a fun day!  I picked up my The Goode Huswife "With My Needle" from Sue today.  Picking up framing is always fun and I love how it turned out.   Unfortunately, the night picture taking is not doing a thing for the frame!  Trust me, it's really pretty.  I have such fun picking out frames - don't enjoy paying for them so much, but love picking them out and bringing them home.   

At work today, while I should have been preparing a presentation, I was showing my virgin blog to two of my BFF's, Julie and Sheila.  The only comment they had to say about the blog, other than it was missing a picture of the A&E sampler I had referenced but wasn't showing up (remember, I told you I am technologically challenged!) was that I look just like Thada - who?  Oh, that's pronounced with a long A and an "uh" at the end and Thada is my mom!  Just like Thada!?  She's my mom and I look just like her - is that what they said??? ;-)  Hmmmm.... she's 20+ years older than I am so she either looks DAMN good (which she does, btw) or I need to have a procedure or two done (oh yeah!).  Maybe one of these days I'll show you a pic of Thada and me, she really is a doll and I love her dearly.

Here's a close up of the frame - I love the colors in it! I'm off now to get ready for the day.



Peace,
Terri

Much ado about Nothing?!

Well.... I'm finally jumping in with both feet!  My friend  Deb  http://threadgatherer.blogspot.com  has inspired me to create a blog of my own.  I love reading blogs but have been very nervous about starting one of my own and I'm so technologically challenged that I find it difficult to even post comments.  I do think I've finally figured that out, though.  The truth is, there there are so many wonderfully creative people out there that I so admire and I love reading what they have to say and love even more seeing what they have to create.  But anyone interested at all in what I have to say or do?  Doubtful. Regardless, I'm going to give this a go and hope for the best.  This will be a blog primarily about my love for stitching (cross stitching in particular) and I will of course, post about all other things important (yeah, probably not so important) and interesting (maybe not to you, oh dear) aspects of my very normal (i.e. boring) life! I am sure that I will post about my family and friends because the only way I may get any readers at all is to threaten to talk about them once in a while.    So, to start out this mostly stitching blog, I'll show you the most recent finish I got back from my framer, Sue.  This is The Goode Huswife's Adam and Eve sampler.  I was going for an "Oh!  I found this in my grandma's attic." sort of a look so I stained it with coffee grounds after I finished stitching it.  It's hanging in my foyer area across from my "And They Sinned" sampler (which I will show you on another day).



Thanks for stopping by and I hope you'll come back again!

Peace!
Terri