I'd rather be stitching...

Off to work today. Hopefully it will be a quiet day in the pharmacy. I just am not comfortable giving up my second job at CVS. I am afraid that my full time job with Guilford County may disappear. I also would like to keep my skill set current and I do like the discount. I just put my pay from this job in savings.. It helps with my stitching expenses.

I got a little more done on my Handwork ornament. It is a kit that I received in a kit exchange I participated in based on the JCS ornament issues. This kit has a piece of fabric that is almost too small for the design and I am not going to have enough floss. GRRRR. I have found the color of GAST I need in my stash and I don't think the dye lot is off all that much.

Not much stitching foreseen in the upcoming week. Work all week, dinner Monday with some of the girls, EGA on Thursday...

Some of the church signs I see make me smile. This is one of my favorites.

Have a great Sunday.

Chris

Not much stitching

This is the Handwork ornament from the 2005 JCS issue. It is one of the kits from my stash from the years of exchanging. This ornament will take awhile since there is 100% coverage. I should pick up MA Tipper but haven't been able to pick up a bigger piece of stitching.
  I returned to work on Wednesday. I worked both jobs on Friday. It is probably too soon to start that. I felt really good yesterday but I am exhausted. So today has been lazy. I ran some errands this morning and have spent the afternoon stitching, watching tv.

I am getting excited about the exhibit at the CT Historical Society. I was checking out their web page and they are having The Essamplaire reproduce a bunch of samplers from the exhibit. Yea! 
   I have been thinking some more about what my stitching schedule is going to look like next year. First I have to spend October and November on ornament/small finishing. Here are some of the ornaments that I did the finishing on last year...

Well this has inspired me to get some stitching done.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Chris

Back to work

I started back to work on Wednesday. It has been good getting back into the swing of things. Good seeing all the patients and nice to hear that they missed me. I am working both jobs tomorrow, I hope it goes well. I am off Saturday and can rest and hopefully get back to stitching. I have not stitched the last couple of nights because I have had some computer issues and have needed to deal with that.

I hope that everyone has found some time to stitch.
Good night!

Chris

High Traffic Area

There are 3 hummingbird feeders on our front porch and they are busy! I think that all the babies are grown and the hummers are stocking up for their flight south. Every year the feeders go up April 1 and come down October 1.

I am feeling like I was run over by a truck. Tomorrow I go back to work. I wish I felt more rested. Maybe once I get into my normal schedule I will feel better.

I stitched yesterday on the handwork ornament from the 2005 JCS issue. This one is solidly stitched so it will take awhile.
I have to run into town to get some groceries and check in with a friend who is working in town today.
Later some stitching!

Chris

Early Monday

Here is a finish this morning. This is the 2005 JCS ornament from Blackbird Designs. I was in a group that did an ornament kit exchange based on the JCS ornament issue. The group stopped this year and I miss it. I have lots of kits in my stash to stitch but I loved pouring over the new issue and then stitching and kitting my assignments, sending them off and then getting a box back of kits. I think that I participated for 4 or 5 years. I have finished all my kits from the 2004 issue and I am now working on 2005. I just out a few stitches in the 2005 Handwork ornament. Hopefully I will do the finishing on quite a few ornaments in October and November.

I have been thinking more about goals for next year, should I stitch things with pumpkins, flags, pears, all redwork, birds, alphabets....the choices seem endless! Is anyone else thinking about next year's stitching goals?
 
I have been up since about 3:30. Rich was restless, and I was having some lingering incision pain and a headache. I am better now, on my 2nd diet coke and did some stitching. Rich gets up at 4am for work and I usually get up at 6. I also need to think about once I go back to work on Wednesday, how to set time aside for exercise, stitching, reading, Rich and lots of other things.

Anyway, I should go take a walk. Happy Monday!!!

Chris

Isabella Johnstone

Here she is .....ta da....Isabella Johnstone. I enjoyed stitching her a lot. I love the cow and the spray of raspberries. I love the greens. I can't wait until she is framed and on the wall.        

So what is next...for now I am stitching the 2005 Blackbird Designs ornament from my kit exchange stash. Then I think that I will pull MA Tipper out of the UFO stash for a little bit. I did look at some of my stash yesterday. I found another Charleston sampler, I think that makes 4 kits that I have in my stash. There is one that has Adam & Eve on it. I think that may be the top of the list since I haven't stitched a sampler with Adam & Eve on it.

Well, that's it for now. Off to do some stuff around the house. I hope everyone has a great, peaceful Sunday.

Chris

Quiet days

My plan this week was to get up every day at the time I usually do, take a walk and try to go through some stuff here...well that was the plan. I think that I slept wrong in Gatlinburg and it resulted in one of those stiff necks that only gets better after it gets worse. So I was up a couple of nights at 3am to get some motrin and needless to say the getting up at 6am went out the window.
 

It was rainy here on Thursday so I did some comfort food cooking, broccoli and cheese casserole. I was introduced to this  by my friend Kathy years ago at the monthly cross stitch group that I was a part of in CT. We always had potluck and stitching. Kathy was not allowed to show up to the meeting without this dish. I am hoping to catch up with a couple of girls from the group this Dec. when I go up to see the CT sampler exhibits and to the MFA.

This is the baked ravioli that I made one night for dinner. I have also been going through the pantry and the freezer and these 2 dishes are the result. Speaking of Italian food I went to see Eat, Pray, Love. The places that she visited were beautiful, but I don't understand why she was so unhappy, she had so much to be thankful for?!? Maybe I need to read the book. Anyway, the movie was long too, not one that I would recommend.

This is Rich with the M37, he had some time yesterday to try putting on his new trailer. Goal is to take the truck to next years Southeastern Power Wagon rally in Calliston, SC. He still needs tires and some other stuff. First he has to have some dental work done. It is always something.

I am going to end for now. I finished Isabelle last night so I will get a picture of her up soon. So I will spend some time going through the stash tonight :0) I hope that everyone has a great Saturday!

Chris

Approaching the finish line

I have had my checkup and am cleared to go back to work next Wednesday. I am looking forward to resuming my life. I have turned in the hours that I want to work at CVS along with going back to my Monday to Friday job at the county so things will be full steam ahead next week.

 I would like to finish Isabelle Johnstone before I go back to work.. I have to finish the leaves on the border, one more spray in the lower left hand corner and filling the beige of the cow in. I think it is an achievable goal.


Then I will have to start thinking about what is next. One of my stitching goals for the year was to finish M.A.Tipper. She is a big Bristol sampler from the Scarlet Letter that I started quite a few years ago. I will probably work on her and then stop in October when I start working on ornament finishing. Last year I did finishing in October and November and it worked out really well for me.

I have really enjoyed reading and have been inspired by many of the stitching blogs out there. I think that when I look at my stitching goals for 2011 I may include doing a patriotic group or a group of birds, or Halloween ornies. I need to spend some time looking through my stash to decide. I also would like to stitch a Charleston sampler, I have a couple in the stash. I have a few months to think about it.

Well, off to stitch a little before dinner.

Chris

Hawaii Reunion

Last year I had the chance to work in Hawaii for 3 weeks. CVS had purchased Long's Drugs and they sent store personnel out to train the Long's staff on the systems. This past weekend 8 of us met up in Gatlinburg, TN. We spent the weekend talking about our experiences in HI, playing miniature golf, eating, and just catching up. Julie came from Erie, PA, Lyle from KY, Susie and Janet from IN, Karen from GA, and Phoebe, Larry and I from NC. Rich went with me and Karen brought Sherry so we were a group of 10.

It was a great weekend and I am fortunate to have met such an amazing group of people.

Today I have my post surgery Dr.s appointment and will get my return to work date. I am ready to resume my life.
Off to get a shower. Have a great Monday.

Chris

I was brushing my teeth....

When I heard a sneeze. I thought I was alone.

But no, some spoiled cat named Lexie, wanted me to crack the faucet so that she could have a sip...

Progress

I have been making some progress with my stitching. It would be great if I could have this finished before I go back to work. I still have to fill my cow in with the ecru color that the alphabets are done in. I love the little spray of raspberries with the flowers. This has been a perfect summer sampler.

Today I am having lunch with a friend that I never get to see outside work. I went by the store this morning to see one of the pharmacists. Chip is retiring today. He hired me to work back in the pharmacy and taught me a lot. I am sorry to see him go but he will have a wonderful time with his family and going to all the Wake Forest football and basketball games. I know that I will pass him on the road to the golf course frequently and will see him at the bandstand.  Chip, I'll miss you!

I have to go make some juice for the hummingbirds.

Keep Cool!

Chris

Chick Lit

I have been doing a lot of reading while I have been home this summer. Not anything too tough. A friend gave me a stack of Emily Griffin books to read, and I read the latest Jodi Picoult. This is one of my favorite chick lit authors, Katie Fforde. The books are set in England, the characters are not overly successful and glamorous. It's kind of like mac & cheese, just comfortable. I am looking forward to reading the new John Connolly book the Whisperers. This is my favorite mystery series right now. I want to savor this one, it is more like a pint of Ben & Jerry's flourless chocolate cake(new flavor available at Walmart). I also have Seaworthy by Linda Greenlaw to listen to on the next road trip Rich and I take. She became famous as one of the swordboat captains from the Gloucester fleet and The Perfect Storm(another of my favorite books, could not put it down). She reads all the audio presentations and is now on TV again in Swords( the new season is getting ready to start.

Well, enough about my reading list. I am obviously hungry, I am going to go get some breakfast!

Have a great day.

Chris

Quiet Weekend...except for the sound of a chain saw

I very big tree came down on Thursday in our yard. It had been splitting for awhile, there were strange crashes from the woods. I thought it was deer or somthing, but when the power went out after a large crack, then I knew. The tree disentangled itself from the power lines but the way the trunk split it it was about 7 or 8 ft. up in the air. Rich spent most of Friday afternoon trying to get the trunk on the ground. A very dangerous thing as if it didn't fall right someone could get hurt. Rich managed it and spent Saturday afternoon getting all the branches off and moved to a big burn pile in the back. There is still a ton to do, the trunk needs to be dealt with and there some other trees that were damaged and need to be taken care of. Most of our property is very wooded so this kind of thing happens.

Saturday while Rich was outside working I made a couple of loaves of  banana bread. We  always have bananas in the house and this time of year the ripen so fast so instead of just adding them to the compost pile I have a very easy banana bread recipe. I think because I made 2 loaves, and  I usually mix 1 at a time I ended up with batter in my hair, Yuck! My work area stayed pretty clean but I had 2 big globs in my hair?!?

Rich made pesto tomato pizza for dinner on Sunday. The pesto I made. I freeze it in ice cube trays so I can take out as little or much as I need. I have to pick up some pine nuts so I can make some more soon.

There was some stitching progress over the weekend and I will update that later.

Chris

Fetchez La Vache

I am in the middle of stitching the Isabelle Johnstone sampler from SANQ and have finally made it to the fabulous cow. I am enjoying stitching this so much. I am enjoying the colors. The greens in the border and of course this bright red cow. Maybe I will be able to finish it in the next 2 weeks while I am still home.

I missed going to EGA yesterday. I felt it was too far to drive by myself still and we were having wicked storms. I was anxious to see the next instalment of the 17th century sampler that Louise Henderson of Cherished Stitches is designing for the guild. I have not started stitching mine yet.

A large tree came down yesterday in the yard and was on our power lines. It has moved off the lines so Rich is out with his chainsaw now. I have to go check on him.

Does anyone know where my title of this post comes from? :) The whole seen from this particular movie makes me laugh!!

Have a good stitching day!

Chris

Winchester, VA

The Winchester, VA Historical Society has had a sampler exhibit up this year. My husband Rich and I went up to see the exhibit in June. It is held in a wonderful historic building and there is no charge to see the exhibit. It will be up until the end of October. The exhibit catalog has just been published so of course I got right on the phone and ordered my copy. The catalog is very nice. It tells about each sampler in the exhibit and shows where some of the girls lived. I am very pleased to have it in my sampler book collection.

If you have the chance it is worth going to see the exhibit and if not the catalog is a great addition to your needlework library. To get a copy you can call 540-662-6550. The catalog is $25 + $5 shipping.

Enjoy

Chris

HALT!

Have you ever been cruising along on a sampler and then you hit an alphabet or row of eyelets or some other pesky stitch and you put it down and don't pick it back up for a long, long time? Fortunately this was a very easy row of eyelets and the fabric was very cooperative. So I am making progress and will start stitching the cow today :)

Have a great day with no speed bumps!
Chris

Some progress

I finished my little patriotic pin pillow for a friends upcoming birthday.

For the back I used the flag from a Prarie Schooler chart. I am very pleased with how it came out.

 Now I have started the Isabelle Johnstone sampler from SANQ. I am in love with the cow. Also, I like the funky border. Green is one of my favorite colors so I am enjoying stitching the piece. When I ordered the fabric I just requested that I be sent what ever the directions called for. I should have known it would be 28ct. It seems a little chunky to me since I usually stitch on higher count fabrics. I am stitching the piece with DMC. I am making some decent progress ( knock on wood!!!) so you should be seeing some progress updates.

My recovery from the surgery is also progressing. I actually drove a little the last couple of days. Afterwards I had some pain but every day seems to be getting better. I still have to watch sneezing or laughing. I can't watch Psych, it just cracks me up and it hurts too much :)

That's it for now. Back to some stitching or maybe visiting some of my stash.

Chris