What the hell am I doing?

Well, you may have already figured out that this Queen of Procrastination isn't stitching.  I've been finding all sorts of excuses.  I decided on Lucy, and don't want to cut my linen!!  So in case that is actually the problem, I'm picking something quick and small TONIGHT.  TONIGHT.  Come hell or hot flash.  Which technically feel about the same.  I need to have something in hand and continue the momentum I've gained.  I guess this is my "two steps back".  So with no stitching pics to show, I have a few others.  This is where Stacy is living now since she is a little too big for a bowl.  I know how she feels.  The color in these photos is horrible - still don't know if it's the camera or the computer monitor. 

But she may end up in this position.

























I've been busy with filling pots and planting a very small garden in a bunch of sopping wet clay clumps.  But we managed to get my new door hung that Mark made.  Haven't found a handle I like yet, but no one ever goes to this door anyway.  I thought I would stain it the same color as the house (I'm a boring monotone) but Mark liked it this way.  We need to replace the siding this year which means either paint or fresh stain, so it will stay this way until that happens.

I think Mark was right.  OMG did I really say that?  He doesn't read this so he'll never know. 

I went to my local semi-annual  show that features some primitive hand mades and a few antiques and snatched a few items.  These little apples were only $2, and the bird was $3.50!  I also got another wooden bowl so I guess it's time to finish the bowl rack that I made several years ago.

 Bud just showed up.  Bud is the name we give to all the momma coons that show up during the day looking for food.  This year, we have 3 "buds" and they all start coming in early afternoon, take the food back to the kids (or maybe stash it for themselves), and come back for more.  Once the babes are older, they bring them out for a day or two to eat (usually outdated bread from our local outlet) and we never see them again during the day.  If they show signs of distemper (losing their balance, no fear, falling over) we reluctantly stop their misery before it spreads.  It's a horrible highly contagious critter disease that breaks my heart to witness. 

That's about it.  I have a few more pots to plant and then I plan on browsing sites for much needed mojo nourishment.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Memorial Day

I have photos of WWII vets saluting the flag in their old uniforms, the rifle with helmet in empty boots, flag draped caskets saluted by fellow soldiers, and I don't know which are copyrighted and don't want to infringe on that.  This photo has been emailed to me many times, so I will use this.  All of them are equally heart wrenching, and the military deserve our thoughts and prayers this weekend, and every day.

I haven't been stitching for a number of reasons, and I hope to be up to it this weekend.  I did the finishing on a little sampler that I stitched in 1991.  About time wasn't it? 

This was almost white - not sure if it was Lugana or Jobelan, but I stained the crap out of it with my coffee, and now I love it!  I almost tossed it because of the bright colors and light background, which isn't my style.  Glad that I didn't.  And I should note - if you use your steam iron to steam 'n smash, make sure you have a scrap of muslin/fabric on top if it's coffee stained.  The coffee will get on the iron and have to be scrubbed off. 




I also found a little Peacock pillow from Ewe & Eye that I'd forgot about.  I have a lot of Santas to be finished into ornaments, but I didn't work on those.    No staining on this one except to the fabric back.

 I did get my geraniums in pots, and thought I would show you how I pot.  Probably nothing new to you, but I don't have much else to show!  I go to the nursery and purchase the cheap large black pots they use for shrubs since they aren't seen in the crocks and baskets.  Putting packing peanuts (re-used every year)  in the bottom of the pot, saves using a lot of potting soil  (I use Pro-Mix), and keeps it from getting too heavy. 

I just throw the peanuts in, or some times bag them in plastic bags.  Cover with landscape fabric or newspaper, put a tray in to hold a little water (or not), and add your soil.   Use them year after year and just add fresh dirt when needed, and new plants.

I re-use aluminum pie pans and cut the sides down low so it doesn't hold too much water.  Doesn't matter if you put it under or on top of the lining.  Once it's filled, I trim the top off and it can be used year after year.  I put small 4" pots upside down in the bottom of the crocks to lift the pot to the right height.


I plan on posting my Rootin' Tootin' Bean Salad tomorrow on the other blog.   I'm not a bean girl, but this salad is SO good and great to take as a side dish.   Or....eat it all yourself and avoid public appearances.  It's red bell pepper, onion, celery, canned lima, garbanzo, navy, black-eyed peas, and black beans, with a sweet sour dressing that's very easy to make.   It's got crunch with the moosh.  That's it.  I'm in need of a fried donut.  I froze a dozen on a cookie sheet, then wrapped individually, and they are coming out SO good when they hit that hot hot pan.
 

Hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend.
Remember and honor those who serve and those who have fallen. 
See you next week!!!

 ADDED - Click here for the Bean Salad - it's really good!

Stash-itis

Hello everyone.   I've been working on the computer for the last two days.  Wireless router, printer installation, scanner, and file transfers kept me busy.  If I knew what I was doing, or would have kept notes and setup DVD's from the first time, it would have gone smoother and quicker this second time around.  This afternoon I sat on my swing (no rain!) and looked through the charts for my next project.  I'm pleased and a little surprised at my increase in enthusiasm.  It's not what it was years ago, but I also don't expect it to be.  But hey - any increase is a step in the right direction.  Isn't it strange how the desire to grow the stash pile doesn't wane?  Even when I wasn't stitching, I was still looking, and still buying.  After going through what I have I realized that the pile is no where near what it used to be.  I gave away, burned, and EBay'd a lot.  I have boxes of Shepherd's Bush and Prairie Schooler from my friend that I will Ebay, and some other nice charts that don't interest me.  Anxiety set in for a moment thinking I am low on inventory!!  I purchased Sheepish Designs Sarah Pope and SL's Bliss & Hinkley yesterday online.  The two SL's I will do - they're small - but I will never stitch Pope.  So why did I buy it?  It was cheap and I wanted it years ago.  But really, why am I (we!) still looking and wanting charts that we may never get to?  Stitchitis?  Not for me - I know I won't ever stitch them. The thought of it becoming unavailable at some point and the mad scramble to find it?  Maybe.  For me I think it's just having it in hand, the possibility of creating it, studying the chart.  Whatever.  I have a wimpy stash.  So here we go with possibles...but first I want to show you two new finds. 

 This new basket is almost 30" x 14" and perfect for all my dried fruits.  As usual, I get all excited, bring it home, and don't want it anymore.  I'm such an indecisive goof. 

Next is a heavy wool blanket from the antique shop.  I have no use for it, but couldn't pass up the wool for making pillow/pincushion backs, or maybe trying wool applique/penny rug designs.  Not sure if I'm sorry I bought this yet.

Now let's get to possible choices.....

Scarlet Letter - Sally Fiske - on 30 count 20" x 21 1/2"

Cross, rice, eyelet, chain, buttonhole stitches

Homespun Elegance - Lucy Redd - 30 count 19 34/" x 18 1/4"

Cross, rice, eyelet, straight stitches

Scarlet Letter - Ideal Landscape - 30 count 24" x 10 3/4"

French knot, cross, eyelet, satin, stem, back, queen stitches

Scarlet Letter - Margaret Logan - 30 count 31 1/2" x 27 1/2"'

She's a big girl.

Cross stitches only

And finally - the one that has been on my mind for a while...

Scarlet Letter - Catharine Metcalf - 30 count 23 1/2" x 31"

Cross, petit point, counted satin, backstitch, bullion knots

WHAT????

WHAT???????

I just finished a small project that I ended up stitching twice with all the errors!  What the hell am I thinking?  Any of these monsters would be a real drain on my patience and could shoot my forward progress into reverse, set it on fire (my personal favorite), and out the window.

WHAT???

Big deal.  So I start one and decide it's too much and put it aside.   If I got through this last one without a match, I'm pretty sure that burning thing is over.  Picking the one with the least amount of specialty stitches would be the smart move.  The smarter move would be picking one of the medium sized R&R Reproduction charts.  But you know, I really do have a wimpy chart stash.  There aren't many that I like anymore.  I'll find something small again, and think about these.  Man, I hate to cut into a yard of linen and all these girls are big.  It really bothers me!  I've even gone as far as ordering linen in the cut size just to avoid cutting my yardage.  Like I said, goof.  I have the weekend to think about it, decide, and then change my mind.  But don't you think I should spend the weekend online looking for some new charts to fill in the monster to peanut gap?   Did I hear you shout a resounding YES????  Oh wait, that was me.  

Finally! Completed sewing bag..

I'm back.  I fixed my computer by myself!  I went to the manufacturer's website, looked up my problem, and followed their solution.  I printed all the important steps to take in case I crash again, including the hard reset (never heard of it).  Very easy to do, but I had already decided on a full recovery.  Using F8 for safe mode and F11 for the restore was all I needed.  It was pretty simple to go into System Backup and Recovery (never knew I had it) and take it back to the original state.  Removes all viruses and problems, but it takes a long while to run as does restoring your personal files.   I followed the backup instructions and regained my address book, favorites, pictures, everything!  There's still some tweaking to do on layouts and such but I don't have to drop some dimes for a repair/replace.  

The lovely Stacy bag is finished....thank God!!! 

What a fiasco I had with this small project from start to finish.  I should have known - something was trying to tell me to stay away by hiding her from me for so long!  But it's over.  The machine sewing was ripped and redone several times, in keeping with the theme of this project.  This is the inside..

I added the little red felt heart for needles but haven't stitched it in yet.  Maybe I will, maybe I won't.

I changed the color of the dog to our Labs' colors.  Ive been so tempted recently to cuddle with a fat little furball.  I donate to all our animal charities here, but stay away from the fairs.  Too risky.  It would be like taking a tour of our local chocolate factory - from which a load is brought home.

  Another day or two working on this machine and I will decide what to start next.  There is a BIG sampler that's been on my mind but I doubt if I will start it now.  Probably back to the pear or something small again.  But the next time I am determined to stitch a design and it disappears, you won't find me looking very hard! 

We had three days of sunshine - a break in the continuous rain - and now have a little variety - rain, torrential rain, steady rain, and light rain.  So dark and dreary all the time and it's been that way since winter.  Hopefully, if they're right, we have a break coming on Friday, and then back to rain through next week.  We had a lot of work done last summer with new plantings and I'm afraid the trees will not make it in this swamp of clay.  But once again, there are so many others in much worse condition, the terrible flooding in the farmlands, the devastation from the recent tornadoes, and I'm still thinking about the people of Japan.    Right now we have more warnings and it is so dark and scary.  Better shut down and shut up.  Stay safe everyone.

The crash of 2011

Hello everyone.  I visited a blog Friday night and all hell broke loose!  My laptop, which was mailed back to HP within months because it failed, and then lost its battery after only 9 months, threw a hissy fit and died that night.  I'm deciding what to do - repair or replace - and using my dinosaur until then.  This one is preventing me from opening most of your blogs, and when it does it takes forever!  The monitor is so different in color than the dead one.  My blog looks a soft beige but the dinosaur's view looks caramel.  Caramello bars.  OMG.  I made a caramel cream pie once and then threw the recipe away to prevent future piggishness.   Spellcheck didn't flag that so it must be a real word.  I finished Stacy but can't load any photos.  True to form, even the last stitches had to be ripped and re-stitched!  The 18 in 1820 ended up four stitches lower than the 20 and it was obvious.  I counted over from the berry instead of the vase, so obviously the stupid berry is off too!  Thank goodness it's over, but now the computer is causing me grief.  Hopefully I will find a fixer (Staples is too pricey), reinstall myself (fun to do but I will lose everything I didn't back up), or throw it out the window since it wouldn't burn well (put your money on this option).   I can see from my reader that there are a lot of new posts so I'm going to have a lot of catching up to do.  Hope to show you my Stacy bag soon.

Almost done!

Hello everyone.   I guess Blogger had a few hiccups lately!  I was unable to leave comments on several blogs and for a while, I was taking it personally.   But then I realized I couldn't even log into my own so I settled down and had a piece of chocolate.  Chocolate, I may add, that I purchased specifically to include as a little treat with my giveaways.  You are SOL.  


My sampler sewing bag, which has been a real test of my newly found patience, continued to aggravate the heck out of me and I am so proud of myself that I stuck with it.   I never thought that one stitch....maybe two....in a design as open as this, would create such a problem!   So after redoing the pear 3 times, don't ask me how, but there was still an error of a missing stitch in width which should have made the pattern move to the left.  I lined up the re-stitched pear to the alphabet as shown on the chart and adjusted the vines on the left.  So after stitching the second pear and the vines, I found that the alphabet "T" didn't fit.  I had to move it over because it was in the flower.  After adjusting the remaining letters, I checked again and found that the left 3X pear was still short in width.  But why it's still to the right and also one stitch higher - don't know - don't care.  The vase will be stitched wherever the hell I put it.  So there.  And it will be done!  Using the persimmon linen for the bag as suggested and planned, is looking less likely the more I complete.  Then I remembered I have some wool fabric for a blazer that may work but it was a little too ????? so I stained it, and here it is.  Once again, it looks much better than the colors in the photo.

 It smelled like burnt coffee so I had to decide which of these to spray. 

I love this stuff.  I use it on towels to freshen the bath and upholstery throughout the house and it did kill the coffee smell. 

I think the worst is over and the vase should be free of errors since nothing needs to line up with it.  Can't wait to start sewing the bag together.   

On another note, my Orioles are gone and I don't know why.  But I heard that familiar squeaking sound so I got out the feeder and there she was.  Hummers are back.  I found a system that works for me to keep ants off which is a real problem here. 

I use a thick line of E6000 glue to attach a spray paint can lid to a plastic plate after drawing the placement.  Then I glue the bottom of the feeder to the top of the lid and let it all set for at least a day.  I cut a few holes in the edge of the plate for rain water to run out, but the syrup dripping out lands on the plate, not the ground, and I've not had any ants since.

I've had to re-glue the other feeder but even when I clean them every few weeks with full strength Clorox, the glue still holds.  The Clorox takes all that black stuff away that develops. 

So that's it.  Next post will be the finish!  I want to thank all of you for reading, visiting my blog, leaving comments, sending emails, and helping me with your suggestions.  I'm new to the Blogasphere and still learning etiquette, if there is any.  I used to visit all the queens of thread blogs and never leave comments, feeling a little like an outsider.  Then I thought if I commented too often, I would be a pest.  I was wrong.  If bloggers didn't want to share, they wouldn't have a blog.  One of the queens helped me realize this and I want to thank her for that.  So unless the hot flash juice is dripping on to the keyboard and I'm concerned about electrocution, I'll be bugging more of you.