Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Merry Christmas!




May your Christmas be filled with many blessings and good times with family and friends!

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Christmas Just Isn't Christmas Without...

...homemade chocolate chip cookies!!!

Here they are waiting to go into the oven...



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And here's the finish product...



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Now all I need is a TALL glass of COLD COLD COLD milk and I'll be set!!

Of course, with all this baking comes memories of my mom who passed away December 13, 1996. She instilled in me a love for baking homemade goodies from scratch, not just during the Christmas season, but all year long. Nothing says lovin' more than something homemade! Most of my holiday memories of my mom involve us baking TONS of cookies together. Every year, we would bake at least 2 double recipes of chocolate chip cookies, Oatmeal "Rocks" for my dad (so dry the only way you can stand to eat them is dunked in coffee!!), Coconut Oatmeal cookies for my brother (just past raw is the way he likes them best), and peanut butter cookies. Momma was always taking cookies to someone or some function during the Christmas season. They were always well received, too!

With the baking of the chocolate chippers came the never-ending argument of how long to bake them. Momma liked them semi-raw and I liked them well done, crunchy well done. We usually compromised and made half the batch her speed and half the batch my speed, but if I was doing the baking, more would be my speed and less her half-baked speed!!

So... the Christmas season is officially underway at my house!

Sunday, December 02, 2007

What a Week!

I was doing okay until Wednesday when Trusty Steed died while I was out running errands. Nothing worse than having your vehicle die leaving you stranded!! I called my husband, who's at home recovering from back surgery and not driving yet, to let him know what was going on. He's also my mechanic. (He works cheap, too!) He comes to pick me up. Thankfully, I was only a mile or so away from home and he could drive slowly on the back roads just in case he needed to stop or something. Ends up it wasn't an easy fix, so we had it towed to a shop about 4 blocks from our home. We've never used this shop, but it was a great experience. They had me up and running the next day.

On Friday, I left work early to go to the doctor about my back. Went out to the truck and Trusty Steed was bleeding! There was a puddle of transmission fluid on the ground. Had it towed back to the shop and turns out to be a different problem! Some kind of seal on the back of the engine or something. Anyway, the man who owns the shop came in and told me he'd like to keep it for 20 years he likes it so much! (It's already 16 years old!!) I told him I'd give him visiting rights overnight! LOL Trusty Steed was good to go yesterday afternoon! We're on the road again!

I love my truck!! People ask me why I drive a 16 year old vehicle. I ask them why not?? It's PAID for is the big reason, but it's got a brand new engine in it, a rebuilt transmission (3 years old), a new AC system, and now a new fuel pump! When we have to do work on it, we're out maybe the equivalent of one car payment and insurance payment. If my husband is able to fix the problem, then we're not out the equivalent of one car payment. I'm never worried about it breaking down or quitting on me. It's actually a very reliable vehicle. And I'm thankful we don't have a car payment!

On top of the truck problems lasting from Wednesday to Saturday, my older cat, Callie was sick. She went to the vet on Tuesday. She's got an upper respiratory infection (a head cold) and is on medication. She's not 100% better, but she's getting there. Also on Tuesday, I went for a sonogram on my kidneys (to check for kidney stones) and to have x-rays on my lower back. I've been having some serious back pains and the doctor was thinking I had a kidney stone. My kidneys are FINE, but I have arthritis in my back. I need to make an appointment with the doctor to discuss the "options", but I think I'll continue seeing my chiropractor. I was going to see him on Friday when Trusty Steed started bleeding...

I'm hoping this week will give me more stitching time! I put up my Christmas tree yesterday. Hope to get it all decorated this week. Look for a picture soon!!

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Happy 2nd Gotcha Day to Hannah Grace!

Two years ago on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, my DH and I went down to animal control to look at the cats. We weren't intending to come home with a kitty, much less a sick on, but we did. We adopted a cute little malnourished waif of a cat who quickly wormed her way into our hearts.



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Little did we know how sick she was. She spent the first week of her life with us at the vet's with a very nasty upper respiratory infection. They didn't think she would survive the first night, but she did!! And we're ever so thankful. She's brought lots of love and laughter into our lives these past 2 years. She's a little cuddle bug when she's sleepy and full out terror when she's in play mode!

Happy Gotcha Day, Hannah Grace-girl!



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Thursday, November 22, 2007

My Two Latest WIPs

First up is Little House Needleworks' City Stitcher, Country Stitcher. I'm stitching this as part of a SAL with some folks from one of the message boards I frequent. There's a bit boo-boo on the house, so when I go back to it, I'm going to start stitching on some other part of the design!! It's stiched on 32 ct. Toasted Almond linen using DMC & Crescent Colours fibers.



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My other WIP is La-D-Da's A Bushel & A Peck. It's stitched on 32 ct. Vintage Autumn Fields using Crescent Colours' Belle Soie silks. They are absolutely wonderful to work with!!



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I'm currently stitching on LHN's Wisdom Scripture pack. I'll post a pic of my progress soon.

TFL!!

Thought I Fell off the Face of the Earth??

Sometimes I feel like I have, but I'm still among the living!! Summer and the first part of Autumn have been very hectic! I got into a stitching slump and into a garden frenzy! Here's a pic of one of our flower beds in (almost) all of its glory.



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In October, my hubby fell 12' off a ladder while trimming the tree in our front yard and fractured 2 vertebrae in his back. He spent 15 days in the hospital mainly due to all the pain meds saturating his system. Basically, he had to detox, which was not a fun experience for either of us. He came home the end of October and he's doing splendidly. He just finished a 3-week round of in-home physical therapy. In another 3-4 weeks, he's hoping to start outpatient therapy at a nearby PT clinic.

Understandably, taking care of the husband has been my #1 priority. When he first came home from the hospital, he couldn't do anything for himself. I had to help him do everything...get into bed, out of bed, go to the potty, take a shower, turn over, sit up, sit down, get up, get down, get all his meals ready for him & clean up the dishes. It was exhausting work! I have just recently started sleeping through the night again. What a wonderful thing! I have a whole new appreciation for parenthood!!



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You can't tell it from this picture, but Mark has a hard plastic brace he has to wear. For the first month after surgery, he had to wear it 24/7 unless he was in bed. He couldn't even sit up on the side of the bed without it on! I quickly became proficient in getting that thing on him in the dark! Mark spent lots of nights in the recliner under the heated throw. Hannah soon discovered her a new napping spot! LOL She's not usually a cuddle bug, but I think she knew Mark was hurting and needed a little comforting.

I have done lots of stitching in the interim months. I'll post pics of my finishes in my next post! Or, if you're in a hurry to see them, you can check out my Fotki albums and see them all!

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Another Finish!!


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I stitched this Heart in Hand design for Robin in an exchange on the OOE board. It's made it to its new home in Virginia, so I can now share it with you! It's HIH's Liberty House Sampler and I converted the threads to Crescent Colours. It's stitched on 32 ct. Vintage Country Mocha linen. It was a very fun and quick piece to stitch!!

I'm currently working on a little graduation piece for my niece. Her graduation is Saturday, but I don't think I'm going to have it finished by then! LOL

Monday, May 14, 2007

La-D-Da's Bushel and a Peck Progress

I have been stitching exclusively on gifts and exchanges the past 2 months, so yesterday, I decided to work on my incentive piece. Here's my before & afters.

Before:

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After 4 hours yesterday:

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I'm stitching this on 32 ct. Vintage Autumn Fields linen using Belle Soie silks from Crescent Colours.

Back to an exchange piece today.....!!!

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

ABC Exchange Piece

I stitched Bent Creek's Neighborhood Row for my ABC exchange piece at the OOE board. I went with a piece of 32 count linen I found in my stash and GAST, WDW, and a couple of CCs thrown in for good measure. It has safely arrived at its destination, so I can now show it off!!


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Sunday, May 06, 2007

A Finish!!

But...I can't show it yet! LOL Just finished an exchange piece (a very late exchange piece) and it looks GREAT! Can't wait to post a pic for everyone to see. Have moved onto another exchange piece.

Monday, April 23, 2007

Still Alive!

I'm still alive and still stitching, just not much. I'm working on an exchange piece and a little gift piece, so I can't post pics yet. I have been spending oodles of time out in my garden, though!! Here's last year's garden with a few new additions for this year.



I added a trailing lantana in front of my butterfly bush, a May Night salvia and a pincushion plant in the front border. Yesterday we raked away all the mulch from last year and put down a layer of compost from last year's compost pile. Then we reapplied the mulch and fed the plants. I need to add some more as some places are a bit thin on the mulch. I also released some ladybugs because I had some aphids on my coreopsis.

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Started Something New

Well, I started 2 new somethings, but I can only share one with you. The other is a gift, so will be awhile before I can share that one.

I started the "Peace" threadpack from LHN/CC last week so I could take it on the marriage retreat DH & I went on. Decided to go with a blue fabric to have a change from the neutrals/browns I've been stitching on lately. Here's my start.

Peace Threadpack

I think it's turning out nicely!! Not sure when I'll get back to this as my stitching plate is quite full at the moment, but at least I've got a good start!

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Spring is Here!

At least in my stitching! LOL Finished Lizzie*Kate's Spring-ily Boxer Jr. today. I actually finished the stitching a few days ago, but just got around to attaching the buttons and ironing it today. The kit comes with some boring piece of linen, so I changed it out to 28 ct. Moonglow linen from Picture This Plus. I used Crescent Colours, GAST, and WDW fibers.

Spring-ily

Tried Something Different for Dinner

The other night, I had 2 packages of stew meat in the fridge, but it was too warm for stew, so I decided to try something different. I made foil dinners!! Being a Girl Scout for 20 years or so, I've eaten my fair share of foil dinners, but I've never thought of making them at home.

My foil dinners had onions, sliced potatoes, carrots, green beans, very thinly sliced celery (for seasoning), and very thinly sliced bell pepper in them. I made a total of 5 packets and some I topped with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Others I used seasoned salt, and on 1 I sprinkled some Italian salad dressing mix on. Cooked them at 450º for 50 mins and they were delish!!

While I used beef stew meat, you could use chicken breasts, round steak, or cubed steak. You could even marinate the meat overnight for a different flavor. Also, you can pretty much use any kind of veggies you have on hand, or some partially frozen veggies if that's all you have.

Give 'em a try!! You'll like it!

Monday, February 19, 2007

February's Ornament Finished

One of my goals each month is to stitch a Christmas ornament. In my ideal world, these would be finished into a beautiful work of art to show off my stitching and hung on my Christmas tree (or on someone else's tree if it's a gift) each year. However, most of my finished ornaments reside in a lovely plastic tote waiting to be finished into beautiful works of art.

This month, I stitched Little House Needlework's Pine Tree Hill from the November, 2006 JCS magazine. It's stitched entirely in Crescent Colours fibers on a piece of 28 ct. Toasted Almond linen. It was a fun stitch!! I especially love the red in this one!

Pine Tree Hill

I'm now stitching on a cute little piece for spring, which I hope to finish up and post a pic of in the next few days.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

A Finish!

Ladybugs and Bumblebees

Ladybugs & Bumblebees is history! I put the final stitches in this piece yesterday after work. What fun I've had working on this project. I just love the soft browns and pinks. (Pink is my favorite color.) I hope to finish up my ornie today, and then move onto a new project on Monday.

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Ladybugs & Bumblebees Update

I'm stitching this as my incentive piece for the incentive SAL on the OOE board. I have no clue what fabric it is, but it's pretty!! I'm using Crescent Colours and one GAST.


Hosted on Fotki


It's almost finished and I'm planning on having it finished by the deadline date of Feb. 10th!

Some Finishes from Last Week

I finished a couple of things early last week. One was for an exchange, so I couldn't post until it had been received!

This is the piece I stitched for the heart exchange on the OOE board.


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It's Love Letters, a complimentary design from Papillon Creations. I stitched it on 32 ct. Vintage Magnolia linen from Lakeside Linens using Crescent Colours' Razzleberry. Such a fun, quick stitch!!

Next up is the 3rd installation on my Shepherd's Bush ornie bellpull. Finally finished "Shepherds Watched". (It only took me 2 months!! LOL) The bellpull is 32 ct. flax linen. I'll be adding the charms once I finish the next ornie.


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Here's the bellpull:


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Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Complimentary Exchange from Mary



This is the awesome exchange piece I received from Mary in the complimentary exchange. It's Sunflower Welcome by The Sunflower Seed. I absolutely LOVE it 'cuz I'm a lover of sunflowers!! Perfect choice, Mary!

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Complimentary Exchange Piece Received


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Sally received her complimentary exchange piece, so I can finally post a picture of it for all the world to see! This is Stitchy Kitty's "Winter Blues" stitched on a piece of 32 ct. Little Boy Blue linen using Crescent Colours fibers. I just love this little guy and think he's so cute! Sally told me she wasn't sending him back to me, so I might just have to stitch him for myself one day!!

I'm currently working on another complimentary design for a heart exchange. I'm LOVING the piece I'm stitching on and can't wait until it's received so I can show you this pretty little thing!!

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Baked Some Brownies!

Since I am housebound today, I whipped up a batch of homemade brownies. These are my absolute, all-time, made from scratch favorites! They are so easy to make, too! This was originally an "in the jar" recipe, so you could layer the dry ingredients in a small Mason jar, and attach the recipe to the lid and give as a gift.

Sand Art Brownies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1/3 cup cocoa
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup Holiday M&Ms (red & green, or any baking chip of your choice"
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/8 cup flour
½ cup chopped nuts (I use walnuts, coarsely chopped)
½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

Mix dry ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl and add vanilla, oil, and eggs. Stir until well blended. Pour into a greased 9 X 9 pan and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350º. (I usually cook mine for 27-29 mins.)

City Snowfall

Snow!! I woke up to a light dusting of snow this morning. You have to understand, this is quite unusual for Texas, even north Texas! We just don't have weather like this too frequently. Many businesses and schools are closed. Eventhough it's my day off, I tried calling up to work and there's been no answer, so I guess the store's closed! Eveything is so quiet and peaceful. It's one of the good things about snow that even I can appreciate.

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy.

Here's the backyard. Look at all the green grass! LOL



Here's the front of the house.



Lastly, this is Mango, our neighbor's kitty seeking shelter from the rain in the tire well of my truck! (He went inside when they went back in after playing in the snow.)



I was going to run errands today, but it looks like I'm housebound, so after I balance the checkbook, I'll work on finishing a little gift for a friend, put my initials on an exchange piece and get that ready to mail, then sit & stitch while watching a DVD or 2. I'm also going to whip up a batch of brownies today!! Yummy!

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Final Stitches of 2006

Olivia's Garden Quilt
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Here she is in all of her glory!! Olivia's Garden Quilt is a wrap! I put the final stitches in her during the last week of 2006, and I must say she is much prettier in person! I'm so glad to have her finished! Now, I just need to find the time and money to take her to be framed.

Quaker Christmas Holly
wldfire7

Quaker Christmas Holly was my last ornie for 2006. I finished it just before midnight on New Year's Eve! LOL I added beads instead of doing the French Knots. It's stitched on 32 ct. Exemplar linen from Lakeside Linens using Crescent Colours.

Happy New Year!

Eventho it's already the middle of the month, Happy New Year! Last year ended with a sick husband, a sick cat, and a sick me! Not the best way to end the year or start a new one, but we're all better now and life is pretty good. Well, as good as it can be when it's cold outside!

Ice has hit North Texas and we've been housebound today. I ventured out late this afternoon and took a few pictures around the yard.

Here's the view out the window over my sink. I giggle everytime I see that pumpkin on top of the compost pile! Now it's covered in ice!

View Outside my Back Window
wldfire7

Frozen Savannah Holly limb on the east side of our house and our honeysuckle bush.

Frozen Branch
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Honeysuckle
wldfire7

Since it was a stay inside kind of day, I made a big pot of beef stew and a batch of cornbread for dinner. Made the house smell yummy all afternoon!! It was so delish and warming!

~Stephanie