November Arrives

As November dawns, there may begin some angst about the looming holiday season, especially the stitching of gifts.  How many of our WIPs are Christmas related and what do we have in the stash for the holidays?  I really enjoyed the Spinster Stitcher's take on the topic. 

If you think you really need longer than the six weeks or so remaining, I see that the Bride's Tree Blog has openings for members to join. The Bride’s Tree is a German tradition. It is believed that a couple’s Christmas tree needs twelve specific ornaments for happiness in their life journey together.  The intent is to complete an ornament a month, but there’s no pressure here.  I was a member of this group in the past, and did complete the set of 12 Best Wishes Ornaments by Rosewood Manor.  You can see them here  if you like.

I’m continuing to stitch the NovaLee Christmas Noel SAL, using DMC on Vikki Clayton’s 35ct linen in off white with the Let’s Stitch blog group on Friday night.  Eight parts have been issued, and that's what I stitched most of last night.

I also started the Shepherd's Bush Occasional Musings, Baby.  It's on a piece of light teal and I just picked colors from what was sitting around that I liked... 

Started taking Chantix on Sunday, November 1, and have been able to notice a real difference in the desire to smoke.  A typical break would be once every couple of hours at home, but noticed longer intervals. 

I was also able to leave home without a ‘fresh pack’ when there were only a few left in the old pack.  I went back to work Tuesday from the weekend and sick leave Monday, and at mid-afternoon in the day I’ve usually had at least five, and now only had three.  I’m trying to drink more; especially water.

Are there side effects?  The only thing I've been distracted by are a little nausea if I don't eat with the pill, and bothersome restless legs at bedtime.  So here we are on Saturday.  Tomorrow, Nov 8, is the goal date to stop completely.  Throughout the week, I've continued to have roughly five per day.

Thank you so much for stopping by today.  Y'all come back again soon! 

Saving Daylight

Is it as hard for you to believe as it is for me that it’s time to fall back from daylight savings time?  It’s almost November, which means Thanksgiving will be here shortly – then Christmas!  How time just flies these days.

Here’s the update to the NovaLee Christmas Noel that I stitched Friday night with the Let’s Stitch group.

I got a package of charts I’d ordered online in the mail. I just love ‘em, but when in the world will they ever get stitched? So many loves and ideas, so little stitching time…  don’t we all feel that way? 

The other day on Stitch Bitch, Anna asked us to show what’s in our stitching bag. Well, since I’m evidently not as tidy as Anna, I decided to show what is always at my fingertips beside my stitching chair.  Of course there’s the chart, plus these days on 36ct there’s the magnifier glasses, scissors, needles, pins, and threads.  I’ve talked about this before, but the thing that keeps me going is to have a thread organizer – this one is what I use most often – made from a painter’s canvas with foam board on top with a list of the thread colors to stick the needle in when it’s time to switch colors.  Love it.  Don’t have to stop and thread the needle when it’s time to go back to another color.   When it is time to travel, stitch night, for example, I grab one of most of these things and drop them into my tote. Of course, a lot of times something’s missing, but most times it turns out fine!

Well, friends, the time has come for me to ask for your positive thoughts – I’m going to quit smoking; again!  Made up my mind last week, but had to get the doctor to prescribe some ‘help’, and with Chantix you take it for several days before laying them down.  So, Sunday, November 1 I’ll start on the meds, and we’ll see if it works as well as some say.  It’s never easy, but I’ve done it before, and what may help is that I’ve had bronchitis for the last several days which makes me smoke less.  Another “good thing” is that I’ve never smoked inside my house.  If you have success tips to share, please do!

Thank you so much for stopping by today, and I wish you a Spooky and Safe Halloween! 

Charlene in SC USA

Glendon Place - Monster March
This post will be up until Halloween - look below for updates.
Click on the photo to see a larger version.
If you don't care for the music, either turn down your volumn or click on the || at left to turn it off.

Fall Colors

These are the Burning Bushes of late October that are along the front of my yard.  Aren’t they beautiful?

I’ve been stitching on NovaLee’s Christmas Noel sampler since all that frogging from Friday, and it’s coming along nicely.  This is almost through part four.  Part six comes out Thursday, so hopefully I can get caught up on this coming Friday night’s Let’s Stitch!

I've joined a new online group, The Sampler Life.  A nice, friendly, enabling group!  I know, aren't we all enablers?

As I mentioned before, DS and I were going to the Panthers’ game on Sunday!  It was fun, but not the greatest since we lost.  I expected it to be a win, but it was not to be.  Anyway, it was a chilly, windy, cloudy day, but as the sun was setting on Charlotte’s skyline, I got this photo of the buildings and the beautiful sky.  I got a couple of shots of the team, but as you can tell we were in the nosebleed section!  One of the Buffalo fans made it up there with us and kept yelling for oxygen!  I guess their stadium isn’t as steep as ours!

Charlene in SC USA

Friday Night Stitching

It’s been quite a long time since I participated in Friday night’s Let’s Stitch – online group.  The plan is to stitch from 6pm until 12 midnight.  I had to run a couple of errands after work, then cooked dinner (Oyster stew was delicious), so didn’t start until 7:00.  I’m working on the NovaLee Christmas Noel SAL, using DMC on Vikki Clayton’s 36ct linen in off white.  Six parts have been issued, and I had finished part one and started two before last night.  I finished two and began three when I realized at about11:30 my count is off … I forgot to attach my little Frog Inhibitor before I started … and will have to do some frogging, so I stopped.  It’s a drizzly day now, so that’s probably what I’ll be doing in a short while.

Take a look in the left column if you’re interested in give aways – there’s a list of those I’ve seen around on my blog travels.

Looking forward to going to the Carolina Panthers game (Buffalo) tomorrow!  Go Panthers!!

Thanks for stopping by today, and please do come again.  Have a great weekend!

Charlene in SC USA

Autumn Update - TUSAL

It seems as if autumn has made its grand appearance.  It has been cool and rainy most of the week and today is supposed to be cloudy with high of 50s.  There may be record lows over the weekend, which is in the 40s I believe.   There was a note in the local paper that said the prediction is for cooler and more snow than normal for us this winter. That’s ok with me!

It has been a great stitching (related) week!  I joined a new group – TUSAL – Totally Useless Stitch ALong – over at Dragon My Needle.  I’ve watched it for a while now, and finally decided I had to join, too.  In August of  2008 I started an ORT jar, so on December 31, I made an ornament. 

On January 1, 2009, I started a new one, but using the actual ornament as the ORT jar, and the old jar for a base to hold it upright.  Now labels, longer threads that MAY be used, etc. goes into the base, and only ORT TUSAL goes into the top.  Here is how it looks now, my first TUSAL update.  This ornie will be January – December 2009.          

This week I finished the Peace Christmas tree – Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament issue by Sue Hillis.  The pearl buttons in my stash were just not small enough, so I used the pearl stars with white beads to finish it off.

I also finished Trix or Treat by Blackbird Designs on 28ct linen in Tobacco and just love this color.

I got a call from my LNS telling me my Putford scissors had come in, so I went to the sight to see what else was on Just Arrived and made a list!  Stash building is SO much fun... I got Plumstreet Samplers Garden of Erie and Jenny Bean Halloween Sampler - although it really doesnt look much like Halloween to me - and a couple of others that will be surprises ;-).

On some fine stitcher's enabling blog, I saw the Prairie Schooler Pumpkins chart, and after searching found that it is out of print (OOP.  Finally found it on ebay, such a happy camper.  Also found a laying tool made to look like a needle.

I hope you'll pardon the misplaced apostrophes, lines, pictures, and such.  Blogger (or this font) just isn't working well for me today! 

I hope it is a nice stitching day where you are – it is here, but there’s a birthday party to get ready for… but later.  Thanks for dropping by today, and do come again soon. 

Charlene in SC USA

October – Breast Cancer Awareness

October – Breast Cancer Awareness

There’s a Pink link in the left column that allows you to sign up to receive a daily email reminder to click to provide (free) mammograms for women.  Just a click from your busy day…

 Did you know September was Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month?  I didn’t …  Click to go learn more about the symptoms of the ‘hard-to-diagnose’ disease. 

Quite some time ago, I finished stitching the Crazy Quilt piece, and the plan was to make it into a pillow for my aunt who has been fighting ovarian cancer for almost five years!  Her daughter is converting one of her bedrooms into a room for Mom after she has chemo and needs to be with someone.  DC asked if I’d make some window toppers for her, and of course I said yes.  She had the fabric, but didn’t know how to sew it up.  She had bought some of similar fabric that are hanging in the other BR.  When I held up the fabric, it looked short… She had measured the ready-made ones, top to bottom, and cut the fabric to that exact length!  I went home and dug into the muslin drawer, lined them, and they came out ‘just about’ the right length.  Of course I forgot to take a picture, but maybe I’ll get one of them hanging some time.  ANYway…  While the sewing machine was accessible (*path cleared to get to it), I decided to put the pillow together.  We had dinner together the other night, and DA was thanking me for the pillow, and said DC made her leave it at her house, in her room there.  J 

We had talked about the fall stitching getaway, so I took the stitched pieces from TWTQ to show them what we had done there, and how much I had stitched.  They were very complimentary of the piece, but they are amazed that I can ‘sit and stitch all that tedious work’ for hours on end.  They don’t know what they’re missing, do they?  DC is one of those obsessed housekeepers (she vacuums her entire house EVERY day) and works full time, so I told her that’s why her house looks like it does, and *mine looks like it does!! 

I’ve finished the stitching of the Tea with the Queen project (plus a scissor fob and will probably add a bit of design to the back of the scissor pouch), but we’ll see how long it takes to get it completely sewn up! 

Front of needleroll and closeup

Bag label and front of scissor pouch

This is an ornament by Sue Hillis from the JCS Christmas Ornament edition.  Again, I’ve improvised a bit to include a little silver strand in the snowflakes, and am considering using tiny star shaped pearl beads in place of the pearl buttons.  I’ll have to look at my pearl buttons to see if there are any tiny enough – what with the scissors and spools…

I’m writing this on Friday, to be posted on Saturday (complete with pictures).  I’m SO glad it’s Friday – and it’s Ladies Night!  A group of friends get together once every couple of months or so to have a cocktail, usually with a theme of some sort - these aren’t stitching ladies - like manicures or coupon swapping or tales by the outdoor fire pit (any theme will do), and dinner.  Tonight is cold cut sandwiches.  They usually request that I bring dessert,
We don’t have ANY dessert yet????? Marquirita pie – I would never drop hints!!!!

So tonight is Margarita pie encore – recipe from Pampered Chef.  I’ll TRY to remember to take a picture before we dig in.  It’s easy and GOOD if you like lime.  I tried Key Lime last time, but for me it wasn’t tart enough with the other ingredients, so this time it’s regular lime.  We’ll see if THEY like it as well.  They didn't notice any difference...nor did I.

Margarita Pie

Crust

1 ¼ cups finely crushed pretzels (I leave a few chunky pieces for texture)
½ cup butter or margarine, melted
¼ cup sugar

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, press onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate

Filling

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk) [Note to self – new can opener]
2 teaspoons grated lime peel
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup orange juice
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Combine milk, lime peel, and juices in medium bowl; fold in whipped topping.  Spoon mixture into crust.  Refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes.                  Yield:  8 servings

Thanks for stopping by today, and please come back again!