New Acquistions....

Remember a few weeks ago when I said we were painting rooms and rearraging kids bedrooms? And that *fingers crossed* Ellie would move out of Mommy and Daddy's bedroom?

Well because this happened:

THIS happened in Mommy and Daddy's bedroom:

Daddy bought Mommy (I mean us) a new LCD flatscreen tv to go in our bedroom!

Mommy added some chairs (and her stitching supplies)

Then Mommy saw that Hobby Lobby was having a 50% off sale on "wall decor" - what LOVELY timing Mommy thought :o) Daddy wasn't so sure about the timing:

And because Mommy likes to copy Staci so much that she's copying THIS (5th picture down)
and lovelies will be hanging from the hooks as soon as she gets her nose to the grindstone and stitches them instead of being on this computer!

And since it is soon fall, there's been some heavy duty fall cleaning, clearing and decorating has been going on and all this is the result of that:

WHEW! Mommy's tired....

Off to get to that stitchy copying....

Until next time friends :o) Have a great Holiday Weekend!

Tropical Thursday...

Hello Friends! Hope all is well ;o)

Last night in good 'ol Indiana we had a smattering of rain. Today I woke up and it looks like I could cut the air with a knife. UGH...

First up: here's Hannah's Halloween RR from the Witching for Stitching RR isn't it cute?!


This was round #1 thus my lonely kitty standing in the moon....~MEOW~

Next up: heard from my partner Clare H. from Fair and Square that she received my humble squares. Clare loves acorns...so how could I resist stitching these up for her on a piece of my own hand-dyed linen:


Walking Chronicals: Many of you dear readers have asked me about my 5 a.m. walking...so I shall not disappoint. Yes! I have continued my daily 5 a.m. walks ;o) Luckily my high wattage flashlight must be frightening all the critters away! Hurray! I have not even seen any squirrels since my skunk and raccoon encounters...or maybe the skunk told the other critters that I was one formidable opponent and multi-lingual? I don't know what the reason, but my walks have been uneventful!

That's it for me today, thanks for all the lovely comments and visits that you gift me with daily! I so enjoy them :o)

May the floss be with you!

Me, Myself and I....

Well thanks to the overwhelmingly positive response I went ahead and opened a blog for builders wanting to construct their own Neighborhoods!

If you are interested at all in doing it please take a look...this is not a Round Robin...this is more like a SAL with a "round robin look" LOL! :)

http://memyselfandirrs.blogspot.com

Blogs now have a 100 member limit. Not that I think we'll reach 100 - but you never know - we are currently at 23 members.

The rules are loose, it has to be a "neighborhood" and the "start date" is Dec. 31, 2008. The borders, layout design, etc can be completed prior to the house building but no houses can be stitched before Dec. 31, 2008. Comprende?

Sonja - you said you were interested if that is the case please e-mail me with your e-mail so that I can send you an invitation to join us.

Thanks one and all!

Me, Myself and I Round Robin?

I have some questions for you all, my dear readers, and here they are:

1. How many of you want to stitch on a Neighborhood Round Robin?
2. How many of you are afraid you can't meet the stipulated deadlines?
3. How many of you are afraid that once you get started on a Round Robin that it may be held hostage at some stitcher's house never to be found again?
4. How many of you fear losing the RR in the mail?
5. How many of you don't want to pay the $5-8 bucks to mail the RR's each rotation for around 18 months to 2 years?
6. How many of you fear that the "subject" that will be stitched on your RR isn't what you had in mind?
7. Or the quality of the stitching is not up to your ideal.
8. Or the colors aren't what you were "thinking".
9. You don't have enough "connections" to get into a RR.

Well then I think a Me, Myself and I Neighborhood Round Robin is the answer for you! There are no stipulations, no deadlines, no dates, the universe is the limit on what you can build in your neighborhood....still doubt you can be that creative...go on over and take a gander at Carol's Neighborhood that she's built herself (and I have been following for the last year) - you can find it here http://linenstitcher2.wordpress.com/2008/08/10/tools-of-the-trade/ she's done a spectacular job!

Still not so sure? Well how about you can do anything your heart desires, you can have a fall town, a spring town, Easter town, small town, big town, winter town, Christmas Village (eh?!), a town where there are 4 seasons - just walk up the street and it's winter, walk down the street and it's summer...across the street is spring - while just around the corner its autumn! I'm personally wanting to do a "Liberty Town" ...where every house on the street sports an American Flag.

Wanna join it? If there is enough interest in starting something like this...it will sort of be a "SAL" since we aren't exchanging with anyone just stitching it ourselves....I'll open a Me, Myself and I Neighborhood Round Robin Blog and invite you to join. Just leave me a comment with your contact information or send me an e-mail (addy in my profile).

I'm counting this as my New Year's Start so we'll have 4 months to get the layouts, borders stitched, ideas meshed...etc. Then we can start on Dec. 31, 2008! I love to start my New Year's Project on the night of New Year's Eve...its a personal ritual I have.

Exciting, exciting, huh?! COME ON! You know you want to join...and think of all the creativity out there....show off yours and join up with me!

Catching up?

Hello Friends :)
Long time no write...well nothing much exciting has been going on - except the same old song and dance routine of chasing my tail.

It's that time of year that I can't stand...hot, humid, everything is "going back" and all I want is a cool snap to the breeze, the smell of crackling firewood, frost on the pumpkin and rejuvenation! I tell you though friends, as I was taking my morning walk this a.m. there's a hint of coolness in the air...I could feel it...can't wait for fall to be here. My favorite time of the year. Well any season is a good season, but the dog days of summer make me tired. Don't like them...at all....

So First Up: a lovely biscornu from the Smalls Exchange on the SBEBB - this is the last exchange I shall receive from that board - and it was a winner - a good way to go out of exchanging:

Biscornu was taken from the Gift of Stitching

Stitched by: Hazel

She did an outstanding job...I love it!

And I also loved the extras that she sent. I've been wanting for a long time the "Fruit of the Spirit" pattern from Plum Street Samplers! The hank of fabric that she sent will be perfect for the design and she gave me a lovely shade of Threadworx floss too! Not to mention the postcard. DIVINE (!) all of it Hazel I honestly am thrilled to the core! Thank you!

Next Up: I forgot to show my Redwork exchange that I stitched for Andrea:

A Mon Ami Pierre's "The Stitcher" motif - stitched with DMC 115 - finished as a small pillow

This picture STINKS...if you could see it in real life it was much better and prettier....you know how DMC 115 has almost a brownish (DMC 3371) parts in it? Well the bow is brown and on the sides I added brown rick-rack. The fabric that is framing and backing the piece was mottled red with the same brownish parts on it. I thought it was really darling all done up and I hated (even though I love Andrea to bits) to put that baby in the envelope to send to England to live. :o) But that is the good thing about getting out of exchanges for a bit...I can exchange with myself! RIGHT?!

Well I have some lovely ladies to thank for giving me the "I Love Your Blog Award" there were a couple of ladies that I didn't know, so I had the priveledge of meeting some new people and adding their own LOVELY blogs to my google reader! Here's the lovely ladies that gifted me with the award:

Karol from Rosebud's Stitching - Karol is from Indiana too!

Daniela from the Czech Republic found at Nezbytne Malickosti. I met Daniela through Fair and Square :)

Michele who has a lovely blog and I can't find the darn address...as she's one of my newbies that I just added recently to my reader. I'll get the link and post it later. SORRY MICHELE!

And J Rae of Sunshine Stitches

I *heart* all of these ladies for giving me such a thumbs up approval rating on my blog. I *heart* their blogs too! And I *heart* everyone's blog that I visit. I have to date 309 google reader feeds...yikes just checked that number and was gobsmacked about the number I thought I only had like 200...WOWZERS people! That's a lot of commenting...no wonder I don't keep up very well....Anyway....if someone takes the time to leave me a comment - I add them to my Google Reader and I *try* really, really hard to comment each time they update. I honestly do...I fail...because right now I have over 600 posts to read because I worked a lot last week and well...you people are VERBOSE! :o)

Thank you to each and every person that reads my blog - leave me a comment and I'll visit you :) And just like Karol left me a comment and I found out she's from Indiana - if you are from Indiana I'd really like to get to know you! What about having an Indiana Stitcher's Blog? Hey Ho! That'd be sweet! Or what about maybe trying to either have a Indiana Stitcher's SAL? or Exchange? Hmmmm???? Here I thought I was really only one of very few Indiana Stitching Bloggers and I don't think I am....I see Indiana hits all the time on my hit tracker...but no one comments to get to know me....so come on....e-mail me! or comment ;)

Until next time my dear readers....thank you for visiting me, I cherish you all...and soon, very soon my pretties (imagine me with green skin rubbing my hands together....) I will be having my 2nd BLOGGERVERSARY! You know what that means...a stitched goody from moi!

May the floss be with you! (at all times) :o)

Over and out...

What a surprise!

Hello Friends! Didn't have an idea that I was going to blog today, but I can't let these beauties go unnoticed! The mailman was generous today in filling my box up with gorgeous goodies from two lovely ladies :o)

First up is a belated birthday gift from the sweet, hard working Mommy to four kiddos, Barbara look at this beauty:

"Tulips" from the 2008 Fremme Collection

Stiched using overdyed DMC on a mystery linen

Finished as a pillow and backed with the sweetest MODA fabric

THANK YOU Barbara!! She chose yellow to stitch the piece in and yellow is one of my favorite colors and this deep mustard color is my favorite of all yellows!

Barbara sent the sweetest note along with such wonderfully nice sentiments in it, thank you Barbara, I feel the same way about you. Any mother, no matter if you have 1 or 12 kids, has leads a harried life and has a tough job to guide and lead your chicks. You do it admirably, Barbara!

Next up is Round #8 Fair and Square Friendship Squares from Clare:

I've loved meeting Clare and I've become a loyal reader of her blog. She's a sweet soul and likes many of the same kinds of stitching I do. She did me up righteous with a set of these lovely redwork squares...absolutely gorgeous! And I just love the curley ques aren't they sweet?

Lastly an update on my Walking Chronicals: Today was a good a.m. walk, no grumpy raccoons to be seen, no ornery skunks visible (though I do think I smelled the little feller some where)....no shooting stars :o( But I did have an encounter with a bitty bunny! He just hopped away, but he was a tiny rascal....little sweetie. So I figure in the last 6 days I've walked 24 miles. Yay me! My knees ache, my hips are sore, my buttock and back of my thighs are begging for mercy - there's not a flat place around here - we're all hills and hollars so I'm either walking UP or walking DOWN never just walking FLAT....and although I think I'm going to blow an artery before I get to the top of some of these rolling hills, I try to always think how great it is going to be walking DOWN the other side! LOL! Trying to keep it positive...you know the "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow" type thing.....sad thing is the walking DOWN seems to go a lot faster than the walking UP and before I know it I'm walking UP again.....*hrmph!*.....

My dear husband did take me seriously about the flashlight with wattage though...he gifted me with a big 'ol flashlight and I'm talking W-A-T-T-A-G-E! I think it would make a vampire cringe it's that bright!

Alrighty friends - that's it for me today! I wish you a sunny, fun filled weekend with light and laughter all the days....peace out!

Thursday's Topics...

Happy Thursday Friends! The weekend is.....almost......here! :)

Yesterday when I went to my mailbox, I found this:

Birthday Wish Sheep by Shepherd's Bush

stitched over 1

Finished as a Floss Holder by the lovely Su for a belated birthday giftie

Isn't she fabulously talented? I've secretly coveted one of these since I saw Staci's Fair and Squares finished off like this. The colors are perfect, the subject is my favorite :) and it is so tiny this measures just about 4 inches tall...and maybe 3 wide...it is TINY! Thank you so much Su - you know I love it and just like the tin you made for me last year, I shall gaze upon this and think of you!

Up Next: The Walking Chronicles:

Today as I arose wearily from my bed at 4:55 a.m. I was close to saying "screw it!" but I persevered! I don't "fix" myself up in the least prior to my hitting the streets in the a.m. Nope I just pull on the same clothes I've worn the past week to walk in (yep, they are standing by themselves in the corner of my closet and I think today they were walking themselves - but never fear today IS laundry day!) - anyway, back to the subject at hand - I pulled on my clothes and shoes, kissed my husband goodbye, grabbed my flashlight and garage opener and off I went. The first leg of the journey went well - not many people are awake at this time of the morning so its a bit freaky when I first start out. I was walking along had about 10 minutes into my 45 and up ahead a saw "something" that caught my attention...what was that? A cat? A rat? What WAS it? And just like a cowboy in western shoot out - I whipped out my flashlight and hit the button and illuminated a SKUNK with tail erect and prepared to spray me! AWWWW HECK! (I was thinking something much more spine straightening...but this is a G rated blog and you get the idea).....

Well what to do? I made a sort of "YELP" at him (I mean I can't scream bloody murder at 5 a.m. in the middle of American Suburbia awaking God and everyone from their last minutes of morning slumber) - the yelp.....didn't phase him. I jumped up and down stomping my feet - nothing. Taking a page from Dora the Explorer I said - "Vamanos!". Aparently he didn't speak Spanish. I said menacingly, "Kommen Sie nach Haus!" (get home) - I heard my Pap say this to dogs on occasion growing up and didn't know what it meant until my adult years - but regardless of my impeccable German accent and verbage - the skunk was apparently NOT of German lineage either....I was running out of options when I finally just started walking toward it S-L-O-W-L-Y...and finally the tail lowered and he casually (like on a Sunday stroll) walked over to the other side of the street.

I tell you friends, I was nearly ready to just throw my hands up in disgust and "kommen sie nach haus" myself - but I trudged on *hoping* beyond hope that my animal encounters were done for today. I'd walked on about 1 minute and I heard a car - I turned around and it was my husband leaving for work, so I ran out in the middle of the street to stop him - usually he just flicks his lights at me to say "goodbye" - but today he was going to hear about this SKUNK encounter. After I told him my harrowing story - do you know what he did? He laughed. I was furious...how dare he laugh when I could have smelled for DAYS, might have had to take a bath in tomato juice - he laughed and said, "The kids are gonna LOVE this story!" Hrmph! I just told him he better get me a more menancing flashlight and I mean with wattage!

You know after all these walks and the things I have SEEN on them just in 5 short days - I believe I could write a book. I've been told before in school and then people that read my blog that I'm talented at weaving a tale. I even went so far as take an entrance examination for a school that took manuscripts and helped you become an author. I passed it - they wanted me - I got pregnant with twins - end of story. So I think I'll just continue being "The Twisted Stitcher" - and you can read my diatribe freely :o) But back to the skunk, racoon encounters....it sort of reminds me of the kids movie "Over the Hedge" doesn't it you?! Funny!

Alrighty friends that does it for me today....work for me tomorrow and all weekend (YUCK!) but I'll be back next week....have a great weekend! And stitch with Happy fingers!

And We're Off.....

Hello Friends! As promised here's my yearly post on the first day of school! Did you hear the angels singing sweetly this morning at 8:45 a.m.? Yes, there was Hosannah's being sung and Allelulia's too boot and that is when the Pfeiffer Clan stepped over the threshold of another school year! I did a jiggity jig all the way home :)

I feel a little bad even writing something like the above, but I believe that you all can tell that I dearly love my children. I would give my life for them, without blinking an eye. But there is only so much you can think up to do in 90 days with 4 very active and intelligent children. Plus there is always someone calling out, "Mom?......Mama?....MOOOOOOMMMMM!!!! MAMAAAAAA???? Where are you?!" every 3 seconds. I can't even use the restroom without someone wondering where I am and usually barging right in. It'll be good to have a little One on One time with dear old self :)

So with the above stated here we are at the beginning of Mom's Day. Just like the Dunkin' Donuts Man.....I gotta make the lunches:

So are you JIF or Peter Pan? Growing up, I was totally JIF as that's what my Mama bought. Then when I got married my husband was Peter Pan. So I bought Peter Pan. Then there was the Salmonella outbreak in Peter Pan and I switched back to JIF. So what are you? Peter Pan or JIF?

Speaking of peanut butter, I have the neatest little gadget that I purchased a long time ago when my boys were still in diapers. It is the Cutco Spatula Spreader You can spread the peanut butter and cut using one utensil. Very nice! I highly recommend all Cutco Products. Two Thumbs WAAAAAYYYY Up!

Here's the moderately healthy lunch that my kids got today. PB & J sandwiches (in the box), Cheetos, apple sauce, sugar free Jello Pudding for dessert and a big 'ol bottle of water.

Finally here is a picture of the school house gang:

Katie (age 10 - grade 5)

Jacob (the little guy in the middle age 8 - grade 3 )

Ian (age 8 - grade 3) - notice Ian's T-shirt? It says - "Save Trees - Stop Homework!" LOL!

Now to say some novena's that they all take good ISTEP tests this year....oh heaven's to Betsy! I worry so much it cannot be good for my blood pressure or health! LOL!

And on a final note: a couple of people have commented on the pictures on my sidebar. FIRST: my own Mother told me that she didn't like to see fat ladies in my sidebar and thought I put them in there because I thought I looked that way...I certainly hope not! LOL! So since Mama didn't like them I changed them. And since it's too early to have Fall pictures up...I decided to put up Indiana pictures and these are all from my hometown Bloomington, Indiana . Bloomington has a varied landscape to that of the rest of Indiana...we have quarries that produce some of the finest limestone in the world and our limestone (and that of Bedford, IN) was used in the making of the Empire State Building and other notable building in the countries and abroad. The film Breaking Away was filmed in the city and is based on the annual Little 500 bike race that is still raced every May. I would encourage you all to read a bit on Bloomington, in the link I provided. It's a great city! Notable residents include (and are not limited to): Gene Hackman (actor), Meg Cabot (author of the Princess Diaries), Bobby Knight (famed basketball chair throwing coach), John Mellencamp (singer/songwriter - I've seen him a couple of times in Burger King - no FOOLIN"), David Lee Roth (singer / and former lead singer of Van Halen) and Vonna "The Twisted Stitcher" (wife/mother/stitcher) :o) LOL!

And to end on my "leaf turning" activities: the walk went well today, I didn't see any shooting stars :o( and didn't meet any grumpy Raccoons :o)

Now I believe I'm off for a little Mommy R and R at the LNS :) I have some finishing work to drop off and think I might pick up a couple of things for Mama! Until next time - when I might actually show you some stitching - may the floss be with you!

Tuesday Talk...

Hello Friends! How are you all doing this fine Summer Day? I'm doing well...I continue in my pursuit of "turning new leaves" in my life. Today during my 5 a.m. walk I was accompanied by my flashlight and a 1G iPod downloaded with all my favorite songs. My dear, sweet, generous friend Julianne read my self evaluation post and offered to send her iPod that she doesn't use anymore complete with Nike armband to hold it so I can walk in stereo! In "swap" all she wanted me to do was finish a Shepherd's Bush pillow for her. What a deal! Thank you Julianne :) My walk was just divine with my new musical walking!

Speaking of my walk....this a.m. I saw 6 falling stars...no kidding...were we in the middle of some meteor showers or something? I haven't read anything about that...but I saw 6!!! I never saw a shooting star in my life until the age of 21, and to think that I saw 6 in one 45 minute walk this a.m. is just astounding to me. I made wishes on each of those stars for Health and Happiness for my family. I also had an encounter with a Raccoon this a.m. I was terrified, I've seen them in the distance, but never close enough that they could growl at me...for heaven's sake...I was scared to death! YIKES! So that's all the adventures I have to share with you about my walk today...6 shooting stars and one angry Raccoon...enough for anybody!

I have some goodies to share. Up first is by Kelly. Kelly granted my wish on the MAW board for an Americana design finished as a pinkeep or flatfold. Kelly generously fulfilled my wish making this pinkeep:

Thank you Kelly! I love it! And to further my "leaf turning" Since I have been granted 3 wishes and I fulfilled 3 wishes, I am asking BeckySC to release me from the board. I am staying on track for lessening the stress in my life and uping the hobby "value" to my HOBBY. I feel better knowing that I can stitch for myself and give myself a little breathing space :) I have one round to moderate and one round to stitch for an exchange and then I've also asked to be released from the SBEBB that Becky runs. I feel better knowing that I'll have even a bit more breathing room...stitching is my passion and love, and it's become a chore because I've signed up for so many things that I could not have the heart to pass up. So just like food that tempts me, I'm eliminating it so that it doesn't tempt me anymore! LOL! Becky runs a wonderful board and there are GORGEOUS stitchers that stitch on there, but I need a break.

Next up is a gorgeous biscornu from Anita D, isn't it gorgeous?

Then remember my telling you about the Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe hand-dyed threads? Well that sweet Nancy sent me a little surprise in the mail for sending new customers her way:

Wasn't that nice?! I didn't expect anything like that at all and the sweet lady flabbergasted me. Not only does she have wonderful hand-dyed floss, but she has a huge heart of gold! Thanks to Nancy! I love them :)

Well today is the last day of Summer Vacation for my kids. Today, little do they know that it won't be spent leisurly lounging around....NOPE...we're off to clean the house one last time - THOROUGHLY together. I think it teaches them good values to know how to clean and to keep a house tidy. They'll be doing it one last time with me as a team today! I just announced this piece of information and they are all groaning...sorry lot they are :) Yesterday they had their fun, they went to Chuck E. Cheese's and then after that they all went to Toy R' Us and got to pick out a $25.00 end of the summer fun prize, and on the way home we stopped a Frozen Custard Stand and got some yummy treats to celebrate a good summer vacation. They've had their fun and last big BLOW OUT, today they've got to do a little muscle work to get things tidied.

So for this year I must say good-bye to my Summer 4th of July decorations. I probably get out my fall decorations today, I know it's early, but I love fall :)

Lastly...I'm a huge Third Day fan and they have a new album out...if your listening to my "tunes" then it is the first one that comes on when you open my blog. Third Day ROCKS...and their new album is no exception. And funnily enought this first cut off their album meets with my "leaf turning". :) ROCK ON!

Alrighty then folks...thanks for sticking with me on this chatty, post....lots going on in Vonna's World. Have a great day and I'll see you all soon with my 1st day of school pictures tomorrow!

Hugs and love ~ Vonna

Friday Frenzy...

Hello Friends it is Friday! Always the best time of the week, methinks....

And since I've been doing reflections on exchanging and hopefully will turn over a new leaf and stitch more for myself....I've also had reflections on my own personal life as well. Yesterday was the first day of turning over some leaves that I hope will continue and help me to help improve myself. One thing that I never do correctly is "fold the laundry on time" I hang most of our wash and only dry unmentionables and towels. These are always waded into the laundry basket after drying and I'm embarrassed to say that they remain there for days...until no one has underwear on most weeks....SO yesterday was Laundry day and I turned over my new leaf and it was: I do not take the laundry out of the dryer and put it in a basket...nope I fold it as I take it out of the dryer and place it in 6 baskets (one for each member of the family) and then that is that...it is ready for the owners of said unmentionables to carry upstairs to their bedroom put it away and fill the basket up with more dirty unmentionables. I DID IT and it WORKED WELL!! (pat self on back here)

The second new leaf is: having more time to myself and make sure I walk a total of 4 miles per day. I walk about 1-2 miles per day as it is walking the kids to and from school and being that Jake was in summer school this year I walked it all summer too. But I need to lose weight. Now I've always been on the sturdy side, and I come from a long line of tall, sturdy people, so there isn't going to be any miraculous change coming, but if I could drop some weight and do it in a healthy non-threatening way by making some lifestyle choices then I need to make the change now. So my second leaf has been turned the last two days by: getting up at 5:00 a.m. (this is the only "kid" free time zone - as they are snoozing in their warm beds). Keith is up at 4:40 a.m. anyway, so I might as well get up too. He leaves at 5:15 a.m. for work, and I start walking. I walk 2 miles from 5:15 until 5:45 a.m. I get back get my coffee, hit the showers and viola...June Cleaver ready to face the day and four kids...its working and I've been feeling better about myself.

Baby steps to a brand new me, let's hope....I need some work....and taking myself in for an overhaul is a "good thing"! It's good to re-evaluate and realize that you need some work!

Ok, on to stitching....when I'm done with exchanges for awhile...this is what is top of my list:

taken from Little House Needleworks - Diane Williams

Little House Neighborhood

I love it, as I love just about everything that Diane does. It just makes me smile! Well anyway...I wouldn't change a thing about it honestly and it uses DMC which is my favorite of all threads to use, but I received some Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe hand-dyed (DMC based) threads from Marie P for my birthday and they were just lucious. So I had some finishing work money just languishing away in my Paypal account and I went over to Ebay (where the VMSS is located) and purchased an embarassing amount of threads so that I could use them in my LHN Neighborhood and here they are:

Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe Hand-Dyed Threads

(interested? her Ebay Seller's ID = 2500nancy you'll flip - tell her Vonna sent you)

Gorgeous aren't they?!?!?! And the reds...they are, just scrummy :o)

Then I received the sweetest package from Anita as a belated birthday gift! She tells me the stitched part is on its way! But in the meantime look at these delightful goodies:

Anita sent me the pdf format of the Patriotic Set that she designed herself! And then she sent me the fabric that it calls for and two other cuts of beautiful opalescent fabric, the finishing accessories for the Patriotic Set, some Threadworx Threads and some Valdani Threads, and some of those sweet oval thread drops which I put to good use with my VMSS threads above! Thank you Anita...this is too much! And I still have more to look forward to! THANK YOU!!

I also have been negligent in mentioning a thank you to all the people that have nominated me for the "Kreative Blogger" and "Brilliante Blogger" awards. My goodness there has been a lot of dear, bloggers that have nominated me and I appreciate every single ONE of each of you. I have so many readers and I think so much of all the many people that create and take time to share their lives with us that I won't begin to pick out favorites - you ALL are my favorites :)

Until next time my dear readers - stitch with joy as you pick up your needle and floss!

Redwork

Lookie what I received in the mail yesterday! It was my package from the SBEBB Redwork Exchange! Joan S was my partner and this is the lovely Redwork Stitcher's Pocket that she lovingly stitched and finished for me:

Lot of work went into this little beauty and I want Joan to know that I thank her for her time and expertise in finishing this gorgeous pocket. I'm almost afraid to use it because it is so pretty!

The design is a freebie from Isabelle Vautier found Here

Joan wasn't finished with me because here's the loot that was sent with the pocket:

WOW! wouldn't you agree?

I gave a little SHRIEK of joy when I saw that she hit my wish list and sent the La-D-Da "Zippity Doo Dah" from my wishlist....that is going to be a stitch for me soon!

I sent my redwork exchange off a day late...and it has an ocean to travel, so I hope that it flies speedily. I've never been late sending an exchange EVER and I'm embarrassed to admit that I was even one day late. I've just had so much going on of late, working lots, bedrooms to paint, kids to rearrange, school supplies to purchase (T minus 6 days and counting!), baseball games, summer school, need I go on? I just keep getting further and further behind. Plus I look through my home and I see so many gorgeous things from other people and none really stitched by my own hand. I believe that I'm going to get a little stingy with my stitching. I've cut back a lot from exchange stitching as compared to last year....but I want to focus on me for a bit. So I have a couple more exchanges I'm signed up for and then I'm going to drop out for awhile. With my kids growing and having more and more activities and with my work I don't have a lot of "me" time and when I do stitch I don't want to feel pressured. I totally enjoy stitching for others, I really do, and I LOVE exchanging but I need a break. I'm sure that I'll still have a few that I'll sign up for, but I'm hoping it will only be 1 per quarter or so. Boy I sound like a real downer don't I? Don't mean too...because I'm all excited thinking of the possibilities for ME!

Alrighty friends, that's all I have for today. There'll be some more posts and I have a BLOGGERVERSARY coming up soon :) Stay tuned for that, as I'll be posting something special to give away for that, wrought by my own hand....Until the next time....stitch with joy as you reach for your floss!

My Baby's Birthday!

Happy Birthday to our baby - ELLIE!!! August 5th is Ellie's 3rd Birthday!

Ho Hum! A little bored prior to the party getting started.

A pose with Mama

A pose with Daddy and Mama

Here's the party gang...after the presents were opened - Ellie received an Aqua Doodle (you can doodle, I can doodle everybody AQUA DOODLES!), a doodle pro (obviously she likes to doodle! We're hoping she doodles on these rather than doodling on Mama's walls, refrigerator, hard wood floors (!), her play kitchen, her baby dolls...) and then she received four Littlest Pet Shop Play pack deals to go with her Petshop Town. Katie has Petshops too so Mama had to "tattoo" the bottom of the newest Ellie Pets with an "E".

Here we (her brothers and sister) are trying to get her to NOT blow out the candle until we got Happy Birthday sung properly...we wanted all wishes to come true you know!

After three run throughs of a rousing "Happy Birthday Song" without any blowing candles out until the end (thanks to the help of her brothers and sister) - Ellie got down to some serious candle blowing. (Notice the boys mouths and concentration...LOL!)

Dearest Ellie, Mama and Daddy's little princess...she's growing so fast! She tells me she doesn't want to go to preschool, she wants to stay with Mama! I ask her if she's going to the Prom? She says, "no she's staying with Mama". I ask her is she going to go to college? She says, "no she's staying with Mama." Ahhhh....if only they would stay with Mama. She's been really (besides Katie until she was 2 years old)...My only "baby" that I've raised without other babies. Katie and the boys were always one big "gang" of elbows and arms....Ellie has been spoiled and pampered from day one! She is the princess and we bow to her expectations. But in reality...she is a joy! Sweet tempered and cute....God sure knew what he was doing when he sent her to live with us! And I thank Him for that for He sure blessed us mightily!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLIE!!!! ~ WE LOVE YOU!