Parson Brown Finished

As I said in my last post, I didn't know how much stitching I would get done now for a while. Our grandsons arrived late morning, last Wed. I have been able to put in a few stitches every day, but some days, literally that....a few...
But, now that they have been here a while, they are getting back into Grandma's routine & grandma has a little more stitching time. Plus, they brought some Baby Einstein dvd's with them & oh my!~!!! My house gets silent quick if I put them in.....I can stitch a little at that time!!!
I put the final stitches in Parson Brown this morning. This makes 6 finishes for the month of January.....one that was a WIP, 4 of the 15 new ones and P. Brown was a start to finish AFTER the 15 challenge!
Thank you to each & every one who thanked me, for my son, for serving. It is so good to have him back in the USA.....we haven't seen him yet, but we have talked to him via the phone, text messages & skype!!!
Ok, better keep this short, incase the kiddos wake up!!! Have a great week!!!

I'm the Happiest Girl.......

In the Whole USA....does anyone remember that song from many years ago? Sung by Donna Fargo......
Anyway, I may not be the Happiest Girl, but in our small family, I am a close second!!!!!
MY SON IS HOME FROM THE WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He returned to his place of residence earlier today. On top of that, his 3 precious darlings are now here with my husband & I..... Our son has to do a full week of 'reintegration', so everyone felt it best that he & his wife have this week & then reunite with the boys.
Ok, got my PROUD MAMA out of the way....
I was hoping to finish Parson Brown before the boys arrived, but I didn't quite make it. I am going to show a picture of where it was today, just before the boys arrived. We shall see how much stitching time grandma gets this week!!!!
Have a great week everyone!!!!

Jan. Monthly Sampler.....

I finished the January sampler last night. This is my 5th finish so far this year, and my 4th of the 15 new project challenge. I love how these are turning out. At first I wasn't sure about the white on this fabric, but it is looking good!
I am using Victorian Motto Sampler Flosses for them & I think they are looking just fine!!!!!
Today, I am going to work on a BRAND NEW start....yes, startitis is strong!!!!! I am going to work on Parson Brown. I coffee dyed my fabric 3 times over the past 2 days. I think I have it good now. I will 'paint' dye it after finished if I think it needs more.
Hubby was up all night....the flu bug has hit him & it has hit him hard. Praying I don't get it. I got the Lysol out & am washing all the bedding, etc....
Thank you to all who have left comments. I sure do appreciate them!!!!

LHN Feb. Sampler

I finished the Feb. sampler last night. I decided I needed to finish it before January, since my husband is making a frame for me, that will be used to change these out each month. By doing Feb. first, it gives him 2 weeks to get it made for me. I will now work on January, then work my way thru the rest of the months....do March in Feb, April in March, etc...
This is my 3rd NEW START finish for the year & my 4th finish over all. So far, I have kept up with the journal idea. I have written down which project I have worked on each day, when I have finished them, etc..... So far, so good!!!
Some of you have noticed the mileage tracker at the top of my blog. A friend is doing this & encouraged others to do the same. Since we love to visit Silver Dollar City in Branson MO, I decided that was where I wanted to walk to. So...On Dec. 27th, I added my mileage ticker....you can see how far I have walked & how far I have to go. You can also help keep me accountable this way.....if it appears I am not updating, you may want to drop me a note & ask why I am not walking!!!!
I am gathering supplies today for ANOTHER new start!!!!!! Yes, I am totally insane!!! But....when I came across this pattern, it was a MUST DO NOW pattern!!!!!! It is Parson Brown by Notforgotten Farm......too adorable!!!!!!!!
The Postal Service FINALLY decided to deliver a package to me....it was postmarked in The Netherlands on Dec. 12, 2010. It was delivered here on Jan 15th.......it took over 5 weeks to get here!!!! But...it was oh so worth the wait. I just know how stressed Mylene was......worrying it would arrive. I love it Mylene & you know I waited patiently!! I have attached a picture for all to see the wonderful gift she sent me.
Have a super duper day & thanks so much for stopping by & I love seeing comments.....they make my day!!!

January Ornament!

I have my 3rd finish for the year. It is my SOCK MONKEY ornament. I loved stitching this little guy....so cheerful & happy!!! It makes me smile to look at him!
He is stitched on 32 ct. blue lugana...I don't know if it had a color name or not. I used DMC flosses for all of his colors.
To help me keep track of things this year, I am going to try to number my finishes as I go along on my blog this year. I also have a binder beside my computer that I am keeping track of what I stitch on each day, when I finish each particular project, etc....
This is in addition to my photo finish journal for my stitching. I am trying very hard to keep my stitching details more organized this year! I am sure that will fall by the wayside, as soon as the first time our little visitors show up!!!

15 Project Challenge---first finish

good morning all!
I finished the first of the 15 new projects last night. Our little visitors have not arrived, so I had plenty of stitching time again yesterday. I got a good start on this one over the weekend, so I decided to keep working on it.
It is Lizzie Kate's Friendship Begins design. The entire project was a RAK from my good friend Sue V. She sent the pattern, a large piece of fabric & all of the flosses for it. How sweet is that???
I am not sure of the name of the aida...it is a hand dyed....16 ct. The flosses were mostly GAST, with a couple dmc thrown into the mix.
I really enjoyed stitching this piece. Normally using a 'white' floss drives me nuts, but it showed up nicely on this piece of fabric. (oatmeal GAST)
Today, I will be working on one of the two ornaments that I started....either sock monkey or the JBW star. We will see which one decides to speak loudest when I pull the tote out!!
Yesterdays mail brought a wonderful surprise. In one of my groups, we had a small exchange for Christmas. Well, my package was coming from the UK. Mail coming to our area from across the pond always seems to take a long time.....well, this sure did!!!!! The post mark was Dec.8th. It took 2 days shy of FIVE WEEKS to get here. Oh, it was so worth the wait thou!!!!! Not only did my partner stitch me a gorgeous ornament, she stitched my grandsons each a gorgeous ornament & included a pair of penguin socks & a hanger for a finished piece. Thank you so much Lynette!!!!! The arrival was perfect, since yesterday was a hard day!
Have a super day everyone...thank you for your visits & your kind comments. They are all so truly appreciated!

PIF winners/ 15 challenge update

Well, today is Jan. 9th. I said I would announce the winners of my PIF today.
It kind of saddens me that only 2 people are interested, but hey, I don't have to be a bad guy this way & pick numbers!!!! So.....Linda (blustitcher) and Mary, YOU WIN!!!!!!!!!!!! I need mailing addresses for both of you......please email me with them!!!!
Next, I completed the 15 starts...ok, they are started, not completed......Not knowing if we are getting the little visitors or not, I kept going to be safe. We still haven't heard for sure if they are coming or not.
I started July thru Dec. of the LHN monthly samplers. I also started JBW's country star & LK's Friendship begins.
Now, which one to work on first!?!?!? I want to finish all of them NOW!!!!!!!!!
I have never in my life had so many starts. But...I have always finished what I start, so I have no fear about that. I am betting I will finish at least 3 of these, yet this month!!! Now, that is me challenging me!!!
Let the stitching continue......

15 new project challenge/update

Hi all,
So far so good. Today is the 6th of January. That means sixth new start today....which I have already started for today.....
Actually, I am having to break the pattern a little bit. Rumor has it we will be getting 3 little munchkins real soon......and this grandma KNOWS how little stitching time there is when they are staying with us......
So.....to be able to keep up with the 15 new starts in 15 days, I have worked ahead. I have actually started #8 this morning. This way, if the boys do come, if I don't have time to stitch some days...which is most likely, I can at least know in my heart that I have already started them & feel good about it...
I am the kind of stitcher who finishes what they start. I have at some point in time, finished each project that I have started.
So, without jabbering any more....I present to you day 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7. I am going to do more on day 8 before I put it away to start day 9.
All of these are Little House Needleworks Monthly Samplers. I have no clue how the pictures will show up, even if I post them in order.
I have done a random number generator for the people who were interested in the HOPE chart PIF. Jennifer, it picked you!!!! Please email me your mailing info & I will get it in the mail to you right away....

First Finish 2011

As I have said in previous posts, I signed up for two different challenges in the new year.
One is to work on/ finish 15 wip pieces. I only have 1o, so I will work on them!
The other is to start 15 new projects, the first 15 days of the year.
SO....on Sat., I started my first new project.......nicodemus by Raise the Roof designs. After working on him for a while, I switched to my WIP.......Hope by Bent Creek.
On Sunday, I started January Sampler by LHN. I worked on it a short time, and then switched to Hope again.
Today, I KNEW I could finish hope, so that is where I started today. I finished it about a half hour ago. I will start LHN Feb. sampler this afternoon.
Hope is stitched on 32 ct. Legacy by Picture this Plus. I love this fabric.....perfect for so many projects. I need to purchase buttons to finish the piece, but the stitching is done.
I have attached photos of the 2 new starts as well!! (not sure why the one photo is sideways..sorry!)
Happy New Year!

I forgot to say.........I need to PIF with this chart.....so if you are interested, let me know in your comments. if I get more than one response, I will draw a name before my next blog post!