Time to Catch this Blog Up !!

When last I wrote, I was headed to Gettysburg, which was awesome. I had never been, and love Civil War history, so this was a super big deal for me.

The conference was on Leadership Lessons from Lincoln, and was for Circuit Librarians and Deputy Circuit Librarians, of which I am one. It was two and a half days of seminars, discussions, break-out groups, and touring.

The highlight of the trip was seeing all my Deputy friends from around the country, most of whom I have known and worked with for over 25 years. Here we all are at our dinner together at O'Rorke's. I'm near the head of the table on the right-hand side. Such a great group. So many laughs and such great memories!

Here's our tour bus and our Guide at the top of Little Round Top.

Here are some more pictures from my great time in Gettysburg:

Hitting the Road

Here's my progress on Blueberries. But where are the berries, you ask? You'll just have to wait till I get back from my next trip. Will pack this up as my travel piece.

I head to Gettysburg on Monday for a short conference that the Court is sending me to, entitled "Leadership Lessons from Lincoln." I am very excited about it since I have never been there, as well as the chance to see some "old" Court friends. We were supposed to watch the movie "Gettysburg" before attending. No problem for me, because it's one of my favorites. Joshua Chamberlain is one of my heroes, and I love the way Jeff Daniels portrays him in the movie. You can bet I will be taking alot of pictures. After the conference, I am traveling up to Danielsville, Pennsylvania, to visit my sister Robyn and her family. Haven't seen them since they left Maine, so that will be a real treat.

A little of this, a little of that

Here's my start on the Maine blueberries sign, on 14 ct. Fiddler's, which gives it a real rustic look:

Sorry not pressed yet, but the cross-stitching is done on Flowers, with just the border to do. It is a Fly Stitch, which is a new one on me, but kinda fun to do.

My attempt at a close-up of the border (double-click on it for the best view):

On to Something New

Hope all you moms had an awesome day yesterday. Mine started with eggs benedict and a bloody mary, thank you very much. Then, my fave thing to do -- start a new project, of course! I purchased the Maine Blueberry design from Patternsonline quite a while ago, originally published in this booklet:

and started it on 14-ct. fiddlers cloth. The colors are quite striking, and will go great in my kitchen.

I have finished "Stop and Smell the Flowers," and am working on the border. Will post a pic soon.

Now off to the coffee pot, since I stayed up with my favorite Red Sox closer last night, but it was worth it!



Glad we don't meet those pesky Rays again until August!

Later, Stitchy Friends.....

My Daughter Played Symphony Hall !!

The UMaine Symphonic Band performed at Boston's Symphony Hall on April 15th. My daughter, Stephanie, played Bass Clarinet. This was an awesome concert and a wonderful evening was had by all.

In case you're not familiar with what a significant venue this is, here is a video for your edification:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

170 days since October 19th. 55.2 inches of snow in Boston. 34 games in Florida. 1 Opening Day postponement. It's about time!

We return you now to your regular programming....Anyhoo....off to sunny Mexico to see my sweety, then to good 'ole Boston to see my daughter play with the UMaine Symphonic Band at....wait for it....wait for it .....SYMPHONY HALL !!

'Bout time this old girl got some time off.
Later,
stitchy friends....

Half-way there

Had to pick up some more Poblamo Pepper (Crescent Colors) for the borders, but I'm making good progress. Day off today, so I'm gonna go play in stash and explore the new Joanns that just opened near me.

Flowers!

Here's my progress so far on Stop and Stitch the Flowers by Blue Ribbon. It's a fun stitch.

A Summer Place FINISHED

Here it is !! (Click on pic for better view)

Believe me when I tell you that this picture does NOT do it justice (click on it and you'll get a better view). I am thrilled with this piece. It also confirms how much I love, love, love Cross-Eyed Cricket !

Now it's on to Stop and Stitch the Flowers

Have a Seat!

These Adirondack chairs were a blast to stitch! Since this picture was taken, I had a stitchy day with the girls and have added the windmill and the flags, so stay tuned for the next update.


I also have to experiment with the color I want to use for the words. I want them to be more prominent than the model picture.

Another Award !

Nancy has bestowed yet another blog award on me and I am sincerely humbled. The requirements for this one are to name 5 addictions, and to link to 5 other fabulous bloggers, so here goes:

My addictions include, but are not limited to:

1) Cross-Stitch

2) Boston Red Sox

3) Mad Men tv show

4) Scallops

5) Books

***************

And here are 5 stitching bloggers I admire:

Staci

Harmien

Anne

Mary Ann

Kathryn

Second Story!

This winter weather has afforded me lots of stitchin' time, and I am progressing well on Cross-Eyed Cricket's "A Summer Place."

Being a native Mainer, I am not usually fazed by winter, but Cincinnati and environs simply does not know how handle it (predict it, move it, or drive in it), and it has been frustrating at best. On a day when I just decided to stay home, I got this far:




Here's a view out to my backyard, and a massively awesome icicle hanging off my roof:

Back to the WIP pile....

Yes, I have been stitching, honest! Sometimes, it's the only thing that keeps me sane. On the day after my last post, my just-turned-21 daughter took a bad fall on the ice. After some worrisome hours and an overnight stay in the hospital, thinking alot about closed head trauma, she is fine and back at UMaine for 2nd semester.

The holidays were low key but good. I finished up a (shhh...it's a secret!) special project for a friend on New Years Eve, and since she reads this blog, I will wait to post a picture, and have dived back into the WIP pile to work on A Summer Place by CEC. It really is a nice diversion during some brutally cold days here in SW Ohio. I also plan to add a playlist at the bottom of my blog template. My guy is way out in Mexicali, Mexico, working on a 3-month project, and boy do I miss him. But, I am looking forward to taking off from both(!) jobs on Inauguration Day, watching all the festivities, and STITCHING AWAY!

The Stockings Were Hung....

These are Nathaniel's and Stephanie's childhood stockings, stitched many years ago. They are now 24 and 21 respectively. I am taking a much needed break from the courthouse, and working my tail off at Borders. But I love it there and the Christmas rush is just too much fun.



Dug this out of my stash bucket, along with the button pack that I paid way too much for. I have changed a few colors, which is rare for me, and it is coming along very nicely.



I hope all my stitching and blogging friends are having a fun holiday season!

Historic Times

Took time out to stitch up this little freebie while watching the debate the other night. Yes, there's one for the other party as well. You can find them at The Sampler Girl.

Under Sail - For Now

Wow, it's been a while! Anyway, here's where I am going to stop for now. These sails are a b***ch!! As the leaves turn and (ugh!) fall, I am going to turn to some holiday stitching. Be back soon (promise!)....going to go shop in my stash....

Who? Me?!

Stitchers are such a warm supportive group! I have been nominated by stitching blogger Kim for a Kreativ Blogger Award, and am humbly honored.

We learn so much from each others' blogs, and gain valuable insight, inspiration and motivation every day! I feel especially privileged to have made your acquaintance through this blog.

Here, in no particular order, are my 5 nominees:

A Sampler of Stitches

Garden of Stitches

Coastal Stitching

Tangled Threads

Santa Stitches

Thank you, gals, for keeping me in stitches!

Where is my Head?

After trips to Portland, OR, and to Portland, ME, I am back to stitching and blogging. Throw in a bad case of poison ivy, and a boring budget meeting in Cleveland, and I am ready for summer to end. Never even got the swimsuit out of the drawer!


Oregon was fun, especially the afternoon I spent at Acorns & Threads. Wagon, what wagon?? Just had to get the large check fabric used for Summer Soapbox, and lots more goodies.


Visiting my folks and my daughter, who is staying with them for the summer before returning to UMaine, was very enjoyable and restful. Of course, we had to have our traditional lobster feed:



This is about how far I was on Sailor's Knots before my schedule went haywire:


And here is my progress as of this morning!

On the Rocks

Today was a day off from the courthouse, so I found myself at Hancock Fabrics and Hobby Lobby taking advantage of holiday sales. Too much fun! As you can see, I have been stranded on the the "rock bound coast" with my summer piece.

Guess what?! Just realized that dark-ish blue in the clouds is the wrong blue (shows- to-go-ya that working off the floss organizer at the stitch-in way back when was not a smart move!) Have now frogged and restitched it, and it looks so much better - DUH!

Stay tuned for the next pic...

North by Northwest

I got so anxious to get to the compass I "navigated" my way down there!

First Light

Here's about where I am with "Sailor's Knots." It is really a fun stitch. The shadows in this picture do not do the colors justice. You can see where I had to frog a little (two of the floss colors for the rocks were labeled incorrectly. I had to rely on the kit picture to fix it. Think I'll be staying with this project for a while.

Start-itis Attack!

Had a real bad case of start-itis the other night, and since I'm shopping in my stash these days, I dove head-first into my kit cabinet, and, lo and behold, came up with this beautiful nautical design:



In case you can't read the fine print, it's call "Sailor's Knots" and was put out by Needle Treasures. I've googled and ebayed it, and can't find any mention or picture of it, so it must be long OOP. I had, in fact, started it at a stitch-in at Creative Cottage many years ago, but, because it's very large, had a hard time holding the q-snap at the table. And, it's on ivory Aida, which I am sticking with. I actually think some designs stitch well on Aida. Do need to get rid of the pesky "color organizer" it came with, and wind or baggie-up the floss, though. Who knows, this could be my summer project...

Time for a Clambake, Right?

Whoa, can't believe it's been over a month since I have posted here. That's what comes from working 60+ hours a week!! Anywho, here's my finished Oberlin's Clambake. You'll remember I found this gem during our shop hop last summer. Makes my mouth water...

3's About Me

My good stitching pen pal Jan sent me an email the other day with her list and it got me thinking, so here's a few of mine.

3 things I love about my life:

* my great kids
* my endearing friends
* my wonderful man

3 favorite things to do:

* cross-stitch (naturally!)
* listen to NPR
* watch a good movie

3 favorite foods:

* seafood (esp. lobster, shrimp, and scallops)
* rhubarb pie
* mom's potato salad

3 favorite TV shows:

* House
* Grey's Anatomy
* Bill Moyer's Journal

3 favorite places on earth:

* Maine
* Chicago
* Seattle

3 things I am looking forward to:

* selling my house
* retirement (more time to stitch!)
* travelling more

3 places I'd love to go:

* Scotland
* Greece
* Bahamas

My Christmas Village

Prairie Schooler's classic Christmas Village is fresh off the Q-Snap. I'm pretty pleased with it.