Spring Has Sprung!!!

"Spring Has Sprung" by Cheryl Haynes of Prairie Grove Peddler


"Cat Lessons For People" by Lizzie Kate to go with my "Dog Lessons For People" (now to get them framed alike)

Oh, What A Wonderful Week-end! And A Roadtrip!

We laughed, we ate, we shopped, we stitched and laughed some more! That's what these GTGs are all about. Man, I had missed these gals! I worked on both of my on-going projects. I was amazingly restrained in the LNS. Mostly that was due to stopping by Craft Warehouse on our way into town. CW was having a 40% off framing sale. I left two pieces to be framed. Then when we arrived at Vicki's she offered to take another of my pieces in for a special 60% off framing sale on Monday. Whew! That hurt the bank! Wednesday I had to take "Blondie", my jeep, in for some work. I was expecting a very expensive tab, especially when they asked to keep her overnight. What a surprise when I found out the warrenty covered everything but the normal maintenance and the wipers, minus the $100 deductible. That totally made me feel better about all the framing expenses. Need Blondie to be in tip-top shape. I leave Thursday for the Washington peninsula. I will appear in court Friday on my former neighbor's behalf. After spending a few days with her I will be heading up to Vancouver, BC to visit my BFF, Pam. On my return trip I'm planning to spend a few days with another girlfriend in Seattle. I'm just giddy with all the fun of getting to see these gals. Soooo... don't expect an update here for a bit. ROADTRIP!!!

Oh Dear!

I should be excited! I should be packing & sorting my stitching. But no, I've just finished reading emails and blogs. I'm heading back to bed for a nap. At oh-dark-thirty tomorrow I leave for my stitching GTG in Portland. I've missed several so I haven't seen the gals since September. Where, oh where is my mojo?

No photos to share but I am working diligently every evening on two projects.

Time For God!

with artifical lighting: this shows the fabric color better

with natural lighting: I like this because it shows the floss colors better.

Looks like I should've stood on a barstool instead of a chair and waited 'til morning for better light!! Photography is not my strong suit and I don't have a great camera.

This Lizzie Kate piece was stitched last year. I've been trying to sort out my sewing/stitching room and realized I had forgotten to photograph it. Think I'll take it with me to Portland next week-end to be framed.

Next week-end is our stitchig group's GTG. It rarely happens that Craft Warehouse is having a framing sale the same time we're having our GTG. I'll probably break the bank!

Finished Stitching!

Yea, finish number two!! I finished "Dog Lessons For People" by Lizzie Kate last week. Didn't get a chance to post it then as we had to take a short trip over to Portland. This was a fun stitch and while I was waiting for a re-supply of floss I started "Cat Lessons". Am about half done with that but find myself yearning to get on with other things. Oh man, not another UFO!

First 2011 Finish

Finally I have a finish to show!
I had started LK's Dog Lessons and had to order more floss (it has finally arrived). Then I started LK's Cat Lessons and found I was out of one of those flosses (more ordering). So... I started Waxing Moon Designs' Autumn Nap. Whew! I had all the flosses needed for this and have finished it today.

Too dark right now to get a great photo so this scan will have to do.

OK, let's give this another try...

Please let me apologise for my previous 'pity party'. Depression is nothing to snicker at and I've had my share. Fortunately I have good friends, doctors and meds. One great place I've found that has really helped me this time around is Pam Kellogg's site. Pam is an amazing and talented woman. Her willingness to share her journey has been inspiring to me (and so much more eloquent than I could've ever said). It must have been devine intervention that sent me to her blog at just the right time.

I won't talk about August here other than to say I had let circumstances beat me down. September will be better! I know this because I have several "me" time activites planned. Got to get back to 'taking care of me'.

As I mentioned before, I have been doing some stitching and have a few completions to share. First is the birth sampler I stitched for DH's niece's baby. It is based on Ellen Chester's design "A Child's Prayer". I modified it, of course, to suit my needs. Stitched on 18ct Celeadon aida with DMC threads. Unfortunately, my photo doesn't do it justice (a bit too blue).

Then, I have finished stitching several Little House Needleworks' Christmas Ornaments. Notice I only said "finished stitching". I am still finishing challenged. Oh, how I wish I had someone talented that way to help me take the plunge. Guess I need to get brave and use some of the wonderful on-line tutorials.

This is "The Merry Skater".
Next is "Red House in Winter".
And finally "Peppermint Twist". I followed this chart to-a-T except I just couldn't put the candy-cane button on it. The button I received was mostly red (Christmas Red) with a white stripe. The chart showed a white button with red stripes. I just couldn't put a bright red button on this lovely subtle shade of red floss. A personal preference.

I've just received the next ornament in this series so I'll have another soon. I can't believe I've kept up with these all year. I love Diane Williams' designs.

Now, since you've followed along this far and since I had a blogoversary September 1st and since my birthday is next week, I'm going to have a giveaway. Let's call it my birthday present to one of my readers. Only one rule: you must respond to this post before Monday, September 13th. I will have DH pick a number on the 13th and announce the lucky winner. Oh, a small hint, as our weather has been perfect Fall weather (I'm expecting an early Winter) that will be the theme of this giveaway.

OMG!!!!

So, I drop by to post a bit about my latest finish and see that last week's post disappeared! Where did it go? It's not even saved as a draft. Sheesh! Don't know if I have the energy to regroup & repeat it all.
It was about the Sisters Quilt Show, which was fabulous


There's a great little antique/junque mall in Sisters. I found these lovelies! More frogs for my growing collection. Isn't this porcelain one the most beautiful? In the white one I plan to make a pincushion (I know this wasn't originally made to be a frog but it will become one now). I couldn't wait to put a few scissors in them. Woo hoo! Now I get to buy more scissors!!!
And we took a few relaxing local rides. This is Elk Lake, about a half hour West of here. We took the dogs swimming at East Lake, about an hour East of here. The bugs were awful. Didn't stay there for long!

So, back to this week's business... I've been working on a birth announcement based on With My Needle's "A Child's Prayer". I've changed the font to a back-stitched one rather than the cross-stitched one mostly to make it a bit smaller. I'm liking it! Perhaps a photo next week. Also I finished one of the LHN monthly ornaments "All Dolled Up". The bird is charted to be white but it just didn't look 'right' to me. I took it out & redid it in red. Much better, a cardinal!
So I can add this one to my stack of over two dozen ornaments needing to be finished. Yes, I've stitched them but have a finishing deficiency. Do you suppose Vonna would give me a bulk rate?

Quilting, Quilting, Quilting and a bit of Stitching!

This has been a very busy & glorious week for me!

First off, our little town has it's Frontier Days celebration the July 4th week. We have an excellent Quilt Show as part of the festivities. So many wonderful quilters in this area. Lots of inspiration!

The second week-end in July is always the Sisters Quilt Show. The week leading up to the Show is busy, busy, busy! Our little burg is right smack on the highway to Sisters. Our quilt shop, Homestead Quilts, is becoming very well known to quilters, especially those traveling up from California, Nevada, Utah and far beyond. Fortunately for me, with all the additional traffic (aka customers) in the shop, Cathy (the owner) needs more hands to work. I always volunteer whenever extra help is needed (and get paid with a very generous shop credit). It's like putting a kid in a candy store. I love being with all the fabrics and helping and meeting the people from all over. Yesterday I met a lovely lady that traveled from England for the Quilt Show. Too much fun!

This year I'm skipping out of work for two days. DH's cousin, Madeline, is flying in from Alaska & we will meet in Sisters. She has a room reserved (not an easy feat) for four of us. M & I always have great fun rooming together. Living so close I've gone to the Show before but never for more than a day. This will be a real treat to stay over and take my time seeing everything.

On Sunday I'll be back in our quilt shop. Loads of customers stop in on their way home. Many have pre-ordered items to be picked up. Like I said, I'm just a kid in a candy store. Then I'll also have to 'pay the piper' for all the goodies I've stashed under the counter. Yummy!

In the evenings I need to sit with an ice pack on my knee so it's perfect for some stitching time. I'm working on A Child's Prayer by With My Needle. Slightly modifying it to be a birth sampler for DH's niece's baby boy (no pics yet).

Happy 4th & a small finish!

Happy 4th of July! Please have a safe celebration!

Guess I'm not a very good holiday person. I enjoy the deeper meaning of the holidays rather than the celebrations. Christmas has gotten out of hand with all the commercialization etc. But back to the 4th.. the fireworks terrify my Kelly dog. Won't know how Matty will respond but I doubt it will be a problem as his hearing is so impaired. Besides that, I firmly believe that children and fireworks are a very bad combination. Even most adults shouldn't be playing with fire. Leave it to the professionals please! Now I'll step down from my soapbox.. .

I finished this small piece designed by Aury . She does such beautiful designs. I have last year's piece also in my finish drawer. Decided this would fit nicely as a quilt block in one of my Quilts Of Valor. Not sure I'm liking the fabric, I may change it to a solid color.


I've been quilting this week. No photo yet but I'm making a QOV with some signature squares. It felt like a good patriotic way to spend the week.

This week begins the Sisters Quilt Show activites. I'll be volunteering at our local quilt store as we get an amazing amout of traffic even though we are an hour away from Sisters. Friday night I'll be staying in Sisters with Madeline, my cousin-in-law from Alaska. Two days of wild fun with M at the quilt show! You'll be hearing more about that!!!

Today my two grandsons, Alex (10) and Tyler (6) are arriving. There will be no stitching or quilting goin on! We call them the terrorists. It usually takes Pops and I a week to recover from them. I'm hoping they'll want to attend our local festivites and rodeo. I want to!

Have a safe and fun 4th celebration!

Happy Dancin'

Everybody, get out your dancin' shoes! I have finished stitching the Wiehenburg Contest Sampler. And I love it! I used SilkWeaver's Tranquility 28ct Lugana and Sulky Threads 12wt Peacock Plume. It's turned out so lovely and I bet you can't even find my MAJOR foo-paw. Yep! I found one last night just as I was finishing and I've decided not to rip it out. Can you see where I personalized it? Along with my initials, which are both B, I added a bee and a butterfly. Both of these have crowns above them so I'm calling them Queen Bee and Monarch Butterfly. (BTW, that white mark in the upper right is NOT on the fabric!)

Have decided I need to work on some smalls for a bit. Maybe try some finishing techniques as I have at this count 27 ornaments sitting in my 'little drawer of finishes'. And, I'm still not caught up on my LHN monthly ornaments or the Bride's Tree ornaments. So many goodies calling my name plus the ever-growing stash acquisitions. What's a girl to do? Where does all my time go? Whew!

Thanks for stopping by & sharing in my dancin'.

A Little Catching Up!

I'm a sucker for counted cross stitch. If you've been here before you will know this. It happens that our National Parks offer a cross stitch of each park in their gift shops. Crater Lake NP was no exception. I think this one is particularly lovely. Now, having these little kits and stitching them is a whole different story. I've not completed a one of them yet!!!
Here's my "almost completed" Weihenburg Contest Sampler. I'm so pleased with the way this is turning out. I love the colors! Can you see the bee and the hive I've put in to personalize it? I may rip the hive out as it looks a bit crowded. Maybe I can put it on the unfinished side. Hmmm!
Soooo, while I was out & about the other day I caught a sale at Michael's. I bought a few trims, a few beading do-dads, this lovely white frame and this unfinished box. I have just the piece for this frame!

Notice the two little yo-yos on the box? I happened upon a NEW quilt shop in town. I actually read about them in the paper & was heading their way. They just opened June 1 but his week-end was the "Grand Opening". Quilt Works (no web site yet). I'll be visiting them again soon! Of course a gal has to support the local economy and I wish them much success. Oh! The yo-yos, I made them during a demonstration. I have one of those yo-yo makers somewhere around here but have never tried it. Pretty neat!

Of course, when I get to town to run the usual errands I always stop by Joann's. They had patriotic fabrics on sale. Aren't these lovely? I needed some neutrals.

But then, I was wandering past the decorator fabrics and it struck me that I had recently disembled two throw pillows, saving the nice long zippers. I 'needed' to make new covers. Look at the lovelies I chose. Don't they go well with the sofa fabric?

So, today I was tidying up my sewing room and got inspired to frame a little piece I had stitched years ago. I think it was a Brooke's Books pattern. I like the white frame but maybe it should go in a darker frame. Wouldn't wash out the pretty pink fabric so much. I'll look at it a while longer.

Excuses Excuses!!

Yes, again I've been away from Blogland for too long. Ten days since my last entry. I've been on the computer (ie: facebook and POGO) far too much. And a slight fibro flare. Those are my excuses and I'm stitckin' to 'em!

I have been stitching in the evenings, mostly on the Wiehenburg Contest Sampler. the fabric is Silkweavers Tranquility 28ct Laguna. I sure wish they still had this one for sale! The thread is Sulky 12wt Peacock Plume. I've never used Sulky before and I've gone out to buy almost all of their colors now. It does a real nice coverage doing one over two.

I'm off now to read my two new quilting mags that just arrived. Maybe my quilting mojo is hidden in one of them. I'd sure like to get back to quilting this summer.

Holey Moley! Where Does The Time Go?

I cannot believe this is my first post of May! Where is my life disappearing to? Just yesterday it was April! Is it really true that the older you get, the faster your life goes? Must be! So, I'll attempt to catch you up on the goings on around here.

Our Matty had surgery on his foot May 5th. The tumor was removed and the vet says things look good for the old man. (Not DH, the dog, silly) We did not have any of the fatty bumps & tumors removed. The foot is still bandaged and he gets the stitches out on Wednesday. DH has been a champion about changing Matty's dressings. His teeth were cleaned at the same time so the vet could get a good exam. Matt is doing well. He's so fun to watch as he tries to keep up with the girls. I've never heard him bark but DH says he did the other day. This boy is a chow hound and knows where all the treats are kept. The girls have been teaching him bad manners too. We are so lucky to have such a dear dog in our lives and are very thankful to all of Matty's benefactors.

Also on the 5th I left home to attend my very first Stitching Retreat. It was put on by Vicki and Donna of the NorthWest Stitchers Group and held in Union, Washington. This is the view we had to put up with
The weather was perfect! We had a hot tub with the same view. Pretty harsh! Twenty one fabulous women! I made new friends and enjoyed old ones too. A lot of stitching, eating, laughing, great prizes, a bit of drinking (what's a sunny day on the deck without a good beer or wine?), a bit of stash swapping. These are the ladies, don't we look delighted? Yours truly is the second from the left.


This past week I've been cleaning up my desk, catching up on some stitching, attending a couple of meetings at Hospice, tidying up my sewing room and even a bit of yard work. All that routine stuff except for the stitching, that could never become routine.

My latest work is the contest sampler piece by Wiehenburg. It's turning out gorgeous! I'm using Silkweavers Tranquility 28ct and Sulky 12wt Thread Peacock Plume. Today I spent some time browsing my charts for some Bs and bees. I want to personalize it and since both my initals are Bs, what else? The photo will have to wait til the morning. Everything I tried tonight looks too washed out.

MIA!!!

Well, I've definitely been 'Missing' (sheesh, time marches on even without me)! And I've definitely been 'In Action' (more about that in a bit)! No need to send the troops out searching for me though. I'm here and well and busier than a bee's butt!

The last I posted much was about Matty joining our pack. What a dear little dog he is. Sure wish we knew more about his history, it would be interesting! It appears he wasn't abused as he's a brave little soul and doesn't flinch from touch. However, his physical condition leads us to believe he wasn't very well taken care of. Yet, he wasn't terribly malnourished. Matt will go for some needed surgeries next Wednesday, the 5th. Two things about this: First, Deb (Matty's wonderful benefactor) with the help of many generous people, has raised enough money to cover all of the costs for Matty's healthcare. Bless all of you, you know who you are! Second, I must go out of town on the 5th and won't return until the 9th. I know DH is fully capable (within reason) What happens if it gets beyond reason? I'll be home on the 9th, nobody will perish before then. Right?

Whew! I've finally finished both classes I've been attending. Fortunately they only overlapped for two weeks and the homework hasn't been much.

The week-end of April 17 - 18 was our Washington/Oregon Stitching GetTogether. I love these! Always so much fun with like minded women from all over the NorthWest. Again, Tracy of Ink Circles and Carrie of Carrie's Creation attended. As usual, I spent way too much on Carrie's silks. I also picked up all the flosses needed for LHN's Sea To Shining Sea at my LNS, Acorns & Threads, in Portland. (local, as in nearly 4 hours away)

April 18th was DH's stepmom's 97th birthday. Happy Birthday Phyllis! I wasn't there as I was at the above mentioned stitching GTG.

On the 22nd we gathered with friends for a surprise birthday party for my dear friend Terry! HB girl, you're getting younger lookin' every day!

April 24th was the wedding date for our youngest son, Jim, and his bride, Teila. We were only given a ten day notice to get this shindig together (guess what I've been doing?). As the men in my life are of Native American decent we were offered one of the tribe's properties for the event. Our Chief performed the ceremony (his first wedding{other than to his beautiful wife}).

We had a lovely time and everything turned out beautifully. DH's stepmom, Phyllis, was able to attend (thank you Patrick). After the ceremony we all went to dinner at the casino. We were able to get the newlyweds a room for the night. Can you believe those kids spent some of their wedding money gambling? Crazy! They must live under a lucky star as Jim won a $500 chip in poker. Word is they're up $470! Without further ado, here's the lucky couple:

Back to April 23rd: We picked up the wedding cake early & headed to the coast. Our greatest concern was how to get Matty into the motorhome. We had been trying to work with him all week to no avail. We even tried to go back to working on getting into the car. He isn't able to do either. His back legs are just not strong enough. Soooo, we figured out a sling made from a towel and would hand him off to each other. Luckily Matt is able to climb down the coach steps pretty well (not so with the car). Matty's taken to riding in the motorhome like a champ. He was so good the entire trip. Fortunately, we were able to hook-up right at the property where the wedding took place so we were never far away. Unfortunately we were never able to take him out on the sand as he has an open wound on his foot. Someday soon Matty, I promise!

Now, on to the stitchy stuff! No, I won't chronicle all my new stash. That might lead you to think I might actually use some of my precious stash. I do have a couple of finishes to show you though. First is my LHN 'The Library'. Man, this one almost became a UFO! All that solid stitchingis soooo boring!

Next is the fifth in the LHN Ornament SAL series. I skipped the forth and am stitching it now. I just couldn't resist this lamb. I stitched him in Whisper Thread to make him look wooly. The photo is very dark (what's up with my flash?). The fabric is actually an 18ct Dirty stitched over one. Oh, and one last thing since you've come this far. Many of you know Paulette of Plum Street Samplers. Take a look at what she and her mom, Marsha, and her sister, Audrey, are cooking up on their new blog Four Seasons Cafe. Fantastic! I don't enjoy cooking very much but I do love to bake! Now wait just a second there.... I just lost all this weight! This might be a really bad idea for me.

Here We Go Again! And a Birthday Giveaway

WOW! I can't believe more than a week has gotten away from me again. It happens easily! All sorts of things happening here in the Brainard's Barracks.

First and very importantly, son #3 is getting married! On the 24th! Yes, 24th of April, this year! We just found out and all sorts of panic has set in. It will be a small affair. They have been living together for several years now. So WE think it's about time. I think DH has been pushing them a bit as her family believes they are already married. Thus, none of her clan will be there and the burden of cost is falling on us. Very bad timing as we were hit hard this year by the IRS.

I have been busy with classes. My Wednesday class (a series of six weeks) will end this week. However, my Thursday class will continue for another five weeks. At least now it will be only one day per week. My homework has been flagging.

Then there's Matty. See other post, this date.

Almost every evening I have been able to stitch for several hours. The Library is finished as far as I can go until I get more floss. I'm trying to catch up on the LHN's monthly ornaments now.

This week-end, the 17th & 18th, is our stitcher's GTG in Portland. I'm so excited to get away and spend time with these talented ladies. A visit to my nearest LNS, Acorns and Threads. Yippee! I'll pick up threads to finish The Library and do a floss toss for the Weihenburg Contest piece.

Can you believe this? I'm having the awfulest time deciding what to get with my $50 credit I won for 1-2-3 Stitch from Felicity. Like DH says, I can't even decide what to get in a restaurant. Everything looks too delicious!

BTW, Vicky's turning 40! Check out her very generous Birthday Giveaway

I'm so Lucky! Again!

Definately have to share this! You aren't going to believe this! Please don't be mad at me! This just happens to be my luck right now and I sure hope it holds for a long, long time. Think I'll run out and buy some lotto tickets.

I found out that I'm the first prize winner of Felicity's Blog Anniversary. A $50 gift voucher from 1-2-3 Stitch. Isn't this fabulous! I'm so excited! I've spent hours looking at 1-2-3 Stitch trying to decide what to get.

I'm So Lucky!

As I mentioned a bit ago, I have been very fortunate this year. For the third time I have won something stitchy. Today these goodies arrived from Deb at Tempting Tangles. Tizzy & Gracie, Deb's cats, chose my name to win Deb's Spring Contest last Sunday. My prize is Examplars From The Heart 'The Virtue Sampler' along with hand painted fabric from Sugar Maple Fabrics and 18 skeins of beautiful silks from Vikki Clayton's Hand-Dyed Fibers. These silks are soooo soft to touch! I've never tried them before & can't wait. Thank you Deb and thank Tizzy and Gracie too. Those cats really know how to pick winners!

I'm determined to finish LHN's 'The Library' before I move on to another project. It's progressing nicely. I've been able to stitch almost every evening for several hours. I'll show an updat photo in a few days time.

Gratitude and Stitching

" At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. " - Albert Schweitzer.

Well friends, I have been in a bit of a slump of late. Seeming to muddle through my days and nights. A general funk, I guess, because when I take an accounting I realize I have done quite a lot in spite of my malaise. I shall blame this all on taxes!

I have neglected to journalize my Gratitude. It's not that I've not spent considerable time thinking on the subject. I have so much to be grateful for. This has been an extremely lucky year for me. Matter-of-fact, I should rush out and buy a lotto ticket.

To date, I have won three giveaways this year. Becky's Be Of Good Cheer tin. Cheryl's Oak Basket. And today, Deb's Springtime Contest. I love my stitchy friends! Your teach me, encourage me, share openly, make me laugh, and occasionally, make me cry. You are my connection to the world from this "Oregon Outback".

In spite of my physical disabilities I am getting healthier. I am better today than I've been in twenty years! I am grateful for the help of my class leaders, support group, on-line group and especially my doctors. This past year has been an amazing journey!

Well... for today, that's enough! Lets get on to my stitching update. I'm kind of stuck on LHN's 'The Library'. The brick work was extremely boring as are the book backs. Only one to go. Whew! I really want ot finish this piece. I keep chanting "this will not become a UFO". So many other projects are calling to me.

Bride's Tree SAL

March's theme for the Bride's Tree SAL is "FLower or Flower Basket" - good wishes, beauty in the home. I stitched this from Aury's design using up a scrap of misc fabric. It doesn't look very Christmasy to me. I think I'll restitch it making all of the flowers red. They look a lot like poinsettias to me.