Stitching can get a little like microscopic biopsy procedures

I felt like this evening I performed microscopic surgery on the area to the left which is supposed to say 1811.
However, I thought that the Pea Pod Green and the Bean Sprout Green would blend and they did, very well. (hey, I stir mine together to eat them) So, well, that after filling it all in, I asked Body Guard
"what does that say?"

he looks and raises his eyebrow and said "is that supposed to be numbers?"--my first clue

then, me "yes, it's a date" ----then he got excited and after I said, "no, a number date silly" he calmed down and said.......

"it looks like maybe.........maybe.......19--07?"

Me. "Nope it's 1811"

That's how it all began.......

I knew my surgical skills were necessary to excise just the 1811 out of the grass area. What a nightmare! I've spent more time doing intrauterine procedures than this.

For a while, I thought I was going to be learning basic hardanger as I almost cut the linen to get out the Pea Pod color. Then as I was thinking about how hard hardanger looked to do, I realized why the word "anger" is in it and smiled..........Oh, I can do it, I can do it..........


Done, I reached into my bag and grabbed whatever color that would contrast but not scream at me and stitched in the places I biopsied practically to remove. LOL

I am happy to say the procedure went well and the patient is recovering. No major complications occured.

Your best tour guide

Tonight we got a picture of BG's mom in South Holland, Ill. She is in the last pic and a tour guide at the Labor Day festivities there. The Paarlberg Fest presented by the South Holland Historical Society. She is the sweetest you'll ever meet, will be 91 very soon.
She has been the tour guide for the historical society in this well-preserved house. The Paarlberg and Dalenberg history is very interesting; however, I am a little biased ;)

The first 4 pics were taken on our trip last year. I just love this house! It's set up like a museum. Alot of Dutch history here. I have lots of pics from last visit but I picked a few for my stitching friends!
Wish we could have been there today!
Embroidered pillow cases.......

The sewing room.

This is Evelyn, my mother-in-law. Smartest lady you'll meet. She can tell you the German alphabet without any trouble. She is not a day without a crossword puzzle and will complete them daily from the newspaper. She also has tatted for years. Almost 91 now. Here she is in her costume at the festivities today. She is the tour guide.

I thought this was a great picture of her. We try to go once a year to visit and that will be soon coming up. Can't wait to go!

Some cooking going on!

Lots of cooking going on right now! Shrimp kabob goodies are now marinating.......in Raspberry Vinegarette Salad Dressing as I ran out of Italian. They will get to know each in the frig for about 2 hours while I finish the cookies. I will cook some sweet corn on the cob on the stove.

Sinfully delicious cookie dough made with Nestles Milk Chocolate Morsels (instead of the semisweet) with a cup or two of pecan pieces

turns into these.

and these

and then eaten right off the pan with a cold glass of milk. Now that's my Labor Day cooking.

Frames and Thangs!

I'm up searching for the perfect frame for the Blue House Sampler. Here is one that I really am seriously considering. It's called Sweet Honey. It might be the one.

This pattern is appealing to me from Brenda Keyes, Grace and Virtue. I've been looking for something a little like this to fit my antique frame (8in) that I got last year when someone was selling out there stash/store. It's been in my stash box for a year. (See frame of mine ----the last pic). This pic is from an Ebay seller, just for you to see the pattern.

I'm stuck amongst greens. I am using the Bean Sprout color, Spinach, and Pea Pod as called for in the pattern. But today I feel like I'm losing my date on the sampler. Maybe I'm too close to it. I will continue on and hope it will all fall together. I've got lots of grass to do. Methinks the Honey frame will be the one to grace it.

There's one thing that this sampler has taught me is that I need a scroll frame. My qsnaps are sliding and stretching this particular brand of linen all bonkers. Yeppers, a scroll frame. I've been looking at some suggested by Deb (thank you) and contemplating the size I need first, then can add slowly later.

Here's my frame I love and it needs a sampler in it, doesn't it?

Well, I woke up this morning to pancakes and coffee, which was really good and then BG is going to grill up some Shrimp Kabobs on his newly made firepit outside. I haven't cooked kabobs in several years. We have some fresh sweet corn to go with it.

Hope you are having a blast of a Labor Day!

It's a Full Moon, can you tell?

Ruby is wondering when we are starting the grill for those Shrimp Kabobs. No, Ruby that's for tomorrow's lunch.

Raven is sleeping like this.

And Thomas is pretty wild tonight hanging over the rails when there is a 30 foot drop. He is a brave soul.

Look at those eyes!

Shoes are a Girl's Best Friend

Please pardon my random postings today of nonstitchy stuff but I had a little fun on Friday when we went on our day trip. I visit there probably every 3 months or so and the particular shoe store I wanted to visit is only open 3 days a week, and I haven't been on a day they were open in about a year so I made up for it (yikes)

The store is called Goody Two Shoes in Augusta Ga. Now, I've gone to Goody Two Shoes for 15 years because this little place in the middle of a very bad section of town has some downright excellent buys. It's in the project section. Carry a gun, if you go. BUT, their shoes are from models that have only worn on the runway once, therefore they practically give them away at the prices. All their shoes are name brand, leather, famous designers. And what's great is you can get 3-4 pair of shoes for the price of one at a Mall. Before I moved here, I worked in Augusta and have memoirs of looking at Goody Two Shoes at lunch. My closet can attest to that.

I love shoes. My closet is full of them. I, being the pac rat, own more shoes than ......well, it's probably illegal. I'm a girlie girl but found these boots, Timberland, waterproof that fit perfectly and are.......snake proof. Now this is an important feature for me and something I've been trying to find for a very long time. I did so many happy dances in the isles of Good Two Shoes that I had to sit down from the adrenaline rush! The heart palpitations and the shortness of breath was overwhelming.


My next lucky pair are for work, more professional but oh, so comfortable.

These felt like a glove. A bedroom slipper. They are naturalizers and I will really wear these alot. These were Body Guards favorites.

And my most favorite find. I fell in deep love with this pair of shoes and when I put them on and they fit. The Body guard hid under the next isle as he didn't want any association with a woman shouting with glee in the store! LOL He did look at me with a raised eyebrow at this pair. But I love them!

He has been amazed from day 1 of our marriage at how many shoes a girl can collect. You should have seen his face when we first moved in after we got married. He was in shock at the shoes. I think he has about 3 pair. Again, he is pretty basic and I am, well, a little complex ;)

Bye, bye Goody Two shoes until next year probably! I love you!!! and miss shopping there on my lunch hour :(

But, again, I don't think we have enough closet space for any more.

Body Guard is still recuperating from the shock of our shoe trip. He took 2 Advil and is feeling better. LOL Not really, just joking, he actually likes to sit back and watch me have fun in the shoe store. He's the one that carries the gun for me to shop in places like this. LOL

Do you love shoes too?

Are you ready for the flu season?

The following is a part of my day, taken at breakfast. For some randomness reason today, I thought I would line up the participants and share.

Every time you turn on the TV, the H1N1 is making its way into the U.S. and I suspect this Fall and Winter we will see a tremendous increase in the flu. They predict 90,000 deaths from H1 N1 in the U.S this year as compared to the regular seasonal flu which usually causes 30,000 deaths. Most of these are from complications.

There are no total guarentees from the Flu; however, along with good nutritional care and exercise, I plan to get both Flu vaccines, the seasonal Flu and then the H1N1 vaccine.

I saw a good show yesterday about some myths about the flu vaccine and I'm so glad they are publicizing and making people aware of risks/benefits of the vaccines. For example, both vaccines are not live viruses so they cannot make you sick. This is probably the most common myth and reason why people don't get flu shots.
In my profession, of course, I have to take precaution as exposure will be a given.

I find that good handwashing and taking my vitamins daily really helps ward infections.
I kinda got slack on taking vitamins the past Spring and could really tell a difference in energy level. I've gotten back regularly on my vitamins for the past month and hopefully, will stay healthier.

Vitamin C and Zinc are 2 very important characters for the immune system. You probably have seen packets of the product "EmergenC" you can buy which helps prevent colds. Its a whopping dose of Vitamin C basically. My hubbie swears by those packets during cold season.

Vitamin D, is actually, showing alot of promising health benefits in the past recent year of studies, especially in Women's Health. Most of us are deficient simply because we don't get as much sunshine during the Winter months. Vitamin D is also excellent for bone health and the immune system. This website actually has some good information on Vitamin D and women's health. A nurse practitioner explains this well.
http://www.womentowomen.com/healthynutrition/vitamind.aspx

Omega 3 Fish Oil, I can't say enough about. Its great for the skin, cardio, and immune system.
Two years ago there was a study that divided participants with Chrohn's disease into 2 groups, one with fish oils and the other with popular Chrohn's medication and the group who took the Fish Oils fared just as well as the group on prescription meds which have alot of side effects.
This is promising for Chrohn's and hopefully applies to other immune system dysfunctions. There have also been studies to show that Fish Oils are essential in regulating moods and preventing depression. I will digress on the mood subject.......... http://www.womentowomen.com/healthynutrition/omega3benefits.aspx


Vitamin B complex, high dose, is important for the nervous system and stress. Who is not under alot of stress in this day and time? This group of vitamins are excreted quickly because they are water soluble so make sure you get the Time Release version. You will see B complex 50, 100, and 150 at the store, even Walmart. Too many B vitamins can cause peripheral nerve issues so I take 100 but everybody is different.

There are many, many supplements you can get at specialty stores but alot is marketing. These are the basics for immune system functioning. This post is not intended to be a substitute for your own personal provider's recommendations but my own personal and professional experiences.

Dancing is the Fun Part

This morning when I looked at the design from The Sampler Girl, called Clara's Christmas Dance 1892 which just released Sept 1 and came in the mail, I immediately thought of this picture of me and my hubbie which has been on the table for 1 year (blushing now) without a frame! This was a moment captured at my nephew's wedding, that I had made into an 8 x 10.

So, I thought to myself, how neat it would be to stitch just the words "I Danced With My Sweetheart" into a pinkeep. Hope I remembered correctly that it was ok with her to sometimes stitch part of a design (Tanya I hope that was ok! ) I plan to stitch the entire design on a larger piece of linen just as designed but excerpted this phrase and stitched the back on with a paisley old blue and Colonial red. This is on 28 ct linen ( a scrap I bought long time ago at a store in Pigeon Forge, TN) and then I used the 2 very old black pins I got out of a scrap bag at an antique store. It was a grab bag of old, old notions). I used Belle Soie Red Fox. I plan to stitch the entire design on a larger piece of fabric with the entire verse nearer to Christmas time.

Some of the best times we had were dancing. We always danced by the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve and I remember even one year while I was in my graduate program and working full time and single, he was kind enough to dance with me at the tune of the printer machine as I was printing off my many papers I had to write for professors!

All in all, some of our fondest memories are dancing. When my nephew got married last year, David, and the pics came back online, I cropped us dancing and got this 8 x 10 made. It needs a frame and that will come in time but I do like it right by our front door. Hopefully it reminds both of us of the good times we have as we pass it, on the way out and on the way in the door. We all have ups and downs, some more dramatic, but this phrase really touched my heart.

Yes, I'm rather chatty this weekend. I'm doing all I can do to not focus on the worsening situation in Afghanistan. I make one mess when I'm creating, stitching and sewing but it does take my mind off some very deep concerns.

Hope you are having a peaceful evening.

Jennifer

Ren's New Onesies

When you're a dog at 16 and you have hair loss from age, just get some Garanimals (preemie size) and snip those bottom snappers out and you have a soft-Tshirt for quiet napping.


This afternoon I went into the kitchen and he had dragged his blanket to the front of the dishwasher and was taking a nap in his new onesies by the humming of the dishwasher.............he will wake up when he smells dinner cooking.
hey, whatever works............LOL Got them for 3 bucks on a Walmart closeout rack yesterday. Perfect for him. They even have pawprints on them.

Mums and Mail Goodies

Mums are here! This is one of the lovlies I got yesterday. I like the mums when they haven't bloomed a bit to surprise me with their color!

These are my itty, bitty, ones that I plan to put in a long planter together. My fave color is the deep burgandy red, then the autumny yellow are my next faves.

Lookie what I got in the mail! I made an order with Tanya, The Sampler Girl and when I got this I nearly cried. I will treasure it forever Tanya! It's a photo album and on the front is a picture of one of her samplers. Thanks Tanya for that surprise for a birthday giftie! I LOVE IT! Thank you again. I will probably put a pic of each of my samplers finished and place it on my sofa table. Tanya is the most creative person. I've never met her in person but I can tell by her blog and creative designs she is the sweetest in the world!

Here's my order that came in (the patterns) and the birthday giftie from Tanya!

I'm excited to find that she also offered the piece of linen to stitch the Clara Christmas one on the left on her website. You must check out her site http://atthehoneysuckletree.blogspot.com/

and there you can click on her webshop. She just put a neat freebie out too. Check it out!

Till later,

Jennifer

My midnight stitching tonight turned scarey!

Well, today was a long one. Went out of town to take care of some personal business and mixed a little fun in too. I'll post about it tomorrow (the fun part).

We just got in actually not too long ago, catching up on the TV news and decided to pick up my sampler and work on it on the stitching stand. Guess what? I'm stitching away and felt this crawl across my foot onward to the middle of my living room and I screamed so loud that I lost my voice! The Bodyguard thought I had stabbed my finger with a needle big time! LOL


A 4 inch wolf spider somehow got in our house and this is what a wolf spider looks like close up. This is not the actual spider but a pic I found on the net because after I screamed and jumped straight up into my chair, my hubbie said, blankety-blank, about the time he saw it and smashed it with a shoe about 3 times. Sure enough, a 4 inch thick, hairy wolf spider. You can identify these by all the hair and the thick body and OH they are ugly. They are supposed to be good spiders because they eat other little ones. But, NO spider is a good spider to me.


In the 8 years we have lived here this is the second horrible experience of a wolf spider. The first one was actually on the wall of our basement about 5 years ago, a 6 inch one. I had never in my life seen such a spider. I have a fear of spiders and snakes so you can imagine what that was like!
Oh, well, stitching to relax and wind down turned to nerves rattling.
You can bet I will be checking under my sheets tonight! LOL


I read they have 8 eyes and fangs. They can bite but are not poisonous. Is this not the ugliest thing ever?

Needless to say the pest control man will be here Tues for sure.

Well, I'm going to try and get in bed now........thought I would share this lovely stitching experience tonight. OMG

Oh yeah, and sweet dreams!!! Watch out. Halloween is getting ready already at our house LOL

The house is finished

There's one lesson in life that cross stitching teaches me and that is to set goals and to achieve those goals. Then with that, accomplishment builds self-confidence that future challenges can be met.

I was hoping to finish the house today and did. I'm so glad. Because sometimes, I feel that I don't really accomplish anything good. It leaves me with a good feeling before I drift off to sleep.

I'm taking a day trip tomorrow, a very long day trip, so hopefully I will be able to fill in alot of the tree and grass.

My birthday went as well as could be expected. I had made one birthday wish and it didn't come true. It wouldn't have cost one penny but only God knows why some things happen as they do.

Interesting facts about the year I was born

1. The CIA's domestic operation division was created
2. Gideon v. Wainwright passes: The U. S. Supreme Court declared the poor must have lawyers
3. The Beatles released their first album, Please, please, me
4. The 35th Academy Awards ceremony was held.
5. Women's Suffrage in Iran---- women could vote.
6. A general election was held in Italy
7. The Coca Cola company introduced the first diet drink----Tab
8. The first James Bond film was shown in theatres----Dr. No
9. Pope John XXIII died
10. Smallpox spread hit Sweden lasting to July
11. Buddy Rogers became the first WWF champion.
12. Zip codes were introduced in the United States.
13. Martin Luther King delivered his I Have a Dream speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to a crowd of 250,000
14. Marvel Comics released the first ever X-men Comic book.
15. The U. S. Senate ratified the nuclear test ban treaty
16. Laura Bush killed Michael Dutton Douglas in a car crash around 8pm in her hometown of Midland, Texas (per Wikipedia)
17. The Beatles second album was released, With The Beatles
18. John F. Kennedy was assassinated
19. Kennedy was buried in Arlington National Cemetary and all schools closed on that day
20. The first episode of the BBC television series Doctor Who is broadcast in the United Kingdom
21. U. S. President Lyndon B. Johnson established the Warren Commission to investigate the Kennedy assassination.
22. Frank Sinatra was kidnapped.
23. Patsy Cline was killed in a plane crash.
24. NASA launched the world's first synchronous satelite
25. Vostok 6 carried the first Soviet woman into space.
26. Kenya became independant.
27. I want to Hold Your Hand and I Saw Her Standing There introduced an era of Beetlemania
28. Harvey Ball invented the ubiquitous smiley face symbol.
29. Academy of Awards Best Picture---Lawrence of Arabia--Sam Spiegel
30. Best Actor--Gregory Peck
31. Best Actress-Anne Bancroft
32. Best Supporting Actress- Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker

Another lazy day

Looking upward in the stairwell you can see the attic fan in full use. It's 72 degrees and dry outside~~~lovely weather. I think it got in the upper 50's last night at the low.

Yes, this is also potential sampler space and lots of it in the stairwell all around. When I finish the Blue House Sampler, it will probably reside somewhere on the stairwell walls.


Raven, my girl, is.........(as one of my friends call it) "all laid up" LOL Please disregard the flower pot being turned over. If they are empty, my girls knock them over every time. I plan to put some mums in my empty flower pots, actually going in to the city tonight to get them.

This is my meek progress on the Blue House. The green is filling in nicely.

My pots are empty, just waiting on me to fill them with some colorful Fall mums.

This morning has already flown by. I have some more things to accomplish today which involves the following:

Sewing a cover for my porch wicker chaise

Finish cleaning out closets

Putting some items I no longer need on Ebay for some extra stitching cash

Changing bed linens and the oh so dreaded laundry--remember don't hate.........appreciate!

Trying out a new restaurant for dinner.

Finding those mums to place on my porch and in the yard.

Finishing the blue house on the Blue House Sampler

Hope your Thursday is filled with fun and relaxation!

An Evening By the River and Window Shopping

Well, this evening we decided to get out and eat by the Chattahoochee River at our fave spot in Helen Georgia, a Bavarian village near our home. The weather was so inviting and I had a taste for good food and company as the chilly river sounds danced in the background.

After our dinner, we walked over to the Dutch shop because I had in mind to get another one of those flower frogs ie. scissor frogs. But they just closed. Pooie, so I took lots of pics so you could see the candy store that's not far from our house.

Here are the dinner plates I would love to have one day!

This is even the little brothel (no I don't believe in brothels). But I guess in Holland they must have those, so here is a miniture one.

More cups and saucers. Imported from Holland, along with an assurance of taking credit cards to stimulate our economy! ;)

Lookie at this teapot!

And a possible scissor frog!

A large windmill and houses.

More goodies to drool over........

And this large frog in the window must be a new one since I went into the store. I can only imagine my large Ginghers in this one.

Yes, this is in Georgia, not Holland, but it fits right in with the other "villages" here.

Down by the lazy river........wait, isn't that an old song in the 70's?

Our table right by the river and the Body Guard gazing into the water.While he was gazing and tranquilized, I ordered myself prime rib and a nice glass of Merlot!

The cool breeze was heavenly and peaceful, clear, no humidity----just perfect!

This is one area of Helen where the Dutch shop is located.Ok, this is way out of nowhere, but when I passed this ? flower ?bush? what in the world is this?

Passing by another window shop, I couldn't resist taking this one through the window. How about this couple on the right? LOL It says "Still the sexy couple" Hope I"m not quite that old yet.

And some beautiful flowers

Evidence cameras are pretty good for closeups, don't you think?

Hope your mid-week is going well!