Another PIF Arrived!

I hope that everyone had a safe and fun Halloween. I was still somewhat battling the cold/sinus thing and didn't exactly feel up to par, but enjoyed the night as best I could. While DH watched the Gators play and my DS was at a friend's house I passed out candy to approx 300 kids!!! No kidding! I'm glad I had purchased that extra bag of candy on top of my regular supply. After all the kids were gone and DS was safely home I went to bed! The sinus drainage is still wanting to linger, but I do feel better.

I have been busily stitching on Clare's piece for our Quaker RR. I just have a few more stitches and it will be finished. It will be in the mail on Monday for sure! Clare chose the prettiest autumn colored threads. Perfect for this time of year. As a matter of fact the name of the thread is Autumn Arbor by Gloriana. I promise to post a picture of her piece next week.

My final PIF piece arrived at Ann's. Here it is:

Prairie Schooler
ornament from "December"
Fabric: 10ct Stardust Heatherfield
Threads: Mostly recommended DMCs
Changes: green pants to blue for more of a "jeans" look
red for house to a brown for a "log cabin" look
Whisper used for Dog fur

Until next time...take care!

Happy Halloween!

I found out that 2 of my PIFs have arrived safely at their new homes. So, I actually have a couple of finishes to show you.

Here is Deb's:

Lizzie Kate Flip-It
"Friends"
Fabric: 28 ct. platinum linen
Recommended threads

I was just drawn to stitch this for Deb. She has been so sweet with her emails of encouragement over the past year. :-)

Here is Leigh's:

The Dragon has been modified slightly
from a freebie pattern by Dragon Dreams
The Sunflower is from Prairie Schooler's 1994 Santa
Stitched on 28 ct. ivory evenweave
Threads - my choice

A close-up of the dragon & sunflower

Leigh had told me she really liked dragons and sunflowers, so when I saw the little dragon pattern holding a coffee mug I decided to modify him slightly to hold a sunflower. And...voila!

On the work front...I've put my resume out at a couple more places. Still no real news.

On to other stitching...I sat down and made a small list of gifts I wanted to get stitched before Christmas. I think I will be able to get it accomplished. Making the list has helped. I will post pictures as they come along.

Best to all and have a fun & safe Halloween weekend!

I actually did some stitching!

I actually got a little stitching accomplished this week despite being down most of the week with a bad cold/sinus thing going on. Talk about feeling exhausted most of the week. However, I cannot post the pictures right now since they are for the PIF I had last October. Yes, I know it has taken me over a year to get them out! Hopefully my poor recipients will consider it sweet anticipation. Hope to get them in the mail on Monday morning!

So...hope to have some pictures next week.

Check out the give away that Sarah is having!

Also wanted to say...thanks for all the sweet comments on my ornies and on the well wishes for a new job.

As for the ornies...I have been asked who designed them...the word "Hope" is from the Lizzie Kate Flip-It "Hope" (F48). The words "Save the ta-tas" came from various letters from this same LK Flip-It ornament series.

Don't Faint!

I know, I know...you can't believe it! I actually have a finish. Well, actually 3!!!
I think it is my first for 2009. It's October and I'm just now having my first finish for the year. UGH!!!
These little ornies are for Donna's Stitching for a Cure project. I signed up for this last October and it has taken me the entire year to get them done.

What a year this has been!
To make a long story short and not bore you with the details...the last year and a half has been extremely stressful time. I've been working waaaayyyyy more than expected at work. So, after talking with my boss several times about it, I decided to turn in my resignation. This was a tough decision, especially given the current economic climate, but for the sake of my sanity and health it was time to go. This week was my last official week at work. I have my resume out at several places and pray that eventually the right job will come along.
I think there will be a lot of homemade gifts for Christmas this year. While there are family members that don't seem to really appreciate the time and effort put into homemade gifts, they will just have to get over it!!!
I plan on taking the next week or so and just relaxing and trying to get refocused a little bit. Then I plan on working on projects around the house and getting some Christmas stitching done. I truly hope to finish my Train project. It has been so neglected.
As for my PIF friends...fear not! I am almost done. Hope to have them in the mail very soon!

MOVIE THOUGHTS:
I haven't been to the movies as much lately since I knew the job was going to end and need to watch those pennies. But, I did see the following over the last few months:

The Informant - This was an interesting movie. I don't think many people will enjoy it, but I found it fascinating from a legal aspect. My husband works for the Federal Court and I worked in the legal field years ago, so we both understood what was going on and were fascinated by it. The movie had a quirky humor that some might not get and it would probably be boring to some. So...while I enjoyed it, others might not. Really like Scott Bakula!
Toy Story I & II in 3D - I LOVE these movies. It was so great to see them on the big screen again. Pixar is just great! Disney/Pixar made this a fun experience with the characters being involved before the movie and during an intermission trivia time. Just plain fun!
Fame - Great movie!

Looking forward to the following movies over the Holidays:

• A Christmas Carol
• Amelia
• Old Dogs
• The Princess & The Frog
• Did You Hear About the Morgans?

A special thanks to those that have left such sweet comments and sent me emails. It has given me great support during these difficult months.

Another month gone by...

I can't believe another month has gone by! My life has been in crisis mode lately and there hasn't been any stitching. Too much to explain. My job will be ending in mid October and that should help tremendously. So...hopefully I will have some actual stitching news in about a month.

Take care everyone!

PIF, Summer Movie Thoughts, Last of Summer Vaca Pics & Life

Well, I can't believe over a month has passed since my last post. Life here has been sooooo busy. I feel like I have been saying that for over a year now. But, I am still waiting for things to slow down.

First off...here is the beautiful PIF I received from Janaina. Isn't this towel pretty? You should see the back. Her stitching is flawless!!!

Speaking of PIFs...Deb, Leigh & Ann...please, don't give up on me. I am almost finished with my gifts for you 3 and hope to mail them out before long. One is completely ready to be mailed, one is stiched, but not completed and the last one I am about 1/2 way through stitching. So...please, know that I am working on it and will mail them all hopefully by Oct. 1st at the lastest.

Update on my boss...she is doing remarkably well and if you didn't know she had had this surgery done, you wouldn't know. She went on a trip this week with her sister and will be gone most of next week as well. This brings up things with my work...I am still pretty swamped there and also in the process of trying to find a new job. My boss is wanting to retire and sell her business, so....

Summer Movie Thoughts:
Bandslam...I really enjoyed this movie. Great music!
GI Joe...enjoyed it more than I thought I would, an enjoyable action movie
Post Grad...really cute
My Sister's Keeper...good, but sad. Different ending from book
Ice Age 3...cute, but not as good as first one
The Ugly Truth...I cannot tell you how disappointed I was in this movie. Very disappointed.
District 9...much more violent than I like...walked out after 20 minutes and went to see Julie & Julia
Transformers 2...not bad. Thought the first one was better.

Top picks from summer...no particular order:

Star Trek...loved it! I especially loved Spock!
Harry Potter...always great!
The Proposal...great summer comedy/romance
UP!...such a sweet, wonderful movie!
X-Men Origins: Wolverine...really liked this alot. Much better than X-Men 3
Julie & Julia...Meryl Streep was great as Julia. Loved the relationship between Julia & her husband.
Time Traveler's Wife...sad, but good


Last of the Vaca Pics:

Glacier National Park...Montana

Red Canyon...Glacier National Park...Alberta, Canada

A moose!...near Red Canyon...GNP...Canada

Grinnell Lake...GNP...Montana

Hidden Falls...on hike to Grinnell Lake...GNP...Montana

Old Faithful...Yellowstone National Park...Wyoming

Hot Spring...Midway Geyser Basin...YNP...Wyoming

Buffalo!...near Canyon Village area...YNP...Wyoming

My favorite area of Yellowstone...the pools of West Thumb Geyser Basin...YNP

A float trip down the Snake River...Grand Teton National Park...Wyoming

The Grand Teton Mountain Range...Grand Teton National Park...Wyoming

Craters of the Moon National Monument...Idaho

Oregon Trail...Oregon Trail Interpretive Center...near Baker City, Oregon

Multnomah Falls...Columbia River Gorge, near Portland, Oregon
Twilight Trivia Note: This particular Falls can be seen in the background of the Vampire Baseball scene. It can also be seen briefly when Bella & Edward are talking near the river.

Back to Reality!

Well, my arrival back home from vacation has been a big jolt back to reality. My boss has been diagnosed with breast cancer! This is her second bout with breast cancer and she is scheduled to have a double masectomy in a little over a week from now. Fortunately her prognosis is excellent and she is handling the news very well. This also means some changes with work. Since it is just her and I at her business, all her work has now been put in my lap until she recovers. It has also made her realize she would like to retire very soon and sell the business. So...I guess that means I will have to look for a new job within the next year. UGH!!! Trying to find a place that will work with a schedule and the people are nice to work with/for is very hard.

Needless to say I haven't done much stitching in the last 2 weeks. Hope to get back to it soon.

I will post some more pictures of my time in Washington state and Victoria, BC from our trip. More pictures from other locations to follow.

Fruit at Pike's Place Market in Seattle

Lots of snow and fog at Mt. Rainier

A glimpse of Mt Rainier



Ruby Beach

The Hall of Mosses - Hoh Rain Forest - Olympic National Park
Hurricane Ridge

Victoria Harbor, British Columbia

Deception Pass


Nooksack Falls