The Best of Intentions

I have had the best of intentions regarding my blogging, but, it just has not happened.  But, after several LONG months I am finally back!  I at least have a few things to show you for my long absense.  :-)
First I have two ornaments I stitched for my RR friends:

Designer:  The Prairie Schooler

Title:  St. Nicholas II (Book No. 36)

Fabric:  Stitched over 1 on a scrap of blueish gray 32 ct linen

Color changes: 

B5200 in place of white

304 in place of 221

758 in place of 356

754 in place of 407

367 in place of 501

369 in place of 503

739 in place of 738

839 in place of 844

630 in place of 869

Title:  Nordic Holiday (Book No. 191)

Designer:  The Prairie Schooler

Fabric:  Stitched over 1 on a scrap of white 32 ct linen

I also managed to get a few pieces "finished" that had been hanging in my back closet for quite some time.  

First up, 3 RR pieces:

2009 RR piece

Title:  Quaker Style Friendship Sampler

Designer:  Samplers and Such

Fabric:  32 ct Heather by Picture This Plus

Thread:  Aged Plum by Silk 'n Colors

Stitched with: Clare, Marti, Deb, Lynda & Sharyn

Finishing:  Pillow by my friend Sherri

2010 RR piece

Title:  The Hunt

Designer:  Homespun Samplar

Fabric:  coffee dyed 28 ct monaco

Threads:  Carrie's Creations 

Grid - Navy Blues

Medallions in Grid - Pacific Blue

Wreath - Sea Mist

Ribbon - Ocean Blue

Alphabet - Teal Mist

Diamonds Between Letters - Baja Blue

Initials & Year - Navy

Stitched with: Clare & Lynda

Finishing:  Pillow by my friend Sherri (I need to find larger pillow form for this)

2012 RR piece(2012-2014)

Title:  Beneath the Sunlit Sky

Designer:  Blackbird Designs - Loose Feathers

Fabric:  28 ct Celadon

The frame is a golden color (like the star bursts), but has blueish/gray in it as well.  

This did not photograph well.  It is much prettier in person.

Now, for a fun stitch that is not an RR piece:

Title:  Warm Water Wash

Designer:  Raise the Roof

Fabric:  28 ct Zephyr by Picture This Plus

Changes:  

• Several Color Changes (sand, basket, bucket, center of sun & clothesline)
• Made bucket & shovel smaller (shovel is stitched over one)
• Used a free pattern for the sandcastle (with a couple minor changes there)
• Added some different buttons & changed placement of others

What I am currently stitching on:

• Country Cottage Needleworks Santa's Village - doing 5 of these for stockings (they will be on the cuff of the stocking) for my niece and her family.  I am on the 2nd one of the 5.
• RR with my friend Clare - stitching Pumpkin Farm by Blackbird Designs. 
• First few stitches on Christmas Wishes by Mirabilia.  (my new big project)
• Thine is the Trick and the Treat SAL w/my friend Sharon.  Very little done on this.  

I have gone on a bit of a stash haul over the last year and am trying to put the brakes on that.  I don't know when I will ever have the time to stitch all that I have.  I think it is beyond time to weed out some very old patterns that I know I will never stitch.  That is on my To Do List for this summer/fall.  

I am WAY late doing this, but, here are my end of year movie thoughts from 2014:

Year End Movie Thoughts 2014:

Favorites:

• Hunger Games - Mockingjay - Part I
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Captain America: Winter Soldier
• Big Hero 6
• The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies
• X-Men:  Days of Future Past
• The Amazing Spider-Man 2
• How to Train Your Dragon 2
• The Fault in Our Stars
• Unbroken

Honorable Mentions:

• Divergent
• If I Stay
• The Giver
• Planes: Fire & Rescue
• When The Game Stands Tall

Disappointments:

• Penguins of Madagascar

Movie thoughts thus far in 2015:

• Cinderella - I LOVED this movie!  I loved the colors, the costumes, the casting, the beauty of it,  just ALL of it!  Plus, I felt there were definite nods to the classic animated Cinderella as well.  I have already purchased Cinderella Sampler and will use colors from this movie as my inspiration on it.  
• Avengers: Age of Ultron - really enjoyed this!  If you enjoy the Marvel movies, then you will enjoy this one.  
• The Divergent Series: Insergent - I did not like this movie at all!!!  It was sooooooo different from the book.  I felt like there was a narrative being driven based on something the author posted after the last book that was completely different from the books themselves.  I already knew that I would not be seeing the last movie (movies, since they are dividing it in two) based on my dislike of the last book (not just the ending, but, the book as an entirety), but, this absolutely confirmed it.  
• The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - enjoyable.  I can't say I liked it as much as the first, but, I did really like it.  The ending was good, but, was sadder than I was expecting.

Movies I am looking forward to in the remainder of 2015:

• Jurassic World
• Inside Out
• Paper Towns
• Maze Runner:  The Scorch Trials
• Hotel Transylvania 2
• Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Until next time!

  

Now It's Spring!

I know, I know!  I promised an update soon and here it is almost 8 months later and I am just now updating!  All I can say is that life has been challenging.  But, on to better things!

I think I have back most of my stitching mojo!!!  YAY!!!  Or at least a good bit of it.  Despite all the craziness that has been going on in my life in the last 8 months or so, I have managed to get some stitching done! 

I finished stitching my niece's wedding piece and then stitched a birth announcement for the beautiful baby girl she had born the following year, but, did I take a picture before I mailed them?!  No!!!  So, unfortunately I can't show those 2 pieces to you.  If I ever remember when I am down visiting her, I will take a picture to post here.

Here is my long overdue Olympic Finish:

Design:  Warm Water Wash

Designer:  Raise the Roof

Fabric: 28 ct Zephyr by Picture This Plus

Changes:

• Several color changes (sand, basket, bucket, center of sun, clothesline)
• Made bucket & shovel smaller
• Used a free pattern for sandcastle (with a couple very tiny changes)
• Added some different buttons and rearranged placement of others

Another piece I finished around Halloween:

Design:  Vlad's Vash Day

Designer:  Raise the Roof

Fabric:  28 ct Heather by Picture This Plus *

Changes:

• A couple color changes (words, ribbon for medal, colored zig-zag in undies)
• Did not add flower, bat or heart buttons
• Changed placement of some buttons

*The piece of fabric was purchased several years ago and looks quite different from the Heather I have seen recently.  My piece is gray with purple places in it.  The ones I have seen more recently are darker gray with larger, darker purple places in them.

 I have been continuing to work on my large train project and am coming closer to finishing it with each stitch.  I have also been working on Promise Me by Lizzie Kate (with some color changes), my SAL with Sharon of Prairie Moon's Thine is the Trick and the Treat (not much progress there) and starting a new baby sampler for the above mentioned niece as she is expecting (surprise!) another baby in late summer this year (only in very beginning stages here with fabric choice and design, no stitching started).  

Here are my latest movie thoughts.

 Favorite Movies of 2012:  

 

The Avengers
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Hunger Games
Wreck-It Ralph
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Rise of the Guardians
The Lucky One

The Dark Knight Rises

Honorable Mention:

  

The Woman in Black

The Vow

Hotel Transylvania

Silver Linings Playbook

Disappointments of the Year:

Brave - beautiful animation & enjoyable, but, least favorite of Pixar movies.

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 - somewhat enjoyable, but, least favorite of series probably

Dark Shadows - just disappointing all around!

Movies thus far in 2013:

•  Oz The Great and Powerful - somewhat enjoyable, but, left feeling overall somewhat disappointed.  Makes me want to read all the original books and see how true the movies are.
• Safe Haven - really enjoyed it.  Wish it had done better at the box office.  I think a lot of people missed out on this one.  If you like other Nicholas Sparks movies, you should enjoy this one by him as well.
• Warm Bodies - my son drug me to this one and I must say I enjoyed it.  Surprisingly.
• Beautiful Creatures - enjoyable, if you like supernatural type movies.  I had not read the book before I went to movie (a friend wanted me to go), but, since reading the book, they changed quite a lot.  So, I guess it was probably disappointing for a lover of the books.  I was surprised it didn't do better with the teenage/preteen set, especially those that loved Twilight.  Go figure!
• The Incredible Burt Wonderstone - Just disappointing on so many levels.  I enjoy Steve Carrel and Jim Carrey can really surprise me at times, but, this was just so not good.  Though I will admit I liked the illusion they did at the end.
• The Host - I really enjoyed this, but, it is a very slow, cerebral type movie with a lot of inner monologue going on, so it can be boring to those that want action.  Never could get past the first chapter of the book, but, this has made me want to try & read it again.

 Movies I am looking forward to in the rest of 2013:

• Iron Man 3
• Star Trek Into Darkness
• Monsters University
• Man of Steel
• The Wolverine
• Thor: The Dark World
• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Well, off to possibly work on some stitching.  I will do my best to post again soon.  ;-)