All Stitched Up

Check a few things off

2012-02-08T09:08:00.001-05:00

I have had pineapple upside down cake on my mind for awhile. I can't make a dessert like this just for my husband and I but it was perfect for the Superbowl party we went to. I am not a good baker and it came out great. The recipe called for a little coconut in it and that made it a little special. The cake was just what I had been dreaming of. I can check this off my list.

I needed an easy project to take to the Superbowl party. I can't seem to watch television and do nothing. I have been commissioned to knit this afghan for a woman so I thought I'd take a square. I think I have again underestimated the time it will take. My dilemma is always charge too much and not get the job or take the job at a low per hour rate and make some money. I've decided to make this a personal challenge. I am going to make one of each square.

Some squares are challenging for me and I think it will be fun to conquer all of the patterns.

And in case you were wondering if I finished something - I did indeed. This is the front flap of an evening bag. The actual bag zips on to the top of this piece. I always love to needlepoint so this was fun. A gentleman is going to give this to his wife for Valentines Day. It was fun to be a part of his romantic gift.

One project completed - Check!

As Usual

2012-02-01T10:47:00.001-05:00

I'm very busy with many unfinished projects. This poor fairy needs another wing, legs face and hair. She is very time consuming to knit but it's the first time I've ever knit a stuffed item. Fun but no where near a money maker. I'm also knitting a sweater, finishing an afghan and doing some needlepoint. All are in progress and hopefully some will be finished soon. Otherwise the girls and I are enjoying some nice spring weather. I hope you all are finishing something!

New Year, New Project

2012-01-11T14:50:00.003-05:00

There is nothing like starting a new project. I have owed this child a baby present for a year. Nothing quite struck me as the right thing and time seemed so fleeting. But... I finally got it into my head that he needed a guernsey sweater. I found the pattern and have a stash of yarn that's perfect so it all fell together. Then I started knitting. It's just fun. The house is still a mess from Christmas but I'm enjoying my knitting. Here's to many more fun projects this year.

Clean up and out

2011-12-30T08:48:00.000-05:00

While Hillary is home we cleaned out the rest of her room. I had already thrown out some stuff and removed some furniture. I had left a pile for her to address and several drawers and shelves in her closet. It is amazing what came out of that space. We swear the stuff grew as we took it and put it in bags. We had four bags of trash, four bags to donate (pictured in trunk) and a bag for the consignment shop. Neither of us can figure out how all this fit in the room. Hillary claims she can feel the lightness in the room. I'm just stunned.

I am so glad I decided to start this project. Clearly we have too much "stuff". The next job is to paint the room. Next month after I do a few All Stitched Up jobs I'm going to get busy.

This certainly is a good start to the New Year.

Good to Go

2011-12-23T09:16:00.000-05:00

A week ago the girls thought I need to be doing some knitting so they tried to bring me my knitting. They are so sweet I could hardly yell at them.

Last night I finished up my home made Christmas presents. Socks and a cowl for friends that ski.

I just realized there were a few needlepoint ornaments I could report on as well. It was fun to have knitting every evening after the wrapping and cleaning. Now that my presents are done I'm thinking of what project to get back to first. I'm thinking my quilts!

I hope you are all ready to enjoy Christmas!

Merry Christmas

Peace

2011-12-13T09:44:00.001-05:00

I've been busy with all the usual holiday preparation just like all of you. All my crazy projects are on hold for now. I received a very cute Thanksgiving card and this sentiment has been on my mind ever since:

Peace. it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. (unknown)

I hope everyone has a peaceful holiday season.

What have I gotten myself into?????

2011-11-20T11:08:00.001-05:00

So who thinks it's a good idea to take a quilt class in November ? Somehow we are supposed to have 30 squares made between now and the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. I just don't think I'll be done but I have learned so much already. I also love my material and I think it's going to be great when it's done in January.

Jodi got me on to soups and this is a great one from Martha's December Everyday Food magazine. It's Vegetable Bean Soup. Really good!

Hillary's Room

The Sewing Room

Who thinks it's a really good idea (while taking a quilt class)to redecorate a room or two. The girls had undecorated Hillary's room in their youth and I thought it was time for a spruce up. One thing leads to another - the treadmill needs to go in the sewing room, the bed isn't really all that good, and both rooms are full of stuff. What a lot of work. Lots of stuff has been tossed and both rooms are much better but again the Thanksgiving deadline will come and go. I've got great plans for Hillary's room thanks to my friend Shelby it's just going to take a bit longer to get everything together.

Why did I think I could wash these afghans? Man what a mess - carrying each of them from the bath tub to the back yard was like carting around an extra large bag of dog food. But they are out drying in the sun now. It was certainly a hard way to earn some money but I think my customer will be very happy when she gets them back clean and repaired.

So as I was thinking of this post I realized that even thought I'm a bit in over my head I am truly thankful that I can be doing all this. What a fun life.

The Soup Bowl

2011-11-07T09:18:00.002-05:00

This bowl of "Summer Corn Chowder" is one of my favorite soups. It's easy to make and frozen corn and small red potatoes make it an all season soup. This soup is also light but hearty. I couldn't find the box of Bisquick so I googled biscuits. Paula Deen's recipe was so easy I gave it a whirl. They were great and very easy. Soup and biscuits were made in about one hour so I highly recommend it for an after work dinner.

The timing of The Soup Bowl couldn't have been better. I have a short list of soup recipes and wanted to add some new ones. Thanks Jodi for providing the new recipes.

Changes

2011-11-02T08:43:00.002-04:00

This was Saturday. Since then I have the feeling it might be spring. We have lots of green leaves and beautiful sky. Yesterday when I was walking the dogs it was warm and the snow was melting off the roofs. It's like a little time warp until you look at the calendar and see that Thanksgiving is coming faster than I can believe.

Things are changing around here. My husband has a new job. Instead of different shifts everyday he now will work 9-5. Great change and I want to be the supportive wife. I'm thinking that's not easy. I'm not used to making dinner every night. If I examine my housecleaning there is lots of room for improvement. I have always wanted to be "June Cleaver" but I'm beginning to think that's hard to live up to. I'm committing myself to trying to be a better homemaker and we'll see where it leads me.

Save Sunday

2011-10-17T18:50:00.001-04:00

I saw some bloggers were "Saving Sunday". Maybe they meant a picture of a lovely relaxing Sunday. Maybe they meant just a picture. I tried to make it the best, most fun, tastiest, Sunday I ever had.
Wrong!!!

It was exhausting. I did have fun but worked awfully hard to make it fun. I read the papers, made pumpkin bread and roasted a chicken, started some socks for Christmas presents, walked the dogs, and generally worried I might not be having enough fun. Next Sunday maybe I'll settle for a picture while I'm doing nothing.

I will say that the socks I'm knitting are a pattern I've knit for years.

Some of our guy friends like them for hunting or ski boots. It was so much fun to start knitting. It wasn't long before I got the rhythm back and just relaxed with them. The pattern is the IBH socks from Green Mountain Spinnery and the wool is Eco Wool from Cascade. And regardless of what the pattern or the yarn says I knit them on size 4 needles.

This morning I ended my "Save Sunday" with a yoga class. That was a great way to start the week !

Whew

2011-10-08T10:45:00.001-04:00

I never intended to be away so long but..... I can say September was a very good month for All Stitched Up. It was a little too crazy though. I lost my balance and have been spending a lot of time catching up. Too much of anything is not good. Now I feel a little more relaxed. I still have lots of work but I'm doing it at my pace and housecleaning, preparing good meals and relaxing are back on the schedule. This cute little sweater was one of my ASU jobs last month.

I also had a fun evening with my knitting group. We meet once a month and it was my turn. We had pulled pork sliders, apple coleslaw and apple pie. It was a lovely evening of good conversation and friendship.

So I think I'm back on track. Who wouldn't be with the gorgeous fall weather we are having.

A Quilting Week

2011-09-08T15:32:00.000-04:00

I'm doing all kinds of quilting this week. The blanket above is squares that friends made at a baby shower and afterwards for the new Mom to be. I have just finished crocheting them all together. She has had a boy so after I put all the ends in I'm going to add some blue to the border. It's a little lumpy here and there but I can feel all the love that went into these squares. This is honestly my favorite kind of project for All Stitched Up.

The tenth and eleventh squares of my quilt are done. Saturday we go to get the last square. Then we have until January to put them together. In January the next Saturday Sampler class starts and we are going to sign up. I'm excited to see what they have instore for the next quilt. This has been a lot of fun and I have learned a great deal.

So with all this rain it's been a quilt week. I think we have more rain to look forward to and I have more jobs to work on. I think I'm all set.

Hurricane Preparedness

2011-08-27T13:47:00.001-04:00

I am ready!!!!!

What more could I need: water, wine, knitting, needlepoint, knitting and magazines!

Honestly I have heard so much about Hurricane Irene that it can't possibly live up to people's expectations. The good news is in getting ready for the storm my husband has done a lot of good home maintenance. I've stockpiled everything I can think of. I won't need to go to the grocery store for weeks.The girls and I are off for one more walk before the rain comes. Hopefully we won't loose electricity and the girls and I can sit on the couch and have fun watching movies tomorrow.

We've done the best we can it's up to Irene now.
P.S. We did just fine. It seems that there was lots of trouble around us but our little town is just fine. We never lost electricity. I am very thankful and the weather is beautiful now.

More Fun

2011-08-17T18:53:00.000-04:00

This was a fun All Stitched Up project. It's a simple stamped cross stitch kit. I haven't done one in ages but I'm sure it's much less expensive than many needlepoint projects. I also think it's a lot of fun for the cost of the kit. This part of the sampler took ages to do. It's also not so easy to get the stitches right on the blue X's. Then there was the stem stitch, the more I did the more fun it was. Again it was a project I was sad to give back to it's owner. Next time I'm at Micheal's I'm going to see it there's a kit that I'd like to have for myself.

Busy

2011-08-11T08:31:00.000-04:00

I made apricot freezer jam with some apricots a friend had given me. Besides on the traditional english muffin it tastes great on grilled chicken. I want to make another batch of freezer jam and I am thinking it might be peach. I'm wishing I hadn't missed blueberry season.

A friend needed some birthday presents so yesterday I had an assembly line going on crayon rolls. I only needed to make two but the first two ran into problems so in an attempt to get two perfect ones it grew to a total of four. All of them will work but two will only hold 15 instead of 16 crayons. I don't think 2 or 3 year olds will notice.
I've been working on some big projects for customers and hopefully some will be coming to an end soon. I'm enjoying whats left of summer but really looking forward to fall. Some evenings when I'm walking the girls I can feel a tinge of fall in the air.

I Did It

2011-07-29T17:29:00.000-04:00

This is the first quilt I have ever made. I must say the ladies at my local quilt shop guided me every step of the way. I was hesitant but I shouldn't have been. I learned a lot. It's not perfect by any means. My quilting in the ditch didn't always stay in the ditch. I think overall it's a good quilt. I was sad to give it away today. I felt like my first quilt should be mine but it was a job for All Stitched Up. I am looking forward to finishing my Saturday sampler quilt for myself.
I do think there will be more quilts in my future !

Blizzard of Grannies

2011-07-23T09:19:00.000-04:00

The Jolly Bee was asking what we do to stay cool and it got me thinking. I always say this weather is just like a blizzard. I'm cool thanks to our beautiful air conditioning but I've become restless because going outside is so disgusting. So out came my granny squares. I haven't worked on this in ages. A few more hours and squares on the couch and I was wondering how big my afghan was now. So downstairs at 10:30pm I lay out all the squares I've made so far. I check out how big it will be and how the colors go together. It's probably half way done and there are 154 squares. I'm going to hold off on some of the neon colors and add lots more gold. I'm also going to have lots of yarn leftover. All good!

Today I'm going to do some aerobic house cleaning. Then maybe more granny squares. Hopefully only a day or two more and we can go back outside again.

Quilt Block 10

2011-07-12T11:01:00.000-04:00

I should have taken the picture before I folded it up to take to the class. But you get the idea. This one was done by paper piecing. This month is also paper piecing. I can't believe that I have only two more months to go on this quilt. I am looking forward to putting this all together. I also have had so much fun with this that I think I will sign up for next year too. It is a great pace for me. One block a month is not stressful and it's a little something different in my life.

My ADVENTure

2011-07-03T10:59:00.001-04:00

I finally have some things to add to my ADVENTure basket. The first presents of 2011 !!! I bet you all recognize these from this blog. I used Debbie Bliss Fez which is beautiful yarn but a little too expensive. Currently I have no one specific for this gift. I may make more for a group of friends.

This is my husbands Christmas present. I have been working on this for ages but it is finally ready. He loves wearing his needlepoint belts and this will be great for the spring festivities. There is a tie from Vineyard Vines that will go really nicely with this belt. If he's good he may get that too. I have to say it feels good to have a few presents in the basket.

I hope you are all having a great weekend.

Happy 4th of July.

P.S. I tried to link up to Kristyn Knits but my skills failed me. Pretend I'm linked over there and thanks to Krystyn for inspiring us!

It's a Party!

2011-06-26T18:49:00.001-04:00

We had some good friends over this Saturday night for dinner. I had fun getting ready. Thanks to the Birthday party I had the tablecloths and napkins. It was fun to think up the menu and do the cooking. At the end of the day it was great to sit down and relax and catch up with our friends.

We had the perfect evening to sit outside.

My flower garden is working out well. These flowers were from the yard and the garden. This is what I had been wanting to do for years. It's expensive to buy bouquets but so much cheaper to grow them myself. It's getting to be fun to pick them, choose the vase and arrange them. It's a new craft for me.

After

2011-06-20T18:14:00.000-04:00

My spring plans have all worked out well.

The plant stand is full. The nasturtiums have really started to take over

the top box but they are fun.

The vegetable garden is so full that we had to move the herbs to the flower garden.

We have already had lettuce and peas.

The cut flower garden is going well. The seeds I planted didn't work out but we found some good flats of flowers so it is filling in nicely. I think the herbs work out well in here.

I can't believe tomorrow is the first day of summer.

Just Fun

2011-06-13T18:59:00.000-04:00

Here's my first bouquet from my new cut flower garden. I think it's adorable. It's fun to cut some in the garden and add a few from other plants in the yard. Part of the garden has gone over to the herbs but I think they might find their way into the bouquets too.

I've been working on this crewel project for the last few weeks. Part of it was done when I got it and done well I might add. It's been fun getting back into crewel -it's been a good 25 years since I've done it. I also have a job doing cross stitch on a printed cloth. Both these projects are not expensive to purchase. Compared to needlepoint they are very reasonable. But both these projects are hard and require some talent. Needlepoint is a snap in comparision. I've been thinking about how cost of project has no reflection on degree of difficulty. I honestly had forgotten how much fun embroidery is. I like changing up my crafts and these have been a good change of pace. I've signed up to get Alicia Paulsen's new embroidery kit. I'm looking forward to it.

Great Party

2011-06-06T08:27:00.000-04:00

The party was wonderful. Decorations, food and drink were all great. I have the nicest friends and family. It was fun to spend a few hours together just enjoying the good food and friendship.

We had some great decorating ideas. Hillary found these lanterns and they made beautiful decorations. We put them on bamboo stakes in vases on the tables so they served as lighting and centerpieces. They had little LED lights inside. I think we will use them often. She found them at www.lunabazaar.com.

This is an old roof slate. It looked cute next to the front door. I had originally thought of painting it but a friend suggested chalk and now I can change it to celebrate different occasions. It only took a few minutes to pull together. I want to get a piece of leather for a permanent hanger. Now I'll have to keep an eye out for some one getting a new roof. I think it would also make a cute present.

The party was a wonderful way to stat a new decade. I feel like I have a fresh start.

Summer's Here

2011-05-31T18:40:00.000-04:00

I went out to hang up some laundry and this little critter was on the door to greet me. My first thought was summer is back. Then who are you???? I've been having fun at home, hanging out laundry, cleaning, cooking, needlepoint etc...Just enjoying the weather and the peace and quiet at home.

This weekend my family is giving me a birthday party so there is lots of preparation and fussing up going on. Today I made some tablecloths from fabric in my stash. We used to entertain more and I'm glad to have this excuse for a party. I think the preparation is almost as fun as the party.

I hope you are enjoying the first few days of summer weather as much as I am.

A Little Break

2011-05-26T09:49:00.000-04:00

I've been working on this for the last few nights because my current All Stitched Up project is making me a little crazy. I'm finishing a crewel project for someone and as often happens I'm at the point where I'm not sure that I love it. Usually if I walk away for a few days it will look much better to me. So I started this and am having a good time. Of all the crafts needlepoint is my favorite.
I case you can't figure this out it's the Washington Monument. Every Christmas I've been giving my daughter a patriotic Cristmas orament for her tree. I think she needs a patriotic tree since she lives in DC. She's very loving and puts up with some of my ideas.

It's All Come Together

2011-05-09T17:45:00.000-04:00

I've been trying to think of something to tell you about for the last few days. I think I've had a touch of spring fever. Today while I was walking the dogs I realized my crafting has been like the leaves. Last week the leaves were very new. Today they are filling in very nicely.

I actually have done a few things in the last few weeks.

I finished the next quilt square. This one was easier than the last few.

I finished this baby present. Luckily I made a 6-12 months size because it's 3 months late.

I finished sewing this afghan together and crocheted a border on it.

I've been enjoying the windows being open and the cool nights and warm days. We've been planting lots of flowers.

All in all I think spring fever suits me just fine.

Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T15:26:00.002-04:00

Yes there has been a lot of chat in the media on the Royal wedding but.... I've had so much fun watching the wedding today. All beautiful !!!! And the picture of them driving off in the Aston Martin was the best. I have great hopes for them.

The cookies are from the hostess of our pre-wedding party last night. We had Chicken Ala King and wedding cake. Good food and good friends.

Blank Slate

2011-04-13T18:49:00.004-04:00

Usually I show things I've finished. This is about the new beginnings of some fun projects.

Tuesday was a lovely warm spring day so we got some work done in the yard. Getting ready for planting and a more festive look than winter. Joe made the wreath out of some grapevine that he pulled off the fence in the back yard. Now it just need a little decoration. The tall topiary is a lantana that I have been training for the last few years. It's beautiful but very messy inside while it was wintering over. I planted sweet pea seeds and will make something for them to climb on when they get going.

Last year one of our neighbors put this plant stand out on the curb. I just dragged it right across the street to the curb. Turns out it's a great find it fits right under the laundry room window. Now I'll try to find enough pots to fill it up and have fun. I'm having fun thinking about what I'll plant.

So I have some fun things to day dream about while I'm waiting for the next warm day.

A List of Finished Projects

2011-04-04T09:59:00.004-04:00

I needed cookies this week to keep me going! These are peanut butter cookies. The recipe is from my old Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. I found this week without cookies I ate a bunch of junk. Once I made the cookies, one or two here or there made me happy.

I knit this entire sweater for a customer but the prettiest part was this flower. Sublime has been adorning their patterns with many easy to knit flowers. It was fun.

On this sweater I only did the border but what a beautiful crocheted border. It made a simple sweater great. I also think this border would be fun on a baby blanket. The pattern is from http://www.deepsouthfibers.com,/ .Its called "Heirloom Stitches" This was a fun project. I needlepointed the face. It was hard because it was a lot of very pale colors, very close in shade. I've been working on this for some time. While I was needlepointing it you couldn't really see how well it was going to turn out. When I finished I just thought it was amazing.

I've been having fun with my All Stitched Up projects. I think the best part of my business is to be able to work on all these fun crafts that I could never afford to do myself.

A List for You

2011-03-24T18:12:00.004-04:00

I swore off lists at Christmas time. I thought my expectations were to high. I'm back to lists they keep my mind a little clearer. The problem is when you clear your mind of one thing another pops in. I think it will be a long list.

I've been busy with All Stitched Up jobs. I crocheted afghan squares together and now I'm making a crocheted border. It's a very simple and relaxing job. It's been a nice day of crocheting.

I made a delicious Caesar salad from Everyday Food. We added some grilled chicken. It's lemony no anchovies added. I think we will have it often this summer.

I made homemade pizza the other day with my homemade sauce. It was very good I finally got the dough to fit the pan. Next I have to learn to make my own dough.

Do you think June made pizza ?

I'm Tired !!!!

2011-03-15T09:10:00.003-04:00

It's exhausting trying to be like "June".

My basket group is having a birthday luncheon today and I volunteered for dessert. I am just getting into baking and decided to make cupcakes. I had a good time and hope they taste good !
For my next cookie I made the bars on the back of the bag of butterscotch chips. Ok but I won't be repeating too soon. I think part of baking is having some failures so you learn what's good. They aren't too bad - I'm managing to eat them just fine.

Then there is the next quilt square. The fabric for the squares is part of the kit so every month we get a small pack of fabric. This would not have been my color choice but I think it came out ok. When I selected my colorway I didn't notice so much brown so I have a feeling that when it's all done this will not stand out. Just when I think it can't get any harder it does. Wait till you see the next square - I'll be lucky of I get it all going in the right direction.

So things have been busy around here !

This morning for the first time in along time the sun was shining in the morning (it's usually cloudy) and there were two robins in our yard.

Spring is coming !

June Cleaver

2011-03-06T09:06:00.002-05:00

I've enjoyed my food resolutions. Last year was to make all salad dressings. That's been fun and probably money saving as well. This year was to make spaghetti sauce. This has turned out to be easier than I ever imagined. I think now I'm adding a new one: only homemade cookies. I love cookies. A day isn't complete without a cookie. I'm not sure if all this saves me money. I do think it is healthier than all the preservatives and chemicals in processed foods. I am sure that it helps balance my life. It's fun to take out some time to bake or prepare the sauce. I think June Cleaver would have done all this without a thought. And after all June Cleaver is my idol.

Finished

2011-02-25T09:16:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I made something for myself. This is my new wastebasket for my office. I was tired of working on small baskets so I went for a bigger basket. It was easy to weave and I've enjoyed putting the finishing touches on it the last few days. As you can see it's on the counter because I'm just not sure what the girls are going to think of it. I want to teach them to leave it alone.
Otherwise I've been enjoying my ordinary days and a short trip to DC to visit my daughter.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T09:01:00.004-05:00

Thanks to all of you I made the cutest Valentines this year. This is the perfect example of why blogs are so great. I watched everyone sewing on paper and I just had to jump in.

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day.

Ordinary Days

2011-02-09T11:18:00.004-05:00

The ordinary days just keep rolling along. I knit these socks for a lady I've never met. I hope she likes them!

This is the finished blue blanket. The baby has been born, baby,mother and grandmother are happy. I tried crocheting a border but this blanket screamed to me that it needed a garter stitch border. So I picked up and knit top and bottom and then knit long strips for the sides. Not the most ideal way to do things but it worked. I'm hoping that the grandmother will like it.

When I drop off jobs I always wonder how they will be received so far I think everyone has been happy.

I keep thinking about what a nice garden will be here in a few more months. I see peas climbing on the fence and bunches of fresh lettuce growing on the nice dark rich soil. I might be over in one of the chairs having a glass of coffee or wine.

It will be spring.

Quilt Square #4

2011-01-27T14:32:00.004-05:00

When your car looks like this what else is there to do but this months quilt square.
It was much more complicated than the others. But I used the seam ripper less and my corners matched better. This time the ironing was a problem but overall I'm happy with the results and can see that I'm improving.
I feel lucky that when we get walloped with snow there's always something to do at home.

More Ordinary Days

2011-01-22T09:30:00.005-05:00

I've been knitting more on this blanket. It's from an Ella Rae book called Rug Emporium. I think you could figure it our yourself with instructions for the cable. I think it looks very impressive but it's easy to knit. Trust me!

We've been napping a lot next to the radiators.

I cleaned up the china cabinet so I could fit in my new Christmas dishes.

The girls got into the down comforter that was on Hillary's bed. Feathers were flying. So I redecorated with what I have and I think it looks nice and neat. The comforter needs a patch but I don't think I'll trust them with it again. Yes that's a stuffed dog on the bed. A friend of theirs I think.

I made snickerdoodles yesterday. I should make cookies more often.

Ordinary Days

2011-01-15T08:56:00.004-05:00

I recently read a favorite blog of mine talking about the post Christmas days as "ordinary times ". That is certainly the life I'm living. Nothing remarkable to blog about. Just nice cozy days at home working on All Stitched Up projects and playing with the dogs.

This is the cutest hat. It was a Tilli Thomas pattern and yarn but the little top bow was just made with i-cord loops. I think it could be added to any hat for a bit of fun.

The view from my kitchen window of all the lovely snow we've been having.

Another All Stitched Up project. Its not as hard as it looks and it's fun to sit down at night and knit for awhile.

A long red vest that I've been knitting for a long time finally went off to it's owner. She was thrilled and it fit perfect. What could be better - I had fun knitting and she was happy.

So my days have been ordinary and that's been just perfect.

The third quilt square

2011-01-06T14:25:00.004-05:00

I am learning so much. Thank goodness I have this big counter, you couldn't do this on a tray table. I'm going to need a lot more thread, I cleaned up tons this am. Quilting takes a long time. Everything has to be pinned down or it gets folded up in the seam. Not all corners are going to meet perfectly. But all in all it was good fun

I'd give myself a B+ today and I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning when we find out what the next new challenge will be.

Resolutions

2011-01-03T10:28:00.002-05:00

I've been thinking about New Years Resolutions and words for the year. I want to improve my business. I also do not want to do any interior renovations this year. We are going to enjoy our house as it is. I like the idea of a word for the year and I think balance is perfect for me. Balanced eating, work, play all fit into my goals for the year.
Last year I vowed not to buy any salad dressing. I think I managed to find great recipes and made our dressing all year. Last night I made Ina Garten's Week Night Bolognese from her new cookbook. I think it was great. This year there will be no pre-made spaghetti sauce. I would say that's a big goal but I think it will be fun to find and try new recipes. At least I'm off to a good start with my first recipe !

Finally All Finished

2010-12-27T14:47:00.004-05:00

The ladies I make baskets with always exchange creative small presents. This year my friend Linda and I came up with a great present. Her husband drew the beautiful pictures of the baskets and we put them all on one piece of 8 1/2 X11 paper. Our copy center copied them, cut the pages into 4, and made them into note pads. We had 24 made and they came out to $2.58 per pad. Very reasonable ! I'll be thinking up more ideas for note pads.

Today I made my last Christmas present. Yes it is December 27 and I'm not early for next year, I just ran out of steam. It's a shoe bag from the Martha Stewart Sewing Book. My brother and his partner are coming for a post Christmas celebration tomorrow. What do you get for the men who have everything ? Now they'll each have a monogrammed shoe bag for traveling.

The day before Christmas I made granola for the Christmas Eve bunch. It made the house smell great. Sadly there wasn't enough for us. I'll get some more ingredients for us when the snow melts a bit. I saw the labels on Stitching under Oaks and made them right up.

So that's the Christmas wrap up. It was all good fun now I'm ready for a little rest.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T09:14:00.005-05:00

These are one of my major accomplishments for All Stitched Up. A lady called about six weeks ago and wanted Christmas stockings for her family. Crazily I said "why not!" She purchased the fabric and trim. I used a friends needlepoint stocking to make the pattern and the monogram shop down the street did the embroidery for the names. I'm proud of them. They are the first Christmas stockings I've ever made. I see more sewing in my future. I enjoy it.

I marvel at all that each of you do. I enjoy all the great ideas you share ! I'm so glad I found this blogging world. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas !

All Decked Out

2010-12-11T08:53:00.003-05:00

It's beginning to look like Christmas around here. I think having the decorations up makes the hubbub worthwhile. There is still lots more to do and create around here but at least it's all in a festive atmosphere!

Way Too Busy

2010-12-05T09:31:00.003-05:00

I have had my fingers on all of these. I knit the hats and cowl and sewed together the sweaters.

I loved making this cowl and highly recommend the pattern. It's the Aibhlinn from www.Knitty.com. I used the SWTC Llama Luxury. I knit this every time I needed a little relaxing.

My best friend and I have a ladies luncheon every year for our friends. I made the invitations this year with my new computer skills. They still look a bit homemade but the cost savings was worth it.

I love my new dining room light and the bathroom repainting is almost done. Even though I did little work on it the mess is totally distracting. I will admit I was a little crazy to tackle this now. I'm hoping with all this behind me that this week will be a bit more relaxing.

What I've been Doing

2010-11-22T08:29:00.004-05:00

I have been working hard sewing. As a novice quilter I bravely took this project on for All Stitched Up. A customer had the women at her daughters baby shower design these letters and my job was to put them together into a quilt. I think it's a wonderful gift for Mom and baby. The grandmother picked out the fabric and I did the sewing. It was good fun. I have really been getting back into sewing. Next is figuring out how to put the quilt together and quilt or tie.

I have to tell you this is the coolest house plant I've had in ages. I bought this at my local farm shop. It cost a little more that a head of lettuce and we've had fun putting the leaves in our sandwiches. What could be better than a kitchen plant that you can use.

Block two of the Saturday Sampler. My friend and I did our squares together this time and it was a fun afternoon. I have become friends with a seam ripper thanks to all your encouragement. We saw the small quilt of all these squares and it's beautiful. I'll take a picture to show you.

I'm skipping the bathroom pictures. I don't know what crazy lady thought now would be a good time to do this. Between my jobs and holiday life I've been going slowly on this. So far my husband is finished spackling old cracks and I'm washing the wallpaper paste off the walls. Hopefully when I actually get to paint it will finish up quickly.

After #1

2010-11-14T09:11:00.005-05:00

The floor is finally done. All the tools are gone, the sawdust is over ! Yeah ! I love how neat and clean it looks. I think we will go with my minimal look for now. The porch doesn't have heat so during the winter it is mostly decorative. The rest of the year it's just a nice place to sit and watch the world go by. All year round now it will be a nice entrance to our home.

Quilting - Block 1 - Oops !

2010-11-08T13:04:00.005-05:00

Watching all of you has been very inspiring. I finally dove in and joined the "Saturday Sampler" at my local quilt shop. The long and short is every month they give you the instructions and fabric for a block. If you bring in the completed block from last month the next block is free. All that is required is an initial investment in the background fabric of $25.00.

I was going to say the hardest part for me is to be so exacting. But now I see reviewing my blog entry that I have put some of it together wrong !!!! This will be harder than I imagined. Now what !!!!!

Every month is a different star. They sell finishing kits but that ups the ante. I also have been thinking if I used the brown/taupe shades to finish it my daughter might like it. We'll see a year is a long time. I need to get the first block right.

Befores no Afters

2010-10-29T17:30:00.005-04:00

We have started a bunch of projects. Today I took the wallpaper off the downstairs bathroom walls. It's been on a good 25 years and was beginning to look dingy. I think this should be cleaned up before the holidays.

Then one of the candles on the chandelier burst into flames the other day. We need a light over the table for holiday dinners. I should go look for a new on before I decide to have it fixed - you never know I might like something better. While I'm at the lighting store I should get a new light for the bathroom - don't you think.

My husband is finally putting the new floor down on the front porch. It looks great but now maybe we need some new stuff for the porch ???? And we need this done before anyone arrives for holiday dinners. Maybe not furnished but at least no tools left over.

I don't know how we got into so much. It makes me dizzy. I didn't show the sweater that I'm putting together for a customer that I also knit. Also almost done. So here I am, a little this, a little that. I'm looking forward to showing you the afters.

2010-10-21T10:41:00.002-04:00

This is my next sewing discovery. Last summer when I was visiting a friend I saw many tissue box covers. Some were beautiful lace, some monogrammed and some very expensive from fancy linen shops. Some how every where I went I saw them. So it's been on my list to conquer. We all have that feeling "I can do it myself". Well I finally did it. A friend brought me one as a sample and after some consideration I did it. It really uses that geometry we learned in high school. There are probably a million variations too with monograms, old lace, ribbons etc... I looked on etsy to see f I could make my fame and fortune sewing them. Sadly what I saw was covers for $10.00. Clearly this is another craft to be enjoyed by myself and friends.
Maybe the next thing I'll conquer is a tutorial on tissue box covers.

Without a Car Part 2

2010-10-08T09:36:00.002-04:00

This is the other project that moved along during my "no car" time. The bulletin board came from Home Goods and was $39.99. With a coat of paint I now think it looks like the ones I've admired for years from Ballard Designs. The chest came with our house 30 years ago. It was white and we used it as a toy box and later as a place to store all the sports equipment and to sit on while we got our boots on.

Now it has a new life as a file cabinet. It has helped with my organization of home bills and All Stitched Up information. I also like that it's had so many lives. When we sanded it off we saw that it had also been green and red. I have one more project in the office - to finish painting the doors and touch up the wall and ceiling. Sadly that's going slowly. I'd like to blame it on the fact that my car is working but......

Without a Car Part 1

2010-10-03T09:23:00.004-04:00

My first project was to make fall pillow covers. A few weeks ago I realized that instead of buying new pillows or pillow forms all I had to do was take the covers off the pillows I have and make new covers. Luckily I had purchased the fabric before the car died so this was the perfect time to sew. I just made envelope closures on the back, no zippers. Some of the backs don't quite meet because I was too scrimpy on the fabric purchase but I'll figure out a way to keep them closed. I'm thinking buttons or bows. I have a plain gold one that I'm going to take to the monogrammer to have an M put on. Now I'm thinking of Christmas/winter pillows. I like dreaming up the ideas as much if not more than making them.

Just Checking In

2010-09-30T11:36:00.002-04:00

Just checking in to say hi ! I've got fall to show you but with the cloudy, rainy sky the living room couldn't be darker. I do want to report that no car was great fun. I did so much and have good home improvements to show off when the sun shines. Yesterday a good friend of mine and I went to Terrains. I know you all can't go but check out the web site - it's gorgeous. I am always overwhelmingly inspired about everything from plants to home keeping to the food they serve for lunch. I got the miniature African violet to fit in the urn. See you when the sun shines !

Blessings

2010-09-24T15:11:00.004-04:00

I was headed this morning for lunch with friends and some crochet help when my car wouldn't start. Temporarily I had that frazzled feeling, whats wrong, how many million dollars is it going to cost etc... I walked down to the gas station to see what he thought the problem could be and realized a phone call would have done the trick but I think the time walking made me see what a blessing had come my way. Now there is no thinking what do I need to go and do, shop, drop off, pick up etc... Just home for a few days........ I sat down to tackle the next All Stitched Up project which was scaring me. My part was to crochet the star (of David?) on the top of the yarmulke. Why I thought I could do that is beyond me. After some research and experimenting I think I've got it. I hope the customer agrees. Now that I have conquered that - see that Martha Stewart magazine peaking out. I think I'll be taking it easy with the girls and read the magazine go for a walk or two and do a little painting this weekend. Maybe next week I'll tackle the car battery. For now I'm relaxing and enjoying my blessings.

There's No Place Like Home

2010-09-19T09:56:00.003-04:00

We've been away for a few days. A friend of ours has a family home and we went with some other friends out to enjoy it for a few days. We are lucky to have such good friends and we always enjoy the time together. We sat at the pool and on the deck and ate three good meals a day. Some of us exercised some of us just sat. We always have lots to chat about and cocktail hour comes early out there. All good fun.

I enjoyed a little of each and the time to do absolutely nothing. I was very refreshing.

I will say that as much as I had great fun I was very happy to be home with the girls and my cozy bed. I'm ready to tackle new home projects and lots of All Stitched Up jobs.

Random Things

2010-09-13T09:50:00.003-04:00

I finished this baby blanket this weekend. My part was to sew the strips together and put a border on. I like this edge because it ties the squares all together. And because I like to crochet.

This orchid has been so neglected. It's had bugs, been thirsty, been ignored and has not been re potted in ages. And it has done so beautifully. It was my first orchid and in an attempt to be a great orchid grower I maimed it, over watered it etc... and it never produced a bloom. So I ignored it and it has rewarded me handsomely. It has seven blooms and a few more on the way.

Horoscope

2010-09-02T16:14:00.003-04:00

My horoscope this morning said: "Do a little reorganizing, and you'll be amazed at how easily you'll be able to put together something that you've always had difficulty doing".

I usually forget my horoscope in 5 minutes and I did this am. I took the girls to the groomer and when I came home I took my hanging baskets to the barn. I got in my little plant area and started looking around. I threw a few things in the trash. Piled up some pots to make room on the floor. Found a hammer and nails and hung up a few things. Before I knew it there was room on the table and I decided to re pot my plants out there. Usually I make a mess in the kitchen. Twenty minutes later my plants were looking great. I walked back into the house with the plants and the kitchen was clean. I realized my horoscope was 100% right today. It was so much fun I have a few more ideas when the weather gets a bit cooler.

Harvest

2010-08-31T09:28:00.006-04:00

Our garden has been so much fun this summer. I just kept picking peppers until the pot was full. I never knew how easy stuffed peppers were to make. We enjoy them often now.
The leftover pepper parts for sausage with peppers and onions later this week.

The tomatoes look a bit beat up but we've had a lot of beautiful ones too.

One of our 2 pumpkins. These were a bonus from the compost we used to fill the garden.

I hope they last till Halloween.

All in all this garden was a huge success. We have ideas for different things. More zucchini, earlier start on some lettuce etc. I just think it's fun to be able to go out in my yard and pick enough food for dinner.

Belts

2010-08-29T12:58:00.002-04:00

I finished this belt and gave it to Jim and then regretted that I had not taken a picture. Well, its back ! It turned out to be to small. So the belt is on it's way back to the finisher to be made a couple inches bigger. The good news you get to see it and he really likes it.

On to the next belt - for Joe's Christmas belt. He's been getting a belt for Christmas for the last few years and really seems to enjoy them. This will be his fifth. The Washington monuments in honor of the fact that our daughter lives in and loves DC.

Zig Zag

2010-08-22T10:16:00.002-04:00

A friend wanted to make a flag for her friends house which was becoming 100yrs old this month. She used two shower curtain liners. She cut the first one flag size with the grommets on the correct edge. Then she cut the numbers and letters out of the other and spray glued them on. She was going to zig zag stitch them on to withstand the shore breeze. Her sewing machine would not cooperate with her so I got the job. I've never done zig zag before but with the help of the instruction book it was a breeze and great fun. What can I zig zag next ???

It is fun to see the flag flying.

My Lucky Day

2010-08-14T09:10:00.005-04:00

I was opening my bedroom curtains and looked down to see a man walking down the street with this pretty bouquet of flowers. I thought what lucky person was going to get these and where did he get such pretty flowers. The next thing I knew I was the lucky person. He was a co-worker of my husband and had stopped by to see our yard. I'm going to take some more pictures of this bouquet. Next spring I'm going to use these pictures to redo my cutting garden.

And then.....he gave us purple potatoes and green beans. Dinner was set totally fresh veggies and some grilled chicken with my apricot jam. I must say I was apprehensive of the purple potatoes. The purple radishes I tried earlier in the week were too spicy. The purple potatoes were good but potatoes are not supposed to be that color.

Friday the 13th turned out to be a lucky day.

A Good Week

2010-08-07T10:35:00.004-04:00

You've got me hooked on freezer jam. Our friend Jeff has a fruit of the month club gift and he had apricots ripening too fast and nothing to do with them. I knew just what to do - freezer jam. It came out great and I'm off today to get some english muffins. I think it also might be a good barbecue sauce on chicken.

I don't know why I got hooked on making these shorts but I've had fun this summer. A friend gave me this fabric for some shorts for her grandson. I'm thinking of getting more fabric and making a duvet cover for Hillary's room here.
It was a good week, some jam, shorts, All Stitched Up projects, lunch with friends. Who could complain?

My Treat

2010-08-02T16:44:00.003-04:00

Last Friday my friend and I took an impromptu field trip to Terrain. It is a beautiful landscape nursery, gift shop and restaurant. The property is right next to a small highway but once inside you forget about the long ride and the highway. It was one beautiful thing after another. I am interested in shops and retail business and this one is extraordinary. Everything was well set up and well cared for it was pleasant to shop there. We had fun checking out the sales. Lunch was delicious and refreshing and then we concentrated on the purchasing. This was my treat along with some raw honey. Many many years ago when I was in my first apartment this was my first house plant. I called it a Persian Violet but now it's an Exacum. The black tin pot was on sale and the combo made a great centerpiece for a small dinner part we had Saturday night.
I think I maybe doing some Christmas shopping there. Terrain has a great website here.

A Sweet Blanket

2010-07-23T17:49:00.002-04:00

A mom was crocheting this for her baby. The baby was born and the blanket was never finished. Now it's finished and ready for a grandchild one day. I do love the stories behind the projects. This is a sweet one.

A Sense of Accomplishment

2010-07-12T15:30:00.005-04:00

I have just finished a great project. A customer gave me sweaters from her father in law. I cut them up, sewed the pieces together and then bordered and backed them with linen. I have been working on it off and on for awhile. It's finally done and I 'm really happy with this project. This is what I love about my little business All Stitched Up. I got to make something that will give joy to others. And it's something I wouldn't necessarily have made for myself. I don't have a stash of cashmere sweaters.

It's not often, either, that I get to make something all myself. I'm usually sewing something together that someone else worked on. Also, I still like it. Sometimes I get to the end of a project and I'm worn out of it. Not this - I think its great. I wish you could all feel how cozy it is too. Have I bragged enough yet ? I do just have a good sense of accomplishment.

Header

2010-07-04T09:32:00.004-04:00

I am so excited with myself ! Thanks to one of my favorite blogs, A Friend to Knit With, I have made myself a new fancy header. To me every step forward in this computer world is amazing. The fact that I can link to her blog is also amazing. I'm just going to spend today enjoying my new accomplishment.

Happy Fouth of July to all of you !

Economy

2010-06-27T16:47:00.003-04:00

Lots of people love to throw things out. I subscribe to the "you never know when you might need it" club. Our barn helps this because there is just so much space to fill up. We often joke that it's the junk inside that holds the barn up. So we got some plants from a friend who brought home too many from a grower. In the barn I had two wire baskets and the moss from my succulent wreath last year. So here is one of the two hanging baskets. I'll admit at one time the supplies cost me something but today no expense. My retirement has taught me to use and enjoy what I have.

Everything is Almost Finished

2010-06-21T15:58:00.003-04:00

I've been trying to think of a topic for my blog. Nothing is finished right now to show off. It's too hot to show the dogs romping outside. So here's the truth of the matter - I have lots of things to do and put together. Over the next week or two there will be projects to talk about; a cute baby sweater, the 60th birthday belt, and some 4th of July cards. I like knowing that I have projects to keep my fingers and mind busy.

Phew !

2010-06-14T12:15:00.006-04:00

Last year I watched some of my favorite bloggers making freezer jam. I had no clue and I was just getting used to the puppies and my free time. This year I asked Jodi how this was done. Easy and great fun. I'm ready to make freezer jam out of everything. In the midst of making this the dogs came in and Lucy stunk. I tried running out and hosing her off real quick before I cooked the pectin. No luck she still stunk. So after I finished she got a nice bath. Now we all smell good and I can't wait for breakfast tomorrow.

P.S. The jam was delicious this morning on my english muffin.

One More Button

2010-06-05T14:41:00.002-04:00

I have a customer who commissions me to make baby and childrens sweaters for her. These are 1-2yr old sweaters. I bought a pack of 5 buttons and made 6 button holes so I'm off today for one more button. Some days I feel like "there's always something". I'm happy they are done and I'll mail them off Monday morning.

More Fun

2010-05-30T12:11:00.002-04:00

I have been caught by the sewing bug ! I saw some shorts that the Mom of www.flythroughourwindow.com had to make them. Luckily I know Elliot and he needed some shorts for summer. After some searching locally I called the store that the Mom of the blog used and they were very kind and sent me all that I needed. If you get the same bug the store is The Smock Shoppe in Dothan, Alabama. This was easy, fun and in an hour or two and I had a completed project. When I was a teenager I sewed everything. As a Mom my strong suit was Halloween costumes and a few Easter dresses. Now a little bit of this and that. More napkins are lined up for this week. Of course I had to go to the quilt shop for tracing paper and more fabric just leaped into my hands. I think I can make something every day without a problem.

Just Beginning

2010-05-23T18:20:00.002-04:00

We are filling the garden up. Chives, basil, parsley, dill and tomatoes. Today we planted some lettuce seeds just to see if they work. We also need a zucchini bush and maybe a green pepper.
Small but manageable. Not only will the fence keep the girls out but also a bunny.

Bargain Schmargain !

2010-05-17T09:23:00.002-04:00

This is what I got from shopping all day ! I will admit I saved $10.00 but......I hate shopping. I went to umpteen stores and I did not find a shower curtain. I did get the rod and rings but......
Spending money can be such a chore. I will happily stay home this week and maybe the next few weeks.

A Little This and That

2010-05-11T08:04:00.016-04:00

Last week was a nice quiet week. I put together some sweaters for my All Stitched Up business. I worked on some projects in process for my business. I enjoyed the good weather and the beautiful flowers blooming in our yard. This week seems to be starting out just the same.

Procrastination

2010-04-27T18:37:00.002-04:00

I had a great idea a month or two ago to make our friend Jim a belt for his 60th birthday. I want it to be special and have things on it that reflect the pastimes he enjoys. Good idea but fast forward to one week before the party. In fact now I have 4 days before the party. Between the icons you see there is about 24 inches to fill in. Clearly it's going to be given as a work in progress. It is just no where near as easy as I imagined and when that happens it's easy to put off. Believe it or not I'm trying hard to stop worrying and just start stitching. So tonight I think I'll do the bicycle and maybe the cow or the skier. One icon at a time until it's all filled up.

A Perfect Home

2010-04-24T10:08:00.004-04:00

I finally found a great home for my "Christmas Cactus". It needed to be off the counter so it could drape just right. It's a funny plant it blooms for all kinds of holidays and it needs such little care. I enjoyed scouring some new nurseries while I was in DC. So much to see I could hardly decide what to buy. This turned out just perfect. I think my ambitious cactus will really enjoy it's new home.

New Vegetable Garden

2010-04-14T19:00:00.002-04:00

This is our new vegetable garden. We haven't had one in years because vegetable gardens are not always neat and my husband likes his back yard (grass and garden beds) neat. But I asked again and this time my proposal was accepted. It involved a stone wall so I think that's what sealed the deal for me. We've had this part of the driveway on the backyard side of the fence for years and I thought it looked out of place now it has a purpose and looks more like a patio than a driveway. I'm looking forward to planting but evidently not untill the danger of frost is over on May 10. At least we are ready to go. I can't wait!

The Good And The Not So Good

2010-04-09T09:42:00.005-04:00

Finally I've hung up the pictures in the bathroom. I think it looks great. But.... I loved the idea of the succulents in the white rocks in the square glasses but as you can see they are turning brown. I'm going to clean them up today but I think you'll be seeing another container there. I'm not a good enough housekeeper to add that to the list of chores. I guess in decorating there are some successes and some failures. Overall the bathroom has been to a major success. Now I need to move on to another room!

Napkin Swap

2010-04-02T11:04:00.003-04:00

I'm a bit late in reporting my good fortune from the napkin swap. My new friend Jodi from The Jolly Bee sent me these great napkins. They are making a great setting along with some forsythia from the yard. This swap got me back into sewing. I loved making her napkins and with leftover fabric I went on to make some tissue cozies. I went on a girls oveernight and brought the cozies as a party favor. Now I've got the itch for Martha Stewart's new sewing book. I'm sure there's some projects in the book to keep me sewing.
My thanks to Lisa for getting me involved in the swap.

Grandma Blanket

2010-03-26T09:49:00.003-04:00

The Thursday night group has finished it's second grandma blanket. Everyone knits or crochets as many squares as they can and I put them together and crochet an edge. As part of my All Stitched Up business I have done this for customers as well. I think it's becoming a specialty. I love seeing how it all comes together and the edging is just the icing on the cake. The group is having a girls overnight this weekend so we'll be giving it to the new grandma then. I think she'll love it!

More Decorating

2010-03-18T14:19:00.003-04:00

This is more towards my decorating goal. These drawers are outside the bathroom in the upstairs hall. When our house was built it was a boarding house for elderly men in town who had lost their wives. Each bedroom had a drawer for towels and toiletries. We have kept it as part of the history of our home and keep towels etc in the drawers. They now have a fresh coat of paint, inside and out. They also have an assortment of black and white knobs that I splurged on one day at Anthropologie. Slowly but surely things are coming together. As I see each success I'm encouraged to go to the next project.

Great Jars - Fun Decorating

2010-03-01T20:35:00.006-05:00

I had a friend over that is starting an interior decorating business and she is helping with my decorating. I love her ideas and it's fun to execute her suggestions. She said that I needed to display my crafts. To that point she found two of these jars to display my temari ball collection in. They look great on the shelves in my living room. Better news yet they were on sale and under $25 for the pair. I am off to a great start. More pictures coming. The shelves need more rearranging before they are photo ready.

New Artwork

2010-02-22T17:41:00.004-05:00

I am tickled with myself. Part of my home improvement goal is artwork. Our walls are bare because I think too much about what goes with what and where to hang things. I've been trying to fill up frames I have and then plot how to hang things. This is my new creation for my new bathroom. It is a Christmas ornament that now has a year round purpose. It coud also have a different colored background but around here black is pretty flexible. I'm having fun thinking up different things to frame. I'm off to Target to find more frames.

What I Found While House Cleaning

2010-02-14T09:29:00.003-05:00

I was supposed to be housecleaning and after about one hour I found myself carefully looking through all the sections of the Saturday NY Times. (I usually only peruse a few sections). I came upon this quote in an article about Christiane Amanpour.

" Hope for the future: I feel that I am on the cusp of something new in my life. I just don't know what it is right now."

I feel so much better.

A Goal for 60

2010-01-28T08:33:00.005-05:00

I didn't do a very good job with resolutions for this year but.... I have come up with the ultimate resolution for myself. By the time I turn 60 (in 1 1/2 years) my house will be fully decorated. I have a lovely home, lots of nice furniture, lovely new bath and great kitchen. It all falls a little bit short because I need rugs, things on the walls and things to make it cozy and pulled together. I met a lady that lives around the corner who is starting her own interior decorating business and is specializing in using what you have and buying on the cheap. Yesterday we went to Home Goods and found this chair. I couldn't pass it up because it is and it isn't outside my usual. It's my colors but a fun change. We also did some rearranging around my house that's leading to a few new fun projects. I'll have lots of before and after pictures to show. I think it's going to be a fun resolution - some shopping and some do it myself. I also think by the time I'm 60 my house should look finished.

Great Gift

2010-01-21T08:40:00.003-05:00

The group of ladies that I make baskets with has a lovely Christmas luncheon where small gifts are exchanged. One of the members and I went in on the basket towels. My local embroiderer is just down the street from me. She was kind to find the basket and make them up for us. There were some leftover towels so I had Merry Christmas put on them for myself. Throughout the year you could have monograms or initials put on towels to perk them up. She monograms almost anything with anything you want. I think it's a great way to make an inexpensive gift very fancy. If I had embroidery on my sewing machine I would do this very often. I strongly suggest making friends with your local embroiderer.

Wrapping it up

2010-01-16T11:23:00.004-05:00

I have the messiest shelf of wrapping supplies that you can imagine. Lots of reusable bags and ribbons etc... that rarely get reused. It's all getting thrown out. This will replace it. Nice white paper and fun ribbons. Can't get much simpler and will give me some space to collect gifts. I think it's even going to be a money saver. Fancy paper always adds so much to the cost of the gift. Clearly I'm ready for spring and I have red ribbon from Christmas for Valentine treats!

"This is my lucky year"

2010-01-10T09:01:00.004-05:00

One resolution has been accomplished. A nice desk calendar to keep track of appointments, birthdays and picture numbers. Best of all is the note on the front that says "this is my lucky year". My daughter is teaching me to shop on line and this came from www.sarahpinto.com. Great shop and eco friendly too.

An easy goal for 2010

2010-01-05T09:01:00.004-05:00

One of my goals for 2010 is to make homemade salad dressing. I do not want to buy anymore bottles of salad dressings that die long before we use them up. What a money saver. Think of the free space in the frig too!!!

This is my first attempt. I used this several times during the holidays. It was for a citrus salad but I've applied it to other salads. I also think the hunt for good recipes will be a fun part of the goal.

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T18:29:00.002-05:00

This is my wish for all of you and my goal for myself this year. I have ideas of resolutions and ideas of many goals to attain but really I just want to be happy! I'm thinking that this plan will make for a fun year.

Best wishes to everyone for a great and happy 2010.

Organization

2009-12-30T09:26:00.004-05:00

Now I get why organization is such a big deal in January. Christmas makes a big mess. When I work I just jam everything back in the box and move along. Now that I have lots of time on my hands I want to organize. Closets and drawers beware ! I want a label maker or maybe I'll learn how to make labels on my new computer programs ! There are drawers to be cleaned out, painted and lined. I won't have time to look for a job I'll be busy organizing.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T08:24:00.002-05:00

With my best wishes for a happy day with family and friends !

Restart

2009-12-14T09:42:00.003-05:00

My goal of "Do something Christmas everyday" turned out to be like a bad diet for me. I have been off "the diet" for at least a week. Recently I found myself in the car fussing in my mind about all I had to do and realized if I was two I'd be lying on the floor kicking and screaming. (At least that thought made me laugh.) I have all the time in the world this year. I'm not working and I have no little children to care for, so why isn't this easier? My only answer is my expectations are to high. Now that my Christmas presents are done I feel more on an even keel. All I can say is like dieting I'm taking it one day at a time and if I fall off the Christmas wagon there is always tomorrow.

Something Christmas Everyday

2009-12-03T08:08:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite stores has a slogan "Do something creative everyday". I'm going to do something Christmas everyday. I started the post thanksgiving days pressured that I had so much to do and as usual so little time. Yesterday I was looking at my favorite blogs and saw how everyone was already decorating for Christmas. So I brought out the Christmas dishes and we used them for dinner. I'm going to start enjoying something everyday. I'm sure everything will get done and this year with joy.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T19:40:00.003-05:00

Thanksgiving dinner is done. One of my better ones. Everyone is full and cozy watching TV. I can't believe it's over ! So much planning and gathering of food and now the fridge is full of leftovers. What's not over is my thankfullness. I have lots to be thankfull for - family, health, good friends, nice home and much more. I'll be thankfull everyday.

Done

2009-11-23T17:00:00.007-05:00

Afghans seem to be my specialty with "All Stitched Up". I do enjoy doing them. First I lay the squares out to make sure the colors are spread out. Then I crochet the squares together and crochet a border. I always feel sad giving them back. I wish they could stay with me. These squares were made at a bridal shower. The newly married couple wll surely enjoy the friendship knit into this blanket. It will be a wonderful holiday gift.

Almost Done

2009-11-15T10:49:00.004-05:00

All of our renovations are almost done. They came out wonderfully. Such great improvements to our day to day life. Now I have lots of painting and my husband has a new front porch floor to install. Having a little work done sure inspires more work and more decorating. I'm happy I have the time to do it and enjoy all the changes.

Tomorrow

2009-10-25T12:11:00.006-04:00

Tomorrow is a big day around here. We are getting new tub, toilet,sink and tile in the tub and on the floor. We redid the bathroom about 20 years ago and the recently we put the bead board on and painted.

The bathroom has served us well but behind the scenes something has gone wrong and we've had a big leak into the downstairs office. So the project goes on to repairs to the closet and partial new ceiling in the office. As long as the contractor is here I am also having him put a door in the pantry in the downstairs bathroom. One thing always leads to another around here.

I am so excited I'm thinking of new color for the bathroom and curtains and shower curtain. Later I'll have before pictures of the downstairs bathroom because after the closet door goes on the wallpaper is coming off and that room is getting painted too. I feel like I'm having my own HGTV show around here!

Schmap

2009-10-13T09:06:00.004-04:00

I am so excited. One of my pictures was selected for Schmap's Washington D.C. edition. I can't count the ways that this is too cool. I took a great picture. They found it. I've never had anything published by someone else. I put the connection on my sidebar almost by myself (with a little help from Jen). Little by little I am figuring out this world of blogging , the Internet and computers !

Easy Christmas Present

2009-09-28T09:34:00.002-04:00

My daughter asked how hard it would be to make coffee cup holders for her for Christmas presents. She is going to add the mug and coffee. I started looking for a pattern and finally joined Ravelry. That made things so easy ! I found this pattern in a matter of minutes. The cup holder was so easy to knit. Start to finish under 2 hours. I used leftover yarn and it didn't take much. Totally easy Christmas present.

Happy Fall

2009-09-22T11:29:00.003-04:00

I did it ! All for the small cost of $1.45. It was fun and really got me into the fall spirit.