A Mystery Pattern for 2008

Just got word about a "Mystery Sampler"...brought to you from Blackbird Designs. The catch...you have to collect the Loose Feathers Club charts. There will be 6 charts released as usual in 2008 with a cross stitch pattern included. The twist is that at the end of the program (year) we will receive a "map" to put together a Mystery Sampler...i.e. a motif from each of the 6 projects will be arranged to form a bonus, 7th pattern (hence the mystery). So if you collect these charts you much remember to hold on to them in order to do the Mystery Sampler. Now while many of us hold on to patterns, there are those who loan them out and then lose track of them. I remembered to take a picture of my progress to date on the Shores of Hawk Run Hollow....I'm loving this piece even though there are times when I feel I will never get the water done, or the rocks done, but I look at the sun and it's so funny I just keep right on stitching. I've used about 7 different overdyed greys on the rocks under the lighthouse and love the look. I dropped the sun down to two colors instead of using one color to outline and love it as well. This is just pure fun....at this point. I really can't wait to get home at night to work on it....even though I have other pieces to work on I can't seem to leave this one alone. Next is the ABC Sampler...I'm waiting for the next 2 charts to come out so I can finish it. Loved this one and can't wait to finish it. I haven't put the charms on yet...want to wait until I'm done. Each time I finish a Drawn Thread it makes me want to do another...they are delicate and beautiful when finished.

You can also use your imagination on these, switching out colors to colors that really suit your tastes or the room in which you will be displaying it. But a piece like this is most important due to the lessons you learn. The great variety of stitches which you may use down the road on another project. I'm often refer back to a piece that's now hanging up to see what a stitch looks like. Teaching pieces, that what these turn out to be. Anyway, these are just a couple of pieces, I'll get more tomorrow to show you. I'm pooped as I've spent the better part of today reconcilling my bank account so I can take my records to the accountant (don't want to do it too early or they might find something wrong...they can always find something if I give them to them to early (at least that's my theory). Anyway, I do well until July and then I don't do any reconcilations until January or in this case March. Then I just struggle to get them right, but today I did Oct-March...I'm done, thank God I'm done. Of course I didn't get done without calling the bank twice...I have to tell you I'm not loving them giving me copies of checks instead of the cancelled check back. But at least I'm getting something to show. Poor Mary just doesn't give bookkeeping any thought because she doesn't really own anything, or have a store. So last year she and her husband filed with an accountant they picked out of the phone book (I guess) and she thought she was done early, got her refund and was going her way thinking she was happy because she didn't have to jump through the hoops Sara and I did until the hammer came down...she got a form regarding the stock from the hotel (something she never gave any consideration to). I use to get her stuff done for her by my accountant since he already was a part of stock transfers, etc., so when last year it was new to Mary she thought she knew what she was doing. So then she had to go back to her accountant, give them the tax forms regarding her shares and they had to amend the whole damn thing. This year she's going back to my accountant, so she asked me about what proof she needed on things. I said, your stubbs would be enough to reconstruct your bills, stubs and copies of all the bills. She does banking on-line and while they give you the statements monthly, they just show amounts (according to her) and she never gets anything back to look at and print out to prove. She says she can print out a page showing the amounts that were paid...but what the hell good does that do you? I'm sure IRS would be digging that. Of course, since she and her husband don't really own anything I really don't think IRS is going to be too concerned about their money but she's learned a valuable lesson. Oh, they will get her copies of her payments showing who was paid....for 14 cents a check. (yea baby, that's how they make their money). I'm telling you tax time is a pain for us all. While I take my files in neatly to the accountant (of course usually in a shopping bag...I'm sure Donald Trump does the same thing)...I had a good friend who would just throw receipts on her dining room table (they couldn't have used it to eat on if you paid them)...anyway, her house was a wreck and I mean that. You would go in and not know where to sit because there was no space to sit down...everything was covered in mail, newspaper, books, crap, and more crap. I would go to her house and ask her how the hell she could stand to live like that...but she just wasn't bothered by it. (I have a hell of a nerve at this point as the Christmas tree with it's lovely red cover is still laying on my living room floor..in fact I almost layed my pieces on it to take the picture so you could see it once again). Anyway, she took her receipts and everything else to the accountant in shoe boxes, pizza boxes, whatever she had laying around and....she didn't put them in any kind of order. Can you imagine having to do her records. She was a pip! Weather Advisory....it's windy as hell with no sign of letting up...however, it's also sunny and hovering around 45 degrees (temps say 55 but wind chill factors in). Anyway, rain is forecasted for the upcoming holiday weekend...sorry about that...but if you are in the area stop by and see me. I'll be the one behind the counter working on my needlework, unless Sara is there and then I'll be the one working (I feel guilty if I sit when she's there). Talk to you tomorrow...have a great evening.