It's been a busy week......

At least at my house....I was a stitching maniac. We all love those quick one night projects..or anything less than a week project...well I was all over it this week. I finished 3 of Amy Bruecken's new pieces, "Whatever" which will be made into a pillow, "Bad Words" which is going to be a pin cushion (I figure I say more bad words during finishing which is  usually when I use my pin cushions) and "I have Issues" which I've framed..but we're painting the frame so I'll get it up asap.  I also finished SamSarah's "Happy Easter Bunny"...shown on the right...  (while the stitching is fine I got lazy with the finishing and didn't finish it ...so I jerry-rigged it on the new metal display pieces which are also for sale). I love these new metal hangers...you can get a couple of different toppers for the stand so you can switch out the needlework and keep the stands up year round....always a good thing. I worked some more on the Erica Michael's "Sea Squared"...loving it as I cheated and started on the bottom half...but I do make myself go back and forth and not just work on the bottom, but mix in some of the difficult borders (not difficult really but color changes in small areas). Hoping to have this done next week...fingers crossed. I also finished the Pine Mountain "April" pillow....so I now have enough pieces to change out our monthly counter display...pressure's off for April...but now I have to start on May. I also worked on a surprise piece but couldn't finish it because I need to make a cording with the lucet...so now I have to learn how to use that..ugh!!! But it's exciting when I work on surprises because the biggest surprise is this is a kit that I purchased when I went to the Hilton Head retreat probably 6 years ago and it's been sitting here ever since along with a multitude of other kits purchased there and on-line that I keep looking at but manage to get distracted by shop pieces and just don't get to them. So to actually take one out of that pile and work it is next to a miracle, and so exciting. Plus this happened to be a one-nighter as it turned out...over one, stitched in one night and put together the next day...a win win people. But now I have to turn my attention to some new samples for the shop for next week....my work is never done but fortunately I love to stitch so I really don't mind. But it's picking new projects that gets difficult...there are too many to choose from and I seem to want them all.  The
sample you see on the right is actually a gift to me from Renee a few Christmas' ago.  It's a leather wristlet with a needlepoint insert.  I loved it, but won't use it, of course, for fear I'd get it dirty so when we started bringing in needlepoint we purchased this particular canvas because we already had a model.  Win Win...thanks Renee.  While I'm a fast Counted Cross Stitch stitcher, I'm slower than Moses when it comes to needlepoint.  I have to think too much if I'm using specialty stitches, although we got in a couple of great books in Nashville this year, which tell you which stitches to use for different elements so perhaps I'll be able to speed up.   Update on Colby....she's hanging in there...goes to treatment up in Baltimore every Friday.  The news is encouraging and we presented Colby with her prayer purse and her mother with her prayer shawl last week.  She sent Sara pictures with Colby holding her prayer pocket and she wore her prayer shawl while Colby was getting her treatment.  Please keep them in your prayers.  Got to run to get tickets done....have a great day and stay tuned for more finished models, and news of the fun we are having here.  The sun is out, people are strolling on the new boardwalk...and we're excited to be here even if it is only in the 40's.  Springs coming I hear...we can't wait.  I'm still not putting on a winter coat so that's a good thing.  Have a good night and keep your needles moving. 

Here is what the snow looked like...it's moving now to hail.

Honestly, we're now in a hail zone, although thankfully it looks like it's about had it with that...so we've had snow and hail so far today and I think rain is still out there and coming to us.  Interesting...

Mom and I playing!

Oh, My....it's in the 40's with overcast skies and so dreary...it's a little depressing...well that and the fact I'm still pricing Nashville stuff....last dribbles and I'm so bored that I'm playing more hearts on the computer than generating tickets. Boredom has created an opportunity for Sara to play with her phone and get me a picture of my latest finish...JBW's Beach Bag.  Love it....one night people...I'm on fire here.   Last night after finishing the JBW I was too lazy to go back into the sewing room and pull colors for Honey Bunny so I pulled out an oldie but goodie..."over one gauze piece by Erica Michaels "Seaside Squared" and while I still love it...it's a challenge with so many color changes in one of the areas...but I'm getting through it. Got the lighthouse square finished...whoppee and can't wait to get to the sea creations at the bottom because that will go quickly. But to give myself a break I'm going to mix it up by adding Amy Bruecken pieces...such fun...and I'll stitch a while on the Seaside piece and then stitch on Amy's piece for a while. Amy's pieces are always different and fun so that should make up for the stress on a 40 count piece. Sara is also on fire posting to facebook so if you have facebook...go to Salty Yarns and see what all we're doing. It will have to suffice until I figure things out here. In the meantime I'm generating tickets and playing hearts. Sara's caught me numerous times playing...oops!!! Stacy Stinson just stopped by to say Hello. We haven't seen her in the longest time as she has been concentrating on getting her pre-stitching done on the Sherry Jones pieces. But we are all fighting over what we're going to stitch next.  Sara's busy cutting fabric for my pieces as I'm too busy playing hearts to do it...but I'm sure she'll be posting my finished pieces in the next couple of days....not sure by tomorrow, but who knows.  I also started an April Pine Mountain pillow...14 count aida so that should go quickly...although their newer pillows have a little more design on them so what use to be a one night project may turn out to be a two nighter.  Oh, My God...it's snowing here.  I just looked out to see if it's raining and the biggest snowflakes I've ever seen are falling.  They are so big it looks more like seagull poop than snow, but snowing it is.  And we're already here so we can't even take a snowday....darn!!!  Back to hearts

We're Home.....

We've actually been home since Tuesday....I was just too lazy to get the computer up and running...hell I never got off the sofa.  But today I decided to take a shower, get dressed and get a move on.  We had an uneventful trip home, made it in 2 days and were thrilled since Wednesday was suppose to be the monster snow storm.  For us it was a Northeaster' and we got the torrential rain and flooding with the added lightning and thunder which isn't usually part of our northeasters but it proved to be an ugly day outside, but I was warm cozy and finishing a project on the sofa so I really didn't care.  And today, Wednesday, I woke up to the glorious and beautiful sun.  A good day which meant in celebration I worked on the web site and the blog.  I'm energized.  Anyway, the show was a good one, we brought home lots and lots of good "stuff".   We love, love, love Jeannette Douglas new pieces and of course Shepherd's Bush's new sampler.  Oh, what fun we had running the halls...well, perhaps I was hobbling, but Sara was running.  And the last day of the show Sara came back with a basket of Wichelt Mill Hill Kits that she won.....a good day!  We visited with all our favorite designers, at least the ones that were there.  Linda (Chessie & Me) caught me to ask why I hadn't been in to see her, but we're on her automatic so I tend not to take the time to visit with designers who send to us automatically because there is just no time.  This was a relatively small Nashville, due I think to the timing of it.  Next year it goes back to February.  Anyway, we still had around 90 designers or distributors there and the show is only 2 days....so we're moving our butts along.  We were able to start this year on Friday night...more and more designers are opening then to give us a head start and we love that.  So we had 2 days and one night to get it all done.  That included Sara going back to Priscilla's Pocket and having them show her how to use the lucet.  So she is now our resident lucet expert.  I've decided to break down and get her to show me how to use it as well so perhaps by the time you stop by I'll be a use, not an expert, but a user of it as well.  I'll be putting the things we brought home a little bit each day so keep looking.  Or if you are in town, stop on by.    Anyway, we are glad to be home and found that the boardwalk in front of Salty Yarns is at last finished....Yea!!!!!!  It looks beautiful.   We are looking forward to seeing Cynthia and Crystal two of our favorite stitches from New Jersey,  who will be retreating here for the weekend, so that will be fun for us all as we haul in our Nashville Market stuff and try to get it all put away(not an easy task with all of us trying to get a look at it first).  This is always such fun, with Sara and myself stuffing our totes with charts and kits we just feel we have to have.  Sara and I also stitched while we were on the trip.  I am thrilled to announce I finished the prayer shawl for Colby's mother, and I also finished last years Nashville piece from JBW...Monogrammed Mini Tote and the accessory piece that went with it.  A year late, but I finished it!  Anyway, I'm back to working on my 2 Word Play samplers which have been sitting unfinished in my bag...drat...I've got to get those done or I won't allow myself to start any of the new Nashville pieces (at least not until we unload them tomorrow).  Anyway, I'll try to blog a little more and update you a little more on what we're up to.  But stitchers, it's fun times down here after Nashville and we look forward to seeing each and every one of you.  Sara and I both  pray that you all make it through the latest snow storm safe and sound.  I worry about those in New Jersey, New York and all of New England.  It just seems to be one punch after another, and without the time to repair all the Sandy damage I can't imagine how you handled this latest punch.  You will remain in our hearts and prayers, and we hope this is the last disaster you folks see.  I'm signing off as I want to play a game, just one of hearts before breaking out the needle.  Have a great night and a great weekend.  Keep on stitching people....there's a lot to get done.

We're here and we're working....

We actually arrived in Franklin, 20 miles from Nashville, where the show is taking place on Wednesday afternoon.  It was a rather, thank God, uneventful ride....just one bathroom incident, but we won't discuss that.  Anyway, according to the weather when we left home, it was suppose to be in the 40's and sunny here....well as usual they lied.  It started around 40, 38 and the snow forecast has gone from a possibility to a reality of .5-1 inch today...not such a happy camper.  We took yesterday as a shop hopping day.  With Sara into knitting we shop hopped knitting shops.  We were thinking of doing needlework shops today, but to tell you the truth....I'm too tired and I'd rather just sit in the room and stitch.  I've managed to finish the prayer shawl I've been working on for Colby's mother, well, finish isn't exactly true.  I finished the main shawl, and one pocket, but I still have a second pocket which I'll do today and that means I will have finished the entire project...whoppee!!!  I've also almost finished the scissor sheath for the Sue Hillis Mermaid piece....it's exciting.  In fact tonight I will finish that inbetween running to any designers who are opening their rooms tonight.  That gives us a little head start which we so desparately need as I'm so desparately slow.  Honestly, you would think I'd turn 100 instead of 64 in 2012....I'm moving at a tortoise pace.  But, I'm still moving so I'm focusing on what I'm still doing and trying to let go of what I use to do.  Sara has been busy casting on and ripping back down, but I think she's finally gotten it right as she's now got about 1 1/2" on Michael's knit cap for his birthday.  Let's hope she doesn't have any misfortune since Michael's birthday is the day after we return from Nashville market.  Had breakfast this morning with several of the designers.  They didn't actually know we felt we were having breakfast with them....but we were all in the same room, so I'm not lying.  We did sit next to Linda, Chessie and Me, and had a conversation with her and we ran into Patricia Eaton, who we know from our retreats...she's actually here helping her shop owner with the buying.  We also ran into Sharon of the Purple Thread so the games have begun.  Of course when we went to pick up our registration packet....there wasn't one for us.  I could just scream.  Usually they charge you when you sign up late, but I knew I had signed up so I said I'd get the e-mail and come back.  Honestly, I actually had to contact them in September after registering to make sure we were signed up and thank God they e-mailed me back to say we were all set.  To bad they didn't make a packet for us because now we have to go back and go through this all over again...but at least I'll be able to prove that we were signed up back in January, since I have the e-mail.  Oh, brother...not a good beginning....or maybe because I can prove we were signed up it is a good beginning.  Anyway, today is another free day for us to do whatever we want before some of the rooms open tonight.  We had thought about going to Memphis, but due to snow forecast we've decided to stay closer to home.  I'll keep you informed as we go through the day, now that I've figured out how to get on Hilton's website.  Me and a computer...well it's just a crapshoot.  Anyway, have a great day.

Day One and an Oops already....

I don't know what happened to me, but I ran this train off the track.  First of all I was  so excited when I got my travel goodie bag with Debbie's return address on the box that I didn't look at the card closely.....when Sara saw me this morning she said, "Mom you do realize that the travel bag was from Debbie and Phyllis"....so once again I'm in trouble.  I can't believe I didn't realize that as Debbie and Phyllis go together and give me such wonderful surprises...I don't know, I saw food and gift certificates to my 2 favorite restaurants on the road and all the wonderful snack foods my mind just couldn't compute everything.  So Phyllis, I'm so sorry I didn't acknowledge your part in the travel bag.  Now I have to say, I enjoyed it all 9 hours of traveling today.  When I got home last night I just knew (as I stated in my blog yesterday...yes yesterday...can't believe I'm blogging two days in a row..) I'd finish packing and be done early so I could get plenty of sleep.  Well....best laid plans and all that...I sat on the sofa watching the boob tube while in my head I kept hearing "get your fat behind off this sofa and pack, or at least start stitching" and yet I ignored that little voice and kept sitting.  About every hour I'd think...after this goes to commercial I'm going to start packing.  This exchange went on until 5:30 a.m. when I thought...O.K. crunch time...I told Sara to be ready for pickup at 8:00a.m.  While she is never early...I'm always sitting at her place waiting, and not always patiently, for her to come on down.  This time I called her around 7:45 and said I was in the weeds....so I might be a little late.  At 8:20 I called her and said, "Please come over and help me pack the car...I can no longer do this."  So we finally hit the road at 8:35.  I didn't take time for breakfast and neither did Sara so by 10:00 I had opened our first snack of the day....Yummy peanut butter filled pretzel nuggets.  These were my father's favorite so to see them in our travel bag was a sweet reminder of my dad...and a great snack.  We made it to Cheesecake Factory and ordered, and when the food came I realized I wasn't feeling well.  So my time at Cheesecake Factory was spent in the bathroom, which I might add is nice.  Sara had a lovely lunch while I carried mine to the car.  The trip continued until 5:30 p.m. with only one "Oh, my God...I have to get to the bathroom" from me and I was feeling better so all in all an uneventful  trip so far.  The weather was tricky...loads of rain so the drive wasn't pleasant, and also while I usually make the trip napping until my head falls and it wakes me up...over and over again, today I only got one nap in.  We then hit the Cracker Barrel (thanks again Debbie and Phyllis) where I ordered my usual dinner ..Chicken and Dumplings and Sara got her usual salad.  And now we are back at the hotel to turn in so we can do it all over again tomorrow.  So let's hope tomorrow is more of the same...no drama...and the drive should be easier as they are forcasting sun...yippee!!!  We should be coasting into Franklin around dinner time.  I'll try to keep you posted...have a great night.

Just a Snippet....

I can't take long because I told Sara I was working, but she knows I'm a "hearts" addict and everytime I'm on the computer I'm playing, so I have to hurry before I get accused of shirking my duties.  We are getting prepared for our annual road trip to Nashville, we leave tomorrow, which means the days prior to leaving are spent cleaning up the shop so Renee won't bitch at us, getting paper work done in the office so Mary won't bitch at us, well you get the drift.  So I had a list of "things" Sara needed to get done (well I said, "we" need, but you know what that means) before end of work today.  So she's cleaning, getting stock put away, etc.  I was over in the office getting mail orders out and when I returned there was a rather large box sitting on the counter with something in it bulging to get out.  I asked who shipped and she said, "It's for you from Debbie."  Well, needless to say I opened it right away, and you wouldn't believe the treats she sent us.  First everything is contained in one of those oversized reusable tote with a quilt design as it's theme and loaded down with goodies for our trip.  There were bags of popcorn I can pop in my room, (now that I realize there is a microwave there), Harry and David snacks to eat along the way, candy (oh, my...I'm in trouble), gift cards to our favorite eateries along the way...Cracker Barrel and Cheesecake Factory, a big bottle of excederin(God knows I'll need that) and two more items, one for Sara and one for me...with a tag attached when all else fails open these....the cutest bottles of vodka (skeleton bottles).  While Sara's sucking down the Vodka, I'll be eating the Excederins.  I'll use my bottle of Vodka as any lady would...sitting in front of the t.v. before dinner wondering where I went wrong.  The saving grace for us both is I rent 2 separate rooms so we can get away from each other....otherwise after 7 days together for 24 hours/day...well let's just say there would be a bloodbath on the news with our pictures attached.  Anyway, we're off first thing in the morning...can't wait....and I'll let you know on route what's happening.  Wish us luck!!!