Stitch or Read?

Here's my progress on the deer for DB. I didn't get as much done as I thought I would. I lost my stitching mood and found my reading mood instead! I'm also in the mood to start new pieces. I've had to cancel a few of my charity squares because I signed up for too many, and my life has gotten more complicated than it used to be. I got out the material to start another quilt square, but in the mail the other day I got my material and chart to do my quilt square for the firemen quilt a group of us charity stitchers are doing in memory of the Charleston firemen who were killed. I decided to start it next. It's a fairly simple pattern and shouldn't take me too long to do! I think I'm beginning to panic because I'll have to start subbing VERY soon, and I won't have much time to stitch then!

I got a call last night from the substitute system for a job. It's set up on a computer; so you don't actually talk to a "live" person. You have to punch in numbers to answer the questions it asks you; and it's been so long since I last punched in my pin number that I couldn't get it right last night! I had looked up my number earlier to make sure I remembered it right, but I just couldn't get it punched in right. I guess my subconscious self just didn't want to start subbing yet! lol So I didn't get the job! I hope I get another call tonight - I really need to start subbing, whether I like it or not! lol

As for my reading - I started A Place of Execution by Val McDermid. It's a murder mystery set in the 1960s. I'm a child of the 60s so it's bringing back a lot of happy memories! I've had it for quite a while, but just never got around to reading it. Like my cross stitch stash, I have paperback books stuck around everywhere! I found it when I cleaned out my roll-top desk to make a good place for DD to study. I wish I could read and stitch at the same time! I ought to check out some books on tape from the library, but I really enjoy the feel of a paperback book in my hands! Is that weird or does anyone else out there feel that way!?

That's about all I have to say today. Better get busy on that fireman square! Have a day full of happy moments, and may God bless you!

New Project

Thursday night DB took my mom and me out to a seafood restaurant for my mom's birthday! We had a great time and went over to his new house for me to see it! I really like it. It's an older house with hardwood floors and ceramic tiles on the kitchen and bathroom floors. I got so excited for him that I started his Christmas present! The picture above is what I am going to stitch for him and my brother-in-law for Christmas. They both collect anything that has to do with deer! It's on hopscotch material. I got 2 pieces many years ago very cheap at Big Lots. I've just never gotten around to stitching snything on them. Then last fall my sister, mom and I went to a LNS and I found this book in a sale bin. It's Hopstitch Classics by Canterbury Designs. I bought it just for the deer pattern.

And here is my progress so far. This piece of hopscotch is brown as you can see (a little!). The other piece is forest green like the picture of the finished piece. I was planning to make them into pillows, but there is the perfect place in my brother's hall to hang it as a picture! Plus - since it's a mounted deer head, it seems to me like it should be hanging on the wall. Let me know what you think!

God certainly takes care of you if you trust Him! My brother gave me a $100 bill Thursday night. In the past I have loaned him money when he needed it, and he hasn't always paid me back. So he called me Wed. and said he wanted to give me some money. We really needed it bad to buy some groceries! As I have said before, when I retired, I took a major cut in my pay. I do fine when I am subbing, but I haven't been able to save much for the summer when I don't work at all. I will start getting calls for sub jobs in the next few days, but we really needed a little money to pick up a few groceries. DD is spoiled and really wasn't happy when we had a big pot of black-eyed peas with rice and onions! lol (This is one of my favorite meals. We had it a lot when I was little!) I had prayed that God would help us make it to next Fri. when I get my retirement check, and out of the blue DB gives me this money!! I'm going to save money for next summer!! (even if we have to eat black-eyed peas and rice once a month! lol)

DD hasn't heard from the "crazy" exboyfriend since the windshield episode. Thank goodness! I think she realizes she needs to be more careful when picking out friends. She tends to take on down and out guys. She loves to help people. I hope she knows now that you can't always help people like that - they will just pull you down with them! She is a very good girl - no drugs, alcolol, etc. She just has a weakness for people she thinks she can help! I think it has something to do with her brother dying so young! I think she thinks she is honoring Glenn by helping guys the age he was when he died. Alcohol was involved in my son's death; so she tries to reform these guys.

Jerry's gone to Hilton Head for the weekend to check on the house he built there and is trying to sell; so I have the weekend to myself! I have been so busy this week! I'm going to cuddle up in my stitching chair with the TV on and do nothing but stitch!! I even have left-over shrimp from our birthday feast the other day; so I don't even have to cook!!

Better go! Have a day full of happy moments, and may God bless you!

Update on DD

Just a quick note to all of those who wrote such sweet comments and were worried about DD. She has not heard ANYTHING from the guy who broke her windshield. I think she really knows now that she should stay away from that guy!! As scary as it was, I think she did learn an important lesson. She's still excited about college, and that's the main thing on her mind right now. Thank goodness!!

I started a new piece today. I've decided to start my Christmas gift stitching. I'm doing a deer's head for my DB. I didn't get much done today. I'll show a pic tomorrow. Better go; I'm very tired! Have a day full of happy moments, and may God bless you!

More Drama from DD

I haven't been stitching too much the last few days, but here's my progress on Patchwork Garden. There's been a lot going on around here! I've only been working on this piece when I grab a few minutes to stitch. I'm really enjoying it, and it really relaxes me - no deadlines on it!



DD had a very upsetting episode with the guy she's been seeing. He is constantly having her take him places (using her - really)! He is on disability and doesn't work - although he cuts the grass and doesn't seem to have any problems that I can see. He asked her to take him someplace on Sunday night and promised to give her $5.00 for gas. Then when they got to the gas station and put in gas, he refused to give her the money. He does this every time - I guess DD is a slow learner! This time she locked him out of the car in an attempt to make him pay her. He jumped on the roof of her car and sat down on her front windshield and broke the windshield! The windshield on the new car she had had for 3 days! Then he called his mother and she went over there and then they said DD ran over him and that's how the windshield got broken. I have been having a bad feeling about him for several days - we had tried to tell DD that we were afraid of him and that she needed to not have anything alse to do with him! He had started calling her all the time - at work and even going over to her work! She had decided to quit having anything to do with him, but she thought she needed gas money. I don't know why she hangs around with these deadbeat people! None of them work and they sponge off of everyone else! She's not getting anything out of the relationships, but she's definitely putting a lot into them! Her dad went ballistic when he found out about the car and everything! Our insurance is going to replace the windshield without any charge to us. We have told her not to have anything else to do with him. I am really afraid of him!! Her dad told her that if he calls again, to tell him not to contact her again. Then if he does, we are going to call the police!




All this happened the night before she started her first college class!! So in addition to that drama, we have been trying to get her books and get her started! We were very fortunate - she was able to get some of the state lottery money and a grant from the federal government. Plus whatever isn't covered by those will be put into a loan that her dad and I are going to pay off. I highly recommend that if any of you want your children to go to college but can't afford it, check into getting financial aid! Her books are covered in these grants, but she put off sending in her application so long that the money is not in her account yet. We went over there today and got it all straightened out and she got her books today. We were also able to get enough in the loan to get her a laptop. She has been doing good about her studying so far!!

I'm going to spend the day with my mom tomorrow to celebrate her birthday. Then when my brother gets off from work, he's going to take my mom and me out to dinner! Thank goodness because I have very little money right now!

Need to go - I'm very tired! Have a day full of happy moments and may God bless you!

She's Finished!!!

I forced myself to finish her yesterday!! And after I got started, I got back my CS mojo (is that how you spell that?)! I even worked some on Patchwork Garden last night! I do love this angel and will immediately start the other one for the charity quilt. But after I do all my housecleaning today, I'm going to enjoy Patchwork Garden and start the angel tomorrow!

And here is my progress on PG. I just love the little baby birds in the nest!! This was designed by Terrece Beesley and Trice Boerens of Studio B Designs. And as I said in an earlier post, it was in the Aug. 1998 issue of Better Homes and Gardens' Cross Stitch and Needlework. In the description of it, they say it is "a pastel patchwork of summer motifs." But these colors are not what I consider "pastel." Maybe I'll get into the pastel colors later! lol I like stitching pieces with several different motifs like this and the JanLynn Autumn Sampler. I do one whole motif at a time and it doesn't seem so overwhelming!

A couple of old friends called yesterday and I really enjoyed talking to them. One - Tonia - is a very special friend. She was my student in the sixth grade many years ago. Then after she finished school and became a teacher, she got a position at the middle school I was at and we became friends. When she first saw me, she said, "You were the meanest teacher I ever had, but they say you have mellowed with age." Then after a couple of years she transferred to an elementary school and we still kept in touch. I got a transfer to another elementary school. And then I got a call from her saying she was transferring to the same school I was at and she was moving so she could be at the school I was at! She even taught the same grade that I did. We were very close then and did a lot of team teaching and planning together! We had a great time! She is like a daughter of mine. She has 2 children and I claim them as my grandchildren! She helped me so much when my son passed away. We aren't able to get together as much as we would like, but I know she would be there if I needed her!

The other friend was the best man at our wedding. He was trying to reach DD's Dad (I'm going to start calling him Jerry, his name, it's too hard to type out "DD's Dad"!), but we had a long, great conversation. His wife and I are very good friends, and he was a friend of mine before I even met Jerry. He and Jerry were already friends, but I didn't meet Jerry through him. Jerry and I met at a church outing, which is another long and funny story. I'll tell that another time.

Well, I need to get started on that housework I mentioned! Can't stall any longer! lol Have a day full of happy moments, and may God bless you!

Not Much Cross Stitching Going On

I've had some problems finishing the Guardian Angel. After cross stitching almost constantly for over 2 years, I seem to have lost my CS mojo! We've been so busy with stuff around here. I've also really gotten into doing sudoku puzzles. But I'm going to make myself finish her today! I usually enjoy backstitching, but just can't seem to get into it right now!

DD and her dad have been busy trying to find her a new car! Her Dodge Neon just wasn't going to last many more DAYS!! It was konking out every day, and we couldn't afford to sink anymore money into it! Finally, yesterday they found a 2003 Honda Civic advertized in the paper and went to see it. And they bought it!! It's beautiful!! It's a dark blue (but not navy), gray interior, sun roof, auto everything, cd player, low mileage, and looks like new - not a scratch. They bought it from the owner and even talked him down $1000! She absolutely loves it. She wanted a blue Honda Civic, but was willing to take anything! So she was really excited when she got exactly what she wanted! She had to have a better, reliable car before she started her classes on Mon.! She's so excited about starting college!! I hope she keeps up that enthusiasm!

I'm looking forward to subbing again. Since I've lost a good bit of weight, I think I won't get as tired or frustrated with the students. And yes, I'm still on my diet! I did break down the other day, and DD and I got Reese's Cup Shivers from TCBY. It's been so long since I had one that it didn't taste right! lol I have my mind so set on this diet that things that aren't on my diet don't taste good to me! I guess that's really good!! I'm still trying new recipes and have tried lots of new vegetable dishes. I was always a "can" person - just opening a can of veggies and heating them up. But now I'm into fresh veggies. DD loves squash - summer and zucchini! So we're eating lots of squash!

Better go - lunch time! DD and I have ordered subs! Have a day full of happy moments ,and may God bless you!

Almost Finished!

I have to finish Guardian Angel today! I really got a lot finished yesterday. I haven't been well the last couple of weeks. I slept through most of the weekend! Just a lot of stress! - worried about DD, money, my mom, brother, etc. I just have a little to do on the lamb - his face and some on his legs. Then I can do all of the backstitching. Then I'm going to take a day or 2 and work on Patchwork Garden. I have to do another Guardian Angel for another charity quilt and get it mailed by the 1st of Sept.

That's about all I have to tell today - haven't left the house in 2 weeks. It's been too hot, and I haven't felt like it! It is a little cooler this week. I hope everyone has a happy day, and may God bless you!

Too Hot

My headache is better. Finally!! I was able to cross stitch a good bit yesterday. I worked on Patchwork Garden all day. You can see my progress above. I really love stitching on this - I love the colors! But today I have to work on Guardian Angel. I have to mail her in a few days.

I have plenty of time to stitch. We have had record highs here in SC this week! The last 2 days it reached 104 degrees F. And the humidity is terrible!! This broke the record set in 1952! I am staying in the house! The air conditioner in my car isn't working, and it will be a while before I can get it fixed. So I can stitch without feeling so guilty! lol

DD is officially a college student! She met with her adviser yesterday and signed up for her classes: English, Biology, Elementary Calculus, and Anthropology. She had waited so long that most of the classes were full! ( I tried not to say, "I told you so," but I couldn't resist! lol) She's real excited! I am. too! Classes start on Aug. 20th.

Better go! I want to get busy stitching and staying cool! Have a happy day, and may God bless you!

Headless No Longer

Just no features on her face! lol I haven't been able to stitch too much the last few days - I have had a migraine since Sat. and still have it a little! We cooked out Sat., but my head was killing me so we ate inside. My head hurt so bad, the hamburgers tasted awful to me. DD and DD's Dad assured me they were very good. If you have migraines, you know they can affect your senses - things don't taste right; you smell weird smells; light really bothers you; every noise seems extremely loud! I've slept most of the last 3 days!

When I have migraines, the furbabies can tell. They want to sit in my lap - all 3 of them - and they lick my face and arms. It really doesn't help.

Better go and put a cold cloth on my head! Have a day full of happy moments, and may God bless you!

The Headless Wonder

Latest progress on the guardian angel. Right now she's a headless wonder! lol I want to finish her dress, because I don't like stitching in these blah colors. I want to get them out of the way first and then I'll really enjoy the rest! I haven't worked on anything else the last few days. I've been pretty busy!

I had a nice visit with my mom on Thurs. She and my DB are back to normal - loving each other! DB has moved into a nice house he is renting. He's very happy where he's working! He's already gotten 2 raises since he has been there - only about 3 weeks! He really is an artist when it comes to woodwork!

Not much to say today. Have to go and do my weekly vaccumming and dusting, so I can start stitching! We are going to cook out tonight - yay, yay! Have a day full of happy moments, and may God bless you!

Update on Guardian Angel

This is my progress on the guardian angel. I worked on it most of yesterday. I did a little on Patchwork Garden, but not enough to show yet. I haven't been able to stitch any today. I decided not to do my shopping yesterday, because I was afraid I would be too tired and wouldn't enjoy our outing to the Chinese restaurant. So I did my "marathon shopping" today. I take one day a week or so and do all my shopping for groceries, stash, medicines, etc. I'm trying to save money by using coupons and taking advantage of sales.

I do let myself buy about $10.00 worth of stash each month. I got some white aida at Michael's with a 40% off coupon; and I got some marbled aida at A.C. Moore with a 40% off coupon. The marbled aida is kind of a bluish green. I'm going to do a fairy on it - someday! lol The white aida is for my charity stitching.

Yesterday was DD's Dad's birthday and we took him out to a Chinese restaurant. We had a very good time. Yesterday was also his mother's birthday, and his whole family went to a fish camp tonight to celebrate her birthday. So I'm here alone - which hasn't happened in quite a while! I enjoy being alone sometimes! However, I spent most of the time on the phone with my mom. I'm planning to visit her tomorrow. It was so nice not to cook dinner yesterday or today. I had a leftover plate for supper tonight.

Better go - I want to do a little stitching before bedtime! Have a day full of happy moments, and may God bless you!