It's not stitching, it's an addiction

A non-MBT finish

2011-11-07T10:55:00.004-07:00

It's very rare that I get to stitch, but almost impossible for me to have time to stitch on a design that isn't mine. This past weekend I got the pleasure of taking a class offered through the local EGA. It was a blast! I did canvas work for the first time, used stretcher bars for the first time, and even realized why there are needles other than 26 and 28 petite :-) I was only able to attend one day of the class, but oh, what a day! Here is what I plan on taking to the framer this week, when I go to pick up new MBT models:

The beautifully designed piece is called "Quilts", designed by Janet of Krafty Kat Designs. Her design has three panels, and raised fabric panels in the middle pinwheel. It also has a stunning smyrna cross scalloped border around the outside. I wish you could see her model because they are all lovely! All of these I adjusted or omited to make it work for the amount of time I had to work on it, and the reality that there is no possible way I'd finish the whole thing in the next decade. There is a lot of sparkle, some fantastic specialty fibers, and I think I managed to smuggle in a few cat hairs.

Other than that, life here is as normal as it gets. Church is great, the munchkin's ears are doing well with her new tubes, her schooling is moving right along, it's freezing outside and I can justify more stitching time indoors, and the last storm didn't blow off the roof or the siding. Many blessings through the storms.

Now back to the x's... my first thready love!

Quick thoughts

2011-10-27T18:50:00.003-06:00

One cereal we cannot have in the house is Lucky Charms. Not because I don't like it, but because I love the marshmallowy goodness! I was thinking that I was the worst mom in the world because I was eating all of the marshmallows out of the box while preparing them in the morning. Dh proposed a new perspective. I'm saving her from all of that sugar, which makes me a loving, caring mom, willing to sacrifice my own sugar levels for those of my daughter. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

MBT news - the needlework show was great. I have new designs floating around in my head and can't wait to put them to fabric and thread. I'm stitching on a repeat of "The Anniversary" so I can get a new cover pic and have a trunk show model.

Hugs to all.

New Releases for October 2011

2011-10-14T08:43:00.011-06:00

We have officially survived September and had an exciting start to October. The munchkin lost her first tooth!!! She is soooo proud. There are even two more already loose and she is wiggling them like crazy. The second home school co-op was this week and we had a wonderful time. New friends were made, the kids learned a lot, and it was fun. We also canned peaches! There are 16 beautiful quart jars, full of the yummy fruit, which will be a great treat this winter. There were some left over fresh peaches from the case, and those have been good snacks, desserts, oatmeal toppings, and treats over the past few days. Tomorrow we tackle the tomatoes (again). There are enough peppers and onions in the garden that we should be able to get some salsa AND spaghetti sauce canned. There are also boxes of pears and apples waiting to be washed, peeled, sliced, and dried .

For the MBT stuff... four new chart releases! The 13th Building Block has joined the group. I know there were only supposed to be 11-13 of these, but there are more words, more scripture hunts, and more stitching to be done! MBT-114 Building Block Truth.

The next new design comes from Philippians 4:13. It has been very real in my life over the past year or so. He can do everything without me, but I can do nothing without Him. Through Him, I can do anything. MBT-113 I Can Do All Things. The third design is perfect for Fall, with the autumn colors, or you can stitch it in any colorway for a year-round display. MBT-114 Give Thanks.

And finally, we have the third chart in the series of Christmas Pinkies. It's not too late to get those ornaments done! MBT-115 Christmas Pinkies III.
This past week I spent quite a bit of time getting ready for the fall accessory trunk shows that go out to different shops. I wanted to make some really unique scissor fobs, different from the regular line, so they would have something new. Some of them I fell in love with and made five more of them! If you have a favorite then give your shop a holler and they can get it ordered for you (as long as I have some still here!). Depending on how they do I may add them to the regular line.

There are long ones: And short ones:
The online needlework show will be starting next week. Check it out at http://www.needleworkshow.com/ . There will be door prizes available, lots of specials for shops, and some great designs being showcased. I hope to 'see' you there!

Where did September go?

2011-09-29T20:13:00.004-06:00

I can't believe it's already almost October. It has been very busy here with the lots of home school activities, the garden harvest, guests visiting, a sick child, designing, stitching, and scissors!!! The Tessa Gingher scissors arrived today. They have lots of bold, bright colors, and officially have a matching fob. It has been quite a chore to figure out how to best accent the red, yellow, cobalt, light pink, and medium blues, but I think this turned out lovely.

For MBT designs news - four new designs are coming out soon! In the next week or so I should have everything ready to send out announcements to the shops. There's a new Buliding Block, more ornaments, an inspirational one that is dear to my heart, and a design of thanks. All sorts of fun in x's.

September already?

2011-09-01T19:53:00.005-06:00

First the scissor stuff... There are two beautiful prints of Gingher scissors coming out this fall: Alicia and Tessa. I've been drooling over these since the preview pictures were made available. I now have Alicia in my hands and it follows that I also have a matching fob available! In my excitement to pick them up at the local craft store last night (driving there as fast as legally allowed, still covered in grass clippings from yard work, dirt in a line across my forehead from where my hat was, and not caring because there were SCISSORS on the line) I barely glanced at the print and thought "oh, blue and green scrolly flower thingies". Imagine my surprise to take a closer look and find that they're covered in peacock feathers! I'd like to introduce you to Alicia, with her fob "Plume".

Each long and short fob is beautifully crafted with Swarovski crystals and glass accent beads. The short fob has a cobalt end bead but it never comes out right in pictures. The blues pull out the subtle color changes throughout the handle and the reds get the centers of the feathers. Your local shop is happy to order these for you and if you don't have one just give me a holler and I can direct you to one that will gladly decorate your scissors.

And the stitchy stuff... Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issues have started arriving at the local shops and I'm thrilled to be in there again this year. Each time they ask it is an incredible honor and my feet don't touch the ground for weeks. My ornament this year is not quite the usual Christmas one - it's a memorial. Earlier this year I lost one of my closest friends very suddenly and this was a way for me to work through that grief. I miss her dearly and pray that if you stitch this as a memorial for a loved one you find peace and comfort in each x.

Now for the "other" stuff... Our home is finally returning to what we consider normal around here. The construction is done, the storm damage all repaired, and I no longer hear nail guns in my sleep. The garden is producing a lot of really tasty treats and we are enjoying the healthy snacks each day. It is a learning process to teach the little one about "ripe" and "not ripe" when it comes to picking the grapes and berries. The squished face she makes when a grape is not ripe is very entertaining. She checks under the nets each day to see what she can munch on and does her rounds along the property line to scavenge for berries. When we planted the starts in the spring I didn't mark everything, assuring myself that I would remember what everything was (yeah, right), so it's not a surprise that we have mystery melons and squash taking over the back corner of the yard. This past winter we couldn't wait for fresh tomatoes and now we don't know what to do with them all! Lots of bruchetta, pico de gallo, and BLT's are coming out of our kitchen.

I do have to share a proud mommy moment. It made my heart delight when I was preparing breakfast this past week and looked over to find the munchkin sorting her Crayola's by color! Oh, goodness, I was so proud I even shed a quiet little tear! The blues with blues, purples with purples, all sorted by shade. There's hope for our next generation! She is showing an interest in knitting and needlework. I'm all for encouraging the yarn-work until it is turned into a spider web at the top of the stairs, tying all of the door knobs together and weaving the 'garland' down the hand rail. At least the cat wasn't tied into the middle of it.

July 2011 New Releases

2011-07-23T11:06:00.009-06:00

I'm very glad to be able to post the pictures for these new designs and accessories today. The website has been updated, and through the grace of God and a very well written tutorial - I updated it myself!!! I'm a person who can't remember her own phone number half of the time, so this was a huge step for me. Woo hoo! Goodness, I almost broke my arm while patting myself on the back ;-) Orders have already started shipping out to the stores, but the bulk of them will be heading out Tuesday morning. Sooo, without further ado, here they are:

MBT-109 Revelation - From Revelation 21:4 - "and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." I stitch what I'm experiencing, and this has been of great comfort. With all fo the stress, strife, and struggle in our lives, we know that there is hope in an eternity with Him.

MBT-110 Count It All Joy - I can't tell you how much I ripped thread on this one. I was certainly not counting it JOY! There was more frogging on this design than in all of the last ten projects I've done. It was our camping project over Father's Day weekend, the munchkin had her play horses out, and the orts turned into their "food". Unfortunately none of them will be the same after the overfeeding. All kidding aside, I'm thrilled with how it turned out and love the colors. Even through the tough stuff we can find joy.

MBT-111 A Very Faint Line - "The line is very faint between hobby and mental illness" Now y'all have to agree with me that some days we can take our hobby to an extreme that no sane person would recognize as healthy. For some it's thread, others fabric, and then charts, and the most normal ones of us have our scissor collections. Of course we always need scissors, so I think I am completely justified in this one. Yep. That's what I'm sticking to. I was stitching this one outside during some of the more moderate weather we had, and it was a challenge. The design was an easy stitch, but finding the single lost needle in the needing-to-be-mowed grass just about drove me crazy! I understand "needle in a haystack" now more than I had ever wanted. I though finding a needle in carpet was hard! This design is adorned with five JABC buttons, one of which is a rubber duckie. I can't even look at a duckie and not go into a fit of giggles, so this kind of fit. Also coming out this release are some new accessories. We have a 2011 Summer needle threader set, which is the set of five threaders you see in the picture. There are new colors of teapot mini fobs as well. These are now available individually, or boxed with a thread picker or matching needle threader. Details for all of the charts can be viewed at http://www.mybigtoedesigns.com/

That's pretty much all of our MBT stuff. Today our house is torn apart and I'm trying to stay calm while the dust settles. It makes sense that since the siding has to be replaced next week (see earlier post on micro burst) we go ahead and replace the windows that have cracked seals. Hubby is blessed with a handy streak that makes most house projects a joy for him to do himself, and I'm blessed by one of his friends who came over to help lug the heavy things around. The munckin is happily using the vacuum to suck up all of the dust bunnies and dry wall chunks. As of now, 3 windows are done, 4 to go. My office window is one of the ones being replaced and I have to start clearing out access through my incredibly well organized piles of random stitchy stuff (it's a good thing it's a clear day or I'd be afraid of being hit by lightening for the misuse of the word organized). Have a wonderful week to all and enjoy your x's!

Summer, wind, and upcoming new releases

2011-07-17T08:52:00.005-06:00

Here we are in the middle of July and we are so far enjoying the weather. We've had a few hot days, but nothing like what some of our country is suffering through. Overall our year so far has been cool, with a very late warm up for the garden. My tomatoes and peppers are not happy for that. The pumpkin, however, is taking over everything! If anyone has any good pumpkin recipes I welcome them. The munchkin was fascinated with the "Giant Pumpkin" seeds and I can definitely say there was truth in advertising on that packet of seeds.

This past month we went to northern Idaho for time with family and a new friend. We met Deb, from Tempting Tangles, and had a great evening with her and her husband. It was neat to meet a fellow stitcher, and see all of the lovely projects she is working on. My plan for the vacation was to get in lots of stitching. That failed. This was for the best because we spent lots of time with family and out in the gorgeous nature that surrounds us. Honestly, who can get much work done when there is this to look at:

We went riding through the hills, seeing deer everytime we went out, and enjoying the beauty of His creation. It's humbling to think that scenes like this were created for us to treasure. The munchkin picked wild strawberries, chased butterflies, and hiked the mountain with a curiousity and boundless energy that only a child could fully experience.

I did find some designing stitching time over these past months and have three new designs coming out in a couple of weeks. All that is left to do is format, print, package, market, stuff envelopes, send out newsletters, and then hopefully you will enjoy them as much as I have. Hubby will be able to help with some of it and the munchkin will take seriously her job of sticking stamps to the 300+ newsletter envelopes. One project that I can share today is "Be Not Forgetful", stitched over one, for the 2012 trunk shows. My scissors are in the picture to show the scale, it's pretty small!

The other three pictures will be released in a week or so. Then it's time to start stitching on designs for late September. I found so much joy in the treasure hunt of the last Building Block that I will have another one coming out at that time.

This past April we learned a new weather term: micro burst. It is what happens when there is a localized downburst of wind. We were driving home from running errands, being hailed on, and joking that it was a good thing we weren't in Texas because this was tornado weather! We pulled up to the house just in time to see a swirl of leaves, and then a good chunk of our roof and siding blow off and into the neighboring properties. Our siding was found over an acre away, some stuck in trees, and the shingles were just about everywhere. Bright side - insurance has been wonderful to work with and our adjuster has been very understanding. Down side - the "thunk, thunk, thunk" of the nail gun. Our roof is now rated to 160mph and I can only pray that it is never tested. Siding should be replaced in the next couple of weeks and I look forward to having the house put back to normal.

That's most of our updates on this end. The munchkin is still good, loves to read, devouring books, and as energetic as ever. She is struggling with allergies and ear infections, both of which we're trying to get under control, but loves to run, play, and is blessedly an active child. She is enjoying lead-line time on the horses at a neighbor's farm and finding new ways each day to surprise and challenge me. Life is good. Stressful at times, hard, and a genuine struggle some days, but still good.

New releases for March 2011

2011-03-16T14:29:00.007-06:00

We're enjoying a beautiful and unexpected snow storm right now. There are huge fluffy white flakes coming down and it looks like God turned us into a snow globe! Tomorrow my mom is coming to visit for eight days and we feel very blessed by the time with family. The munchkin adores the time with Grandma, and Grandma will be someone new to read to and play with. Our sourdough starter is going in full bloom and the yummy treats that are coming from the kitchen bring out smiles every day. Eventually the neighbors are going to stop opening up their doors when I bring over the extra loaves!

There are four new releases for us this season. Each one has a very special place in my heart. The first one is "A New Day Accessory Set." This design consists of a box top or wall hanging, scissor fobs, ort box, needle book, name tag, and friendship gift. There are step by step tutorials at the website.

It has been two years since I designed and stitched the last Building Block, and it is past time that I do another one. This is the twelveth block in the series, "Joy." It really was a joy to work on!

The third new release is "The Pursuit of Happiness", a beautiful little patriotic design that has the most adorable little button accents on it. My framer did an incredible job helping me to pick out just the perfect frame to surround the red, white, and blue.

Finally, and probably my favorite in this batch, is "The Fruit of the Spirit." The joke with this one was that I just wanted to get past patience without having to frog! Thankfully each x came together through "Self-Control" and my "Gentleness" with the thread didn't have to be tested.

The website has been updated with all of these and a brand new accessory. Each will be showcased at the Needlework Show next month and is now available at your local shop. Details on the stitch count, thread used, and fabric are listed at the website.

The New Year is here... where did January go?

2011-01-28T11:21:00.004-07:00

It's already the end of January and I have no idea where the month went. We started out with everyone getting the crud, spent four weeks of illness working through the house, and all of us are finally back into good health. The only bright spot of not wanting to move is that my hands still worked fine and I could STITCH! Yep, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Too tired to vacuum, throat hurts too much to cook, but never too sick to stitch.

The Building Block series will be adding a new word. It has been a couple of years since a new block was added and it's about time! The time of hunting through scripture for the perfect verses, putting them to fabric and watching it come to life, it was refreshing for my spirit. I hope to add another one this summer. This past week I decided that it was time to update the cover pictures on all of the Building Blocks. I ripped apart each frame, took out the glass, put them back together, and managed to get some beautiful new cover pics. Then I begged my framer to put it all back together again :-) Below is a sample of how much improved the pics are, you can see the rest at the website.

All dozen blocks are now back on my walls and providing daily inspiration and smiles. I still haven't gotten pictures of the chatelaines done. It's taking a top priority this weekend and hopefully the lighting will cooperate. Currently I'm stitching on ornaments for the 2011 JCS issues and trying to figure out the best way to finish them up. There are three new releases that will be out in March, possibly a fourth, but the laundry doesn't do itself and I may not be able to squeeze in enough hours in the day. With the help of caffeine I'm doing my best! hehehe

Home schooling is a daily challenge, finding the balance between being a wife, mother, house keeper, stitcher, business owner, and now teacher. Hubby decided to start teaching the munchkin about negative numbers and algebra and I just about fell over. She's taking to it, enjoying it, but it's never something that even crossed my mind to present to her. Level four readers are now being added regularly to the bookshelf and we have started independent reading with chapter books. This month without outside activities (besides Awana and church) has raised our indoor energy level and I can't wait to start swimming lessons up again next month.

A few weeks a dear friend of mine died suddenly and it has made me realize how temporary everything here is. I know she was a Christian and is in heaven now, which I can take joy and comfort in, but I still miss her. She was a huge part of my life, personal and professional, and was always an encouragement. Hug your loved ones, don't put off the email or phone call to check in on someone, smile at a stranger, help someone load their groceries... be a light. We all need a smile.

Christmas is almost here

2010-12-16T11:06:00.003-07:00

I can't believe how fast the last few months have gone. It seems like we just survived the Online Needlework Show, then it was time for Thanksgiving and our family to visit, and now it's almost Christmas! 2011 will be here before I know it, and it seems I can barely remember to write 2010 on the checks now. Home schooling is going well and I'm still amazed at how much the munchkin is taking to reading.

Last month we did a lot of updating to My Big Toe Designs inventory. One of the major change overs happened with our kits. We had two lovely kits, both directed at stitching groups, shop events, and retreats. They are easily customized with group names and a lot of fun to create. In the interest of time and ease of inventory, both kits are now available as charts.

Other MBT news is pretty slim. I've been working hard on new designs, one of them is a new Building Block, and just trying to keep up with inventory. The scissor chatelaines are doing really well and I hope to have new pics of them added to the website this month. I've also been updating the Gingher matching scissor fobs and have plans to take pictures of the new ones tonight. I love beads :-) They sparkle.

Lately I've been spending a lot of time listening to good music. The truck had to be left at the shop for repairs and they gave us a loaner. It was quite a surprise when we found a forgotten CD in the player. The CD was by Michael Boggs, an artist we hadn't heard before, and it sent us on the hunt to find more of his songs. We now have both of his CD's, and the newest one is incredible. Another new favorite of mine is by Matthew West, called The Story of Your Life. His song, My Own Little World, is what drew me to it, but Strong Enough is what I've been playing over and over again. The lyrics are incredible and it has been a great help to remind me that I don't have to be "strong enough".

On Monday I figured out that it is fun to dip things in chocolate. Our Bible Study group had a Christmas pot luck on Monday. I decided to make Oreo truffles to take. Once I started dipping them in chocolate, I couldn't stop! I had to open the pantry and dig for whatever looked good to dip. Vanilla cookies, graham crackers, marshmallows... Yum!

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and blessed New Year.

New Releases for September 2010

2010-09-11T06:52:00.006-06:00

It is hard to believe that it is already after Labor Day. The summer has gone by so fast. The watermelons in the garden are getting bigger each day, and we have lots of blackberries and raspberries that are ripe for picking. Our fruit trees didn't do much this year, they're still new, but we did get a half dozen white fleshed peaches that were the most incredible thing I have ever tasted. I never knew how sweet fruit could be! The apples are small, but just about ready to pick, and the pears tended to be favored by the birds. A new batch of grapes is growing and should be ready in a couple of weeks. We've got potatoes, onions, and carrots everywhere. It's time to start making some stew!

My Big Toe Designs has three new designs for release. These will be our last for the year. We're starting a homeschool curriculum this week for the munchkin, and with the online needlework show, then the holidays, I'll be lucky to stitch for all of an hour in the next two month :-) We need to find a new balance with work, home, and school. There are quite a few ideas squirming around in my head, and I never know when something will *have* to make it to fabric and thread. We're still planning on early 2011 for the next batch. Here are some pictures and details for the three new designs. Each one is unique and was a lot of fun for me to stitch.

MBT-100 He Holds Tomorrow

Stitched on 32 count jobelan, "Star Sapphire," with Weeks Dye Works Thread

"I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow"

MBT-101 Dirty Little Words

Stitched on 32 count jobelan, "Waterlily," with Weeks Dye Works thread and Just Another Button Company buttons

"Four dirty little words: Dust, Iron, Cook, Wash"

MBT-102 A Woman of Noble Charachter ~ Selections from Proverbs 31

Stitched on 30 count Weeks Dye Works linen, "Linen," with Gentle Art Sampler Threads

There are DMC/Anchor conversions listed where possible. These have already started arriving at your favorite needlework shops.

Also added to our line this month are new accessories! We have created fobs to match the "Steweb" scissors from Kelmscott designs and to match the "Ella" scissors from Gingher. The Ella's were released recently to the Joann stores. There are also "Sonia" Gingher scissors that are arriving now at the local needlework shops. I have a pair arriving this week and will make a matching fob as soon as I have them in my hands and can accurately match some beautiful beads.

God bless you on this day of rememberance.

Back from vacation

2010-07-09T17:31:00.005-06:00

We spent five glorious days in northern Idaho this past week, visiting family. It was so peaceful in the mountains. I did experience a few withdrawals since we had very limited cell service and no internet access. Each day we were able to go ATV riding, play on the lake, hike, or just sit on the porch and read. I spent a lot of time on the porch. The view was spectacular and I loved taking in all that God has created. The munchkin went tubing and managed to return home without any serious injury. We had our first experience with a tick, one attached itself to her arm, but we caught it early. This is what I spent the time admiring:

Recently we did something that everyone should experience at least once in their lives. Make home made marshmallows. There is nothing better than a fresh marshmallow. My whole life I lived thinking that the white fluffy goodness was only to be found in a plastic bag on the shelf at the store. Not so! We used Alton Brown's recipe from the Food Network. It was super easy, totally delicious, and very ooey gooey. The hardest part of the whole recipe was waiting four hours for them to set. These are not good for S'mores, just as a warning, they wouldn't stay on a skewer to roast, but they are incredible in just about everything else. We've shared them with friends, neighbors, and everyone has loved them.

I haven't stitched much in the past week, but I have design ideas flying through my head and found a beautiful new thread color while visiting Haberdashery. This was my special vacation treat! We had to drive into Spokane to pick up family at the airport, and any time there's an LNS within 60 miles you can bet that I'm going to visit it. The owners were wonderful and the shop was amazing. There were models everywhere, so many creative finishing techniques, and the SCISSORS! Oh, my, the scissors. It was embarassing that I owned most of the pairs they had in there, but there were dozens and dozens of styles to choose from. The fiber selection was one of the best I have seen in a shop. The variety of colors and lines was more than I had thought I'd see in one place. Their charts were easy to sort through, there was lots of room to walk, and the stitching tables in the back were well lit for anyone to sit, stitch, and have a great time. I can't wait to go back! The picture just shows a very small front part of the shop, but you can get a good idea of their organization and space.

As for work, things have been busy. The new designs have started shipping out to shops on my auto ship and should be arriving in the next few days. I have run out of assembled froggy fobs and will spend the evening making up a new batch of those. They're hopping out of here! I've got new threaders to package, an older design to re-stitch the model, and lots of printing and packaging to do. All is good.

Tonight we're making home made pizza and root beer floats. Mmmmmmm. Hubby makes a great pizza crust and we'll be canning our own sauce this fall, made with San Marzano tomatoes that are growing (hopefully) in out backyard. All of our errands are done for the weekend and we can just enjoy our time as a family. The blow up pool is all set for the munchkin and I know she will find hours of fun splashing around.

2010-07-02T21:27:00.008-06:00

These past few months have practically been a blur. The online show was a great success and I met a lot of new-to-me shops and stitchers. The froggy fobs and needle threaders are doing better than I ever expected. Summer is already here, the weather is turning hot, and we are enjoying time as a family. We've gone camping, worked around the house, planted oodles of seeds in the garden, and now it's time to work on stitchy stuff.

A lady at EGA asked how much I stitched. After careful consideration I answered with "four hours". She got the impression that I managed to do that every day with a business, home, and child. She thought it was wonderful. I laughed for a good minute and corrected her that four hours was my stitching total for the month of May. That has changed. I thank her deeply for making me realize that I had strayed from what I love so much - stitching! I made stitching more of a focus for June and it was easy to do with new designs to work on.

For My Big Toe Designs there are three new releases this month! I had planned on waiting until September to send them out, but they're done and I have no patience when I'm excited about something. I knew the moment they were home from the framer that I could not possibly wait two whole months to share them. No will power whatsoever. They're printing now and I'll be working hard to get them into chartpacks in the next couple of weeks. The designs are "Pray," "Enter His Gates," and "Peace." The one for "Pray" is my favorite of the bunch. Don't get me wrong, I love them all, but this one touched my heart. As I was stitching on it I had some struggles, and was reminded though the little x's that I needed to let go of the frustration, let go of the pain, and just pray.

As the weather has warmed I've been outside more and more each day. I have learned a few things while working out in the garden.

1.) If you are using the weed whacker and get a song in your head - don't dance to it. Bad things happen when that plastic twine hits your shins.

2.) Whoever said gardening wasn't a "cardio" activity hasn't seen the creepy crawly nasties that jump out from everywhere. I can guarantee my heart rate was WAY up.

3.) A child will learn naturally not to eat fruit straight off the vine when it's not ripe. As many times as your warn her, she will have to learn it on her own, and you should definitely have the camera ready for the sour face.

4.) Neighbors cannot see the snake that you're running from in an irrational fit of fear. All they see is the crazy screaming neighbor doing zigzags across the yard.

Our trees, vines, and bushes are all starting to get fruit on them. We've got the cutest little baby apples, pears, grapes, and strawberries. I never knew produce could be so precious! The tiniest little bunches of grapes are on the vines and I could stare at them for ever. The lettuce in the garden is doing well and we are using it at mealtime. With a little fresh chives and tarragon, shaved parmesan and balsamic dressing... mmmmm. Very tasty. I can't wait until the tomatoes are in full season and we can eat those with every meal.

A couple of nights ago the munchkin saw fireworks for the first time. We were able to pull some chairs out into the middle of the yard and watch the show from over the neighbor's trees. The beautiful display was only about a mile away and it was stunning. We all loved seeing the night light up, and it was worth having a cranky child the next day after staying up so late.

Mostly life right now is peaceful. I'm learning that the house doesn't have to be vacuumed as often as it was, the dust doesn't really matter unless it's dated, and weeds will *always* be there. I've figured out some things about myself that I never ever ever thought would happen. I like to camp. I like to kayak. I like to fish (as long as I don't catch anything, have to touch a worm, or get in the water). My most peaceful time is in the kitchen, making new dishes and treats. It's a strange new world ;-)

New Release Time!

2010-03-19T19:09:00.008-06:00

The month of March has been a whirlwind so far. My mom visited for three weeks and stayed with the munchkin while I joined hubby at work in Tacoma. The stitching group there adopted me like I was one of their own. My first night in town they hosted a potluck for me with more than a dozen ladies at the church where they meet each week. The next day I was treated to the local LNS, ThreadNeedle Street. Her fabric and thread selection is amazing! There were a lot of new stitchers at the Wednesday LNS trip and again I felt right at home. I always get nervous when meeting a new group of stitchers and after the first five minutes it was like I had known them my entire life. I then had two blissfully quiet days at the hotel to work on needle threaders and read. I could do without CSI being on three channels at one time for all day marathons, but I am now up to date with my forensics.

The munchkin showed her true colors for grandma while we were away. Mwahahahaha. I laughed so hard when I heard her call the munchkin by MY name!!! The nerve! LOL. She is her mother's daughter. We had another hair cutting experience and I can only be thankful that she did it over the bathtub and with her head angled down. It looks like she has some nifty layering now. There's not a malicious bone in her body, but the mischief one is growing. Swim classes are great and she is going fully under water now and is not afraid of the sprinkler in the kiddy pool. It's only taken three months to get to this point. Music classes will be wrapping up next week and then we will switch back to gymnastics this summer. I can't wait until the weather is nice enough to be outside every day, running around and playing in the dirt.

There will be three new chart releases and one new accessory release in April. The charts are "Blackbird's Garden", "A New Day", and "Cast All Your Cares". The newest accessory addition is the most precious little froggy fob! The pictures will not be on my website for another week or so, but the shops have received their newsletters and can start ordering them in a couple of weeks. This gives them time to get all of the fabric and fibers that are needed to have on hand. This batch has been a long time coming, but I really like each one for a uniqueness that it brings to my line. The printers are going a mile a minute as I type and I will spend the next couple of weeks packaging and making fobs. It will be a nice break from the painting.

Have I mentioned how much I don't like house painting? I don't. I'm grateful that we have a home that I can care for, walls we can paint, but I'm ready for it to be done. Just a couple more windows, the laundry room, 1/4 of the family room and a closet door and I'm done. Then it's outside to garden. This year we are going to try the Square Foot Garden method. I'm tired of weeds and this seems to be a very organized way to stagger harvests. Plus I want to grow squash vertically and have a 30 lb. watermelon hanging from mesh, 5 feet off the ground. Little amusements. The lawnmower is already calling to me and I'm excited to be riding it again. Call me strange, but I totally and completely understand the draw and appeal of lawnmower races. I found cruise control on that thing and it has been nothing but happy days ever since.

On the technology front this is the error I found on my printer. I have no idea what buttons I pushed or what happened. A quick restart and all was right again, but I had to say that there were no nice words for the HP programmers in my mind at the time. There was no way that hubby would believe me without proof, so I grabbed the camera for evidence (more of that CSI stuff coming in handy!)

Home alone

2010-01-17T18:59:00.004-07:00

It's weeks like this that give me a completely new respect for single mothers. I was flying solo with the munchkin while dear husband was out of town with work. It doesn't happen often, but when it does we find all new challenges and adventures. This week she used her bath time cup, filled over and over again, to soak her comforter from pillow to dust ruffle. She was 'cleaning'. The bright spot to the alone time is that I get a LOT of stitching done while I'm not sleeping. The end of the week left me caffeine dependent. Life is now returning to normal. The water thing was still nothing compared to finding the cat/walls/floor/hallway/closet/comforter covered in Sweet Pea scented lotion.

My stitching bug has returned with a vengeance and I'm designing and stitching up a storm. One project is in hold, waiting for new thread colors, but what has been stitched with Aged Plum by Thread Gatherer is gorgeous. The design is for the Just Cross Stitch October 2010 issue and I hope to have it done by the end of next week. I finished up a series of designs this weekend and hope to pull threads and fabric for them tomorrow when the sun comes out. It's a Federal holiday for MLK day and we have a long weekend for work and play as a family.

Holiday survival

2010-01-08T20:42:00.001-07:00

A new year is here and it's finally time to get back to stitching. It has been a few months since I've done any x'ing and it has been missed. I have been working on an ornament for the 2010 JCS issue and am nearing the home stretch of the finishing. The fabric I'm using is Weeks Dye Works linen and I can't tell you how impressed I am with it. The 35 count has been a delight to stitch on and it is the same count horizontally and vertically, which is fantastic for a linen! I have only been able to stitch with really good light on the Kudzu fabric, the dark color has definitely challenged my eyes, but the end result has been well worth the time. I'm restitching it on a lighter fabric, Dove, and will decide between the two when they're both completely finished. I had purchased 9x9 cuts of the linen from Stitchville USA this past summer and have been in love with the fabric ever since.

Our Thanksgiving was one of joy spent with my parents, who were visiting us from Texas. The days that they were with us were priceless. There isn't enough grandparent time in the world! We managed to pull off a full feast, turkey and all the trimmings, for our family and some friends. Christmas was very quiet with just the three of us, but it was peaceful and we enjoyed the time as a family. My mom will be up to visit again in March and the munchkin is definitely wanting Grandma to be here again.

last weekend we made our annual tamale batch. Each January we make up 12+ dozen tamales and freeze them to use for quick dinners throughout the year. It takes a few days to get it all done but the end result is very tasty. Some of the pork we saved and used with barbecue sauce for sandwiches. Lately we've been trying to make meals last and see how many times we can reincarnate a protein. It's amazing how creative you can get with a 15 lb. turkey!

Tomorrow morning I hope to spend it digging through fabric and threads to find something for a design for next October's JCS. Once that's pulled I can finish up some stitching on a few other projects and get new releases ready for the April online needlework show. Yesterday I made an accessory set to go with the Elena scissors and I really like how it all turned out. It was a special order through Stitches N Things and I liked it so much I had to make one for myself. The colors are all a bit funky, and there are a LOT of them, but the scissors are unique and there was no way to narrow down the palette. I only wish that the colors in the picture were as true and vibrant as they are in real life.

Now it's time to go sit, stitch, and watch a bit of the Canada vs. US Olympic hockey game. It was days ago, I already know the outcome, but I still want to watch the game and enjoy the skill displayed by the players on both sides. I am a hockey fan and wish we were closer to an NHL team. Locally we have the Steelheads, and we went to two seasons of their games, but now that the munchkin can repeat words we think it's best not to go to the live games. At least on TV I don't have to worry until she learns how to read lips. She is a fan in training and cheers right along with daddy and I.

It's cold outside!

2009-11-11T18:24:00.002-07:00

The weather is turned and we are looking at a lot of cold precipitation for the next week. Yesterday I managed to get the yard mowing finished and it looks like that was a good idea. The best thing about the mower is that it sucks up the leaves and mulches them up. No raking! As much as I enjoy the wood stove burning inside, and the cozy feeling that brings, I do miss the sunshine and playing outside.

Work last week was really slow and I was able to do house stuff. This evening we are replacing some outdoor lights that are in bad shape and I'll be finishing up an ornament later. The stitching is all done, now I just have to do the assembly and finishing work. That's the not-so-fun part. This ornament will be for the EGA Christmas exchange. Then I need to stitch two more for family gifts and I'll be done for the year. I'll see if the mood hits and start working on an ornament for JCS. There's no guarantee that they'll ask me, it's always an honor when they do, but I'd like to be prepared with something special. Just in case :-)

Hubby has a five day weekend (woohoo!) and this means a very special treat for me - stitch group! The local yarn/needlework shop has a Thursday morning stitch group and I miss them terribly. It has been months since I was able to spend time with them and it will be great to catch up with them all. They embraced me when we moved up here and have been very supportive and encouraging. It will be refreshing to have some adult time with them. When my mom lived here she would babysit each Thursday and I would get to enjoy their friendship. It was good. On Saturday is an EGA ornament class and it's an all day event. Again, the ladies have been wonderful and made me feel so welcome. Lately I have had so little time to stitch I am going through withdrawals. I hope to enjoy the cold winter nights with a cup of tea in one hand and needle and thread in the other.

We survived

2009-10-22T16:22:00.002-06:00

The online show was a blast. I met quite a few new shops, my inventory mostly held, and I really enjoyed the busyness for the week. I'm also really enjoying the peacefulness of this week. It's the calm after the storm and I even read a book! I just finished up "Against All Odds" by Irene Hannon. It was a very fast read and kept me wanting to turn the pages. I love books like that! With the weather turning colder I hopped back on the treadmill and consider this to be my reading time. Christian fiction is a venue that I enjoy and I especially enjoy the mysteries and thrillers.

The chimney is being cleaned out right now so we will be able to use the wood burning stove this year for heat. I haven't used a fireplace in at least eight years and am looking forward to how cozy it makes the house and how much it will save on the heating bill this year. The neighbors took down some dead trees a couple of months ago and let us have the wood if we hauled it off.

Stitching time has been non-existent. I need to stitch up an ornament for the EGA exchange and I might cheat and bring in the one that was in the Just Cross Stitch ornament preview issue. As much as I'd love to keep it on our tree I honestly doubt I'll have time to stitch and finish an ornament before the exchange on December 1st. I have been making oodles of marking pins and needle threaders to get inventory back up to reasonable levels. Those have been fantastic sellers in the past month, they're great Christmas gifts, and the shops are really stocking up.

The reading program for the munchkin has been going well. She is a lover of books and I want to encourage that as much as possible. We bumped her back a level on the reading lessons and are working on building her confidence. The lessons are a bit easy, letter sounds, letter shapes, and rhyming words, but she is hungry to work on it each day and it's good reinforcement. We still encourage her to read each day with us, but it's not as structured as the original curriculum.

Now it's time to get dinner going and make sure the chimney sweep is still safe on the roof.

And a second post!

2009-10-07T09:35:00.002-06:00

I figured out how to get back in to post an update! I think that feat deserves an extra cookie at lunch today.

Lots to do today. The online show starts in a few hours and the printer broke. This is not a happy thing, but it seems to happen every couple of years, right before the show. The project I didn't want to have to do - find a new printer - will be the chore for this afternoon. We have a dentist appointment and then will get that errand done.

This morning we started a phonics reading program and the munchkin read her first book! She has memorized books in the past, 'reading' them from memory, but this time she actually read the words!!! We had to call grandma and let her know about our excitement and read the story over the phone. It has been an exciting morning already. Tomorrow we have friends coming over for a play date and that means I have to do the most dreaded task in the world. Dust.

If you aren't familiar with the online needlework show then pop on over to www.needleworkshow.com and check it out! It's a wholesale trade show that has a public viewing section. You can browse through the 'booths' from the comfort of your own home and then make a wish list for your local shop owner to fulfill. It's a LOT of fun. There are door prizes, goodie bags, games, and oodles of new designs to look through!

And so it begins

2009-10-04T21:32:00.006-06:00

I only recently learned how to text message, and doubt that I could repeat that without an instruction manual, so venturing into the world of blogging will be an interesting journey. My friends joke that I'm being dragged into the world of technology, mostly kicking and screaming, but I look forward to the new world that it opens up.

The weather is starting to turn cold and I am looking forward to hot chocolate and smores made outside in the fire pit. Thankfully there won't be much weed pulling to do for the next few months and I hope to get a lot of indoor projects done. There's always stitching to do, but I would really like to paint the mouldings throughout the house. That is the one major project that I was not able to complete before we moved in, and it's one that is desperately needing to be done.

Work life is in a good place. New releases just came out, two charts (Plant Flowers and Think on These Things), a new needle threader accessory (a great little doohickey that everyone should have), and several new fobs (Swarovski crystals are the greatest). The time spent creating is always enjoyable. The online needlework show starts next week and I'm excited about that. It's a whirlwind of activity, a week of insanity, and then a return to life as normal.

One highlight to the week is that my new Gingher scissors arrived. The Elena scissors are eclectic and bold, like a brightly colored Monet painting. The fob I created to match it is called "Monet's Dragon", with the most adorable little dragonfly charm! I'm slightly addicted to the shiny metal beauties and am only missing one pair in my collection: Emilia. I have been hunting for these for years! A dear, dear friend let me borrow her pair for website pictures, and it was a treat to see them in person.