Maybe it's just me

Yesterday morning I cleaned the oven. Not just the quick wipe down of the front of it, but I took apart the front door and completely cleaned out the glass section. Is it strange that every time I've passed by the oven since then, I have had this compulsion to turn on the light and admire my handywork? Or that I'm planning meals around the microwave so the oven can stay clean?

This past weekend we spent it canning the most yummy treats. We made home made grape juice in the steamer and it is incredible. We only processed about half of the grapes on one vine and came out with 10 quarts of juice. Now for the other 17 vines.... can you guess what our days (and nights) will be filled with? It was also time for us to learn how to pressure can. I made a vegetable soup with potatoes, corn, garlic, tomatoes, green beans, carrots, soy beans, zucchini, and celery. All but the soy beans were from our own garden and it is delicious! Tomorrow I go to pick up another box (or three) of peaches so we can get those canned and ready for winter. We did have peaches off of our trees, but they were eaten fresh or went into a few pints of jam. I never imagined that I'd be able to get so much from our garden!

Now for the reason you all visit here - MBT stuff! There will be four new releases for October. The first is the Books of the Bible. It is home from the framer, but we're having a slight stain color issue on the moulding, so we're working on that. Thankfully I have a fantastic framer who is working hard to figure out how to get me the perfect frame. A second new design is a whimsical one, perfectly sassy and completely me, and it fits a standard 4x6 frame. I took the cover picture just a few minutes ago and will start printing tomorrow. The third new design is based on the Psalms. The main design is quite large, then there are three smaller designs pulled from it. The fourth new one is optimistically about 3/8 complete and I hope to work on it more tonight at the ANG meeting.

If you are going to Celebrations then I hope you will stop by the booth for the Stitcher's Workshop and browse through all of my accessories! She'll have a great assortment of all things beaded and sparkly. I wish I could attend, but Boise to St. Charles is a bit of a hike during the school year.

Have a glorious and blessed day.

New for July 2012!

It's time to share the exciting new release pictures with you! The shops and distributor have their orders and the website has been updated. It has been a bit of insane here, with new release prep, figuring out new curriculum for the coming school year, and the yard/house, but it is all good. There are four new designs:
MBT-124 Bloom

MBT-125 How Great Thou Art

MBT-126 I Love You

There's a story to this one. The munchkin and daddy have this daily conversation of I Love You's. It starts with "I Love You", with the response of "I Love Your More." It went on this way for weeks, and then there was the addition of "I Love You Best." We decided that it had to be charted and it would be something she could stitch for his for Father's Day. Her piece was started a couple of months before the big day, and like a true stitcher is is a slooow work in progress. It will be done for Father's Day, but we won't say which YEAR. This one does fit a standard size frame!

MBT-127 Building Block - Teach

All of the fabric and thread details are at www.MyBigToeDesigns.com and the charts are available through your favorite needlework shop. If you get one of them finished I would love to see a picture!

We are already starting to work through new accessories for the fall needlework show. I have found a bunch of new beads and am looking at some limited run threaders with a coffee theme as well as a new cat fob and a PINK frog! This afternoon I'm pulling threads for the next cutesy design and it will be a perfect fit with the last few. Have a great weekend!!!

Home and resting?

We just finished up a trip to northern Idaho to stay with my family and visit Deb from Tempting Tangles. It was a great trip, we arrived home safely, and no one was injured during the days in the mountains or on the lake. Some trees had to come down on the property and we were able to help clear slash and haul wood home for the winter. The munchkin spent hours on the lake and enjoyed running around the woods, getting as dirty as possible. There was wildlife everywhere: deer, turkey, moose, and lots of birds in the trees. God's creation at it's finest!

Speaking of wildlife... we had a visitor in our yard a few weeks ago. A skunk! It was adorable from a distance, waddling about, eating clover, and being cute, but we had to be extra careful not to startle it. I've never been this close to a live skunk and it was no more than 20 feet from our backdoor! We've also had two successful nests of killdeer and it has been a delight to watch the eggs hatch, the little fluffballs emerge, and the babies grow into full grown birds. The adult birds aren't as cute. They're loud. At 5am they're loud. Not so cute then.

Today has been church, errands, and catching up and laundry and cleaning. Not as much rest or stitching as I'd like, but that is life. We spent a bit of time outside, collecting plums from the trees and gathering berries. We had about 1.5 cups of fresh berries and I couldn't help but turn it into a jar of jam. It's a mixture of golden raspberries (yummiest berry ever!), red raspberries and blackberries. It made one lonely little jar of jam, which will likely only last a few days, but it was worth it! We're trying to work through last year's canned fruit and tonight I'm hoping to make a peach cobbler. I'm telling myself that I'm working off the yardwork that I'll be doing later this week :o) Just a few more weeks and the peaches will be ripe for the picking. I can hardly wait!

Keep an eye out here in the next couple of weeks for new release pictures! I have four new releases back from the framer and ready to start printing. Yeah!!! There's an adorable story that goes with one of them, munchkin related.

You'd think I'd learn

I managed to find another ant hill with the weed whacker. Ack! June is here and we had a beautiful day with temps in the 90's. It's being followed by tomorrow with temps in the 50's, and a night of strong wind and dry lightening to usher in the storm. I hope the little fruits on the trees survive the storm and we don't lose all of the peaches. At least this will test out the siding and roof before the warranty expires :-)

There's a lot going on here with play dates, house stuff, and family visiting, so here is the quick version: Grandma came and left and will be back in a few weeks, dwarf African frog in the munchkin's fish tank had tadpoles (go figure!), she is also learning to ride a two wheeled bike and has the bruises to prove it, enjoying gymnastics, also playing soccer and getting ready for VBS, dropped off four new projects at the framers (new MBT's soon!!!), am stitching on another new one, learned a new bread recipe to make hoagie rolls for steak sandwiches, planning some camping trips, picking fresh sweet peas and broccoli and lettuce and strawberries, trying to get rid of a gopher in the yard (I understand the Caddyshack commercials now!), looking forward to learning how to use a steam juicer, learning to enjoy time to sit in the backyard and stare at the sky. Phew!

If you're still with me and not exhausted just reading about it - check back in a couple of weeks for preview pics! There's a fun and sweet story for one of the new designs and I can't wait to share it.

The ants go flying one by one

With all of the beautiful sunshine we've been having it's been too much fun to be outside! I'm still managing to get quite a bit of stitching done on new projects, and likely won't have the patience to wait until September to release them. So far I have two projects ready to go the framer (including the new Teach Building Block), a new hymn project just a few words from being completed, am part way through a large design, AND working on a special project with the munchkin. We're both working on perforated paper for the first time and it's a lot of fun. I can't share pictures yet, but I hope you can rejoice with me!

Garden-wise, things are going well. All of our seedlings are now outside and I have my dining room back. The plants include tomatoes, beans, peppers, onions, peas, cilantro, leeks, herbs, garlic, melons, squash, and probably more that my brain can't remember. The tomatoes are thriving outside but the green beans aren't adjusting well. Tomorrow I hope to get the cantaloupe in the ground, and then we'll continue to add new corn seeds every few weeks. One thing I learned, and think should be shared, is that ants don't like the weed whacker. It seems that when you unknowingly come upon their hill, and they go airborne, it's like they know that they weren't designed to fly and instantly bite whatever they land on. I recommend against trying that at home. I also haven't figured out if the weed barrier fabric is worth it - or if it just gives the weeds something sturdy to anchor their roots into. The good news is that all of the trees and bushes survived the winter and the strawberries are starting to come in! We should have a great almond harvest and I'm looking forward to all of the fresh berries. Yum! I'll be searching for a good steam juicer and figuring out a pressure canner this year.

We've been meeting new friends through co-op and church, and met a family who has a dozen chickens. Now I've been more seriously looking at plans for chicken coops and trying to figure out if it's a project I can tackle. It's something we have discussed for years but haven't quite made the leap. I love the idea of fresh eggs, and natural pest control (see flying ant experience above), but worry about providing the right home and everything they need. Add to that knowing how the munchkin chases around the cat and I could only hope that they'd chase her right back!

Work stuff is going really well and I feel blessed every day through emails and calls from stitchers all over the world. God knows when to send the right encouragement, new friend, or humbling note, and it has changed my life. I'm learning to appreciate the blessings of the busy times as well as the slow times.

I wish you a wonderful weekend with lots of x's, sunshine, and peace beyond measure.

April Showers...

It is still April, right? We are enjoying a beautiful month here in Idaho. Lots of rain earlier this month, but now there is a lot of green! My dining room has been turned into a greenhouse and the little plants are finally being transitioned out into the raised beds. In a week or so we should have fresh lettuce, spinach and broccoli to pick. So far this year I've been working on becoming more efficient, and I've found that there are some things that must be done in order. Like waiting until the vehicle is OUT of the garage before closing the door. Making sure the cutting board is completely IN the sink before turning on the faucet. It's the little details that seem to make everything work - and getting them in the right order!

Since we last chatted I have had a lot of great experiences for MBT. So far for 2012 I've had eight new releases and am working on another few for the fall! The Needlework Show is now in full swing and keeping me tied to the office chair. If I didn't have a cat playing with chenile stem toys under the desk, or a munchkin who is supposed to be asleep but is dancing about in her room upstairs, it would be kind of peaceful in here right now. You can view close ups of the designs at My Big Toe Designs , and I'll put my favorite two here:

I was blessed with a TNNA scholarship to attend the Phoenix Winter Show in January and share a booth with some wonderful and talented designers. The time spent meeting shop owners and distributors in person was well worth the 18 hour drive - each way. A dear friend of mine volunteered to drive me down there and help out in the booth. Another friend who lives in Phoenix was also able to help and my mom came up to watch the little one. It was a very busy time but I was able to visit Stitcher's Paradise in NV and The Attic in AZ. Both are amazing stores with oodles of stash. I could have spent days in each one. Throughout the trip God clearly revealed His purpose and I could see His hand on it all. I was keeping hubby up to date on where we were at throughout the trip. The texts were pretty entertaining:

Me: In Vegas.
Him: Don't spend it all in one place.
Me: We just left Stitcher's Paradise.
Him: You DID spend it all in one place!

It's like he really knows me!

For the next few weeks my goals are many, but mostly I want to rest and enjoy a peaceful moment each day. I'd like to start a new project (or two), clean out the rock beds on the side of the house, clean out the raspberry bushes and tidy up their vines, go through the totes in the garage and donate baby clothes (gasp! I'm ready to let it go!) and start cleaning through closets. I think I'll finish up sometime around... um... June? We won't discuss which YEAR, however :-)

A non-MBT finish

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

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

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?

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?

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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.

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!

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!)

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