I have a really good reason for being behind on stitching

You see, my husband and I are expecting our first child, a son, in October. Yep, I'm pregnant. I've kept it quiet for so long because I have some complicated issues with my family and didn't need the additonal stress of dealing with that. But the cat seems to be out of the bag for the most part, so I thought I would share our happy news with my stitching friends.

So far, so good with this pregnancy, except for a ridiculous amount of exhaustion in the first trimester. I have never been so tired in my life! And dizzy to boot, but most of that seems to have passed, and I am into my third trimester now. Baby has been very active lately, and according to his ultrasounds, right on target for growth and development. We're very excited to meet him.

But being so tired and dizzy made it very hard to concentrate on stitching, and I really slacked off for a while, only managing to get in the bare minimum, which is why you haven't seen much from me lately. (I especially want to apologize to my two remaining PIFs - Deirdre and Tammie. I didn't forget about you ladies, I swear!!! I have your pieces stitched up, I just have to finish them!)

Since my DH and I both love the beach and lighthouses, we knew we were going with a nautical theme for his room. This is the bedding we selected, Nautica William.


We'll be painting the walls a light blue, coincidentally called Sailboat (okay, maybe the color name did have something to do with my selection) and going with cherry furniture, including the crib my in-laws bought for their grandson.

I, or rather my husband, did pick the sampler for the baby. It's from Seguin Designs and it's called A Fishing Village Sampler.

Maine is one of our favorite places, and this was the sampler that DH liked the best of about a dozen different ones that I had found. I'm making some modifications to the piece to include his name and vital information. I haven't started stitching yet, but I do have the fabric and the threads.

So if you've been wondering why my posting has been sporadic this year, now you know why. :-)

A prize! A prize!

Saturday, DH and I went to our hometown (about 90 minutes away) for his cousin Kerri's engagement party. I absolutely adore Kerri - we've been thick as thieves since we met, oh.... 17 years ago. She was 10 at the time, and announced at our first meeting, "When you marry my cousin, I am going to be in the wedding!" The poor girl had to wait 12 years, but yes, she was in the wedding. :-)

This time, she's the one getting married, and I'm one of the lucky bridesmaids, so it was off to the engagement party we went. Granted, the weather wasn't the greatest, but the food was good, the company even better, and I can't think of a better occasion to celebrate that my little Kerri getting married. Can't wait for the wedding!

The weather was a little overcast for the party, and SUCKED driving home (visibility was near zero and I was glad DH was driving, not me!), but I did get the sweetest surprised when we got home. Tucked away in our mailbox was an envelope all the way from Canada, containing a wonderful prize from Christine (Mtrl Girl) as a reward for guessing the pattern she was stitching on. Since it was a pattern I had stitched myself, it was easy for me to guess, and you MUST check out the gorgeous piece she stitched! I stitched the same design in a purple thread, but she did hers in a beautiful multicolored floss, and it's just lovely.

In my package, Christine included a beautiful piece of Silkweaver Fabric (Blueberry Delight), something I've been wanting to try, a skein of Glorianna Silk in a raspberry color (another goodie I've been eyeing up!) and a a sweet Just Nan pattern called Primrose Path. Plus a beautiful little card / note to go with it all. (I must say, I've gotten some stunning cards from my fellow stitchers - you all have the best taste in stationary!!)

I never expected such a generous package, and I am deeply appreciative. Christine, THANK YOU!!!

Trying to catch up...

It's been a while since I've blogged (I've seen this statement on more than a few blogs lately though! LOL). We've had some things going on here that have kept us busy, and of course, a family vacation in there as well. The weather has been so nice - warm but not hot during the days, and comfortably cool at night. Other than a ridiculously rainy June, we've been spending a TON of time outside. Sure, the wireless works out there, but the glare on the laptop screen makes it a little hard to see.

But here I am, catching up. (I have been trying to keep up with reading blogs, though not commenting quite as much)

I really need to start with my Fair and Square Round #13 exchange from Marie P. She sent me the loveliest squares, a Prairie Schooler lighthouse design -

Marie did a beautiful job stitching, and these are a very welcome addition to our lighthouse collection. I'm on the hunt for some proper finishing materials for a no-sew cube for this one.

And these are the squares I sent to Marie:

The Victoria Sampler's Hearts of America Collection "Texas"
Stitched with recommended DMC threads over 2 on 32 ct. Antique White

I selected the Texas Heart for Marie to honor her recent move to Texas. What I didn't mention to Marie was that there was a matching gold heart stitched on the signature square, or mostly stitched. Just as I worked up to the other side of the heart, I discovered my stitching was off by ONE SQUARE and the two sides didn't line up. SO frustrating, especially working with a metallic thread. I was just about to miss the mailing deadline, so I had to pick out the stitching and sent it off without restitching the heart. I felt so bad I included two of my handyed threads!

AND Marie was kind enough to send me her punch card for the Strawberry Sampler, even after I lead her into the den of temptation by sending her their site when she mentioned she'd be in the area for her son's graduation from college. Marie made a trip to see the girls, and came out with some lovely goodies.

The Sampler used to be my LNS until we moved back to PA. It's still within driving distance for me, though it takes much longer to get there (but not as long as it would take Marie to get there from Texas!) So once again, a big thanks to Marie for sending me her punch card - you can bet it will come in handy at some point!

I have a couple other projects under way - Country Cottage's Little Ballerinas is almost finished for my niece. It was one of the pieces I took down the shore with me, and she helped me stitch on it for a while. She seems to really enjoy stitching, even though she's not quite seven years old. I told her mom to pick up a stamped cross stitch pattern for her at the craft store for her to try on her own, so we'll see how that goes. Right now, when she stitches with me, I put the needle in the right holes and she pulls it through. It adds a lot of time to the project, but I don't mind a bit - I love being able to share this with her, and she loves being able to stitch on a piece that's for her.

Of course, now her brother wants his own special piece, and ended up picking the matching Little League one for himself. I just have to pick up the pattern at some point and get stitching on it for him.