Better get these done... SBQs

1/3/08: Are you starting something new to celebrate the New Year or participating in “Guilt Free January?” If so, what are you planning on starting?

I didn't really start anything new (no BAPs or super special pieces) for 2008, though I am doing 2 ornament SALs. One is the Christmas Ornament SAL which I've taken over (along with Barbara) from Nicki. I did a little redesign on the site and added some new ideas, so I'll count that as starting a new project. The other is my Bride's Tree SAL, something I've been wanting to do for a while, but never quite got to. I did start my first ornament, a 3D House by Meg Evershed. In fact, it's one of the set of houses from the front cover of this book.


12/26/07: Did you receive any stitching-related gifts for the holidays?

My MIL paid to have a piece my husband stitched professionally framed for us, and I bought myself a new stitching case for my birthday with money from my grandmothers-in-law. It's a Little Travel Case by Vera Bradley, and it's perfect for stashing my small scroll frames and necessities like scissors and needles. Nicole had it posted on her blog and I was inspired to pick one up for myself. Luckily, they're on sale at Vera Bradley, but my favorite pattern is Nantucket Navy, which is now retired, so I went to eBay and VOILA!!! A Nantucket Navy travel case at the sale price AND free shipping. Woo-hoo! I bought it, and 2 days later, I am the proud owner of a stitching case. I'll be taking it with me to show my grandmas what lovely taste they have in birthday gifts. :-)

Speaking of Vera, have you seen the new colors yet? I have to check them out in person, but I am really liking the Raspberry Fizz and the Yellow Bird.

Friday Feast #174

From Friday's Feast: A Buffet For Your Brain

A little belated, but here it is. (It's the playoffs. I've been busy. LOL)

Appetizer: When was the last time you received a surprise in the mail, and what was it?
To be honest, I can't even think of the last "surprise" I've gotten in the mail. I guess maybe the birthday card from my DH's grandma would count, since she hasn't been feeling well lately and didn't even send Christmas cards this year.

Soup: If you could have a summer and/or winter home, where would you want it to be?
I'd have to pick somewhere in Maine for most of the year, maybe even all year, depending on how tired I'd get of the snow. It would have to be near the water, either Boothbay Harbor or Bar Harbor. Maine is one of my favorite places on earth. I'd also be good with a beach house out on Long Island. Maybe not the Hamptons, but somewhere with access to a harbor for sailboating. Maybe Huntington Harbor. (Yes, I have given this question a LOT of thought)

Salad: Pick one: pineapple, orange, banana, apple, cherry.
Pineapple. I love fresh pineapple, and most pineapple flavored things.

Main Course: Describe the nicest piece of clothing that you own.
My wedding gown. I love it. It is a "strapless matte satin gown. The bodice is highlighted with a directly beaded on pattern and embroidery. This gown features a plain skirt and Chapel train". And since a picture is worth 1000 words....




Dessert: If you could forget one whole day from your life, which day would you choose to wipe from your memory?
I can't think of any - everything that's happened has brought me to where I am and I don't know where I'd end up without having gone through those things. Sure, there are a thousand little things I wish never happened, but there's not one standout day I wish I could eliminate.

It's been a while since I've posted some pictures

I've been organizing and cleaning up some photos this morning, so I thought I'd share a few.

First up is the piece I finished for my BIL and SIL's Christmas gift. DH framed it up for me and we gave it to them on Christmas morning. My SIL was especially touched - she teared up a little when she opened it (hopefully it meant that she liked it!)

Next up is Nautical Dreams, which DH also framed before we left for Christmas, but I just sent it out yesterday. It's on it's way to Colorado, so I hope it doesn't get stuck in any snowstorms. I also sent along a Boston Harbor ornament I stitched up from a Treetrunk Designs leaflet. I like to give ornaments as gifts to new babies to start their collections. Boston is very near and dear to the heart of my friend (the baby's mom) and I am sure it will become very important to her daughter as well.


And finally, something my DH stitched for his mom for Mother's Day. It's a Dimensions kit she picked out when they came to visit us a while back, and we just forgot to take a picture of it before we gave it to her. DH also framed it for her, and I think he did a great job. It's now hanging in the entrance to her kitchen.

And I know I promised Kim some pics of my progress on Princess, but I messed up the ones I took and have to take new ones, so they'll be coming later.

Friday Feast #173

From Friday's Feast: A Buffet For Your Brain

Appetizer: Name 2 things you would like to accomplish in 2008.
Get a new job and buy a house.

Soup: With which cartoon character do you share personality traits?
According to one quiz, Cinderella. Classic, sophisticated, and beautiful, you are a perfect 50's schoolgirl. You like dark suits (odd) and the corprate world. You love business and government. Try running for president! And, you dream of a perfect ballroom fantasy as Cinderella has. You are fun yet mature. Your bad side is, you are way to tight. Loosen your screws, and oil up your rusty parts. Be a little more caring and spontaneous.

Salad: What time of day (or night) were you born?
I was born in the early evening.

Main Course: Tell us something special about your hometown.
HBO recognizes Wilkes-Barre as the birthplace of modern cable programming. In November 1972, coincidentally the autumn that followed Hurricane Agnes, 365 subscribers of Service Electric Cable were the first to receive HBO's service.

Dessert: If you could receive a letter from anyone in the world, who would you want to get one from?
Probably Russell Crowe or Troy Aikman. But I'd want it to be a real letter - not some mass produced fan letter

An amazing news story

This morning, I was catching up on some reading and came across this news story about a pastor at an Ohio church who gave each of his congregants $50 as seed money to raise more by using whatever talents and gifts they possessed. What follows is an incredible story well worth reading.

A Talent for Giving

Keep in mind that I am not a religious person and my DH and I do not belong to a church. But I couldn't help but share this story, especially during the Christmas season. Using your talents and helping other people is a universal theme that is not the sole domain of a religion. The stories of the participants are varied and touching in their own ways, and it's an excellent reminder that we ALL have something to offer.

And with that, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years!

SBQ: Teaching

Today’s SBQ is: Have you ever helped anyone else learn to stitch? Have you ever helped anyone learn a new stitch or technique? (Submitted by Kathryn)

I learned to stitch on my own, and I've never tried to teach anyone how to do it. Since my DH and I both stitch, sometimes one or the other of us will have trouble with a specialty stitch, so we try to help each other out when we can, but mostly we just figure things out by following the directions, or looking for an alternative set online.

I'd love to teach my niece how to stitch. She just turned 5, so she's a little young, but I might take a kid's kit down the shore with us in June and try teaching her then (she'll be just shy of six). She likes to do crafts and things, so I think she might like it. My MIL also wants to learn to stitch, so I promised I would teach her when she retires next year. However, I have more hope of my niece sitting still than my MIL!!!! LOL

I've been tagged! 12 Christmas Things about me

Lovely Lee, the Lake Stitcher, tagged me with a Christmas meme, so I'm playing along as well.

1. Christmas Eve dinner is one of my favorite meals all year. I'm 1/2 Polish, as is my husband, so there is a strong tradition of Wigilia (pronounced vuh-LEE-uh) in both our families. There is a ton of meaning and symbolism behind the meal, so if you don't know what it is, it makes for interesting reading.

2. I can, and usually do, listen to the Nutcracker over and over. I love it.

3. Our tree is decorated with ornaments from both our childhoods as well as ornaments we've collected and made together. We make it a point to collect ornaments as souveneirs of our travels and I love decorating the tree because of all the memories it holds.

4. I hate taking down the tree and put if off as long as possible. Thank goodness we have an artificial one.

5. I love rock and roll Christmas music. U2, Tom Petty, Billy Squier, Elton John, Queen, etc. Love it.

6. I was born the day after Christmas, so when I was a child, people overcompensated with presents. Now I get the "This is for Christmas AND your birthday" combo gifts. I hate that. I like to enjoy them as 2 separate occasions.

7. I both love and hate buying presents. I love picking out the perfect gift for someone - I love things that are sentimental, practical, or meaningful to the recipent. Provided I have enough time to think about it, or am inspired. I seriously dislike stressing over presents.

8. Speaking of presents, I think it is absolutely ridiculous for people to be pushing, shoving, and practically killing each other, not to mention paying astronomical amounts of money, for gifts that their kids will play with for 10 minutes and forget, simply because the gift is on the must have list.

9. I think Christmas morning should be kids ripping open presents and everyone enjoying what they get, then sitting back and watching the kids play while the adults enjoy a breakfast of coffee and Christmas cookies.

10. I am not a religious person, but Oh Holy Night is one of my favorite Christmas songs.

11. One of my favorite Christmas memories is of my DH's grandfather being so excited about his Dallas Cowboys boxer shorts that he immediately put them on and modeled them for the whole family (while still wearing his dress shirt, socks and shoes).

12. I adore Christmas lights and love driving around looking at them. The more complex, insane and outrageous a display, the more I love it. I absolutely love the enthusiasm of people willing to go all out on their displays.

And now I will tag Meari, Dani, and Ruth, if they haven't done them already. And two non-stitching friends, Ashely and Michelle.

Friday Feast

It's been a busy, busy week. DH is home from work, so we've been baking cookies and finishing up pre-Christmas stuff (we travel for the holidays, so we need to get everything done here). This year was MUCH easier with help - I baked everything myself last year because of DH's long work hours. We also cut back a whole lot on how much got baked - I made double batches of almost everything last year and we had a whole bunch of cookies in the freezer, so this year, single batches of all but a few of the cookies.

We usually supply the cookies for the family. My MIL and FIL are busy running around with the grandmothers so they don't have a lot of time, and nobody else seems to want to bake. So that's our contribution to the holiday festivities. This year, we baked 11 different kinds of cookies and made 1 pan of Bailey's Truffle Fudge (always a big hit). DH finished up this morning so we're all done!!

Speaking of being done, I finished Nautical Dreams and DH framed it, along with the anniversary piece for my BIL and SIL's Christmas gift. I'm being lazy now, but I'll take pictures and post them later. I've also got a good start on LHN's Princess and the Pea, the SAL I am doing with Kim.

There's no official Friday Feast Questions today, so I'm going back to the beginning and doing Friday Feast #1 (from May 21, 2004)

Appetizer: What time do you usually wake up each day? If you could choose your wake-up time, when would it be?
This is a tough one. When I am working, I like to get up early and get into the office early (by 7-7:30). Normally I'm not a morning person, but being able to leave around 4 motivates me. I also don't mind getting up early when we're traveling - I like to have the whole day to do things. When I don't work, I'd much prefer to stay up until 2-3 am and wake up around 9 or 10. That seems to be my most natural schedule.

Soup: When was the last time you bought groceries? What store did you go to? Name 3 things you purchased.
We went shopping at Wegman's on Sunday. I LOVE that place. Love it, love it, love it. It's a NY state based chain that's spread throughout the Northeast and I love their stuff. I bought bagels, lamb for lamb stew and Wensleydale Cheese with Cranberries.

Salad: How many books have you read so far this year? Which was your favorite and why?
I don't keep track of the books I read or even how many. I do get a lot from the library, so my spending has gone WAY down. This year, I've been on a rock biography kick - I've read Motley Crue, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Warren Zevon, but my favorite has been Tom Petty's bio.

Main Course: What is something you consider to be very elegant? In particular, what about that item/place/person conjures up the feeling of elegance?
I guess I'd have to say high end places usually conjure up elegance for me - like Bergdorf's or Saks. I like understated elegance though - clean, classic lines, quality materials, nothing really flashy or overly opulent / gilded.

Dessert: Who taught you how to drive?
My mother. It did not go well. I did much better with my HS driving instructor.

You should read this book

I am VERY excited for my friend Julie. Her first book, The Hard Way, is coming out in May 2008!!!!!

Julie and I went to grad school together, meaning I got to read quite a bit of her book already. It's a series of short stories connected into one overall story. Julie is not only an amazing, wonderful person, but she's a marvelous writer and I promise you, you will NOT be disappointed. This book has been a long time coming, and she worked hard to learn the ropes of publishing. It's not as easy as you'd think - she's had to go through a lot, including her editor being changed, but she made it through and her dream is about to become a reality.

So please check it out, and if you're so inclined, pre-order your copy today. :-) You can also check out Julie's blog here.

Friday Feast #172

From Friday's Feast: A Buffet For Your Brain

Appetizer: Make up a word and give us its definition.
Pfffftttt. It's my expression of disgust. (And my opinion of this question. It's kind of dumb)

Soup: What is currently your favorite song?
It's going to be a toss up between U2's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" and Tom Petty's "Christmas All Over"

Salad: What’s at the top of your Christmas wish list this year?
A new job, a new car, and a new house. In that order. Yeah, I dream big.

Main Course: Name a scent that reminds you of someone special in your life.
The smell of lilacs remind me of my aunt's farm

Dessert: Who is someone on television that you feel probably shouldn’t be, and why?
Tony Kornheiser and Ron Jaworski. They are RUINING Monday Night Football on me. Also, they can take Joe Buck with them. I can't stand him either.