First Finish in a long while!

 Just finishing up on Stoney Creek's Fun Flakes "The Snowmaker".  The project that I thought would take a couple of days has turned into a couple of weeks but it's almost done. Would like some finishing ideas for him!  I actually have a couple pieces that I would like to have some finishing ideas for!  I am so bad to finish a design and never do anything with it, because I cannot come up wtih a good idea! So for today, I am posting him and in the next day or two, I will post a few more and you can leave me some of your inspiration! Calling this day to an end now since it is 4 am!!

Fall is Here!

   I have just decided that I am not the best blogger in bloggerland.  I love reading other blogs, but never realy feel like I have anything to say that anyone would want to read but I am going to post anyway. Can I say first, that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, FALL!!!!!  I so love all of the Fall colors and the feel in the air! I even think Fall has it's own smell.  I love seatshirts and jeans and cool breezes and fires in the fire pit!

   I didn't quilt at all last winter, so I am making that my priority this year because I miss working on my quilts. This is one that I started hand piecing a couple years ago, but was unsure of the colors working together and I quit. Well, I got it back out and started on it again and now that it is coming together, I am liking it a little more.  Showed it to my husband however, and he said it wasn't his favorite and that it was Too pink! Well, I have never made a quilt with pink in it and when I started I thought it could be for my grandaughter and the pattern called for a pinkish background anyway so that is what I did.  What does he know anyway!  Would love some honest opinions on it from all of you!

                                                                             

Been working on wood signs too and was going to have a booth at a local fair a coupld of weeks ago but it was an awful weekend as far as the weather goes...rainy and cold and I didn't set up.  I think they even ended up closing up early it was so bad.  Been selling some signs on my ETSY site and at work so that is working out pretty good!

     

My little studio at my farm in Ohio! I love it and really hate that I can't be there all the time to do the things that I want to it!

Maybe one of these days!

Hot Hot Hot!!!

  It's getting near midnight and I am sitting on my deck listening to the many different summer bugs and noises that happen this time in July.  The air is stagnent and my skin is sticky from the humidity but I still love being outside at night in the summer!  I can see some distant flashes of lightning and according to the weather, a stray strom or two may make it this far south sometime tonight but even if it does, I don't think it is going to take any of the heat away, as we have advisories for the next several days!

Poison Sumac

    This past week has been a hard one for me!  I have an unbearable case of poison Sumac, something that before this, I never even knew existed!  I sure do now!  I've been taking steroids for the last week and also a couple shots over the weekend and maybe, just maybe, don't really want to say it yet, but hopefully it's getting a little better!  I'm afraid that a couple places are going to scar.  Wow, I will never cut a vine or weed again without protection!  This has been horrid!!!  Along with all the itching and with it being all over me from my face to my feet, I had to work two 12 hour shifts over the weekend!  I am posting a pic of Sumac for those that aren't sure what it looks like!  Please, look carefully and don't touch! lol
                                        
                                                                    Sweet Annie

  With all of that said, I am excited that it's almost time to start harvesting Sweet Annie and although, I never have really found any before, and knew what it was, I am going to be looking  for it this year and hoping that I can find some!  This is some pics that I have foud of it on various places of the internet and I have been reading about places where it grows and  what it looks like!  Sure wish I had someone close to my farm in Ohio that knew alot about herbs and plants to teach me things!  I so want to learn!
   
   Trying to be more diligent in my posts now, so hopefully will be talking to you again soon but have to close on this one!  Hope everyone is staying cool and still somehow managing to enjoy your summers!
       

Wow, what a busy week!!!

   This has probably been the busiest week that I have had so far this summer!!  I worked 12 hour shifts last Friday and Saturday nights and when I got off on Sunday morning, I left the hospital and drove the hour and a half to Caldwell, Ohio to be with the rest of my family that were already there for the 4th.  Had a great couple of day, but by Monday evening everyone had left to go back to their lives and I was there alone for a couple of days.  Made some signs for the upcoming fairs and did some landscaping and grooming  to the old farm.

                       I love that I don't have to do anything to my pictures from Ohio to make them look beautiful! They do that all on their own!

                                     

                   Spent one whole day making signs!  It felt really good to work on them again! Can't wait to have a booth and sell some of them now!  The rest of this past week was busy as well.  Had my moms family reunion in Kentucky this past Saturday and this week I am trying to catch up on housework and oh yes, stitching!!  Will post some pics of my latest project soon!!
   
               

Almost July!!

   Well, I am ashamed to say that it has been almost 4 months since my last post! I have had good intentions but life sometimes gets in the way. Being the perfectionist that I am, I always feel like I can't post unless I have plenty of time to set down and think it out and pick out the pictures that I want to go with it and all, and well, let's just say, that never happens!  Hope all of my blog friends are doing well!  I do check out others blogs alot and I love reading about everyones adventures an what they are working on!
  
  It is almost July! I can't believe how fast that time goes by and it seems the older I get, the faster it goes!  I wll be 45 in just a couple of weeks and it seems like just yesterday, I was 25!   The only way that I know I am 45 is because I can feel it sometimes! lol Seems like little things hurt or don't work as well as they  use to. I can't see as well as I used to either.  Always had awesome vision and my sister called me Hawk Eye.  Well, Hawk Eye is fading and I have even had to wear reading glassses to cross stitch for the last year now. 

   Oh well, mentally, I love being middle aged! You are a little wiser, no matter what the kids think.  I know what I want out of life!  Don't always have it, but I know I want it! lol  Everytime I say anything to my mother about dreading my birthday or my age, she always says, "Welll, how would you like to have a daughter that is 45"?  That always shuts me up! It's true, I am happy that I am healthy and that my family is as well!

    Recently was blessed to be able to go to one of my favorite places!  The Smoky Mountains will always be a part of me.  When I was small, my grandparents didn't live far from there and we visited frequently!  I am amazed excited and saddened a little about how much it has grown and changed over the years! There also is one of my favorite needlewok stores there, "Dixie Darlin". This visit, they had Linda Myers personal collection of her completed cross stitch designs on display! I love Linda Myers!  I was told that they had taken it to Market and had gotten permission from Linda to keep it on display in the shop for a while! I loved it and also picked up several designs that I hadns't seen before while I was there!

I am working on this one now!

Here are a few of our vacation pics. My sister came down for a few days with her girls and made it awesome!   I love my neices!

What I'm up to Wednesday!

        Wrapping up this Wednesday. It is almost over. Wednesday isn't really "hump day"  for me because I work weekends, but I had a pretty productive day today.  Took some things to my local consignment shop then I stopped in to visit my friend, Angel at "Primtiques".  She just reopened on March 1st after a fire destroyed her shop a few months ago.  Her new place looks great!  Seems like sometimes just going and looking at things that you like gives you inspiration to create and decorate, whichever.  And today, I did a little of both! 
    I finally framed one of my embroidery pieces this evening and it looks awesome!  It is a pattern by Kathy Schultz and I have had it finished for a while but had never framed it yet. Found this frame at Walmart a couple of weeks ago and was still being lazy about doing it, but finally....here it is!  I love it and the frame worked awesome! 

I also have been working on "A Farmer's Almanac". It is a cross stitch chart by Prairie Schooler.  Using 32 ct mushroom over 2 threads.  Don't know how much longer my eyes will be able to do this high count, so I am doing them while I can.  Having to wear my reading glasses to work on it and sometimes, it is still hard to see!   It sucks getting older! I do love this design, but I love most Prairie Schooler designs so it is fun to work on! 

                  We had a little snow here when I awakened on Monday morning and though I hope it is the last one, it was really pretty!  I had to go out early that morning and here are some pictures that I took while driving, yes driving, through my front windshield.  I really am a safe driver, I swear and there were no other cars around me when I took the pictures! lol

                                                                      I have really enjoyed reading some of my friends blogs this week and so excited that I have one a couple of contests!  Will take some pics and show you my winnings in the next couple of days! 
      Want to share with you a great thing that happened to me this week!   I met someone online about 3 years ago on Myspace.  Her name is Jodee and she is from Idaho.  We had so much in common and hit it off right away.  Although, we no longer talk on Myspace....Facebook is our connection of choice these days, we have kept this relationship going for 3 years and I now consider her one of my very dearest and  best friends!  Well, we have always talked about visiting each other or atleast talking on the phone and finally after 3 years, we talked to each other on skype the other night!  It was so great  to finally see her face and hear her voice, even though she has a weired accent! lol   I feel closer to her than ever! I love you Jodee and hope that we remain friends for a very long time!
    I read a quote a little while ago that I keep thinking about and I want to leave you tonight with it. I don't know who said it to be able to give credit, but it made me think and still is! I love it!!  It said, "when you die, your tombstone will have two dates that everyone will see, but it's the dash in the middle that counts"!