Thoughts of Chipper and my Braves...

Today was the final home game for Chipper Jones before his retirement and it was an emotional one.  You all know that I am a huge baseball fan and the Braves are MY TEAM!!  Chipper has been a part of that team for the last twenty years and this is his last season to play.  It has been a great year for him and the entire team and we are headed for the playoffs!! Go Braves!!    He has been a part of this team for so long and it is the only team he has ever played for.  The opposing teams, the Braves team, the management and the fans have really treated him well and given him the praise and ovations he fully deserves. 

But Chipper will be missed next year.  I for one am sorry to see this season winding down.  I have hopes that in a year or two we will see him once more in a Braves uniform as a coach.  I fully understand his reasons for retiring and his need for time with his family.  But that doesn't mean I like it!  Sorry, Chipper,  I do wish you the very best

Now go get them in Pittsburgh and get ready for the post season.  This year feels like a World Series year to me!

We Love you, Larry Wayne Jones! 

Small finishes

As promised I scanned the two smalls I finished yesterday.  The book mark is simply some small free motifs I used to audition some colors for a sampler I planned to do.  this was stitched in a Light red variegated silk from Hand-dyed Fibers and is stitched on 32 ct linen.  Not the best scan but here it is...
                         

In 2004 I attended "Stitchin' at the Beach" in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The retreat was lots of fun and our teachers were wonderful. The Dragon Ladies--Teresa Wentzler of TWDesignworks, Karen Black of Black Swan Designs and Jennifer Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams were our teachers.  This little pin cushion was a small bonus design given to us by Jennifer.  As I said yesterday, I stitched it there but then put it away and never got around to finishing it off.  I don' know what happened with the scan.  The fabric does not have brown edges!  It is all the color of the middle.  But at least you can get an idea of how I finished it.  All I have left to do is add the stuffing and close it up.  Just looking at it reminds me of the workshop and the fun we had--even in the middle of a snowstorm!  I shared that with you back then so I won't go into it again but it was a challenge, to say the least.

 

I haven't been able to get anything done stitching-wise today but hopefully I can get back to it tomorrow.

Until next time...

Lost is found...and another review

While searching through my drawers and bins of stash I found a bin of finished but unfinished cross stitched smalls.  Some I had forgotten about and some I had lost and could not find where I put them.  So I have decided to finish up some of them.  Today I finished a pin cushion/ornament (if I add a hanger) which was a bonus design from a stitching retreat I went to several years ago.  I did the stitching at the time and then put it away to finish later.  Now it is finished.  I also finished up a bookmark from a piece of fabric that I used to try out some floss colors.  I think I will be giving this to someone who is as avid a reader as I am.  I will be finishing up a couple of more things tomorrow if all goes well.  I will try to get photos tomorrow as well.


I just finished reading The Great Gift by Misty Wright.

Alyssa is 26 and doesn't like the way all men mistreat her. She decides a change is needed and applies to be a jillaroo on a cattle station named The Oasis, which is located in outback Australia.

She meets a cowboy, Kent, who is a rodeo champion. They agree on a bet. Eventually both want out, but neither wants to be first.

Through a series of adventures that stretch from the city to a fast-flowing river in the outback where Kent must save Alyssa from drowning, love germinates in the middle of a storm.

In her heart, Alyssa is a woman who adores the city's nightlife, but as the sun sets on each day, the Australian outback becomes more enticing and the excitement of the city fades. Then she saves The Oasis.

Love is growing between Alyssa and Kent, but then Brandt, Alyssa's obsessive ex-boyfriend, tracks her down.

My thoughts:
When I started reading The Great Gift I got very confused. I could see no connection between the first chapter and the rest of the book. When Alyssa's story was being told there was no indication that the story took place forty years or so in the past. I spent much of the time reading trying to figure out just how it all connected. It wasn't until the last chapter that this was revealed and I was quite surprised to discover that Jake and Bernice were the children of Alyssa and Kent. How did Jake not recognize his own father at the funeral--even though it had been twenty years since they had seen each other. I know I would have recognized my father even if it had been fifty years!

My other biggest complaint was the speed with which everything happened. Even with *love at first sight*, physical things tend to be a bit slower. Kaite and Mitch engaged after only one day! Alyssa and Kent together almost as quickly. I feel that Misty found a unique and interesting plot concept for her book and I think if she had taken a little more time to let the characters and relationships develop that this book would have been much more enjoyable.

I also really did appreciate the fact that she refrained from all the explicit sex that so many authors find necessary today. In spite of the weakness of some areas of the story I did enjoy the book and look forward to reading more from this author. I think as she matures as an author, Misty will be great.

At the moment I am reading a book which is totally out of my *normal*.  It is called Robyn's Egg by Mark Souza.  I will review it as soon as I finish it.

Until next time...

Broken Dreams

As I was getting things listed on Etsy I ran across a sampler that I stitched many years ago and I was once more struck with the verse and it meaning for me.  So I thought I would share it with you.  I hope you enjoy it.


Broken Dreams

As children bring their broken toys
 with tears for us to mend,
I brought my broken dreams to God
 because He was my friend.
But then instead of leaving Him
 in peace to work alone,
I hung around and tried to help
 with ways that were my own.
At last I snatched them back and cried,
 "How can You be so slow"?
"My child," He said, "What could I do?
 You never did let go."               

 Author unknown

Book Review and more...

Book review for today:   The Florida Chase by Paul Moxham

When a father does not return home as scheduled, his two college aged sons begin a search. From Pittsburgh to NYC to DC to the Florida Keys the search leads the young men through break-ins, hurricane, fire, flood, snakes, alligators, and capture from would-be assassins. Never giving up hope of finding their father they follow the clues until they reach the end of their journey. The suspense keeps the story moving and the reader interested. The surprise ending brings the story to a valid conclusion.

It is obvious from terminology that the author is not American even though the story is about Americans. But the book is very enjoyable--especially for the younger readers. A bit of proof reading would also do much for this book.  But I would still give it 4 stars.

I look forward to reading more stories from Mr. Moxham and hope to read about Australia in one of his next works.


I have been very busy this last week.  I am working on my designs for Nashville as well as trying to get a Christmas gift finished.  I have also been doing a bit of cleaning out--as in organizing and de-cluttering.  I have been thinking for a long time that I need to do something about all the finished and u-finished (as in stitched but not framed, etc) projects that I have.  I have my walls filled with my stitching and still have a closet floor filled with framed pieces I have no where to hang.  I also counted 47 pieces that have not been framed or soft finished hanging on pants hangers in the closet.  How many more there are in drawers or project bags is yet to be determined.

At any rate I have decided to sell some of them.  So I have opened an Etsy shop. You can find it here  My Etsy Shop   Please check it out and tell me what you think.  I haven't worked with Etsy before so don't know if I have everything done correctly.   
I will be adding more things as I find them, especially the older things.

Until next time....

Release Day

Today is release day for my fall designs.  If you want to take a look at them just go to Lady K Needlearts and see what I have been up to.  I hope you like them.  If so please visit my shop at MadStitcher.com or go to your Local Needlework Shop.  I have worked so hard on these and while I really like them I can only hope you do as well.

I began reading Friends with Partial Benefits yesterday and I am not so sure I should review it here.  Let me just say if you enjoy very explicit scenes you will enjoy this one.  'Nuff said...  I will be moving on to another book in the morning.

Until next time....

Book Review

Yesterday I promised to give you a review on the book I was reading well....Here goes:


Last Plane out of Paris  by Paul Moxham

I really, really enjoyed this book. The plot was interesting and the characters seemed very real. I really had trouble putting it down.  It is about two British soldiers in 1939 sent to France to rescue a French airplane designer whom the Germans want to work for them.  The French resistance is called in to help with the rescue and the adventures begin.  Through plane crashes, bad weather, kidnappings, enemy troops, and attempted assassins these brave men are determined to succeed in their mission.  I found the story to be fascinating.  There may have been some historical inaccuracies, but these didn't bother me. However, the atrocious grammatical errors in this one almost did me in. A good proof reader would have done wonders for this book. I liked this book so much I really wish I could give it a higher rating but just can't get past the lack of proofing.

Next on my list to read is  *Friends with Partial Benefits* by Luke Young.  I'll let you know what I think.

Until next time...

I Love my Kindle

When I was given my Kindle for Christmas year before last, I had no idea just how much I would enjoy it!  It has become one of my favorite toys.  Not only can I buy books to read on it but I can get free books!  Being on a tight budget really needs this feature!  I can also carry my entire library around in my purse.  I don't have to decide which books to take with me on a trip or worry about what I will do if I finish a book while at the doctor's office and still have hours to wait.

Over the last year I have gotten back into reading a lot--as I did when I was younger.  I read at times that I don't have time to do my stitching.  And I do my stitching every evening but have time to read an hour or so before I go to sleep.

Over the next few weeks I will share with you some of my favorite titles and authors.  If you enjoy reading as much as I do, I hope you will find some new authors or titles that you will enjoy.  If you have a Kindle, go to Amazon  and check out the free ebooks.  They have a list of 100 free books each week and they usually update it on Thursdays.  Not every book is changed but I usually find new ones I want to read.  They have everything from cookbooks to how to books to romance to mystery/thrillers.  At the moment I am reading Last Plane out of Paris by Paul Moxham.  I will give you my review tomorrow.

Until next time...

New Finishes

Well, it certainly has been a busy summer for me.  Sorry I haven't written in a while but we have been trying to get the house in order.  And I have been trying to get my designs ready for release.  Check out Lady K for a sneak peek at the latest designs which will be released later this week!  I have also been trying to finish up a couple of consignment pieces.

I managed to get Heloise de Cornu finished for Carol.  Here is a photo of this one.  It really turned out beautifully. She should be receiving it today so I hope she likes it.

 

I also managed to finish Quaker Heart from Suthern Stitchin' as a thank you gift for a lady who has really given me much support during these last few very difficult months.  I plan to give it to her for Christmas.  

Lots of things have been going on so I will try to get you all updated over the next few weeks.  

Until next time....

Things have been really hectic around here.  My son and I have been busy trying to do some home improvements.  He has been building me a porch railing and wheel chair ramp so that I can use my chair more freely and get outside more often.  He has also been doing some more painting and yard work.  I am beginning to see a huge difference.  Here is a *before* and an *in progress* pic.  I will try to get a good *after* photo when it is complete.

There will be a lot more greenery added when this is completed.  Shrubs across the front along with some blooming flowers around the steps and hanging baskets on the porch.  I can't wait for the mess to be gone and the work all finished.

I have been busy, as well, stitching a consignment piece and model.  I will try to get a photo of the consignment piece later this week to share with you.  You will have to wait on the model until it is released.  I am also working on a couple of new designs which you can read about over on the Lady K Needlearts blog.  

Happy Mothers Day to all of the mothers and acting mothers out there!

Until next time....

Happy Easter!

What's in YOUR Easter basket?













Have a Blessed Easter Sunday!

Until next time....

Stuff and Nonsense

I am feeling much better but I still have a ways to go before I am 100%. I am thrilled that I am now able to show photos of my two latest designs which will be released at the Nashville Market and they can be seen at Lady K Needlearts I am very pleased with how they turned out. Please let me know what you think of them.

I have been doing quite a lot of reading for the last few weeks but I am now itching to start something new. I have a lot that I need to do but nothing that I am working on is appealing to me right now. So I am off to look through my stash and find a new start--just what I need! I know I am the only person alive who feels this way! lol I will let you know what I find.

It is so cold outside that my bones are aching. I think I will go cuddle up under my blankie with a mug of hot cocoa and stitch for a while. Take care dear friends.

Until next time...

I am sorry I was gone for so long. But things got complicated. I had another episode with my knee but this time it didn't get better. I went to the orthopedist on Friday the 6th and he injected both of knees with cortisone to see if that would help before scheduling the knee replacement surgery. I hurt really badly all day afterwards but kept thinking it would get better. Saturday morning when I tried to get up my knee locked up again and in spite of everything we did I couldn't move my leg at all. Finally Saturday afternoon I was in such agony that my son called 911 and the EMS came and took me to the hospital. After several hours, a lot of xrays, tests, ultrasound, etc., I was admitted to the hospital. To make a long story shorter I was treated and medicated, physical therapy-ed and tested until I could manage to move my leg again. I finally got to come home on Saturday the 14th with more PT scheduled through home health. It took me another week before I could walk with the help of a walker but I got there. I am just now getting to where I can sit at the computer for more than two minutes so I thought I would pop in and let all of you know what has been going on.

On the stitching front I haven't done a whole lot but I have done a bit. Between the lying position and the meds I haven't really been able to do much. Hopefully that will change soon. I am beginning to miss it a lot. I have been catching up on some of my reading however!

At the moment I am working as hard as I can to get my designs ready for the Nashville show. I wasn't able to get all of them finished unfortunately but I will have two of them ready. You can check them out on the Lady K Needlearts blog. I should have an update there in a day or so.

Well, I am getting a bit tired so off I must go.

Until next time....

Welcome 2012!

Wow! 2011 just seemed to fly by. I am sure I missed part of it! Or maybe that is just wishful thinking.

It was an extremely difficult year for me on the personal front--especially from the physical stand point. My health is quickly deteriorating and sometimes I wonder just how long I will be able to continue on. I know this is just my depression speaking but one can stand just so much pain before one just gives up. This last year came in with a bang and is going out with a bang as well.

On Christmas Day I had a scare with my right knee. I was trying to get up out of my chair and my knee totally locked up on me. I couldn't bend my knee. I couldn't get up. I couldn't put any pressure on it at all. When my son tried to help me up ( Shhhh---I really needed to go to the bathroom-you know!) I fell and was unable to get up. Remember the commercials with the little old lady--I've fallen and I can't get up? Well, that was all I could think of! Nothing we tried worked. Without the use of my knee I just couldn't help at all. Two hours and four neighbors later, I was finally back in my chair but my knees were killing me. I was in tears and so totally embarrassed about the whole situation. It is so frustrating to not be able to help yourself. I have procrastinated for so long in having my knees replaced that I cannot put it off any longer. So I have made an appointment with my orthopedist and we will see what he has to say.

I have also made an appointment with my ophthalmologist and will see about eyes. I also have cataracts forming and am having lots of trouble with my vision. It seems I am just absolutely falling apart! So 2012 is the year to put me back together again. Hopefully I will turn out better than Humpty Dumpty!

I did receive some wonderful news on Christmas however! I have a new grand-niece. My niece had a delightfully gorgeous baby girl! Her name is Avery. I will be making another Christmas stocking this year! If Mom agrees, I will post a photo here in a few days.

On the stitching front, things went really well in 2011. I had a very productive year. I finished quite a few pieces for myself, several consignment pieces and several new designs which will be released in Nashville in February. You can read more about them over on Lady K Needlearts . This year I will be focusing more on my design work. I have so many ideas in my head, I am hoping to get many of them on paper--or in the computer.

So, welcome aboard 2012. This is gonna be a better year!

Merry Christmas!

As we grew older some things began to change a bit but most of this remained in some form or other. Christmas began to focus more on our immediate family rather than our grandparents but we would still visit them on Christmas afternoon. Christmas dinner was moved to Mama’s and Daddy’s. We began having the traditional turkey and dressing as well as the baked ham. And Christmas gifts were exchanged after dinner.

Then traditions of our own evolved. As each of us had children and in-laws to think about we would spend one day at our parents and the other at the in-laws house. But some of these traditions remained. I still do the *updated* version of the gift bags and I still believe in Santa. I told my son that if and when he ever stopped believing in Santa Claus that his Christmas presents would stop because I wasn't getting him anything! Santa still comes on Christmas Eve after everyone is in bed asleep. Christmas dinner is still turkey and dressing with as many fixin's as I can handle. We still had lots to eat and more gifts than we needed. But most importantly we had the love of family and friends to share and enjoy.

This year my family is just my son and me. The step family has gotten so large and diversified that they cannot come this year. My brother and I are still estranged and my nieces all have families or their own. So Jason and I will share our Christmas spirit over a nice dinner and enjoy the small surprises that Santa leaves in our stockings. I am just so grateful to have him with me. He is still the light of my life.

I leave you with these parting words:

No matter how large or small your family is, enjoy them and love them and be thankful for them. Make some Christmas Traditions of your own. You may be surprised just how important they become as your children grow and move on with their lives. Even the smallest thing may be remembered as the best thing!

Merry Christmas to each of you!

Until next time....

Back to Traditions....

After lunch the kids would play outside, weather permitting, or on the enclosed back porch otherwise. The adults would sit together and talk until the kids couldn’t stand it any longer. Then we would exchange Christmas gifts.

As farmers my grandparents couldn’t afford gifts for everyone but all the kids received a “Poke” (a brown paper bag)) which contained an apple, an orange, a pear, a tangerine, pecans, and the old fashioned Stick candy in peppermint, sassafras and cloves. (How I wish I could find some of that candy again!) And no, it wasn’t individually wrapped but there were no such thing as germs back then! I think we looked forward to those sacks of goodies as much if not more than anything else we received. This is one tradition that I have continued with my own family although now I have upgraded to gift bags! I also add small gifts, candy, gum, raisins, bananas, cheese crackers and anything else that might fit!

Eventually each family would head for home. Things would be winding down and each of us would settle in to play with our gifts. Dinner would consist of leftovers and then an early night. I am sure my parents were glad to have it over with but I think they enjoyed it all as much as we did.

More Traditions

On Christmas morning we would be up bright and early wanting to open the rest of our presents. Since Santa brought us all our toys and games, Mama and Daddy always got us new clothes. After breakfast we would put on new outfits while Mama packed up everything we would be taking to Grandma’s and Grandpa’s house. We always spent Christmas at Grandma’s house. My paternal grandparents passed away when I was very small and I only remember one Christmas spent with Granny. I keep meaning to ask my older brother David what he remembers but I haven’t had the opportunity.

When all the food and gifts were packed in the car we headed out. My grandparents had 8 children and (ultimately) 43 grandchildren and most of them always arrived at Grandma’s house for Christmas—about half of them for lunch. So you can imagine the madness and mayhem which surrounded this. The kids ate in the large old fashioned kitchen and the adults ate in the dining room. I still don’t see how we all managed to fit but we did. My grandparents were farmers and most of their food was grown or raised by them. All the adult females would bring baskets of food to contribute to the feast so there was plenty for all of us to eat. We never had turkey back then. Christmas lunch would be comprised of baked ham, fried chicken, stewed chicken and dumplings, pork chops, potato salad (and mashed potatoes since I could not eat potato salad--Mama always looked out for me!), macaroni and cheese casserole, and as many vegetables as my aunts and Mama could manage, and of course homemade biscuits made by Grandma. These biscuits were about the size of saucers and about 2 inches high and absolutely the most wonderful biscuits ever made! I sometimes dream about them and wish Grandma was still here to make them for me. Of course, this isn't the only reason I wish she were still here.

There were also sweet potato, pecan, and lemon meringue pies as well as chocolate, coconut, pineapple and fruit cakes. And there were usually cookies of some sort. No one went hungry at Grandma’s house!

Until next time....

We interrupt these ramblings....

This year I participated once more in the Christmas Exchange on the Just a Thought Bulletin Board. I just received the most wonderful gift from my partner Nancy. I feel so very spoiled! She really went over and above. She sent me a packet of note cards, two wonderful emery boards, a spool of Christmas ribbon, a piece of Christmas fabric for finishing, a small wooden blue Finch ornament, two crocheted pot holders, a hand sewn Christmas pillow top made in the envelope style so it can be packed away easily after the holidays. She also sent me a collection of wonderful teas in their own quilted pouch (the blue one with the quilt square on top), two skeins of Needle Necessities floss in Red and Green and a beautifully made poinsettia Christmas ornament.















But I am not through yet. She also made for me a wonderful stitching set. It includes a larger pin cushion, a needle book, a scissors pocket, and a small pouch with a stitched front. And all of these were presented in a matching drawstring stitching bag!


















The colors were in the aqua/turquoise/green family and was absolutely perfect for me. I still cannot believe how generous she was. Thank you so much Nancy! I cannot wait to use these things.

Until next time...

Traditions Continued

Where were we? Oh yes...

The weeks leading up to Christmas were filled with school projects and practicing for the church’s Christmas pageant. All three of us kids would be in it and 98% of the time my Mama would be directing it. Practice was held every Wednesday evening and then usually after church on the Sunday before the presentation. This was something to which we always looked forward. It was held on the evening of Christmas Eve. We would all pile in the car and make the 30 minute drive to the small country church to which we belonged. All the children of the church would participate and most of us would know our parts! But it was always enjoyed by the congregation! This was followed by singing of carols and presentation of the gift bags from the church. On the way home we would sing carols or have a contest counting Christmas trees to see who could spot the most trees before we got home. When we got about a block from home Daddy would remember that we were supposed to go by my aunt and uncles house to get our Christmas gifts from them. (It never registered with us until we were much older that this was repeated every year!) Mama would have things to prepare for the next day so Daddy would drop her off at home and the rest of us would proceed to Aunt Maude’s house. (Of course, Mama was actually putting out Santa!) We would spend about an hour there opening our presents and then having a mug of hot chocolate before heading home. When we got back home Mama would meet us at the door exclaiming that while we were at church Santa had come to visit. The living room floor would be spread with toys and games of every description since there was no room under the tree and somehow we always knew which gifts were intended for each of us. We would be allowed to play for about an hour and then we were allowed (against much protestation from Mama) to open just one of our gifts from Mama and Daddy. This always turned out to be new pajamas which we wore that night.

Until next time....

BTW, Happy Birthday, Tracy!