I'm afraid that I'm a very bad blogger

I just don't make the time to keep up with my blog. I have been busy though. I did some finishing work for my grandmother this last weekend. She had three pieces that needed finished. My grandmother is 94 and I showed her how to do counted cross stitch only 2 years ago. She loves doing it!

I also have two exchanges that I completed. As much as I love exchanges I really need to spend some time on my wip's.

Here is the piece that I send to Jill for the HoE Red exchange. If you look closely you will see the actual needle she is sewing with and the thread attached to it. This was fun to do.

This piece was sent to Jenna for the BlackBird Exchange. I filled one of these pincushions with tapioca and one with lentils. I hope they never get wet!

I'm going to start work on a hummingbird pattern for my other grandmother who will be celebrating her 95th birthday next month. Plus, my daughter is having a birthday and I have something fun in mind for her. Think shoes. lots and lots of shoes!

I didn't realize how much time as gone by since my last post!

Autumn is always busy around my house plus my camera has been on the no show list. It just doesn't feel like a real post without a picture.

I finished the Autumn exchange and also the BeCause it is Pink Exchange. I can't show the pink because I don't have a picture plus it hasn't arrived at its new home. I'm really hoping that its new owner will take pity on me and let me have a picture.

I have one more exchange (due in January) and I'm taking a break until after the new year. I need to concentrate on Christmas presents.

I am working on a Nora Corbett - letter J for my daughter. I'm also working on Amazing Grace by My Big Toe. I'm doing it over one on 32 count so the work is a bit slower. I much prefer working with one thread instead of two. As soon as my camera is back to liking me again then I can take a picture.

I have received some cute exchanges. I was able to take a picture of BeCause it is Pink from Jill. She sent me a floss tag and scissor fob plus some extras.

I also received an autumn exchange from Maggee. It is from Autumnology. Yes, I'm going to once again say that I don't have a picture. She did the square which says Autumn and made it to hang.I have some ornaments I want to do before Christmas and a couple of other things. Definitely enough to keep me busy.

Some how my household has expanded and is going slightly nuts. My daughter is moving home, my grandmother is coming for 5 or 6 months and my sister is going to stay with us during the week for a couple of months. We are going from our nice quiet household of 1 husband, 1 wife and 1 teenage son to a household of 6.

I will post some pictures when I have a camera back. I hope everyone is having a wonderful Autumn season so far!

I received my exchange piece from Catherine for the BBE

It is so cute! Her stitching is beautiful. Thanks, Catherine!

I got official word that my exchange piece arrived overseas

I can finally post a picture!

It is a The Prairie Schooler design. It is a small pouch and I put some dried Oregon lavender in it from my garden. It turned out really cute. I attached by ribbon a stitched tag.
Right now I'm working on Amazing Grace by My Big Toe. I'm doing it on 32 count over 1 which is taking more time then usual because my linen is a bit more uneven then I originally thought. It is going to be beautiful when done. I'm waiting for a few patterns to arrive at Acorns and Threads (our local store) then I'll be starting some other ones.

Today, I have some apples to turn into apple sauce, zucchini and carrots into muffin batter (which I'm freezing for later use), grapes for juice and cabbage from my garden that I'm making into bleu cheese coleslaw which is the best coleslaw ever. I'll have to get out a roast to make bbq sandwiches to put with the coleslaw. yum.

I'm going on a field trip.

Don't you just love field trips!

Especially field trips to the local cross stitch store. Acorns and Threads is located in Beaverton, OR. We are very, very lucky to have it and all the ladies are so nice. They are holding two patterns for me which I'm going to pick up tomorrow. The first one is for the Smalls SAL that Becky started recently (autumn themed for the first round). I keep changing my mind about which one to do :). I'm thinking about making one of the squares into a scissor fob.

Then I also had to have Amazing Grace by My Big Toe. I love this hymn and think it will be a Christmas present for some special friends. Assuming I get it done in time, anyway.

I'm still waiting to hear from my exchange partner with the Year Long Prairie Schooler exchange. I'm going to give up by Monday and stitch a replacement piece and this time send it with tracking I guess. I'm really bummed because it was so cute. Ok, enough whining. I have two more exchanges to do and then I think I will take a break for the year and concentrate on some other things.

Baby report....

My baby (well, mine monday through friday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. anyway) is growing up way to fast. He can stand holding onto anything solid, cut his first two teeth in the last couple of days, and has stood by himself twice now. In a few days he will officially be 8 1/2 months old.

Have a great day everyone!

Received a package from The Year Long Prairie Schooler exchange

Bonnie sent me a very nice pinkeep. The backing fabric is blue with stars. Thanks Bonnie! It is very nicely done.We are having another beautiful day in Oregon and I should be outside weeding flower beds (which I actually enjoy doing). Instead I will probably start cleaning out the garage. We are in a constant state of remodelling here. We painted the ceiling in the dining room last night and today will be doing the walls. So far in the last few years we have remodelled the kitchen (ya hoo!), the main bath, put in pergo floors, and more. The house is shaping up slowly but surely.

I'm still waiting to hear from TYLPS exchange partner to whom I sent a package. It has been 3 weeks and I'm getting pretty nervous about it being lost in the mail. I'm going to wait one more week and then start stitching a replacement piece. The piece turned out really cute so I hope it isn't lost in never, never mail land.

Home Alone

This week it is just me and the dog (I try hard to ignore the cat). The dog is great company except for the fact that he was sprayed by a skunk AGAIN. I keep telling him that the cute black and white kitty that comes through the yard does not want to play! So, I'm living with the slight aroma of skunk.

Anyway.....I'm home alone. The husband is off on the east coast for business and the teenager is leading a squadron at Civil Air Patrol encampment. I don't even have baby duties this week. Now, wouldn't you think I'd be stitching my little fingers to the bone? Nope, instead I'm helping the daughter paint her new bedroom at her new apt. I did manage to freeze the peaches I picked the other day so I guess I have accomplished something. It is supposed to be close to 100 degrees tomorrow so I'm thinking that it would be a great day to stitch.

I have worked on a couple of things though. I finished the needle book and somewhere in the process lost the little pair of scissors I was going to attach above the writing.

I will have to find something else to put there. I made a scissor fob to go with it.

I have also worked on the I Wait For The Lord. I need to finish it so it can get framed in the next month. I think it is going to be very nice when it is done.

I finished stitching the LHN exchange piece but haven't done any finishing work on it. I'm still contemplating what to do with it. My exchange piece for TPS exchange is taking forever to arrive. It really turned out cute and I wish I could post a picture of it. I will as soon as I get a message from her that it arrived.

Blogs are interesting things. I'm still trying to figure out how the formatting works. Things just don't seem to end up in the place that I originally put them. Maybe I'm blog challenged!