Winter is Here... And It is Hanging On

Winter is here and letting us know it... two straight days of snow, and certainly not the first storm of the year. We are doing our hearty New England "thing" and doing our level best to just accept it. But since my back porch is looking like this this morning, I was reminded that I had yet to share this... a small ornament I stitched up weeks ago, popped into one of my ornament baskets and forgot about....

Winter Jumble Ornament (select motifs chosen from larger sampler chart) The Drawn Thread 40 ct Dirty Newcastle Linen, Crescent Colours Floss

House Samplings

As I mentioned last night, I was in the mood to start a new small/medium project for myself. I dug around in my stash for a little while this morning, and rediscovered that I had House Samplings by Hillside Samplings fully kitted up - it looked just perfect to start today. It is packed with specialty stitches and uses only one strand of floss on 32 ct linen... very delicate, and I am just loving it already. I am stitching it on the called for R&R Reproductions 32 ct Creek Bed Brown linen with DMC floss.

Mother Nature just is not happy at all - this is what I woke to this morning... and to think, in just over a week the Red Sox return to Fenway Park - they can't play in the snow, so I hope Mother Nature gets over her crankiness soon!

Stitched on today: Started SBEBB Here's to Ewe Exchange, started a PIF gift, and started House Samplings **Mailed out HoE Pinkeep Exchange today

Can anyone help me?

Hello dear, ever helpful blogging friends! I am seeking two lengths of Needle Necessities 139 (Mountain Spruce) or its ThreadWorx equivalent... does anyone have any they can spare? I will be happy to trade for it. I could have sworn I had at least half a skein of it, but after spending a couple of days tearing through my stash, it has become obvious that it is missing. Please let me know - I would appreciate it so much! Thank you :-)

I was busy today stitching (see photo below to see why today was a good day to sit inside and stitch...) - I stitched on two different exchanges, and I cannot show them yet. But later this evening, while watching (and enjoying) The Astronaut Farmer, I spent some time on Memories again. These colors are so vibrant. I cannot recall the last time I stitched anything this bright, but it really is so yummy in person.

A couple of people have asked me if I am using the silk or DMC for this sampler. Oh, I am trying to save for my retirement - DH and I are in our 40's, you know... no silk for this one, just DMC and perle cotton on Silvery Moon Cashel linen... still very pretty!

We won't be barbequeing here anytime soon, will I? This is my back porch at 10 AM this morning. As you can see, we haven't been getting any break from the snow - not really since early December. A warmer week is forecasted. That is, the 40's, not very warm weather, but maybe warm enough to put a dent in this huge pile of snow?? (OK, no need at all to leave me a comment telling me how warm it is by you - I already know the odds are that it is warmer by you than by me! Thanks.)

Goal Review Time:
February Goals:
1. Continue to work on Serenity -yes
2. Continue to work on A Quaker Christmas -yes
3. Continue to work on Houses of Hawk Run Hollow -yes
4. Continue to work on Dawn, Fairy Spirit of Grace -no
5. Stitch and send Winter Exchange to Myrna -no, and this is a major priority for early March now!
6. Stitch and send Biscornu Exchange (Laura’s Group) to Pixie -yes
7. Start Judith’s Neighborhood Round Robin (due to mail 3/15/08) -no, need to do in early March
8. Stitch some gifts -yes, I stitched five gifts this month
9. Stitch at least one PIF -yes, and Joanne has received it
10. Continue to work on Spring Ride SAL -no, this SAL was put on hold in February, but I believe it restarts now in March
11. Stitch an ornament -yes
12. Stitch and send CE return exchange to Edda -yes, and Edda has received it
13. Start SBEBB Tea Time Exchange which is due 3/8/08 -yes, I have started it and am on track with it

March Goals:
1. Continue to work on Serenity
2. Continue to work on A Quaker Christmas
3. Continue to work on Houses of Hawk Run Hollow
4. Continue to work on Dawn, Fairy Spirit of Grace
5. Stitch and send Winter Exchange to Myrna
6. Stitch and send Judith’s Neighborhood Round Robin to Annemarie by 3/15
7. Stitch at least one PIF
8. Continue to work on Spring Ride SAL
9. Stitch two ornaments
10. Finish and mail SBEBB Tea Time Exchange by 3/8
11. Continue to work on Memories
12. Stitch and send SBEBB Spring Quaker Exchange by 3/21
13. Stitch and send HoE Biscornu Exchange by 3/21
14. Stitch and send out Crazy Exchange
15. Stitch some gifts

Stitched on today: Finished Crazy Exchange project, stitched on SBEBB Tea Time Exchange project, and Memories

It's All About Snow

I have a lot of snow to show you today. I wanted you to see that I am not just complaining about nothing here. Home again from work today... and you will see why! But... this is a stitching blog, so stitchng first!

I just heard from Vonna that she received a little Christmas package that I put together for her. I really wish I could have stitched for ALL of my stitching friends, but we all know that time would never allow for that! But, I did get something together for Vonna. Vonna has been a tremendous help to me - really, nothing short of being my right arm for me - with the Neighborhood Round Robins, and I really wanted to show my appreciation to her. And, Vonna has been the sweetest ear and dear friend to me all year long. Thank you Vonna - Merry Christmas, dear friend! (I chose Prairie Schooler as it is very obvious she loves PS as much as she loves LHN!... and it had to be a pinkeep ornament, as nobody loves pinkeeps more than Vonna does!)

Ho Ho Ho Santa Ornament
Prairie Schooler
32 ct Antique White Belfast Linen, DMC Floss

And, before I zip off now to start my SBEBB Frosty Friends exchange...

...here is what it looks like outside my front door as of only a few minutes ago... this is about 5 storms' worth of snow, but I think this whole snow thing is getting old already... and winter solstice does not even start until Saturday...

And, you can barely even see my mailbox - near upper center of the photo at the top of my driveway.. can you see my driveway? Mike is out there plowing now... (not in the photo).... the plow almost took the mailbox down today - it always gets knocked off by a plow at least once per winter.

And here is what a portion of my back porch looks like - this gives you a good guage of just how high the snow is!

How did Mike and I cope with this today? Well, since it has been snowing steadily since I drove home from work yesterday afternoon (24 hours ago)... I was not taking it on again today. Tomorrow was supposed to be the start of my holiday break, but if the roads and skies clear enough, I will work for a while tomorrow to make up for today... But, after a trip to the post office and out to breakfast, we went to the movies and saw I Am Legend. Mike likes snow days - you get stores and cinemas and such to yourselves. We were the only ones in the theater for I Am Legend :-)

Stitched on today: Started SBEBB Frosty Friends Exchange project