Taking a break

I have decided to take a little blogging break. There are a lot of things going on right now, some good, some not, but all stressful. Stress does not play well with my migraines. I'm going to take at least two weeks, maybe the whole month of August. We will see how things are going at the end of the two weeks. (if you go by the last few months, we really aren't talking about very many posts, are we?)

I will check my email as often as I can and I will try to get around to visit as many of you as I can - I may or may not leave comments depending on how much time I have.

I thought I would leave you with a picture of this house

Can a house be sad? I think this one is. I have passed it every time I drive to and from my house for the past 24 years. (At one time there were two similar - but not quite as interesting - across the street but they both burned long ago) It usually has someone (renters, I think) living in it but the best I can tell the only maintenance that has been done over 24 years are a few porch board that were replaced and part of the roof.

It is dark around the door area (you might be able to click and see better - dunno) but there is stained glass in the door. (which I'm pretty sure is original) It would take a small fortune to restore it but can't you just see it all spit shined? Makes a person just want to cry. Every time we are out of town I always wonder if it will still be standing when we return - so far, it is still there.

Hope you all have a wonderful few weeks.

Don't forget about me!

Weekend escape

I escaped over the weekend


to hang out with friends.


We ate.


We stitched.

We had visitors - but they were hard to get pictures of. We saw at least a dozen or more over the weekend. They were right in the back yard - we could watch them out the windows. I wanted pictures of the babies but as soon as I went outside they ran away.

This was my project for the weekend. Yes, this is all I managed to stitch in two days. It is hard to keep count when you are laughing!

I hope you had fun over the weekend!

The old fashioned way

Around here, we (I) do things the old fashioned way. I guess if I was a blogger that had mega comments I might have to learn how to do one of those random thingies, but as it is I just wrote the names down and put them in a jar.

Terry - email me your mailing address and I will get your bag holder out to you sometime this week!

Two years ago today

I posted my first post on this blog, along with this picture.

I have 'met' so many nice people through this blog - a few I have even had the pleasure of meeting in person.
A great many things have changed in my life since I made that first post. If you had told me those pillowcases would end up here


- okay, maybe they are a little hard to see in the picture, they are behind the shams that match the quilt/spread, and it really isn't the bed that I'm talking about - it is where the bed is. Two years ago I could not have imagined that I would be trying to sell my little yellow house and living in an apartment in Houston. Moving from a little town of just 13,000 to a big city is like moving to another planet. Thankfully, I don't have to get too far from 'home' to do what I need to do. I don't do Houston traffic - and I don't plan on ever doing it! If there is something we need that I can't get w/o getting into that mess then it will just have to wait until hubby can get us there. I can get to Wal-mart and the post office - I'm good!

Baby boy was still in college (just an hour from home) when I started this blog, now he has graduated and he and his bride are getting ready to move to Minnesota. Such a long way from home. I'm not sure exactly what the other two boys will do when we finally sell the house. (they are still living there until it sells - keeps the house occupied and keeps me from having to have a dog in an apartment with no doggie door!) I'm sure there will be many more changes in the months to come. It seems impossible that my 'kids' are all grown men at this point. I guess as a parent they are always your babies. I really, really can not believe that my oldest is just a couple of months away from thirty! How is that possible?

I know I haven't been a very good blogger lately - or a very good blog reader/commenter for that matter. Trying to live in two places at once is just more than my brain can process I guess. I truly appreciate those of you that check in to see when I make my oh-so-infrequent posts these days. Someday - eventually - hopefully - this unstructured life will get back on track and I hope to get back to a more regular schedule - and I hope some of you are still around by then!

So, a couple of weeks ago, I came across the instructions to make a grocery bag holder and since I didn't have one here I thought I would give it a try. While I was at it, I made two.


and to celebrate two years of blogging - and my upcoming birthday

I am going to give one of them away. My 'plan' is to draw a name from the comments between now and sometime on my b'day (which is Monday the 20th) I say that is the 'plan' because things are a little up in the air as far as our schedule for the next couple of weeks, but I won't draw a name before Monday and I will try my best to make sure to do it sometime before midnight on Monday. Assuming that I actually make another post between now and then, I will only draw from comments on THIS post. So, if you would like to be in the drawing, leave a comment. It isn't much but I wanted to do something to say thanks for stopping by. Please make sure I have a way to contact you when you leave a comment. If there is no link back or no email so I can contact you I'll have to leave your name out of the drawing, sorry.

Maren who commented on the last post - that chart is called Silent Sampler and is by Rosewood Manor. The copyright date is 2005 - I hope it is still available. It is stitching up nicely - when I am actually putting stitches in rather than taking them out!

Hope you all are having a wonderful week!

Hugs,

T

A start and a snippet

I started this piece a couple of weeks ago

Yes, I should be a lot farther along, but pretty much everything you see has been stitched at least twice. Seems every time I would stitch on it, I would have to go right back and take it out. (operator error - I guess I can't count!) I think I'm on a roll now though. (cross your fingers)


Here is a snippet of a piece I finished this week. It is a gift so I probably shouldn't even show this much. After seeing the close up shot - I really shouldn't show it at all. I need a lot more practice with Bertha! It is the thought that counts - right?

Hope everyone has a safe and happy weekend!