Still here

The last two weeks have been insane.

We spent the weekend on Assateague Island last weekend. It was lovely. The weather has been so drab and gloomy of late that I was a bit worried it would be a wash-out. Fortunately, we were not disappointed and enjoyed a wonderfully warm weekend. I took my camera but didn't take pictures; I guess I ran out of time. We took a long walk on the beach on Saturday morning, but didn't dare go in, because the water is still only in the high 60s. Saturday afternoon, we drove into town for dinner. We ate seafood while waiting to get Raptured; needless to say, unless Heaven is exactly like Maryland, down to the fact that I still have to work, we're still here.

Last weekend was Cruisin' OC weekend, a big car show. It's supposed to be for older cars, but there were a lot of new stuff there too. Left-brain has customized the dually we use to pull the camper, so he was showing that off, too. He got lots of compliments on it, you could see how tickled he is with it. One funny: he has several cars, all of them attention-getting, and, oddly, one from each of the Big Three automakers. I have a Ford sweatshirt, because not only do we have a beautiful 2000 Mustang, but I'm going to have me a Thunderbird before I get done. So I went to get it out of the truck and put it on when the sun went down. One of the guys saw the shirt, saw me getting it out of a Chevy pickup truck and said, "How can you wear that shirt, driving a Chevy?" I didn't think, I just said, "Well, we got one of those, too." Everyone started laughing, including Left-brain. It's a running joke between him and I that we're going to have our own garage, called Harper Motorsports, and our new motto will be "We got one of those too." Anyway, it was a nice night, we drooled over the beautiful cars, and had a nice time together.

Sunday, we were up early and ready to go. We took the camper into the city and parked it, drove my car closer to the boardwalk and walked around. I popped into Salty Yarns for a little S.E.X. (yes, I know, I just spent money a few weeks ago, but it was Salty Yarns, and, seriously, money you spent "downy ocean" doesn't count. I didn't get much--a chart for my exchange partner, Vicky, and a couple lighthouse charts, and a cute Prairie Moon kit I've never seen before. We also got some fudge and popcorn; I know the fudge is fattening, but I can't eat salt water taffy or candy apples anymore because of my veneers and the like, and a girl has to have something sweet at the shore, right?

It took us forever to get home, but I took the time to stop at a roadside stand for strawberries. I swear, I've forgotten how good strawberries right out of the field are. Nothing in the grocery store comes close. I cut them up right away; half went into the freezer to sweeten up lemonade and the other half went over ice cream. Yummmm.

I actually have had time to stitch, though, just not photo time. I took along Pinto, one of my Crazy January starts to work on, and made good progress. As long as I don't get bored, it shouldn't take too long to finish him. And I am working on the Bent Creek Photobooth Flags and Friends. I love it. There is something about the eagle which is making me smile. He looks so goofy, as goofy as an eagle gets, I suppose.

Meari had asked how I like the Sullivan floss. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I really like it. I'm still not sure I'd mix it, since I think I see a bit of a sheen difference, but, then again, I don't see that well, so it's probably just me. That and the fact that a skein of Sullivan feels a bit stiffer are the only differences I detect, and I was so pleased, I bought more for two projects I plan on starting. It was on sale at Hancock this week, 5/$1. That makes it a very cost-effective stitching resource, but I do wish more stores would carry it. Only one place nearby carries it, and so, that means I will have to plan out carefully, since I can't just pop up the road to get it. But I like it!

A Finish picture and S.E.X.

Hopefully this turns out right. I finished another LHN ornament this week. This is Gingerbread Village, stitched on Light Blue Jobelan, with the recommended CC floss and Sullivan floss. The photo does not show you how pretty the fabric is, it's a luscious purpley blue color. I definitely want some more of this.

I know I have not been around much to comment on your blogs the past two weeks. It's been so hectic. Today is the first real day off I've had since the Saturday before Palm Sunday, so I haven't had a lot of time to do much of anything. The computer I'm using is a noisy old bear of a thing, but I think I'm going to take advantage of one of those Dads and grads bundle deals and get a new laptop one of these days. I prefer laptops now that I've been using one, but it was the property of my old job, so it had to go back when I left.

I did manage, on my last day of employment, to get off early and to go to an LNS. I had to go into the office, down by Dulles Airport, so I decided to celebrate the close of one part of my career, and the start of another with a trip to Stitching Stash in Fairfax. It had been a while since I'd been in, probably 6 years. I wasn't even sure the shop was open, since its former incarnation, The Scarlet Thread, moved, then closed, and we've lost a couple LNSs here in the DC area. And that part of Fairfax has undergone a lot of changes, and, since I was in the big SUV, it always puts me in a bit of a panic. But it was open, and I . . . well . . . shopped like a rock star. I picked up some Fuzzy Stuff for a Dragon Dreams I have kitted up--Fuzzy Stuff is not that easy to find for some reason, then moseyed around the shop.

There is something to be said for a cozy shop. Especially one with sale bins. If it looks like it's cram jammed with stuff, with the racks stuffed full to the bursting, well that gets my stitcher's heart a-going. You never know what treasure you might find, what designer you might discover. I think this is why I love Salty Yarns so much--it's like a wondrous Ali Baba cave of goodies. Stitchers Stash is just the same, only a little smaller and, of course, not on the beach.

Soooo, to say I went a bit wild is an understatement. But, it was a party for one . . . and I paid cash for it. And it was MOSTLY stuff I hadn't seen before or couldn't have found elsewhere. So I'm not feeling one bit guilty.

I walked out of the store with these goodies:

Bent Creek Crows (A Fine Day)
A Pine Mountain pillow kit at 40% off for January.
Prairie Moon Spring Paper Mache Pin Cushion box. 20% off.
Just Nan Bluebird Alphabet.
Sue Hillis' Map of Maryland.
Hinzeit's Primitive Lamb.
Bent Creek's Photobooth Uncle Sam.
Needlemade Designs Black Cat Hornbook.
Alice's Lament by Willow Hill Samplings
Bent Creek Are You my Mother?
LK Flora McSample Lesson Sampler
Primitivebettys Hallows Eve Pinkeep
Homespun Elegance 2005 Sampler Ornament
The Primitive Needle Black'd Skie--I have even found a source for Pure Palette threads



I even caved and bought Shepherd's Bush Holly and Ivy, which I have been wanting since December and didn't buy. It was a treat, heck, all this was a treat, but I think I have enough to keep me occupied for a few weeks. I've been really good since then. Sometimes you have to feed the soul.

One cruddy thing that has happened is that, 11 days after getting my car out of the shop for the CEL, someone rear-ended me yesterday. The damage to the car is not that bad, or at least it appears to be not that bad, but I was still mad and upset. And the police will not come if the car is driveable and no one is injured; I called 911 and was told that. I don't get it, but I can't exactly argue with 911, can I? I am thinking this car is cursed. The bumper will have to be replaced, but the hatch still opens and shuts, so I'm pretty sure that there's no major damage. Her car is messed up, but that is not my problem. I'm a bit sore today, but I don't think it's anything more than Motrin will fix and it's to be expected; I was in an accident and I'm in-tune with myself enough to know that, if it gets worse, I need to go get it checked out. I'm still upset that it happened, I really didn't need this, but what's done is done.

Anyway, hope everyone is having a good weekend. Hope the weather is cooperating for you.

Freebies freebies freebies

http://www.sullivans.net/usa/sullivansfloss/projectcentral.html

Very cute freebies by Sue Hillis and others on this site. Now that I've decided Sullivan floss is OK, it's nice to see there are freebies charted for it.

Hoping for a finish . . .

I've been plugging away at the latest LHN ornament. I started it the weekend before last, but I've been so busy settling in to my new schedule that I've had to steal the time to work on it. I didn't realize just how much I got done on a daily basis when I was home; I had plenty of time for laundry, and housework, and still stitching time. But I don't have that, at least not right now. I am working to find balance, especially since I'm walking now in the evenings. It's good exercise, and it gives Beazer and I time together. I miss not having him around all day, but it's what Mummy has to do. He understands that, and he just loves our walks.

On top of that, we had Mother's Day dinner at our house on Sunday, and I have been cleaning and cooking like crazy. I made all the sides and dessert for the big day, inlcuding my grandmother's potato salad, the recipe for which I would share except I didn't do it quite right. It was still good, but, when you deal with a recipe involving measurements like "a big glug" and "til it tastes you good", well, you see where the room for error comes in. Dessert was two kinds of cake, white cake with vanilla frosting topped with coconut, and fudge marble cake with chocolate. I am not terribly good at icing cakes, but they tasted divine. DH made Eastern Shore chicken on the new grill/smoker he bought that was so tasty. I sent people home with doggie bags, I couldn't stand to see all that food go to waste. We've been eating leftovers since Sunday, and I think we're chickened out.

I will make all efforts tonight to post some WIP photos. I realize I have been remiss in posting them, and I apologize.

Checking in

I'm still here. I've gotten my first week at the new job in. I like it so far. My route back and forth takes me through some very lovely countryside. It's very calming, a great way to start the day and then to end it.

I got my car back on Wednesday, after being without it for close to three weeks. There was a hole in a hose that they couldn't find. They replaced my entire emissions system in order to find this out. Needless to say, I won't be taking my car back to them for service. And that's all I have to say about that. However, since I've been driving our Tahoe for all this time, I had a small relearning curve on how to drive it. The gearshift on the truck is on the steering column, but in the Vibe, it's in the center, sorta raised, so not on the floor. I went to pull out of the driveway yesterday morning, attempted to put the car into drive, and turned on the windshield wipers. And it brakes a lot quicker than the truck. LOL.

I haven't been doing a lot of stitching this week. I started my LHN Ornament, Gingerbread Village, with the Sullivan floss. It looks really good so far. I also started a Hardanger project, but I don't have enough perle cotton, so will be holding off on finishing it til I get to an LNS. I am the queen of Kloster blocks, LOL. It's nothing fancy, a teaching piece, but I am rusty, and very unsure of my buttonhole stitch skills, so it's good practice. Plus, I'm always interested in finding a new way of doing things, and this teacher uses basting, where my teacher didn't do that. It does make things easier. I'm antsy about the buttonhole stitch, but I feel pretty confident about it.

I will try to post progress photos at some point this weekend. I hope everyone has had a wonderful week.