Time to take the Christmas Tree Down.

Christmas was great this year.. I got to give some hand made gifts and I hope that they are enjoyed. I made Molly Monkey for my niece Marley and she loved it. I also made initial plaques for my sister, my parents and my in-laws.
Marley, her doll and my sister on Christmas morning.

Scout got to go quail hunting this Christmas and she did very good at helping to find the birds!


December Goals-
1. Christmas presents (several home made things and buying some)-Yup!
2. Birth Announcement (finish and frame)-Almost finished- Kinsley was born on 12-28 and I finished the details of her birthdate and weight yesterday. I need to get some other things to frame it, so this may not happen until the weekend.
3. Also worked on Vegetable Wreath- made some progress but not enough to post a new pic.

Well, I have been really pleased with how much having this blog has helped me keep working on crafts and stitching projects that I really wanted to get done. I have also enjoyed reading others blogs and have found lots of motivation from them. My blogiversary is coming up in February- maybe I will have to do something special for that.

Goals for 2010-
1.Finish the quilt by July- I have 320 squares on the quilt, about 15 are quilted (5% done). My goal is to finish at least 50 squares each month. This will take some effort, but I really want to finish this project.
2. Do a triathlon in June- Already training, just have to keep going :)
3. Start Marley's Rag Quilt
4. Continue to work on current WIP's- no specific goals for finishing them.

Birth Announcement is DONE!!

Finished (except for the birth information). Yay Yay Yay.... now on to other projects!

Birth Announcement is almost done!

Last Update on Birth Announcement.

Birth Announcement finished except for backstitching and name/birth info.
I am about half way done with the back stitching and it really makes the picture come to life. I love it, and it is just in time too, the baby may be here any day!

I am a little disappointed that I haven't got to do any Christmas stitching this year, but maybe I will once this project is done.

Christmas time is almost here, time for love and time for cheer!

November Goals-
1. Post more updates on my blog- Kind of, more than last month, less than some months.
2. Finish December Calendar hanging-Nope, haven't even started.
3. Finish Birth Announcement (except birthdate) and find frame- Nope, I have made good progress and found a cute frame.
4. Make a Christmas ornament- Nope

December Goals-
1. Christmas presents (several home made things and buying some)
2. Birth Announcement (finish and frame)
And with that I am going to go work on the birth announcement.
Have a lovely December 1st!

Keychains, get your keychains!

Made these keychains this week. I quilted the one side and then stitched them together. I am going to make a bunch of these for mini-Christmas presents, maybe stocking stuffers. I am getting excited for Christmas. Only one week until Thanksgiving! well, less actually.

And I have made some progress on the Birth Announcement. I will really need to focus on this in order to get it done in time!! It is moved to the top of my goal list (along with the December Erica Michael's design).

Happy Stitching and thanks for reading my blog!

Molly Monkey!!!

I have finished one of my homemade Christmas presents today. It is a stuffed monkey I made for my niece. I am very excited about finishing it and I think it turned out way cute. I used the pattern from a crafting blog I found.... http://mmmcrafts.blogspot.com/
She has the pattern available for download for free. Also she has very neat projects she makes. So jealous!

I have been working on the birth announcement as well, but never seem to get as much done as I hope. Here's hoping for a productive evening :)

In other news we took Scout out quail hunting this morning. She did pretty well for her first time and I enjoyed watching her work.

Happy November

Time to review the goals and how I did on them.

October Goals-
1. Finish October cross stitch (this weekend)- I did finish it (not that weekend!) And I also finished November, so I was ahead for a little while :)
2. Baste quilt and start hand stitching- Yes- About 6 hours of basting and several hours of stitching later I still have a LONG way to go, but it isn't urgent
3. Work on Birth Announcement- Yes I worked on this quite a bit, I would geuss I am a little less than 1/3 done- It is turning out very cute though.Here we are on Halloween- This is me and two of my co-workers. I am the Hello Kitty on the right. I didn't get a chance to take pictures of my deer costume completed, but if my friend sends them to me I may post them here. Happy Halloween to everyone!

November Goals-
1. Post more updates on my blog
2. Finish December Calendar hanging
3. Finish Birth Announcement (except birthdate) and find frame
4. Make a Christmas ornament

Halloween Costume Weekend

Last weekend I finished up my October (only a few weeks late) and November calendar titles. I still need to stuff these a stitch them up, but they are most of the way done. Here they are on this sweet platter that my sister gave me for my birthday (Thanks Dunia!)

These past few weeks I have been working on my quilt. My mother and I spent about 6 hours getting it basted and I have been spending free weekends and evenings hand stitching. Here is an example of my stitches. Hand quilting is difficult for my, but I am hoping with practice it will get easier.

This weekend I decided to start on my Halloween costume. I didn't really have an idea of what to go as, but I decided to be a deer. I made the antlers from sticks, masking tape, paint and a headband. I found a pic online of a deer face painting. This is attempt #2 for the paint and I have a few things in mind to change, but I am excited for it to turn out. This is what DH is going as... get it, A hunter and his "dear". But this is his normal weekend gear!

Scout has even got in on the Halloween action. I sewed her this bandana this morning for Halloween. Doesn't she look thrilled :).

I have had a little bit of time to work on the birth announcement so it is coming along. Happy stitching and thanks for visiting my blog!

October Goals

September Goals-
1. Work on Birth announcement. - Yup- Progress so far.
2. Work on Scrapbooking.- Yup, got caught up to the beginning of this year- still got a little to go :)
3. Start a Christmas ornament. - Nope
4. Not a set goal, but I finished piecing the quilt!

October Goals-
1. Finish October cross stitch (this weekend)
2. Baste quilt and start hand stitching
3. Work on Birth Announcement

September is almost over!!

Well, I haven't posted much this month, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy and getting some crafts done.
I had said I was going to post on my progress on my training for the race, but I didn't really, but we finished the race on September 12. It was a 6.5 mile trail run. Me and two of my sisters did it. It was fun, but it rained the night before and that morning, so it was REALLY muddy. I did walk some of it, but I felt good about my finish.
This month Scout also turned one! I made a cake for her and she loved it, but ate a little too much!

This Saturday we had CRAFT DAY!! It was great. Me , my Mom, 3 of my sisters, and my cousin got together to work on crafts.

My Mom worked on organizing photos and scrapbooking.

Amy worked on unraveling her daughters yarn :) And organizing magazines


Ellen worked on sewing pillows and knitting


Camille made cards.
Dunia worked on her curtains and I worked on my quilt.


Today I worked on making Elderberry jelly and pickled anehiem peppers. I made japeleno jelly last week. I am happy with how much canning we got done this summer!

And the big news for today- I finished piecing my quilt together. This is what it looks like on the bed, too bad it won't be there for a while, I am going to hand quilt it so it will take some time. But I am excited about it.

I forgot that I need to finish my October cross stitch by Thursday. I know what I will be doing the next few days!
Happy stitching and crafting!!

Review of August Goals

Well, I haven't posted much this month, but here goes the goal review.

August Goals-
1. Get quilt all pieced together and ready to be quilted.- Didn't get even close- I had to put this away because we had company and didn't want this all over the table. Hopeful to catch up on this in a couple months :).
2. Get caught up on scrapbooking.- Not entirely, but I have been working on it this weekend and have gotten closer to being caught up.
3. Work on Vegetable Wreath cross stitch- Nope
4. Get baby birth announcement picked out and purchased.- Got it in the mail a couple weeks ago. I have been working on this and have made some good progress.

September Goals-
1. Work on Birth announcement.
2. Work on Scrapbooking.
3. Start a Christmas ornament.

This month is an exciting one. Fall starts, Scout's birthday and Bret's birthday.
For Scout's birthday I found a puppy cake recipe that I will make for her. I am super excited about this.

Happy Stitching!!

Got the Birth announcement kit in the mail :)

Got my kit for the birth announcement in the mail. It is called ModZoo from Dimensions.
I ordered it on Monday and it came on Sunday. It is just too cute and I can't wait to start stitching on it. I have until December 31st until little Kinsley ( my new neice) gets here!

Trying to find the motivation to get up and work on piecing my quilt.... Too tired!

Back from Vacay, So reviewing my goals a little late!

We just got back from Florida yesterday. We left on August 1st so I didn't really have time to review my goals, but vacation was awesome. We went to butterfly world, went on an Everglades tour, went to the beach several times, went parasailing and went snorkeling! All super fun and I also got a lot of stitching finished on the plane rides!

Today when we got back though, Scout was mad at us. She wouldn't pay any attention to us and kept pouting and whining. After a little while I think she forgave us for leaving her and started cuddling and playing.

Anyways, here goes my stitching update!!

Goals for July-
1. Work on quilt- get all pieces cut and 1/2 of quilt pieced together- Kind of Finished. I had this goal completed until we decided to make the quilt bigger (queen size)- I have most of the pieces cut out and all of the fabric purchased. At least 1/2 of the main part is pieced together.
2. Work on pepper embroidery on towels- Finished. I got the second one done on the plane.
3. August Calendar ornament- Stitched, and I stitched September too.4. Not a goal, but I did work a little on my vegetable wreath.

August Goals-
1. Get quilt all pieced together and ready to be quilted.
2. Get caught up on scrapbooking.
3. Work on Vegetable Wreath cross stitch
4. Get baby birth announcement picked out and purchased.

Quick Update

Well, I haven't posted in a little while, but that's just because I have been so darn busy!

Progress this month: I have over half of the quilt pieced together. But then we decided to make it a queen sized quilt, so I have some border pieces to cut. Once I get those cut I will probably take a short break on this project.

I have also got one of the pepper towels finished and started on the second.

We have mostly been spending extra time canning. We have made a batch of pickles, a batch of salsa, and a batch of diced tomatoes. We plan on doing a batch of salsa today.

This weekend is the county fair. I entered my "Touching the Autumn Sky" and "2006 Cherub". I am a little nervous about how they will do, but it was fun to put them on display at least.

Running has been going well. Yesterday was the first workout that I didn't get done. Last week was 20 min on Mon,Wed, Fri and 30 minutes on Saturday. This week was 20 minutes on Mon and Wed, Skipped Fri workout. 40 minutes today, and 20 minutes(Friday make-up) tomorrow. I feel like I am in a lot better shape already.

a boogity boo

I had a great weekend with lots of things happening. I went to a wedding on Saturday and got to see my niece and nephews. Then Bret and I made pickles!!! They are so good and I am super excited about them. This was my first expirience with canning by myself, so I am happy they turned out well. I am looking forward to making salsa and tomato sauce this year too!

I also got all of the squares cut out for the quilt. It didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would and I hope to start sewing it together this week. I hope that I don't get really frustrated with it, as that is what has happened before with some sewing projects. But I laid part of the design out and I really like the way that it looks, so I can just imagine how great it will look when it is sewn together.

One last thing, today I started my training for a 6.5 trail race in September so I will be updating on that on here too. I ran about 2 miles this AM and plan to run again Wed. and Fri. mornings.

Fourth of July!

This past weekend was great. I didn't get too much done on my stitching, but I did get a lot of fun family time in. On the drive to my aunt's house I did start a new project- some tea towels for a friend's wedding present. I got 1/2 of the first one done, but probably won't post these until after the wedding.

I did get to visit one of my great aunts and see how many cross stitches she had in her apartment. When we were little she used to crochet us dolls and toys and I always remembered that. I didn't really remember all of the cross stitch she did, but I didn't start stitching until a few years ago. But I thought it was neat to share a hobby with such a great lady.

I have been pretty busy this week (and sick). Got a little bit cut out of the quilt squares, but not much else. Scout got spayed today, so i will need to be taking care of her now. Happy stitching!

Review of Goals, and July, July, Ju-lyyyyyy

It is the last day of June, so I am going to review my goals from this month.

June Goals-
1. Finish Mirabilia Angel (hopefully this week).- Done! Pictures are posted on older posts.
2. July Ornament- Stitch and finish off.- Done! Pictures are posted on older posts
3.Work on Under the Friendship Tree.- Worked on it. I made good progress and I finished the girl on the left. It is turning out really cute!

4. If I get to it- Hunting Companions.- Worked on it. I only got a small amount done though, I plan to work on this over the weekend when I need a "portable" craft.

5. The main thing I started this month is a quilt. I am very excited about it. I started this on Sunday and I have been working on it every day. It is going to be a 60" X 60" lap quilt. It has 8 different fabrics which are shown below. I love all of the fabrics and am excited to see them all together. My progress so far is- Made the pattern, bought and washed fabric, and cut all of the pieces for two of the colors.


My pattern is shown below. I made it up by seeing one I liked on etsy.com and making my own pattern. I hope it turns out well.
This is my first quilt, so if anyone has any tips or advice just let me know! I am sure I will be posting progress as I go.


Goals for July-
1. Work on quilt- get all pieces cut and 1/2 of quilt pieced together
2. Work on pepper embroidery on towels
3. August Calendar ornament

On another note, we have started harvesting from our garden. We have gotten a couple batches of green beans and we have tons of tomatoes that are getting close- We are planning to can this year so I am getting pretty excited.

Night at the lake and a weekend of finishing off projects!

This weekend was a productive one. We didn't have too much to do so I was able to finish some projects that I had already stitched. I framed my 2006 Cherub. I have multiple matching 4X6 frames like this one so I may need to do a set of Christmas stitches to go with this Cherub.

On Saturday Bret and I got together with one of my sister's family and my Dad (the rest of the fam was out of town) to celebrate father's day. We made shish kabobs which were delicious! It was a good time and was nice for a relaxing evening.

Sunday I got a lot done around the house and was able to finish off the July ornament (below). Now I am exactly 1/2 way finished with the year!

On Sunday we also got Scout a new pillow. We went for a bike ride and she ran along and was completely pooped afterward. Here she is relaxing on her pillow.

This weekend I also made good progress on Under the Friendship Tree. I am close to my goal for this stitching round and then will move on to another project. I didn't get to work on it tonight, we went and had a picnic at the lake. One of my good friends from school and her fiance moved back to town and we went out to the lake. We had a good picnic and got to swim. Scout had an awesome time splashing in the waves.
Happy Stitching!

July ornament is all stitched :)

I got the July ornament stitched. The flag fabric at the top of the picture will be on the back of the ornament. It stitched up very quickly. I was very excited to get it done so fast.
We had a lovely weekend visiting the in-laws. I need to work on laundry tonight and give Scout a bath!

Good finish-Mirabilia Angel

I am finished with Mirabilia 2006 angel. I finished up the last of the beading and backstitching tonight. I thought I had a frame that would work for it, but it was a little too small. I will have to go to Hobby Lobby and get a frame. I won't display it until Christmas anyway, so I have a little time.
It does feel good to finish a project and be able to take it off my list. Next up is the July Ornament. Should be fun and cute!

Tuesday, Tuesday

I am getting so close to finished on my Mirabilia Angel. I have just a little beading left and am waiting on my metallic thread to come in the mail (hopefully tomorrow).

This evening I wasn't able to stitch, we had a get together for a friends birthday and tomorrow night I am going to watch "He's just not that into you" with my sisters. It will be fun, but my goal is to finish the angel by Saturday!

It is June already!

Reviewing my May goals-

Goals for May:
1. Finish July Erica Michaels cross stitch. Did not happen, but this is next on my priority list as soon as the Angel is done!
2. Work on Mirabilia Angel (maybe finish it) So very close! Only a few more colors and beading left. The Kreinik thread is in the mail.Here is the progress. I am so excited about how it is looking!

3. Work on Mirabilia Under the Friendship Tree Nope!
4. Work on Honeymoon Scrapbook (not stitching, but a project I need to finish!) Finished! I put the picture on the front about a week ago!


June Goals-
1. Finish Mirabilia Angel (hopefully this week).
2. July Ornament- Stitch and finish off.
3.Work on Under the Friendship Tree.
4. If I get to it- Hunting Companions.

Sooo tired. It is time for bed!

I need a finish!!

It is almost the end of May and my stitching has been minimal this month.:(
I don't have too much planned this weekend so hopefully I will be able to get a lot done on the Mirabilia Angel. I have made good progress thus far, but still have a ways to go.
This past week has been long, but fun. We went to a bed and breakfast last weekend for our 1 year anniversary. It was great to get away and just chill out. Then this week one of my favorite musicians had a concert on Tuesday night. I spent the rest of the week recovering from staying up late! But, it is the weekend now and I just have to get the house clean, fix dinner and then I can relax (and stitch)!

Sundays never last long enough.

Last Thursday I made my pie for the competition on Friday. I made the strawberry meringue pie, but it didn't turn out quite as good as the first time. But my crusts turned out great! I was proud of them, the best I have ever made!

I had gotten some rhubarb from my sisters yard, and my husband loves it so I also made a strawberry rhubarb pie. It was awesome. Definitely need to save that recipe.

This is me and one of my co-workers with our pies for the contest. I don't think I won, but it was fun to do it and try new pies.

I haven't been able to do much stitching lately, but I got to work on my honeymoon scrapbook and I finished it today! I haven't shown my husband yet, but I hope he likes it. I got it done in under a year, so that is good right :). Hope to be able to stitch some this coming week, but we are going away for our anniversary so I don't know!