Look What The Postal Person Brought!!!!

Michele had written to me and said she had sent my exchange to be finished by her friend, Karen of Finely Finished. The stitching and finish are just perfect. I did this for an exchange last year and now I have it for me. It is the November Stamp by LK. I do not have a flat fold so I was really excited to get this cute little turkey. Thank you so much for this special exchange.

We just got back from our trip to Spokane. The workshops were great and I learned so much to bring back to my students at All Saints. The trees were beautiful and there were wonderful walking trails right by our hotel. We put in a few miles. :) Now I am starting on projects for our family. Never a dull moment at our house. The 3 babies were glad to get home and be with their Mommy and Daddy. We missed them and we put in a few calls to check on them.

A New Goodie

Waiting for me today was this darling pin keep, and needle holder from Sheril. The colors are beautiful and I truly appreciate her time and effort. I am going to take it on my trip to Spokane. It is perfect for me to use. I need to go fix our dinner and get packed. DH swept and mopped today. He is really a keeper.

Mass was so good today with all of the children doing something extra. We celebrated All Saints Day because our school is All Saints. Bishop Slattery along with Father Dodd presided at Mass, with the 8th grade leading. We had a cello solo and the Honor Choir sang special music during Communion. I had no voice so I was thankful for all of our children.

Until next week, peace and blessings.

Today When I Got Home

There was a darling Autumn Exchange waiting for me from Alison. I love it. It is a small pillow that is an adaptation of a JBW Autumn design stitched with Anchor Threads on even weave.

We had a wonderful time at our friend's little shop called Mimi's. It is delightful and I came home with some goodies for me and for my family. We visited, drank coffee, and talked non-stop. We laughed a lot and that is so good for all of us. Dear Becky drove and I appreciated it so much. I commute 2 hours each day to my work so I don't like to drive on the weekend.

Now to pack for my trip to Spokane. Thanks for stopping by. Blessings and peace to all.

I Finished My Last Exchange!!!!!!

Got up early this morning, even before the pups, and finished my final exchange. We have a new quilt shop in a nearby town and I purchased some fat quarters there and completed this little Bent Creek Zippee. It was fun to make and I love the little acorn button.

Got to run because I am teaching a piano lesson this morning . Phoebe usually comes on Sunday but tomorrow is Halloween and she will be busy.

Have a great weekend and remember; Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.

Lizzie Kate is Headed for a New Home

Here is a picture of my Round 6 Lizzie Kate project. I had fun doing it. This was my second one to complete.

Mass went very well today. The 4th graders were awesome as usual. Now on Monday I have Mass for All Saints Day. Because our school is named All Saints Catholic School we celebrate Mass with our Bishop and our two priests. It is a big thing for the children and their music teacher. The Honor Choir is singing a special piece during Communion. After Communion one of the 8th graders is playing a cello solo.

Then on Tuesday evening DH and I head for Spokane, WA to attend my national music convention. It is a hard 4 days of workshops all day and events during the evening hours. We will return on Sunday pretty tired. The babies stay at the groomers and they love her and she loves them. They will be all clean and pretty when we return. Our friend, Mary Lee, will watch the homestead while we are away. So it is a busy week.

I need to finish one project this evening so adios.

Finished a Picture

I finished a Halloween picture by Becky Boo's. It was fun to do and I have several more to complete.

There is so much I want to do and by the time I get home at night I am almost too tired but I have to at least get started on one project tonight.

Went to WW and I have lost 11 lbs. Yippee!!!! That does make one feel so good. Tomorrow is Mass at our school and one of the 4th grade classses is leading. They will do a special song at the end. They are excited and so am I.

My friend Becky and I are going to Idabel this weekend to visit our friend Mary Ann. It has been a few months since we visited her. She has opened a new little gift shop and I can't wait to see what she has.

My Fall Exchange is Finished

I think I am getting worse at taking pictures. Maybe it is my camera or perhaps the operator. Here are 2 pictures of my Fall Exchange

I used "The Autumn Scissors Keeper" pattern by The Drawn Thread. I chose to use opalescent fabric with a little shine because I used some Rainbow Gallery Treasure Braid with my Belle Soie Paprika. Then for the stems I used some hand dyed thread from Margaret Lee's. I also used limited edition called "Army Tent" from Gentle Art. I filled my scissor keeper with crushed walnut shells. It was fun to make and I hope my partner will like it.

Got to go. Oklahoma State is being beaten by Nebraska right now. I need to put on my lucky shirt and necklace. No wonder they are behind. It is raining here in Okmulgee. My two friends went to Octoberfest. Hope they are staying dry.

Where Has October Gone?

It is really getting busy at my school. I am preparing for two Christmas Programs. Our school has been invited to sing at Woodland Hills Mall in Tulsa and we are taking 70 people to see the "Nutcracker" in December. Hard time of the year for a music teacher.

There is a great giveaway: http://www.dixiesamplardesigns.com/ Be sure to visit and leave a comment.

Left to Right - Marty, Buddy, and Miss Molly

Here is a picture of the three rocking cockers at our house. Buddy had his surgery for his cherry eye and you cannot tell anything was wrong. Our vet didn't know exactly how it would turn out because he is ten years old. He is so precious and the three pups are so cute together.

I will add a couple of pictures of the finished bathroom. It is wonderful. I am so grateful to my DH for all of the time and effort he put into making it just for me.

Enjoy your week. I am frantically working on three exchanges that I want to finish this week and get in the mail.

Happy Fall

It is 4:00 and I am at school finishing the day. I have pictures on my camera but my camera is at home so I will have to post them later.

There is a good giveaway on Michelle's blog. It is stitchcraftplace.blogspot.com. Go check it out. Blogs are so much fun to read but it seems I never have the time to do all I care to accomplish. Oh well, such is life.

I'm working on three exchanges and some birthday gifts. It is fun to stitch for others.

We have a new addition to our family. His name is Buddy and he is 10 years old and very hard of hearing. He is a rescue dog from my friends no kill animal rescue in Collinsville, OK. No one will hardly adopt an old dog and he is just precious. He is a blond cocker just like our other two. He has a cherry eye that will be removed next week. But as a result of having it all this time he will always be plagued with dry eye so we will put drops in for him. He just sits so patiently and is a dear old soul.

The bathroom is completed and I love it. It is so beautiful and I know it was a labor of love from my DH. I truly appreciate his expertise.

Lost 1.4 lbs. this week and I am up to 9.8. It is getting there. Perseverance is the key and keep stitching in my hands and no food.

Wish you all a beautiful weekend and I must say Yea Cowpokes, way to go.

Thread Keep in The Mail

Here is my thread keep that I completed for my
Thread Holder Exchange. I put it together 2 times
and I think maybe my fabric should have been
a tighter weave. I want to do another one and
see if I have better luck stitching it. This pattern
is from the 2009 series of Floss Keeps from
The Needles Content.

My bathroom is 90% finished. I am so excited.
I took a shower in my newly tiled bathroom. The
potty is in and it works. The sink and faucet are in
and they work. My DH put in the ceiling fan and
the light fixtures. Tomorrow the mirror is hung and I need to buy a few things and we are all set.

School is still going great guns. Need to start planning for the Christmas programs and order some music. Starting the 3rd and 4th graders on their recorders. That is always a squeaky time for a while. But it doesn't take long and they do pretty well.

May you have a fun filled week with lots of time for some great stitching.

My Thread Holder Arrived

It always surprises me when I receive an exchange. I am always so busy trying to get mine done and in the mail that I forget I am going to receive one also. It is a Blackbird Design stitched on 28 ct fabric with GA Garden Gate thread. I just love it. I like Ellen's idea of putting it on a piece of wood. What a clever idea. It has given me some ideas that I will have to share with DH. He is the wood man in our house.

Our bathroom is almost complete. I can't wait until it is finished. I will take pictures. Now I need to make a new curtain for the window. I'm glad Labor Day is coming up as that will give me an extra day to sew.

My school year is going great and I have wonderful classes. I also have 39 children in my Honor Choir. That is a great improvement from the 11 that I started with 4 years ago.

It is late and I need to rest so until next time, have a great weekend.

LK Exchange Arrived

Heather was my partner in our LKE.
I like the black and white she chose

and I love that pattern. Now all of my

exchanges have been sent and received

so I can sign up for the next round.

Yippee!

Today was my first day back at school.

I was tired after teaching but then Ihad to do some grocery shopping and that helped and I'm not so weary. The kids were great

and we have 40 new students and that is marvelous. We have Mass on Friday so we are working on that music. It is a never ending process.

How Hot Is It?

I thought I would put a cooler picture on my blog because at 3:00p.m. it was 102.

I made a little scissor fob that I had purchased from Traditional Stitches in their Stash Enhancement.

I am going to show my LK Exchange that was sent today and my Seasonal Exchange that was sent on the 28th.

I have been having trouble adding to my weight loss so I will tell you I have lost 5 lbs. total. That is a beginning. Wahoo!!!!!!

I start back to school on Tuesday with a meeting from 8:30 to 3:00. Oh dear!!!!!!! School officially starts with the children on the 16th of August. I'm ready to start back but I want to stay home a little bit more. We are remodeling our bathroom and there is more to do. I am so thankful for my dh. He has done it all. He has the tiling done. I'm not sure what will be done next but when it is completed I will post pictures of his labors.

I've made vegetable soup so it is time to eat.

Summer Round Exchange Received

I received my Summer Round Exchange piece from Lisa V. It is darling and it truly adds sunshine and joy to my entry way. It is from Shepherds Bush "Scatter Sunshine". It was a welcome surprise.

Now speaking of surprises, last week my friend Becky called me and coerced me into going to Weight Watchers with her which I needed to do. I had gained but I know why so that was ok. Now I'm back on track. She stitched a lovely green bird for me . It is hanging on my tree in the entry way. It is great to have friends that stitch.

I know it has been forever since I have written but I have an excuse and a good one at that. We took our 2 older granddaughters to New Mexico for a little trip. Then I spent a week with our grandchildren in Texas and got to play with the 3 year old twin boys. From two families I had the 5,6, and 7 year old granddaughters come home with me and they spent 6 days. Nana was tired when I took them home but we had a wonderful time. We went to the zoo, the aquarium, shopping, Build A Bear, shopping, shopping............. Need I say more? So I have had so much fun with all of them. Grandchildren are a blessing indeed.

I need to get busy and stitch. I have some exchanges to finish and get in the mail. Peace and blessing to all of you.

We Are Home

We just got back from a short trip to New Mexico. We took 2 of our granddaughters with us, Makenzie (almost 13) and Maddie (10). We went to our friends daughter's wedding in Albuquerque. We had a wonderful time and I don't think the girls got bored. We literally shopped until we dropped. We were able to go swimming in the hotels great pool.

When I returned home, there was a beautiful scissors keep in our mail from Melanie. The pictures do not do it justice. I love it and I truly appreciate all of the time and effort that went into its creation. Thank you Melanie.

Project Finished

I finished my pinkeep/scissor keeper last night at 1:00a,m, The pictures aren't the best because my eyes were shut. LOL I also did not plump out the heart and it is filled with crushed walnut shells. So the picture looks all uneven and it really isn't. Oh, well.

Early Birthday

Our friend, Mary Ann, from Idabel was visiting this week and she brought me an early birthday present. Yippee!!!! This is Ethel......I love snowmen/snow ladies. She is just precious and she is autumnal, which is a word that our friend Becky heard on Martha Stewart a few years back. I love the sound of that word. See, it doesn't take much to entertain me.

Today was Fun Day and the kids had a blast and the weather was absolutely perfect. The Broken Arrow firemen came to the school and shot water into the air amide the squeals and screams of the children.

I must stitch this weekend and be serious about it. LOL. Thanks for stopping by.

It Was Worth The Wait

Mare sent me the nicest LK exchange. It is mail art and a stitching case. It has a scissor holder, a place on each side to store floss and it has hand made pins, flowers, and floss. What a nice gift. Every day when I call my DH to say hi, I ask, "Has anything come for me that is stitching?" Today was an eureka day. I had a package from Mare. This is a hard week at school because the children are there physically but their minds are in Florida, etc. So this was such a special treat and I can't wait to share it with my fellow teachers. They will be wowed like me. Thank you so very much, Mare.

My Seasonal Exchange Arrived

I received my SE today from Lisa D. It is so sweet and I am going to display it on my Grandmother's treadle sewing machine. It is located in my entry way and it is a perfect place to display my stitching goodies that I receive from others. Some of my Easter items will stay until the middle of June. They are spring and our spring has sprung with lots of rain and tornadoes. Hopefully it will just settle on rain. It looks like we will have inside recess all next week.

Lisa stitched "Spring Basket" on 28 ct. Evenweave, natural color. I love the soft colors. When I am doing exchanges I am concentrating so hard on getting mine done and in the mail I forget that I am going to get one also. That is always a pleasant surprise.

My DH and I are cleaning the house this morning. It goes so much faster when we both tackle it but I had to stop and post my picture. The pups are helping. They go smell where we have swept. Perhaps we have taken one of their special fuzzies that float along the floor. Once again, thank you Lisa.

Happy Mother's Day

We had a houseful on Sunday and it was marvelous. I love cooking for my family and it brings memories of when the children were young. I cleaned with the great help from my DH and then we shopped that evening and I ranted and fumed because Wal-Mart was out of everything. I came home and cooked and we had eleven family members for lunch. We laughed, I played with the grandchildren, we planned for the summer, and I can tell my summer is not going to be long enough. There will not be any wasted days.

I have started on my scissors keeper which is due on June 1. I'm going to use the pattern Sweet Heart from Joyeux Noel. I love it and I think it would make a lovely scissor holder. Now get to work.

This is teacher appreciation week at our school and we get to wear jeans everyday except Friday which is Mass. We have 11 days left of school and the children are wound for sound. Good thing I teach music, we move, we sing, and we play instruments. Our activity today with the faculty and children was a great game of deck tennis. We had 5 rounds and I had to play 2 of them. We had great fun and the children beat us soundly. Oh well, there is next year.

Tried to watch Syriana this evening. TOO VIOLENT FOR ME. So I came in read blogs and decided to visit for a while. We had storms this evening and they were too close for comfort.

Enjoy your week and I will be back for another visit soon.

Pictures of my sent exchanges

Here are pictures of my completed and sent LKE and my Seasonal Exchange. I enjoyed working on them. The little blue bird caught my eye and I loved it. I love the colors in the LK kit and I love the little scissors. I like miniature items like little screwdrivers, etc. It doesn't take much to please me.

We are headed on on short day trip and are taking the babies with us. They love to travel. They become nervous wrecks until we get them loaded.

Have a great weekend and an even better next week. It is our Spanish Festival next week and the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade are doing a Mexican Dance for the school.

Happy Friday

Today at school we had our Spanish Mass. Since I am the music teacher I am involved with the mass. The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

I have sent my Seasonal Exchange today. It has a ways to go so I hope it makes it safe and sound.

Enjoy your day. Peace.

Great Giveaway

Edgar on Blacksheep Bit of the Web has a great giveaway. You must comment by 3:00PST on Friday, May 7th. He will draw 3 names for his 3 year blogaversary on Sunday the 9th. Hope we all win. Spread the news.

And The Winner Is...............

Yippee! We have a winner for my Tax Day Drawing. We paid some and we got some back. The refund was bigger than the paying so it worked out just fine.

Carissa is our winner. We will be mailing the package to you in the next couple of days. Congratulations. Here are Molly and Marty sticking their heads in the basket to draw a name. I must confess, there were 2 doggie treats in the basket and Molly got both of them.

I want to thank all of you that read my blog and entered your name. This has been so much fun that I am going to do another one very soon. It will not be as big but it will be worth your time and effort to comment on the blog.

We have been busy at our house. My husband is putting up soffit around our home. While he was working last week he was cleaning out and pulled a big snake on top of his head. Fortunately he had a hat on but he was standing on a ladder. He doesn't know how he stayed on it during that exciting adventure. We are preparing to completely gut my bathroom and put in everything new. I picked out the tile and I have my sink that was hand painted with all kinds of flowers. When we are finished I will take pictures and share with you.

My spring musical was a huge success and I am glad it is over. Of course today we are already planning for next year. When you teach it never stops. I am thankful I have this opportunity to work with children. I truly enjoy it and feel like it is my ministry.

I am almost finished with my LK exchange and I'm working on my Seasonal Exchange. There are not enough hours in the day. Until next time.

Will Announce on Monday

I have had my spring musical this week at our school so I am dead tired. I will have Molly and Marty draw this weekend and I will announce the winner of my Tax Day Drawing. I am excited about your response. I will have to have another drawing soon. Thank heavens it is Friday.

Another Week Almost Completed

I have been tired this week. The secret is go to bed at a decent hour and it would help. Oh well, I'm a little slow. I completed my LHN "Snowy Pines". I think I will make it into a little pillow with a hanger. Since I have a 4 day weekend I should be able to get it together. I've said that before and it is still on my to do list. What can I say but so much to do and so little time.

I have joined another exchange group. My friend Becky K in OK is not a good influence. She is always emailing me and saying check this exchange out. I take my stitching to work and I do it instead of eating and visiting. I get quite a bit done each day if I'm not having to help a student. Wish I could drive and stitch. Man that would be great.

Here is a picture of Marty Jay wearing his bunny ears that we sent to his Golden Retriever cousin ,Marley, who lives in Texas with our grandchildren.

Great Giveaway

Deb at threadgatherer.blogspot.com has a great giveaway for the beginning of spring. Hop over to her blog and see what she wants to share with us.

I'm glad you are visiting my blog and leaving comments and wanting to be included in the drawing. It will be here before we know it.

I have been stitching on my LHN "Snowy Pines". I hope to work on it this evening.

We will be visiting our children in Texas for the next 2 days so I thought I would leave an Irish Blessing.

A Blessing on Everyone

As plentiful as the grass that grows,

Or the sand on the shore,

Or the dew on the lea,

So the blessing of the King of Grace

On every soul that was, that is, or will be.

Tax Day Giveaway

Here are pictures of some of the stash to be given away. I will give it all to one person. I will certainly send to international bloggers. I want it out of my sewing room. Here are Molly and Marty. They will do the drawing for the giveaway. They were snoozing in their crates.

I will start checking the other spots this week. I am on spring break so if I find more stash then we will have another drawing soon. I will throw some other goodies in with it. If I have not used them in several years I wont start now. I need to de-clutter!!!!!!! Thanks for the great response.

Tax Day Give Away

As you have read I commute 2 hours each day to work so when I get home I have all of these wonderful plans but I make the mistake of sitting down in my recliner and that is all she wrote. So I do my majority of stitching on the weekends. I do not have to clean the house or do the laundry because my sweet retired husband does that for us. That saves me. Here is what I have done on my Little House Needleworks, "All Dolled Up". Not much, but it is a start.

I have been cleaning out my stash and I am going to have a drawing on April 15th. April 15th makes us cranky around here so I thought I would put some joy into it. Just post a comment on my blog. Please tell all your friends about it. I have 48 kits that include the pattern, fabric, threads, and needles.(In most of them) They are from the Silver Needle's Secret Needle Night, Stitchwork's Fabric and Stuff, and there are some from Designs from Margaret Lee. There are 24 patterns which include Homespun Elagance, Just Nan, Bent Creek, Claire Hatten Designs, and many others.

Make sure I have your email address so I can contact you. Enjoy your day!

April Received Her Lizzie Kate Exchange

I was really worried that I was going to have to make another LKE ornament for April because it took 2 weeks for the package to arrive. I guess the heavy snows had something to do with it. I wanted to show the beaded hanger so I hooked it over one of the stands that my husband makes for me to display my goodies.

I am spending the day going through magazines and recycling them. AND I AM GETTING TO WORK ON MY LITTLE HOUSE NEEDLEWORK'S ORNAMENT THAT I RECEIVED ON THURSDAY!!!!!! Can you tell that I am excited? When I get home at night there is not much umph left in this old gal.

It has been so much fun to get to know other stitchers through my blog and the exchanges. This Internet is a wonderful tool.

I'm reading the autobiography of Jean Nidetch and there was a good quote from

Eleanor Roosevelt: "Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present."

May your day be filled with sunshine and joy.

Happy President's Day

It's happy because I have the day off from school and I woke up this morning and I didn't read my name in the obits. I have had a healthy breakfast of oatmeal topped with fresh blueberries and ground flax seed. I've had my vitamins with a half cup of orange juice and I'm getting ready to make some hot tea

My LKE partner has not received her exchange as of yet and it has been two weeks and she should have gotten it in 2 days. That disturbs me, so I think I will start on another one for her and if she does get the first one, I can save this for a gift. With my teaching schedule I don't want to be under pressure.

Life is grand! This morning I sat in my recliner, covered with a blankie and my two cocker spaniels. Life doesn't get much better than that. I'm going through my magazines and keeping the important stuff and will recycle the remainder at our school.

I have been remiss in not showing my gifts from my 2 stitching friends. Becky K. and I went to Idabel to visit our other stitching friend. She is closing her shop and that is sad for us but she is moving closer so we will get to see her more often. We enjoyed our drives down the Indian Nation Turnpike during all of the seasons of the year.

Enjoy your day and may it be filled with joy, peace, and hope.