Been Busy

I have had nothing but problems with posting photos on my blog so I will just write around them. It is late and I need to be in bed.
This is the front of my Stitcher's Choice for HoE. It is a pattern from Stone & Threads. I have lost the picture of the back. It is done with snowmen theme and it has the recipe for Snow Ice Cream. I used the threads that were suggested.

This is the front of a darling Quaker biscornu that Nancy sent me for her Stitcher's Choice for HoE. She chose beautiful reds and greens and I love it.This is my LK exchange piece that was sent to Shirlee. She has received it. I finished it with beads and made a bead hanger. It was from a January Flip It. I used the threads suggested.

Life is very busy right now. I still have 3 Christmas programs to do in the next 2 days. The kids are ready and they love to perform and use the Orff instruments. We will have a good time. Peace and blessings to all and may your Christmas and New Year holidays be filled with love and joy. Until next time.

Autumn Exchanges

I sent my Autumn Exchange today and it should arrive to its new home on Monday. We hope:)

I received my Autumn Exchange piece yesterday from Lucie of the UK. I love it. It is hanging on my little tree with all of my autumnal decorations. I still have my Halloween up because 2 of our granddaughters will be visiting and I want them to see the decorations. I need to work on doing more Thanksgiving themed stitching. I could add that to my goals for the next year. :) I am out of school today because we had Parent/Teacher Conferences yesterday and today. I did not get home until 9 last night and we had a slice of pizza and some Greek salad. My dh went to bed and I stayed up and stitched because I did not need to get up at my usual 4:00. The pups let me sleep until 7:15. That was marvelous. I stitched a Bent Creek Snapper for my partner. I used the floss that was suggested and fabric in my stash. I made it into a little pillow filled with crushed walnuts and finished it with beads in the stitching. I'm giving a piano lesson tonight so I need to get busy and clean the house. Enjoy your day and may the blessings of our heavenly Father surround you in all that you do.

Lots of Goodies to Share

I finished a little pillow for my friend Becky. I told her she could give it away but not to sell it in a garage sale. It was from a Secret Needle kit but I put two patterns together and did my own design. I had fun with it and then finished it into a long pillow filled with crushed walnut shells.

I received my HoE ornament in the mail yesterday from Amy. It is a freebie from Lilybet called "Joy". I love the finish and it will be easy to store when it isn't on my little tree. I love the tree in the pattern.

Tonight my friend Becky gave me a little Halloween ornie from her cat Tobias, that I took care of while she was on her journey to Chicago. I love the pattern and the cats eyes seem to glow. She did a really nice job. I will share pics of the projects.

School is going well. We have started on the Christmas musical and the kids are doing great. We had friends from Montana visit us this weekend and we had a great time. Of course there is the frenzy of super cleaning the house and trying to cook everything they like because we only get to see them once a year.

Christmas Ornament

I finally finished my little Christmas ornament for HoE. We had a teacher's meeting on Friday and I worked on it furiously during the meeting. It really helps me concentrate on what is being taught. Then we had a fall break today so I was able to finish my exchange and get it in the mail.

I used a pattern from the 2004 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament issue. It is a HeartStrings/The Artist's Collection. I stitched it on fabric from my stash and used the threads that were suggested. I made it into a little pillow ornament with gold beads all around and then I made a little hanger with beads that I had. The fabric on the back is from our little quilt shop located a few miles from Okmulgee.

The little bowls that are in my photos are made by my husband. I use them to hold the beads for my projects. They are perfect.

Our weather has been grand and I have flowers to plant so I had better get busy. Hope you days are filled with goodness and joy. Peace and blessings to all.

Little Box from Laura

I received my LK Exchange today from Laura. It is so cute and the colors in the box and the colors that Laura used match perfectly. She used the LK pattern, "Life is a Beach". I have not had a box for an exchange so this was exciting. She dyed the linen with tea and used DMC threads. Laura put a little pillow lining in the bottom of the box. I think it will go well with by bathroom colors and I will use it for some of my jewelry. Thank you so much Laura. Here are some pictures.

My LK Exchange is Finished

My LK Exchange is finished and will be in the mail tomorrow morning. This was truly a "senior moment". I got my dates mixed up on 2 exchanges and really had to hustle to finish my LK close to mailing date.

I chose to do part of the "Autumn Sampler" as a stuffed little pillow. I used fabric in my stash and then finished it with fabric from a little quilting shop called "Grannie Annie's" located in Beggs, OK. She carries delightful fabrics. I used the Sampler Threads that were suggested.

It should not take long at all for the pillow to reach its destination.

School is still very busy and I am always grading papers or doing lesson plans. Those are two things I can always count on.

I have a date with my sweetie this evening so I had better get ready.
May your hearts be filled with joy and walk in Peace.

Kathy Sent a Lovely Pyn Keepe

Kathy and Rory too sent me a beautiful pyn keepe. It is one of the Little House Monthly Patterns and she changed November to Autumn. The colors stand out and it really catches your eye. I like the plaid that she chose to finish the back. It will be exhibited with pride and pleasure. Thank you Kathy.

I am working on my LK Exchange that is to be mailed September 23rd. Gary participated in a bazaar with his turned wood designs. I worked the whole time on my exchange and when I got home I had to rip the entire section that I had done during the day. GRRRRR!!!!!!! I have now put it in a second time and it is correct and I feel good about it. I want to finish it this week and get it in the mail by next Monday.

School is going great. I am very busy but I love what I am doing. If any of you would like to see my teaching blog, go to: http://allsaintsba.com/ and click on teacher corner. Then click on music and you can see little videos of the children singing and playing hand chimes.

Am working on curtains for my bathroom. I made a panel last week and thought it was enough but decided I needed another panel. Alas, not enough fabric to be as long as the first panel. So I'm cutting off the first panel to match the second panel. By the time I get through they will be 2 inches long. :We are enjoying beautiful weather. They say we will have 2 hot days next week and then it will be in the 60's and 70's. Can't wait. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and remember those lost and remaining from 9-11. Let there be peace on earth.

I Did It On My Own

Yes, old dogs can learn new tricks. I was going to call my friend, Becky K. this next weekend to help me finish my Fall Pyn Keep. Duh, the 2nd of September is Friday, tooooo late. So I got busy last night and this afternoon and did it my self. I took the 2 tutorials that Anita's Little Stitches has on her blog and combined them and added my own 2 cents and finished it. I used the trim I had ordered from Anita and I love it. It lays so smoothly and evenly. There are some mistakes but I don't think they are too noticeable and I truly loved making it. Now I want to make some more so I can really do it without all of the stress. : ) I used :The Pumpkin Farm" from Bent Creek Snapperville. I used fabric that was in my stash and I used the threads that were suggested. Fun project!

School is going well and I am busy. I have great classes this year and the students are really working hard. This will be a wild week because we have Open House for 3 nights but I only have to attend 2 of them. It just makes for a late evening but oh well.

I need to clean my house and run to the store. Have a wonderful week and God Bless You.

Gaby Sent Biscornus from Germany

I received two beautiful biscornus in the mail today from Gaby of Germany. She couldn't decide which one to send so she sent them both. They are just too sweet. They are designed by Alulie. My dh had just put up a little shelf in my bathroom and I had put a sunflower picture on it that I had purchased from my friend in Idabel. Gaby's little note card was a sunflower so I just had to display my biscornus near my picture.

We Need Some Brrrrrr!!!!!!!

I received my HoE Christmas LK ornie today in the mail It is just darling and I hope it will bring us some cooler weather. Today is supposed to be 115. It is LK " Winter Crazy Brrrr". Elisa stitched it on 28 ct. Blue Check Linen and put blue check gingham on the back. She used the suggested DMC colors and finished it with beads that match the little scarf. It is precious. It will fit perfectly on my little tree during our Christmas season.

Exchanges Are On Their Way

My bouquet is called "Posy Pot" designed by Cecilia Turner for Heart in Hand. It is stitched on 26 ct. Eggshell Lugana. I changed a couple of the threads because I didn't have the correct color.

This is for my Seasonal Exhange.

I chose "Joy" for my LK Perpetual Christmas ornie. It was a 1999 freebie. I changed some of the colors because dark fabric was suggested and I used 28 ct. opalescent. I finished it with gold beads and a little hanger made out of beads.

Our weather has been beastly hot.

Today we reached 109 and tomorrow is supposed to be 111. I walked 2 miles this morning at 7:30 and it was already 81. Tomorrow I am walking at 6:30 without the sun up and that should help. Can't drink too much water these days.

I'm working on my classroom and it is taking shape. I found out today that I am getting a Promethean board for my classroom. Wahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I will have to go back and move some furniture around so my desk will be close to the board. Thank heavens my dh is always willing to help.

It is late and I need to go to bed. Stay cool. Peace and blessings to all.

We Are Home and I Had A Surprise

I received my LK exchange from Lisa S. while I was away on our vacation. What a pleasant surprise awaited me. It is a darling LK Liberty Sampler. Lisa used 28 ct. antique white even weave using the over dyed threads that were suggested. It is so cute and it fits in with all of my patriotic stitching that is in our hall way.

Coming home our car said it was 112 outside. We really thought about turning back and heading for cool Colorado. They are dry like us. We went to The Royal Gorge and we took the Cog Railway to the top of Pikes Peak. We also went shopping. We swam every night and we ate at our favorite Mexican Restaurant, La Casita. The girls were counting how many times we ate there. We also visited our favorite frozen custard eatery, Culver's.
Here are a few pictures of our trip and my exchange from Lisa.

Show My July 4th Display

I was remiss is not showing my new little pillow that Becky made for me so I will share my pics of some of my Patriotic Display. These are exchanges and goodies that Becky has made for me over our years of friendship. Enjoy!!

It Will Be Mailed Tomorrow

I completed my LK Exchange yesterday which is a record for me to be finished 2 days ahead of schedule. I had received a beautiful birthday gift from my stitching friend Becky and I decided to complete my LK in the same manner. I used fabric that I had in my stash and I used the threads that were suggested. I chose the Summer ABC's pattern.

I have packed my cross stitch for our little trip we are taking this week. Got to have your priorities. Now my suitcase is not packed yet but it will be soon.

Our weather is so beastly hot and dry. There may be a chance of showers today but pretty unlikely. Hope everyone has a safe and great 4th of July. God Bless America, Land That I Love!!

Snow Joe Has Arrived

Diana made me a darling "Snow Joe" from Heart in Hand Needleart.
I love the finish and she did such a great job. He will looks so cute
in my hall during the holidays on my stitching tree.

I am busy mowing the lawn,
cleaning the house, and doing
water aerobics. It has been a
great summer.

Returned from London and Paris

I put my HoE Christmas Ornament in the mail. The postal person said it should take 7-10 days. It has a ways to go and I hope it arrives safe and sound, ready for its new home.

This is Tim, our tour guide for the trip and myself. He made walking 8 to 10 miles seem like an adventure. Half of that walking was up and down stairs. The backs of my legs were sore and then I adjusted. Not bad for an old lady. You see the tower of London Bridge in the background. This was on our boat trip down the Thames River. Here are the guards going back to their headquarters from the Changing of the Guard.

Lovely Pillow Received

I received a darling pillow from Ruth in Ireland. It is a Barbara Ana design which is very similar to LK designs. I just love it. It looks so happy and cheery. It was great being her partner.

Pictures of My Seasonal Exchange

While I had the time I wanted to share these pictures with my blogging friends. It had been several years since I made a little pillow with a ruffle. I was a little rusty.

This pattern is called "Home Tweet Home" and it is designed by Cindy of Stitchworks for her Fun and Fiber monthly class. I received it in June 1998, just a few years in my stash but I thought it was perfect for spring. It is stitched on 19 ct. light blue cork with #5 Pearl cotton, and special threads. It is an oldy but a goldy. Glad I finally finished it. I have a few more not completed yet. Maybe that will be my summer goal. They make perfect little pillows.

Sharlene Received Her LK Exchange

Sharlene received her exchange and I received my exchange from her. I laughed when I saw that mine was from her. That is neat. I will post pics later of my Seasonal Exchange that is in the mail.

Happy Mother's Day to my stitching friends. Peace and Blessings!

My LK Arrived and Other Stuff

My LK arrived in the mail yesterday from Sharlene. I hung it on my Easter tree in our hall way and it looks like it was made for it. I love those flowers and I liked the glitzy rick rack that Sharlene chose to put around it.

I got my Seasonal Exchange in the mail and it has a ways to go but hopefully it will arrive soon.

These next two weeks are killers. We have special masses on the next two Fridays and I am in charge of the music and playing for it because our 8th grader that has been helping will be gone.:-( So it is lead this and sit down and play this, etc. Our spring musical is on Monday, the 16th and we have rehearsals all week. Then we have 8th grade graduation and I play for that, which it is always nerve racking for me. Tonight is a bingo fund raiser at the school so I will be there selling necklaces to the attendees. It is always fun just noisy. The school is going to a baseball game and then we have fun day which is only fun for the children if you get my drift. Then I leave on the 30th for England with 40 children and parents. We will be gone 9 days. I'll take a before and an after picture to post. We should have lots of fun and the kids are really getting excited.

I'm including some pics of the babies. They are really so cute and such messes. For some reason they all decided to get in one crate which is very unusual. I had a basket sitting on the floor and old Mr. Buddy crawled in it and took a nap. His favorite thing to do is get on a rug and scratch it all around and get it just right and then lay on the floor.

Our resident rock hound, Miss Molly, threw up next to our bed 6 rocks that were in her belly. She chose Gary's side. :) We have to walk behind her in our fenced in back yard and watch and yell and she will drop them before she swallows them. Some of the rocks were at least 1 1/2 " in diameter. Mr. Marty just howls. He was our alarm clock this morning. Are our pups in charge? You betcha!

LK Spring

I did a Flora McSample by LK for my spring round. It was just too cute and I couldn't leave any of it out. I finished it in time and then my sewing machine broke and I had to get a new one because it was going to cost approximately $1000 to replace two computer boards and it was just too old. So I finally got the new machine and voila` I finished it last night and mailed it today. I decided on a little long pillow that is filled with crushed walnut shells. It is stitched on 28 ct. mint green cashel linen. I used the threads that were suggested with the pattern. It was really fun to do and I think I will make one for my daughter-in-law that also does counted cross stitch. Here are a couple of pictures that really don't do it justice.

My Quaker Exchange

I tried something new this time. I made my first biscornu. It is call My Quaker Garden. It is a Carolina House Design. I used antique buttons on itI thoroughly enjoyed working on it and I liked it because it has to be perfectly stitched. There can be no bobbles. I filled it with fiberfill but I am going to make one and fill it with crushed walnut shells. I just want to try something new.

Life is wild at school. We are in the midst of preparing for our spring musical. We are doing another Psalty, "Heart to Change The World". It is the best one ever and the cast is just remarkable. They are doing a fantastic job and the music is very difficult. I am so proud of them.

Saturday I took 7 children to Circle The State With Song. They learn their part and then they meet with several school which includes about 150 children. They rehearse all day with a guest conductor and then present a concert that afternoon for their parents and friends. They did a fabulous job. They make my heart sing.

Enjoy your week as we prepare for Easter and celebrate "Our Risen Lord"