One More Week...

Yes, that is right. One week from Monday, I will be done with classes for a while. I wrote my last paper today for my business management class. Then I printed out the case that I need to write a brief for in my law class. So I just need to write the brief tomorrow night, then I am all done with assignments. All that will be left to be done is take my last test in each class next Monday night them I am D-U-N, done!

So come next Tuesday, let the stitching begin! It will be a total stitching-palooza! A plethora of patterns, a festival of fabrics and floss. Let us not forget the chocolate! If I am really going to do this up right, perhaps I can get the hubby boy to feed me Cheetos whilst I stitch. Don't want to get the orange Cheeto dust on my fabrics, dontcha know.

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. Ours was very quiet, spent in sweats. We are still lamenting the fact that the mini schnauzer was not the best of class or best of show at the dog show. Heck, it did not even really get any camera time. What was up with that?! Do they not understand the absolute beauty of the miniature schnauzer?

This season it seemed even clearer to us to count our blessings. It has been a rough year on us, as it has been for so many others. Yet, every day we say how fortunate we are, because we are so grateful for what we do have. We pray that each of you would also be blessed many times over and that you would know peace and joy in the upcoming holiday season.

Been Away Too Long...

Can you even believe it is Thanksgiving in a few days? Oy! My hubby and I are alone this year on T-Day, so I am figuring on spending all day in sweats. Since it is just the two of us, and we are really worried about food going to waste, hubby is going to smoke a turkey breast. We are just going to have sweet potatoes and green bean casserole with it. Hubby says he will still make me my favorite sweet potato and bacon rolls. I will make a sweet potato pie. We figure that we will get up and take the dog to the beach if it is not raining. Then he'll get the smoker going. I plan on doing some serious stitching in front of the parade and the dog show. (We will be majorly cheering for the miniature schnauzer to take it all!) I am looking forward to a quiet day.

My classes are coming to an end. I have one paper and one test left in each class. Classes are over Dec. 8th. I am seriously considering taking next semester off so I can focus on learning my job really well. I really had my heart set on the macro-economics class, but I guess it is not to be for right now. Plus I am a little burnt out with taking two tough classes at once and not really having time to do anything artistic.

I have not had a chance to stitch, which is why I have not posted. I stitch in five minute increments so it is not really worth posting about. Mostly, I come home, do chores and study. I am looking forward to some creative time. I have several patterns calling to me. LOL

Hurray! Got to Stitch!

Okay, it was not for very long, but still. It was a hopping weekend. I had a lot of housework to do, the pup to take care of, a huge test, and a big paper that is due. Sadly, it did not leave me a lot of time for stitching. I had hoped to stitch during the race, but it was not to be so I had to watch the race with the sound down for a while, whilst I composed my paper.

I have gotten three sides of the leaves and vine done. One more side to go. I will be so happy when I get to do the actual hardanger. I thought about cheating a bit and starting the hardanger without finishing the other part first. But I am an accountant and therefore, it is hard for me to step outside of my own self-imposed rules, no fun that they are. LOL

It is so hard to believe that Thanksgiving is in a week and a half. I have been watching the Thanksgiving themed shows on the Food Channel. November is flying by really, really fast. It is even hard to believe because two weeks ago it was 38 degrees, then raining, then cold again. Ever since last Thursday it has been in the 80's. It is ridiculously hot! We may be having barbecue and margaritas for Thanksgiving if this keeps up!

Liesl

Well, Little Miss Liesl did well at the office today. She was a little growly for some of her meet and greets. She just had so many people to meet and I think she might have been overly tired by the day. Everyone was so nice to her. The head of the company even came down to give her a cookie and was impressed with how polite and gently she accepted. Due to some scheduling stuff with my hubby, she will be with me the rest of the week. She did find my toy stash that I had for her. It was mentioned by more than one person that she might be a bit spoiled. I was shocked. LOL

I appreciate the kind words about her posted here. We are so blessed to have her around. She is a really comedian and makes us laugh. At the same time, she is just so easy to have around. We lucked out.

Here is a picture of her since she went to the groomers yesterday. Having the shoes nearby really gives an idea of how small she is (16 lbs.)

I am not sure I will get to stitch tonight. But will definitely stitch this weekend!

Veteran's Day

First of all, a very respectful thank you who have served our country. A very big welcome back goes to my 20 year old nephew, Donovan, who recently returned from overseas while serving in the Army. We are so proud of you.

Things were kind of crazy today. I had the day off from my new job, so it was a day to try to catch up on a bunch of things. My Liesl had to go to the groomer, and I had several dog related items to pick up at Target. My job is a dog friendly workplace, and she is joining me for the first time tomorrow. So she needed toys and treats to keep her busy while I am doing my job. We get to take a nice long walk at lunch time, which I am really looking forward to. She usually goes to work with her daddy, so she is used to being around an office.

Back to stitching-I plan on stitching as soon as I finish this posting. I have my stuff next to me, ready to go. Whoohoo! Here is a picture of my progress so far:

It is a really fun stitch. I still have to do all of the hardanger finish all around it so that it finishes into a doily. The strawberry shaped items are in queen stitch. The camera also picked up the glimmer of the gold thread used around the border. It is much prettier in person than it appears in the photo.

I think I need to share what was going on to the side of the table as I was trying to take the above photo:

The object that she was trying to reach while I was distracted, was a toy that I had taken away because she was not being nice to it. She has since gotten it back and is happy again. She is such a sweet little furgirl. I am so glad that I was blessed with her little furry and sassy self.

The Weekend Flew By!

It was a very stormy weekend here on the California Central Coast. It absolutely poured. What is funny about it is that yesterday when we took Liesl to the dog beach, I had said that the weather was perfect. It was warm and sunny, the sky was blue. There was not a rain cloud in sight. By the afternoon, it was a downpour. So it was a great evening for a fire. The sound of rain always makes me a bit sleepy so I think I was asleep by 9:30.

Today was a whirlwind. Of course, we had church first thing in the morning. Then home for lunch. I had so wanted to stitch, but I had a test for one of my classes. I realized that I really need to adjust my attitude for this class. I really am not enjoying it. In fact, I do not like it. The instructor only keeps the test open Friday through Sunday and is not always clear on the study guide. Having a test only on the weekend is rough when you have other responsibilities. On top of that the test is timed for 45 minutes so there is no time to re-check answers. I really need to find a way to like this class. I have 28 days to go until it is over.

I did get to stitch for about an hour tonight. It was lovely. I am almost done with the backstitched vine. Plus I got to put a few leaves on it. I think I will stitch in my car at lunch tomorrow. I will try to post a picture tomorrow night. It really is so pretty.

Blog-tastic!

I love the blogospere! I really do. I think it is so much fun to post, especially when I am able to post pictures. It is amazing to me, who grew up in the age of the black and white television that you had to warm up. As a teenager it was cool if you had a radio that had both AM and FM. Now here we are in an age where you can hold a computer on your lap or the palm of your hand. A little ol' cross stitcher like me can post a photograph on a daily web site on the internet without needing help of a computer tech. It really does amaze me sometimes how much technology has changed in my lifetime.

Anyway, I love to read blogs. It seems like I find really good ones all of the time. There are some really creative bloggers out there. The blogs on my blog roll are the ones I check pretty much everyday. Some of my very favorites are Crockpot 365, Cakewrecks (very funny!) and The World's Largest Collection of Smalls. These are the ones that I check first thing in the morning every day when I have my coffee.

I am making progress on my doily. I hope to post a picture this weekend. I am coming into the home stretch with my classes so I have not been able to stitch on it a much as I would like. I am stitching in my car at lunchtime, which is very nice and peaceful. I am thinking that I will need to come up with a nice set up, maybe with one of those tabletop caddies for my car after the holidays. I will also need some sort of ort jar that fits in a cup holder. :)

Ginghers!

As I am working on my hardanger doily, I am thinking about the old adage about the right tool for the job. With hardanger you have to have really sharp, short pointed scissors. Recently I had the opportunity to purchase a lovely pair of Ginghers that are ideal.

These scissors are a true work of art. They are the Gingher Pewter scissors. On Columbus Day Joann.com had a 50% off coupon for any item on the site. These gorgeous scissors are regularly $52. With my coupon they were only $26. They are so delicate looking and so beautiful. Gingher really makes a quality product.

My Lori Birmingham doily is turning out to be a quick stitch. It will look so pretty with the matching basket on it. Now I have to find a place in the house to put it. I will post a photo as soon as it is all done.

A Cozy Weekend At Home

It ended up being a rainy weekend here on the Central Coast of California. Hubby and I started yesterday by trying to beat the rain and taking Liesl to the beach. It was not to be, however, because the rain started to fall on our drive over. We found that little Miss Liesl does not like the rain and will do pretty much anything to avoid being out in it. She is our little sugar cube. LOL Since we were already out, we went off to Trader Joe's to pick up a few yummy treats to keep in the fridge. We were happy to be back home out of the rain, and settled in for the rest of the quiet weekend. Hubby even baked some yummy bread and made crab bisque for dinner.

The rain that we had was a really good one and much needed. Hubby and I went for a walk with Liesl early this morning. Everything just smelled so fresh and clean. The Central California dust was washed off of everything, so it all of the colors were so bright and vivid. The greens looked especially vibrant.

It was really nice to have the extra hour this weekend. It feels pretty decadent. It was nice to be home, watching the race and doing some stitching. I finished the stitching for the basket topper, but was not inspired enough to do the finishing for the actual basket. You have to be in a special mood for that. So now I am perusing the stitching instructions for the hardanger doily. It is really pretty. There are quite a few specialty stitches in both parts, but they are my favorites like the queen stitch.

I am glad that we got to relax and be cozy this weekend. Tomorrow is my first day of my working only at my new job. I am so excited.