Birthday Fun!

There is nothing like shopping with "free money".  My husband and I went to my favorite little town of Occoquan yesterday for my birthday and before we left home, he gave me $200.00 to shop with!  Let's just say, I didn't come home with much left in my pocket - LOL!  I got the cutest scarf (see picture).  It is little "yo yo's" stitched together.  It was pricey, and I hesitated for quite awhile - but it was too unique to pass up. I wore it today and got lots of compliments!  I also went to a neat store called Salt and Pepper. She sells cookbooks, fiction and mystery books that are "food themed", small kitchen/cooking items - puzzles that are food themed.. well, you get the picture. I bought a non-fiction book called "Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant".  I read this a long long time ago.  Wanted to "revisit" it as I enjoyed it back then... On to another cute shop where I bought two candles - in neat glass jars.  One is shaped like a snowman with the lid being his "hat"(just realized he is in the picture too)! One is cranberry/orange scented and the other is sugar cookie scented. Yummmo!!!  I went to ANOTHER shop I love and got a cute little christmas tree and some sweet little lights to put on it. A stop on the way home for chinese food and the day was done.  Enjoyed it immensely!  The whole time we were walking/running around the town, the wind was blowing so hard and it was super cold - but I loved it!

Blustery Day today...

...windy days invigorate me
....celebrating my turning 63
...lots of yarn shopping (and buying)
...lots of phone calls back and forth with my sister to talk about knitting
...lots of knitting and stitching the past weeks
...lots of reading and book browsing...

Hope your 2013 is happy, peaceful, and all you wish it to be....

Don't Stand Under the Mistletoe....

I forgot that I was supposed to send you all a picture of the design model I stitched when it was done! It is available now for sale - online and in your favorite needlework shop.  It is designed by Joanne of "Of Generations Past"...

Veterans Day....

A few years ago, when my parents were here for a visit, we went to the VFW Hall in one of the nearby towns. My Dad wanted to drop off a sign for them to hang on their wall - with the name of his VFW Hall in Ohio on it.. And he got one in exchange to take back home.  They invited us to come back for a little ceremony - where they were honoring World War II Vets. We had lunch and they gave some speeches. I took a picture of him while we were there.  It was a fun day and I'll keep that memory forever.

Coming Soon....

I'm busy stitching a model of a christmas design for my friend who designs under "Of Generations Past"....  As soon as I can, I'll show you a picture! It is a sweet design....

One Zany Bird....

has finally been finished and popped into a frame! I thought about getting "him/her" framed professionally - but with Christmas right around the corner and presents still to be purchased - I thought it best if I frame him/her myself.... He/she is a little crooked...but hey, it is a zany bird - so I figured I would just let it be that way! Now to find a spare spot on one of my walls - which is getting harder and harder every year! (the design is by Elizabeth's Garden)...

Useful things....

I saw this question asked on another blog I read, and wanted to ask all of you...
Do you collect anything useful?  For me it is coffee cups and umbrellas. I'm a total addict when it comes to those two things and have to physically stop myself from buying more (but many times I don't win that battle)!  And I'm going to start collecting little pairs of scissors!

Family Sagas....

Lately, I've been reading family sagas.  I had three going at one time!  Weird Sisters; The Arrivals; and Maine... I am really missing the characters now that I've finished these books. I was in B & N yesterday - trying to see if I could find another one along these lines - family sagas/sisters... but had no luck.  If you all have any suggestions, please pass them on to me! And if you are looking for something to read yourself, check out one - or all- of these titles!

And The Winners Are...

Jen won the "Emma Freedom Chart" and
Helen won the "Peace Chart"!

I'm contacting you by email....

GIVEAWAY TIME!

I am giving away two charts! Please note, they are marked up a bit as I had previously started them before deciding to not do them....

You can only enter for one chart - so make your decision!  Then leave a post saying which one you would like to be "entered for" - and an email address that I can reach you at if you win!

The one chart is "Peace" by Birds of a Feather. The other chart is "Emma Rose Freedom" by Tree of Life Samplings.  You can see both of these charts by looking on http://www.123stitch.com/ - my favorite online ordering shop!

I will be taking entries until Saturday - August 4th. I will do the drawing on Sunday, August 5th!

Colors Shining Through....

When I was growing up, my Mother used to call me a "little brown person"... Why? Because all I wanted to wear was brown clothes. I think I just didn't want anyone to notice me - didn't want to stand out.  As I grew up and older, I ventured into more colorful clothing. At one point, about the only colors in my closet were purple!  When I started stitching, I gravitated to the darker colors still.  I was really into primitive samplers. Then I found reproduction samplers and they became my new love.  I still stitch primitive ones, but mainly feel the pull towards the repro. I branch out now and then into samplers that are more modern.  But I still feel more at peace with the reproduction ones.  However, these days, I'm into ones that are much brighter! Ones that really pop out at you - ones that make you smile when you think about the little girl sitting there stitching them... picking out colors that are the brightest ones in the crayon box!  Several of the samplers I'm stitching now have bright pinks and peaches and reds and greens and blues in them - even pops of purple. What fun I'm having!! How about you? What colors do you feel yourself pulled towards?

Happy Fourth!!

A hot day....
An annual neighborhood 4th of July parade that came right by our house this year....
A trip to my favorite town of Occoquan (did I say it was hot)...
A new candle...
Some little bottles of bubbles that I was given at the tourist center...

Staying in for the rest of the evening - having dinner, reading my book, doing some stitching, watching some tv....

Hope you are having a good one!

Super Hot Day!!

And it will be hotter tomorrow!  I'm not a hot-weather fan - so I'm basically staying inside. I did venture out to the Post Office to mail a package. And then made a quick trip to the mall for a few things. It was even warm in there!

This afternoon will find me curled up with a book and some cross-stitching (not at the same time of course)!  What are you up to? Whatever it is - stay cool!

Tweet Tweet!

I love bird themed items - especially cross-stitch designs!  So when I saw "One Zany Bird" by Elizabeth's Designs, I knew I had to stitch her, or maybe him... I'm close to being finished! Can't wait to have this framed and hanging on my wall!

It Is Not My Fault!

It is Mary Kathryn's!  I read her blog... and the other day, she had a picture of a candle, in the sweetest jar... that she had bought at Target. So of course, yesterday, I had to run and get one too!  She bought "Pink Magnolia".  I wanted the "Lemon Verbena"... but the slot where it was supposed to be was empty!  Well, after looking and looking and moving many jars of various candles around, I found one!  And of course, while I was at it, I had to get this Red Velvet Cake one. It smells sooo yummy!  And then (and I'll blame my husband for this)... because when I went to find him, he was standing right next to a counter that had cocktail glasses of various types. I came home with these! He says... what are you going to do with them? I said, uh, drink out of them... ha!

They are normally for cordials or liquers... but I'm using them for juice and coke!

You Should Read This Book....

you may end up enjoying it as much as I did!  When I first tried "The Weird Sisters" by  Eleanor Brown awhile back, I couldn't get into it. It was my mood, I'm sure.  I decided to return it to the library, with a mental note to give it another chance one day.   About a week ago, I was wondering around B & N and I saw a hardbacked copy on the bargain table. Just one... and I knew it had been waiting for me. So I decided to give this book another chance - and I'm oh so happy I did!  It is a story about three sisters - Rosalind, who goes by Rose, Bianca (who goes by Bean) and Cordelia (who goes by Cordy).... Unlucky in work, love, and life, the Andreas sisters return to their childhood home. Each has a secret she is unwilling to share - each has come home to lick her wounds.  Oh, and their father, a renowned Professor of Shakespeare communicates almost exclusively in verse....

Pals for Peace....

I used to work at the library. Now I go in and volunteer every Tuesday. One of the library aides there was making these "dolls" - called Peace Pals. You can make one or two or more - and then they get sent off to various countries to promote peace.  I wanted to try one out. It turned out okay - but not, in my thoughts, good enough to send off!  But I didn't want to give her away anyway - so she is now on my bookcase in my room....  I just started one for my sister. This one should turn out better - as I now know what to do right and what I did wrong... If it turns out as well as I hope, then I will make some more to send away.... (the shawl isn't part of the pattern. I saw where someone else on the website made one, so I did too!)  The website is www.knitting4peace.org/index.php/patterns

And the Winners Are....!!

For "School Days" by Bright Needle - the winner is Susan in S.C.!

For "A Very Fine Sampler" by Birds of a Feather - the winner is Michele B.!

For "A Garden of Eerie" by Plum Street - the winner is Paula!

I will contact you via your email addresses. If you don't get the email for some reason, please email me at lindahuson@hotmail.com

ALSO - I will be doing another give-away in a couple of weeks or so - so stay tuned!

"Love" is in the air... or at least "in the frame"

I just finished "Love" by Birds of a Feather. I used DMC threads (making a few color changes along the way).  The fabric is by Lakeside.... possibly vintage sand dune.  Since it was so tiny, I decided to frame it myself. I really like the frame I found at Michaels today (on sale no less).  However, I wish I had left a little bit less fabric showing around the design.  But...all in all, it is cute!  And it is a finish!

It's A Give-Away!!

I'm giving away three charts!  Here is what you do....

Tell me which "one" of the three charts you would like to try and win - and then leave your email address - or a way for me to get in touch with you if you are the lucky winner!

The charts are:

Plum Street's "Garden of Eerie"

Birds of a Feather's "A Very Fine Sampler"

Bright Needle's "School Days".

You have until Sunday evening to leave your comments and then I will do the "drawings" on Monday!

Read It - You Might Like (love) it!

I just finished reading this! It had me glued to the pages! It is the third book in this series by Brad Parks. My husband read it first. He then asked - do you have any more books by this guy? That means...I really liked this book! So I went out and bought him "Eyes of the Innocent" the other day - and will be getting "Faces of the Gone" soon. I always like it when we both like the same books. It saves me a bit of money! Like a "two for one" deal... I figured out who "done it"... But then since I kept doubting myself through the entire book and changing my mind over and over again... I was still surprised at the end - LOL! A little blurb about it...
....Reading his own newspaper's obituaries, veteran reporter Carter Ross comes across that of a woman named Nancy Marino, who was the victim of a hit-and-run while she was on the job delivering copies of that very paper, the Eagle-Examiner. Struck by the opportunity to write a heroic piece about an everyday woman killed too young, he heads to her wake to gather tributes and anecdotes. It's the last place Ross expects to find controversy-which is exactly what happens when one of Nancy's sisters convinces him that the accident might not have been accidental at all...

If you like twists and turns and some comedy thrown in - you will like this book! It had me giggling out loud quite often!

Curly Whirlies....

I was hit by the bug to knit these scarves! I have about four on the needles, but these are the ones that are furthest along. Well, I had one other one, but there was a tragic accident - not really - the yarn just broke - so I started it over! And there isn't enough to even whet your appetite on that one!

New Stash!

I was going to take some photos of my new stash, but since I didn't think it would turn out well on this cloudy day, just imagine it instead... I got two reproduction samplers. One is Ann Smith Blockley 1834 by Milady's needle. And the other is Lois Marshall 1832 by Threads of Gold. One reason I was drawn to this one - my Mom's name is Lois - and this sampler is thought to be from a part of Ohio near where I grew up! So that was exciting. I still have to get linen for both of these - will do that next week. I also picked up two issues of Sampler and Antique Needlework magazine - both had some nice reproduction samplers in them that I liked quite a bit. This magazine is a hit or miss for me - this time, it was a big hit! And then I picked up a cute eyeglass cleaning microfiber cloth that has a reproduction sampler on it (hard to describe). It is by NeedleworkPress. I'm going to use it to clean my Nook! I wish I could find the chart for this sampler! Love it! (UPDATE - I did find the sampler and have put it on order - yipppee!). And above is a picture of the microfiber cloth. I found one place you can get it from (altho I'm sure there are others). It is Needle In A Haystack at 1-877-Haystac or email them at haystack@needlestack (hope that is right!

Helping my Daddy....

with the taxes.....

YUMMMM-EEEE

I really enjoy the following meal! I would have taken a picture, but since I always put waaay more cheese on top than it calls for... all you would have seen in the picture was a big blob of cheese!

You need vegetable oil

1 pound of Sweet Italian sausage (whatever brand you prefer)... I like using the store brand. Sometimes I can't get it and when I use something else, it doesn't quite taste the same to me. Altho the Johnsonville mild sausage I used last night was a good substitute...

You will need one onion - chopped

You will need 3 to 4 (or more) green peppers. You cut them in half - so whatever you need for your family. Note....leftovers are even more yummy the next day!

2 cups of your favorite spaghetti sauce (in a jar) or homemade if you prefer. I usually use the Prego Three Cheese or Four Cheese (can't remember the name)...

And about - as much shredded mozzarella cheese as you want. I use an entire package - probably about 8 ounces.

OK - take the casings off the sausage... then heat your oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Break up the sausage with your fingers before putting it into the skillet. As it is cooking, I use a spatula to turn it over several times. When it is mostly browned, I cut it up smaller with a knife and fork. Then put in your onion and cook some more - until the onion is tender. Put in a little bit of the cheese - and get it all melty - this is to add flavor of course - but to also bind the meat together.

The green peppers are not pre-cooked. They still have a crispness to them after baking. Put your cut in half peppers in a shallow baking dish (whatever size you need for however many peppers you are using).

Put the sausage mixture into each pepper. Then pour the entire jar of sauce over the top - and then sprinkle on more of the cheese on top. I use a lot!

Cover the whole pan with aluminum foil - and bake at 400 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes...

Eat!

Book Day!

When I'm not cross-stitching, I'm knitting. And when I'm not doing either of those, I'm reading... Sometimes, in one hour, I'll do all three! I just finished the second book (see above) in the Blackbird Sisters series by Nancy Martin. I had never heard of nor seen this series before. And with all the time I spend browsing in bookstores - and browsing for books online, that totally boggles my brain! I found out about it via one of the members of the yahoogroups bookgroup I run. I'm so happy I did! Three sisters - all of varying personalities.... likes and dislikes.... who get on each other's nerves at times - but who still share a strong bond.

If you like humor, engaging storylines and characters, love, and a bit of whackiness, you will love this series!

Hey Toto!

That is what these shoes make me feel like doing! Dorothy clicked them to get back home to Kansas. Maybe if I click three times, I'll get back home to Ohio!

Sampler Love - again....

I work on many cross-stitch designs...and enjoy them. There are a few , however, that make my heart sing. One of those is "Sally Spencer" by Birds of a Feather.... Every time I pick "her" up, I feel happy. I need to pick her up more often! Pardon the bad quality of the picture I took (well, I took many and this, believe it or not, was the best!). If you click on it, you can see the colors a bit better....

My Yellow-Ware collection....

Well, for wee folk that is!

Each day I stop in to read the posting at one of my favorite blogs "Notforgotten Farm"... It is such a delightful one!

One of these days, I'm going to get to Lori's shop. It isn't all that far from me afterall! And I totally enjoy stitching on her cross-stitch designs! Today she showed us pictures of her yellow-ware and asked us to post pictures of our collections. Well, here is mine! I only wish I could wave a magic wand and all of these pieces would be "big folk" sized!

Just Loverly....

I am having so much fun stitching this delightful design called "Love" by Birds of a Feather! Hope to have it finished soon - and then to the framers - and then on my wall!

Valentine's Day....

When I was a kid - it was bringing home tons of cards in the box that I had decorated with hearts and flowers...

As a first time wife - it was flowers and big heart-shaped ruffly boxes of chocolates....

As a second time wife - it has been years of...sometimes flowers, sometimes candy... sometimes something cute like a teddy bear... sometimes just going out to dinner...many times...nothing - not even a card...

After years of that happening and me ending up crying alone upstairs... I decided to face Valentine's Day in a different way. That way was to stop expecting or hoping for something. That way I couldn't be hurt... And some years it worked...some years it didn't.

This morning, I got up and opened a card I had saved from a dear friend. It arrived yesterday, but I saved it for today. I opened it and smiled... I looked at a heart shaped magnet on my refrigerator that says "Love". I received this from another dear friend this year... and I smiled...

I won't get anything from my husband this year - and you know what...I'm good with that! I'm over it.... When he came downstairs this morning, I said, there is a mouse in the mousetrap - Happy Valentine's Day - and I giggled! Maybe some years that is what it is all about - real life.

I'll celebrate Valentine's Day this year... in my own way - it is a day I've always loved - I think because I love heart shaped items so much... I'll celebrate it with the gift of all the dear friendships I have out there in the world... ones that warm my heart...

I've Gone to the Dark Side....

Last night, I started watching "The Bachelor".... two hours of it! Man there are some crazy women on there this year! Every year I say I'm not going to watch it. Some years, I haven't. Other years, I wait until he has weeded out a bunch of them and then start watching it.... After watching it last night, I will have to keep tuning in until it is over.... I'm hooked... I don't much care for the Bachelor guy this year, altho he is growing on me - very slowly.....like moss....

Hearts And Flowers....

Don't panic! You didn't miss Valentine's Day.... I'm just feeling happy right now - because this is the time of year when I go into the stores and see all kinds of heart themed items! I love heart themed items! This is a cup I bought a couple of years ago. Isn't she sweet....

Oh, another reason I like this time of year - it is almost time for NASCAR to start up again! Vroom Vroom!!

Gurgle gurgle - down the drain goes....

my soap opera "One Life to Live"! The last show aired last Friday... There were hopes that it would continue online - but that hope was lost a month ago.... And now all the actors are scattering to the winds - trying to find new jobs. I started watching One Life to Live many years ago - after my favorite soap was cancelled. That was "Another World". I sobbed and sobbed so hard while watching the last show. I think part of it was I had really come to love the characters - but a bigger part was the fact that my Mom watched it too - and we used to talk on the phone about it all!
I never came to care for One Life to Live as much - but I still liked it quite a bit - and teared up a few times on Friday. Since they thought it would continue online - the stories did not get "ended"... So now I will have to make up my own endings. I know that four of the characters are moving over to General Hospital - and possibly more will come on later. So I will start watching that now. Altho I haven't watched it since I was in high school - and that was really a long time ago! I remember rushing home from school so I could sit there and watch - LOL!

Baby, It's.....

well, it was rather nippy out there at the beginning of the week. But yesterday was pleasant and today even more so. Altho, I'm one of the people who really like cold weather over hot any day!! Even with it being 31 on Monday and the wind whipping around like crazy, I still got out for my walk. Felt like an ice cube when I got home - but I still felt energized!!

I went to the yarn shop today and picked up this pretty pretty shade of green yarn... What will it be? Why leaves of course! I'm going to knit a scarf of leaves... When I get a bit of it done, I will be sure and show you!