CHRISTMAS COMES TO SPINSTER'S CORNERS

That, of course, will be the title of my first book. Well, maybe not my first one, but surely there has to be some kind of sappy romance/holiday novel in there someplace?

I swore up and down that I wasn't going to do it this year. I swore that I would "LIVE EACH SEASON" and not rush the holidays and end up exhausted in February. I promised myself that I would enjoy Autumn and all it had to offer, patiently await Thanksgiving, and then slowly enjoy the approaching Christmas with all of its careful and thoughtfully presented merriment.

I caved. I went up into the studio and started playing around with Christmas-y colors and before you knew it, I had this:

So then my brain started whirring and I decided that I wanted to make something spectacular for Christmas....perhaps an eight foot by ten foot mural of the Nativity all done in tent stitch?

Fortunately for me, Laura J. Perin came to the rescue once again. I pulled out my LJP notebook and started flipping through the charts and discovered this:

It's from her Impressionist Collection and is called "Jewel Box". Her colorway is pink and green, but she says that you can USE WHATEVER COLORS YOU WANT TO right there on the chart! Woo Hoo! Permission to play!

I started working on this piece last Friday afternoon and I haven't put it down since. It is probably the most fun thing I have ever done in my entire life (and I have done some pretty fun things, let me tell you). I wanted to wait to reveal the finished piece, but since I'm rushing the holiday and all, I figured I'd let it rip:

Now before you write to me and ask what colors I'm using where, I must warn you that I don't have one damn clue! I didn't agonize, I didn't write anything down, I didn't think about it, I didn't check my stitchy books to see if it was right. I just sat right down with the chart and my basket of red and green threads and started stitching. I. Am. A. Genius.

Ooooops. Didn't mean to say that last thing out loud, especially since I really am NOT a genius since I didn't design this piece. But I sure am tickled with the results that are coming through, and I can't wait to see this beauty framed and hanging next to the tree.

Speaking of which.....I told myself that I was not allowed to decorate my house for Christmas this year since I didn't get the inside decorations put away until March 16th last year. I threw such a fit of disgust with myself that I decided to be grounded and not allow myself a tree this year.

Stewey, however, has completely changed my mind, since he showed me his little design notebook this morning that indicated the theme and schedule for this year's events. Apparently, I will be making pumpkin rolls tomorrow, Thanksgiving goodies on Wednesday, and then putting the tree up on Saturday.

The only thing I absolutely REFUSE to do is go out and buy more decorations. Every year I decide to "just re-do the tree once and for all" and I now have enough stuff to tart up a seventy-five foot spruce with balls to spare. So I promise to use whatever is parked in the garage, and I will try not to strangle my dog when he tells me that the tree top is just all wrong for this year's theme. I have GOT to stop letting him watch Martha Stewart in the afternoons.

BLESS ME FATHER, FOR I HAVE SINNED

I have been watching Notre Dame football since the age of five. My dad, a Notre Dame alum from the class of 1954 had two loves in his life....my mom and Notre Dame football. Every fall Saturday, we could look forward to a fire in the fireplace, Dad in his comfy chair, Mom in hers with needlepoint in her lap, and the dog under the coffee table. It was a way of life.

I graduated from Notre Dame in 1989, but my "real" senior class was the class of 1988. (I took a year off when Mom died.) If you follow college football, you know that Notre Dame won the national championship that year by beating West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl. I was there. 50-yard line tickets and everything.

Unlike most of the other people who graduated from Notre Dame, I don't actually know one damn thing about football, but I watched it anyway, since it seemed to be expected of me as a Domer. (You know....Domer. Golden dome?) Anywhoose, I dutifully attended as many games as I could, roasted the requisite number of tailgate wienies, and trudged my way up and down the stadium steps enough times to qualify me as a triathlete.

Things started to change for me, however, when the current Notre Dame quarterback, Jimmie Clausen announced his acceptance to ND at the College Football Hall of Fame and then went to the celebratory dinner in a Hummer limo. Then there were the usual stories about misbehavior off the field, and I found myself saying "Hmmm. Those boys certainly aren't like my classmates on the National Championship Winning team."

I don't know a thing about whether or not Charlie Weis is a good coach or not, and I have no opinion either way as to whether or not there should be a play off system in college football. What I do know is that for the first time in my 42 years on this planet I screamed myself hoarse today.

For the other team.

At first, it felt very odd. Then, I felt a little bit naughty. Finally, I went full throttle and decided that I wanted nothing more than Syracuse to beat the living daylights out of the Irish. At the beginning of the third quarter, I told Stewey that the score was going to be 24-23, Syracuse. And it was. When the clock ticked to 0:00 I jumped up and down and cried and clapped for the Syracuse team and their fired coach and their frozen fans who had come so far to watch their losing-record, 20 point-underdog team play Notre Dame at home -- and beat them on Senior Day.

And then, when the fired coach of Syracuse halted his post game press conference and shushed his team to pay respect to the Notre Dame Alma Mater, I cried again.

I lost something today. I think it's my rosy-colored glasses that had me believing that Notre Dame was a "special place" where winning wasn't everything and we were more than a football school. Now I'm not so sure. There is less and less talk about academics, or faith, or social contribution than there is about the dollars involved in bringing the team "back to glory".

The final straw for me was the shake down letter that I received from the Development Office. It was polite on the surface, but I couldn't help but feel that if I don't cough up my $5,000 next year, I will be a "lesser alumna"....one who doesn't REALLY feel the "Spirit of Notre Dame". (I watched the Sopranos. I know a shake down when I see it.)

So the bloom is off the rose. I am sad and lost and ashamed. I cheered against my team today and they lost. The seniors didn't get to celebrate anything on their last day in Notre Dame stadium, and there will now be months of speculation that the entire program needs re-vamping.

Next Saturday the Irish will travel to L.A. to take on USC. I'm pretty sure that the earth will stop revolving on its axis if I say anything remotely positive about the Trojans, but methinks it will be a lot easier this year to watch Notre Dame get its proverbial ass kicked. Again.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Back to our regurlarly scheduled programming. Soon. Very soon.

ON HIATUS

Nothing new to report. Sorry kids. I will be away from the blog for a few days, so talk amongst yourselves and don't have any fun until I get back. Ciao!

I DON'T LIKE NOVEMBER 12TH VERY MUCH

Today is the 21st anniversary of my mom's passing. This means that she has now been gone for over half of my life. I don't like this day very much.

I did quite a bit on Lilly last night, but I think I'm going to put her away for a little while and get back to some autumnal colors. It's cold and rainy here today, so I want to light a fire in the fireplace and cozy up to something fall-like.

FRAMED!

Woo Hoo Michael's coupon! I have a jar in which I save all of my loose change. Well, that sucker was emptied out and traded in for framing for three of my finished projects. The top one is a Shepard's Bush kit, the middle is from Little House Needleworks, and the bottom is another Shepard's Bush kit. I'm just tickled pink with all three!

AND A GRAND TIME WAS HAD BY ALL

The Stitcher's GetAway Weekend is officially over. Chrissy and I returned home on Sunday afternoon in the cold sleety rain wishing that we could have stitched for another week or two. (I would guess, however, that the other ladies on the adventure were quite happy to see us go...we are definitely better in small doses.)

The ladies that attend this event are definitely hard-core stitchers and I have to confess to being in complete awe of every single one of them. The pieces they were working on were just incredible, and if I weren't well medicated I would have run from the room in tears. I'm just a semi-pro, don't you know, so the sight of all of that talent is overwhelming.

I sat next to Miss Kathy, who worked on a fabulous floral that was stitched in bright, cheery colors. She described a treatment that she wanted to do for the stems (twisted Frosty Rays couched with Accentuate) and the results were exactly what she had described! I was doing happy dances all over the place for her, since these stems were absolutely perfect on this canvas.

I wish I would have photographed all of the ladies and the pieces they were working on...there was everything from Christmas ornaments to a fabulous rug (woo hoo for making the half-way point!). Each project was more lovely than the next and I could have looked at them for a week and a half to get inspired.

The first time I attended this event I spent three days fretting over my total lack of stitchy skills. The second time, I put my head down and just stitched. This time, I combined both, but decided to LEARN from the other attendees rather than be intimidated by them. You see, these women are the nicest, funniest, most generous stitchers you can imagine, and if you admire their work and ask them about it they are only too happy to help you.

So I realized that I am perfectly capable of continuing on with my stitchy career and that all I need is a little confidence, a little encouragement, and a few weekends away with Miss Theresa and all of her Stitching Ladies.

I managed to finish Miss Laura J. Perin's "Grandma's Flower Garden" in my funky colors:And, since Laura was kind enough to send along a retreat project called "Holly and Ivy" I know what my next project will be! I have decided that I simply must have a LJP project going at all times or all is not well with the universe.

I also worked on "Lilly Frog". This will be assembled into a stuffed creature once it's finished. I am working with all Splendor here and just LOVING it! Thanks to Miss Pat, I was able to do about a billion french knots for Lilly's lips (the dark pink parts that will come together in assembly):
You know, for an entire weekend of stitching, it sure doesn't look like I got very much done! But I had a wonderful time and really truly appreciated all of the camaraderie and laughs! Thank you, ladies....who's betta' than you?

OFF LIKE A HERD OF TURTLES!

We're off to our Stitcher's Getaway Weekend with Miss Theresa of Homestead Needlearts! This time, we'll be traveling to Port Huron, MI to the Thomas Edison Inn. Woo Hoo!

My clothing bag isn't packed yet, but I did get my stitchy stuff all ready to go (priorites, don't you know).
Stewey decided to camp out in his apartment this morning. (Yes, I know. It's a cage. But we call it an apartment to avoid any negative images of being locked up.) I don't usually put him in his apartment, but I leave it out so that he can go in if he wants to.

Nanny will be here, so Stewey is very excited. She actually PLAYS with him (gee, like I don't) and I think she also takes him for long walks (OK. So. I'm one for two.) He also insisted that I point out WHICH treats he gets WHEN! If he doesn't have his Greenie and three little biscuits for breakfast it throws his whole day off. And God forbid he doesn't get the proper night night snack or there is puppy hell to pay. I'm just hoping that I don't come home to PeePolooza and that he minds his manners.

That's it for me....better go pack some clothes or it's pajamas and slippers all weekend! (Would that BE so wrong?)

MORE FIRE!

I know that a lot of you asked to see the results of me setting my hair on fire:

Oh, I know. I'm just being silly. But this is what Stewey and I are doing this afternoon....sitting in the living room watching the fire. The gentleman that owns that "pasture" behind me gathers up all of his yard stuff and then burns it once a year. In about an hour or so all of his grandkids will come over to roast wienies and marshmallows. I don't mind this so much, but today is rather blustery, so all of the smoke is coming my way. Makes it a little difficult to breathe and when Stewey comes back in from going outside he smells like a bowling alley. Sigh.

I really thought that I would finish my LJP piece last night, but Stewey had other ideas. He decided that I just hadn't given him proper attention all day yesterday, so stitching time was going to be devoted to BALL! This dog loves his balls, lemme tell ya. (Oh, don't you even...) The weirdest thing is that he can actually identify each of them by color despite the fact that I thought dogs were supposed to be color blind. He also knows the names of each of his toys, so if I say "Go find Sheila", he comes back with his little stuffed spider. Norman is the squirrel, Petunia is the pig, Paul is the pumpkin....you get the idea. I figure the dog is either really really lucky and picks the toy that I just happened to ask for, or he's a genius and I'll wake up someday to find that he has re-arranged my stock portfolio and taken charge of all of my affairs. Can a dog GET power of attorney?

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Beans! I misnamed one of the projects in my ON DECK basket and now I feel like a boob! The piece by Laura J. Perin in which I am going to use the Watercolors "Teak" is called "Autumn Haze" NOT "Autumn Splendor". I. Am. Too. Stupid. To. Stitch.

This is one of her Stitcher's Challenge charts that is listed under Free Charts on her website.

Sorry, kids. I'll go fix it on the actual entry (that is if I can figure out how to outsmart this damn manchine).

OK, I JUST HAVE TO SAY IT

Now, anybody who knows me knows that I would rather show you slides of my latest colonoscopy than talk politics, but I just had to confess.....

Did anybody else get all choked up and cry like a dork when they pulled into their respective polling place and saw the gajillions of peoples lined up to vote?

I swear, I wanted to hold hands with everybody and sing "American the Beautiful".

Regardless of the results or what your political affiliations might be, methinks it was really something to see so many people get out there and participate.

OK, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

BATTER UP!

In addition to my WIP basket, I also have an "ON DECK" basket. Since I am such a seasonal stitcher, I empty this sucker out about four times a year and fill it with projects that I think I'll be in the mood to stitch. I am definitely still in an autumnal mood, so I selected some charts that might not have called for autumnal colors, but that would be easily adapted. (I talked to Miss Laura J. Perin Her Very Self about this issue and she assured me that it's OK to change colors and textures to your heart's content! Woo Hoo!)


Rather than bore you with every single project in my basket, I pulled a few to show:This is a free chart that I printed from the Laura J. Perin website. It's called "Grandma's Flower Garden". The colors are supposed to be springy and fresh, but I decided to start with Watercolors "Kelp" and go from there (see above re: changing colors to one's heart's content). This is a little guy....only 8X8, so I should have him finished tonight or tomorrow.

Next up is another LJP freebie called "Autumn Splendor". *****AAAACCCKKKKK******No, it's NOT called "Autumn Splendor" you BoBo...it's called "Autumn Haze"! This one was a no brainer for me, since I have wanted to do something with the WC "Teak" that's been burning a hole in my stash pocket. I LOVE that thread. And I love that you can put purple and orange together with it and look like a color genius:

I'm really excited about this next one. It's from designer Orna Willis, and will be my first of her designs. I opted for her to kit it for me, and the threads are gorgeous silks:

Yup. I'm in a total canvas state of mind these days, so most of what I want to work on is either counted canvas or painted. Like this one from Raymond Crawford:

Now before you panic that I'm going to try this one on my own, please take a deep breath and relax. I was smart enough to ask Miss Theresa at Homestead NeedleArts to write a stitchy guide for me so that I won't fumble through it and mess it up.


Speaking of Homestead....Chrissy and I will be attending the Stitcher's Getaway this weekend. We were invited to go last year in the fall and then again in the spring. My first outing was a complete disaster.....I took about six hundred projects and spent the entire weekend pulling them out of my basket, looking at them, trying to figure out what to stitch, sighing heavily, and then putting them back again. I thought Chrissy was going to smack me. I don't think I put one stitch into anything that time, but I learned my lesson. For the spring retreat, I took six projects (two cross stitch, two LJP's, and two painted canvases) and I managed to finish two of them without giving anybody (including me) a nervous breakdown. Hey. You live and you learn.


I think that I also learned that I don't have to suck the oxygen out of every room I enter. I have a ridiculously bad habit of chattering like a monkey whenever I get nervous. And considering I'm usually nervous in public (because I'm terminally shy, don't you know), I tend to babble on like an idiot until somebody tells me to just shut the hell up already. (That's usually Chrissy's job, but she does it in a much more loving and diplomatic way, I promise you.) So this year I am going to try to take a breath and just enjoy myself without getting my panties in a wad over being with "people". I mean, after all, these are my stitchin' peeps, so I should just feel calm and zen-like in their presence and go with the flow, right? We'll see how I do.....


Stewey is exhausted today. He insisted in watching the election coverage since his main concern was whether or not there would be a new puppy in the White House. Not only does it look like there will be, but President-Elect Obama made reference to it in his speech. Stewey is hoping for a Jack Russell terrier, but I told him not to get his hopes up. And yes, he is a completely non-partisan pup and equally loves Barney and Miss Beasley. (Especially Miss Beasley. How could you NOT love a dog with a name like Miss Beasley?!!)

"Whew. The world is always a much better place when there is a First Pup in the White House."

THE STITCHIN SPINSTER SISTERS' HALLOWEEN (AND THEIR LITTLE DOGS TOO)

It all started innocently enough....I awoke to a crisp Fall morning full of anticipation. After coffee and the paper I channelled my inner Ina and made a delicious roasted vegetable soup:

"Chrissy will love this", I thought as I lovingly peeled and chopped and roasted and stirred. "This will be a wonderful healthy soup we can have with sandwiches after the boys are done Trick or Treating." So I stirred and tasted and tasted and stirred and decided that it needed just a little kick for a nice robust finish. (More on this later).

At 4 o'clock on the dot Stewey and I arrived at Aunt Chrissy's with our Halloween costumes in tow and Mommie's camera at the ready. There was some tizzy-fitting going on in the car seat as we drove the 7/10 of a mile to Aunt Chrissy's, and I quickly determined what the problem was.

Stewey had decided that his lady bug costume was just too blah for his liking, so he decide to embellish it a little bit:I have absolutely nothing to say about this other than the fact that I've grounded him from Target and taken his credit card away.

Bosco, of course, was a good boy and decided that his pirate costume that HIS Mommy picked out ROCKED!:

You'll notice that he didn't feel it necessary to do anything other than put his little costume on and go see his buddy Mr. Joe next door.

We had six and a half minutes of pictures and then a lot of bitching and complaining and then we had two pouty, sweaty dogs who felt that the standard treats for the day just sucked. I suppose that we should have thought this one through a little better, but methinks Aunt Chrissy and I were too busy peeing ourselves watching Stewey in his wig.

Back to Chez Spinster for a lovely dinner of soup and sandwiches (see above). Sadly for Aunt Chrissy, the little kick that I decided to add threw her right into a full-blown heartburn attack and she was miserable for the rest of the night. OK. So. Who knew that six full tablespoons of hot Hungarian paprika was just a little TOO much kick?

Up to the studio we went for Craft Night Gone Awry! I had studied a rather cute project on the Martha show earlier in the week and methinks we actually pulled it off this time! The secret was the $10 jar of Martha glitter. Yup. $10. But this woman knows her glitter, let me tell you. It's powder fine and gorgeous (as far as glitter is concerned), and we'll be picking it off our faces for three weeks. Here are the results of our labor:

Aunt Chrissy's pumpkin is on the left. Isn't it just the cutest? The black things are glittered spiders and she twisted wire to make the stems. The thing on the right is supposed to be a pumpkin carousel. See the little witches flying around in the center? There is supposed to be black moss in the base of it, but it's still out in the garage "drying" and infesting everything I own with paint fumes. The thing in the center is just a little goofy thing that resulted in me needing something to stick the stuff into to wait for it to dry....cute, eh?

When we finished up for the night we both wondered if we would look at these things in the light of day and be totally embarrassed that two grown-ass women did them and not some sugared-up bunch of kindergartners. Well....in looking at the pics, methinks we'll just tell people that we bought these from a grade school craft sale and be done with it.

I finished my DebBee's Diamond Delights III tonight while watching "All the President's Men" on TCM. I had never seen this movie before (don't know why exactly), but I was riveted! I suppose that it helps that Chrissy and I took advantage of early voting here in Hoosierville today and we went to cast our votes. So here I sit, feeling all patriotic-like. Oh, sorry. Forgot the pic of the finished piece:

Man 'o manachevitz, but I wish I could take a decent photograph. This things is GORGEOUS, if I do say so myself. In the center of each of the little boxes in the background are pretty autumnal beads. Then, the center has a beaded "X" that I managed to kinda' knot in the middle. If you are looking for a FUN! and autumn-y project to do, this one rocked.

Whew! Sorry for the length of the post tonight, kids. Hope y'all had a splendid weekend! I'm off to the flannel sheets with a warm puppy. And, no. The wig is not allowed.

A CAUTIONARY TALE

I give you Exhibit A:This is my stitching light. Now before you get all superior-like and tell me that that is NOT a stitching light, but rather a re-purposed desk light...I know. But I love this light. I have stitched with this light since the day I started stitching. It looks ridiculous in my living room, and I don't care. It's my stitching light.

You might also notice my glasses in the pic (they're on top of the canvas). These are "cheaters" that I purchased at Borders with a 40% off coupon and I love them. They make me look interesting. And very very smart.

You wanna' know how smart I am?

I set my hair on fire tonight with my stitching light and my spiffy glasses. Yes. That's right. Hair. On. Fire.

When you were a little kid, did you ever take a magnifying glass outside and set ants on fire? (Of course you didn't, but you heard about it, right?) Well, if you understand that concept (which apparently, I did not), you can achieve the very same results with a desk lamp and some 2.0 magnifying glasses parked on top of your head because you just had to watch the last four minutes of "Lipstick Jungle" without the distraction of glasses on your nose.

Please allow me to summarize: Sniff sniff. What the $#* !!! Stewey, Mommie's on FIRE! Quick, Stewey, call 9-1-1 just like they taught you in Puppy School! Oh wait, what am I talking about? You flunked Puppy School because you simply refused to remove yourself from being attached to my neck and you thought the other puppies were smelly and ill-mannered. Water! I need to put water on the fire! Oh why can't I have my usual glass of water on the table?! Why did I have to decide to stop drinking water after 6pm because I'm so tired of getting up to pee every six minutes during the night! Oh no! I was going to color my hair this weekend! I wonder if the FIRE will affect the ability for the color to get rid of the grey! FIRE! I! AM! ON! FIRE!

So I ran into the kitchen and stuck my head under the faucet for a full ten minutes. Crisis over, but the smell will linger, I'm sure.

"Mommie? Can I go live with Aunt Chrissy? I don't think this is a very good situation for me. Besides, when you go into assisted living, I want to make sure that somebody is managing the estate properly. I already know you're blowing my college fund on stitching, so perhaps this would be best."

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A COUPLE OF NUMBERS MAKE

When I was pulling threads for this project, the LNS didn't have the called for colors in stock. For the orange, DebBee calls for DMC920. Well, me being the stitchy genius that I am, I figured that I could pull DMC922 and everything would be just fine. Tomato, tomahto.

WRONG.

For those of you out there shaking your heads at my stupidity, please don't blame my stitchy sensei, Chrissy. From the very beginning, she has warned me against guessing about color, especially about DMC color. Numbers really don't mean anything, and if you think DMC922 is the same as or close enough to DMC920, you'll spend the evening looking at DMC922 wondering why it's just too damn bright for the project that you are so lovingly stitching. And, unless you're my BSSFF* Chrissy and you can actually see all of the DMC colors in your head, you're much better off actually looking at the darn color chart or the skein itself for a color check.

So I frogged all of the orange out of the piece and headed up to the studio to see if I had a ball of DMC#8 perle in 920. I didn't. BUT! I did have a skein of #5 perle and I figured that it just might work. It did. As is evidenced by the lousy pic above, the rhodes stitches in the center are now a deeper and richer orange, which happens to look much better with the variegated Watercolors. (You'll have to trust me on this...it's o'dark hundred here and I just can't wait until tomorrow to share my wisdom.) The ball in the lower left is the dreaded DMC922. Duh.

So I've learned my lesson and I promise not to get color cocky again. I'll still switch and play and put things together as I damn well please, but I won't substitute until I know for sure that the color will actually work. There. I promised and everything.

I do, however, like the canvas showing through in between the orange rhodes stitches in the brown floss area. I'm supposed to fill it in with orange floss, but I'm thinking I might leave it open? (Oh, there I go again, getting all mavericky with it!) I think I'll finish the piece and then go back to see if it will need something there. As for that center, I pulled out the waffle stitch and will put the beaded "X" that's called for in the chart. See....I can be a rule follower if I need to be.

The next time I talk with my BSDFF* Laura J. Perin I'll have to ask her if she wants to smack people in the head when they change things on her designs. I mean, she's the PROFESSIONAL for cryin' out loud, so why would we feel compelled to mess with perfection? But sometimes I love playing with different colors or textures and I secretly hope that she would be pleased with my choices. Either that, or I'm probably offending the living daylights out of her, but because she is just the very nicest person on the whole planet, she would never say so. Oh, now I'm going to fret about this all night.

Now before I forget......Happy Diwali! I was on the phone for three hours today with all of my new BICF's* from HP in India. To kill time while we were waiting for my printer to actually print something, I made pleasant conversation with whomever was stuck listening to me. Turns out that today is a festival day in India called Diwali. Apparently it involves a lot of fireworks, crackers, and new clothing. The best part is that I kept wishing everybody I talked to a "Happy Vivaldi" until one of my new friends spelled it for me and laughed at my silly American accent. Oh well, you can't blame a girl for trying a little international diplomacy now, can you?

Off to bed. Stewey is already warming the sheets and will start to wonder where I've gotten myself off to!

BSSF = Best Sister Stitchy Friend Forever
BSDFF = Best Stitchy Designer Friend Forever
BICF = Best Indian Computer Friend

PLEASE PASS THE MRS. BUTTERWORTH'S

It was waffle night at Chez Spinster. As you can see, I completed the outer border of waffle stitches. These were done in Watercolors "Burnt Toast" and I loved every single one of them. What a fun stitch! I also started on the outer/outer border before turning out the lights.

Stewey was feeling a little poorly last evening, so he put himself to bed about 8:30. He was so excited to learn that it would snow, but then fell into a fit when it didn't last more than three minutes. He is so ready to go out and make that first snowman. Methinks I could wait just a little longer, however, since the fall colors are still seeping into the living room in the afternoons and making me very happy. "Please let me sleep, Mommie. I have the sniffles and need my beauty rest."

WHEW!

WHEW! I finished the fern stitches in the outer border only to discover that a few of them were supposed to be a little wider than the others. Now, if I had been a good stitcher and read the chart carefully, I would have seen the part where Miss DebBee Her Very Self TELLS me to be careful since a few of the fern stitches in the outer border are a little wider than the others. Sigh.

So I frogged and then had a mild panic attack when I realized that I was almost out of the Kreinik! What's a Spinster Stitcher to do? Well, this Spinster Stitcher dumped out the ort holder and found every single little scrap of fiber she could and managed to make it with this much to spare: _____. Woo Hoo!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood today and methinks this will be the very last shot of fall color. So I'm going to get out there and see if I can enjoy it for a few moments more. I'd promise pics, but y'all know that I am just about the most craptastic photographer out there, so I won't hurt you with any pitiful attempts. Ciao!

I'LL GET YOU, MY PRETTY...AND YOUR LITTLE USB PORT TOO!

If sheer determination counted for anything, I would be a petite blond triathlete and would have my very own line of "stitch wear" clothing for the "active needlewoman lifestyle". I am so determined not to let this *%$&@# computer get the best of me that it took me all of the morning to figure out how to get the pic out of the camera and onto this here screen. Must. Press. On. Must. Not. Let. Silly. Technology. Kill. My. Will. To. Live.

But I regress....

Here's last night's stitchy progress on the DebBee's "Diamond Delights III". I finished the inner border and started on the fern stitches in the outer. These ferns are done in Kreinik, and I have to confess that I'm not hating it. (Note to self: check status of Kreinik stash and consider buying more.)

Chrissy and I watched the Notre Dame game and then had the First Annual Stitchin' Spinster Sisters John Travolta International Film Festival. We started with "Grease" and then progressed to "Saturday Night Fever". We only got about fifteen minutes into "Staying Alive" before Chrissy called it quits and went home. Now, despite the fact that I am a relatively "normal" and pop-culturally aware 42-year old person, I confess to never having seen "Saturday Night Fever" or "Staying Alive". I was a bit captivated by the white suit, but totally went right over the edge with the longer hair and chiseled jaw line of "Staying Alive". I did manage to hit the "record" button because Chrissy promises me that there is a loin cloth involved. (I'll watch later when I have sufficiently calmed down from my morning computer tizzy-fit.) May I just say....Mr. Travolta, you are indeed what this spinster needed on a cold autumn evening. Woo Hoo!

SO MUCH FOR MY CAREER AT BEST BUY

Sorry, kids. For the last three days I have been a) fighting with this silly box on my desk trying to get it to just understand me and b) making lots and lots of friends at HP in India. (Hi, Raj! Hi Benizir! Hi Mohatma!)

Anywhoose, I have no idea why you just can't push a button and do what it is you need to do at any given moment of the day. I mean, come on, my microwave knows that when I push the "Add Minute" button it means that I need the remaining three sips of joe to be searing hot enough to motivate me out of the Happy Chair for the day, so why can't this freakin' computer just understand my need to connect with all of my stitchy friends on a daily basis?

Silly machines.

So no stitchy news or pics for you today, my pwitties. I vow to return on Monday morning armed with a new attitude and a copy of "Vista for Dummies" if it's the last thing I do.

If you don't hear from me, please call Mr. H and Mr. P and tell them that they can retrieve their crap off of my front lawn and that I will expect a full apology from the damn Geek Squad member that sold me this paperweight. In writing, please. And don't forget the chocolate bon bons and flowers.

(Now THERE'S an idea! Why not send your customers bon bons whenever you invent something that makes their lives MISERABLE and NOT WORTH GETTING OUT OF THE SLEIGH BED FOR! Wouldn't bon bons make it all better? Wouldn't they?)

BESTILL MY CHOCOLATE HEART

OK, so I just couldn't go to bed without sharing a story. About chocolate.

Several years ago I took the train into Chicago to the Borders bookstore on Michigan Avenue. Dr. Andrew Weil was there for a reading from his latest book on food and I wanted to see him live and in person. (I think the title of the book is "Eating for Optimal Health", but that would require me to go find it and I'm just not gunna'.)

Dr. Weil is the guy that promotes integrative healing and does a lot of PBS shows about healthy living, etc. He kinda' looks like Santa Claus. (Yup. You guessed it. I have a MAJOR thing for Santa Claus, but that's another story for another day.)

I always thought Dr. Weil would be this portly fellow and kind of a hippie/dippy type, but when he walked onto the stage I about fell outta' my chair. He was dressed in a gorgeous dark suit and positively GLOWED with health. I mean it. The guy was lean and graceful and had the most beautiful skin and hair and smile. He just looked like he was the healthiest person to walk the face of the earth. I could have listened to him talk about food and health all day long. He was very interesting and approached his topic from both a medical as well as philosophical perspective. I was smitten.

So after his reading and a rather lengthy Q&A, he takes one last question from the audience. "Dr. Weil. What is the one food that you would eat daily to achieve optimal health?"

Without missing a beat he said (and I quote, because it has become my mantra): "I eat a one ounce piece of good quality dark chocolate every single day. Nothing could be better for you."

I thought the place was going to collapse from the applause.

So anywhoose.....I get in line to get my book signed by Dr. Andrew Weil His Very Self and as I approach the table I reach into my purse and pull out a Hershey's Kiss (they didn't have dark chocolate then) and I placed it on the table in front of him and he said "Will you marry me?" with the most twinkly eyes I have ever seen. Ever.

I've never been the same since and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Oh, and PS....I had my one ounce today. And then some.

INTO THE NIGHT

Last night's stitching was Shepherd's Bush "Into the Night". As you can see from the pic above, I finished four motifs before hitting the hay. This was such a nice change of pace from the canvas work...small and easy to hold and no tugging whatsoever! It was interesting, however, to transition from 18ct. canvas to 32ct. linen! This linen is called "Murky Pond" and is really lovely and splotchy. Yummy.

Speaking of yummy.....am I the only person on the planet who buys 18 bags of Halloween candy and then eats every bit of them because she doesn't have any trick or treaters? Oh well, I'm not going to fret over it. According to Catholic University in Campobasso, Italy, dark chocolate is actually very good for you and should be consumed every day for maximum health benefits. And since Dad's "people" come from Campobasso, I intend to follow this as a direct order. Woo hoo!

SPINSTER BLISS PART DEAUX

When we were kids, our mom had a sign in the house that said "A Full Cupboard Bespeaketh a Generous Heart". (She also had one that said "Love One Another" that she thought said "Love Thy Mother" until we advised her otherwise, but that's another story for another day.)

Now, I'm not sure what it is about a stocked fridge that gives me such comfort, but I am thrilled to report that after some scrubbing, tossing, shopping, and organizing, I am ready to entertain the masses. I carefully planned some menus, wrote a grocery list, clipped coupons, and stayed within budget to get:

I know it's hard to tell from the pic, but there is only really really healthy stuff in here. Really.

What prompted this was a new show on which Rocco DeSpirito goes into people's homes to teach them to cook a meal for a loved one. This show invariably starts with Rocco checking out the fridge and I immediately felt compelled to get myself in good order in the event that Rocco should happen to drop by. (Now if Rocco shows up with Ina Garten and Robert Irvine in tow, we won't have to worry about my fridge because I'll drop dead on the very spot, but that's totally beside the point. I know.) So needless to say.....I'm ready for my Food Network closeup.

And while we're on the subject of bliss, I thought I would share another of Mom's needlepoint pictures. This one hangs in my bedroom, just over my reading chair. It ranks #2 on the list of items I would grab in the event of disaster (Stewey being #1), and I look at it and love it every single say. The girl's face and hands are in petit point and the rest in in continental stitch. Again....not what you would see today, but still treasured nonetheless.

Here's my stitchy progress from last night. I think I need to put this one down for a day or so since my fingers are getting beat up from the canvas and my arms are tired from trying to hold this sucker. (Still haven't figured out how to use that damn floor stand with the Happy Chair yet. Methinks one day I will need to get a proper stitching chair and learn to sit like a grown up human being.) The center is complete....all done in Waterlilies "Burnt Toast". I loved the stitch (a sprat's head, I think?), and I even managed to finish them all and watch the Duggar family all at the same time.

Another pretty day here in Hoosierville. So pretty, in fact, that Stewey decided to go for a little Dora the Explorer adventure during his morning constitutional. I found him on a neighbor's front walkway just enjoying the breeze. Damn dog. If one more neighbor catches me out in my pajamas and slippers I swear they're going to throw me outta' here.

SPINSTER BLISS

If I could carry a tune, I suppose that I would be dancing about the house singing something perky at the top of my lungs. Maybe "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" or something like that.

This Spinster had a wonderful weekend. It all started with that damn flu shot on Thursday, which meant that I was in jammies all day Friday. Chrissy kept me company and we watched movies and stitched. Our favorite was "The Holiday", and we determined that Chrissy is definitely the English cottage type and I'd be wonderfully happy in the L.A. house. It was so good that we watched it again on Saturday night! We also watched "Infamous" ( I can't figure out if it's Truman Capote that I'm fascinated with, or the overall story of his relationship with Perry Smith. Either way, methinks a trip to Borders is in order to learn more). Movie night ended at 3:30am with "Sex and The City". Mr. Big, be still my spinster heart.

Saturday dawned and my little sister showed up armed with Sonic breakfast and the will to help me clean out the garage and put the gardens to bed. She did all the heavy lifting and I made a trip to Goodwill with all of the crap that's been accumulating on the garage floor. (I swear it breeds and multiplies in there.) Needless to say, you can find me standing at the garage door gazing upon the organized loveliness. Heavy contented sigh. The Saturday mail delivered a SURPRISE for us, and we were just blown away. Formal thank yous are forthcoming, but just let me say to the sender......YOU ARE THE VERY BEST PERSON IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD AND WE LOVE YOU!

One of the best things about my little house is that it's surrounded by trees that are now in their full Autumnal glory. My living room in particular gets lovely light and Stewey is just basking in the morning sun. A happy warm puppy that smells like cookies and snuggles under the covers is highly recommended for whatever ails you. So my stitchy project is coming along very nicely and I have to say that I am somewhat amazed at how much fun I'm having. To look at the pic on the cover of the chart, you'd think that this involves a lot of hair pulling and swearing, but quite the opposite is true. Very very fun. Besides....it uses one of my all time favorite threads: Watercolors Burnt Toast. Methinks this one is going to be simply splendid once finished. I'll leave you with a pic of my little tableau. Sorry about the BIG WHITE WALLS! I just can't seem to get around to putting some color up there. Never fear...someday.

DAMN, DRAT, AND PHOOEY

Sorry, kids. I'd love to show you stitchy pics or regale you with the latest Stewey news, but I got my flu shot yesterday. And, if you're me, that means that today has been spent feeling like I've been hit by a train. Repeatedly.

Don't cry for me Argentina. I've started the new DebBee's Diamond Delights III and think it's just wonderful. AND! I've filed all of my BSFF's Laura J. Perin charts into a wonderful binder that I am now going to take to bed with me (like Linus' blanket).

But first Aunt Chrissy is going to plant me in the Happy Chair with a cup of tea, You've Got Mail on the TeeVee, and a warm soft pup for company.

Stay tuned!

A POST FROM MASTER STEWEY ANGUS WILLOWSWAMP HIS VERY LITTLE SELF

My mom can't come to the blog right now. She's too busy meeting with the carpenter that's going to widen all of the doorways in our house to accommodate her big fat head. She's been dancing around the house since last night in her big girl underpants and moo moo singing something about being queen of the universe. I haven't seen her this happy since I peed on the bathroom scale and fried its little brain.

So last night we were settled in the Happy Chair getting ready for some stitchy fun when the phone rang. I would have answered it, but ever since I got caught dialing 1-900 numbers, I'm grounded. So Mom picks up the phone and before I knew it, she knocked me off the chair and started bouncing around the room like her heiney was on fire.

The caller was Ms. Laura J. Perin Her Very Self. Nope. I'm not kidding. I snuck into the bedroom to pick up the extension, but I'm sorry that I did. My mother made such a boob of herself and babbled on like a freakin' idiot. I was embarrassed for her, but there was no way to tell her to just SHUT UP! So Mom and Ms. Laura J. talked and talked and I decided to just listen in to see if the conversation would turn to me.

Just when I was about to give up all hope, Ms. Laura J. told my mom that she thinks I should be allowed to be a ladybug for Halloween! I LOVE YOU AUNTIE LAURA! I was so thrilled that I practically peed the bed with delight that my dream, at last, would come true.

When they hung up, Mom trotted into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of champagne from the fridge. She's not normally allowed to open champagne without adult supervision, but I couldn't get back to phone in time to call my Aunt Chrissy. I swear the cork just about put my eye out!

I was sooo tired, but I just couldn't get the old lady to settle down and go to bed. I finally gave up at about 3am and headed for the sack to get some shut eye. I think Mom made it to bed shortly after that, because the snoring started at about 4:00 and didn't let up until I woke her up to let me out to go potty. Stupid Mommy. Doesn't she know not to celebrate things on weeknights?

As if all of this weren't bad enough, today I found a note taped to my pillow asking me to blog about Mom's latest Happy Dance. (As if we didn't' have enough dancing around here last night!)

This is a painted canvas by the artist John Johansen. Mom started this all the way back in 2006 and finally finished it last night. This one gave her a lot of angst because she decided early on to do it all in tent/half-cross/continental/basketweave stitch. She got about 3/4 of it done and started to doubt the decision to keep it simple and let the fibers show detail and texture. Well I happen to think it turned out beautifully, but I'm just a simple puppy. Methinks Mom should frame this and hang it in the dining room near Grandma's pieces. Here's a little detail snap:Well, that's about it for today. Mom has gone back to bed for a nap and I think I'm going to go find a patch of sunshine myself. I hope you're all well and that you have a wonderful day! Thank you all for being so nice to my mom and making her feel so special....it sure makes my job a whole lot easier! Ciao!

I'M A RULE BREAKER, YES I AM

Woo Hoo! My BSFF Laura J. Perin nominated me for an "I Love Your Blog" award! I am humbled and quite tickled purple that I am being recognized for something that brings ME such delight, (especially from one of my needlework heroes), but I just can't seem to follow the rules and nominate seven other stitchy bloggers.

So I made up my own rules....rather than go through my blog roll and nominate other bloggers, I thought I would recognize some stitchers who have made such a profound difference to me:

1. Chrissy
This one is a total no-brainer, since it was my little sister Chrissy who taught me to stitch in the first darn place. There are days that I feel bad that I have invaded her passion, but I am so happy that she decided to share the stitchy world with me. Chrissy is a stitcher in the truest sense of the word...it lives and breathes in her, and she has been dedicated to this artform for more than half of her life. Thank you, dear Chrissy for giving so generously of your time and your love and for letting me play in your sandbox.

2. Mom
I mentioned before that Mom was a needlepointer. According to all of the "rules" of needlepoint, Mom's work should have been distorted, poorly stitched, and warped beyond recognition. Not one piece that she did required blocking -- they were as perfect finished as when they were new. She did pre-worked florals on penelope canvas and added tent stitch backgrounds in black or green wool. She held the canvas in her hand and worked from the bottom to the top doing a sewing method. I guess all of that defies anything that makes any sense to a "technical" stitcher, but I am so grateful to have several of her pieces hanging in my house. I look at them every day and think of them as a stunning reminder of the stunning woman who made them.

3. Miss Jean
Jean does it all, but I've only seen her canvas work. She is a gorgeous stitcher and even had a piece accidentally framed backwards because her backs are as beautiful as her fronts. Every time I see something that Miss Jean has done, I am inspired to try it myself and usually love her for getting me to step out of my comfort zone.

4. Kavanaugh
Captain Dan Kavanaugh is a police officer for the University Notre Dame. He is a mountain of a man who could probably crack walnuts with his bare hands, so you'd never guess that he's such a tender soul. Chrissy taught him to stitch and then charted his family crest for him, and it hangs proudly in his office. Watching him stitch was fascinating....big "manly" hands producing the most perfect stitches. He was so meticulous and excited about his project that I found myself looking at stitching and stitchers in a whole new way.

5. Mariah
This is the little girl that Chrissy taught to stitch some months ago. According to her mom, she's still at it, but is keeping most of it "private". Methinks she has decided to make some stitchy gifts? The idea of Mariah coming up with her own designs and executing them with such determination makes me want to stitch forever.

6. Stitchy designers
Yes, I could be a walking commercial for my dear Laura J. Perin, but I am absolutely in awe of all of the stitchy designers who toil away at their craft so that we can benefit. Sometimes a new piece will take my breath away and I can't wait to get my paws on it. Sometimes I wonder what was going on in the designer's life that inspired them to create. Mostly, I just want to thank them for all of their creativity and ask them to never stop coming up with things to keep me off the streets.

7. Stitchy shop owners
Nobody goes into the business of owning a needlework shop to get rich. I am in love with all the shop owners out there who love stitching and love stitchers. I thank you for furthering the addiction, for giving so much of yourselves and your fortunes to keep us busy.


8. The "stranger" stitcher
This is the stitcher that is on the bus or the plane or waiting patiently at the doctor's office. She isn't looking for glory. She doesn't need to have anybody ooo and aahhh over her work. She just needs to stitch...to hold canvas or linen in her hands and do something wonderful with them. She doesn't have a blog and she doesn't keep a thousand journals of her work for posterity...she just stitches. She volunteers at her guild. She teaches others to stitch. She quietly goes about the world making it a better place for being in it. This is the stitcher that keeps the shops in business, the designers designing, and the rest of us grateful to be part of the fun.

WOO HOO SUNDAY!

Here's the promised photo of the completed Autumn Sampler canvas from Painted Pony. Woo Hoo! Can you see the little beads on the borders? I must confess to some pretty salty language flying outta' my mouth when I was attaching them....let's just say that invisible thread is not my friend at o'dark hundred with a sleeping puppy tot on my lap.

My perfectly perfect little sister called me this morning and told me to put my underpants and lipstick on and be ready to go out at 11:00. Then she picked me up and took me to Sonic for breakfast and over to Lowes for a beautiful potted mum for my front pathway. Such a great surprise and a wonderful way to start a Sunday.

Unfortunately, my afternoon was spent paying bills and doing paperwork chores. Don't these people know I have more important things to do? I mean, come on, kids...if I send you money then I won't have any left over for stitchy supplies, now will I? Why not give that $700 billion to us so that we can go buy linen and canvases and charts and threads with it? We may not have energy independence or a decent credit rating, but the country sure will look nice and we can give gifts to dignitaries and such.

OK, back to reality. Chrissy and Bosco are coming for Sunday dinner and I've got a salad to make. Nothing fancy....just lasagna and garlic bread with a little salad tonight. (But we DO have a very good looking French cheesecake for dessert!)

Hope y'all had a nice weekend!

VIEWER MAIL!

Hi kids! I am HAPPY DANCING now that my little Autumn Sampler needlepoint canvas is done, but I can't photograph it at the moment. Silly me....forgot to re-charge the camera battery. Pics tomorrow, I promise.

I decided to answer/address some viewer mail/comments. Now just sit back and think of Wendy, the Snapple Lady:

Vonna asked if we have access to INCOLSA here in corn country, USA. Nope, sorry Vonna. I live in St. Joseph County, and our library system does not participate in this. Never fear, though, since I must say that we are blessed to have SEVERAL fabulous libraries at our disposal and I hope to visit them all more frequently.

Stitchy McFloss asked if I would post a pic of Stewey in his sweatshirt. Well, Stitchy, I'll sure try, but I can't make any commitments on this one. He can be rather tempermental about having his photo taken, and if the seams are off or if he feels it's not a good color on him he turns his back to the camera. He was sporting his little bath robe this morning (since there was a bit of a chill in the air), but I didn't catch him (see above re: camera battery being dead). I'll see if I can get a few ambush shots of him all dressed up and will share them asap.

DaffyCat, I use vinegar and water on my hardwood floors. The big burly guy that installed them took one look at me and said "Lady, if you put anything on these floors other than vinegar and water, don't call me to fix 'em". So I never have. Ahem. Anywhoose, the vinegar really does clean them quite nicely, and it only smells like pickles and salad dressing for an hour or so.

Yes, Magnolia, the ribollita was very good. I ended up filling eight containers and sent four home with Chrissy. I think she managed to get a few lunches out of them. As for me....I only had a few spoonfuls before stocking them in the freezer.

Cyn asked how I journal my finished projects. Well, I snap a photo and then fill out a little form that I made with all of the stitchy details like threads, fabric, stitches, start and end date, etc. And since I have tons of pretty papers and such, I tart up the photos and create a "page" for each so that it's kinda' purty like before I put it in a little album. I know....waaaaaay too much work for a hobby, right? Well, I only do it to get rid of the guilt for having all of this scrapbook stuff sitting up in the studio unused.

Karen/NYC: Yes, I've heard of Elizabeth Bradley and about a zillion years ago I bought a very small project to try. Alas....it languishes in my stash, so maybe I should break it out and get jiggy with it?

Crazee4books: Some painted canvases come with stitch guides. These guides tell you what threads/fibers to use, what stitches to use, and where to place them. In the case of my Autumn Sampler, I didn't have all of the threads that the designer/stitch guide author called for, so I just pulled DMC flosses and went to town. What was extra nice about this stitch guide was that is contained a color photograph of the finished piece that you could also use as a reference. Now, Lord knows that I am a needlework harlot and just LOVE all forms (counted cross stitch, canvas work, painted canvas, hardanger, crewel, etc.), but I particularly loved having a guide for this latest project.

Well, that's it for now. As always, thanks for tuning in! On tomorrow's show, we'll have pics of the finished Autumnal Sampler and our special guest will be Stewey Angus Rich, talking about his latest book "How My Mother Ruined My Life" or "Why I Can't Be a LadyBug For Halloween".

ALMOST THERE...

It's official. I love painted canvas. BUT! I have discovered that I am a stitcher that simply MUST have a stitch guide.

I have a really nice collection of canvases in my stash, and I love pawing through them and playing with threads, but they just intimidate the living h-e-double-toothpicks outta' me. Then I get all frustrated and put them away with a lot of heavy sighing and disgust that I'm not capable of executing the visions in my head.

So I've ordered a few stitch guides for a few canvases so that I can start to ENJOY my stash. (Hmmmm. Enjoyment of one's stash. Who knew?)

This baby is almost complete. Only the background and copper accents to go. The blocks turned out really cool, with lots of texture and various stitches. I used DMC floss for this, but I can imagine that other threads would have given it even more dimension.

Today I'm going to go through that Autumn basket (yet again). I have a great Shepherd's Bush "Into the Night" kit that methinks needs some startin'!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

You've already met Dad. Here's Mom. Vaceila Helen Loukos Rich. Mom would have been 75 years old today. Seems impossible to imagine, since she was only 54 when she passed away.

Her "real" name was Sig. People who knew her never even realized that she had another name...she was Sig at work and at home and on her driver's license and checks. Chrissy and I never knew how she got that name until Uncle Connie told us that he was the one that gave it to her when he was little. (He's her baby brother). Apparently, he couldn't say Vaceila, so what came out was Sig. And Sig it was her whole life.

Mom was the middle girl in a family of three boys and three girls. She was born and raised in Lima, Ohio and according to her school yearbooks, was quite the girl about town. She graduated from high school and went to work for City Loan and Savings, and I think she was eventually Secretary to the President.

Mom had the uncanny ability to be the most elegant and classy lady in the room while keeping her warmth and great sense of humor. She could talk to anybody...from Westinghouse CEO's to the kid next door. She had a way of making you feel special and important and that you were the only thing that mattered to her at the moment.

She was smart and the most generous person you'd ever meet. She was fun and creative and organized and loving and careful with other people's hearts. She could be ornery too, and would sometimes put her hands on her hips and say "I's de boss and you's the bossie" whenever Chrissy or I would try her patience. She didn't yell, but she could pack a mean wooden spoon if she had to. The only time she ever "spanked" me was when I was seventeen years old and came home after curfew. She waited until I was at the top of the staircase to show me that I was never too big to be taught respect. I quickly found myself at the bottom of the staircase feeling like a schmuck for getting my butt kicked by a 5 foot 2 inch woman wearing a robe.

Mom grew Boston ferns on the front porch of our Lima house, and every year she gave them away to folks who had stopped by to admire them. She loved to work in the yard and always did so in jeans and a long sleeved shirt no matter how hot it was outside. She didn't like the sun and I don't think I ever saw her in a bathing suit (despite the fact that she had a great figure and "knockout" legs).

When Mom met Dad she said she knew that he was "the one" on the night of their first date. She said that she was looking out the window of the car thinking about what a nice guy he was and was wondering if he would ask her out again, when Dad said "Yes". "Yes what?" from Mom was answered by a "Yes, I'm going to ask you out again" from Dad and she figured he had read her mind.

She was an amazing wife and mother and homemaker and friend. She was also an artist and an avid needlepointer. Mom did needlepoint canvases on penelope canvas using the sewing method and every single stitch was perfect. Chrissy and I have most of her pieces and we look at them and treasure them every day. Mom may have been a beautiful stitcher, but she couldn't sew a button on to save her life. Both Chrissy and I remember Mom standing at the ironing table with our school uniforms and a roll of "stitch witch" cursing up a storm.

Mom could make a sandwich like nobody else, and she was famous for her Siggie Specials on Thanksgiving.....turkey, celery sticks, salt, pepper, and mayo on Pepperidge Farm white bread. No matter how stuffed you were after dinner, you just HAD to have a Siggie Special.

We moved a lot when we were kids, yet neither Chrissy nor I can ever remember a box or packing paper in a house for more and ten minutes after we arrived. Mom had a way of moving us into a new home in such a way that you thought you had lived there your whole life. There was never chaos or a mess, and by the time the truck had pulled out of the driveway the pictures were on the walls and the fridge was stocked.

Our beautiful, amazing, fantastic, funny, smart, generous Mom died on November 12, 1987 from colon cancer. She never complained or cried or bitched about the fact that she got it...she just put on her lipstick and got through it the best way she knew how.

Happy Birthday, our sweet Siggie. We miss you more than life itself and we want the world to know how special you were to everybody who knew you.

STITCHY STASH SHOPPING

Friday night I needed something simple and small to occupy my stitchy time. I pulled out this little scissor keep canvas and went to work. This is from Associated Talents and I picked this up during a trunk show at City Stitcher. With the exception of the french knots, I managed to stitch this up before hitting the sack Friday night.

I promise......no finishing attempts on this one. I'll call in the professionals.

On Saturday, I was thinking about how much I enjoyed doing a little painted canvas, so I headed up to the studio to poke around a little bit. I must have been a very good girl in a former life, because just as I was thinking "Gee, I wish I had something small and fun for Autumn", I found this:WOOHOOOOOOO! This is from Painted Pony designs and IT CAME WITH A STITCHY GUIDE! I picked this one up a zillion years ago when Chrissy and I attended a Getaway Weekend hosted by Miss Theresa of Homestead Needlearts. If I told you how exuberant the happy dance was when I found this, you'd be on the floor with the vision of it....so I'll refrain. Needless to say, I spent a few minutes thanking the stitchy gods that I was smart enough to buy this thing (oh so long ago), and I flossed it right up with DMC and a few beads for good measure.

I love love love how it's coming out, and I can hardly wait to finish up that pumpkin square. The acorn gave me little fits at first, but then I got to the waffle stitch background and I was dancing again over how much I liked doing them (waffle stitch....who knew?).

So I seem to be in a painted canvas spurt at the moment, and I'll probably finish this up and then poke around some more to see what else is hidden in the depths of my stash. I've decided that I am now on a SPURT ROTATION, which means that I will stitch whatever spurt seems to hit me at the moment. For now, it seems to be painted canvas. Stay tuned!

TGI HAPPY DANCE TIME!

Sorry for the lousy pic, folks. I can cross "become a famous photographer" off my bucket list, I guess. "Reading" by LHN is finished and in the pile to be journaled. I like the way it came out and promise not to try any finishing on this one without proper supervision. The linen for this one was 28ct. natural pearl and I just can't say enough about it -- very very lovely to stitch with. Like butta'.

I am ready for a weekend! Chrissy and I did the Target pharmacy thing and then went to the grocery. I'm going to make meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner tomorrow and then we're making ribolitta on Sunday. Ribolitta is an Italian vegetable bean soup. I watched my BFF Ina Garten The Barefoot Contessa Her Very Self make it on the TeeVee this week, and it sounds like just the thing for a lovely Sunday supper.

I managed to get the kitchen scrubbed, the Happy Chair cleaned, and the hardwood wiped down with vinegar -- all in the space of about 10 minutes. I think I broke something (like a kidney), so I'm headed to bed with Tylenol and a heating pad. It's hell getting old.

I'M A READER, YES I AM

So here's my progress on LHN's "Reading". I felt kinda' funny about putting the word "reading" on this, so I slapped my big ass initials on it instead. Methinks it turned out OK. I also changed the color of the birds, since the chart called for the same purple-y color as the skirt. I thought blue might be nice, and I like the results.

I've always been an avid reader. As a matter of fact, I won a reading contest in the second grade and was rewarded with lunch on the Good Ship Lollipop with the Pittsburgh Steelers. (We lived in Pittsburgh at the time, and it was during the "Steel Curtain" days, so I guess it was a big deal). Franco Harris was my special buddy and I spent the entire day with him. I'm sure there's photographic evidence of this somewhere, but I probably looked like a little water buffalo and I'd rather remember myself as being strikingly interesting.

Reading was always my salvation when the cares of the world got to be too much. I think I spent the majority of my adolescence out on the back porch swings with my nose in a book. I was never told what to read or what not to read, and I can remember when Mom bailed me out of detention for reading the John Jakes book "The Bastard". It was the scandal of eighth grade until somebody pointed out that it was actually a novel that took place during the Civil War and it just wasn't that sexy.

When all the girls were passing "Forever" around (you know...the Judy Blume book about S-E-X), my Mom actually asked me if I had read it yet and whether or not there was anything in it that I wanted to talk about. To this day, I haven't read the damn thing for fear that I might have to DISCUSS it with somebody. (Although Mom has been gone for over 20 years now and I'm pretty sure she figures I got my "talk" already.)

I read every night before I fall asleep, and if he's been a good boy, I will read aloud to Stewey. I'm pretty sure that his taste in literature is a little different than mine, but he puts up with it and listens quietly anyway.

Speaking of Mr. TippyToes, I need to get his sweatshirt out of the dryer and let him outside for a potty break. He's been prancing around the house all morning and all I can hear is the click click clickety click click of his little toes on the hardwood. Damn dog.

CLICK!

Woo Hoo! We woke up to Autumn today! Stewey and I were all snuggled in our bed, cozy as could be, when Aunt Chrissy decided to pounce in with the Baby Bosco for some early morning revelry! She is under the weather today and decided to come wake her big sissy up for tea and sympathy. Needless to say, all of my plans of scrubbing/cleaning/organizing the house and yard today will have to be postponed. Oh. Darn.

So we took a quick trip to House of Stitches last evening and I was RECOGNIZED by one of my faithful readers! HOLEY SCHMOLEY! I was sitting at the cutting table with Miss Nancy getting a small piece of linen cut for LHN's "Ladybug", and I was yakking on and on about my Stewey. This lovely lady came around one of the corners and said "Excuse me, but are you?" I was so tickled that I immediately made a boob of myself gushing all over the place that I am indeed the Spinster Stitcher and LOOK, HERE'S AUNT CHRISSY!!!! (By the way, she was THRILLED to be introduced as such.)

Anywhoose....I am so delighted when somebody comes up and says hello and I hope you don't think me a complete social incompetent when I just start babbling away like I've known you forever. I'm terminally shy, don't you know, so I find myself in full-on flop sweat "Gee, if I keep talking they won't figure out what an idiot I am" kind of mode. I love it when I get to meet a fellow stitcher! Can you imagine what would happen if we were all rounded up in one place? I would probably faint away from the sheer delight of it all.

So today has me thinking that I will do a re-do of the Fall Stitching Basket. I'm making good progress on LHN's "Reading", but as you will recall, it's not on my original list of stuff I want to be doing. I did pick up a few new things as HOS, so methinks some serious stashy pawing will have to commence. Chrissy and I will probably head up to the studio and play today. I can't think of any better medicine for her.

We went for pizza and salad at a joint in the HOS complex and the funniest thing happened. When I ordered my salad, I asked if the Creamy Italian dressing was lo-cal or fat free. Now, I normally wouldn't think this question would cause anybody any trouble, but the waitress apparently didn't understand one word of what I was asking her. So I repeated myself. Again. And again. What was funny about it, was rather than saying "Gee, madam, I have no idea what the hell you're asking me", she just kind of stood there in a trance staring at me. I'm not kidding. She didn't talk. Or blink. Or smile. Or do anything that would remotely make me think I was on the right planet for salad and pizza. Chrissy even jumped in to see if she could translate, but the stare continued for about 47 minutes. Weird. Very weird. Needless to say, the pizza was fabulous, but the salad dressing sucked.

Off to the studio! Have a fabulous day!