Time For A Change

Some of you are actually still following me! Thank you!!! Join me on my new adventures at www.sleepingdoubleinasinglewide.blogspot.com Still about stitching, decorating and my crazy like. I promise to be more active - I have lots of stitching pictures that will be posted really soon!!! Thanks!!

So This Is A Crazy Turn Of Events

As indicated by the title of this blog and several comments in my posts over the years, I have often longed for the South. Well, readers who have graciously stuck with me, I am back in the South. I have been since February. Maybe it was the over 95 inches of snow that Michigan got. Maybe it was the longing for the "Southern Way". In actuality, it was a serious illness on the part of my Dad that brought me home. And not a minute too soon. My Dad is now under Hospice Care and it's just a matter of time. Yep. Best decision ever made. There have been big changes with me and I will go into more detail later, but I wanted to let you know that I am alive and posting. And happy to be back home. So do I change the title of my Blog? Hmmm. I think I'll just add a little to it. Changing it to - Misplaced in Michigan No More. LOL!

He's In The Navy Now

Yep, he's gone. Yep, it was hard. Yep, I have lost my mind a little. Talk about conflicted! I have never felt so conflicted in my whole life. So very happy for him, so very sad for me. I did good - I didn't cry, but we were supposed to go the next day to the MEPS center and watch his swearing in, but I just couldn't say goodbye twice. He understood and let me off the hook. I will be forever grateful for that. I was going to probably cry the ugly cry. That's probably why he said I didn't have to go - he knows what that is like and it aint pretty! So yesterday was the day. Today I am fine. I don't know about tomorrow. We will see. I am just sending him good thoughts and I know that he will do a great job. This is the official moment he swore in, courtesy of his girlfriend. I hope you all keep him and all the other new recruits in your thoughts and prayers. I would certainly appreciate it! There is now more time to stitch and suddenly, more food in the fridge! Those of you with teenage boys know how they can go through food. See, I have to look at the positives!!

It's Wardrobe Changeover Time

It's the time of the year that I hate the most (besides when "they" take my hour away) and it is time to say goodbye to the sundresses, shorts, tanks, capris, bathing suites and, perhaps most painful of all, the flip flops. If you live in the North, you know what I mean. If you are in the South, this is puzzling to you. Trust me, it's nothing you need to know about. It is the time of year when I start plotting my return to the South. And, believe you me, I will. In a few years, I am thinking. So, I spent the day saying adios to Lilly Pulitzer and other cute things. Depressing. Hello to turtlenecks, sweatshirts, fuzzy socks, sweaters and flannel pj's. I would like to say it's nice to see you, but I would totally be lying.

They Said The "S" Word

They being weather forecasters and the "s" word being snow. Already? Well, I guess it is October. Wait, it's the almost November! They said by the end of the month we would see some flakes. I guess the sooner it gets here, the sooner it will be over. Have I mentioned a time or ten that I really, really don't like winter? If I had my way, we would be moving back to TN but last year they got more snow than we did! I guess I will just have to try to get used to it. But, it's been 8 years and so far, it's still bad. I might have a finish or two coming up at the end of the weekend! Stay tuned!

Inching Forward

Well, we are getting closer to our son's departure. He leaves on Nov 4 and we will go to Troy, MI to say goodbye to him on the morning of the 5th. I promise I will not use this blog to post sad comments. Any mom or dad out there will know how I feel. I like to keep these things inside, which is probably why I have problems with my blood pressure! LOL! Anyway, I have had a job change and now I work for Early Head Start as a Home Visitor and Family Advocate. I have been at it for awhile and the change is good. Very good. It's nice to use the degree that has cost me a fortune! I still am finding time to stitch. That will never change. I think now, more than ever, I will need to stitch. It clears my mind. Since I work out of my car, I have some down time between families. I am going to try to take my stitching with me and get going on some projects that need finishing. I will take some pictures of the place that is close to my work where I plan to stitch. I have the prettiest commute to work ever! So peaceful. It's where I do a lot of my thinking. Oh, no! Not thinking! Sometimes that gets me in trouble!! If you are still hanging on to this blog, I thank you. At least I don't post about every living thing like some bloggers like to do. Sheesh! Some of them are so very "chatty". Not this one! I am lucky to post every 6 months, but I might try to do better. No promises, though. This is the thought of the week - go forth and be kind!

Pinterest is Going to Kill Me

OK, not literally - but I really wish I had the time, talent and money to do all the cool things I see and pin on Pinterest. It really is bringing me down! I feel like a failure, sometimes, that I don't have it all together like some bloggers and I am not able to do all the craft projects that I want to do. Anybody else have the Pinterest Blues? I try to be a happy, positive person most of the time, but recently I have been scattered and unable to finish projects and then I get down about myself. I think it's pre-menopause but I don't like the feeling. I do not like feeling like a failure. There are some days when I come home and just play Candy Crush and go to bed. I want to get out of this funk. We have guests coming from down south for the 4th weekend so I will have to get things done. I hope to get the craft room turned into a guest room and get the whole house guest ready in a few days. Maybe that will help me shake the blues. I hope so. Any advice?

Going Forward

A lot has been happening around our little neck of the woods. The youngest of our kids just graduated from high school (how did that happen - isn't he just 12? ) and has enlisted in the U.S. Navy. We are so very proud of him! He scored very high on the ASVAB and will pursue a career as an advanced electronics engineer. He is on a delayed entry program and won't leave until Nov. So, our life is really about to change. We are going from a hockey family to a military family. Also, I don't know if it is summer in your area, but summer seems to be lost in Michigan. I have had on a jacket every day this week! Today it rained and now this evening it is creepy foggy. I would like it a little warmer please. But not too much. I would be ok with not having to turn on my a.c.! We will be hosting a graduation/ anchors aweigh party for Chris the middle of July so I am planning all that. Also, started working full-time on a temporary basis at my work. It is a pilot program that goes until Aug 3 and I am not sure if it will continue after that. It's ok either way. Working full-time does put a crimp in my crafting, shopping, cooking, laundry and cleaning. Will leave you with a picture of our graduate.

Oh, and I am back to blogging. Honest!

A question

Hopefully now that the Christmas season is over, I will get to blog a little more. Until then, I have a question. I have a lot of cross stitch charts and I need to get rid of them so I can get more! LOL! I tried ebay, but that takes up too much time and I don't want to just throw them in a garage sale box. What do you think about a pattern pass-along? People would sign up and then I would mail a package of charts. You can take one or more charts, but you must put one or more back in and mail to the next person. But, would that violate some sort of copyright laws or whatever? To me, it's just like offering them to a friend or selling them in a garage sale. Opinions? Anyone interested? I have a wide variety of charts, too. Well, will see what the comments are like and then I will let you know. Hopefully, we can start a little trade here, Thanks! Pictures coming soon - major holiday stitching!!!

Unsettled

Did you ever have one of those days where you just felt unsettled?? Just not right. I have been having more and more of those days lately. Maybe I am pre-menopausal or something, but I really want to ditch this feeling. Maybe it's my crazy obsession with the news - the hurricane, the election, the economy... Yeah, that could do it. Or maybe I am just in a blue mood. Either way, I need to stop. I don't even want to be around me! LOL!
So, I got the giveaway package and it is so funny, cause the winner lives fairly close to me!! Who knew? Blogging is so neat! My next project is to list some of my old patterns on ebay and I am signing up to do Country Cottage Needleworks Santa's Village. There will be one pattern a month. The first one is really cute. I am not doing them all on one piece of fabric - I think I will make them individually and make ornaments. I would love to someday have a tree with just my stitched ornaments on it. I have alot, but it takes a ton! I will stitch on Halloween until Black Friday and then I will make the transition over to Christmas. Sometimes I stitch an autumn or thanksgiving theme, but I really haven't found anything this year to float my boat. This year's obsession is definately Halloween! I will probably stitch something Halloween all year round.
We are still getting the garage in order and then I will post more pictures of house progress. We have a few projects that I need to get done before the holidays, so I need to get myself in gear. My hours are picking up at work - I work retail- and I usually take all the hours I can to pay for Christmas. Just a note - when you are Christmas or holiday shopping this year, please remember that the sales person isn't responsible for you waiting till the last minute to find the perfect gift and I really don't like picking up coffee cups from the tables of merchandise. Be nice. You would be surprised at the way some people act.
Getting lots of stitching done and will probably have some pics on Friday. I think I will have one finished today! It's a quick stitch, again from the JCS magazine!! What is everyone else out there stitching??

And the Winner is...........

I put the number 8 in random generator and the winner is .......
Comment #2!
Deb said:

DebOctober 31, 2012 6:05 PM

I'd love to be entered!!! I meant to comment on your earlier post today about the crazy weather. It's really hard to believe that we could be affected so far away, but those winds were really something on Monday and I can imagine they were even worse where you live.

Thanks for the change on the giveaway - oh, and I'm a stitcher

 

Deb - email your address to

jeffandlisaclarke@gmail.com and your package will go out Monday! Congratulations and thanks to all that entered!

It's Giveaway Time!

I just got the urge to have a giveaway!! It's a mystery - just a few little things to hopefully make someone smile. Leave a comment on this post only and tell me if you are a stitcher or not. Then, I can gear the winnings to the winner! Please post on your blog and you get a bonus entry! Just leave a separate entry to tell me that you did. This is for U.S. residents only, please. The deadline to enter is midnight E.S.T on Friday Nov. 2. I will draw a name on Saturday sometime and mail out on Monday! Good luck!!

Storm Stitching

Who knew that a hurricane would affect those of us here in Michigan? While we are no where near as devastated as the people on the Eastern coast, we did have a scary night here. We are very close to Lake Huron and there were reported 20 foot waves. All around us, people were losing their power. We were lucky and only lost our internet, phone and cable for a day and a half and a few trees. The youngest hasn't been in school for the last two days because the school doesn't have power. It has calmed down here ALOT and looks as though the trick or treaters will be able to do their thing. We got our garage cabinets installed last week and the storage is fantastic. With all the weather issues, I haven't had time to get all the shelves in, but that is on the list for tomorrow.  See all the storage?

 

Hockey season has started here and that is the time that I get alot of stitching done. There is so much time spent waiting at the rink. I also got alot of stitching done when the cable was out. These are the two - one I finished and the other I should finish tonight. Loved them both! I will Halloween stitch until about the middle of November then will start on Thanksgiving or Christmas.

 

Take care, friends! Talk to you soon!!

I'm A Winner! And Some Finishes!!

A great big thanks to Jeanine from http://okiobdesigns.blogspot.com/ - I won a giveaway on her blog and the package was so wonderful! Here's a pic of the beautiful package I didn't want to spoil by opening, but when I opened it, there were some great treasures! Go check out her blog - it's great!

I decided to do a picture wall down the hallway to the bedrooms. I like the idea of a picture wall, but the placement of the pictures was very scary. Finally, after WAY too much thought, I decided to close my eyes and hang the first picture and go from there. So far, so good. There is no rhyme or reason to it - just what I think looks good and the pictures are just the ones that made me smile. I am sure it will be a work in progress, since I will want to update pictures along the way. It is hard to take a picture of the hallway, but here is a shot from one end and a shot from the other. I am happy with it!
It's not done yet - there are more pictures yet to frame so I hope that the wall will be filled with family. It makes me smile every time I walk to my room. Success! Too many times I see things on Pinterest or blogs and just agonize over how to do it the "right" way. I should just DO IT already and stop with all the over-analysis. Next project is to paint the downstairs bathroom and I have a great idea for a wall in our bar area. I am going to paint it with chalkboard paint so that guests can doodle on it. Yep, another Pinterest idea. Oh, that site will be the death of me!! But I love it - so happy there are alot of people out there alot more creative than me!
 Finally, here are some finishes, but not the complete finish. I like to finish my smalls with a vintage button on the back or in the design. I am auditioning buttons for these finishes, but the are ready for the final touches. Some of them had been sitting for awhile, so I am glad to get them done.

Almost done!

Love the colors in this!

So happy to find the perfect backing fabric for a project. Taking these colors and using them in the master bedroom. LOVE!
 

Well, thanks for stopping by. Stay tuned for the painting of the bathroom saga - wait till you see the color! Yikes!

It's Done!!

I am so happy!! I LOVED this chart when I first saw it - and I love, love, love candy corn (the regular kind, who ever came up with gourmet kinds??) and just knew I had to stitch it. Got it on Saturday and finished it last night.

Behind it are two of the finishes from this year. This is on the table in the entry way. I am going to try to get some more house pictures as I go through and get things done. I got  the glass pumpkin years ago at Walmart on clearance for $3.00 (actually I got 3 of them) and they are so great! I fill them with fall leaves, candy, cookie cutters, whatever but now it's filled with candy corn! Not sure how long it will last, since it's so easy to just grab a handful on your way out the door, but for now it looks pretty! I think we are going to paint the downstairs bathroom in the next few days. This should be interesting - stay tuned!

Still Organizing, but Almost There!

The floss organization is coming along nicely! Thanks for the comments on how you store your floss. There are alot of "accessories" when you cross stitch or craft, and I am so lucky to have a craft room. I hope to show pictures of it when I get done with the floss organization, but that would mean cleaning it, soooo...... Well, I might.

Here are some pics of the stitching I have been stitching on. Still working my way through the magazine, but when I was organizing, I came across some other projects that needed just a few stitches. Also, I have an insane love of candy corn,so I bought "Death by Candy Corn" and hope to finsh it today. Well, off to put laundry in the dryer and then it's stitching time!

Floss Storage

Can we just chat a moment about floss storage? I have been stitching a long time and I have never really had the perfect floss storage system. I started out with a fishing tackle box. The Plano one? Anyone remember that or have one? That was OK but then, somewhere along the line, I got more floss. And more floss. Maybe it grows in the dark? Yeah, that's the one I am going with. It certainly isn't that I am too lazy to look for floss, so I just buy what the project needs. No, ma'am, I would not do that :) So I started to organize in the little plastic floss boxes. Ugh. This is what I have at the moment in the stitching room.

So, here's the plan. I am having a box for the 100's, the 200's, etc. of DMC. If there are duplicates, I am planning to store those in a box, after I make a list. Not sure how I have duplicates..... yeah, right. Then, when I use up a skein, I will look to see if I have a duplicate in the box and if not, THEN I buy. I have almost all the DMC colors. I will have a full set when I am done organizing. Oh, and here's a tidbit that I am sure you all know. I am always late to the party. If you write on the floss boxes in permanent marker and you need to change what you wrote or erase, you can easily erase with a magic eraser. I used the kind from the Dollar Tree and it worked just fine. So, that's my plan. I am stitching alot - here are some snaps. Will update my stitching through JCS Halloween issue later - I was planning to finish 26 projects! Yikes! Any comments on floss storage? What's your favorite system?

 

Stitching away!

Had some internet issues ( not going to think about that again, since I am having a good day and don't want to ruin it), but finally able to post some progress with stitching through JCS Halloween issue. Plus, I stitched a little design from The Prairie Schooler that I really liked. Here are the pics. Moving on to the next designs. I am jumping around a little through the magazine and I am not stitching all of the patterns. Just the ones that will fit in with my decorating. It is starting to feel a little like fall here in Michigan, so I am starting on my fall decorating. I love Fall! Here is the wreath I made today and the start of the front porch decorating!

I plan on adding mums and a bigger scarecrow and possibly a hay bale or two. I really look forward to our first fall in this house. We have alot of trees in the back yard and I think they will look very pretty in fall colors. Any fall or Halloween patterns out there that anyone recommends? I am really on a stash diet (more like a fast), but I could possibly make an exception for a really great pattern. My birthday is coming up so that is a good time to add to the stash, as well. That will be my only exception to the fast. I really need to de-stash. Maybe when things slow down a little. I still have boxes to unpack from the move! Well, take care friends - see you next time!!!

First update of progress

Really enjoying stitching through the Halloween issue. I have all the back issues and have done this before, but never really got through the whole issue. I also want to do this with the Christmas Ornament issue. These issues are the main source for my stitching and I love it when the issues come out. Here's what I did so far. Finished one while camping and started on two more two days ago. I like to switch between two designs. The finished one isn't ironed or anything. I stitched it on Aida (I know, but I have ALOT of it and want to use it in the ornaments) and the other picture is the two I have started. I will wait and have a big finishing day for the ones I get done. This is so much fun!! What are you stitching on?