The Last Weekend in February

Since starting my current job its been almost a year since I've been able to get away for a weekend in Chicago. Sadly it was way to short and way overdue. Saturday after work I drove up to the city and made it all the way to Bridgeport in no time flat. Margaret, my best friend from High School invited me over for the evening so off I went. Once I arrived we met up with many of her old friends for Mexican food, drinks, and fun conversation. To me it was heaven to have a steak torta and peach margarita.

 Margaret is our forever photographer and here she is with Debbie laughing at the shots she snapped of our large group.

 But even the photographer, who is camera-shy herself, must be in a pic or two.

 Sunday AM I awoke early and went over to my sisters to visit with my Mom, sister, and three of the best little nephews ever. My sister wishes for her children's pictures not be published but I had the honor of attending mass with my family. During mass my one nephew received his Parvuli Dei for cub scouts. Afterwards was their Blue and Gold banquet but I was unable to stay. I had another stop on the agenda!

Off to Eva's for a fun and restfilled duration of the weekend. Upon arrival we headed off to Lou Malnati's in Buffalo Grove for some scrumptious pizza and salad! The pictures speak for themselves.

 And of course I purchased one large cooked on like the above and four of these frozen babies...

 In my stitching bag I pulled out the stash I've accrued online over the past year to show Eva.

 She had picked up this beautiful pattern I've been hankering for for me!

 Then I showed her A Secret Garden that I just acquired. In my fabric tote I found the perfect green piece of evenweave that just happened to be the right size to stitch this needlebook on.

 Monday AM we made a trip to Welcome Stitchery in Crystal Lake IL. Here is my stash haul:

 And I can't forget my free pattern that I purchased my JABC buttons for.

 Not pictured are the two great pieces of fabric I picked up for my coworker. An orange orange and an outer space purple. She loved both pieces! The trip home was uneventful and easy Monday evening. Good weather is always a pleasure to travel in.

Sad to say but we received more snow last night and early today. So here I sit typing away and about to work on my WIP. BBD's Tis the Season.

I leave you on this frigid winter March night to watch the Oscar's and enjoy stitching.

Hope March warms up as we prepare for the Easter season.

Peace!

This Winter

This winter totally STINKS! That's about all I can muster regarding all the terrible snow and cold weather we've been receiving for the past couple of months. I won't even post a picture because I don't want to see snow again for a long long time. Whew! Feeling much better now since I've gotten that off my chest. lol!

Well I have actually been doing a little stitching. No picture yet to show my progress on BBD's Tis the Season out of the Joyeux Noel book. Its slow going because the weather gets me down in the dumps. At least its going. This is a good thing.  I also stitched two more Round Robin pieces that were sent off to Eva to stitch away on.

This is Lena's heart

 This is Elaine's quaker piece

 And this has nothing at all to do with the Round Robin. What it is Secret Garden Needlebook by Lauren Sauer. She taught it at a class in the late 90's and I was able to secure the pattern. Its in my to do pile. I'm so happy to have this pattern that I actually had the perfect piece of green evenweave in my stash and have it all squared out. Now all I need is a few specialty threads that I plan on purchasing on my next trip to Welcome Stitchery in Crystal Lake, IL. I look forward to stitching this. Its a beauty!

Hoping everyone is dealing with the weather the best they can and Happy Stitches!

It's been 5 Years...

Since my kids and I have had a Christmas Tree. Sad to say but with a separation, divorce, homelessness, and no job it was completely impossible to have a tree let alone any gifts. The amazing thing is we SURVIVED! We have been humbled numerous times and we have found true friendship and compassion from others. Some in the most unexpected places or by people you would have never guessed had it in them.  I'm grateful this year has brought employment my way even though its permanent part time. It has been super tight but it has also allowed for us to purchase and erect this beauty!

Hope everyone finds the magic of Christmas in their lives and hearts.

Ornaments

This year I participated in a couple Ornament Exchanges. Early January I began stitching Just Nans OOP Gingerbread Stocking / Scissor Keeps as my exchange pieces. Being the procrastinator I am when it comes to finishing, I did not get them all put together until sometime in October but I have to admit they really turned out lovely. There are a few things I would do a bit different like sewing through the stabilizer when outlining the piece to make construction easier and with zero buckles around the curves. Thanks for the great tip Eva!  I did put fiberfill in the toe before putting scissors in the sock as a special little treat. 
Here's how they turned out:

In return I received from the 123Stitch ornament exchange:

from Robin Walker in NC

and another from Julie in CT from the Treads of Life stitch board:

The Ornament exchanges are always fun. Now I'm off to plot what I shall stitch for next years.

Thanksgiving Stitching

An un-ironed Chessie and Me sampler. As always its much prettier in person because my iPhone thinks more light is needed and dulls out the colors a bit. I changed many of the colors in this piece and used all different types of silks. It was a fun fast stitch. Of course I didn't add the little cat Chessie and Me are known for but I'm really not a cat person. The pattern was gifted to Eva and I can't wait to see her finished piece too!

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving everyone!

Another Round Robin Piece finished!

Its November 1st (Happy Birthday to my sweet Grandma Betty in Heaven) and my TOL round robin partners and I are a bit ahead of the game so I'm finished with the second pass. WOO HOO! Happy Happy Happy! Pictured is the Martian Hootie I stitched for Margie's piece. The pattern can be found here Hooties In Space .  These little cuties are fast easy stitches. Margie is having us stitch our hooties on separate squares and when she receives them back she plans on making a patchwork quilt with them. I can't wait to see the finished product.

 Happy November everyone!

Happy Halloween

Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity, life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday, All Saints’ Day, incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a secular, community-based event characterized by child-friendly activities such as trick-or-treating. In a number of countries around the world, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people continue to usher in the winter season with gatherings, costumes and sweet treats. (courtesy of History.com)

Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!