I am very lucky woman!

Well, it's almost bedtime, but I want to go on record as saying: I have the best bunch of 'stitching sisters' a woman could ask for! Their presence in my life and in my home is such a blessing!

This is my progress on Neuschwanstein for the day:

I'm sorry for the crooked scan. :-)

For now...good night and great blessings to all of you.

A Happy Dance

No, it's not what you're thinking. No finishes...although I vicariously enjoyed Carol's (http://carolsxsblog.blogspot.com/). She is amazing! She is so organized, stitches so beautifully and is just an all around inspiration for all of us wanna-be's.

Okay...back to my happy dance. Now I want you all to close your eyes and remember Snoopy's finest happy dances...hands (or paws) waving in the air, feet a-tappin' and eyes closed in joyful contemplations. That's me today. Why? Well, because I have some stitchin' friends coming over and we're going to spend our day with needle in hand. Woo-hooooo.

So maybe, just maybe I will have some more progress to post. I will also take some pictures of our time together. We are a small group this month probably ten or so over the course of the day. (Sometimes I have close to twenty). Because it's so cold, I am making chicken chili, served with crackers and, of course, M & M's. Stitching alone is great, but stitching with friends...well, it's fabulous.

For today, my projects on tap are 'Neuschwanstein (what else???) and House on a Hill.

DH, fearing out of control estrogen levels is scooting out of here. :-) His loss. He really is a sweet heart. He helps me get ready, then disappears. He really is just about perfect. I just wish he'd let me teach him to stitch! (It might help me get through my thousands of projects. :-))

I do have one picture to post. It's my 'TV' project. Our living room isn't set up well for stitching and I don't like to haul my Dazor all over the place. One day I would like to get another lamp, but until then I keep one project for those rare occasions (like the Olympics) that I hang out in there rather than in my stitching room. My project right now is the 2002 Prairie Schooler Santa, done on 7 ct Klostern with Number 3 Pearl cotton. He, along with several of his comrades are destined to be pillows.

Here he is!

I think he's pretty cute! :-) and I can see 7 ct even in relatively poor light. Who says I'm getting old?????

I wish all my friends from the 'blog' world could join us on this cold, sunny day in the north, but I want you all to know you are part of my heart and make my life a brighter place.

Blessings!

4 (and more) things

Good morning. It's a beautiful day here in the North Country. Bright, sunny and relatively warm.

Valentine's here was a simple celebration. With the Olympics on, DH and I had dinner in (Mexican takeout from Panchero's....mmmmmm). It was nice to spend an evening together and after 23 years I can still say I'm blessed to have this man for my valentine. He came home with roses and chocolate and he even watched Figure Skating with me. What a guy! :-)

Stitching wise: I worked a little on 'Neuschwanstein', but it really isn't worth a scan. But tonight I'm having one of the stitching groups I belong to over for dinner and needlework...so tomorrow I should have some show and tell.

In the meanwhile, I was tagged by Isabelle ages ago for this:

4 Things...
Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Hotel Maid
2. Senior Compensation Manager
3. Sales Manager
4. Home Accessories Buyer

Four movies I would watch over and over again:
1. Down Periscope with Kelsey Grammer
2. Hunt for Red October---ahhhhhh, Sean.
3. Entrapment-ditto above.
4. Kelly's Heros-all for the love of Sunshine :-)

Four places I have lived:
1. Duluth, Minnesota
2. New Orleans, LA
3. Estes Park, CO
4. Pittsburgh, PA

Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. NFL Football
2. Winter Olympics
3. Summer Olympics
4. I confess...I'm not a TV watcher and I can't think of anything else.

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. London, England
2. Lake Louise, Alberta, CAN
3. Grand Canyon and the rest of the state of AZ
4. Bulgaria

Four websites I visit daily:
1. My two e-mail sites
2. My stitching blog
3. Carol's Stitching Blog
4. Kiwi Jo's Stitching Blog (and quite a few others too.)

Four of my favourite foods:
1. Steak
2. Pizza
3. Buffalo Chicken Salad from Doolittles
4. Chips, salsa and a nice Margarita :-)

Four places I'd rather be right now:
1. Bozeman, MT in a snowbound cabin overlooking the mountains, with DH
2. Aruba, soaking up rays with DH
3. 'The' cabin...about 2 hours north of here. Beautiful spot
4. Stitching just about anyplace. :-)

Okay...that was hard. Most of them I had so many more than 4 answers to...and deciding was hard!

Well...duty calls and I am off to work. ((((((((HUGS))))))))))))) to all,
Julie

Well...finally. I'm baaa---aacckkkk. Not much stitching to report and I think I need a vacation from vacation. :-) Seriously...our trip out east to see my family was a wonderful time. But everytime I thought about picking up a needle, something else presented itself. (Like the world cup of 'Mexican Train'. :-)

The drive went smoothly, except for the first day of our driving home.Remember the snow that hit Detroit just before the Super Bowl...well it hit Kentucky and Indiana too. We stopped earlier than normal, not wanting to fight icy roads, so we didn't get home until halfway through the Super Bowl. Just in time to see Mick shake his booty. Love him or hate him, you've got to admit he's an a-typical 60+ year old. All I can say (since that mark looks closer now than it used to...) is 'rock on'.

We did have a stop of note that I would recommend to anyone who loves crafting. If you are ever in Beckly, West Virgina (about 60 miles south of Charleston), stop at Tamarck, the West Virginia Artisian's Center. I will be posting some picures tonight of our lunch there. They have a little bit of everything: Handmade jewelry, Hardanger, Tatting, Woodwork, Quilting...enough to leave just about anyone drooling. It's just off the freeway and it's a good place for a meal.

Last week was lost in a blur and just when I was beginning to catch up it was time for February retreat...so...off I went, needlework in hand and did make a little progresss on Neuschwanstein...now fondly known as my 'summer place'. :-) It was a wonderfully fun time with a lot of friends and laughter...oh yes, and food, too.



I have posted some new pictures on my webshots site. (http://community.webshots.com/user/juliejc1958100) I hope you enjoy looking and thank you for your interest. Much of what's new are needlework pieces I've given my parents through the years. I finally had a chance to photograph them.

I hope this finds all of you well and happily stitching away. More later.
Blessings,
Julie