Life With Jules, and other stuff

(Warning: this post is picture heavy!) Well, I didn't get much stitching done this weekend - at least not as much as I would have liked. That's alright though. I went to the Renaissance Festival in Tampa with my sister and one of her grand daughters, Kaelynn, this afternoon. We had a great time! Especially since we decided it would be NO MEN ALLOWED ! Last year, let's just say the menfolk were acting a bit more like children kept asking "When are we gonna leave?" This year, we were able to enjoy the exhibits and some of the shows without feeling rushed. :) Here are some pictures from our afternoon: There were belly dancers… An elven flutist… A living tree… Elephant rides… A petting zoo (that’s Kaelynn hugging one of the bunnies)… And signs to guide the way. At one of the exhibit booths, they were finding pearls in oysters. Now, unlike some places, you are guaranteed at least one pearl. Well, my sister chose an oyster that had...

Hey everyone! GO check out Jennifer's blog !! She's having a St. Patrick's Day Giveaway with some really great stuff!!! I will be posting a proper update soon, but just wanted to let y'all know about Jennifer's giveaway right away.

Well, I got word today that Ellen’s package arrived. I am so grateful that my stitching is being enjoyed by others. Here is a snap of what I sent to her: I also completed part 4 of the HalloSAL that I am involved in. This is turning out to be a very interesting piece. I can’t wait to have it finished! I am thinking that this will be a framed piece in the end. Here are a couple of pictures: In the close-up of the latest part, I think it looks really cool looking at it from an angle. It makes it appear to be looking up toward the haunted house. Notice the trees, too. Don’t they just sing Dr. Seuss??! What a clever design! Two more parts to go… ********************** Again, congratulations to Ellen for being one of the winners of my magazine giveaway!

Well, I finally put the last stitch in part 3 of my design for Yoyo’s SAL ! Here is a picture of it: As you can see, I am 1/3rd of the way finished! I think I will take it across the bottom and then work up making the last section the very center. There will be no card inserts this month as I just do not have the time… As I sit here and enjoy a bowl of strawberries over pound cake (I can’t call it strawberry shortcake as the strawberries aren’t mushy enough and I don’t have any whip cream), I am trying to decide if I want to work on HalloSAL tonight or not. I am a bit tired after working in the flower shop today. We’ll see how it goes! You may notice some of my posts being very different in appearance than others. I am trying to decide if I like Windows Live Writer or not. I saw that someone else was using it and thought I would give it a try. So far I am undecided. One thing that is on the Pro side is that you can use more fonts than what blogger allows. Stay tuned… I hope...

I have been informed that Ann received her giveaway package from me. Here is a picture of what I stitched for her: I wasn't sure how to finish-finish Quaker Medallions , so when I looked through the tutorial links I thought it would make a cute little pillow. The backing fabric is that green suede-like material that I used on a project for school recently (see http://caliphates.blogspot.com for an image of that project). Again, congratulations Ann for winning one of these magazines! I hope you get enjoyment out of the designs inside.

Well, I figure I will go back to sharing some of my older writing. It has been a long time since I posted anything from that time. The following is a poem written while I was in high school. It talks about the decision I made to go against my father in choosing who I dated. Sometimes I wish I could go back to that time and make a different decision; that is a decision to keep that person in my life. I am thankful to have him back in my life now (and over the past several years). He is a dear friend! love and pain   my heart yearns to be free from all the pain I feel today to love someone the way I do is beautiful in every way   I feel your touch I feel your stare my love for you is everywhere   candles burn bright candles burn low the love that's in my heart will always glow   my heart yearns to be free to make...

…’til my daddy takes the T-bird away! Well, in theory at least. I will be getting my Lumina’s repairs completed over the next week or so. I am hoping to take a short, self- reflective, stitchy retreat to a hotel somewhere between Daytona Beach and Melbourne, FL within the next week or so as well. I need the break from my dad, and he probably needs a short one from me. I just wish we could get the T-bird registered and insured again so that I can drive that and get rid of my Lumina (car, not van for those of you car-fanatics). This weekend has been a shopping weekend for me. The IRS gave me a nice little refund again this year (it pays to be a student, I say). ;) I set aside half for my car and gave myself a $200 USD budget for all things stitchy. I think I went over by about $50 USD, but that is alright. Some of it went into tools that I won’t have to replace anytime soon. :D Here is a run down of the latest acquisitions: We R Memory Keepers Crop-a-Dile (pink handled, b...

*Edited to add links to a couple of blogs listed below* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Well, today began with my cat, lovely cat that she is growing up to be (please note the sarcasm behind this), waking me up yet again before the sun came up. She does this by getting on my printer, pressing a button, and watching the paper come out as it tries to make copies of nothingness! I love her to pieces, but enough is enough!! LOL... Here are a couple of pictures of her. The first is from when she first came home with me last August. The second was taken last night as she was playing in my bookshelf. Ain't she a cutie patootie! To those of you who are anxiously awaiting your prizes, they were posted this morning and should arrive to you before March 1st. I say March 1st because a couple of them, albeit priority mail, are international and may take a couple of extra days. Please let me know when they arrive! And this afternoon my dad and I went on a little adventure looking for a couple of LNS's ...

Ok, I have finished all four of the giveaway items and will be posting them to the appropriate recipients on Friday, the 19th! For now, here is a sneak peak of each piece: Only the winner will know who received what and what the actual finish is. I know most of you will be able to figure out the finish ( wink, wink ) but I will only post the actual giveaway picture once I have received word from the recipient. I do hope they enjoy their gifts! Now on to the PIF item as well as the Christmas Design SAL, HalloSAL, Charger , and the Great Pumpkin Conspiracy ! My next giveaway may be something patriotic. Keep watching for updates!

Well, as promised, here is my update for TUSAL for the month of February: While I haven't done too much in the way of stitching, I did manage to go through my floss that had been piling up, sort it into their appropriate containers/bags, and get rid of the yucky bits. Alas, those bits made it into the TUSAL jar, so that is primarily what you are seeing. The blue bits are from some of the giveaway pieces I am finishing up. Now, I need to find something slender enough and long enough to push the bits down. Now that the holiday is over and the semester is at an end, I have finally picked up my stitching projects again. Last night, I spent a little bit of time on the Christmas Design SAL. I will show a progress picture of that at a later time. Today, I will be frantically (lol) finishing up the giveaway pieces and the PIF piece. I am hoping to get these out in the mail later this week. I will close this post with a few pictures of one of the arrangements my sister designed for V...

I have been soooo busy at the flower shop this week. I have only been home for about half hour tonight. As of right now, I have not finished the giveaway and PIF pieces. I won't be able to get back to stitching until Monday. With that said, I will be mailing the packages out next week. Sorry for the long delay. Between the end of the semester and the holiday, time just slipped away...quickly! I will post an updated TUSAL photo on Monday. For now, Happy Valentine's Weekend to all of my blog buddies!!!

My niece, Ariel, turns 12 today! I wish I could spend the day with her, but alas she is too far away. She lives in MI with her dad (my bro) and I live in FL. So, I wrote her a poem and mailed it in a card that I created for her using a small cross stitch pattern. Here is the card and poem: Flutterby Butterfly Beautiful little girl Unpretentious, but with style Truly amazing, Talented, and bright Epitome of her daddy, but Really coming into her own Feel the wings behind you Leaving a childhood too soon You really shouldn’t let life Be a flutterby.

Hop on over to Jennifer's blog for an incredible Valentine's Day Giveaway! I am just about finished with the small pieces that will be sent to the winners with their magazines. I will be mailing them out within the week (before Valentine's Day - and I always send Priority for tracking purposes). I sent an email to Sandra - please if you read this post - get in touch with me!!! I need your address. I am also just about ready to send my first PIF for the year. Who will be the lucky recipient??? I did manage to finish~finish my Happy Christmas ornie. Here's are a few pics: Not too bad for my first attempt at making an ornament. I just forgot to think about a way to hang it. I think I will use this ornie as a "standing" decoration. I don't intend to put it on my tree, so I will set it on my bookshelf each year. That's it for now!

Today is the anniversary of the birth of my grandma. To be precise, the 86th anniversary of her birth! I miss her so much every day, but fondly remember the times spent with her. Whether it be at the house in St. Johns or the cottage on Lake George, I always loved being with grandma. You see, this woman taught me how to really live. She taught me about music and cameras. She taught me how to have an open mind. She gave me the courage to do what I wanted, what was right for me. I may have made some mistakes through the years, but at the time it seemed right to me. SO, to honor her memory, here is a little something from me to her: Me and my grandma on June 1, 1990 - Boone High School Graduation - Orlando A beautiful woman, through and through Auburn hair, tightly curled Always with a smile on her face Always with arms open wide A gal full of sass, through and through Bright red lips, wrinkled with time Always ready to share a good laugh Always ready to comfort wet eye...