Life With Jules, and other stuff

And then some…. First, the “then some”. It’s been an emotional week for me. Well, weekend really. It started with some not-so-good news on my dad’s prognosis. His CT scans from Dec and Jan revealed a 25% increase in cancer cells in his liver and it has spread to his lower lungs. We will find out the course of further treatment this coming Friday. I also found out that same day (Thursday) that his brother went back into the hospital after being in post-op rehab for a week. He wound up with a blood transfusion. This morning, I played traffic director after a major head-on collision in front of our church. There were 3 cars involved, however 2 were destroyed. Of those 2, one had 5 elderly citizens inside – three in the back, not in seatbelts, passed away. The driver and passenger were taken to hospital. I believe they were husband and wife. The other car had only a driver and he was also injured. So, to end my weekend a bit shaken up by all of this… I turn to my WIPs! First up is ...

I got my issue of the Nov/Dec JCS in the mail today! I have to say that there is at least 1 design I am totally in love with: Sampler of Psalms!!! I have been wanting to stitch a Sampler of the 23rd Psalm specifically, it’s my fave in the entire Bible, but haven’t found one to my liking. I asked my dad to draw some motifs for me, but haven’t been able to convert to a pattern. Then I saw this issue and I really want to stitch the Sampler in it! Sooo, I am gonna ask Santa for the floss and fabric needed to stitch it and I may have a new start in January. In other stitchy news, I have been doing a little stitching here and there. I have no pics to show yet, mainly because I haven’t loaded them into my laptop. I do, however, have some pics of my Sandy. She has been spending more time with me lately. Saturday night, I decided to take some snapshots of her: the Latest JCS is here!!! ...

Sunday, my sister called and asked if I would come down for the night. Of course, I went! Since she is still getting settled she doesn’t have cable yet so I had to take a bunch of movies with me. I also took a couple of projects with me to work on. One of them was The First Day by Plum Street Samplers (from the JCS Christmas Preview issue): Since I didn’t have all of the necessary recommended floss and fabric, I improvised. I used WDW Williamsburg and Loden and stitched on 28ct Antique White Evenweave by MCG Textiles. I think it looks beautiful!   Remember this piece (JBW French Heart):           Well, I finally finished it and it’s on it’s way to my mom as this: She turns 60 on Friday and I thought this would be perfect since I can’t do what I originally planned on at this time.     A progress picture from last week that I forgot about…I did put some stitches into the second vase. I am still not too keen on metallics, but I a...

There are several great giveaways going on right now. Check out my <--- left sidebar for links! I have been working on the Abraham Lincoln Sampler for the past couple of days. I am a little more than halfway: Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace Sampler VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL   I have to admit that I was hesitant about the detail back stitches in the roof. But after doing a couple of rows I am quite ...

…this: “ Boo” – JCS Freebie Design by Sharon Pope Stitched on 28-ct Sand (instead of Salt) Carolina Linen Recommended DMC and Kreinik Fine Braid colors I just have to make a trip to one of my not-so-LNS’s (Kissimmee or St. Pete) to pick up the recommended Kreinik braid. I think I may spend Sunday working on the Coming Home for the Holidays. I haven’t touched it in a couple of weeks and really need to get the lead out to have it finished for Christmas for my dad! I am starting a new work schedule this week, so that will definitely help me accomplish the finish. I also wanted to share this with you: Yup! I received my diploma in the mail today!!! I am so happy. Now I just need to get a frame and matte board for it and hang it next to my BA diploma. Woo Hoo I picked up a few items to include in the PIF, Swap Party, and Biscornu exchange tonight. I should finally be mailing out the PIF Monday!

I was so excited to learn that I won the Gone With the Wind giveaway over at Feathers in the Nest. I received my winnings yesterday and am so looking forward to stitching the design. Here are a couple of pictures of my prize (note: the movie was already mine. I just added it to round out the picture.): I tried on the earrings and love them! They are not too heavy. The real test will come when I wear them for more than a few minutes (my ears are very sensitive, but I believe all will be fine since they are sterling silver). Here is a picture of me donning the new earrings: I also took a couple of pictures of my “Celtic” earring collection. I have a pair of shamrocks (that are a bit tarnished), a pair of gold claddagh’s that irritate my ears, and of course the lovely pair from Jennifer. Here is one of those pictures: I can’t resist sharing a picture of my Sandy “modeling” the GWTW design: ...

Well, I was trying to get some research in today, but Google Books kept messing up so I decided to do a little stitching. I am also a bit under the weather as I believe the cold conditions in Florida have finally gotten the best of me. So, here are a couple of small finishes: First up is Pineapple Cone Stitched on 18-ct Charles Craft fabric DMC Floss (came with kit) Designed by: Barbara Bangser 2007 Posy Collection Next is a bookmark. Part of the design is my own and part is from a magazine ( JCS , June 2009). The poem, or rather haiku, is mine as well. Stitched on 14-ct Aida fabric Floss color: Dark Brown (left over from Quaker Medallion ) And I have completed part of HalloSAL part 3. I still have a couple of sections to do, but I need to get the right floss first. I decided I didn't want to try to use something similar. I do intend to stitch a little on the Christmas Design SAL with Yoyo tonight. Don't forget to sign up for my giveaway ! So far there are two who actually post...

Just a couple of quick finishes to share. I finished "Joy" a couple nights ago. Here is a pic: Last night, after much fighting with the fabric, I finished the reindeer ornie (well, as finished as it is gonna get for now). Here is a pic: As you can see, I used beads for the eyes and the dot on the "i" in Christmas. I still have one leg to complete, and that is where the fighting came in. I must have stabbed myself a half dozen times trying to get the darker brown outline and legs completed. Those stitches go through the center of the square instead of in the holes already there. I didn't like doing those stitches. The stars were simple, but a lot of work. You have to start and finish each star individually or there will be a lot of "tails" showing through. The border is done using backstitching instead of the called for "Blanket stitch". I am not sure if I will frame the little guy or turn him into an actual ornament. Either way, that part wil...

...but I do have a couple of pics taken at my sister's last night. I went over to help her decorate her tree after work. Now, being the Trekkie that she is, her tree is almost 1/2 Star Trek. You'll be able to see some of those decorations in one of the pictures shown below: The last picture is of me (on the left in blue) and my sister (on the right in green). I also got the latest JCS issue in the mail today! I have been looking for it ever since I saw the cover of it on their website a few days ago. I am going to stitch the Austrian I, Tabatha's Sampler, and the monthly flowers for sure. I know where part of my pay check is going in a couple of weeks (and any monies I may get for Christmas, if my mother sent money that is)! Gonna make a trip to Orlando or Ocala to visit my (nearest) LNS!! In the meantime, I may not get a lot of stitching done over the next week or so. Between working at the flower shop during the holiday and getting the next chapter draft by Jan 1st I am g...

I still don't have my own pc back, so I decided to download the pics onto my dad's pc so I can upload them here. First up is HalloSAL. I decided to go with beads for the owls eyes instead of continuing to fight the french knots. While I am waiting for part II on HalloSAL, I decided to stitch Fraidy Frog from the JCS Halloween 2009 Issue. The first image is in normal settings on my camera and the second is in the "pop art" setting. I really like how the colors look in the second image! And finally, an update on Astral Lion . I am almost finished (have stitched much more since this photo was taken) and will post another update on it soon. I am now all the way across the bottom, have the smaller lions done (except for the backstitching), and most of the purple area complete. Now to get my pc back from that blasted Geek Squad! I will have an update on the Christmas SAL over the weekend as I have the 4th part to complete and the last part will be out soon (Sunday, ...

I received my JCS 2009 Ornaments issue today in the mail. I am really impressed with it! I have never even looked at one of these issues in the past. I was amazed not only at the quantity of patterns to stitch, but also at the abundance of recipes for Christmas. Looks like I may have to dust off my baking pans this year!!

I finished one of the Blackwork pieces this evening. It was very interesting to stitch this type of pattern. I am very pleased with the outcome.

Well, my dad went into the hospital last night after having a few dizzy spells all day Sunday. Being a cardiac patient (4 bypasses at the end of Feb 2008), they wanted to keep him for observation. So, this morning I got together a couple of pieces of black Aida fabric to try my hand at blackwork. The latest issue of Just Cross Stitch (Sep/Oct 2009) has a couple of small patterns on pp. 58-59. I started one of the patterns and didn't really pay attention to detail - that is, I didn't stitch over 1 square at a time. Here is what I have so far on that one: The other one I decided to do it the right way and am pleased with how it is turning out so far. Here is what I have: I actually did make a couple of intentional changes to the patterns in the magazine. The first change is rather obvious. I didn't like the look of orange on white so I chose to use black Aida instead. Also, I am using DMC 971 instead of DMC 946 floss. It gives it more of a Halloween tone as well as allowing t...