Life With Jules, and other stuff

No, I haven’t gone shopping again, lol! I received my winnings from Vickie : Now I have to go through and measure all of the pieces and figure out what I am going to use them for, hehe. Thank you so very much!!! And, I finally got the package sent out to Ellen this morning. Things have been so crazy at work that it took a little longer than expected. One of my cousins called me at 5:30 am Thursday. She was on her way to Gainesville for her dad’s surgery. Not the reason she called me though (and lucky for her my alarm already went off). She asked me to do her engagement and wedding photos. So, on April 6th I will be attending her wedding as the official photographer. She’s lucky I don’t charge family! I am happy for her. She deserves a happy ending for a change. Funny thing is, after hanging up I laid back and thought “I want a boyfriend”. Won’t go into details so as not to bore you all. Oh, and my uncle’s surgery went well and he is recovering. Working on an ornie this weekend an...

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 ...

Not finished yet, but I am almost finished with the pumpkin portion: Today, my dad and I went to Leesburg, FL to visit his aunt and uncle. I took advantage of us being in the area and popped over to A Stitcher’s Dream in Mount Dora. This is what I purchased: As you can see, I picked up the Kreinik floss that I need to finish Boo . I also picked up some 22-ct Zweigert Green Aida and a remnant of 14-ct White Aida. The patterns are (clockwise from top left): Victorians Across America’s Hotel Del Coronado (I have actually seen it in person and it is gorgeous!); Victorians Across America’s Southernmost Hotel , Key West; La-D-Da’s Pumpkins Three ; and Kats by Kelly’s Devil Cat’s Food . I learned that Kelly won’t be designing these cats anymore after this year so better stock up on them while I can!!! I am planning on finishing the pumpkin tonight and maybe getting a start on the rest of Boo !

…to have had a finish over the weekend, but alas I spent it running between work, home and the hospital. Dad was in with an infection in his secum, but he is now home on antibiotics. A sure sign he is feeling better: he is driving me nutso, LOL! I do love him though. He’s the only daddy I have afterall and I don’t think I could stand losing him right now. Here is a semi-recent pic of him:   I have been working on another piece for TGPC. This one is called Happy Howloween by Charles Craft. Of course, I don’t necessarily have all of the recommended floss, but I do have adequate alternates in my stash. I am still trying to get rid of use up some old floss that just seems to be going nowhere fast. Anyhoo, here is a progress pic: It will be finished tonight or tomorrow night at the latest. I am ready to move on to other things, LOL! I also recently paid a visit to Quilts on Plum Lane in Dade City. I decided to head up there one morning last week before work to pick u...

I have been living in a small retirement community called Zephyrhills (FL) since June 2006. When I first arrived here I noticed that there were virtually no LNS’s near me. I have made mention before as to the lack of an LNS and having to drive more than an hour away to either Silk Road Needle Arts in St. Petersburg or Needle Craft World in Kissimmee, which I don’t mind, but today I decided to explore a local quilt supply shop in Dade City . Now, Dade City is about 10 minutes north of me and I am very familiar with the town since my dad grew up around this area. In 2006 I called and inquired about cross-stitch supplies and the response was they do not carry anything. Today I popped in and took a look at the fabrics they have. As I made my way through the shop I noticed a huge-ish selection of FLOSS!!! Yippee! This will save me a trip to the other stores and internet shopping for some items. They do carry Weeks Dye Works, Presencia, some DMC, EdMar (Iris, Lola, etc), and a few others. ...

(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...

*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 ...

Yes, that does mean I have finished Makin' New Friends (well, as finished as it's gonna get)! Instead of french knots, I used black colored beads. I opted not to do all the "beadwork" because I felt it would look better without all the clutter. There should be white and red beads as well on the buttons and one of the scarfs. Here is a pic: Earlier today, my father and I were out and about and we stopped at JoAnn's so I could get some fabric for a project I am going to start for one of my graduate school classes. I am making a chapbook, of sorts, using my own poetry translated into Arabic. I plan to write the poems in calligraphy and then bind the book in a traditional (as traditional as I can get, anyway) medieval Islamic fashion. It will be a lot of work, but I am sure it will look great when I am done! Here is a pic of the fabric I chose (Yes, that is my kitten, Sandy, "modeling" with the fabric - it's hard to believe she is almost 7 mos.): I also...

Well, I went to Kissimmee, FL today to visit NeedleCraft World. It is a wonderful little store with lots of neat stuff! I mainly went to get some fabric that I need for a couple of projects, and since it is the closest stitchy store near me (about an hour East), I gave myself a little spending limit. I managed to pick up a few patterns and a kit. Below are some pics: The top fabric is "Peoria Purple" by Week's Dye Works. This photo does not do justice to the actual color, but it is the closest I could get to showing you. The bottom fabric is a 28ct Linen (can't remember the color), which it turns out is not long enough, so I will have to reorder in the correct length. Such is life, I guess! lol...it also means I can get the rest of the floss I need to begin the HalloSAL. Starting from the top left: Rosewood Manor's Medallions by Karen Kluba (2008), The Cricket Collection's The Great Pumpkin Conspiracy by Vicki Hastings (2009), Ink Circles' Cirque des Carr...