Tag, I'm it!

ACCENT - Don't have one, but love them. Oh so sexy! Todd has a bit of an accent - PURR

I DON"T DRINK - much other than water/tea/coffee

CHORE I HATE - cleaning hair from the sink drains

PETS - love animals... have a shih tzu dog, and a cat

ESSENTIAL ELECTRONICS - My computer and radio

PERFUME - don't wear it, but love body spray - vanilla

GOLD or SILVER - mostly silver now

INSOMNIA - periodically

JOB TITLE - wiper of assess (switchboard operator)

MOST ADMIRED TRAIT - I'm sweet/giving misconstrued as being easily taken advantage of by some.

KIDS - 2

PHOBIA - too difficult to explain

RELIGION - not a practicing Catholic, but try to live by the beliefs

SIBLINGS - none

TIME I WAKE UP - depends what I'm working

UNUSUAL TALENT/SKILL - don't think I have one!

VEGETABLE - yes! no parsnip or turnip

WORST HABIT - I worry too much

X-RAYS - can't remember

MY FAVORITE MEAL - anything that has Todd's ceasar salad as a side dish!

Love with A Capital L - 40 hours

I'm still plugging away. I'm still really disliking those curlie cues. As you can see I cheated some and started on the words. I'm thinking if I work on an area I want to work then the curlie cues I'll be somewhat inspired to work them so I can get back to something I want to work on. Sneaky, eh?

Next Rotation piece: Hydrangea Harvest
Here HH is at 20 hours. I'll be working this piece for 5 hours then back to Love again.

I Dream A Little Dream

This is probably one of my favorite pictures ever. It has taken me a while to get a copy of this photo, but I finally have it. Thank you, Todd. This picture was taken last year by Todd's oldest daughter, the daughter that aspires to be a photographer. From this photo I think she has some talent, I really hope she follows it up. It is a picture from her Aunt and Uncle's sun room looking out on the St. Lawrence River.

Todd and I, along with his girls went to visit his sister and her family (love them) last Christmas and it was awesome. I fell in love with their house, and not just because it is beautiful, it is, but because of the people and the way they make you feel - at home and welcome. The view in this picture is what I woke up to, with tea in hand and a book, out to the sun room, I head. It was heaven and a place and way of life I could get very comfortable with. Funny eh?

I lack the words to do this picture or the feelings it inspires justice. I just know when life gets like it will sometimes I escape to this place in my mind. It is a gift of immeasurable worth. Does it get any better than this?

Hammer Nail Finger Thumb!

Here is one small job I tackled today. It didn't take all that long to do, probably 5 minutes in total, but what a difference it makes in Princess' room. It is gorgeous and the contrast on the red walls is stunning.



My second job of the day. I've wanted to hang this shelf for so long! I finally tackled it today. I bought these very intimidating hanging hooks - Thanks Cute Boy!! I was having moments and for those that know me and know me well, you can well imagine my moments of panic. I'm a perfectionist in the worse way. I was measuring, dividing, adding and subtracting like nobody's business. I wanted this centered and level. It was working myself into a sweat! The e-mails flying between Velda and myself - too funny. We are very much alike in someways, but not in this!! My anal tendencies paid off. I think my carpentry leaves much to be desired, but the end result is gorgeous. We'll see how well I did tonight if I wake up in the morning with the entire ensemble on my head.

If I can keep up this crazy pace, my house will eventually look how I want it, just in time to sell it!

The Quickie - James Patterson

Lauren Stillwell is not your average damsel in distress. When the NYPD cop discovers her husband leaving a hotel with another woman, she decides to beat him at his own game. But her revenge goes dangerously awry, and she finds her world spiraling into a hell that becomes more terrifying by the hour.

In a further twist of fate, Lauren must take on a job that threatens everything she stands for. Now, she's paralyzed by a deadly secret that could tear her life apart. With her job and marriage on the line, Lauren's desire for retribution becomes a lethal inferno as she fights to save her livelihood--and her life.

Patterson takes us on a twisting roller-coaster ride of thrills in his most gripping novel yet. This story of love, lust and dangerous secrets will have reader's hearts pounding to the very last page.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OMG! OMG! OMG! I gasped out loud at about page 15 and do so numerous times thereafter. What an amazing book. It kept me guessing right up the very end. Highly recommend this one!

Summer Breeze - 95 hours

I don't normally do this, but I have decided to post an update at 95 hours. I usually hold out until 10 hour blocks roll around, but I love this piece so much I couldn't wait to share. I'm so bad!!

I really can't wait to get this one finished and have it hanging in my front entranceway! I keep looking up to where I want this piece to hang and get soooo excited. I guess the best way to get what I want is to keep up with needle to thread and eventually it will be hanging in it's place of honour.

Next piece: Love with a Capital L for 10 hours.

One Word Answers

Taken from Susan
1. Where is your cellphone? - purse
2. Relationship? - awesome
3. Your Hair? - nasty
4. Work? - annoying
5. Your sister? - no
6. Your favorite thing? - country
7. Your dream last night? - not
8. Your favorite drink? - chai
9. Your dream car? - Tiburon
10. The room you’re in? - office
11. Your shoes? - dirty
12. Your fears? - financial
13. What do you want to be in 10 years? - happy
14. Who did you hang out with this weekend? - friends
15. What are you not good at? - confrontation
16. Muffin? - banana
17. One of your wish list items? - divorce
18. Where you grew up? - here
19. Last thing you did? - talked
20. What are you wearing? - flip flops
21. What aren’t you wearing? - bra
22. Your pet? - Dog
23. Your computer? - adequate
24. Your life? - loved
25. Your mood? - peaceful
26. Missing? - boy
27. What are you thinking about right now? - Saturday
28. Your car? - red
29. Your kitchen? - clean
30. Your summer? - fun
31. Your favorite color? - red
32. Last time you laughed? - last night
33. Last time you cried? - forget
34. School? - wish
35. Love? - extremely

Love with a Capital L - 30 hours

I tried to make it little. (ETA: I did it!!! All by myself too, okay I tried to get help, but I did it by myself before I was rescued LOL) I get by because I'm cute and that is my one and only defence! Here she is in all her glory! I'm getting a little bored with this border, but it imperative that is all links up properly so I don't dare move inward until this is finished. The curley cues on the very outer edge are driving me to distraction. Can ya tell, since I've barely touched them. I will live to regret that I'm sure.

Thanks for looking. Hoping to be back at in just a few days.

Summer Breeze 90 hours

This is the piece I'm working on right now. I will work this piece for 5 hours. If it looks as though I've made some progress I'll post an update, if not you'll have to wait until I hit the 10 hour block. I'm just a little bit anal about some things and one of those things would be posting pics of stitching if not at the 10 block.

This is my all-time favorite Paula Vaughan pattern. I've not worked on this piece for about 1 year, which is way too long. Once I get working on it I'm sure it will be like coming home. A long overdue visit home!

New window. Yes, it's new

I bought this window today at Habitat for Humanity. I've always wanted to go there so when Cute Boy presented the idea, I was in like a dirty shirt. I love it there. I know I'd have to spend a lot of time searching for just the 'right' thing, well it didn't take me long at all.

I bought this window for $8.10 and I'm now in possession of Cute Boy's heat gun and I'll be on my way to stripping it to bring it down to the bare wood which I will stain to look rustic. What I'll be hanging in the window area, I don't know yet. Cute Boy came up with a lot of ideas for me... gotta love him! I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows - J.K. Rowling

The Final Chapter
Harry is waiting in Privet Drive. The Order of the Phoenix is coming to escort him safely away without Voldemort and his supporters knowing if they can. But what will Harry do then? How can he fulfil the momentous and seemingly impossible task that Professor Dumbledore has left him with.

In this final, seventh installment of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling unveils in spectactular fashion the answers to the many questions that have been so eagerly awaited. The spellbinding, richly woven narrative, which plunges, twists and turns at a breathtaking pace, confirms the author as a mistress of storytelling, whose books will be read, reread and read again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No worries, I won't blow the story line or give away any secrets. I will tell ya, I cried like a newborn baby. I cried so much at one point in the book, I literally sobbed. My face was soggy, I kid you not.

To Never Stop Learning

Do you remember when you were a kid you would say, 'I can't wait until I grow up, I'm going to....' Have you done what it is you thought you'd do? Is your life where you thought it would be? Are you happy with where your life is right now?

I remember growing up so eager to be finished school. I couldn't wait to start my life. Little did I know then that staying in school would be the ticket to a good life. I was so eager to start my life I didn't take the time to lay the foundation for financial success, most of all. I'm not begrudging my life or the successes I've had thus far. Looking back I know I could have studied harder, worked harder then and planned more for today rather than getting caught up in the 'I want it now' way of thinking and living. There are so many times I've tried to explain my way of thinking, especially to my girls, so they realize the importance of staying school, not because I'm preaching at them, but so hopefully they can see it is an important first step in achieving life goals.

I love my life and am very happy. The thing I think I'm most struggling with right now is that I'm in a job I love, but hours I hate. I know if I'm not careful how I present this, I will come away painting a picture of feeling sorry for myself and that is not the way I want to be. I've worked hard to have the things I have and with that being said, I know they have also come at a high price. I want more, but not in a completely, want more materialistic way. Does that make me selfish? I hope not!

I'm content with my place in this world. My want doesn't stem just from a materialistic point of origin, but from a desire to have a home that is tucked away, resemblant of the simpler things in life. I posted a pic of a cross stitch pattern that I will be working on shortly, Wildflower Rhapsody, if this makes any sense that is the life I want. I want to clean up some debt and get my mortgage paid down, so I can actively look at putting this plan in motion. All that from a cross stitch picture, you ask?

I struggle with the words to make this make any sense whatsoever, but I know in my heart I want something more than just the grind of these crazy shifts I work. I want something simple from a simpler time where life wasn't just about want, need and the almighty dollar. Don't get me wrong, it is money, sadly that keeps this world moving. I want for things, sometimes too many things, but I want to try and work on my house as economically as I possibly can, but still have it look nice and see if I can't find a way to make some of my dreams come true. New found dreams, I've been holding tight and close to my chest for the last little while.

I ramble, I know. My head has been spinning with these thoughts and in an attempt to save my sanity, and my blog being my place of comfort right now, it is here I unload.

Job's Tears 60 hours

Here is Job's Tears at 60 hours. I started out planning only working on this for 5 hours, but went over the 5 hour block while I was at work one night, so I proceeded on a full 10 hours. Everything needs to be finished eventually, so why not just keep moving forward on whatever happens to be in my stitching bag.

When I first started this piece I was so excited about it. I'm still loving it, don't get me wrong. I do have a wee bit of a confession though,. This probably the most mistake ridden piece I've ever worked. I think it is glaringly obvious since I'm bouncing all over the place with the pattern so I can hopefully get some things lined up properly since I'm not frogging (gasp) since I have no worldly clue where the mistake originates.

Words of Wisdom

I am a lover of words. The following verse was shown to me today by a friend. The simplicity of speaks volumes. To live in the moment of these words will be a gift for which I will strive to achieve for myself.

Live

long.

Touch

often.

Hug

frequently.

Smile

much.

Laugh

daily.

Kiss

repeatedly.

Trust

eternally.

Love

infinitely.

and

be

happy

forever.

What good is a rule if not to break it.

Wildflower Rhapsody

I'm not suppose to be starting anything new in an attempt to get pieces finished. I'm weak, very weak! I lack self control on most levels, but when it comes to my stitching I'm weakest there than anywhere. I should be ashamed, but I'm not. I'm soooo excited it's not even a little bit funny, okay maybe a little bit funny.

I was working today with a woman that is going to be retiring in the next couple years (and yes I'll need that long) and we were looking a patterns today. She fell in love with this piece, and no, I didn't prod her along, so I've decided to stitch it for her as a retirement gift. I love stitching for others most and Paula Vaughan being my absolute favorite designer it is though my love of the two need to brought together. Ya think?

This will not be an expensive endeavor since I already have the fabric, the book and will just have to buy some new floss. My adrenaline is rising at the thought of this new piece. Can hardly wait to get my paws in my stash to see what I need to get this piece on the go.

A rule is only made to be broken, right??

Nesting Nelly Reporting for Duty

It is happening again... I'm entering into the phase of my life that rears its head every so often. I'm nesting! No, I am not pregnant!!!! I've been like this since I was a small girl and it has continued on into adulthood. I love this time. I always want to know the why of something and this is no different. My kitchen sink psychological analysis leads me to think it is my love of the fall season. Don't get me wrong, I live and die by the hot days of summer, but as soon as I feel the humidity break I get this urge to be 'Susie Freakin' Homemaker'.

I've been scouring cookbooks looking for comfort food. I want to do batch cooking so I have meals and servings of different foods in the freezer. All those rib sticking foods: chili, cabbage rolls, lasagna and stew. You get the idea, I'm sure. I've already made Curry Chicken and Rice, but none of that made it to the freezer.

I haven't even touched on how I get with my house in times like this. I just want to clean and renovate then clean again. I run around like an obssessed and slightly demented woman making lists of what I want to get accomplished. List, lists and more lists. Measuring tape in hand I start making notes and measurements of what is needed, here there and wherever. I just about drive myself crazy and this is where it gets bad, really very bad. I can make lists until I'm blue in the face, and let me tell ya I can really make a list, but if I don't accomplish what I set out to achieve, I get so annoyed with myself. Drive is good to a point, but obssession is a dangerous game.

So, in trying to make myself more accountable I will take this little nesting moment and list the things I want to do to my house in the next little while:

Princess' Room
~touch up paint on Princess' ceiling
~spray paint Princess' window blind gold
~buy, hang and paint new bedroom door
~install new door knob

My Bedroom
~install and paint new bedroom door
~hang shelf (having issues with this one)

Bathroom
~renovate the entire room - waiting on Cute Boy for this one!

Kitchen
~fix drywall
~spackle some drywall screw holes done
~paint kitchen

Spare Bedroom
~Where do I begin?

Garage
~Paint the garage trim to match door and window shutters

This concludes my short list and think this will be enough to keep me busy for a bit. I do need to spend some money to get these jobs finished, but not a lot which is always good. Most of the jobs listed are simple enough I just need some time off to be able to get them done.

Now that I have my list made I'm even more excited! I love my house and fixing it up brings me such happiness, especially now that it is all mine - greedy girl I am. Why does the thought of all this work leave me feeling overwhelmed, but happy as a lark?

The Dog Days of Summer

I'm going to start this entry and just let it fly, not sensor my thoughts but to let it just come from the heart!

I had the most wonderful weekend. I've had many over the last year, but this one was just too awesome.

Cute Boy worked days and I was on evenings on Saturday and off Sunday. I spent Saturday shopping with Cute Boy's daughters. It always seems I follow up with "it would have only been better if Lily were with us". This time is no different! Princess didn't come with us which is too bad. It was a total girl day and one she would have really enjoyed. The girls told me they don't get to shop very often, which in my way of life, believe that is a crime. I have never heard 'Tammy! Tammy! Look at this!, What do you think about this?, Would this work? Tammy! Tammy!" so many times in my life! It was hilarious. I watched Cute Boy's oldest daughter stretch a dollar like nothing else. I was and still am very proud of her. Cute Boy and I parent as differently as any two human beings could, so this shopping trip was just that - a trip. The girls would show me a skirt not much bigger than a tissue and I would just look they knew - Dad will kill one of us, back went the skirt to the rack.

The girls and I picked up Queenie and she hung out with us for a bit. We all headed back to Cute Boy's for a swim after working up a sweat. Being a fashionista is hard work, ya know. I got a small jump on back to school shopping: adorable skirt for Princess and a pair of crazy comfortable looking pants for Queenie. Oh the back to school shopping fun begins.

Sunday was a day of dreams for me. Cute Boy, myself and the three girls were invited to a family barbecue at Cute Boy's sister's home. I love being around his family. They are some of the most incredible people I've ever the honour of meeting. You would never know in a million years that they haven't known me as long as that. They love each other and you can see it in most everything they do with and for each other. The way they treat me is awesome, but the best part for me, is the way they are with Princess. Watching her open up slowly, but open up just the same, around them over time is just the greatest. Princess gravitates to Cute Boy's one neice. I see a lot of Cute Boy's neice in the person I think Princess will grow to become.

I had the absolute best day and know it is days like this recent one that show me just how blessed I am. You can not ask for more than being in a place that brings you joy and peace. That is exactly the kind of day I just lived. I'm still feeling the after glow.

In closing I steal from another blogger, Susan:

Thank for sharing a perfect summer day with me.

Lost - Faith Hill

Lost
Is it obvious to you
When you walk into a room
Your face is all I see
And my heart races so fast
I never knew a rush to feel like that
Every time you're touching me

I never did believe in anything
I couldn't hold between my fingers
But the way you make me feel
It's just so real the way it lingers

I get lost inside your stare
Lost when you're not there
When everything I have doesn't mean a thing
If it's without you
If it's a dream, don't wake me up
I'll scream if this isn't love
If bein' lost means never knowin'
How it feels without you
I wanna stay lost (forever)
(I wanna stay lost forever with you)

No, this feeling doesn't end
It's with me everywhere I am
Hope it never goes away
It's like defying gravity
Losin' all control and bein' free
And I always wanna stay

I never thought that I'd let go
Long enough to fall for someone deeply
Who had the power to erase my fears
And find me so completely
I get lost inside your stare
Lost when you're not there
When everything I have doesn't mean a thing
If it's without you
If it's a dream, don't wake me up
I'll scream if this isn't love
If bein' lost means never knowin'
How it feels without you
I wanna stay lost (forever)
(I wanna stay lost forever with you)
Don't tell me where we're goin'
I don't wanna know
I like the mystery (I like the mystery)
I can't believe we've come this far
So far away from where we started off
You found me when I wasn't lookin'
You found me

Don't tell me where we're goin'
I don't wanna know
I like the mystery (I like the mystery)
I can't believe we've come this far
So far away from where we started off
You found me when I wasn't lookin'
You found me

And now I'm lost inside your stare
Lost when you're not there
And everything I have doesn't mean a thing
If it's without you
Without you
If it's a dream
Don't wake me up
I'll scream if this isn't love
If bein' lost means never knowin'
How it feels without you
Yeah, if bein' lost means never knowin'
How it feels without you
Oh, if bein' lost means that I'm never
Gonna be without you
I wanna stay lost forever
I wanna stay lost forever with you

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is my new favorite song. Those close to me will know the reason for this fitting my life perfectly right now. The timing is perfect. When I was at the Faith and Tim concert in June, Faith sang this most beautiful song. I was on my way home from work last night when this song came on the radio. I was torn between the smile that kept taking over or the tiny tears rolling down my cheeks. Being a smitten kitten is one of the sweetest feelings I've ever experienced.

Double Take ~ Catherine Coulter

It's been more than six months since her husband's brutal death, and Julia Ransom is just beginning to breathe again. She loved her husband, renowned psychic August Ransom, but the media frenzy that followed his murder sapped what little strength she had left. Now, after dinner with friends, strolling along San Francisco's Pier 39, she realizes that she's happy. Standing at the railing, she savors the sounds around her-tourists, seals on a barge-and for a moment enjoys the sheer normalcy of it all. And then it comes to an end.

Out of nowhere she's approached by a respectable-looking man who distracts her with conversation before violently attacking her and throwing her the railing. If it hadn't been for Special Agent Cheney Stone, out to stretch his legs between courses at a local restaurant, Julia would have vanished into the bay's murky depths. Not only does he save her from a watery grave, but he senses a connection between her assault and her husband's death, and sets out to serve as her protector while reopening August Ransom's murder investigation.

Meanwhile, in Maestro, Virginia, Sheriff Dixon Noble-last seen in Point Blank-still mourns his wife, Christie, who vanished hree years earlier. His life, too, is just getting back to normal when he learns of a San Francisco woman named Charlotte Pallack, whose shocking resemblance to Christie sends Dix across the country. Though he knows in his heart that she can't possibly be his wife, Dix is compelled to see her with his own eyes. Once in San Francisco, Dix and Cheney's paths inevitably cross. With the help of agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock, whose San Francisco connections prove essential in unlocking the mystery behind Charlotte Pallack's identity as well as the forces behind Julia Ransom's attempted murder, Sheriff Noble and Agent Stone push deep into a complex world of psychics and poseurs. As the stakes and the body count rise, Savich, Sherlock, Dix, and Cheney fight for answers-and their lives.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I quite enjoyed this book. It was a perfect quick summer read. Nothing much exciting and rather predictable.

Love with a Capital L - 20 hours

I'm really loving this piece. I've not had a lot of time to put to this piece, but what I have I'm enjoying. This is going to be my focus piece, so when I'm done with Job's Tears I'm going to put another 10 hour to it. I really want this piece to be hanging in my bedroom by fall! We'll see what happens and how much time I can dedicate to this piece.

My 'new' front door.

I've actually had my front door up for quite some time now, painted as well. I was having difficulty with my camera. When am I not having problems with my camera?

It has been quite the saga with this door, the main one as well as my 'country cottage' storm door. When I was originally painting this door I was traumatized to think the door was purple. It is a wee bit burgandy, not as burgandy as I wanted, but I've grown to love it. I took a pic of the main door closed so you could get the idea, but normally the interior door is always opened.

You can't see it in the pic, but when looking at the door as you are, there is an old milk can/jug sitting on the right. I've yet to do with it what I want, but eventually I'll figure that out as well. I might pry the top off and plant flowers or stick sunflowers in it. Hmmmm, now that is a great idea, eh? I just thought of that as I typed. Cute and smart, I am!

One more thing on a list of many to get this house to the point that I'm happy with it!