Is it any wonder I don't get anything done with five of these around every day?? Lucky me :o) No, not all five are mine! The redhead on the left is my nephew Andrew, then Chase in the middle and Seran on the right belong to me. I pick all 5 up from school every day and watch them till their mom is done with work.

Finished the stitching on my Beat the Heat exchange. Now I need to make it into something. I had been thinking an ornament but then I thought a fob could be really cute....decisions decisions! I REALLY have no finishing skills but I'm liking the fob idea more and more, only if I can use my funky turquoise tufted cording like I originally planned though. Kris, if you read this, hope you don't have too many clues! No pic of this one till Kris actually receives it so it'll be at least 10 days if not longer. I heard mine is in the mail already so I'll have that pic to post next week sometime.

I've got to get to the store and buy DMC tonight (especially the elusive 840) so I can get moving on Julie's Bent Creek RR, I heard Char is mailing me Nic's tomorrow. I was so bad the other night, I had nothing to stitch on since I couldn't find the right color DMC, so I kitted up a new project. Luckily it used 40ct. linen and by the time I found my stitching glasses (used for 40ct. only, LOL) I kinda decided I didn't like the thread colors I picked. I wanted 4 different colors that would blend into the fabric a bit but the more I looked the more I wondered how hideous this was going to come out. It's sitting on my end table right now, I'll take another look in a few weeks. It's an older Homespun Elegance pattern with a stitcher and alphabet, but I thought I'd ignore the stitcher completely and just do the alpha.

OK, what gives? I have looked through all my stash and kits, no DMC 840. I have been to every LNS/craft store in my part of town and there is no DMC 840. WHO TOOK THE DMC 840??

Well here it is in all it's glory! I had the worst day yesterday which included Watty getting into my purse and dragging anything that caught her fancy around the house, then "hiding" it under whatever was available. I got an inkling of this when I noticed my purse on the floor empty and my cell phone hidden under a couch cushion. After many hours of searching I found my bag of beads hidden under folded clothes on the laundry room floor. I found my wallet also, now I just need to find the $20 that was loose in the purse. I'm sure one day this will be hilarious but for today that means I have to go get more money out of the bank :/ Dogs! But at least I got my project finally finished and a good story to tell ;o)

Stitched on Silkweaver 18ct. Cinnamon Roll Aida using GAST/Weeks/Stranded By the Sea threads and Mill Hill beads (rootbeer and something else).

Since I'm such a procrastinator, I hate to count stitching as finished until it's framed/pillowed/whatever. So here it is in all it's glory! It was a treat bag but I took floral wire and DMC 310 and made a little wall hanging instead. I stitched it on Sugar Maple Fabrics Wind opalescent using the DMC floss that came with the kit. I think it will go on my wall of whimsy along with my other finishes that make no sense anywhere else in my decor.

Yesterday I spent most of the day at the hospital with my oldest son who was having an EEG done (due to a possible seizure). The only bright spot was I got my summer fun contest entry done for Silkweaver (BC Life is Good). I forgot to bring the beads so I'll have to bead it over the weekend sometime. I spent another couple hours after that just sitting because it was too dark in the room to stitch (they have the patient sleep) on my Beat the Heat exchange :P Too frustrating to have free time and stitching all in one spot and not do anything. I'm making it my next lunchtime project so I can try to start the BC RR this weekend. Both have white in them, I *hate* stitching white! We won't know anything about my son until next week :o( Of course, if it's not epilepsy it could be heart issues or nothing so the testing is far from over.

Off to the pool to have some fun with the kids!!

I wanted to post my progress on the BC Wahoo Life is Good but Ringer the office kitty thought he should be acknowledged as well. He was a stray we took in while we tried to find the owner but no one has claimed him. I admit to not being a big kitty fan but he's a very sweet one. He's taken to batting at my thread as I stitch, lol. This is my progress after about 2 weeks. Maybe another week and it will be done? I managed to place the "f" incorrectly and it's driving me crazy so I need to frog that soon!

I got my replacement triangle buttons from SanMan for the fangs in Give Me a Bite so I hope to get that completely finished tonight and post a pic soon. My at home project is for a Beat the Heat exchange and is something I have always wanted to stitch. I took some liberties with the colors so it will match this really neat turquoise tufted trim I want to use to make it an ornament. Yes, it sounds weird but I think it will be cute! I'm being really bad by not starting my BC RR. I tried this weekend and realized it's in DMC so I need to either hunt up the DMC or go shopping. I only use hand-dyed if I can help it!

Life is really hectic with the third job and having to drop off and pick up five kids every day, especially when they all come home with me to play ;o) We got an air hockey/fooseball/pingpong table combo last weekend from my neighbor so that's kept them pretty busy!

I couldn't get a good photo of the SB Sweet Pea alone so I decided to show the bathroom basket I "made" to dress up my bathroom a bit. Not sure if the frames look good together or not? anyone have an opinion?

I used Silkweaver Periwinkle Mist 32ct. linen (although it looks a little dark and blah in this photo) and the silk threads, beads, and charm that came in the kit. I have to say it's ok but not as pretty as SB usually turns out. I really do think the heart shaped mat shown on the cover model of the chart made this piece spectacular.

I can't get into my cell phone photos right now to post the photo of Bryce hitting his sister while we did this photo shoot, so this will have to suffice ;o) Poor Bryce, he really hates school, as you can tell! Also, he's been hit with pre-teen angst and photos mean he must look bored and miserable! Poor Chase is squinting in the sun and wiggling, and who knows where Seran is looking! Maybe next time we should try for individual portraits? LOL

Terrible photo but I think most of you will get the idea ;o) I have picked out my engagement & wedding rings and had the jeweler set them aside for John to get them. They are truly lovely and just exactly what I wanted! The best part is they are very inexpensive, I've never understood the desire to spend a lot. The rings I picked out are more durable than most and look prettier than the more expensive options. Most likely before Christmas we will be tying the knot. I'm hoping for a Vegas wedding (in a limo at the drive-thru window to be exact) but I'll be happy wherever it is. I really want our families to be able to be there or to attend a reception (or celebrate Christmas with us)?

I started and just about finished SB Sweet Pea heart on Sunday but never got a chance to do the finishing touches till last night. I went to photo it and my camera batteries were mad :P I have to say it's the first SB that doesn't look as impressive as the cover photo, but I think it was because they showed it with a heart shaped mat.

First day of school for the kids today! I got some cute photos this morning (including proof Bryce DOES hit his sister no matter what he claims). After we dropped them off my sisters and I went out to breakfast and then to the day spa. I got a LOVELY Swedish massage with some aromatherapy thrown in. I'm wondering if I can work one into the budget every 3 months or so? Surely I deserve it ;o)

Back to school means back to the grind for me! I'll be swapping my car for my mom's van daily to take my kids and my nephews across town to and from school. I also have taken on a third job--doing the books from home for an architectural firm. If anyone can help me figure out how to get everything done PLEASE give me some tips!!

I finally finished Summer stars last night. Stitched on Sugar Maple fabric In the Clouds 28ct. jubilee using Weeks Dye Works threads. I really should have stitched a row or two more of "beach" but I think it looks fine without it. I was going to add the flagpole it called for and use a flag button but I tried it out and it didn't look right. I had also planned on putting a sand dollar and a sea shell button on the beach but the sea shell is the only thing that looked right. I do like the googly eyes on the crabs, for some reason I seem to favor that look on my crabs ;o) I made a lot of changes to the chart to personalize it to the kids bathroom. It REALLY needs some dressing up in there!

Next in line I'm thinking either Secret Needle Night Liberbee, BC Summer Row (for the bathroom, have to check if I have enough of the same colors I used in this finish so they'll match), or Shepherd's Bush Sweet Pea for my bathroom. I admit to getting out fabric for Sweet Pea last night ;o) I was thinking I could do that since it's very small, and then get to work on Julie's BC RR.

Started the Wahoo project yesterday and have part of the moon done. The colors are great so far (it's Stranded by the Sea limited edition thread)! This one might take awhile, we'll see!

Finished this yesterday at lunch, just took a few days! I was missing two buttons from the kit and am waiting for Sandy to send them out with my last secret shop order. This comes with a little tuck treat bag but I thought I'd fold the bag part behind and hang it from a bellpull. Much better pic will be taken when all finished!

I'm only about 15 minutes away from Summer Stars being finished, hope to post a photo tonight!

I'll be starting BC's Wahoo Life is Good for my Silkweaver fun pack project (due the end of August) either today or Monday as my lunch project.

Thanks to Cynamin for reading my blog and commenting! It was so sweet of you to admire my work. I have to say, knowing people come to look at my projects really keeps me motivated!

There was a mother of a storm last night! The sky turned yellow/green and the wind blew like a hurricane. I had just left the house but managed to get back home again. The hail came down so hard I was worried it would crack my windshield. We narrowly missed being hit by falling branches and a basketball hoop. Our last pepper tree went down, luckily it fell the one direction it wouldn't cause any structural damage! My poor plants are in ruins, the hail beat down so hard all the flowers are gone and the stems are snapped and broken. The hedge has only half it's leaves, and most of those are just scraps now. I am thankful it was not worse though! Over 4,000 people are without power. I just read it dumped an inch of rain in an hour.

After the lightning died down we went out to the wash in back of the house and watched the water. It was close to 4 feet deep (according to the marker back there) and the roar of the water overpowered the sound of the hail and thunder. We stood next to the bridge and watched all the people in their big trucks go through it, lucky for them no one got stuck although it was a close call for some, especially for the Buick that tried to go! No wild critters were driven down the wash this time, the last bad storm we ended up with a javelina (wild boar/pig) in our yard and usually we get coyotes.

Today the roads are a mess so I took a picture of all the sand left on a major intersection.

Here's Chase in his uniform. The lifeguards at the pool have had fun dressing him up. They let him sit in the guard chair and basically spoil him rotten.