Loss of Identity..

I've lost my wallpaper and can't figure how to get it back - the label is still in the corner "hotbiggityblock" laying claim to their design but, it's gone. I've emailed them to no avail AND I even tried to download other wallpaper from other sites all I get is this white screen. It's like being naked in front of the whole world - HELP - anybody have any suggestions? (thanks to everyone for their help - my blog is back to it's usual self ~ well, it's Christmasy-self)

Thanksgiving is in 3 days - can you believe it? Where has the time gone? I am headed to Columbia, SC to spend time with my brother and his family. I actually have four brothers - yep, FOUR! Looking back, I have no idea how my mother survived raising all of us (she stayed home while my dad worked). Me, I was the good child usually curled up in a chair somewhere with my nose in a book, but my brothers - hellions, mischievous kids always in to trouble or creating trouble. I am still hearing stories of things my brothers did that I never knew about. Jasonn was the brains of the group - always coming up with the next daredevil idea; David he was the quintessential daredevil - he'd do anything you told him to; Shawn was the actor - he was good at pretending to be the innocent or the injured party. I remember one time he really made me mad and I was yelling at him - mom came around the corner and the kid dropped to the ground and started crying and saying "why did you hit me? Oh, it hurts" - I was grounded for the weekend. Bobby was the baby and he too would do whatever he was told because he wanted to be included with the 'big boys'. Now we are all grown up, have families of our own, and live in 5 different states.

In honor of Thanksgiving, I stitched up Paulette's cute little turkey "bok bok" - though I left off the words. Isn't he just the cutest thing!

bok bok

Plum Street Sampler

misc fabric & DMC

I also stitch SB Scaredy Sheep - I stitched this a couple of weeks ago but forgot to post it - it was a fun, quick stitch.

Scaredy Sheep Kit
Shepherd's Bush

And lastly, my meager update on my current A&E. This is going to be a gorgeous sampler - the colors are just beautiful and the 40ct fabric makes a huge difference in the look. I can't wait to start stitching the house - I should have lots of time at while visiting my brother.

Be Ye To Others
Hillside Samplings
40ct Norden Cream
Mixture of silks & dmc

I am off to catch up on all my favorite blogs - I wasn't on the computer this weekend and can't wait to see what you all have been up to.
I pray that you and your family have a happy Thanksgiving.

Cari

Rain, rain...

go away and come again another day. The remnants of Ida have been lingering since Tuesday with no end in sight. My trusty umbrella has proved to be useless as the wind continues to blow it inside out - so, I arrive to work each morning looking like a drown cat.

I finished another class this week - hooray. Only 3 to go and only 5 more weeks of school. Then I plan to spend my free time stitching, stitching, stitching. I even plan to pay someone to clean my house as a reward for getting thru this semester . I have lots of new stash....

PSS In Paradise (yes, I caved - I just had to have it), SB Spooky, some new threads

Just Nan Christmas Cheer, SP Jenny Bean Ornament, Glorianna and OWS Floss, and some fabric.

I also won a couple of things from ebay - I just love Sheepish Designs!

Simple Guidance, Pear Orchard Farm, Pray For Me, My Favorite Things

And these, they are just the most hysterical pair of scissors I have ever seen and had to have them...

1978 Wonder Woman Scissors

I finished A&E - This was a fun, quick stitch. I felt a little weird cross stitching nipples on Adam, I am definitely thankful for leaves.


and started another small - can I just say (again) that I am tired of working on smalls and want to get my hands on a big ole sampler - but every time I kit something up, I find that I am missing this or that - very frustrating, but my own fault. This is an adorable little project by Paulette - she has it on her site as a complimentary pattern.

bok, bok by PSS

While taking pictures this morning, I was removing price tags and decided to give one to Smokie -she was none to pleased...

Well, I started this post 6 days ago - since then,

· the sun has come out. In fact, it was 75 Saturday and Sunday, a beautiful weekend!

· I finished another small - pics later

· AND, I went thru all my stash 'til I found one big project that I actually had all the parts
to and started it. I am so very happy to have a something substantial to work on and
even better, it is an A&E!

Be Ye To Others - Hillside Samplings #78
40 ct. Norden Cream
Mixture of Silks & DMC

Lastly, the winner of last week's contest is...Robin! Congratulations Robin!

Happy Stitching!

Cari

My Stitching Progress

It's Thursday - hooray! My friend and I decided to meet at 5:45 a.m. to go running. Well, I woke up and couldn't find the clock so I grabbed my Zune and clicked time only to discover it was 5:40 - I raced out of bed, got dressed and headed down the stairs when it hit me... I never changed the time on my Zune. I couldn't believe it was only 4:45 in the morning - needless to say, I went back to bed - fully clothed (no use getting dressed twice) and slept for another hour. It is so nice to have my exercise completed before work and watching the sunrise was beautiful.

I finished Needles & Pins this past weekend - I really like this one and plan to send it to Deb for her to make into a door hanger - it will look perfect in our guest bedroom, affectionately known as the Pink Room.

Needles & Pins (kit)

Milady's Needle

I started an A&E that I found on ebay - I decided to stitch it on 28 ct. Lambswool 1 over 1. This meant that I had to make some adjustments. The pattern calls for a chain stitch to make the apples and for the middle of the sun - I opted for Algerian stitches and love the look. I don't care for the butterfly above Eve's head and may take it out. Hopefully I will finish this one this week . As much as I love how quickly I can finish these small projects, I really, really want to get my hands on a big project. Sarah Woodham 40 ct is on backorder so I picked up Elizabeth Savilles but had to order the Olde Willow thread - I may just have to resort to picking up a WIP (poor me).

Adam & Eve
Snippets of Olde
28 ct Lambswool 1 over 1
DMC Thread

I ordered my fibers for Sarah Woodham and Joyeux Noel and a new pair of scissors - The Love Scissors by Kelmscott (thanks Jan).

Belle Soie, Crescent Colours
The Love Scissors by Kelmscott

Lastly, I completed my 50th Post and thought it was a good excuse to have a GIVEAWAY. The chart is Blessings & Kind Wishes by Blackbird Designs and it includes the suggested fabric. Just leave a comment on this post and tell me what your favorite fabric and fibers are. No need to post it on your blog as I would prefer the prize to go to a regular visitor.

Enjoy your day & happy stitching!

Cari

The Colors of Fall

Saturday, my husband and I took a drive on the parkway. I love to go in the Fall when the leaves are changing - the colors are always spectacular. This year we went really late but it was still beautiful. We stopped for an early dinner at Chateau Morrisette. It's a winery and they have an amazing restaurant. It's located at the top of the mountain and you can sit outside and enjoy the beautiful view while eating a spectacular meal. Sadly, it was rainy and foggy when we arrived, so we enjoyed our meal indoors.

Our view along the Blue Ridge Parkway...

Chateau Morrisette
My Husband

We arrived home too late to hand out candy, plus it was raining. So we opted to rent some movies. We just discovered these great 'red boxes' - has anyone else found these? Movies are only a dollar BUT, you have to return them the next day. We rented "The Proposal" -Sandra Bullock is just too funny. We also got "Australia" - another great movie. I got lots of stitching in both on our drive and watching movies (pics later). These boxes are a great idea - whoever invented them is a genius! It occurs to me that some of you are probably laughing at me as these boxes have probably been around for along time and just because I just found them doesn't mean they are brand new - oh well.

Catherine asked about the Chocolate-Covered Cherries pattern it was designed by Casey Buonaugurio - she has several freebies available.

Happy Stitching!

Cari