My Summer So Far

Oh boy! :) It's only been two weeks of summer, but it feels like a life time! I've hardly gotten any stitching done, there just isn't enough time in the day! Our first week of camp, we were running wide open 6am-11pm and by then I just didn't have the oomp to stitch! I am responsible (volunteer) for all the Bible Clubs that the youth do. The first week we did 3, this next week we'll do 4, and then 3 and then maybe only 1. We do the same one everytime, but there's still a lot of work involved. Our kids (11 and 8) are going with us. They had a blast (we thought) riding bikes, hanging out with big kids, etc.etc. But my 8 year old has been tough! I hope it's just the age, and not my sweet boy turning into a crazy man!

Enough of my real life.. on to my stitching life!:) I put together a sewing bag for the summer. I knew we'd be back and forth a lot and I didn't want to have to repack every weekend. I've actually only managed to finish my Fair and Square exchange. Which is really late, but thankfully Gabby was understanding! I stitched a little Germany flag for her and an American one for me. I had my entire DMC set with me, but alas NO BLACK! Duh! Turned out good in the end, cause I had my colors to the German flag wrong! Duh! So I fixed that and will mail it tomorrow. (almost a week late! ugh!) I got her little package today and she sent some gorgeous red dyed thread! Love it!

Besides the F/S exchange, I'm working on a new series from a magazine. Off the top of my head I can't remember which magazine it is. But so far I have Spring, someone sent me Summer and I think Autumn comes out soon and then Winter. They aren't my normal "style" but I really like them. Plus stitching on 14 ct aida in the car or late at night is easier than my normal over one stitching!:) So figured I'd go easy on myself! I've only started this one, this week...


I have this PS Nativity in my bag. I'm stitching it over one on 25 ct. I really love it, but haven't had much time to work on it.

I found this little needlebook in a magazine and LOVE it! Haven't started it yet!

Then this Lighthouse pattern is in there too. My stitching momma Linda gave me some blue fabric that will be perfect.

I forgot I had this green one going too. It's a six paneled little needlebook thing. I loved stitching the square I am showing you. I actually forgot it was in there!

Then there's a few little things here and there! Wait, I forgot one! This is called Maker and Mender. It's really gonna be pretty, but I haven't even begun to start it yet!:)

We'll be gone now for four weeks straight. This first week we'll have 450 youth, but it's at a location where we aren't responsible for EVERYTHING! So it should really be a pretty easy week. Once I get the teenagers trained in VBS, I'll get to go teach the 3rd graders about world missions. It'll be fun and a break from teenagers too! Then the next three Saturdays, we'll be moving to different mission sites, and doing work there for that next week. These last three weeks we'll average 150-170 youth, and we'll be responsible for 100%, 24/7! So I doubt I'll get much stitching done!

Pray for my family! It's gonna be stressfull! It has the potential to be a great adventure.. but with all the things going on with my 8 yr old, it has the potential to be a disaster too! Pray for patience for me, and for a way for me to figure out how to parent him to his abilities and his personality! Ever feel like a failure?! I'm feeling like one with my 8 yr old. Thing is: he is adorable, and funny, and silly, and a load of fun. But with that comes this irrational, easily upset, easily frustrated 8 yr old! He HATES to be "bossed around"... how do I teach him the difference between being "bossed around" and being "parented"! I don't want to shrug it off, cause I don't want a miserable child! I'm just not sure where to go from here!!

Week One Done!

We had our first week's mission camp under our belts! We had about 100 kids, so it was our smallest group for the summer. We were busy about 6am -midnight every single day.. so sure didn't squeeze in much stitching! I did manage one night to start and finish my fair and square exchanges! This week is a week of planning, and no teenagers! So hopefully I'll get some actual stitching done! :)

Summer Vacation is Here

Oh dear! First day of summer vacation and life is getting ready to get crazy! For the next five weeks, my family will be going with DH to help run youth summer mission camps. They run Sun pm-Sat. So we'll be either going to the next location or coming home really quickly on Saturday afternoons and having to get to the next place by Sunday. They are all in NC this year. We were supposed to go to Honduras, but that trip has been cancelled due to the airport closing where we were supposed to land!

So, I have a mile long "to do" list today! I've got to pack for both boys and myself. Plus pack toys and stuff for the boys to do, plus back all linens (pillows/sheets/towels/blankets/etc) Once I get this first go around packed, it should be pretty easy the next few weeks!

I'm hoping to keep my blog going, but since this is our first summer, I'm not sure how hectic it will get! I have a whole pile of stitching to take with me! But I have no idea if I'll get it done or not!:) We'll see!

The problem with Exchanges! :)

I always end up stitching something I really want to keep! I've belonged to a great stitching RR group since about 2000, I think! We find great joy in calling ourselves The Diva's!:) We've made a few world tours, well okay, we haven't...but our stitching has! Anyway, we are taking a break from a real RR and just are doing a smalls exchange. I drew Eva's name and just tonight finished up two things that I need to get in the mail to her! Wonder if she'll share custody of them? They really turned out cute!:)

I'm working on my 2nd Fair and Square exchange. Well, to be fair, technically I'm not working on it, cause I haven't even started it yet! I do have the fabric, does that count for something? :)

My first Fair and Square exchange, I really wanted my own fob! How dumb is that! :)

Much clearer pictures

Well duh! A few online friends reminded me of my tulip button on my digital camera! Sure can see the details better! Check out the difference! Wish I had my grandma's bookmark back!:)

Here's a few other random pictures that are much better!

This is my pink scissors case, well parts of it!:)





just a few other pictures!

66 people, really?

Is that possibly true? I put a map thing on my blog, where I can see who visited from where and it lists 66 people! Can that be true? I only get a comment or few and figured nobody was coming to read my blog. Figured I might just put it away for a while..but if this map thing is accurate..maybe I'm not just talking to myself in blog land! :)

starting something new!

Honestly, I do have some rather HUGE cross-stitched pictures on my walls! However I'm stuck on doing smalls at the moment! Though some of these don't qualify as smalls, I don't think! Anyway, tonight I started this!

Eventhough it is handwritten like my previous pain in the hiney needle necesary I just finished, so far, so good!:) I'm working on the garden panel, and after two hours of work, I've only done the border! My fabric is a little darker, more on the blue side of green. And my waterlillies (which I am loving!) is spruce. But the sample has pinks in the thread and mine definitely just has teals and greens and whites, It is similar to the sample in the link, except mine has lots of shadings that fade to white a lot. Hmm??!!I think it looks okay! I love stitching with that stuff!

So when you have overdyed threads and it changes within 3 or 4 colors..how do you stitch with it? Especially if you can't get all the different color changes in one length of floss? I had stitched the bottom right and about 1/2 of the right side border with the same length of floss. I had to use it 3 times, but the same cut of floss. When I ran out, I cut the next length and there was some really dark teal in that length. So I used that, but it really didn't blend well! So I decided to cut a couple different lengths and then just use them randomly! How do you do it?