between the pages

I felt the need for a "chatty post". A hodge podge of things, in a rather informal (what other style do I have?) way to get thoughts on the page...

Reading-
I tore through, Running with Scissors, in a day. Loved it, hated it (not really, just didn't like what happened to the main "character"- just a child) , it got my brain working. And that part made me love the book more. It's sort of like "a fix". I get a taste and want more. I used to read in that way as a teen. Back before there were bills to be paid, clothes (more than my own) that needed to be washed, dinner to make and all that day-to-day stuff that makes me push those things I like a little further down on my to get to list. I love to stitch but sometimes, I feel the need to go elsewhere outside my own head. Which means books!
Well I want to read, Dry,by Augusten Burroughs, but my library doesn't have it. I would have to fill out a little form to request it via interlibrary loan. It could be a week or more.... I also want to get my hands on Twilight, by Stephanie Meyer, which has a waiting list at the library- it could mean months of being on the list. And I don't think I will wait that long. I think I would just break down and either buy it or ask around to see if anyone has a copy they'd be willing to part with for about a week.


Blogging-
I had the perfect blog name for a new, more private and personal blog - in addition to this one-but every version I could come up with was taken.
Back to the drawing board.

Oh! Gotta scoot!

Brilliante Weblog

With the acceptance of this award, are some rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog.

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Add links to those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blog

Annie B graciously nominated me, my favorite part being the nice things she said about me. :) Thank you Annie. But sorry about taking nearly a month to respond.
I don't think I will able to think of seven other blogs that haven't been mentioned! I'll do my best to name a few though. Hope they haven't been mentioned yet.

1.) Kim, aka Knittykitty, who though new to the blogging world, she crafts and stitches like no other. Honest, I just to have to hound her a bit more to get posting to show you all! She opens her home to foster kittens and their moms... Kim has a heart of gold and a giggle to match.

2.) Jenna, aka Tale of a Shooting Star, who has countless beautiful finishes under her belt. Besides, she loves purple! 'Nough said!

3.) prajantr, aka hearth-Craft , a crocheter, knitter, cross stitcher, spinner, and all around home and garden goddess! Her pics delight the eyes, and her writing style alone is A+!

4.) Laura, aka Fiber Dreams knits like no other. I have to have a Fiber Dreams fix... seriously. Just ask her! lol.

and sad to say, my brain is spent for the night. I still have to add comments to their blogs. *chuckle* I hope I get to see MadTV tonight, if it's on that is!

Knitty kitty

Knitty Kitty is a neighbor of mine- a Stitch'n Bitcher- and a wicked crafter! Her finishes far out number mine! So go on, Knitty Kitty 's blog is now up and ready for a peek!

24 hours with no power.

Yesterday at around 2 in the afternoon or so we lost power. *zip!* Gone. I was midpost for Annie's blog award (thank you Annie!) and had to make a fast shut down as the rumbling-in-the-distance thunder finally got closer. It had been rumbling for quite a while. So it was pretty slow moving, or at least it seemed so!
I was on a blogging high too. I had posted some of exchange items, the giveaway and a birthday present (refresher) and our anniversary pics. Thank you all for the nice comments. You were all too kind! We do look so young there, and to think, we were only 20!

Anywho.... We lost power from then on. Apparently a tree fell on a wire on our little side road. That's why it took so long for them (Central Maine Power) to reach us. Gorham and Standish- neighboring towns- seemed to get the worst of it. I feel lucky as the hail damaged our outside light, nothing a quick trip to Home Depot can't fix!

The "kicker" is when I was picking up the broken glass off the deck I got stung by a yellow jacket. Two benadryls and it was better. Killed the little bast*** too!

So with no power, nor water, flushing and so on.... I kept busy. :) See? What's a stash addict to do? Wind threads of course! I lit about 20 candles in all I think, trying to conserve our flashlight/lanterns, plus it creates a mood. You know? I managed to do quite a few. Plus I discovered a few (lots of fews) threads I had forgotten about.

I had been putting the light effects, variations, the hand dyeds, Anchors and other special flosses willy-nilly into this box. Well, I have started neatening that box! Not too sure how many will go into that segmented box (pictured), but at managed to get a bunch of the variegateds wound and ready. :)

*Lotta- the sticker is made by Jolees By You. Oddly enough the two I found online don't look quite as nice as the one I had bought. They are really nice as they have a nice layered felt-fabric feel to them. That's about what I paid for it too.

Flower!

But despite having to throw away most of what's in my fridge/freezer, I noticed this! I think it's my very first poppy growing in the pansy pot. I had forgotten I had thrown the seeds in with the flowers- not knowing if they would take or not. :) What a nice surprise!

a belated anniversary ogle

Thank you for the well wishes on our 12th wedding anniversary. I haven't even had

the time to take down the counter. But I sort of wanted to keep it up there for a little while after posting a wedding pic of us. I admit though I haven't even scanned one yet. *sheeesh! My brain is just gone! So there's the counter, and still no pics.



*off to scan*

Aha! Two, so it counts as "pics".

And they we are 12 years younger, when I didn't have to wear my glasses so much and oh so much thinner!

And in case anyone is keeping track, a pic of me is a very rare thing.

new!

We have a new Blogger! AnnieB, or AnnieBebop, has a new blog called, "Annie Bebop's Coloring Book". She has loaded pics and everything, including one of her latest Comfort Dolls, and an exchange needlebook and goodies she had sent out.

Thursday night adventure

Did you know that there's earth beneath that cold, white stuff? Yup, I saw it with my own eyes! It's a gray/brown mix, but it's under there! Just imagine! Soon those sprouty things, called "plants" will get bigger and greener. Yes "green", what an odd sounding word. Too bad we are expecting about 6+ inches of white stuff to fall tonight/tomorrow. I seriously thought the weatherpeople were trying to pull one on us. But no, we have a batch on its way to drop all over place. bleh*
Here's an odd one: my cat Pidy has increased his time spent playing in his water dish. He prefers to lick the water from the sides of the bowl so he takes his oversized paw and hits the side of the bowl and slaps at the water, splashing it all around. I have seen him do this but he's increased the time spent doing this. Odd cat. I suppose it is better than snacking on my tulips when I am asleep.

We had a great time tonight. DH, my son, daughter and I went to watch a game at the Portland Civic Center: the Harlem Globetrotters! Do you see that little funky looking "x"? That is where we parked. Now the Civic Center is circled red, that is about where we were when I realized I left my camera in the car, so that would put it under that "x". There are no pictures. I never get pictures of the things we actually do. Like when we went to the Seadogs game. I took pics and bumped the camera and lost them all. Or when we go to Funtown (*cough, every year!)I never remember to take the camera. So it seems like we don't do anything except stay home. When in fact we do, it's just the camera is usually at home!
Anywho.....We had a great time. Stopped for Subway on the way there for dinner. Then headed over and got to catch the pregame show and everything.
The only souvenirs we bought were a set of wristbands. I know, it sounds cheap but it was the best idea there, so each of the kids could have one. It's embroidered with the team name. This way they can wear them to school or where ever. And it was one of the few things there for under $20. Okay, so I am cheap! Who runs out of hacky sacks anyways???
The best part is that kids have no school tomorrow due to a Teacher Workshop day. So staying up as late as they did tonight won't hurt them tomorrow. They can sleep in (ha, ha) and ;) recover.

Maybe the mail carrier will bring my goodie tomorrow. I ordered a(n) chart by My Mark designs called "Be Silly,etc". I had seen it stitched up on a blog I think...... Once it arrives I will take it off my wishlist. I am very careful about that. Don't want a stash jinx.

I'd Rather Be Stitchin'....

And here it is, in black & white:
























and in color:

























I tried to condense it down as much as I could. I embedded my name and year near the bottom and tried to keep is at simple as possible.

Thank you Monique of http://mymarkdesigns.wordpress.com/, for the saying.

Blogger is acting weird. I can't seem to edit in html mode which is my preferred method. Hmm. Nor can I grab a previously drafted quickie, I was just going to grab it and paste it into this post, but it won't work. Maybe later.

My apologies for anyone who's getting bombarded (more than usual) with drafts of this post through their feeds. Can't make it the way I want it!

Thank you for the comments. :)

Happy St. Patrick's day everyone!

You Make My Day Award

Thank you Angelsan for the "You Make My Day Award". What a nice surprise to see in my comments!

The Rules:
"Give the award to up to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel so happy about blogland! Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so that they can pass it on. Beware! You may get the award several times!"

I would like to try and post names that haven't been nominated but I have a feeling that could be difficult to avoid, and in that case, you may just be nominated again!
I nominate-

Val (aka Poppy) my flosskid and dear friend who is an incredible stitcher, mom and confidante.

Tracy (Whispers of Rain), is the heart and soul of Flossmoms, does incredible things ranging from stitching, quilt making and (fundraising) walks to aid so many charities. She has a ton of love to give.

Anne (Life, Stitching and Everything) also my flosskid and the fastest typist (*winks to Anne).

Pamela(Kitty and Me Designs) who like the others mentioned and Fiber Dreams, I must read every day I can. She has an eye for color that is incredible! Pamela- designs, crazy quilts (with a machine and by hand) and collects the coolest stuff!

Vicki (Southern Stitcher) whom I have only known a little while now stitches a wide range of fun and interesting things. It's fun to see how fast they come along!

prajantr (hearth-Craft) with a huge range of crafts that she does, plus cooking! (Oh the food...) Her writing is truly top-notch.

Outi (Just thinking aloud) shares her thoughts, trials and oh-so-many goodies with us. It's a great place to read and get lost in it all.

Emily (The Floss Box) posts all sorts of fun things!

Kathy a new friend from SanMan Originals.

...off to post on their blogs!

2 Years old, today!

Patternnuts place is 2 years old today! Whoo hoo!

Happy Blogiversary to me (cha, cha, cha!)
Happy Blogiversary to me (cha, cha, cha!)
Happy Blogiversary to meee-eeee!
Happy Blogiversary to me (cha, cha, cha!)
A year ago today

apologies, again!

WARNING!A few incomplete thoughts to share (out of order as always ;) ):

We have been busy with the regular day-to-day stuff here.
We may get our first snow tonight/tomorrow.
It's been ages since I last posted. I have tons of photos I haven't taken yet. Keep meaning too! And I have stitched very little.

My son is doing better now. He's attending school half days now. He goes in for the follow-up on Monday, while the kids are on vacation for Thanksgiving.

DH has found a new hobby- Playing online Canasta (for free of course!) So it makes it a bit more complicated getting computer time in the house now.

I am at the early stages of Christmas shopping. It will be a small Christmas, with all the toy recalls and a tight budget (have you seen the price of heating oil? Ack!) Also need to decide how I am going to take pics this year of the kids together so I can send them out as the Christmas cards. Loved doing that last year!!! Made things to much easier for me.


I have gotten stichie mail and more is on the way. Will post them all soon, I hope. Until then this one may tie you over:(copywritten pic so take a clickety to see.) I ordered this from Pamela Kellogg. Just had to have it, I think it would look nice in the entry way.

Off for some sweeps TV time.....

Dark place

I will not get into it, but I am in a rather dark place right now. I may not be on as much for a while.
Keep me in your thoughts.

my new blog

Well this one is not new, but it sure looks like it! I have cleared out a bunch of things to neaten it up and make me happy. I couldn't find the right green I was after to load through my photobucket to make the background all fancy, so I decided to cheat and go through the regular templates.
My favorite part? The drop down box for the many blogging links.
What do you think?

a new blogger

There is a new blogger. Poppy, my flosskid, has entered the blogging world!
Looks as though I will have to get with the program over on my livespace account. It's so empty!

crayons

I have seen this here in the log-in/post thingie countless times and I have to answer-
Two boxes of course!
Yeah I like crayons. I admit it.

8 Random things

I was tagged by Laura with a nice email she had noticed I haven't been around as much.
Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves. This was to get me back into it *wink.

So on to the good stuff:
People who are tagged write a blog post about their own 8 random things and post these rules.
At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names.
Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

1. I am bothered by assumptions about people. Case in point: someone asked me if I was "still with the father of" my (she pointed in my son's direction). Yup that's it. "Still with the father of" was the words she used. I replied yes, that we are still married. Will be 11 years next month. Don't know why it still bothers me so. Maybe it was the wording, or lack of, who knows. To make an assumption about someone based on little to nothing is so odd to me. Never mind the fact that my son could have heard it, being discussed in such a way. Then again, being married and with the person years down the road and having children by him and only him I guess is odd now. (mini-rant done)
2. I love to plant things from seed. Something about that little sprout poking out of the soil makes me smile. I planted several huge organic sunflowers to go into our friend's organic garden. I started them and off they went to his house to go into the ground as soon as the frost threat is gone. Now I have geraniums and more sunflowers for myself going. Too bad our growing season is so short.
3. My new hobby is my skin. Doesn't that sound weird? Yup, it's true. Trying to take better care of me.
4. Blogging, and the internet in general is sort of boring me lately. Not to offend anyone. Just seems I am so busy lately with other things. Visiting friends, the kids are having a bunch of friends over, reading, and all the other things. Oddly though, I haven't picked up a needle in several weeks now. Not a knit, purl or cross to be made. I have been outside so much walking and playing Wiffleball. It's been so fun!
5. I have never climbed a tree, or fence, or anything that could be considered high. I started using ladders only about a decade ago or so.
6. (Reason for number 5) I am scared of heights, really, really scared.So I guess there won't be any skydiving in my future!
7. I love to canoe. Something about the paddling is relaxing to me. Granted I have only canoed in calm waters, with plans to keep it that way. And just in case you were curious, I haven't been in years. Should change that me thinks.
8. If I could live completely off the grid, I would. Solar power, wind power, the whole thing. I disgusts me how helpless we are as people that when the power goes out so does our daily life. This isn't because of the last storm either. I am a little obsessed with the notion of living greener. I reduce, reuse and recycle even when I don't need to. It's just something I feel strongly about, and have for a very long time. (Side note, I saw a program about solar paint. Isn't that awesome? They are working on a paint using nanotechnology you could apply to your house that would gather energy from the sun to help run your house! Awesome! Imagine the possibilities!)

Since I don't think there is anyone left to tag.......

Can you believe it took me 3 days to think of eight things? Bleh!

blogging SBQ

SBQ was suggested by Heather:

"How do you decide which stitching blogs are worth repeat and/or regular viewings? Are there certain things you look for in particular?
Are there things you wish there were more of? Less of? Is your blog a good example of what you like to read?"

I have some that I frequent more than others. Could be what they are talking about, could be my mood. Sometimes I want more personal things, other times I want to just stick to crafts. I guess I like blogs that have lots of subjects.Learn what makes people tick. I have learned so much about other countries, holidays, etc. Watching things progress is so nice. I have witnessed how to make things that I didn't even know existed. Reading blogs is part of that got me ready to try knitting. You can only oooh and aaaah so long without wanting to jump in and try it yourself.
Things I wish there were more of? Not sure really. I read so many I feel pretty well rounded. Plus there are only so many hours in a day. Wait a sec, yes there is! Pictures! Lots and lots of pictures! I just love them!
Less of? Same thing I guess, but I can always "turn it off". I don't like whining. Rants are okay. We all need those.
No, my blog is not a good example. I talk and think much faster than I type and I think the "me" gets a little lost sometimes. I type like mad and then read it later on and it's a garbled mess. (Then I pick it apart mentally. But I have learned to let that go a little.*nod to my instructor Mrs. Leavitt- see it did take, a little!) Otherwise you'd never see anything here!

Errm

Well I have changed the background color to the green I was (more or less) looking for. Still not quite what I wanted but I needed a change. It is the first day of spring after all!
Sorry, the lettering doesn't appear that well. I am wrestling with colors, styles, etc. It'll be better(I hope very soon).
*sigh, I want to make what I see in my head. Just lack the skills.
Stay tuned. I'll figure it out.
And I signed up for a MySpace page. Can someone please tell me- why doesn't that blog feature there work for me? *ugh. Computer headache! ;)