Austin's Allandale in Stitches

April TUSAL....MIA

2011-04-11T21:41:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been MIA and so has my camera. I finally found it this evening. It was packed for Girls Scout Camp, I have been looking everywhere.

So indeed my TUSAL is a week late but better late than never! Just a quick update on my life.....camping as stated, soccer (daughter had 4 goals on Sat.), rehearsing for the 2nd grade musical, yard work (killed 1st two tomato plants and now on second set) and stepping up my work out routine as I have 20 year class reunion in July. Whew.... more pictures on latest stitching later this week!

March Owl

2011-03-19T14:00:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been missing from blogger for a few days. This always happens to me in Spring. I get Spring Fever and spend more time outside and less time stitching and on the computer. Austin in beautiful in Spring but you have to catch it when it starts, it doesn't last long. Monday here the high was in the 70's and today it should be 88. It seems like trees blossom within a week and grass perks up overnight. Before we know it it will be triple digits!

On to stitching....my March Owl in the present SAL. ( I love the fabric but it is very challenging to stitch on. I have to count over and over to make sure I am crossing over 2 instead of 3.)

Well, I'm off to check my stash for something easy to start. It'll be April before you know it and I'll have another owl to complete.
Till next time!

Mother's Wisdom

2011-03-07T08:30:00.000-06:00

My second quickie from the Heart in Hand, Mother's Wisdom Series. This one is very appropriate for my eldest daughter! I'm constantly reminding her to use her napkin and eat over her plate!

These have been in my stash for years, wish I had known how quick they were to stitch! Alas, now to begin Oahaven March SAL!

Happy Monday to all!

TUSAL update,Yellowstone and Whirlwinds

2011-03-06T22:13:00.000-06:00

My life feels like a whirlwind! There seems to never be enough time in a day and the months are passing me by. Hence, the 3rd installment of my TUSAL. I decided to post my new book with it. I'm planning a trip to Yellowstone in July and trying to educate myself on important sites to see. The hard part is planned, lodging. I booked the lodges back in November and still could not get a night at Old Faithful Lodge. It is crazy how fast everything books inside Yellowstone!!
Other updates:

a) I have a new Owl resident. her name is Sabrina McScreechy. She is smaller than our last owl and keeps a bit of a different schedule. She seems to look out of her box in the early afternoon and then again in the evenings. She also has a trill that the other owl did not, the family has been enjoying our new "outside pet".

b) My husband just got word that he is going back to Japan. I am so sad but trying to be happy that he has a job. He leaves in less than 2 weeks and we are trying to get some things done before he is gone. (like the taxes)

c) I spent most of the weekend in a cleaning frenzy. We are having our carpets upstairs cleaned in the morning. So I had to get most of the things off the floor and out of the way. Times like this is when I realize how much stuff we really have! Thank goodness the daycare is having a yard sale in two weeks! On a stitching note, many hours spent organizing stash and more stash!

Here's wishing you more hours in the day, time for Spring Cleaning and the ability to slow down your own whirlwind!

A Quickie

2011-02-24T09:28:00.001-06:00

Minds out of the gutters ladies and gents.....I am referring to my latest quick stitch. It is from the Heart in Hand, Mother's Wisdom Series. I am now working on the "Mind your Manners" design so that I can frame both, one for each of my girls.
I also want to welcome my three new followers!

Teresa at Willow Tree Pond , she is presently having a 1st Blogoversary Giveway so hop on over and check her out!

Heather at Stitch in Tyme , she happens to be a Lizzie Kate Lover and owner of a few different blogs!

And Denise at Riverside Stitching, she is picture heavy so very fun to follow!
Welcome ladies and hope all have a good rest of your week! Almost TGIF!

"Mom of Two" accomplishes a goal!

2011-02-20T14:44:00.001-06:00

We all have goals, do we not? I have many, the typical lose weight, have more patience with my children, keep the house cleaner, etc. This year I also decided I wanted to finish a part of my SAL on time. Now I didn't put it out there, maybe I should have? Anyway, I did it and during the shortest month of the year!!! Having said that, Oakhaven's Monthly SAL appears to be an easy one. If anyone is interested you can see the Yahoo Group by clicking on the link.

Speaking of Owls, I have lost our resident in my owl box. It appears a squirrel has evicted it. After doing a little research this happens quite a lot if the owl is without young. Can you believe an owl was scared off by a squirrel??? So we evicted the pesky squirrel and covered the entrance this past week. I hope to take the cover off this week and attract another Screech Owl before they breed (March-April). Wish us luck!

Pine Mountain Giveaway and a Welcome!

2011-02-13T10:27:00.000-06:00

Happy Sunday everyone! No stitching to show as of yet but I did come across a giveaway from a designers blog, Pine Mountain Designs. They design beautiful pillow kits to celebrate seasons and/ or holidays. You can enter to win a March Pillow Kit by leaving a comment anytime in the month of February.

Also a big welcome to my two new followers:

Fiona at Peaceful Threads by Fiona
and
Asrid at Cross Stitched by Astrid

I look forward to following along on your projects as well! Maybe next post I'll have more to show on my February OakHaven SAL. Ta-Ta!

Oakhaven Owl Done!

2011-02-07T15:22:00.000-06:00

Well it's only February 7th right? So, I'm just a week behind??? Hoping to get February's done before March, let's see if I do. I think there may be a few followers also participating in the SAL, Lainey for sure.

Need to rush, off to take girls to swim lessons. Thank goodness it is an indoor pool!

February TUSAL and our Snow Day!

2011-02-06T10:41:00.000-06:00

Well, I am a few days late with my TUSAL posting. My excuse??? Why a snow day for Central Texas! Yes, our city shut down for 1 inch of snow and how we all felt like we were in a winter wonderland.

Our girls were in heaven. I think it was their 1st real snow play! We made snow angels, a snow-girl with our neighbors, had snow ball fights and went sledding down a steep hill at the neighborhood dog park. I know the pictures will look like nothing to our "Northern" friends but my how much fun we all had!

As for my latest stitching project, my owl is coming along and almost done. I'll show it next time as it is in my car and I'm too cold to go out and get it! Stay warm and if you are in Texas, pray that we won't see anymore rolling blackouts during our "frigid" season!

Pass the Pumpkin Pie Please

2011-02-01T11:30:00.000-06:00

So last night I finished my latest, Thanksgiving Line up by The Trilogy. It turned out cute but alas I'm done stitching earth tones for awhile. The colors were becoming quite drab to stitch but I'll be happy to have it come November!

On to project #2 for the New Year, January SAL from OakHaven Designs. The owner has a Yahoo Group that I have been following, the group has close to 700 members. Maybe ya'll have seen her designs? January looks like a short and sweet piece. I'll post a picture with my TUSAL Update later in the week.

Almost forgot to show ya'll my present from Japan. It's a Hello Kitty Bag for guess what? My WIP's of course! Notice anything different about Hello Kitty? She's a Kitty Devil, do you think DH was trying to tell me something?

Look what the postman dropped off...

2011-01-31T18:26:00.004-06:00

What a wonderful treat to see a package sitting on my doorstep this weekend! Emily packaged up the most lovely "giveaway" with a bit of a Floridian touch! I am so looking forward to opening up the cross stitch material this evening when the kids go down! The chocolates were opened IMMEDIATELY....many, many thank yous Emily! The Rayon DMC threads are new to me, can anyone tell me if I need to do anything different when I stitch with them? They look like they might fray easily?

Anyway, DH is home from Japan. It has been a long 2 plus weeks. I'll post later this week with my 1st finish of the year and my TUSAL update!

Ta-Ta for now!

And the winner is.....

2011-01-27T09:26:00.002-06:00

ME!!! Wow how excited I was when I found out I won the giveaway from Emily at Emmie's Ramblings

I am not one of those people lady luck follows around so it was indeed a nice surprise! If ya'll have some time, stop on over and check out her blog, she's got another giveaway in the near future....one when she reaches 50 followers.

As for followers I would also like to welcome the newbies to my blog.

Linda from Blu Stitcher
and
Crystal from Midnight Stitcher

Thanks girls for following and I look forward to watching for your posts and seeing your work as well!

Have to run, off to the dentist and then to a meeting at work!

Owl Box Inhabitant and much more!

2011-01-24T10:13:00.000-06:00

So last Spring I received an Owl Box from the family for Mothers Day. My husband found blueprints on the internet and 2 days later, voila!

I have been meaning to show you the latest tenant. Her/ His name is Owlbert McHooter. We don't know if it is a he or she. My oldest girl thinks it is a young owl, possibly a baby. My little girl thinks it is a "mommy". I know it is an Eastern Screech Owl, so no hoot's heard from this little one. I'm hoping he/she stays for a long time. We love seeing her in early mornings and evenings. She watches us and I think finds us interesting.

As for single mommy-hood, 1 week down and 1 week to go. This last week I was almost done in a by a stomach bug. These little germs seem to be so much harder on me the older I get. I think I picked it up at work because my girls didn't have the bug....thank heavens! But I have survived and my girls were understanding about me holing up in my room on Saturday. My eldest even cleaned the kitchen table after lunch, proud moment for me!

So as for my progress, it's coming along and I hope to finish it this week. Which is good beacause I'm trying to begin the Oak Havens Designs SAL....which is owls of course!

Until next post, wishing you less snow and more owl sightings!

Giveaway @ Emmie's Ramblings

2011-01-16T14:43:00.000-06:00

This is a short post to tell ya'll about Emily's giveaway! She is celebrating her 100 plus posts! Congrats to her and you can also enter for a chance to win @
Emmie's Rambings

Nothing to show in regards to my stitching. I'm officially a single mom for the next two weeks. DH is on a work trip to Tokyo, Japan. The credit card company has already called this morning with strange transactions. I had to wake him up to make sure the $2,800 USD transaction was a real one.....(it was his hotel for the whole stay)!!! What did I ask for as a souvenir? Why something HELLO KITTY of course! We'll see what he comes up with! Have a Happy Sunday!

Progress & a Girl Scout Musing

2011-01-11T16:26:00.000-06:00

So I have been making some progress on my latest project. Sometimes I wonder if my progress is related to stitching ambition or the fact that my TUSAL jar is so empty. (Guess it really doesn't matter?)

Here is something to muse about.....Why is it that January, when every woman and some men are striving to lose weight, Girl Scout Cookies go on sale? This is the main fund raiser for the Girl Scouts, wouldn't it make more sense to do this several weeks after New Years Resolutions? Well, having a GS Brownie I know that cookies go on sale next week. We pick up our pre-orders tomorrow....DARN those Thin Mints!!!! Even in the freezer I know they are there, calling my name!

Stylish Blogger Award, Thx Emily!

2011-01-05T21:06:00.000-06:00

Miss Emily over at Emily's Ramblings was sew sweet today and nominated me to continue on with the Stylish Blogger Award. So in continuing with the tradition, I need to tell you all 5 things about myself. I'm not so sure they are secret but I am pretty new to the blogger world so here goes.

1) I lie and tell people I'm 5 foot....I'm really 4 ft 11 inches.
2) My downfall is peanut butter fudge.
3) I hate to talk on the phone! Just email or text me please!
4) I am scared of mice and rats! I once found a water logged rat in my toilet!!
5) I would wear my PJ's all day long if it was possible!

Now I am supposed to nominate a few people to continue this however, I don't know who has done this or not? So forgive me if I tag you and you have already played!

Erica @ Erica's Places
Noni @ Fireflies & Cats in the Garden
Elaine @ Lainey's Stitching Hoose

Enjoy!

January TUSAL post... #1

2011-01-04T09:48:00.000-06:00

What a way to start the New Year, 2 posts back to back! 1st off let me say that I took the day off to take my car to the shop. It had major engine work less than a year ago and now I'm smelling oil again! I love my little Subaru but it will be the last one I buy!!! Let me also say that I am a city dweller and put only 10, 000 miles a year on it! So keep your fingers crossed that the garage backs the work they did less than a year ago!

Now for my jar, maybe by next month it will look like a stitcher owns this blog!

And just to show my current project, Thanksgiving Line Up! To get in the mood, I had pumpkin oatmeal for breakfast! Maybe it will help me get off the computer and get some stitching done! Until next time.....

Where have I been?

2011-01-03T12:05:00.000-06:00

Well obviously not on my blog recently! As most all, Fall and the Holidays have consumed my free time. I have done some minimal stitching, unneeded stashing, much needed cleaning out of the thread organizer and so on. I did stitch a Christmas Card for my eldest daughter's teacher. Her family is of Swedish Heritage so the card was appropriate.

I also am posting my last picture of the 2010 TUSAL. Looks like the sweet lady who originally came up with the project no longer blogs on Blogger but what the heck! I think I'll continue my own 2011 TUSAL just for grins!

So as they say, out with the old and in with the new. It will be hard to throw such orts away but there are always more. As for projects I have begun, a Thanksgiving themed cross stitch. I decided Thanksgiving decor is lacking in my home!

Cheers to all my readers and thanks for stopping by after such a long time away!

10-10-10 Finish

2010-10-10T22:23:00.002-05:00

Well, I finally took some time this afternoon to finish the Cherish Each Day SAL. Funny thing, Helga's 2nd SAL for the year has already begun. But a finish is a finish! I think I'll start something quick and easy now, maybe a Christmas ornament. I need to experience some immediate gratification and maybe my stitching groove will return!

As for my week ahead...it involves fish sitting a friends Beta, Lovey-bug, and working more hours than I really want. I need to practice saying no to the powers-at-be @ work! Have a good week!

Long time, Little Stitch

2010-10-05T10:03:00.002-05:00

So I have stayed away from Blogger for way too long...... excuses, excuses excuses. Honestly , I just wasn't inspired to blog. My stitching, as usual, has taken a backseat to other activities. Fall has brought with it 2nd grade and Pre-K. We have been busy with Swimming, Soccer, Girl Scouting and First Communion Classes (RE for my Catholic readers). No complaints here, we are active and happy!

Each September brings the same question in my household. What will everyone be for Halloween? I have always wanted my girls to go as a team, i.e. Velma and Daphne or Pebbles and Bam-Bam. They always have their own ideas and who am I to disagree, after all Halloween is for the kiddies, right? This year they have decided upon Super-Heros. My oldest is planning Spider Girl and the little one, Wonder Woman. They found their costumes in a magazine and came begging. Well, it was easy as 1,2,3. But I found myself with a craving to make some part of the costume. So I created a Spider Girl treat sack. This was done free hand, no pattern available....not perfect but what spider web is? Now if I could only come up with something for Wonder Woman!

Also I am posting my continued progress of my Cherish Sampler. It has almost been done for weeks but I just can't seem to make the time to work on it. The Spider and Web were much more fun.

Well, I'm off to get some exercise and then to the Grocery Store. I'll leave you with the website to my daughter's 2nd grade class blog. Her teacher, Mrs. O, does a fantastic job and updates it daily. This helps fill in the blanks when one asks.....What did you do today and the child answers I forgot!

Teaching Touches Children Forever

A Stitchy Mystery

2010-08-10T15:55:00.000-05:00

So no stitching updates to provide. I have been busy lately, reading seems to be my biggest passion this summer. I have been taking my girls to the new library twice a week since June began. The goal was to continue my eldest daughter's reading education. So far that has been accomplished with almost 20 books finished this summer. But I too have been enjoying my finds. Why not mix hobbies a bit? So I have started The Needlecraft Mysteries by Monica Ferris. The 1st book is Crewel World and it was published in 1999, there are too many to count now and I am on book 3. Here are a few I picked up at a used bookstore, the others will be checked out from the Austin Public Library. Each book comes with a free chart! Stash and a good read, what stitcher could resist!

a "Home" felt finish

2010-08-01T10:02:00.001-05:00

So as you may remember from a fews months ago, I have been working on an adjusted version of a Pine Mountain Design. This pillow was named "March is Breezy", I changed March to say "Home" as I am planning to keep the pillow on my bed for most of the year. As you can see, the colors fit nicely with my quilt and various throws. I needed to put this project on hold for a bit while I waited on the pillow form. I should have known in the beginning that it would be an unusual size. I was unable to find the form at the local crafts stores, also including my LNS. So once again, The Silver Needle, came through for me. And who could buy just one item from them??? So since I was paying shipping and their online store is so fun to browse, I did indeed add to my stash.

Aren't the scissors cute? They are from Kelmscott Designs also and feel sooo good on the fingers. When will there ever be time to finish all my stash?

Until next post,

Louise, my friend

2010-07-29T10:21:00.001-05:00

Well, I have been missing in action lately. My original plan this morning was to post what I've been doing this July, but after a mid morning phone call I would like to introduce my readers to Louise.

Louise was a wonderful friend of mine. She was my neighbor for many years. Louise lived across the street from my husband and I after we were 1st married. I always enjoyed her companionship and would often cross the street after work to check up on her. You see she was born in 1918, she passed last night at the young age of 92.

Louise was a child of the Great Depression and she was smart as a whip. She had wonderful stories of her youth, stories of hardship and triumph. She was a twin and her mother had been left by their father. This caused her mom to separate the twin girls in order to provide for the babies. Louise was the luckier one who grew up with her mom, the sister lived in the country with her aunt. I always wondered if there were hard feelings between the sisters but was too scared to ask her. The sisters remained friends throughout their lifetimes, one a country girl and Louise, a city dweller.

Louise has been a widow since the mid 80s and finished her life in her home she purchased in the 1940's with her husband. She continued to drive up until last Christmas when she fell and broke her hip. Her many loves were traveling across country (via car) with her daughter, shrimp at Red Lobster, seeing her great granddaughter, Janie, going to exercise classes and attending mass on Saturday evenings. I hope visiting with me was as good for her as it was for me. She was a true joy in my life!

God granted me one last conversation with her yesterday just hours before she passed. She knew who I was but I knew she was confused at times. I wish I had gone to visit her instead of just calling. But I would have only called EMS and she would have hated to return to the hospital. So in the end she passed away in her husbands old chair with her daughter beside her. Could any of us ask for anything better?

Goodbye Louise, you were such a blessing to me!

Eat* Stitch* Love Giveaway

2010-07-05T11:07:00.001-05:00

So I stumbled upon a Christmas in July giveaway on a fellow stitcher's blog this morn! Please check out Eat*Stitch*Love for a look at her beautiful Gingher 4" scissor giveaway! And check out her blog, the stitching is just beautiful and I share her admiration for mutual designs!

Escaping Alex and more

2010-06-30T12:00:00.001-05:00

So the last few days have provided some much needed stitching time and memories. We packed the car last Saturday and headed out for South Texas, to be specific South Padre Island. I have family in South Texas so we spent Sat night in Harlingen and had dinner with my two aunts. They are getting up in years, my oldest aunt must be 78 or 79 now. It is so hard for me to think of them as older, in my mind they will forever be timeless. South Texas is known for their Mexican Food, one of my Aunt's homes is really just 5 minutes from the border. We had a wonderful meal and Pan Dulce for dessert.

Sunday we got up and headed for the beach with knowledge in the back of our minds that there was a tropical disturbance in the Gulf....ALEX. We did our best to get quality beach time in. We played at the shore, pool and took a boat ride in the Bay. Our boat ride provided us views of approximately 25 dolphins. Many babies swimming along side of their mothers....little tidbit is that they solely nurse for 6 months before adding any seafood into their diets. The girls loved the dolphins as well as the Sea Turtle Rescue stop we went to. As predicted our time in South Padre came to a close early due to Hurricane Alex. They were not evacuating the island but everything was being boarded up and the beaches were closed. We left Tuesday after lunch and traveled north for about 6 1/2 hours. We were in and out of tropical showers but safe. We even saw a double rainbow over a cow pasture in Kennedy, Texas. It was quite picturesque but we were going too fast to snap a photo. The girls were sad but not as much as I. They were easily swayed with a promise of seeing Toy Story 3 at the movies once we got back home. So we hadve tickets to see the film today after my little ones nap.

As for stitching I finished PART 1 of Helga's SAL. I have begun PART 2 but will in no way have it finished by July 2nd. Enjoy the pictures, South Padre is going to do fine. Alex will hit in Mexico and hopefully South Padre won't have much wind damage. The aunt's are planning to ride out the storm as they did a few years ago when Hurricane Dolly hit. The worst part is being without electricity for many days post landfall. Until July....