Welcome Summer!

It's officially summer in the Midwest. It's hot and humid! And summer seasonal exchanges have been sent and received. Yes, there's no denying that summer is upon us.

I'm participating in a great seasonal exchange this year with a small group of gifted stitchers. I'm stitching for Karen and I heard Monday that she received the summer package I put together for her.

I stitched The Sampler Girl's Molly Pitcher 1778 for her with the recommended DMC on 28 count linen and finished it as a little hanger.


I sent along some patriotic extras:



Karen said she loved it and I am so pleased! I consider this to be my best finishing to date and I was very glad with how it turned out. I'm so happy she likes it too!

Today I got my exchange from Melissa and it made my day! She stitched a sweet Lizzie Kate design and finished it as a darling pinkeep. The backing fabric is the most perfect lemonade fabric - and we have been drinking a lot of lemonade around here lately - with a little pocket and everything!


And what a spread of goodies she sent along! 2 beautiful skeins of Dragon Floss and 2 more of Soy Luster from The Pure Patette! And check out that Eye & Eye & Friends sampler pattern. I can't wait to get started on this one. She also included some darling strawberry notecards. Melissa always includes a sweet little handmade card from soupofsuccess.com. I checked out their website and I have to say that it sounds like a wonderful organization. What a special touch.


Thank you for a wonderful package Melissa!

I also have a finish to show off. I stitched up the pattern Melissa sent me in the spring exchange! Excuse the terrible lighting:

Birds Wee One from Heart in Hand

Stitched 1/1 with DMC on 25ct mushroom lugana
Stitched 6/18/10 - 6/19/10

I want to make this into a floss ring tag. I've never attempted that finishing before so I have no idea how it will turn out or when I will have the time to try it.

I hope everyone is having an amazing summer so far! I know I am (despite the sunburn)!

Happy stitching to you all!

Can I Get a Venti Iced Triple Shot Soy Mocha Latte Please?

I feel like I have been going non-stop! And here I thought summer was going to be my chance to slow down. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered that it's not!

I need coffee/caffeine like a plant needs water. I swear I'll wither without it! Between getting ready for our trip to Arizona for my brother's wedding in 2 weeks, I've been juggling play dates, and dealing with what turned out to be a sinus infection for 2.5 weeks before I sought medical attention and got magic antibiotics. Somewhere in there my sister got a job interview for her dream job here in St. Louis and I was hemming her suit pants and trying to help her prepare. Oh and we can't forget the 6 hour drive to Iowa this past weekend for a 5k with my sister that got cancelled due to weather.

On top of all that, I had an exchange due in the mail to Karen today and I never made it to my LNS to pick up goodies for her package. So now that won't go out until tomorrow or Thursday. It's only Tuesday and my week is already running behind schedule!

But on a fun note, I never did mention the beautiful PIF I got from Mary Kathryn a few months ago.


Isn't it gorgeous?! Mary Kathryn is truly a gifted stitcher and finisher.

PIF/Giveaway:

Well now it's my turn! I get to pay-it-forward. But I'm going to run this a little differently. I knew signing up with Mary Kathryn that in addition to my getting something from her, I was obligating myself to offer four stitched pieces forward. I'm fulfilling that obligation by offering four of my wonderful readers the chance to get a stitched and finished piece from yours truly in the next year. Now here's where I'm changing it up a bit: I'm going to say that you don't have to obligate yourself to pay it forward by offering stitched and finished pieces to your readers. Just pay it forward in whatever way you find in your own life to do that. If that means offering pieces to other stitchers as I am doing and so many others have done, go for it. If that means giving someone in line at JoAnns your unused 40% coupon, well that's good too. Just pay it forward in your life as you can or as you desire to. Does that make sense? I know some people avoid signing up for PIFs because it may be a lot for some to obligate themselves to. I'm hoping this will make it easier for some of you to participate who might not otherwise.

So let me know if you want to sign up for my PIF by commenting on this post. If I get more than 4 people interested, I'll draw names. And thank you again Mary Kathryn for the gorgeous strawberry!

Now I have to go change LadyBug as something smells not quite right. Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone is getting more time to relax than I am lately :)

And We're Back...

Phew! I feel like I have been running nonstop for the past 2 months or so!

April really piled on the mayhem. I had an exam every week in April, and I was tutoring my lab partner for all of those exams. I felt like I was always leaving the house to run off to the library when DH got home from work. Cuddle Bug also celebrated his 4th birthday with three parties of varying magnitude, and Easter came and went in there somewhere. But my class is over (I got an A) and I'm not taking any classes this summer. So I am finally feeling like I have a second to exhale. I feel like I haven't had a second to breathe since March!

Speaking of March, I haven't stitched anything since March either. But I do have an exchange coming up that needs my attention so I will be getting to that very soon.

I can show you the exchange I sent to Ann through Stitch It and Exchange It way back in all the craziness of April. I stitched the Egg-cetera bird from Cross Eyed Cricket (one of my favorite little spring-time stitches) and finished it as a pinkeep. I included Hershey's kisses, tea, a cut of fabric, a skein of CC and (because Ann is Catholic like myself) I threw in a book of Poetry by Pope John Paul II and a finger rosary.


The only other crafty thing I have to show for myself the past few months is this quilt I finished up yesterday. It is going to DH's sweet cousin who just had a baby girl a few weeks ago. I made it with Thimble Blossom's Double Dip pattern and some of the Nature's Chorus layer Cake Camille sent me a few months ago.



In other news, I've been working on improving my health and physical fitness. I ran consistently before my pregnancy with LadyBug. Now I'm back at it. I have decided that 2011 is the year I will run my first half marathon and maybe even do a marathon! I've been eating right, cutting out the crap, and running as often as I can. I'm feeling better, more energized, and stronger. At least I can say in all the crazy of the past few months I'm getting it together!

Thank you to anyone who has stuck with me during my absence. I missed so many amazing projects and giveaways from all of you while I was on a bloggy hiatus.

Happy Tuesday all!

We Will Return to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming Momentarily

I have an exchange waiting to be mailed (late), a backlog of blog posts to read and respond to, 5 exams in the next 6 weeks (the first of which is tonight), new fitness goals I've been working on, a husband and 2 bugs to spend time with and care for, a house to maintain, and (God willing) a few hours of sleep every night to absorb so that I might get up tomorrow and keep on chugging along.

Oh and wonderful Michele of X Marks My Spot emailed me months ago, and would you believe that email has been sitting open on my desktop this whole time screaming at me respond to this! every single day since I received it?! Michele, I'm useless! I'm sorry! I have big plans for emailing you back tomorrow after I ace this exam tonight and get that tardy exchange in the mail!

As for stitching, sewing, or any other crafty endeavors...aside from that exchange piece I have basically nothing to show for myself. But I am currently getting 126% in my anatomy and physiology class. Does that count for anything?

I will be back...soon...just wait for all the mayhem to subside and I will be back with a vengeance! In the meantime, thanks for sticking with me, and I hope you're all getting better stitching time than I.

Exchange from Melissa!

My day started in a hole...a big one...made of laundry. Add to that an almost-4-year-old who is constantly testing his limits with me and a miserable teething 13-month-old whose entire rhythm was thrown out of whack by daylight savings time (whose idea was that anyway??). Oh and we can't forget the muscles in my entire body that are aching and exhausted from 5 straight days of riding an exercise bike perpetually stuck on the highest resistance. Have you ever tried carrying a 20+ lb toddler up the stairs for diaper changes with legs that feel like lead? I don't recommend it.

Anyway...so my day started in a deep dark pit of exhaustion. Then the mail man arrived and everything turned around! Why you ask? Well feast your eyes on this....





I got this from Melissa for our Friends Stitching Through the Seasons spring exchange. Are you drooling on your computer?! I don't blame you...it's even more amazing in real life! The fabric she stitched the fob on is iridescent and absolutely stunning! And would you believe she included that gorgeous pair of gun-metal ginghers?! Would you also believe I only had one pair of embroidery scissors before this pair arrived today? These are a much needed addition to my stitching goods. Also, I highly recommend clicking on the pictures to get a closer look at her stitching on the fob. Her stitches are so perfectly even and straight.

And the goodies! Oh I don't even know where to begin! 2 springy notepads, a darling hand-stamped card, a sweet HiH chart, and no, your eyes are not deceiving you...Melissa included six skeins of Vikki Clayton silks!

Who can have a bad day when mail like that arrives?? Not me! DH was home for lunch when I got the mail and he was particularly amused by my excitement! LadyBug's reaction was my very favorite though. She gave this delivery a round of applause!! Gotta love a giggly, clapping 1 year old.

Thank you Melissa! I may not come down off this stitchers high for quite a while!!