Archive for round robins

zoning out

10.29.09 at 4:50 pm · Filed under kids, moving, round robins, stitching

A feeble attempt at total relaxation was needed to deal with the unexpected stress from work, so I’ve been out to eat, watched the BBC version of The Tenant of Windfell Hall, finished Karen V’s Quaker RR and stitched the Rose Basket by Niky’s Creations since I last visited with you here.

The dining out was actually due to it being the 9th anniversary of our first date. :D The dinner was fine, but the company was much better!  My, how much we’ve packed into nine years!!

Here’s Karen’s stunning version of the Ackworth Friendship Book for our round robin. I just love this group of stitchers, and I hope we’ll do something together again in the future. Karen, your RR was posted today and will hopefully arrive quickly. :)

KarenV's Quaker RR

Karen V's Quaker RR

And while watching The Tenant at Windfell Hall on my laptop because it would not play with sound in the DVD player (I don’t even pretend to understand this stuff), I stitched the Rose Basket, a wee kit I bought from Niky’s Creations. I’ve stitched it with one thread over two, using the supplies that came with the kit. If (or when, more likely) I stitch it again, I’ll leave the date off I think. Interestingly enough, it took exactly the length of the film to stitch this. Useless factoids ….

Rose Basket by Niky's Creations

Rose Basket by Niky's Creations

(LOL!! Look, I forgot the handle on one side! Oops!)

As for the blow dealt by our employer, Niek went back in yesterday and talked to them again and feels cautiously optimistic that we’ll regain at least some of the lost ground. We’re supposed to have everything in writing (again) by early next week. Arden, as you can see, is ready to go now. ;)

Arden on the go

Wishing you a wonderful week!

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sandpaper hands and all

10.22.09 at 4:15 pm · Filed under Stash, friends, kids, moving, round robins, stitching

Despite the damage done to my hands by all the intensive cleaning, I’ve managed to pull out some stitching and really enjoy it. First up is Karen V’s Quaker RR because there’s a deadline coming up next month that I don’t want to stress over. A fine group of us have done Ellen Chester’s Ackworth Friendship Book Sampler together and this is the last round. Karen’s is the only that isn’t monochromatic – isn’t it stunning?!

KarenV's Quaker RR progress

I also splurged a little bit on this threadholder from The Gift of Stitching monthly magazine shop. Kirsten comes up with the coolest things, and despite the fact that I’m supposed to be packing and getting rid of things, I simply had to have this. Check out the shop for this and other goodies! (Hint: The kits are fabulous!)

Threadwinder from TGOSM

Sadly, this is probably about the extent of my Halloween decorating this year – that’s a no-no with the house up for sale. No showing off the beautiful Halloween goodies I’ve received in the past from Su, Becky SC, and Mylene (among others!) or those I’ve stitched myself. Speaking of the house, the realtor was duly impressed with the tremendous changes wrought since her original visit 2 weeks ago. The property pamphlet that she created for the house is very nice, and now it’s time to cross our fingers and hope for the best!

Even if we have to keep the place gorgeous, playing must be allowed, and here are the kids with a particularly elaborate train tracks and city they built this morning. (We also enjoyed a nice visit from Marlies, but I neglected to take my camera out. Oops!)

civil engineers have to start somewhere

Enjoy a wonderful day!!!

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nearly time to put in a garden

10.07.09 at 10:29 am · Filed under round robins, stitching

Thanks for all the feedback on Annemarie’s fabulous drum pinkeep – how great that she’s inspired so many of us to give this finishing type a try! :D

As mentioned, I worked on a barn while Annemarie was here. Last night I added a horse and then I started a new building – you’ll recognize it the next time I get around to posting, I’m sure. I think I’ll add a garden in front of the barn. Actually, I think I know what I’ll add to nearly all the remaining empty bits, though given my spur-of-the-moment approach to this project (which is so fun!), anything’s possible. (Ignore where the linen is sagging around the blue house – the design does not go all wonky there.)

Prim NE Neighborhood 

The barn and horse are from Old McDonald’s Farm by Willow Ridge Designs. I’m using whatever fibers draw my eye, but the linen is 30 ct R&R Woodlawn. I love it! :D

It’s another gray, rainy day here. Autumn. We had some gorgeous weather up till now, though, so I must not complain. Wishing you a wonderful week!

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grateful for a faulty weather forecast

10.04.09 at 2:59 pm · Filed under life stuff, round robins, stitching, weather

Niek attacks the back garden

If we were getting the storms and rain that were forecast, Niek wouldn’t be able to slash and burn his way through this jungle. Er, I mean our backyard. I’m still not used to the fact that in these tiny gardens, you cannot allow the hedges to grow and grow, and well, grow. So goodbye hedges of over a meter deep. The lovely birds who’ve nested here will have to find someplace else next spring. But oh how big and light our garden seems already!

New England Prim Neighborhood

I haven’t had much time for stitching, but I did finish a block on my New England Prim Neighborhood. (Please ignore the wrinkles!) The elements for this are taken from Brightneedle’s “School Days” design, using my choice of colors (which are similiar to those called for). I plan to add on around this one using bits from “Schooler Kids” by Prarire Schooler the next time I’m able to work on it.

Thanks for all the kind things you said about my new glasses. :) I hope everyone’s enjoying a fabulous weekend!

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yesterday …

09.11.09 at 11:55 am · Filed under cooking, life stuff, round robins, stitching

Yesterday I intended to write a post about the stuff I was doing, but I was so busy doing it that I didn’t have time.  LOL!

Yesterday I sent Nicki’s Quaker round robin on to Karen, and I started stitching on Karen’s, which had already arrived from Katrina (who is ever so much better about RR shipping dates than I am!). Here are Nicki and Karen’s Ackworth Friendship book round robins. Lovely, huh?

quaker RR 003

Karen V's Quaker RR

Yesterday I also baked chocolate chip cookies, which made my kids love me. Sometimes they sort of forget, but fortunately chocolate and sugar always remind them. The recipe is one I got from Sara and when it cooperates with me, it makes the best chocolate chip cookies in the universe. Seriously. But sometimes recipes have a mind of their own, which is why cooking is an art and not a science, and yesterday was one of those days. The trick to this recipe is in the butter, which must be just barely soft enough to cream into the sugars by hand – too soft (or if you use an electric mixer) and the cookies come out thin. Luckily, I’m the only incredibly picky person in the family and everyone else is trying to eat them by the handful.

chocolate chunk cookies

 

Today being 9/11, I’d just like to say thank you to all the wonderful people who pulled together to help out after the tragedy. I know that a lot of these volunteers have suffered health problems as a result of their efforts, including a good friend of my mom’s. While we musn’t forget the victims, it can be too easy to overlook the selfless men and women who rushed to the scene without thought of their own welfare to help out.

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drips and drabs

07.12.09 at 4:36 pm · Filed under Stash, cooking, freebies, furbabies, life stuff, round robins, stitching

No, the title isn’t a typo of  ‘dribs and drabs’ – it’s raining (again) and I decided to take liberties with the phrase. This weather is good for cooking, even if it tends to get a bit depressing. Yesterday, I baked a couple loaves of bread to celebrate the kids’ summer holiday, and here’s the chocolate bread that disappeared almost immediately after the photo was snapped.  (It was another attempt at using flour other than wheat, and I’m now ready to concede that it’s not as easy as I thought it would be.)

chocolatebreadring

Yesterday I started a new project over one that I am just loving. Here’s a picture I took during a sunny break yesterday (I’ve gotten a bit further with it since then). I’m stitching it with DMC over one on 32 ct mystery linen that looks a lot like Lambswool.

PS newstartoverone

As a matter of fact, I’m loving it so much that I went off and ordered a large piece of evenweave from Silkweaver’s Odds & Ends to finally do SOHRH over-one. I’m taking it easy on myself, as it’s a 20 count evenweave and should not wear my poor old peepers out too much.

Silkweaver shadowbrook

I’ve also continued to work on this round of our Quaker RR, with the intention of having one panel done before we go on vacation to Maine. That only leaves the other panel to do after we return, which shouldn’t be too difficult (she said, full of confidence, LOL!).

QuakerRR3WIP

Our kitty, Spin, seems to have adopted a quieter family one street over and I miss him. I’m not sure which house he’s been going to, but I keep finding him down that street. I carry him home and feed him, but he only picks at his uninspiring dry kibble and leaves after allowing me to pet him a little bit. Though I can’t blame him for seeking out quieter lodgings, I’ve always felt that a home without a cat is just four walls with a lot of windows and doors.

spin up high

 

schools_outTomorrow is the first ‘real’ day of the kids’ summer holidays. I’ll need to get busy today printing out the activities we’ll be doing. Gosh, I should’ve checked our supply of printer ink yesterday when the shops were open. I hope to also get the Five Birds chart emailed out and the giveaway prizes posted as well – sorry for the week-long delay, but it really was a crushingly busy week.

Best wishes, all!

13 July, Edited to add: I’ve sent the two CHS freebies (Brite Birds and Five Birds) in a final mass emailing. I won’t be sending them out again, so please don’t ask. The upcoming days and weeks will be spent with the kids rather than behind the computer. ;) Thanks for understanding!

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since i saw you last

07.10.09 at 8:27 pm · Filed under charity, family, furbabies, kids, life stuff, round robins, stitching, weather

Whew. Now that was a week! Thank you all so much for sticking with me! So, since we last sat down and spent any time together, the cast & crew of Chateau Chaos has:

played
No extra words are really necessary, are they?
playing in Luuring backyard

experienced both thunder and sunshine

We’ve had some extreme weather during this extreme week, with everything from high winds and T&L storms to streaming sunshine. Guess which I prefer… LOL!

stitching and family in July 039

stitching and family in July 058

spent quality time with the family

Last weekend we visited with Niek’s parents, who’d recently returned from a vacation in Scotland. The kids had an absolute blast with their Opa and Oma.

stitching and family in July 024

stitching and family in July 020

eaten well

fresh berries and cream 002

All the kids are very keen on the fresh produce available this time of year, but this picture of Rowen hamstering baby tomatoes in her cheeks was just too cute to keep to myself!

stitching and family in July 003

visited the dentist

At our recent checkup, we discovered that Max  is overly sensitive to the fluoride treatment (thus the blisters on his gums) and will need braces, just like his Mom did those many years ago.

stitching and family in July 045

engaged in the slightly naughty

When Lola saw me taking this picture, she got right off the couch - she knows it’s not allowed. But hey, rules are made to be broken now & again, aren’t they?

stitching and family in July 056

learned to sit in chairs

Arden seems to have finally mastered the art of sitting in a chair without tipping the whole thing over. :D

stitching and family in July 009

and stitched

I finished this round of the Quaker RR and sent it on, and promptly started on the next round. Doesn’t everyone have lovely taste in colors?

QuakerRR

QuakerRR rd 2

quaker rr rd 3

I also finished a charity quilt square in record time. Not my finest effort, but certainly my fastest, this is going to a lady with advanced breast cancer who enjoys horse riding. The motifs are taken from an old JCS issue.

breast cancer quilt square

In parting, I wish you more sunshine than rain, unhurried stitches, lots of playtime, and an absence of cavities. Take a little time to be naughty – and to enjoy it!

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finally some fun in the sun

05.01.09 at 9:34 pm · Filed under kids, life stuff, round robins, weather

mystery tree in bloom

Guess what? The sun came out! You haven’t been able to find me inside since! LOL. Nah, the kids and I have continued to have some “school time” indoors each morning, but we’ve also spent a tremendous amount of time outside, enjoying Mother Nature’s bounty. Our trips have included neighborhood walks, the local petting zoo, the nearby wood, and a very fun trip downtown yesterday for *Queen’s Day. In between, the little darlings have actually allowed me time to get a fair amount of work done – the writing kind, not the housework kind, LOL. And at night I’ve been too tired to stitch, which means my RR obligation is now screaming my name. Any guesses what I’ll be doing tonight? ;0

Here are a few pictures of the kids during our trip to the petting zoo. Nick got busy immediately with all the challenging activities there are, such as climbing tree trunks, swinging & sliding, and lots of exploring. I caught him unawares during a very brief moment of repose, and I think this may become one of my favorite photos of him. Rowen wanted nothing more than to sit next to me and chat. She’s been full of stories and ideas this week and has obviously really enjoyed getting lots of extra Mommy Time. Arden loves being outside, but since he can’t yet get down and join in the fun, he often nods off in the sunlight for a lovely nap.

Nick in repose on a tree trunk

Arden watches, sleepily

Rowen speaks

* To those affected by the tragic Queen’s Day events in Apeldoorn, my heart goes out to you. I’m shocked by the sudden violence, particularly on such a festive and joyous day. Before moving here, I lived in Apeldoorn and it was very strange seeing this happen in familiar settings.

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retail therapy, frogs, and … the 3 r’s?

04.27.09 at 10:34 am · Filed under Stash, etsy, life stuff, round robins

Uh oh. Yesterday found me burning up my PayPal balance in fine style. First off, I found out that Kathy Barrick-Dieter now has an etsy shop and is selling some of her old/OOP designs. That was dangerous – four of them leapt into my basket. And then I followed the other etsy shops that heart her and bought four more older designs by Hands To Work at the irresistible price of $3 each. And then Mary Kathryn had a 4-for-3 sale at her webshop and I got four charts from The Gathering Place as well as the Polly Mumford re-release from The Goode Huswife. Hmm. A baker’s dozen. That’s not unreasonable, right? I mean, I have oodles of time for stitching. I’ll just give up sleeping entirely. I’ve already given up housework. LOL!

Don’t tell Niek, please! I’ve been doing really well till now. Oops! But just ask me if I’m actually sorry – I’m afraid the answer would be a resounding “no”! Now to start stalking the mailman. ;)

frog collage

I stitched a little bit, too. I have to, as our RR mail date is rushing up on me. I started on Saturday night, got to the end of the row, and realized I was off by one stitch. Argh!! Frogging ensued and I started stitching again on Sunday. Progress was slow, as my computer kept whispering suggestively to me about ONS sites. Never fear, RR-mates, it will go out on time!

ME state seal

Today is the first day of the kids’ May vacation, so we’re busy learning about Maine. As long-time readers of my blog know, I like to dabble in a little light homeschooling when the kids have school vacations and since we are going to Maine this summer (hip, hip, hooray!), I thought we’d plunge right into learning a little bit about the state. I’ve been busily preparing lesson plans and printing off activity sheets & coloring pages. Maybe I’ll learn something, too! Actually, I have been trying to learn a bit, too, and have recently begun re-reading the Bible. It’s kind of difficult being a spiritual person who is not religious. I can’t find a group around here that appeals to me, so I decided to just strike out on my own.

And now … I hear the school bell ringing! Time to go. Wishing you a wonderful week!!

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happy thoughts on a gray day

03.09.09 at 4:24 pm · Filed under Stash, kids, life stuff, round robins, weather

It’s so dark here today that the streetlights are still on in places! Spring … where are you??Well, despite that, it’s been a great day so far. I started off well, getting the most necessary housework done and then doing 30 minutes of excercise. I thought the day would seem long with the three older kids at school, but it’s actually flown by.

I’m stitching some birthday gifts for Max that I’ll show another time. However, since I didn’t get a picture of him the other day, here he is now – cheesing it up for the camera. LOL!

Max at home Sunday eve

Today has brought some great mail – Beth’s pattern booklet arrived very fast, but not as fast as Katrina’sround robin. That arrived from New Zealand in only 6 days! That must be a record of some sort! Here are both (Katrina’s RR shows her stitching – I’ll add mine later this week). Her fabric, btw, is actually a lovely sand/natural color but because of the day’s darkness, it looks gray here.

BethTwist's booklet

KatrinaJ's Quaker

And because I can’t seem to close without a picture of my little darling, here he is while enjoying his lunch. While he ate, I finally got the pictures into his baby book. Better late than never, right? LOL!

Arden eats his lunch with joy

PS: I can’t go without first saying a huge thank you for your incredibly kind comments about the exchange I sent to Su. You made me blush!

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