Annette's Acre

Outside my window ….. darkness

I am thinking ….about DH’s birthday tomorrow.  A very low key celebration

I am thankful for ……a pair of great kids

I am wearing ….. pale blue loung-y shirt thing.  Hey, I’m all about comfort when I get home from work!

I am loving …. Pei Wei Mongolian Beef (lunch today)

I am stitching …. something cool

I am hoping …..the week speeds by…another quilt class on Friday!

I am drooling over …. the new JustNan Halloween designs

I am sorely tempted by …..Buggy Barn Quilt books (still from last week.  This Friday’s visit to the Quilt store will be VERY tempting)

I am hearing ……Whose Line is it Anyway? (Evidently another Monday night habit)

I am reading … Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane (almost done)

On my mind ….. a layout for a baby-size quilt using the big stars in my Witch Quilt.

From my picture journal… my next quilt WIP will be this kit I got in Houston last year:

Outside my window ….. warm August night

I am thinking …. it’s a long time to the Houston Quilt Show in November

I am thankful for ……school back in session

I am wearing ….. pale blue nightgown (this must be the Monday wardrobe.. )

I am loving …. my Witchie-Poo quilt progress (all but one square complete)

I am stitching …. still can’t tell!  Exchange time.

I am hoping …..I am less cranky tomorrow than I was today

I am drooling over …. the new JustNan Halloween designs

I am sorely tempted by …..Buggy Barn Quilt books

I am hearing ……Whose Line is it Anyway?

I am reading … Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane

On my mind ….. tomorrow’s presentation – to my new VP

From my picture journal… maybe today I just needed a little more red in my day….

Wow, another month gone by! 

School is back in session (at least for one kid) and while the heat continues in Arizona, the end is in sight. 

For this month’s Ten on the Tenth, I’m going to expose ten dark secrets. (Only ten.  There are more.)

Yes, I’m posting ten long-suffering works-in-progress.  None of these pieces have seen the light of day for at least a year… most several.  Here we go….

1 – Stroke of Midnight by Teresa Wentzler

I probably have a few more hours in her than reflected here.  This design is what led me to the stitching community back in 2000.  And I still love it. 

Don’t let the snail’s pace progress fool you.

2 – Desiderata by Indigo Rose

This would definitely go faster if I worked on it now and then.  I can’t even remember the fabric this is on.  I do know it’s DMC.

3 – Brave Hearts by Little House Needleworks

Silk (1 over 2) on 40-ct fabric.  I really need to get a better light setup in my stitching corner….. yes, that’s an excuse and I’m sticking to it!.

4 – Fortunate Traveler by Teresa Wentzler

Isn’t that pretty?  Yeah, I think so, too. 

5 - Skeleton Crew by Cricket Collection

Given my avowed love of all things Halloween, one would think this would be further along.  It’s just all that white…..

6 – Lilac Pixie by Mirabilia

Poor lilac was a victim of the Mirabilia Round Robin.  I was Mira-ed out   I’m sure she’ll come back after Summer is done, though.

7 – Toy Shop Bead and Buttons from Mill Hill

Now that I know Missy Ann’s beading trick, this one will probably get done before Christmas

8 – Egyptian Garden by Chatelaine

I love love love this design.  Not  a fan of printing each chart, but I’ll work thru that.  I just haven’t found the magic system yet….

9  – Rosemarkie by Long Dog Samplers

I think fear is keeping me from stitching on this.  I’m using a lovely Needle Necessities overdye.  You know, the *discontinued* thread people?  I have at least five skeins, so running out is a relatively small risk….but still….  to get all that way and run out… [shiver]

10 – Noah’s Ark by Teresa Wentzler

Probably a *little* further along.  I would have sworn I had most of the ark done.  Funnily enough, the animals aren’t that scary any more.  I guess after starting (and finishing) pieces on 40-ct, 25-ct over 1 is cake.  The light issue….that’s still a kicker, though.

Just digging up the pictures makes me want to pull them all out and give them some love.

I’m sure the feeling will pass.

Outside my window ….. a beautiful night sky

I am thinking …. tomorrow is going to be a long day (work seminar to attend)

I am thankful for ……my family’s continued good health

I am wearing ….. pale blue nightgown

I am loving …. my Kindle 2

I am stitching …. shhh…can’t tell.  Will be done for next week’s journal.

I am hoping …..DH hears good news from his Friday interview

I am drooling over …. Greek Mandala by Chatelaine

I am sorely tempted by …… popcorn with parmesan and truffle oil

I am hearing ……one dog getting a drink of water… who could it be?  Greta!

I am reading … Psych: A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Read

On my mind ….. remembering to get stuff together for Saturday’s quilt class.

From my picture journal… my red highlights from last year.  Maybe it’s time to do them again?  They’ve mostly grown out

Found here and lots of other places….

Outside my window ….. the breeze is picking up and clouds are coming in.  An evening storm brewing?

I am thinking ….and planning for a slew of little projects in the next couple months….shhhhh! 

I am thankful for …… my children home safely from their summer vacations in Georgia/Tennessee

I am wearing …..”Queen of Unfinished Projects” t-shirt and shorts

I am loving ….the rainy weather in Arizona

I am stitching …. Winter Queen by Mirabilia

I am hoping ….for good results with DH’s *two* interviews this week.

I am drooling over …. Autumn Stitches by Sue Hillis

I am sorely tempted by ……new Stitches fabric by Lynette Anderson.  Wouldn’t it be *perfect* for finishing the Autumn Stitches design?

I am hearing ……the end of tonight’s Braves game…. we win!

I am reading …..Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

On my mind …..school starting…how did I get a seventh grader and college sophomore+?  Where did the time go?  Wasn’t *I* just in college?

From my picture journal ……my kids meet a Tennessee creek last week (click…biggify…you know the drill):

For this month’s 10 on the Tenth, I’m listing my 10 favorite video games   I’ve been playing a lot in the last few weeks….

1. Puzzle Quest/Puzzle Quest 2 (Xbox360, PSP, Nintendo DS) – This is one of two games we have (and play) on multiple platforms.  DH, Kylie, Zachary and I all play this one   PQ2 was released last month and I have games going on both my Nintendo DS and on the Xbox Live Arcade version.
2. Populous (Nintendo) – I’ve been playing games for many years and this was my absolute favorite game on my original Nintendo system.  I’ve looked at the later versions, but nothing matches, for me, the charm of the original.
3. Lego Star Wars/Batman/Indiana Jones/Harry Potter (Xbox360) – Kids and I have played many of the Lego games.  The terminology from Lego Star Wars pervades all the others… it will always be a Jedi Bar and certain areas need a Dark Force-r or Sith Lord or Bounty Hunter
4. Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands (PlayStation3) – While Kylie has played the earlier Prince of Persia games, this one is the first that I’ve played thru on my own.  Love it!
5. Ratchet & Clank franchise (PlayStation 3 and PSP) – I have played the two installments on PS3 and PSP.  How can anyone resist such cool weapons?  Mr. Zircon rules!!
6. Black & White (PC) – Awesome god game!  Sadly, it is not Vista or Windows7 friendly   Though maybe that’s a good thing given the hours I put into this game….
7. Civilization Revolution (Xbox360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS) – I usually avoid turn-based strategy games, but this one moves quickly and there’s no character fighting involved.  I’ve played on all the listed platforms, but have the most wins on the Xbox. 
8. Little Big Planet (PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable) – One of the few games that all four of us play together
9. Professor Layton and the Curious Village/Diabolical Box (Nintendo DS) – Classic logic puzzles make this a great game series!  Can’t wait for the next installment: Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
10. Mass Effect (Xbox360) – I usually avoide first-person-shooter games like the plague, but this has a nice combination of FPS, role-playing and even a puzzle or two.  DH has played thru several times, but I’m still on my first.

This is a small sampling of the games we have in the house   See ya next month for 10 on the Tenth!

I’ve been off work this week…

First, I’ll show what I haven’t done much of:

This is my July Truly Useless SAL entry.  As you can see, there is a paltry amount of thread in there…. not much stitching going on in the last month!  I have managed a bit of gaming and reading, still a relaxing week.

DH and I ran away for a short break to cooler climates here in Arizona.  We travelled just a couple hours up north to Prescott, Arizona, where it’s at least 20 degrees cooler than in Phoenix

We stayed at lovely little hotel just off the courthouse square:

A historic hotel, built in 1917.

Wonderful lobby:

Small, comfortable rooms..

(These were taken from the doorway.  There’s a small closet to the right.)

The bathroom was almost as big as the room…

We walked around the historic downtown area, stopping for a late lunch (very very good)…

Wandered thru antique stores and a candle shop and just relaxed and enjoyed the cooler weather. 

I did find something that I put right to use:

These are just the scissors I had in my main stitching area.  I’ve got at least three more pair in other areas of the house LOL.  I’ve also got several naked scissors… need to work on that…

Back to work on Monday!

On this, America’s birthday, I thought it appropriate to share some pictures of a trip taken a couple weeks ago.

On Saturday, June 19th, we drove two hours south of Phoenix to a small museum outside of Tucson:  The Titan Missile Museum.

In the 1960′s, the Cold War was in full swing and 56 missiles were commissioned and installed in three states: Arkansas, Kansas and Arizona to keep the peace.  In 1987, the last site was decommissioned as technology had advanced to allow for a safer and more efficient missile program.  The missile housed at the museum near Tucson is the only remaining one available for public access.

We took the “Beyond the Blast Door” tour – 90 minutes long, touring the underground complex, including the missile silo (with missile at your fingertips).  It was pretty darn amazing, I must say.

We were decked out in hard hats (there’s a lot of pipes and such) and were given a brief history of the Titan II program before the group of 17 headed out.  After a brief stop to look at fueling areas and the rocket engines themselves, we looked down into the silo:

You can just see the rectangular section cut out of the nose of the rocket.  That’s so the folks peeking in via satellite see that this is a decommissioned missile. 

We went down underground into the crew quarters, the control center (Z sat in the commander’s chair and helped our guide go thru the launch sequence.  He bombed an Unidentified Military Target with the touch of a button ).  Then a trip into the silo itself… with a handy “You Are Here” chart on the 7th level:

It was a small elevator (held you and five of your closest friends) that took us down there.  Here’s K waiting around the back of the missile area for the rest of the group to make the trip:

Pipes everywhere.  Doors that were two feet thick.  All original equipment and furnishings were in the complex.  There were a couple of additions (TV and DVD player in the crew area for overnight tour guests) but otherwise, completely authentic.

And yes, you could get up close and personal with the main attraction….(an artsy-version of my pic from the bottom of the missile):

If you’re in the Tucson area, I encourage you to stop by to experience history…..

Happy Birthday, America.  Here’s to freedom and liberty…. and all it takes to keep them sacred.

Wikipedia Article

I had a bright idea a couple weeks ago to create my own meme-style post monthly.

Reason #1 – It means at least one post per month.  Given how much I’ve been posting lately, every little bit helps.

Reason #2 – See Reason #1.  It’s a shameless attempt to post more but not have to resort to self-psycho-analysis or endless babbling.  Which would drastically reduce the number of people who read this…. from like 3 to 0. 

Here’s the thought – on the 10th of each month, I’ll post a list of ten things.  This could be anything from Ten Books I Want to Read to Ten Smart Decisions I’ve Made or even Ten Things That Drive Me Crazy.  Whatever strikes my fancy that month.

For this month: 

Ten Things About Me 

(note I didn’t say “interesting” things…. no unrealistic expectations )

1. I don’t like scary movies – suspense, sure… but scary, gory Nightmare on Elm Street-type movies, nope.  My husband and my daughter, however, love them.  They have mini-marathons watching in our bedroom, while I’m safely either out of the house or in another room.
2. I read fiction 99% of the time. I live in the real world, don’t need to read about it  
3. Mars Galaxy bars from England and See’s Dark Chocolate Molasses Chips – most perfect chocolate ever
4. I would totally love to attend GhostHunter Academy   I’m interested in paranormal (and have had some interesting experiences) but am very much a realist.
5. I love to sing. In the car.  In the shower.  Walking with my iPod.  Whenever I’m listening to music.  My family doesn’t ask me to stop, so evidently I don’t sound *too* bad.
6. In the same vein, I have a very hard time recognizing and remembering song titles and artists.  I’ll know the song playing on the radio, and can even sing along, but don’t ask me the name or the artist.  Most of the time…. I won’t know LOL
7. I love brussel sprouts, spinach, kippers and pickled herring.  However, you can keep peas, green beans and meatloaf
8. My brand new ringtone for my brand new phone is based on this song
9. I have an excellent visual memory.  For things I’ve read, I can tell you where on the page it was located.    
10. I love to bake, but being recently diagnosed with a wheat allergy, I haven’t done as much in the last year.

Last night (June 8th), DH and I attended the Annual Braves/Diamondbacks Baseball Game.

Note for non-baseball fans: I’m already working on tomorrow’s post which will have more interesting content for you. I think.  I hope. Well, you get the idea. 

The Atlanta Braves travel to Phoenix for a three or four game series once a year.  When DBacks tickets go on sale in April, I buy a pair of tickets for DH and I to attend one of those games.

Last night was it.  The second game of a four-game series.  This is the first year it’s been mid-week, usually the series covers a weekend.  But, thanks to the joys of being able to work at home when I need to and kids out of school, we didn’t have trouble getting away from the house.

Neither of us wear clothing emblazoned with our preferred team (I do own both a DBacks and Braves shirt) as it can get kinda interesting if we’re sitting in the midst of opposing fans.  I did go for a red shirt, but that could be seen as supporting either team since the DBacks adopted their “Sedona Red” colors and abandoned the more original purple/turquoise/black combo ;)

We left the house around 5:30p for the 6:40p start.  Arrived downtown and handed over $10 to the parking dude at 6:10p.  About ten minutes later we’re in our seats in the section directly behind home plate, 36 rows up. 

A barbershop-style quartet sang the National Anthem and we had *two* first pitches thrown out as this was the DBacks 1,000th home game.  The second first pitch (got that?) was by a fellow who had attended *every* home game!  Pretty impressive (and expensive LOL)!

Game started promptly at 6:40p:

(Click to biggify… all pics are from my Blackberry 8900.  Not bad!)

That’s Kelly Johnson at the plate, the DBacks lead-off hitter and 2nd baseman…and former Brave.  And this is *just* before he smacked a homerun into the left field seats.

Yup.  Great start. (this would be sarcasm for Braves fans, and serious for DBacks fans)

We soon realized we were in the midst of a horde of Braves fans (not sure if there is an official word for a group of baseball fans… whack? gang? pod?) and a lone… and loud… DBacks fan.  DBacks guy did start out as rather obnoxious, but as the surrounding fans interacted with him, he settled in to just loud.  As the game was tied at least four times and the lead went back and forth, you can imagine there were *plenty* of opportunities to poke fun at the each team’s fans.

I did grab a pic of My Favorite Brave #10, Chipper Jones:

Too bad I didn’t have more zoom available.  Mr. Jones best side is his back….errr….side

Finally, in the top of the eighth inning, the Braves took the lead 7-5 and held on to the end.  Thank you, Troy Glaus, Braves 1st baseman and ….a former DBack.

DH and I rarely stay for the whole game.  In fact, I can’t remember the last time we did (though he swears we have previously).  We did last night….. and I have proof:

Got home about 10:30pm, watched Glee (great finale) and that was it for me