Annette's Acre

A spooky evening to all!  

First the results of my Friday stitching.  I’ll be putting in a few more stitches this Friday with the next Let’s Stitch Stitchathon.  At a minimum I can fill in that white hole (at the bottom of the checkered sash) with Wisper…

Today, I signed up for Twitter.  I saw a mention on Melissa’s blog and well, why not?  I can update from my Blackberry, so I’ve got a decent chance of adding “tweets” now and then.

But we all know… best laid plans and all that….

And in the “About Time” category, I rented the first two discs of Season One of Battlestar Galactica this week.  When K went to get Disc 3 (why would they end the second disc with a “To Be Continued” episode?!?!), it was not available    What was I to do?  Well, buy Season One at Wal-Mart, of course.  (It was actually cheaper than Amazon…surprisingly).

So, I’ll be slowly working my way thru BG over the next few weeks.  Unlike Firefly, at least I found it while new episodes are still forthcoming.  Even if it is just a handful.

In my defense, I *adored* the original series.  I simply could not get over the whole “Starbuck is a girl” obstacle with the new series when it first started.  I know so many folks that rave about it, so I figured it was worth another look.

This week, I’m planning to participate in my first Stitchathon (SAT) on Becky’s Let’s Stitch Blog.

Here’s the “before” picture of Mirabilia’s Autumn Queen:

I will state right here and now, I want her done by the end of the year.  The four queens from Mirabilia are on a *very* short list of items DH has asked me to stitch for the house.  I need to get going so I can start #3 (Summer [in lilac]) in January.

I’ve been reading quite a bit lately, so this older entry from Booking Thru Thursday seems appropriate today:

What was the last book you bought?

Breaking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer.  Gotta see how it ends!  (Ok, I’m pretty sure I know how it ends, but nothing in these stories are straight-forward)

Name a book you have read MORE than once

Daughter of the Blood – Anne Bishop.  In fact, the whole series I’ve read about three times.

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?

Love – Leo Buscagli.  I remember reading this book in high school 20+ <cough> years ago and having it totally change how I interacted with people.  To this day I receive comments from friends and co-workers on my constant positive attitude, an everyday smile and ability to “calm” meetings when they get heated.  These skills may not be directly related to this book, but I know that’s where it started.

How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews

Cover, not so much.  Summary and Recommendations are important

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?

Fiction!

What’s more important in a novel – beautiful writing or a gripping plot?

Plot.  Beautiful writing is nice, but a good gripping plot will let me forgive a *lot* on the style and quality of writing.

Most loved/memorable character (character/book)

Daemon Sadi/Black Jewels Trilogy

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?

Breaking Dawn, Night Pleasures, The Fire (on my Kindle)

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?

Last Finished: Shakespeare’s Champion – Charlaine Harris (Kindle)

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?

Spellbinder – Melanie Rawn.  I could not get more than halfway thru.  I just didn’t care.

My new Boos.  The one on the left is for K.  The one on the right (love the red fangs!) is off to a new home today. He’s got some sparkle, though you can’t tell from the picture.

Hanging out in the kitchen last night.  (See the button?!?  Another winner )

Also finished Kathy’s WNRR Square.  She requested a snowman so I combined elements from LHN Snowflakes and Winter Wonderland.

For the next square, I had a small panic when I read that the requested style was “By the Bay Needleart” or “Prairie Schooler.”  These are not designers I have copious amounts of in my stash (in fact, I have no By the Bay, I’m sure).  I worried.  I did some online searching and while looking at the PS charts I thought one looked very cool.  Christmas Day.  I looked a little closer…..it looks rather familiar.  I wonder….

Sure enough, I had bought it in Louisville!  I’ll just kit it and maybe after finishing the RR, I’ll keep going and start it for me

In the fine tradition of “When it rains, it pours” I found a crack in my windshield yesterday.

My car is so new, that there is *no* replacement available in the US.  It’ll be 2-4 weeks.  On the up side, I *should* be able to return to riding the van for the next couple weeks so I won’t risk a long commute and make it worse.

On a positive note, I received a gorgeous mattress pincushion exchange yesterday (I always forget I’m getting something back when I send….)

I also ran across this yesterday on Melissa’s blog…and fell deeply in love:

New Mirabilia – Bluebeard’s Princess.  I ordered chart and Waterlillies (4) from Drema.  I’m thinking I have another DaVinci mermaid here   We’ll see what the floss toss shows.

And then while I was poking around Needlecraft Corner, I saw that this is now shipping:

I signed up for automatic weeks ago.  I cannot express the pure joy this brings to my heart.  It has a palm tree *and* a saguaro cactus!!!

Must. Stitch. Faster.!!!

(Thanks for the suggestions for Mom’s perle.  Lindsay, I’ll email ya)

Mom is searching for Needle Necessities perle: 879 (#8 in April Showers, I believe).  She won a small kit in Louisville and it only included two short strands.  I did find the Threadworx alternate and she is pursuing that option.

I’ve tried my ONS (Needlecraft Corner) and two LNS with no luck.

My daughter, Kylie, is begging me for Smarties (the Canadian version).  Now that the weather is cooler, I promised I would see if I could find a source.   Anyone up for trade?

Coming soon…..  exchange received!  (Love it, Carol!), RR Square almost done and yet another Booooo….

8:30 am -  IM from DH “Did Kylie call you?  Her car wouldn’t start.  She’s taking her bike to school today”

1:30 pm – Call from Kylie:  Mom!  There’s water everywhere!  Your toilet tank (the top part) cracked and it’s leaking all over!”  Told her where to turn off water and to put towels down to start soaking up water.  It took a dozen to cover most of the affected area.  I left work within 30 minutes to start the cleanup.

Why a thank you to Fate?  If her car had started, she’d have gone straight from school to work and the leak would have had over four more hours to soak the house.

After helping to soak up water (while I made plumber and carpet cleaner calls) DH went out to look at her car.  It started immediately.  No trouble at all……

Warning:  Long post with lots of pictures

I had a great time at Celebration of Needlework in Louisville Thursday thru Saturday.  I spent quality time with several ladies I consider my friends (so what if most of us hadn’t met in person until this weekend), I spent money, I laughed so hard I cried (more than once) and had decent mexican food in a bar with stripper poles (thankfully, no strippers were in attendance).

But before we go there…..Exchange pictures

I came home to find my Halloween Exchange package all the way from Holland!  Love the fabric (in the bottom right) and the framed piece will do nicely in my cube at work.

Also saw that my Mattress Pincushion exchange had been received.  Here’s what I sent:

Design was found on Blackwork Archives (filling stitches).  I put names/dates on the long sides and motifs on the short sides (but of course, took no additional pictures).

Louisville

Flight left at 8:30 on Thursday morning.   It was nonstop Phoenix to Louisville on Southwest – about 4 hours.  When Mom and I travel, we usually bring along a cribbage board and play cards on the plane.  The flight was full so we did have a third person in our row, Pat.  (Easy to remember given Mom’s name is Pat…. ).  He was coming from a nursing conference in Phoenix and heading to another one in Louisville (in the same hotel as Celebrations).  And the best thing?  He played cribbage

Pat gave us a ride to the hotel (he lived in KY and had parked his car at the airport) and we checked in to our room.  View was less than spectacular….

Next stop was the registration desk to check in and look at the class models.  I looked with longing at the Nantucket Petticoat Row model and gave it *serious* consideration throughout the day (class was Friday at 8am).  We headed in to the vendor area and started walking the four short rows of booths.  First purchase was Just Nan’s Scream House at Silver Needle booth (ok, along with a couple other items…pictures will follow) and I had the opportunity to chat with Nan who was very nice.  I told her about my Halloween Exchange piece and showed her pictures that were still on my camera.  Our next stop was Jo’s booth and I was very pleasantly surprised to find Laura from Enchanting Lair in the booth as well!  Lots of hugs and chats as we all caught up and looked at all the great models Jo and Laura decorate their booth with.

We finished off the booths and then started back to the room to drop off purchases and figure out what we were going to do for dinner (having only managed a few crackers on the plane).  In the lobby area we found Missy Ann, who was waiting on Melissa and Cheryl to head out to dinner.  Voila… dinner plans done!

Dinner was at a restaurant just a couple blocks away in a nice downtown area blocked off to traffic with several restaurants (including Hard Rock Cafe and TGI Fridays).  We chose a place called Sully’s that was not crowded (there were maybe two tables with people at them) as Melissa, Cheryl and Missy Ann were signed up for the Round Robin class that evening at 7 (it was 5:45ish).   The best thing I can say about the place – the food was ok.  Service was *awful* and Melissa, Cheryl and Missy Ann had to walk fast when we finally got out of the restaurant to get back for their class.  Mom and I had a more leisurely walk back and settled in to the Stitchers’ Lounge to wait for class to be over.  What I learned that night – sign up for the Round Robin events!  Several great small kits were handed out.

As we stayed late stitching and socializing, I decided against the 8am class and chose sleeping later and room service breakfast.  Friday morning we left the hotel about 10:30 to visit the nearby Louisville Visitor’s Center and pick up tshirts (Mom) and the requisite refrigerator magnet (me).  The shopping mart was calling us back and I managed to add a few more things to my stash while finding time to visit more with Jo and Laura.  Susan and Holly arrived mid-afternoon which required one more round in the shopping area before dinner.

Our plan for Friday night was meeting just before 5pm to find dinner as we all had signed up for the 7pm Special Event with Susan Greening-Davis.  Melissa had spotted a mexican restaurant and that was our destination.  It was an interesting place – more of a bar (complete with the Breathalyzer on the end of the bar) with the aforementioned stripper poles in the center of a few booths.  The food was pretty good (chicken flautas for me) and inexpensive.  The Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling) decor was something to see……

We made it back in plenty of time for the Special Evening Event and took over most of a table (7 of the 10 seats).  The event included a Silent Auction (Fundraiser for Breast Cancer), a few games of Stitcher’s Bingo, a small kit from Susan Greening Davis and plenty of dessert – chocolate covered strawberries, Haagen-Dazs ice cream, cheesecake, chocolate petit fours…..oh my.

There was some creativity and competition on display with the Stitcher’s Bingo bits:

Melissa won with a 13 macaroni tower

Mom went for a more sturdy construction

This is the basket that I won:

It’s filled with fabric (mostly aida), charts (kept a few, left a few in the lounge for others), floss (better seen in picture below) and a completed Lizzie Kate design (framed).  The basket went home with Cheryl as I didn’t care to fight it on the plane!

All told, here is the take from the event (Bingo prizes and favors):

What I brought home from the basket (the tin is just jammed with DMC and Anchor floss):

After the Event, we converged again in the Lounge (with a few other stitchers from the show) and did what stitchers do at these things – stitch and talk.  Missy Ann and I shut the door late (we were the last two remaining) and I got a few hours sleep.  We all met for breakfast the next morning downstairs and one by one we headed back home throughout the day.

I had a great time and really enjoyed getting to know everyone a little better.  I love having a face and voice to go with blog and board posts.

Here’s the final shot of the stash I brought home:

Two Make-It, Take-It kits:

Mom added a couple charts to my stash:

And what I bought myself:

(That’s two Opps packs of floss from Jo up there…)

Meet my Boo Bat. I call him Bloo.

(Click for a larger pic)

I spotted this pattern on a blog this week and I couldn’t help but make him up. He was just an afternoon worth of knitting and an overnight blocking for his wings.

Shhh…Bloo is sleeping:

I *knew* I’d find a good use for that button!

Both kids have requested their own…. Gold/Black and Blue/Black combinations

Where has the time flown?  Five years of chattering about…stuff.  Wow.

I will leave you with a newly framed pieces I picked up today:

Heirloom Christmas Sampler by Victoria Sampler.

(Click for larger picture)

Mostly stitched by the lovely Glenda.  The tree killed me.

Dinky Dye’s Shiraz Sampler

Close up of frame here.  Mostly stitched by the ladies of the last UFO Round Robin (You know who you are).

Finally, Mother’s Day Sampler

(Click for larger pic)

Sadly, these will be the last pieces framed by the gentlemen at Art Crate.  They are closing their doors on October 25th.  They have been wonderful to me and done a fantastic job on every piece that I have taken to them (needlework and other items).  Ironically, Lloyd was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer a few weeks ago, so his retirement time will be even more precious (this was *after* they had announced their closure).   Tom will be relocating to Minnesota to catch up on his fishing, painting (he’s done some beautiful oil paintings) and supporting various wildlife conservation funds.