Somethin's burnin!

Quick, tell me what song my title is from and the singer/singers. Be the first and I will send you a little something! Leave your guess below in comments.

It has been hot hot hot here. Last week we got to 102 for a couple days and it's been the high 90s

the rest of the time. Come on Fall!!

I have a couple Christmas ornament finishes..

Merry Moose Wishes, found in the JCS 2012 Christmas ornament issue I'm 

pretty sure! I think it has been a WIP since 2012! Haha. I left off a few

things like a star button on the top of the tree and a stitched curlicue 

coming off the last S on Christmas. I love it! I wish I knew what fabric 

I stitched it on. It's a linen with an oatmeal-y color to it. 

My next finish is a recent WIP from last year..

Winter's Eve, also from a JCS ornament issue but I don't know which. I've tried

since yesterday to make this new post and surprise, the stars finally aligned

this morning to post. Gotta love technology! So I wasn't prepared. I don't know

what the fabric is but it's a pewter like color with variegation.

So I have once again joined the Haunted Harvest 2020 exchange and I have begun

stitching my main item. I have changed a few things on it but need to buy a wooden

box to mount it on but to also line up the stitching so it'll fit. So I'll take care

of that next weekend on a trip to Hob Lob. I'll show that next time I post.

Since Blogger is behaving, I'll show a few pictures of a Mother Daughter 

adventure my daughter and I took on July 4th.

You can see the red rocks of Sedona in the distance. We took a back road to Jerome, AZ.

It's a ghost town just over a mountain from me. This back road is dirt all the way.

I have most of my pictures on my phone and I'll transfer some over to my iPad and continue

the pics on another blog post. 

Just as we get into Jerome is this old mine. Either copper or gold. Below that with

the buildings is the Gold King Mine, a tourist stop of old buildings, lots of old mining 

equipment, a little gift shop, and demonstrations of woodworking and blacksmithing.

We've been here before but we just looked atound the gift shop. This time we paid the $7 each

to go in the back. Interesting place. It really was a mine and in the middle of the

whole place is the shaft which goes down over 1,000 feet. It is blocked off with 

warning signs though. That's the thing with Arizona with its rich history of mining. The

hills and mountains are dotted with abandoned mines. The state has gone around

and destroyed the openings of these mines but I think there are more to be found.

We wanted to have lunch in Jerome at the Haunted Hamburger, a burger joint so

named because when they were rehabbing the place, their too,s would go missing

and show up somewhere else. Their fried pickles are to die for!

That's it! I hope this new post has found you all healthy and doing well. I am fine.

Remember me telling you about a cousin who was hospitalized back in March 

with Covid 19? Poor girl spent 3 weeks in the hospital and she is still on 

supplementary air. She is the reason I wear a mask. Stores are all beginning

to require masks anyway.

Don't forget to take part in my quiz. Leave a working email if you would.

Take care and be safe!

Progress, ideas

Hi all! Hope you're all doing well! Outside of a bout with sciatica, I'm doing good. I couldn't stitch for awhile due to arm pain leftover from a June 5th weedwacking episode. I'm amazed that I still have pain from that. Anyway, I've been able to stitch every other day. I have some progress, and some  new start ideas. Let's go!

Frosty Forest by CCN. It's been warm here so I thought a wintery design would be delusional.

Here is how it looked before..

I would like to finish that one block this month and maybe do a block a month.

No finishes but I do have new start plans. Here they are..

The middle project is an old Ewe and I Christmas sampler and the subrosa design I

still need a few more flosses. But these are what I'd like to start soon.

I recently bought a few needle minders. You'll get a chuckle out of these!

 Haha!

That's it! Here's to all of us keeping safe and healthy. Arizona's infection 

numbers keep rising and it's getting worrisome. I keep doing my part with the mask

and hand sanitizer and washing hands.

Take care!

Post!

I just sat here thinking of a title for 15 minutes and Post! is all I could think of!

Hope you all are doing well! I have a new job that I started 3 days ago and I'm enjoying my 2nd day off. It's been a long time since I had two days off in a row! My greenhouse job was a 6 day a week slog! The greenhouse job ended June 4th. I sat home for 1 week and then found this new job. So I consider myself lucky!

Arizona has really opened up from the virus stay at home order. As a consequence, Arizona has now become a hotspot for virus infection. Not good. So we still have to practice social distancing, all the precautions to stay healthy.

Stitch-wise, I have a finish!

A Brittercup design from a JCS ornament issue. I'm not at home posting this so I don't know

which issue or the name of the design. It was a last year new start though. Lisa M at Black 

flies and Snow flies blog was

stitching a Brittercup design too so I stopped stitching on the Tombstone design and picked

this WIP up. I blame it all on her! Haha. On a mystery linen with DMC substituted yellow

and red and over dyed floss for the blue, green, and black stitching. I have really been 

admiring Brittercup patterns lately and might do up all their kitty Christmas designs.

After I was finished with the above, I pulled out this Halloween freebie WIP..

by the Primitive Hare called The Kitchen Witch's Lab. It's on saltmarsh green linen with 310
black and a Valdani over dyed floss. I have started to take an interest in my stitching which is good
news! Means I'm getting back to normal somewhat. I could've waited until July 1 to file for unemployment but I need to work now! So that alone has helped in getting me back on track.

We had a family tragedy a couple weeks ago. A cousin's son was boating up at Lake Powell. It's a huge dam created lake straddling the Utah/Arizona border. He dove into the water and never came back up. His parents spent 4 days in terror wondering what happened. Authorities found his body 4 days later. So it's been a couple weeks of emotions with services completed last Saturday. So June has been a not so good month with me being laid off and the death of Dustin. I'm looking for the rest of this month to go smoothly.

That's it folks. Oh I wanted to comment on a few comments left on the last post. Catherine/diamondc, I cannot imagine working 12-13 hours in a day. Eight hours were quite enough for me! Carol..you are such a sweetheart and I had to laugh at your story of breaking your toe and breaking your water! That's quite a memory! Sue said her great aunt and uncle lived not too far from me in Wickenburg. It's an hour and half drive from me I think. It's a great western kind of town not too far from Phoenix but far enough to escape everything bad about a city. Thanks to you all for commenting which I read every time.

Take care everyone and stitch and stitch! Please stay healthy and safe. See you next time!

Stuffing

Howdy from a very blustery, warm central Arizona! Yes, this is me, from the Lost and Found Department! I hope you're all healthy and happy. Just where have I been?

To tell the truth, I think Covid-19, and working 6, 7 days a week has knocked the stuffing out of me. I don't have corona and my family and friends are safe as well. I think it's all the working and stress of not becoming infected, not to mention a gnarly case of insomnia, that has done me in. I work at a large greenhouse 30 minutes away that was deemed essential as food crops such as tomatoes, herbs, chilies, onions, squashes, etc. are being processed in addition to planting and maintaining annual flowers. I start work at 5:30 am and wake up at 3:15 am to get ready, 6 or sometimes 7 days a week. I am tired! Tired of waking up that early but it gets so hot in there so that's why the early hours. I take Advil PM or Tylenol PM to help with sleep because my mind doesn't stop at night. Very frustrating. I need to get myself off the PM medication and find Melatonin or another way before getting actual sleeping pills. I'm trying to stay away from those. All this has affected my stitching. This job ends soon as it's seasonal so there's the stress of looking for another job or if we qualify for unemployment benefits.

So let's talk stitching! This past week I finally stitched some on Tombstone Angel by Carriage House Samplings. Here's the before picture..

and here's my progress..

Not an amazing amount of progress by any means but at least I'm stitching!

After I finish stitching in color on that right medallion?, it's onto the angel. 

I have the outline of her face now. I have basically become a monogamous

stitcher! Never thought it would happen!

I have been stashing a little too. The Shepherds Bush kit on the left is something 

I have pined for for a while. A whole kit with silks, and 32ct fabric.

I'll have to be careful stitching because there are no full skeins of silks, just strands of silks.

Good Company on the right is also an ocean/sea theme. When will I start these? When I return to

normal. No telling when that'll happen!

Does anyone else use Bloglovin'? I've been getting about 2 or 3 followers a week. I hope most

of them are legit and not scammers. I apologize to anyone who is following and is a stitcher.

Thanks for hanging with me! I will just keep plugging away on Tombstone Angel when

the spirit strikes. By the way, because off the hours I'm working, my broke pinkie toe 

has lost the bruising but is still swollen a bit and is not looking real good. I ice it and

wrap it good before work but yeah. I'm looking forward to when I can really put my foot

up and let it heal!

Take care and stay safe and healthy!

Helloooooo, anyone there?! Haha

Let me gather my thoughts......got it. I'm doing this post on the fly because I finally have time! After working for 11 straight days, I go and break my pinky toe! Yup. Yesterday morning, after waking up at 3 am to get to work at 5 am, I turn on the floor lamp next to the couch of which a filled-to-the-brim expandable file sits in front. I turn around and boom, kick the file by accident. It didn't hurt immediately. I've stubbed my toes before so no problem, I thought. After getting home after 9 hours of working and limping throughout, I get home, take off my sock and my toe is swelled up and black and blue! I'm home today because of it but I think I needed a break. No trip to the doc because he'll just tell me take ibuprofen or something, ice and rest. I'll wrap that sucker up in the morning tomorrow and try to get through the work day.

Hope you're all remaining healthy. We are. A little update on my two cousins: the one cousin was finally released from the hospital last week after 3 weeks in. Turns out she had pneumonia, not Covid 19. Whew! She remains on oxygen. She's really lucky. The Covid 19 tests came back as negative. The other cousin has now recovered.

I have not stitched in nearly two weeks. I'm just not feeling it. I was watching flosstube, my favorites are Nicole's Needlework, Brenda and the Serial Starter, and Saltbox Stitcher, among others. I did get inspired to put in a few stitches in These Is My Words by LHN. No picture though, I will next time. I do have a finish though, yay!

Dear House by La D Da, in all its GAST Midnight and Toffee glory. That last 1/3 seemed to take forever. Love it!

With all these hours I'm working, I thought I would splurge! These 4 charts I just received yesterday and I can't wait to start them all..

If I never buy another chart again, I would be complete! So glad the ladies with

BBD decided to reprint. I first started this blog when the 3 Loose Feathers

were out and about. I don't know why I didn't buy them then. The bottom booklet

is what I pined for. I would see it for sale on eBay and on the FB sale sites but didn't

want to pay the prices. 

The next items I bought from Stash Unload, Needlecraft Corner, and 123..

All from Needlecraft Corner. I ordered the PSS with the fab and floss, and on a whim, 

asked Drema if she had any Vt Examplar linen by lakeside and she did! That's it on the

left. 

From 123, I snagged the PTP Legacy, a nice big piece too.

The chart is from Stash Unload.

I need to hold off on any stash buying from here on out. I was horrified to learn that

Gentle Arts had to close. Man, this virus has done some damage to lives and livelihoods.

I look forward to things getting better.

Maynia has started also but I'm not taking part this year. Since I'm laid up, I'll

stitch more on These Is My Words today.

I apologize for disappearing. Summer hit around here with temps in the high 80s

and it is draining. I've had more Bloglovin' followers join lately too so I

thought I better do a post sometime!

I hope you're all doing well and holding up. I've spotted toilet paper and more

food on the grocery shelves. We all continue to wash the hands and use sanitizer.

Take care!

Good news! And not so good.

Hello everyone! Hope this new post finds you all healthy!

Yes, good news! My daughters Coronavirus test came back negative!! I don't mind telling you those 4 days of waiting were nerve wracking, for her, her significant other, and me. It took four days for testing. Bad news, I now have a cousin who is waiting for her results but she is pretty sick. Full body aches, hacking coughs. A difference of 50 miles separates the two hospitals where my daughter and cousin went for testing. My cousin has to wait another week to hear back! I don't get that! Another cousin has the full-blown Coronavirus and she is in quarantine right now. It's touching too close to home.

On a happy note, I received my exchange package! Here it is..

The candy is completely gone, of course! I love the box with the LK spring design

mounted on it. The Pineberry Lane design, can't wait to stitch that up. Check out the

socks though! Do Not Ask About The Stash, haha! Love them and they're very comfy. 

I wear them to bed. Love my package Tammy!

I didn't stitch at all for the entire week but last night I put in more stitches on Dear House.

I have just the last third to stitch. I think if I stitch for the next week, I'll have it done.

Challenge accepted! It felt good to stitch after the last week of the good news and

then hearing about my cousins. Worried about the one waiting on results, she

has diabetes and asthma.

On Stitch Maynia, you see lots of posts of stitchers losing the stitching bug. We've 

all been knocked out of sorts with this virus. I am still working, thank God! And

practicing social distancing. I did my grocery shopping this morning for the week.

I was a buy-food-every-two-days kinda gal but now buy for the entire week. Keeps

me out of the stores.

That's it! Thanks for stopping by. I tried to post sooner during last week but 

couldn't get it together! Thanks for your words of support. I appreciate you all.

Take care and stay safe:)

Post!

Hello everyone! Hope you are all healthy and doing well! It's amazing that I've been able to still post every Sunday. Next Sunday I might not. I am expecting my exchange goodies so if I get the package next week, I will certainly do a post. Friday was the day to ship our exchange packages to our partners. I am 2 days late! Mine will go out tomorrow. Yesterday, I went to Hob Lob and found a few more trims, a trinket, and a nice display easel for the exchange. Here is the Hare Sampler, all done up and sitting in its easel..

So pretty, I'm going to have to stitch me up one! Carol, I used your cording as trim. The easel is the perfect size and doesn't overpower the design. I saw metal and other wood easels but this one

I thought would be the one. Here is the back..

The lovely French General fabric for the backing. I was going to sew up a pincushion

but decided not to. I signed up for this exchange in January and it's time to get

the whole kit and kaboodle into the mail! I've been so distracted lately and suffering from 

insomnia that I need to just make life easier for myself. There have been other

exchanges in FB groups that I'm in but I think I'll give myself a break.

Sandra, I'm so sorry I gave you the wrong info on the date of the PN&PS issue. It

is the Spring 2019 issue that Hare Sampler comes from. I hope you found some other

patterns to stitch in the Summer issue that you bought. I need to be mindful of any

info I post here.

Speaking of kit and kaboodle, here's the whole exchange that will be headed 

out to North Carolina on Monday..

I finally remembered to take pictures! My partner likes LHN, 36-40ct fabrics, 

WDW/GAST floss, trims, and most important..Jelly Bellys!

I don't have any stitching to show, lol! Haven't been feeling it but today I will

get back to work on Dear House. Jo had a good idea to stitch the text on a 

blue fabric so you're not spending half your lifetime stitching in the blue!

As for the elephant in the room, the county I live in now has 12 cases of

Covid-19. To amp up the worrying, my daughter, who is a 

non-medical caregiver, went to a large nursing home to check on

7 clients. They're now taking the temperature of every single 

caregiver that walks in the door. My daughter had a normal temp but the

2nd one came up as 100 degrees. So they panicked and told her

to go to the hospital for a test! She texted me saying she was there and

won't know the results until tomorrow or Tuesday! She feels fine she says.

And I am not feeling well. I know what the symptoms are for corona. I 

do have a cough but it's one I've had since the 2nd week of February,

when corona was still in China. It still scares me though. Other 50+ year

olds are dying because they have underlying medical issues. I also

felt a bit hot but it might be stress. I have to add that it's been pretty

windy here the last couple of days, the beginning of our windy season maybe.

I always get a stuffed head and sneezing a lot when this happens.

So I'll keep an eye on how I'm feeling. If anyone prays, would you include us, heck,

the entire world, in your prayers? 

Take care, you all. It's a good thing we stitch. We can bury our heads in our stash

or on our latest project. 

See you next time!