Doing the Snoopy Dance!

"Fruit of the Spirit"

by Plum Street Samplers,

altered with my own graphics

on 28 ct. Jobelan "Bone"

w/ various flosses

Chickie says "Yay! Let's have a hamburgler!"

Worst Horse Mom EVER

I didn't post pix last night because Axe had an accident last night, in her stall, before I rode. She was on the chain tie, and spooked at something that caused her to throw her head up & back. Because she was restrained, she frightened herself, and fought to pull back harder, until she broke her halter, and fell back against the side of her stall, then down to her knees. She couldn't get her footing- her feet kept sliding out from under her, which made her panic more. I keep wincing still remembering how many times she tried to get up then splayed back down, until she was lying across the threshold of her in-and-out door. She caught her breath, then stumbled up & out, falling yet again. Finally, she was up trembling, with nicks and gashes all around. Lynne & Jody helped me by hosing her down, cleaning everything well. She started eating some grass finally, and walked out Ok, and put weight on all 4 legs.

I went back up after work, and repeated the hose down and betadine wash. She has a couple of bruises too on her belly. I iced one for a while. The other had a scrape across it, so I didn't want to make it wet after I sprayed it with antibiotic. I felt SO helpless watching her thrash in a panic- I was afraid to step forward & grab her halter in case I got kicked. I ordered a break-away tie for her stall- if she pulls too hard, it separates the velcro, and she's free.

She's been very good and calm at the new barn, but she's not used to some of the noises and startles when she can't see the source. Emily noticed it last week.

*DEEP SIGH*

Here's FOS progress:

Getting close!

Here's my June ornament:

That's DMC 4210 floss. 40 ct. linen "Lentil", stitched over 2.

Fruit of the Spirit progress:

Nice to see everything is spelled correctly at this point. Way to go.

Photos!

Here's progress on FOS:

And Snowflakes:

And stash:

Each design gets more "Do this first!"

That's a cut of LSL "Lentil" for the Quaker Christmas Smalls.

 

 

 

Petunias (still alive???!!!)

Don't Fall off Your Chair

Posts 2 days in a row!

I'm waiting for the chimney sweeps to finish up; Axe gets moved after lunch.

Here's Fruit of the Spirit:

I took it off the Q-snaps so it's wrinkly. I still have to infill around the critters with green.

 

 

 

 

I have to finish that ornament I started- today's the last day of the month.

I scored 23 skeins of silk off Ebay. With shipping it came to about $70, but I figured with the price increases coming, it wasn't too bad. It wasn't more than I wanted to pay and the colors are pretty is all I'm saying.

Here's my third lilac bush:           

It's a miniature variety and I think it smells the best.

It's been overrun with wild roses (that's what I call 'em because they make rose hips pods in the fall):

 

I suppose I could cut those back.

 

 

 

 

Chicken thought since I had the camera out I could bless you with her highness: 

She's parked in front of my kitchen door where the floor is scuffed the most. Thank you, Chickie.

She didn't know who to bark at: the guy in the living room at the wood stove or the guy outside up at the chimney. She's so confused.

On the Road...

I finished the over 2 grass on FOS and just have to infill around all my critters with over one. I'm estimating it took two full skeins of green floss- I wish the designer had pointed that out before I collected all my supplies.

Tomorrow is the big move- Axe is going to another farm. And it can't happen too soon. Too long of (yet another) saga to write now (I'm at work- and guess who's not doing too much work just yet?)

My last lilac bush has blossomed as well. I will try to get some pictures this afternoon to post.

Hey and I won two lots of silk floss on EBay- SCORE!

2nd Post of the Day!

Progress on Creepy Kids (FOS):

  I started the lower text box and have been trying to fill in all that grass.

 

 

 

 

Next is a new start:                                                                                      

This is "Quiet Night " by Erica Michaels from the JCS 2007 Ornament issue. I'm using a leftover piece of 28ct Jobelan "Thyme" with DMC floss, except for the tress which are WDW "Juniper"

Freebie Chickie shot:

Sitting on my lap at the computer, but not at the moment, so there' s no good esplanation for my bad typing skills.

 

 

 

Lilacs & Flora :

                                                                                          The back yard lilac is paler and has (to my nose) a prettier scent than the darker, front yard blooms.

Here's my dogwood (?)  & proof that I haven't killed off my Mother's Day plant:

                 

Winding Down

Emily came home for a couple of nights. She rode her horse, so that saved some of my energy, but I went with her because I was supposed to make grain, so we were still home kind of late for me to stitch. Plus, Bob never picked up grain, so I still have to set aside yet another hour tonight to do that.

She says Axe feels great, but looks a little chubby (don't we all?). So I will have to start increasing my riding time. She & I can both use the exercise!

I took some photos of the lilac bushes in my yard, and progressed on FOS, as well as started this month's ornament, but somehow we ended up at home and I didn't have supper cooked until just after 8:00- when I said "EEEK!! American Idol finals are on!!"

I will try to find time tonight to upload some photos. After I ride. After the indoor opens up (owner's kids have it to themselves for their lessons). After I make grain.

Thank the gods for a 3 day weekend!

TTFN

Alright already!

Here's progress on both FOS (aka Creepy Kids) and Snowflakes: 

 

I'm getting close enough to smell the end of FOS- I'm at the point of really wanting this one to be done so I can get to something else.

Emily is licensed now to drive carriages in Boston; she was on her own today for the first time with a horse named Jody.

And Big Brown won the Preakness yesterday; now it's on to the Belmont in 3 weeks. A grueling mile and a half, a true test of a champion. My fave- Secretariat still holds the record- 2:24 and he won by a (another) record of 31 lengths. Hey- I just found this site- who knew? http://www.secretariat.com/

Off to maybe stitch!

Calgon Take me Away!

I DO have progress on Snowflakes (a wee bit) and FOS, but haven't had time nor energy to break out the camera for pix. I will try to do so tomorrow.
I picked Bob up today, and also what I hope are the last two bales of hay for Axe. Why the last two? Well, I'm moving her to another barn! YAY! my #1 choice still has no open stalls, but Ernie my farrier recommended this other private barn. They have an indoor- smaller than HBF, but still good size, an outdoor, only 7 horses (including the Axe) so it's very manageable- like being able to turn the horses out mid-morning if the weather improves, unlike HBF, where Axe stayed in all day today, even though it had turned glorious by 11:00 am. Plus- GRASS paddocks!!!!! She's going to be so excited! I had to order a grazing muzzle today, though, to control how much she eats at first. Emily knows about the move & seems to like the place. I took her there last week when she came home with the rest of her stuff & to ride. The decision to leave HBF was confirmed in her mind as Bob the barn manager described how quickly things are turning bad up there. I won't go onto any of it- suffice it to say it's turning into a very timely, very wise decision to leave while the getting is good.
So I cooked a couple of chickens in the rotisserie oven (yes, I have a "Set it and Forget it") and they were scrumptious (well, we only finished 3/4 of one- they were about 3.8 lbs each) but why in all that's good in the world does a chicken dinner have to require every pot, pan & serving dish in the house???? I have to say, that the only reason i can take doing all the dishes is that the chickens come out SO good!
I will try to post pictures tomorrow. Of stitching, not chicken.

Stash Alert!

Look at this behemoth:

It's 400 w x 320 h stitches! That would kind of qualify as an heirloom, don'tcha think??!!

Well, it's mine- all mine! I'll get started on it as soon as I finish "Whistlejacket".

RIIIIIIIGHT.

Finally some visible progress on the grass for FOS (aka Creepy Kids):

Minor catastrophe averted: the green is "Avacado" by Gentle Arts. I knew I'd be needing more as of last week when I started the grass, and looked on Deb's racks tonight. Well, the dye lot has changed to a totally different color. Pissa. I pulled 5 or 6 similarly hued skeins, from Weeks, GA and Crescent Colors, and found a 97% close CC. I'm tweeding a strand of the old floss with the new; I don't think it's too noticeable.

No Snowflakes progress. :^(

FYI: if you've ever tried those dried off the shelf tortellinis, the Barilla brand is way better than the Ronzoni brand. But my Corona is helping with that problem.

LOST tonight, not that I can stay awake that long.

A Woman's Work...

Yeah, I know- bad blogger me. I think they've put me on administrative probation.

So I'm trying to ride 5 nights a week, which takes about 2 hours of time, and I hate to eat before (old habit from high school track meet days), so I get home around 8:30-9:00 and then have supper. Plus now I have to spend a couple of evening hours a week lawn mowing; it's not leaving me much energy for even wanting to turn on the computer.

Last night I went up to just walk Axe because  Emily had come to ride her Sunday (and it still took me 2 hours because I had to make up grain), and she had absolutely NO water- NONE! Her buckets had been emptied but never re-filled. I filled one & hung it up and went to fill the second, and by the time I got back to her stall, she had already drunk down almost the whole bucket- at least 2 gallons! This wouldn't be so bad if she drank water in the paddock, but from the way I always have to refill one bucket every night, I'm guessing she doesn't drink much outside. I was so pissed off, when I stopped to get my lottery ticket, I bought a 12 pack of this: It being Cinco de Mayo & all.

Here's my minute progress on both WIPS:

 

 

Just a little fence on Snowflakes & down the hill with snow; and started the grass and added a kitty middle bottom on FOS.

My crab apple is blossoming:

Off to ride.

I Suppose...

I should post a stitch-y photo, seeing as this is supposed to be a stitch-related blog.

Here's progress from FOS:

I added the flowers under the right side house, and a kitty to the left of middle. I think one more kitty should do it, and then I have to infill all the grass, and dp the text at the bottom.

I made a New York Crumb cake, recipe from Cook's Illustrated for S &B tonight. I'm too lazy to post the recipe (that would involve typing) and I believe one must "sign-up" to view content at America's Test Kitchen . If anyone wants me to post it, feel free to comment. I substituted sour cream for the buttermilk to no ill effects.

My wacky plan to go up to the barn early to avoid people actually worked- like buttah! I was done by the time AssFace boy got there, AND I was home before 6:30! Score! Axe was good. Definitely feeling better.

Speaking of score: I won a door prize from the Online Needlework Show! From Stikideen von der Wiehenburg. I get to pick any chart which they'll send after the show. I chose "Vierlanden Sampler Ancke" . Well will you look at all those link-y thing-ys!

More Critters....

I've started adding wee beasties to my Creepy Kids (then it won't be "creepy Kids" anymore):

A squirrel on the right & left; the one on the left being chased by a dog. In the middle are 2 robins. I'm thinking a couple of cats and bunnies, maybe more birds.

 

Here's some more Snowflakes:

Stitch & Bitch was good tonight, although my dirty little secret - that I have a blog- got out. I didn't give the URL, but did say they could find it if they searched.

I gave Axe a walk around the ring on a lead rope tonight. Emily rode her last night & thought she felt great. Having her get outside every day really does seem to make the difference.

Picture This...

Here is progress on FOS (aka Creepy Kids):

I finished all of the top portion; I started sketching new critters to put in the lawns below the houses.

 

 

 

Here's Snowflakes:

It's coming along nicely. It stitches pretty quickly, I've just not devoted enough time to it.

Yummy snack:

There's a Sunday Flea Market in Raynham, and a vendor makes this stuff.

BACK AWAY FROM THE POPCORN!!! BACK VERY FAR AWAY!!!

Progress and I finished something....

Here's progress on FOS. I started the lettering:

It doesn't seem like I did a lot, but I finished this first:

Just Nan's Christmas Biscornu, Side B

32 ct Jobelan "Lambswool" with recommended fibers.

Ree, The Pioneer Woman, has created an all new website with all of her various sites available in one place. PLease check it out! I hope that link-y thing works- Anna at Stitch Bitch told me how to create them (Thanks Anna!)

Off to ride the horse. Emily rode yesterday afternoon, outside for the first time, and got bucked off. Landed on her head, thank god for expensive helmets. SHe was out briefly and has symptoms of a mild concussion, but she was spending the evening with her BF, so she didn't "want to waste time at an ER". He brought her back to school today and she asked me to look up the hours of the college health clinic (again, why waste her time?), so maybe she'll get herself checked out. Her vision was doubled , but back to normal by 10 pm. This morning she woke up very stiff and sore. People tell me that the worry never stops. I guess it's time to give up my fairy tale otherwise.

Short & Sweet

FOS:

Snowflakes:


Now LOST!

So Look....

the other ladies at S &B do a lot of reading, and have all read Janet Evanovich. Joanne had brought #1-9 in & was about to bring them home, so I grabbed #1-3. I've just started #2, but, and this is the reason I've been declining borrowing books, if I'm reading, I can't stitch. All the other ladies don't work, and Deb stitches or reads in the store all day. I don't have time to read!!! I did most of the Harry Potter in bed at night, staying up way too late in the process.
Anyhoo- here's what happened last week on Creepy Kids: An Overall view:

And a closer view of the house on the right:

I love the purple silk for the berries- it's TGS "The Lavenders". (I think.) Those 2 berries are from one contiguous strand. Isn't the variation awesome??
Then I went temporarily insane and started this today at work:

It's LHN "Snowflakes". I'm substituting various WDW & CC's for the DMC, except the cardinal later on. It's on the recommended 32 ct. "Natural" linen.
Sorry to be absent this past week with stitch-y posts.
I've been riding the horse again since Emily went back. She (the horse) definitely gets too stiff in her joints when she doesn't get out to the paddock, so in all this crappy weather it's doubly important to get up there & give her a ride to loosen her up.

Well...

it wasn't any worse than I thought it'd be, but it wasn't any better either. It was very tiring. The thing I've been loving most about not working at the barn is that I can enjoy my whole weekend: I'm not so exhausted by 4:00 pm that I can't do anything else but flip channels on the remote and sleep on the couch. (And be extra crabby by Monday morning!) All that came crashing back to me Saturday afternoon around 3:00, after I returned from my "other" side job, 40 miles round-trip in the monsoon rain storm we had here in New England. I really needed to get Axe more hay but I was too exhausted to drive to the other side of Middleboro and back (30 miles more round-trip), all the while hoping I wouldn't get caught on the wrong side of a flooded road.
I did make it back up to the barn at night and walked her around the indoor for 15 minutes and gave her her hay. The plan for Sunday was : Bob & Hayley were going to get started at 5:00 am, and I was going to show up at 6 and clean up behind them doing stalls. Then we'd be done with all the chores between 7 and 7:30, just as trailers started coming in for the show.
SNORT! I drive up at ten to six, and it's dark. "Well, OK, maybe the lights are on inside- Bob (who lives on the property) will already be at work".
I open the door to quiet darkness, and some of the horses nicker (Axe did- she always says hello to the waitresses). So I go back out to my car & call Bob, who doesn't answer. So I go in & get started. Like I said: it wasn't any worse than I expected!
Bob comes in around 6:15- he had remembered to change his clock, but forgot to turn his alarm on. Hayley- she shows up at 7:20- who knows why. I left around 8:20, finally done. The caterers started setting up in the aisle right in front of the stall where we keep hay & shavings, so we had to work around them, and try to pull a 75 foot hose up and down the aisle with riders getting their numbers and being meandering tourists. Anyway: I survived, and Bob has someone lined up to try the shift out next weekend.
Here's some stitching from Thursday & Friday last week:
Creepy Kids:

Christmas Biscornu2 back side:

OK! So I'm gonna go out on a limb here & guess that Blogger and the internet in general is experiencing a HUGE slowdown because of the surprising news that yet another politician of note has admitted to being involved in a * GASP!* sex scandal! And so i cannot upload photos right now. And if this posts uploads, it will be a bloody miracle.

Front Side complete..

I even added those tulip beads, which will be a hoot to work around when i sew both sides together. Now I have to do a reverse side.

Here's more progress on FOS- it's subtle, but it's progress (over one stitching in window & door and the roof and chimney)

Riding tonight. I hate having to get there after 7:30 to avoid jerks, and even that late, some are still around.