More Progress...

I had some time this afternoon- about 3 hours of sitting in my car and this is what happened...

go me.

I am SO going to see this!

My favorite cartoon of ALL time has been made into a movie!

A Tiny Bit of Progress...

on Prairie Schooler "Christmas Eve":

The border on the left is one stitch to the left-most edge of the sleigh runner.

I finally have all the silks for the Pumpkin Conspiracy:

Aren't they beautiful?? I can't wait to start. Well, I do have to pick out some fabric first...

Wishful Thinking...

So the Online Needlework Show is underway. I found these 2 charts:

"Merry Old Santa Claus- Thomas Nash" from the Scarlet Quince

and this:

"A Quaker Halloween" from Cherished Stitches

I had Deb order them for me.

I like this one, too, but between the Santa above and the Sisters & Best Friends one I did a while ago, it seemed a bit redundant:

"Santa's Magical Coat of Colors" from Lavender Wings.

I still owe you a photo of PS Xmas Eve; the boss's wife emailed this morning that she was coming in to "finish" up the wedding present, so no stitching today (yet). She hasn't made her appearance yet, but seeing as the office above the garage overlooks their kitchen door, I can see her, should she come out of the house headed towards the office.

We had awesome snacks last night at S & B! Joanne brought an assortment of cheeses and crackers and made some Pioneer Woman parmesan bacon crackers too. Deb brought chips and dip, Nancy brought Kondieter Meister pastries and Jeanne brought beverages. I didn't even need to eat supper when I got home!

Thanks goils!

Wonderful Wednesday Wrecipes

OK- pull up your aprons, girls, today's recipe is a tough one- it ranks right up behind marshmallow treats and in front of peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. Don't be fooled by the extensive list of ingredients.

Slow-Cooker Pot Roast

• 2-1/2 to 3 lb chuck pot roast
• 1 packet of beef gravy mix
• 1 packet of italian salad dressing mix
• 1 packet of ranch salad dressing mix
• 1 cup water

Line your crockpot with one of those awesome Reynolds slow cooker plastic liner bags- you'll thank me the rest of your life.

(NEVER, EVER get "round"- ALWAYS GET "CHUCK"!!!)

Plop (technical culinary term) your beef in lined pot.

In a smallish bowl, mix the dry packet ingredients together,

then sprinkle on top of roast, but not so much around it.

Pour the 1 cup of water around the roast.

Put slow cooker lid on,

and turn that baby to low.

(I store my pot in the basement, hence some rust)

Cook on low for at least 8 hours; I've cooked my 3-lb roasts as long as 11 hours.

Expect marriage proposals from every man who eats this.

An Infrequent Tuesday Post

Didn't ride tonight; I was going to walk the Axester, but she had cut herself on the upper edge of her hoof, at the coronet band, which is like the quick on a fingernail. Instead of getting it all dirty in the indoor, I opted to let her chill out in her stall. I raked the track in the indoor then I came home and covered my firewood pile from the monsoons predicted for tomorrow, then started this post.

I worked a little on PS Xmas eve yesterday:

Best laid plans and all: I was going to stitch some more at lunch again today, except we had a new copier delivered to the office just before lunch, and my boss was hanging around. totally blew my lunch break.

I tried one of those hot-set jewels on a scrap of Aida:

It actually bonded surprisingly well. I'm very impressed with the idea; the heat tool crapped out after about 5 jewels though. I tried 2 additional sets of batteries and it wouldn't get warm anymore at all. I exchanged it for a different brand this afternoon that's a plug-in model with different tips. I have just ONE more jewel to attach to one of the wedding Snugglis, then those are finished. I'll try to get photos tomorrow (if I remember the camera!)

My gawd- this has turned into a real post! Time for some TV.

PS Christmas Eve Progress

Finally, a stitching photo. My mojo has gone off and left, I guess. I DO like this design, and it's fun and easy to stitch as well. I want to start the Pumpkin Conspiracy, but not until this is done. Ah, my particular form of OCD!

My "project" with my boss's wife has gotten easier, I think. We were going to do a joke wedding gift for Barbara, with whom I use to work up until about 4 or 5 years ago. She moved up to Gloucester after separating from her husband, and became a realtor. We worked together for about 20 years, though. In fact, I still refer to her desk as "Barbara's desk", and we (my boss & his wife & me) remain pretty good friends, even though it's mostly phone conversations.

Any way, the gag gift has evolved into a pair of Snugglis, bedazzled with the Bride & Groom's initials, which happen to be "B" and "G". I bought a hot set rhinestone gizmo and "jewels", and pre-made jeweled iron-on appliqués; my boss's wife is in charge of the Snuggli purchase. Keep your fingers crossed.

Anyway, I was wondering if these hot set rhinestones could be used to bling up cross stitch. Does anyone out there have any experience with these things?

"Not me!" "Is that a tiger out there waiting to eat me???!!"