Tassel Earrings

From our January chapter meeting. Our class was on tassel making. My choice to make one white and one red. I wore them to our February meeting. Hey, a finish is a finish. But now I know how to make beaded tassels. My turks head knots still need work. And I've got one more tassel in progress. The wood needs to be stained or painted. Maybe next nice day.



But I did do two other craft projects this week. One involving decoupage. And I finally made my magnolia wreath for hanging on the door. Then decided it was too big for the door so it's hanging under our house number. Now the door is naked again. Hmmm.

Blurring Lines II

Taken from my DD on Livejournal:

My Life in Music

RULES:

1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.

2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.

3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.

4. Tag 15 friends Except I don't do this people.

5. Everyone tagged has to do the same thing.

6. Have Fun!


IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY' YOU SAY?

Wonderful by Everclear. Hmmm.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF

Ooh Ooh Baby by Britney Spears. Yeah, she's on my MP3 player. You wanna make something of that?

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?

Primavera by Nara Leao. I've got 2 albums of Bossa Nova music on my player.

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?

Not Blind In Heaven by Ed Gerhard Ummm?

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?

What Do You Want from Life by the Tubes Interesting.

WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO?

Gone for Good by Peter Keane


WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?

Knock 'Em Out by Lily Allen No. Not in a millions years. You're nasty. LOL


WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?

Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin ROLFMAO



WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?

No Rain by Blind Melon



WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?

Someone to Love by Fountains of Wayne



WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?

Black Horse and the Cherry Tree by KT Turnstall I can live with this.


WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

England Swings by Roger Miller ?????????????



WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?

Race Car Ya-Yas by Cake The land where you can't change lanes?



WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?

Love Shack by the B-52's


WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?

Stone Soul Picnic by the 5th Dimension


WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?

Metal Drums by Patty Larkin What? I'm secretly poisoning the land? I'm an environmental disaster?


WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?


Hot Pants Explosion by the B-52's Ya. Okay.


WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?

Take Me Out to the Ballgame by King Curtis Wail that sax!


WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?

Kashmir by Led Zeppelin
Oh let the sun beat down upon my face, stars to fill my dream
I am a traveler of both time and space, to be where I have been
To sit with elders of the gentle race, this world has seldom seen
They talk of days for which they sit and wait and all will be revealed

Blurring Lines

I used to keep things online fairly separated. This blog was for needlework and life in general. Another blog is/was for ranting and writing. Another one is documenting some original designs. Livejournal is for food blogging and keeping up with kids in college. And then came Facebook. And now all my worlds are starting to collide. People on R.C.T.N. are on Facebook. Nearly my entire family is on Facebook. People who read here are on Facebook. Time magazine had a funny one page article about how baby boomers are taking over Facebook.

Wait. This post just got hijacked by, yup, you guessed it, Facebook. Did I ever mention that I have a real, original PEA Facebook. From 1977. I don't know how I managed to save only one of these. I think it must have been in my file cabinet when I got married and moved away from my hometown. What a real Facebook is/was: a student directory from Phillips Exeter Academy with photos, name, dorm or day student. If you left the school, people would black out your photo. Some guys would band together and rate all the female students in their Facebooks. Anyway, the founder of Facebook (online version) attended PEA and brought his online version to fruition at Harvard. But I digress.

So I'm watching my online life bits start to collide and mesh. Makes me want to self-edit more than I do. I know there's way too much personal information out there, mostly from answering memes. Or maybe I should just start making stuff up. I can do that. I could have a fabulous time. Dinner at the White House, anyone?

For Those Who Remember Alma Lynne

If you stitched counted cross stitch in the 1980s and 1990s, then surely you have stitched a piece designed by Alma Lynne Hayden. I did many of her bears. Maybe a couple of geese. And who knows what else?

For an update to her story:

Alma Lynne

How Did I Do?

Well, sheets are clean and dry, but not yet back on the bed. No new vacuum either. I need to travel a little further afield on that one. Other than that. I'm good. Even snuck in making another earring of a beaded tassel so that I have a pair. I threatened to turn mine into earrings at last month's EGA meeting and wear them this month. Just making good on my threat. Er, challenge. Also added a trip to P.O. and a library. Because DVDs are due in 7 days. Which means for once I don't owe the library any money. I support my local library with late fees.

So it's off to our chapter meeting this morning. We're doing a show n tell kind of program today. Next month is a lawyer with copyright info. This is getting interesting. Then I need to go pick up a freecycle find. Hopefully it's a keeper and will be a gift of sorts. Can't say what it is here. Then return some things I bought at Wal-Mart that turned out to be unnecessary. I've been putting that off for quite a while. Because I love going there almost as much as going to Home Depot. (I think I spared you all my Home Depot rant from last week. I vented on Facebook instead. Suffice it to say an employee giving me the hand sent me over the edge. That was and will be my last trip to Home Depot.)

Had fun messing with the stash. Of course a sneaky kitty had half a skein of floss down his throat before I saw him. Managed to get it away from him. Don't need any emergency surgery bills. Still need to put things totally away. But good news I located my Democratic Donkey Mill Hill beaded pin. That only has its rear end stitched. I wondered what I'd done with it. Last fall it seemed like it fallen into a black hole. Amazingly enough I had put with my beading supplies. And even though I've been in that particular box many times, I had never turned over that plastic bag to see what was in there. D'oh.

Been Browsing

I must say that I am surprised. I was wandering around the 'net looking at canvaswork. And the part that surprises me is how little there actually is. I thought that there must be a lot more that I hadn't seen yet. Guess I should get busy and design my own. Just not today. And not this week.

Busy catching up on all the housework that didn't get done while I was sick. And preparing for the invasion of the college kids. DD is bringing home some friends. I've been making lists of things I need to do. Brain still isn't functioning at its sharpest level. Am wondering if some brain cells died during coughing jags. Maybe they just jumped off a cliff to get away from the noise. Argh. But at least I can now go up and down the stairs in this 3 level townhouse without feeling like I'm gonna die. It would help, though, if I could remember why I am going up and down the stairs. Double argh.

What I really need to do is make on massive shopping list and go to the commissary on Friday. The question is do I do go in the morning or wait and go on my way to pick up DS at school. I can bring a cooler and things will keep fine. Other things to do - clean out fridge and freezer before restocking.

Today's goals: clean DS's room and change sheets. Vacuum stairs. Look at Consumer Reports on vacuums. Maybe go buy a new one. Get rid of small tables on freecycles that we used to use as speaker stands. Pay homeowner's association fees. Make something good for dinner. (Last night we went to the Tortilla Factory for enchiladas.) Continue with laundry. Buy 2 new pillows. Admire clean bathrooms. Play with stash while organizing. Stain wooden projects that I sanded yesterday. There. I think that's enough. Phew.

Mirror, Mirror Part Deux

Well. Today the settings on my blog are back to normal, but Picasa and Blogger don't seem to want to play well together. Mirror, Mirror is by Abbey Lane Designs. I've had this in my stash for a while. Meant to stitch it for myself. But last year DH said he thought his sister would appreciate something I stitched. It has been a while since I stitched anything for her. Let's see. Circa 1990 or so. I did a sweatshirt with waste canvas of a reindeer. It was pretty darn nice. No photos from back in the day. Oh well. Her birthday isn't until September.

I managed to put in some time on it last night while watching the Oscars. Despite DH's protestations that my light is simply too much. Without it I can't see to stitch at night. There should be some compromise here. It's not like I try to use every night.

As for the Oscars: Good job, Hugh Jackman. It's too bad with his talent they didn't give him better material to work with. Yeah! for Sean Penn. He's amazing. Kate Winslet - I just don't get her. She's too earnest or something. She doesn't make acting look effortless like Meryl Streep. Sophia Loren looked like Mae West in Myra Breckenridge. For those that know the movie, this is not a compliment, right? Whose boobs came closer to falling out, Goldie's or Sarah Jessica's? Penelope Cruz - a classy lady. Thanks for working with Woody. It was a pleasure for all who saw it. Heath - what can we say? It's a sorrowful thing that there is a limited amount of him on film. (I've got Roar on Dvd. Anyone else?) And congrats to Slumdog for kicking Benjamin Button to the curb.

Mirror, Mirror

 


From Abbey Lane Designs. This is a present for my SIL. I can't think of why she'd know about this blog, so I think it's safe to post photos.

What the Hay?

Someone at Google or Mozilla or Blogspot or somewhere has been messing with the settings. Nothing looks right today. I'm not about to run around changing things until I find out if this is permanent or a fluke.

Finally feeling much, much better. Still a bit congested. Still occasionally cough like a person dying of tuberculosis. But I can taste things again and coffee no longer seems like poison.

No real stitching news. I have to report that the Needle Arts Studio Dvd by Shay Pendray isn't worth the time. It's a beginner thing. She does manage to cram a lot of good tips into the counted cross stitch section, but it's hard to watch because it's so basic. Does seem a bit foolish that at the beginning she spends all her time getting people set up to stitch in a hoop and then she proceeds to stitch everything in hand. With the sewing method. That you can't use with a hoop. A bit of disconnect there.

Jury Duty

It's my turn. U.S. District Court. End of March. Unlike some people I know, I'm looking forward to doing my civic duty. I served on a jury once, almost 25 years ago. We heard a really stupid civil case. One party sued, the other countersued. The judge thought it was so stupid he apologized to us. We awarded both sides damages of $1.00.

Improvement

Okay. I am getting better. The coughing is subsiding. I'm still having coughing jags, but they are further and further apart in time. Of course, I now have an ear that feels like it is hearing underwater. But I can live with that.

I found Shay Pendray's Needle Arts Studio Dvd at the library earlier this week. Still haven't watched it. Maybe today. They also had about a dozen knitting and crocheting Dvds. I've always seen the ads for Shay's show on PBS, but have never actually lived somewhere where they broadcasted it. Don't forget to check your libraries, people! You never know what treasures lurk there.

A big, huge thank you to my friends at the Scarlet Thread. They helped me celebrate my birthday a week late yesterday with a cake, cards, and even an especially written birthday poem just for me! It felt great to get out of the house. Of course, as usual, I kept laughing then coughing. It's much better if I don't laugh. The Winter Olympics episode of Top Gear nearly killed me earlier this week.

And so as a birthday gift to me from me, I've started to kit up DebBees Designs Glitz and Glamour Amethyst. No color changes on this one. We'll just consider this a companion piece to In the Midnight Hour. The shop will have to special order some threads which is good because I can certainly wait to start a new piece. I even did some stitching yesterday on a present for my SIL. I've got seven months.

Hit Bottom

I think I've hit bottom and am coming up the other side of this cold. Fever is gone for the first time in 7 days. Leaving me with a headache, cough, and some nasal congestion. I've got so much to do around the house it isn't funny. And moving around too much makes me wheeze and cough. Let's see what I can do. I'm on the second load of laundry. I may not be able to get it all upstairs, but hey. I need to run to the dry cleaners, the post office, and the library. I read 5 books in 5 days. Just mysteries. Interesting enough to keep me entertained and I don't really need to think type of reading.

I haven't held a needle in my hand since last Tuesday. And I want to. That's good sign.

But I have been playing with my Kumimiho Loom. Okay, who was blogging about this a few weeks ago? Made me run to the internet with my credit card and find one. Haven't done much - just seeing what a few yards of perle cotton 5 will do. I'm thinking rattail might look very nice.

argh

you'll know I feel better when I start posting again

Thanks for the Birthday Wishes

And no, I don't feel any better. I wish I could just sleep through this and wake up and it would all be over. But no, I apparently have to suffer. And DH is feeling guilty because this came from him. I knew last week when he came home from work early that this would happen. I was good about washing my hands, using my neti pot and taking zinc. But that dratted rhinovirus got me anyway.

Well Crap

It's my birthday and I am ill.

Fever was 102.9 last night. Not much better this morning.

And we have tickets for Reduced Shakespeare tonight which I obviously won't be using mine.

Miss Manners Re: Needlework in Public

from today's Washington Post (for some of you, maybe last week's paper?:

Dear Miss Manners:

At a condo association meeting consisting of about 60 people, there was a head table with six people, facing about six rows of tables, about 5 feet away. In the front row were two ladies — not sitting next to each other — doing their needlework.

Is it proper to do needlework while at an event such as this? I noticed that the speakers were distracted (and so was I) by their movements.

Between reading the directions and rearranging their work, one couldn’t help but turn their way to see what was going on. I say it is rude.

Gentle Reader:

But what if they don’t have hand-held devices that enable them to check their e-mail, text message and play games while the committee is droning on?

Not that Miss Manners condones failing to pay attention at meetings, or rather, failing to look as if one is paying attention.

She merely wants to make the point that there are worse distractions available. Needlework at least has precedent behind it.

For centuries, ladies sat quietly doing needlework while gentlemen conversed around them and didn’t miss a thing of what was going on.

OH MY!

Stitching in Public! Good for those ladies who were multi-tasking. I'd like to bring my needlework to our HOA meeting next week, but as it's usually a short and sweet meeting and crowded 'cause we meet in someone's home, I'll leave it at home.

I honestly can't say I've ever stitched in public in such a way as to present a distraction. I don't rattle my pattern or wave my scissors while yelling about orts.

Though I did have a teacher in prep school who wouldn't let me stitch during class. For the record: it was English class. Twelve teenagers sitting around an oval table discussing books in the Socratic method. We all know that we can stitch and talk at the same time. I was doing crewel work. And he was a male chauvinist. The class stood up for me, but the teacher ruled. And I put my sewing away. But I made it a point to arrive early and stitch before class after that incident.

Newest Canvas Project

Amybear's Night Flight.

This has a companion piece, Desert Sunset, which I may or may not eventually stitch. I've got a friend working on the Sunset which is what made me purchase Night Flight. Which is gorgeous, BTW.

So far, I've changed the black lines from 2 strands of DMC 12 to 1 strand of DMC 5. Phew. Two strands of 12 was impossible to deal with. Kept knotting up and did not want to play nice. I've still got a bit left to unstitch. But I started other sections of black lines and the 5 is so much easier to work with. I've e-mailed the designer with a question which is delaying my starting to fill in the lines so I'll just continue stitching lines for a while. Seems she changed the stitches in section 2 as she decided the ones used in the photo were too difficult. Well, I want the difficult. I think I can tell what it is from the photo, but am awaiting confirmation. Also, the color for section 1 was way too grayed out for me. And I've been experimenting with changes to that section. I guess that means I'll soon start stitching the bird until I work out these other issues.

Yesterday

Took a quick trip to Fredericksburg to visit with DS. Unfortunately DH has caught a terrible cold. Darn those rhinoviruses. Went to lunch at Cracker Barrel 'cause the boy wanted breakfast. Where I got to watch him eat - sausage, ham, bacon, eggs, hashbrown casserole, sausage gravy and biscuits (2), fried apples, and grits. Then we went shopping for new jeans for him. Followed by a visit to the Big Flea antique show. Where we found him a birthday present - a replacement Navy pea coat. A replacement in that both children have worn the old one my husband had purchased in college. The poor thing is raggedy and falling apart. I guess I can retire it now.

That makes me wonder what I can do with that black wool? Did I mention what a pain it is to wear black wool in our house with a 20 lb. mostly white cat?

I saw some things that tempted me while shopping, but resisted. One lady did have a booth filled with antiquey sewing tools, accessories, and linens. I did briefly consider a tool, but don't know prevailing prices and thought it was a bit on the high side. Saw a nice needlepoint Victorian wall pocket, but it was askew and the bottom was coming unattached from its plaque. No firescreens, which is something I've been looking to acquire.

Motivation Found

It took a bit of time but I finally unpicked my knot from A Whimsical Elements "A Day at the Beach." Not fun unstitching Wildflowers stitched over one on 18ct Cork. I will strive to make no mistakes on this piece because I don't want that experience again. Then in the past two days finished the interior part of the sun and can move on to the rays.

And I picked up my Quaker piece again. I'm in the middle of a motif stitched with a pretty blue overdyed from Crescent Colours called Tartan Plaid. Who knows the rule? All tartans are plaids, but not all plaids are tartans. Where did I pick that up? (I'm thinking a Piecework article maybe?) Wikipedia is not entirely accurate on tartan/plaid 'cause I just looked.

It's National Stitch In Public Day

That's right. It's today. So get out your needles, go forth, and stitch!

Anna commented that she wasn't impressed with the publicity of this day from the EGA. Well, me neither. Our chapter is thinking about trying to make a local push for one day a month to be hosted in different areas. Plus I've got an idea for next year. I guess my disappoint with the coverage of this day comes from seeing how much publicity the Knit in Public Day has received.

I Seem to Have Misplaced my Motivation - Again

Weirdness. I started a new piece last week - A Whimsical Element's flip flop. I think, was it Anna? who stitched this a year or more ago? Anyway, I started it while at stitching group and promptly put a knot in the back. Which I tried unsuccessfully to unstitch. So that got set aside to work on at home. Moved back to hardanger piece. Okay. That's fine. Yesterday I started on hardanger piece and moved on to Mirror, Mirror. But neither piece was thrilling me. And so last night, while making dinner, I found some white canvas in my stash and put together two small pieces on stretcher bars so I could start experimenting with bargello. Only to find that this wasn't 18ct canvas. It's 14ct. I have no idea why I have 14ct canvas. Rather than waste it, I started stitching with two plies of Anchor perle 5. Still not great coverage and I should probably go get some Appleton's wool.

I just realized that somehow instead of publishing my post about Stitch in Public Day, I had saved it as a draft. See posts below this one...

So, yeah. Tomorrow is Stitch in Public Day and I've got no idea what to bring. I've got no idea what I want to be working on at Woodlawn in March when manning the demo room. Maybe I need to go through the kitted projects pile and see what is singing a siren song to me. Feels weird not to know what I want to work on.

Three Amethyst Dreams in One Place

Today I brought my version, In the Midnight Hour, in to the shop for its trip next week to Woodlawn. It joined to other versions, one green/red and one a teally blue. Was so interesting sitting there stitching and then looking up and seeing how different it feels in different colors. Of course, I like mine the best. Which is good. I think I'd feel badly if I liked another color version better. Will there be 4,5, or 6 of these at the Woodlawn Needlework Show in March? I don't know. But I can't hardly wait to find out.

My framing choice was most excellent. Because I chose a frame whose outer edge was higher than the inner edge, it kind of directs the eye in towards the piece like arrows in the corners saying "look here."

I'm currently working on a hardanger piece. Got all the klosters stitched and started doing the satin stitch flowers. And I picked up Mirror, Mirror again. I've got till September to do this piece. A little a time and it won't feel like obligation stitching.

Stitch in Public Day

The Stitch in Public Day has now become an annual event.

Since February is National Embroidery Month, the EGA Board has designated the first Saturday as being Stitch in Public Day, choosing a Saturday to allow more working stitchers to participate.

That means that this Saturday, February 7th, is Stitch in Public Day.

Who knew we had a National Embroidery Month? Not me.

Food Charts

I've noticed an uptick in the number of food charts lately. Especially things like cupcakes and chocolates. Interesting kind of trend. When I first seriously started cross stitching more than 20 years ago, you could find watermelons every where. Maybe an occasional fruit or veggie series. The only "food" chart I've stitched was the chocolate covered cherries by Casey Buonaugurio card for my mother. Don't get me wrong - I think the cupcakes and stuff are quite cute. But I can't imagine doing them.

Now onto the food survey:

Instructions:

1. Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2. Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3. Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4. Optional extra: Post a comment here linking to your results.

The Omnivore's Hundred

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper - I'm not stupid
27. Dulce de leche - yum!
28. Oysters - raw, fried, stewed
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar -
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O - do you mean Jello shots?
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat - not that I know of, but may have
42. Whole insects - no desire
43. Phaal - vindaloo is enough for me, thank you very much
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more - Tried it, but I don't like scotch - tastes like it's been filtered through an ashtray to me
46. Fugu - never been to Japan, so no
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnuts
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal - years and years ago
56. Spaetzle - I even have a spaetzle maker
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV-
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin - not intentionally, but I assume as an additive, I have
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis - will try it when I get to Scotland
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette-
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost-
75. Roadkill - why???
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam-
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa-
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor - waste of a good lobster
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Strange

It is funny how a bit of disruption leads to more disruption. We've had the new furniture in the house one week and I'm still trying to get things right. Freecycled two pieces of furniture over the weekend and that means I have to figure out where the stuff that was inside the desk and sideboard should go.

One Saturday we stopped by my favorite reuse shop - Upscale Resale. Where I spotted a small oak washstand that would be marked down on Monday. (That's how this place operates. There's a price on the tag, and then future prices when it will be marked down if it hasn't sold.) That means that yesterday morning I was waiting outside the store for it open. There was some drama going on with the police and what looked to be a mentally unstable person, so several of us got to watch that while waiting. I snagged my washstand and took a quick look around to make sure there was nothing else I needed. Came home, put washstand by front door, cleaned and polished it. Filled up the drawers. Found two embroidered linen towels to hang on the bar, put plants on it and it's totally cute. That took care of some of the desk stuff. DH took care of some of the desk stuff. I've still got some stuff that needs a home. Linens got sorted. Made a pile for donation. Made a pile for storage - this is the stuff that won't fit into new sideboard. And put the rest into the sideboard. That means I've still got two piles of linens on the floor. Then I started rehanging stuff on the walls. Got five things up, but took five things down to put those up. That's not progress. Moved a library table back into the living room and got that squared away.

Did I mention I left home without my cell phone? For the second time in a week. This is what I mean by disruptions causing more disruption. Because things are moved around my phone isn't where it usually is and I leave home without it. I'm surprised at how naked it feels to be out without my cell phone. Both times I realized when I was too far away to turn back and get it. Hopefully this phase is over now.

I guess I'm mentally unstablized by having my surroundings disrupted. This must come from years of moving. I like when things find their place and I can relax.

Photos

And finally the framed version of In the Midnight Hour, aka Amethyst Dreams. This choice of framing totally alleviated my concerns re: what I chose to do the border with after eliminating what would have been the originals according to rules of substitution.





Second punch needle piece.









Third punch needle piece. Thanks to Amy Buehler's book with these minature quilt designs to make bookmarks.

Before I Go Take Photos...

Anna is the last person I saw posting this though it's been all over the place.

Things you’ve already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - leave in plain font

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band
4. visited Hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to Disneyworld
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo --
11. bungee jumped
12. visited Paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon
28. ridden a gondola in Venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run
32. been on a cruise
33. seen Niagara Falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors - Hmmm. I grew up 5-6 miles away from where ancestors settled in the 1630s
35. seen an Amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen Michelangelo’s David in person
41. sung karaoke
42. seen Old Faithful (geyser) erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. visited Africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance --in Germany.
47. had your portrait painted - does it count that it was in chalks, not paint. Been sculpted, too.
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. been to the top of the Eiffel tower in Paris - I've been at the bottom?
51. gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theater
55. been in a movie - extra in A New Hampshire Family filmed in N.H. in 1975.
56. visited the Great Wall of China
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited Russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold Girl Scout cookies
62. gone whale watching
63. gotten flowers for no reason
64. donated blood
65. gone sky diving
66. visited a Nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a check
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the Lincoln memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in Times Square
74. toured the Everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in London
77. broken a bone - does a toe count? It should.
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. published a book
81. visited the Vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in Jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire bible
86. visited the White House
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone’s life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby
95. seen the Alamo in person
96. taken a road trip
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee
100. met the love of your life