Proof of Life

Just a quick post to let you know I'm still here before we dive headfirst into the weekend!

I have been stitching. A little. And reading. A lot. And shopping online. Maybe too much. But Nordstrom is having their Anniversary Sale and I can't help myself! (I shopped so much my wireless mouse burned out on me! True story!)

Anyhoosie, no big plans this weekend. We were in Chicago last weekend because the Texas Rangers were in town to play the Cubbies so we had to be there! And yes, I clocked a good five miles of walking on Michigan Avenue! All I came home with was one pair of (absolutely fabulous!) sandals and a blister (hence the online shopping) but the journey is half the fun, amirite?

Off we go! Have a great one, y'all!

Day Three

ABC Sampler is off to a great start after yesterday's Stitch-In! I was invited out for dinner and pinball so my evening stitching time was scratched from the schedule. One can't stay cooped up every day, even during a Stitch-In!

And I can now add "Master Magician" to my list of accomplishments!

It was a joint effort but that is our high score! We are The Bomb!

I haven't decided if I'm starting a new project today or if I'll continue working on My ABC Sampler since I didn't get as much done on it as I'd hoped. I guess we'll call this the Anything Can Happen segment of our Stitch-In!

Let's do this!

Day Two

I'm declaring Day One of the Second Official Chicken Ottoman Empire Stitch-In a roaring success! I will set aside A Little Liberty today and get started on ABC Samler from LHN.

I've decided to stitch each one separately and found this Light Mocha linen in my stash to use. It's 28-count but It looks really good with the threads and I have at least a yard of it so there should be plenty to go around.

It's an absolutely gorgeous morning here at the lake. I've been out on the deck taking pictures of our duck family to send to Phil. I did a head count and we still have all eight babies! I'm very relieved since one little guy tends to lag behind the rest!

Okay! Time to grab my brekkie and head upstairs to the Empire! (I'm hoping some fruit will counteract all the junk I've been eating! I'd show you a picture of my snack stash but I'm afraid you'd lose all respect for me!)

Day One

I officially kicked off the Second Official Chicken Ottoman Empire Stitch-In last night with a big dish of my favorite Jalapeno Popper Dip...

I could eat the whole thing!

(And trust me, I will!)

Then I punched the magic button for the fireplace, turned on the Home Run Derby, and settled in for some stitching!

Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!!

And here's my progress on July...

I haven't quite decided if I'm doing the LHN ABC Samplers individually or as one big piece. I'm leaning towards individually so I can make them into fancy little pillows to display in a bowl. In the meantime I will get started on A Little Liberty from Lizzie Kate...

I have my comfiest clothes on, snacks at the ready, and a refreshing peppermint-eucalyptus spritzer in case I need a little pick-me-up! I just need to finish my coffee and swap the laundry out and I'll be off and running!

Woohoo!

July-ing

We had a great weekend here at the Chicken Ottoman Empire... stitching-wise, lake-wise, eating-way-too-much-food-wise. I made a half decent start on my July Prairie Year which has me super happy. This one should go quick... a lot of red, white, and blue, which is perfect for this time of year. (Funny how that works when you're actually stitching the block for the month you're currently... um... monthing in?)

Phil took me down to LaPorte on Saturday so I could do some shopping at the House of Stitches! He's such a good sport when it comes to helping me pick out patterns and thread! He's not one to sit outside in the car and wait for me while I hurry through my selections. He comes in and asks questions and gives opinions and tells me to take my time. Here's a snappity-snap of the goodies I picked up...

I desperately wanted the new Little House ABC Sampler but was told they were sold out. Luckily we found one in the "new releases" bin and I literally did a happy dance in the middle of the shop! I picked up the threads I needed and all I need to do now is find the perfect fabric in my stash and I'll be off and running!

I'm still planning to hold my Second Official Chicken Ottoman Empire Stitch-In! I have plenty of great summer projects thanks to HoS and Phil, so now all I need to do is make a run to the grocery store for foodies and drinkies and then settle in for three straight days of nuthin' but stitchin'!

(and eatin' and drinkin'!)

June Finish!

My June Prairie Year is finished!

Woohoo!

I can finally stop pretending it's still June and turn my calendar over to July!

Here's what the entire piece looks like thus far...

I just realized I am officially at the halfway point!

Double woohoo!

Phil will be out of town next week so I'm planning the second annual Chicken Ottoman Empire Stitch-a-Thon! Complete with a trip to House of Stitches in LaPorte tomorrow so I can stock up on supplies!

Triple woohoo!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Still June-ing

I'm really (really!) hoping to finish my June Prairie Year block today. I'm just about done with the big flower and the mis-matched green border has been ripped out. I restitched part of it yesterday to get a feel for whether or not I'll be leaving the leaves as they are. Chances are I will, considering how much I want to get this done! My laziness really shines through at times like this!

We had a nice 4th of July weekend here at the lake, despite the skies being a bit cloudy and the temperatures a little cooler than we would have preferred. At least it didn't rain and we were able to take the boat out a couple of times and see plenty of fireworks. I took all of two pictures the whole entire weekend so here ya go...

This is the back of the house (Castle Khaki?) as seen from our dock. The wall is progressing nicely and we're hoping the quote for new steps doesn't come back so extraordinarily high that we decide to risk life and limb on the old steps for a couple more years. They are about the last thing remaining from the fire so they're not in the best condition.

And here is picture number two...

This is Bella enjoying a nice ride on the boat. Looking at the blue sky there I'm thinking this may have actually been taken on a different day. I really outdid myself with the total lack of picture taking! But then I would have had to put down whatever it was I happened to be eating or drinking at the time in order to snap a photo or two! Well done, me!

Thanks for stopping by! I'm off to stitch! Woohoo!