Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Let's Dance

A Prairie Year - August
by Prairie Schooler

Can you believe it? I finished the August block in two days! Amazing but true! This has to be some sort of record for me! I don't exactly have a history of getting things done in a timely manner!

Here's a piccy of the whole piece thus far...
I might actually get them all finished this year! Hooray!


Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Prairie Year Continues

I finished my Little House sampler with a few days left to go in August so I thought I better press on with my Prairie Year piece and see just how much I could get done on the August block.
Look at that! Would you ever believe I could get that much stitching done in one day? I am now super motivated to get this finished in the next couple of days! Go me!



Monday, August 29, 2016

ABC Sampler

ABC Sampler No. 1
Little House Needleworks
stitched on 28-ct. Light Mocha linen
with Classic Colorworks, GAST, and DMC

Not the best photo but I wanted to start the week off with a finish!

Woohoo!


Saturday, August 27, 2016

Summer Returns

Yes, I realize in my last post I had switched gears and decided it was officially time to begin my fall stitching. Then I found a ready-made frame in my stitching room and decided that I might try my hand at finishing off a bigger piece. And I don't mean pizza! I found my PS July sampler in Ye Olde Box o' Fups and thought it would be a perfect fit. What do you think?
I admit that it's a bit wonky. Trying to get those side borders perfectly straight just wasn't happening. This is one of those rare times when I decided to just let it go.

(And now I'll have that song from Frozen stuck in my head for the rest of the day.)

Another true confession... the sampler is in no way, shape, or form affixed permanently in the frame. The idea is to swap it out for other PS seasonal samplers of the same size during the year. It also means at some point in time I will probably take the whole thing apart and sit there with a ruler making sure those borders are perfectly straight.

Now it's time for some stitching! Just as soon as I finish this pizza...


Wednesday, August 24, 2016

A Sheep of a Different Color

So yesterday I decided it was high time I got my head out of the bag of Fritos, switched off Flip or Flop, and did some stitching. I picked up my Little House ABC Sampler and before I knew it I had finished the house and started on the area just below it. I figured I'd stitch the tiny girl first and then start on the sheep. Only when I checked to see what color I needed for them it wasn't white. Or ecru or beige or any other sheepish color. It was Golden Brown. Golden brown sheep? What the heck? So I flip to the photo of the sampler and see that the sheep are instead pumpkins. Pumpkins. As in Fall. I have inadvertently stomped on the brakes of any summer stitching I thought I might still do and have plopped down behind the wheel of a whole 'nother vehicle.
And see the name of the thread I'm substituting for the golden brown DMC? Pumpkin Pie! If I'm not ready for fall then I better get ready!

Excuse me ladies...
I'm off to browse crock pot recipes and shop for the perfect pair of leggings online!


Monday, August 22, 2016

P-Cheese

Phil and I have returned from our vacation to Charleston, SC! It was very hot and humid but we still had a lovely visit with his kids and managed to see some sights and eat ourselves silly. One item that kept turning up on the local menus was pimento cheese. Served as an appetizer with pita chips or added to a hamburger, I did my best to sample as many variations as I could. Now that we're home I decided I better make a batch to keep in the fridge for pre-dinner nibbles. Or late night snacks. Or noontime I-can't-decide-what-I-want-for-lunch-so-I'll-just-eat-something-until-I-make-up-my-mind. 

Paula Deen's recipe has always been my go-to for homemade pimento cheese. Of course, I throw a little Paisley into it as well (which generally means I don't measure anything!).
Sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, half a block of cream cheese, the last of the mayo plus a little salad dressing, a blob of pimentos, a dash of garlic powder, and a few twists of the pepper grinder. And voila!
Just like Mom used to make!

(Actually, Mom bought Price's which will always be my fave!)

If you want to make your own and are feeling adventurous I'd suggest adding some chopped jalapeƱos. I would have done it myself but, alas, my insides just can't handle the spicy food these days. 

The sun is shining after a rather rainy/cloudy weekend so I am planning to take a book outside and enjoy a bit of deck time! I joined Once Upon a Book Club and have started reading this month's selection, The Gilded Years. They send a few little wrapped goodies to accompany the book and you open them at specific points as you read. It's a lot of fun and really brings the book to life. I highly recommend it to any readers out there!

TTFN!





Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Just Keep Swimming

 I decided to take Dori's advice and just keep swimming. Or stitching, rather. With supplies gathered and a fresh Pepsi by my side, I sat with my nose to the grindstone and finished up my PS July square!

Here's what the whole piece looks like so far...
 
I did a whole-stash search for any more DMC 520 that will match the color I started with and came up with a skein from a kit that could possibly work. We'll just have to see. I still have most of my last skein left and I'm past the halfway point so I may be able to squeak by.

Phil and I are heading to Charleston, SC bright and early tomorrow morning for a vacation. It's a blast living on a lake in the summer but it'll be nice to get away for a change of scenery.


Monday, August 08, 2016

Putting the "Blah" in Blogging

So today I woke up thinking about orzo salad. Could orzo salad be the key to finding my mojo?
Would it be so wrong to eat lunch at 7:30 in the morning? It's either that or accomplish nothing all day.

Stay tuned!