Secret Crossword Garden finish

Design: Secret Crossword Garden by Liz Gorski, JSC May/June 2011 issue
Fabric: 28ct antique white Cashel by Wichelt
Threads: DMC
Start/Finish: 6/4, 19, 25-30/2011

Hi! I was able to finish stitching this piece a few moments ago. I took the day off to drop my sister off at the airport this morning and go to a dentist appointment later on. I came home determined to finish this design.

What do you think? I'm not a fan of stitching borders (unless they are cute) so it took me a while to stitch, but I got through it :)

Hope my aunt loves the design. I can't wait to see how she has it framed.

Until next time ^___^

June Recap

June Recap:

Read:

1. The Odyssey by Homer
2. The Medici: Story of a European Dynasty by Franco Cesati
3. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
4. Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter
5. Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey
6. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
7. A Bride's Story Volume 1 manga by Kaoru Mori
8. My Girlfriend's a Geek v2.0 novel by Pentabu
9. Nobody's Boy: San Famille by Hector Malot
10. Kobato Volume 1 manga by Clamp

Stitched:
1. Secret Crossword Garden by Liz Gorsk

Blueberry crumble muffins and blogging

Good morning! I woke up this morning with blueberries on my mind. June 21st marks my blog anniversary; I can't believe I've made it this far in my blogging. In celebration of that and the Summer Solstice earlier in the week, I made blueberry crumble muffins.



I picked blueberries from my grandfather's bushes on Thursday and froze them for baking this morning. Talk about yum! The crumble topping is made with light brown sugar and sliced almonds :)

I would like to thank everyone who reads and comments on my blog. I appreciate every comment I get!!

I'm off to watch some more Sherlock Holmes episodes while stitching on my Liz Gorsk pattern. Until next time ^___^

Gardening

Design: Secret Crossword Garden by Liz Gorski, JSC May/June 2011 issue
Fabric: 28ct antique white Cashel by Wichelt
Threads: DMC
Start: 6/4/2011

I haven't been working non-stop on this design, but it is coming along nicely. I spent last weekend doing yard work and laundry so I had no time to stitch. I was determined to do some stitching today. I spent the morning getting my car's oil changed amongst other things which ate up a nice chunk of my paycheck (sigh). Afterwards I stopped by the grocery store for some baking ingredients for tomorrow. I came home to more laundry, but was able to get some stitching in this afternoon :)

Hopefully, I can get this pattern stitched up before the end of the month. I plan on stitching on it again tomorrow!

I hope you're enjoying your weekend.

Until next time ^____^

Brooches

Hi! I was going through my brooch collection this morning to see what I wanted to wear to work when I remembered that I never showed you what my friend Amanda had given me while I was in CA.

She got me two brooches from a seller on Etsy.





I wore the clear crystal bouquet this morning against a gray sweater. I love how it sparkles in the sunlight. I love these two brooches. They are beautiful for my collection :) Thanks my friend.

Until next time ^___^

Birthdays!

Hi, everyone! I hope you are enjoying the start of the weekend! Well, at least at 5pm anyway :)

My friends and I got together last night to celebrate my belated birthday and my friend Kristina's birthday! It was a lot of fun, we had pizza and cupcakes. An odd combination, but quite good. Our lovely hostess Candace made some great salsa dip from a can of mild Rotel, black beans, and corn. It was yummy!

I received some manga that I had wanted, a set of Country Chic lotions from B&BW, and a beautiful cross stitched owl from my friend Bonnie.



Isn't it cute? She said that it reminded her of Hedwig from HP and she thought I'd like it, which of course I do ^___^ She said that this is her first attempt at stitching on linen, she chose a Jobelan linen at the craft store for this project. I love the beaded motif around the owl!

For a first attempt at linen, I say BRAVO! I'm going to display this little framed cutie on my bookshelf beside the bunny design I received from my friend Kristina last year!

Until next time ^____^

A Lesson in Glass

My mother, aunt, and cousin took a glass bowl making course in mid-May and they received their bowls yesterday.


My aunt's green, red, and gold bowl


My mother's blue and white bowl


My cousin Jeremy's black and rainbow bowl

It looks like a fun class to take! I might have to make time for it when it comes up again :)

Until next time ^____^

Birthday ♥

Good morning! Yesterday I spent the morning making orange brownies for my birthday as I generally do not like cake unless it has a whipped icing!


Orange brownies - yum!!

Later on, my family and I got together for brownies, a little chit-chat, and the ceremonious ripping of wrapping paper and tossing of tissue paper!



I received the following goodies:

1. July issue of The English Garden magazine
2. May/June issue of The English Home
3. May issue of Cross Stitch Collection
4. Collecting Costume Jewelry 303 book
5. The Steampunk Bible book
6. Steampunk Style Jewelry book
7. Origami flower kit
8. Gift card to Books-A-Million
9. A year subscription to Inspirations, Australian magazine
10. The complete Sherlock Holmes collection with Jeremy Brett
11. Some lovely roses from my mother :)

I loved all the gifts I received! I can't wait to start receiving the Inspirations magazine in September. My aunt bought me the subscription as our local Barnes and Noble no longer carries it in stock. I've missed quite a few issues of this magazine since our B&N closed.

I think my biggest squeal of geeky joy was over the Sherlock Holmes collection of the 1980s series with Jeremy Brett, David Burke, and Edward Hardwicke. Yes, you may laugh, I don't mind :) I would really love to just plunk down and watch all the DVDs, but I'd never get anything else done if I did so O_o" I'm thinking I will watch a few episodes at a time!

I hope you had a great weekend!

Until next time ^_____^

Crossword progress ♥

My progress on Secret Crossword Garden this week. I'm loving this design. It's a fun stitch :)

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Until next time ^_____^

Find that word! *updated*

Design: Secret Crossword Garden by Liz Gorski, JSC May/June 2011 issue
Fabric: 28ct antique white Cashel by Wichelt
Threads: DMC
Start: 6/4/2011


Design in the Just Cross Stitch magazine, May/June 2011 issue


Update of progress this afternoon :)

A couple of weeks ago, my aunt showed me this design in the latest issue of JSC that she wanted me to stitch for her. It took me a while to get the threads together and buy some linen, but I finally got started on the design yesterday afternoon after getting some laundry done.

I am loving this design as it goes quite quickly when you are just stitching lettering and small motifs.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend and keeping cool and safe in the hot weather if you live in the South!

Until next time ^____^

Orange kissed brownies

Yesterday afternoon, I was going through the kitchen cupboards to see if I had ingredients to make Paula Deen's orange brownies this upcoming weekend for my birthday. I was checking the orange extract to see if it had a date on it and noticed a recipe on the back of the box for orange kissed brownies. Quite simple really, you take a boxed brownie mix and prepare it like usual and you add a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and a tablespoon of orange extract and viola! yummy orange kissed brownies.

I baked up a batch of them this morning after returning from the grocery store! And of course, I had to share them with my family. They are quite good, just a hint of orange that is not overpowering at all. I definitely recommend trying your hand at them!

Until next time ^____^

Double Knock Out roses

My mother bought a double knock out rosebush to plant in her front yard. She hasn't planted it yet as the weather has been unbearable hot with temps in the 100s, which is unusual for June in the South. This type of rose does quite well in the summer and enjoys the heat. It started to bloom yesterday.

Until next time ^___^

May Recap

May Recap:

Read:

1. Alcestis by Katharine Beutner
2. Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett
3. Swan Volume 4 by Ariyoshi Kyoko
4. Swan Volume 5 by Ariyoshi Kyoko
5. Swan Volume 6 by Ariyoshi Kyoko
6. Swan Volume 7 by Ariyoshi Kyoko
7. Swan Volume 8 by Ariyoshi Kyoko
8. Swan Volume 9 by Ariyoshi Kyoko
9. Godmother by Carolyn Turgeon
10. Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen
11. Sherlock Holmes in America by Bill Blackbeard
12. Swan Volume 10 by Ariyoshi Kyoko
13. Swan Volume 11 by Ariyoshi Kyoko
14. The Blue Bird: A Fairy Play in Five Acts by Maurice Maeterlinck; trans. by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos (1910)
15. Princess Maleine by by Maurice Maeterlinck; trans. by Richard Hovey (1911)
16. Lois the Witch by Elizabeth Gaskell
17. Swan Volume 12 by Ariyoshi Kyoko
18. Swan Volume 13 by Ariyoshi Kyoko
19. Swan Volume 14 by Ariyoshi Kyoko
20. Swan Volume 15 by Ariyoshi Kyoko
21. Black Butler Volume 2 manga by Yana Toboso
22. Black Butler Volume 3 manga by Yana Toboso
23. The White People by Frances Hodgson Burnett
24. The Dawn of a Tomorrow by Frances Hodgson Burnett
25. Little Saint Elizabeth and Other Stories by Frances Hodgson Burnett
26. Hard Times by Charles Dickens
27. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
28. Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
29. The Lost Prince of Samavia by Frances Hodgson Burnett
30. Sayonara, Mr. Fatty! by Toshio Okada
31. Agatha H and the Airship City: A Girl Genius Novel by Phil and Kaja Folio
32. Vampire Empire, Book One: The Greyfriar by Clay and Susan Griffith
33. Clamp Mokona's Okimono Kimono

Stitched:
1. Untitled (Once Upon a Time sampler) by Stitch Ideas Vol. 11