Tuesday's Typings...

Well, my 4:30am alarm went from a static radio noise to more of a human approach - DH basically annoyed me until I got up and left the bed. It worked - I'm up and spinning on the stationary bike - but feel bad that he has to get fully away at the bewitching hour to force me out...but I do appreciate it!

So, I got the camera all fired up this morning before I hopped on the bike to show you the status of pineapple:

With the pineapple fruit part stitched, I have moved down to the green leafy part at the bottom. Since a couple of the shades of green are so close, I think that part of my counting was wrong on a part I worked on over the weekend...but I will continue to stitch until I figure where I might have messed up. I have been highlighting the pattern as I go, but I think that I still am slightly off in the green area on the right hand side. We'll see what happens. Because the shades are so close in that area, I might be able to mask the area without it affecting the finished product...but you know how that goes. We are our worse enemy - wanting perfecting and seeing the mistakes that no one else sees, right?

While snapping a few photos this morning, I thought I would also show you the green fabric I purchased at Jo-Ann Fabrics last week to back the pineapple:

I thought this green batiky fabric was a really close match to the greens used in the top part of the pineapple as well as the leafy part on the bottom. I was thinking about finding something with pineapple, but I didn't see any pineapple prints at all. I did find some prints of other fruit that could represent some of the other fruit that we use in the fruit arrangements at the store (I don't know if I mentioned that I was making this for one of our cherished employees who has been out of town visiting her family for almost a month), but I didn't think that the banana patter or the orange one I found would really go well with what I stitched...figured simple is better for the pillow.

However, while rummaging through the fabrics I found this perfect print and purchased a 1/2 yard of it:

I love watermelon! It is the staple of my diet! When I first moved here, the first "friend" I made was Dianne the produce manager of our Safeway grocery store down the street. Seven years ago, it wasn't common to carry watermelon all year long; so after visiting with her watermelon started to show up more often in the store and I became known as the "watermelon lady".

Anyway, I am not sure what I will do with this fabric yet, but I have a finished stitched piece that has a watermelon on it which I have not done anything with...and I have several other watermelon patterns in my "to be stitched" box...maybe I will use this fabric to finish one of those projects off some day. In the mean time, I will enjoy looking at it while eating watermelon!

Ahhhh, it feels so good to be up and moving my body...spinning my legs and sweating. My head is now feeling clear and I am feeling more alert as this morning continues. I am sure that the sun will start to brighten the land, which I can watch from the window in front of me. They are talking of warming temps starting today, maybe even hitting 80 by Thursday. That would be a nice change. However, with the record amount of rain we have received which prolonged our spring here - the hills which started to take on their summer dry yellow color over the last few weeks have started to show a little shade of green again. Maybe the fire season will not be as bad this year.

Well, my friends it is time to wrap this up. I appreciate your visit and hope that you have a wonderful Tuesday! Take care and remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch often!

Lisa

Summertime is here...and new stash has arrived too!

As far as I am concerned, summer is here - as I define it's start with the boys out of school. Yesterday was their last day and as my previous post, we celebrated all the good things that came with its end (good grades, sports medals) with a take out meal while watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs (fun to see the sacred trophy handed to the youngest NHL team captain - Sidney Crosby).
Mother Nature hasn't decided that it is summer yet - as we have been starting the mornings here with a heavy cloud cover/foggy which comes in from the bay and sometimes doesn't burn off until early afternoon. The temps have been in the mid-60s to 70s. It really isn't too bad and I shouldn't complain, but thoughts of going to the pool next week aren't too exciting with cloud cover. Maybe things will change by Monday.

On the stitching side of things, I have been focused on stitching my Friendship Sampler RR and will be re-introducing that into the RR mail cycle. As I have been putting the finishing touches on my hearts to start this piece again, resentment creeps into my body when I think that my first RR is sitting in someone else's house (I have used the word "hostage" to explain this situation previously)...but as I will be putting in the last few stitches of the first hearts over the weekend, I will be able to "let go" of the resentment especially when it is all packaged up and on its way to Karen (the recipient of all my mailings for this RR). After my RR and Karin's RR are in the mail, next on my stitching list is to work on my L*K personal exchange I am doing with Heather - which is due in the mail on or before July 1. I have some ideas after reading her "wish" list...so that will be my start next week!

Well, I haven't been a saint when it has come to stash dieting lately. After 2 trips into my "not-so" LNS (one was Mother's Day, so I shouldn't count that as I believe that I deserved this gift, right?) and a couple of orders from 123stitch.com my stash has grown. However, some of the items I definitely needed - like the thread and patterns for the personal L*K exchange and the "big" L*K exchange . But is it is hard to rationize the other items I guess: both are from Little House Designs and have a watermelon theme. I eat a lot of watermelon - in fact at our local Safeway grocery store, they know me as the watermelon Lady. So, once I saw these I knew that I had to add them to my stash along with my L*K watermelon (July flip-it) and a few other watermelon themed designs. Crazy, huh? Oh well...








Anyway...first up - finish the RRs and get them in the mail. Next, work on Heather L*K exchange...then I should take out Hockey Rivalry (UFO) and stitch on that a little. Well, my plate is full so with that I will sign off now! Hope everyone has a good and productive summer weekend!
Remember - live, love, laugh and stitch often! Lisa