A framed finish and proof that there is a jinx

on Holiday Express..... just as I've suspected all along.


First, Here is Sawyer & Co in all it's framed glory. Such a fun little Americana style piece.




At the same time that I dropped this off, I dropped off Holiday Express. I didn't even take a picture of it since I was so sick of the whole saga. I was quite pleased with the frame and the prospect of how it would look, though. Then, last Saturday I got a call that my framing was finished. I never questioned that both pieces were finished. I gave my husband the receipts with the hopes that he'd be passing the shop during the week. He stopped yesterday and nobody seemed to know a single thing about Holiday Express! In fact, nobody could find it. It did turn up but with no explanation as to what was up. In defense of the shop owner, who has never done me wrong, she was not there yesterday. The girls assured him it would be done asap and with many apologies my husband left with just the single piece.


Alas, seeing Holiday Express in it's fully framed and completed glory was just not meant to be. Yet, anyway.


This afternoon we are off to visit another college campus about 2 hours west. Actually, in the same city that the Scholar attends school. Sadly, her move in day isn't until tomorrow. We'll be driving the same stretch of highway again in less then 24 hours.....


I'm crossing my fingers that one of these days I'll come home to a phone message that my framing is ready.....


The Queen Bee

Persistence.

Well, here's the newest background. It's not the one I want but we'll go with it. I'll try to fight the font color battle when Christmas backgrounds are in season.

I am currently reading The Passage by Justin Cronin. Where has this author been all my life? His character development is amazing. I know the book is going to get all sci fi on me but I think I'm going to be so into the characters I'm not going to care. It's not a book I would have ever picked up on my own but a fellow book lover recommended it. She feels the same way about what books she reads so I trusted her advice.


Anyhow, it's a long one. I'll let you know how it goes.


The Queen Bee

A new WIP

I felt it was time to start something new so I took a look in my basket and pulled out this pattern. I loved this La-D-Da pattern when it first came out so I bought it along with the recommended WDW fabric and NPS fibers. Song of the South was the very first movie I ever saw in the theatre. I understand all the controversy that surrounds the movie but that doesn't change the memories I have of the movie and the music.

Next, here is what I'm working on in my sewing room. This project was spread out along my ironing board when I set out to take the above picture so I snapped a quick picture.


There are 30 squares that make up the quilt. Currently I think I have 18 finished. I expect to finish the entire thing in the next week or two.

I will try to resist the temptation to change my background every week. This is the one I really wanted but was having trouble getting the font color so it could be read. We'll see how this works out.

(And clearly, if you had the misfortune of stopping by while I was messing with the background I'm not having any luck because currently there is no background.)

Until next time, I'm off. Thanks for stopping by.

The Queen Bee

The view out my front door

This afternoon I was walking along our road thinking that it was an absolutely beautiful day, so I came home and took a picture from my front porch. The weather man says we're done with hot and humid weather, which is music to my ears. It's always sad to close the pool and shut more and more windows and with days like this it's hard to imagine snow and wind is as close as 10 weeks away. First, though, is fall. Cool nights, apples for baking, pumpkins, home coming, spirit week, the list is long and makes my heart swell. I'll take the snow if it's what is required in order to have the kind of fall weather we have in Western New York. I'll be sure to take more pictures just in case it's not something you get to experience.

While I don't have any stitching to show, I've been shopping and dreaming. I have big plans. First, though, the Scholar returns to school in a week, new clothes and shiny new shoes need to be purchased. The Boy Wonder will begin his senior year in less then 3 weeks. Buttercup and I will sit thru Freshman orientation biding our time until they hand out the class schedules. Hard to be sad about the change in seasons when we have all this to look forward to.

Coming soon..... a new start and some framed finishes.

Until then, I'm off.

The Queen Bee

Another project done

I am starting to sound like a broken record, but here goes another story of how a project got started years ago only to resurface this summer. Just over 6 years ago a favorite quilt shop offered a table runner of the month program. Each month another kit showed up in my mailbox for a seasonal table runner. I started off keeping pace with the mailman but then one thing or another happened and they fell to the way side. We moved, built our house (in that order) and I didn't have a functioning sewing room for a full year. Which doesn't exactly explain how this kit languished in my 'waiting' pile for 5 more years but I can't really offer a believable excuse so I'm deflecting from that by telling you we moved a few times in a short period of time.


In my quest to complete anything older then my house, here is November's table runner. I finished it last week. Now I only have December's to get after. And, by operating under my theory that anything older then my house must be finished, we moved into our partially constructed house on December 23rd.... and it was December that I received that kit so maybe it's not older then the house and I don't have to finish it any time soon!



What a relief. It's all in how you look at it.



The Queen Bee

The final vacation projects

Last night I finished this quick little Lizzie Kate piece. Nice glare on the pattern... sorry. When I snapped the picture then looked at it on the camera that wasn't there, naturally.


I stitched these little cuties while on vacation. They'll make nice little ornaments.

Now my 'waiting to be finished' pile is back to a normal size. One of these days I'll go on another finishing kick and take care of this latest flurry of projects.

I'm off.

The Queen Bee

The list keeps getting longer

Once upon a time my husband and I owned some residential rental property. With each and every tenant we'd learn something new we needed to add to the lease. It was only a matter of time before that thing looked like a scroll we'd have to unroll across the table. It was always... give an inch, they'd take a mile. Or, if something was simply never mentioned it MUST be OK!

The same seems to hold true with our rules for kids living semi out of the house.

First came the fish. Not even the Scholar's fish. She inherited him. One of her suite mates got one along with a girl from another floor. One day she brought her fish down to my daughter's suite and said: here, he scares me. So, at Thanksgiving the fish came home to stay until school resumed at the end of January. While in residence, we put him in our little tank and he seemed to be enjoying life. So much so, that when he went back to school the suite mates thought he was a new fish. Really, it was just proper feeding and clean water. He stayed at school until it let out in the spring and now he's mine. I said he needed to go back in the fall and be given to the girls that move into the suite he occupied last year. Like: here, this fish goes with the suite. Now, on my rule list is... 'don't bring home any living creatures'.




Next, the more shocking rule. Who knew I'd have to have a rule that says..... come home with basically the same hair you left with? That rule isn't perfected yet because I know, from my landlording days, there are way too many open windows in that sentence. (Hey Robin.... quit laughing. I'm feeling for you. Isn't it true, though? Who knew we needed a rule like that?)

The Scholar and the Boy Wonder returned Friday, in time for supper, without all the hair ONE OF THEM LEFT WITH. My speechless reaction was... well... I don't even know what to say still. It just wasn't what I expected. Some one's 'hair' brained idea led to all the boys getting buzzed last Sunday BEFORE the campers came. Boy, I'll tell you.... I don't think I'd be a happy parent dropping my kids off at camp finding a bunch of freshly shaven counselors!



That boy has awesome hair, too. Soft and smooth and red. When he was little he'd ask for a buzz cut in the beginning of summer. I couldn't do it. I'd have the barber cut it real short but leave a little length on the top. Hope he's worked that out of his system because we have years ahead of us of college life.

So, life goes on.

The Queen Bee

A 2 fer

2 projects for the price of one picture.

Today's post includes a picture with 2 projects. First, on my recent vacation, I started and completed LHN's Rose Sampler. It's on top of the little travel bag made to match. This will be an easy piece to finish and apply to the bag. I'm just not sure if it goes on the front or the back. I think on the front. That way the cute little bead and the stitching will show. The second project in this picture is a table runner I finished last summer. It happens to be on the table and maybe not in my album. I've become a true slacker when it comes to keeping my album up to date. I really need to take some time and post pictures in there.

While on vacation, I finished this Philippa Gregory book. I liked this series about the Tudor period. Even though they're fiction, there is a lot of accurate information about King Henry's reign. Also, the details of court life are fascinating. Most of us can't imagine living with the threat of death that people lived under in those days. While the books are loooong, the stories are interesting and not smutty.... as I was advised they were. (And, NOT, why I chose to read them, I might add!)

Funny vacation story..... we visit the same location several times a year so have become familiar with other folks in the area. Initially, Buttercup and I went alone and were joined by my husband on Sunday. On our last night when returning from dinner out I spotted a neighbor that I hadn't seen yet during this visit. We'd only met briefly last spring but their kitchen window overlooks our parking spot so they see more of us then we do of them. My husband went to open our front door for our daughter prior to joining our neighbor and I as we stood chatting on the front sidewalk. My neighbor said: I thought that was you but that isn't your husband, is it? I said, that yes, indeed, it was my husband. A few minutes later she popped into her house to grab something and I heard her yell to her own husband... 'yes, it is her husband'! We are still chuckling over that. What did she think I did.... pick some guy up at the beach half way thru my vacation?! Too funny. (Even funnier if you know us!)

Hope everyone is enjoying the final stretch of summer.

I have one more vacation finish to photograph and post.

Until then, I'm off.

The Queen Bee