Today's Post is Brought to You...

...by the letter M.

...for migraine! Ugh!

It's not so bad now as it was earlier at work.

I was wondering why Google has been sponsoring Sesame Street characters on their home page since the weekend and then I realized it's the 40th anniversary of it's creation. I *loved* Sesame Street! I wonder if watching it so much as a kid made me grouchy! I liked Oscar...

Now I have no reason to watch Sesame Street now but I've heard all the changes that have been made to make things more politically and socially correct...and that kind of makes me sad! It's no longer the Sesame Street it was when I was a kid. But what can you do.

*The boy* and I have been having a lot of emotional relationship talks which have been very draining on me. Which means I haven't been crafting as much and I haven't the energy to come up with anything fantastically witty.

Maybe tomorrow...we're doing a city outing...I only hope the rain holds off.

Until next time...

De Basura a Tresoro #2

It's time for De Basura a Tresoro...from junk to treasure...adopt my stuff...save it from Goodwill drawing. If you remember, last week I posted the butterfly key ring holder and I had 4 comments requesting adoption. I had *the boy* pick a name from ones I threw in a bowl and he picked Sharon/Daffycat!

Congratulations! I hope that you enjoy this treasure from Nicaragua! Please send me an email with your snail mail addy and I'll get it to you as soon as *the boy* can hobble to the post office.

The next treasure is umm...a little weird I think. It's a wooden chicken. Yep, that's right a chicken. It's not a bad looking chicken or anything. I just think it's weird that this is what my mom stuffed into a suitcase to bring to me as a souvenir. Really? Mom? A wooden chicken? She says she bought it for my kitchen and I can see this in a country style house/kitchen. But I live in an Spanish style apartment building and my kitchen is seriously, like 3' x 6'. It's a tiny kitchen...def. no room for Mr. BokBok. But maybe someone out there can find a use for Mr. Bokbok or finds him endearing.

Front View...
Side View...

If you'd like to adopt Mr. BokBok, please leave a message on this post only and I will do the drawing next Monday, 11/16 at 10pm PST.

Mondays...yuk! My saving grace is that this is a holiday week. Thank you Veteran's! Hope everyone had a good Monday!

Until next time...

Sundays

Ugh...I have a case of the Sundays!

On Fridays, I am very TGIF! Party, party...martini guzzling.

On Sundays, I am very "Noooooo, tomorrow can't be Monday. Stop the clock...I don't want to go back to work" and kind of get into a funk.

I hate Mondays...mainly because work has been incredibly tedious this year.

Sooo...today wasn't very productive. Slept in, went to farmer's market, had breakfast out, ran a couple of errands and then tried not to fall asleep on the couch. I was barely successful. Stitched a bit, sewed a bit but seriously not enough to show. So this is the most boring post ever.

*The boy* is asking to watch a movie so I'm off to see what On Demand holds for us. Best to make the most of the week. He's off to RI again at the end of the week.

Until next time...

Birthday Scarf

After martinis last night, I felt really tired and I knit but not as much as I wanted to because I soon went into a vodka-induced haze.

*The boy's* mom's birthday is Monday. To be honest...I thought it was Tuesday this whole time and I already knew I was running behind. I didn't know I was running *that* behind!! I woke up early and knit, knit, knit until the scarf was done.

A couple of weeks ago, I realized the mom's birthday was coming up and suggested to *the boy* that I make her an Isis scarf. It's cold back east and I love scarves and I made myself an Isis scarf about 4 years ago and it's my favorite. So *the boy* picked out the colorway and I bought the yarn and cast on. Here is my Isis scarf on the left and the mom's Isis Scarf on the right. As you can see, the mom's scarf is healthier than mine. It's wider and just as long. This is because I cast on too many stitches and used needles one size too big...all by mistake...because I couldn't remember. Dammit! When I said I would rip it, *the boy* said no because his mom would want a wider scarf to begin with so he bought more yarn. Normally, this scarf should knit up with just one skein. I hope that the next Isis scarf I make goes more smoothly!
Here is a closeup of the colorway. It's a colorful combination of oranges, rusts, pinks and golds.
I hope *the boy's* mom likes her birthday present!

Note to self: buy one of those stitchy journals so I can look at important cast on/needle size details instead of relying on my deteriorating memory!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Saturday. After the trip to the post office to get the scarf out and a yummy Indian lunch, we paid a visit to see Claire and Baby Andre and run a couple of errands. I, of course, forgot my camera. Read: deteriorating memory. Oh well... Tomorrow is a mish mash of craftiness and other stuff.

Have a great Sunday!

Until next time...

TGIF!!!

Hi folks! TGIF!! Ugh, you have no idea. So happy! After *the boy* remembered to pick me up (he says car trouble) and we ran a couple of errands, I came back home to this!
Yum! *slurp, slurp, slurp*

Short post today...almost ready for second martini and I must finish scarf for boy's mom tonight! OMG...the pressure. At least I remember to cast off now...thanks to the internets.

Have a wonderful Saturday!!

288 Days

After 288 days, Dr. House finally said *the boy* can walk unassisted! To say he was ecstatic and I am relieved is an understatement. This has felt like a lost year and he's ready to basically start over for reals this time. Get a job, get a place, have fun and give me back a little space. Me? I'm looking forward to some space and a "normal" dating relationship. I hope it all happens fast! So tired of being patient and playing the "wait and see" card!

Just so happy he can walk normally. 288 days!!! That's a long time! Thanks to everyone who extended good thoughts and healing mojo and put up with my crankiness and whining throughout. Seriously...so appreciated!

To celebrate, we went to San Mateo Prime for a wonderful steak dinner. I am stuffed!! This little restaurant serves out food that is on the same level as House of Prime Rib in the city...without the panache. Salad...yum! Steak...yum! Sides...Yum! Desserts...those can use some work but you're there for steak anyways. The best part is I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I *love* leftovers!

Sushi crawl yesterday got cancelled at the last minute. One of my co-workers forgot he had a meeting after work. So bummed! We were both looking forward to it. Instead we just grabbed a quick meal, suffered from food coma and I stitched half-heartedly on my exchange. Finally done with the stitching and will put it aside for a week before doing the assembly. I always dread the finishing part!

Short post today. The extra yarn for *the boy's* mom's scarf arrived so I better get working on that. Off to knit!

Until next time...

Sushi Crawl?

Apparently the masses voted in our favor last night! Yay! Still don't know to what extent the budget cuts will be though since tax revenue will not be seen until April so there's still a little ways to go. It's good that our measures only needed majority...only 9% of the city's population went out to vote! That's kind of sad.

I'll be out of the house all day so no fun crafty pictures. Still working on gifts and I am getting antsy for some selfish stitching. But I will hold strong. I don't have much more to do. I've realized it's hard to juggle three craft forms...stitching, knitting and sewing. With stitching...I'm dying to start a project just for me! With knitting...I sometimes struggle with cast on amount and having enough yarn and did I mention I can't even remember to cast off?! Yea...go me! lol And for sewing...well, it's lots of fun but whereas I was ahead of the game two weeks ago, now I'm behind! Looks like I'll be working on pj pants more often than not for the rest of the week. Wait til you see my fabric! I love it!
Tonight is sushi crawl. A couple of co-workers invited me and *the boy* out for a night of sushi. *The boy* is craving it and I can always use healthy protein. The point of sushi crawl is that you go to three or four places and pick their specialty. One japanese restaurant might be known for their noodles, the other for sashimi and the next for rolls. And we can't forget the japanese dessert place...there are two nearby. One is strictly japanese donuts and the other is full of crepes and japanese centric desserts. I'm looking forward to it! Especially the dessert part! So I'm getting this post in now since I might be in food coma later!!

Tomorrow is *the boy's* follow up with the doctor. We are hoping this is the final doctor's appointment and that Dr. House (as we fondly call him) says *the boy* can walk unassisted because his leg is finally fully healed. He is currently using a cane. You guys have the best healing mojo and kind thoughts so please think good thoughts for him.

For those who sent good thoughts for my sister's surgery, thank you so much! Her surgery was successful! They did the lumpectomy and tested her nearby glands and they came back clear. Thank goodness. She does have to do a round of radiation...something like 25 straight days for 15 minutes a day that doesn't sound pleasant but it sounds like she will be ok. We are very thankful for that.

Go out and enjoy the day!

Until next time...

So Many Topics

So today is supposed to be Tuesday Stitchy Night but I will forgo that tonight because even though I'm getting some stitching done, it's minimal and for an exchange which means no pictures.

With NaBloPoMo, I feel pulled in a lot of directions...topics to talk about and I don't want to tell you everything all at once because, you know, I need to be sure to have enough to talk about to fill 30 posts. Not to mention *the boy* likes the idea of being a guest on the blog and rattled off a short list of topics at me at 7am...when I was still trying to wake up. Be thankful I saved you from his quarter idea. He's all upset that he got stuck with a Canadian quarter and how back East, folks would accept the Canadian Quarter without question as payment but how here, in California, vendors all look at him crazy and think that he's trying to rip them off...of 25 cents. Apparently East Coasters are cool in this scenario and us West Coasters suck. Whatever...move on...get over it.

But I do have to say that sometimes...*the boy* is a big dork. On Sunday, he went to Walgreens to look for something and came back acting all suspicious and secretive. When I asked him what was up, he said he had a surprise and showed me this. This!
I can't believe he brought this home but apparently he thought that since it was 80% off, it was just such a deal. Now, I love Snoopy...but a Snoopy Pumpkin?! What is the world coming too?!

The next day, *the boy* went back to Walgreens to return the things he had bought the day before. I was hoping he'd return the Snoopy Pumpkin but something about at 80% off, it was a final sale. Again, he came with another surprise for me. I was scared!! What if he brought back a Woodstock Squash? I mean, what am I supposed to do with that? But fear not, it was not a Woodstock Squash...it was a nice trio of lined baskets. I was surprised! I liked them and they go with my living room decor.
Yes, *the boy* did good. But then it became clear. He thinks my coffee table/futon area aka stitchy corner is a little out of hand. See for yourself! This doesn't include the area to the side of the futon where I pile my wips.
So I'm to reorganize using the baskets for my stitchy stuff so that the coffee table doesn't look like a tornado hit it. It's a good idea. Maybe, it might make things easier to find since they'll be in "Valerie" baskets he wont touch. Now, he piles all his crap on top of my stuff and I'm always "where is....?"

So apparently, some scary stuff and some cool stuff can be found at Walgreens. I just go there for toiletries and stuff.

It's getting late here and I am anxiously awaiting what the election outcome will be. I hope that everyone went out to vote even if there wasn't any huge stuff on the ballot. For the city I work for, there were hotel and sales tax increases on the ballot. Approving the increases would mean that city services would be safe. Not approving would mean reduced services, brown outs of fire engines, less police officers, furloughs and possibly layoffs. I wonder what the voters decided and what this means for my future job stability. One can only hope that things turn out ok.

I hope you all have a great night...time for me to put some more stitches into my exchange.

Until next time...

De Basura a Tresoro

A while ago, I had mentioned getting some items as gifts from relatives in Nicaragua that I wasn't really into. In August, I did my butterfly adoption and the idea seemed popular so I'm moving forward with this and calling it De Basura a Tresoro which is Spanish for "From Junk to Treasure". Or it can also be "Save My Stuff from the Goodwill!". You can call it whatever, the end result is the same. I think I will try to put one thing up each Monday in November and the winner will be announced the following Monday. That gives the item one week to hopefully find a new owner that will treasure the item. All items are new. All items are from Nicaragua. You wouldn't find any of these things in the US unless someone from Nicaragua shipped it here for their own relatives or to sell in a bodega.

The first item is a wooden key ring holder with an aluminum plate with a butterfly and flower on it. The main colors are shades of orange, green, yellow and silver. It's meant to be hung on a wall and has two little key hooks on the bottom. The size is 4" x 8" so it's not that big. I think this is cute. I don't have any use for a hanging key holder especially since I live in a 1930's building with original plaster walls. My lease says no holes in the plaster so I hang all my art with heavy duty fishing line and moulding hooks. Sounds weird, huh? It's actually kind of cool but requires a certain amount of effort that I won't exert for this little key holder.
Excuse the plastic...pillow is not included! Item will be shipped the cheapest way possible and may take me a couple of days to ship depending on schedule and on-hand shipping supplies.

If you're interested, please post a comment being really specific that you want to be entered for the adoption/giveaway. I'm pretty dense otherwise and apt to get all confused! If there is more than one person, I will pick at random or have *the boy* do it if he's around and announce the winner next Monday, November 9th at 11pm PST.

Until next time...

NaBloPoMo Begins!

Well, I decided to bite the bullet and sign up for NaBloPoMo for November. If you're interested, there's still time to sign up and post. Just click the button on my sidebar!

I wonder how well I will do with blogging everyday but I wanted to try and having my IRL buddy, AM as motivational support will really help too.

I'm a pretty shy and quiet person...which people don't generally think from my writing style. Behind the computer...I can be a super chatty girl but in person, I'm pretty shy especially around big groups. It's amazing I was such a crazy serial dater! This blog isn't so much about dating and crazy Match.com encounters now as it was when it was first launched. Now, it's more about making connections with like-minded people and seeking advice and opinions on things and methods I am passionate about...mainly stitching nowadays. So when I asked for some input and advice about floor stands a little while ago, never did I think I had a floor stand fairy out in blogland...but I did. I was pleasantly surprised by an offer of a no longer used original Gazelle. I gratefully accepted and look what landed on my doorstep this week!! Even more shocking is that my floor stand fairy, waved her wand and got it out to me while she was hosting her huge and amazing Halloween giveaway. God knows she was busy juggling that!
There was some serious happy dancing and huge smiles when I got this sucker assembled...which was easy once my apartment manager came by with the right size allen wrench! This is perfect! I can't wait to mount a BAP on it. I would love to do it now but am buried under gift crafting at the moment. Thank you so much to my wonderful floor stand fairy!

I hope that everyone had a happy and safe Halloween. *The boy* landed back into SFO and we headed into the city to watch Nosferatu at Davies. Davies is the local symphony hall so a horror movie in the realm of a world-renowned classical music venue is odd to begin with but since the movie is a silent film, the orchestra will play the accompaniment. With this movie, the main instrument was the Ruffatti organ with some cool percussion sound effects. It was an interesting movie..I had never watched it before but it's one of those one time is enough type of movies for me. I love the organ though. It was funny to see people dressed up in costume at the Symphony Hall!

Today was a breakfast at home type of day with some fresh coffee and homemade blueberry muffins. Yum! I had decided to be a nice girlfriend and bake *the boy's* favorite pastry yesterday for his arrival.
The rest of the day was farmer's market (forgot my blasted camera!) and the supermarket.

In between, I've been crafting. I'm making a birthday scarf for *the boy's* mom. I think I got the pattern wrong...at least the cast on amount wrong. I've remembered why I don't knit as much anymore...it can be frustrating! As I kept knitting, I noticed the yarn dwindling but the length not growing enough to become scarf worthy. I think I cast on 4 stitches too many! But *the boy* likes the width of the scarf so I've ordered more yarn so I can finish up the scarf. I hope it arrives quickly as the birthday is next Monday and needs to be shipped. I also have the problem of not remembering how in the world to cast off. Looks like I'll be pulling my Knitting for Dummies book off the shelf or checking YouTube! lol

And besides the scarf, I've been stitching away on my exchange. So no crafty snaps yet.

Happy November everyone...can you believe it?! This year is flying!

Until next time...erm...tomorrow!

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Nights

Ack...I've spent the entire evening tidying up before the housecleaner arrives for my bi-weekly appointment to find out she's been told to take it easy due to her pregnancy. I'm happy for her but I could have been stitching for the last couple of hours. So time to sit back and relax and try to catch up on gift and exchange deadlines.

I don't have much to report. Yesterday was my long day because of sewing class and I came home and prepped some yarn to start a birthday present. Today was my yearly physical where I got a bill of good health with some borderline high blood pressure which will resolve itself with less stress, more yoga and walking and taking some time to relax and take some nice, big breaths. Seems manageable. Since the doctor's office is across the street from a Joann's I haven't been to yet, I went in and found some fun skulls and guitars flannel for pj pants. Trust me...much cuter and funky than it sounds. It wasn't what I was originally was looking for but each time I looked at the print, I smiled and knew I had to take it home with me...plus they had 3 yards available for sale. Woo!

And as promised, here's my 11 inches of boy scarf. I think I'll have to block this at the end since it's not as straight as I'd like. I also messed up the pattern in 2 spots already but thankfully, this pattern is really forgiving and you can only tell if you look really closely. We'll see if my OCD kicks in and I frog it to start over. Yes, I might because I am a crazy perfectionist that doesn't let yarn get the better of me. Damn yarn!! But for now, I don't have the time to deal with it. I've got exchanges and gifts to work on!

I noticed that NaBloPoMo is next month. A part of me really wants to see if I can do it. Will I stress myself out? Will I come up for yawner things to talk about to make the goal? Will I bore you all to tears and you run away screaming and never come back? Do I really even have that much to talk about? *The boy* might have to give me fodder...cuz God knows he talks enough for like 10 people...at least. Most of it's boring political and financial stuff though. Ugh! Never mind...won't use *the boy* for fodder. Maybe I'll make him play photographer? Are any of you playing along with NaBloPoMo too. Well, if I play along, I hope I don't bore you guys to tears!

Happy Tuesday folks...I'm off to make a cup of tea and work on my exchange.

Until next time...

Not as Stitch-Ass as I Had Hoped

I think it's hysterical that some of you wished that I got a good case of stitch-ass from my "all crafting" weekend via the comments.

I didn't have as stitchy a weekend as I had hoped. I've got about 11 inches of boy scarf done...and I managed to start the piece for my upcoming exchange. I went to the LNS and found the things I needed and the FYS to check out yarn and write down some scarf patters. And I even made it to Joann's where I found a fun fabric to make pj pants but you know what...it's throws a wrench into things when you find a print you really like and you need 3 yards and there is only 2.25 yds left on the bolt. They told me that the Colma Joann's (about 15 minutes away) had 4 yards so I race there. It is amazing how crazy the Colma store is compared to my Joann's. What the heck!! But what they didn't tell me at the other store was that the Colma store had 4 yards but combined on 2 different bolts. By that time, I just wanted to lay down. Because despite being semi-productive...I wasn't as productive as I wanted to be and I attribute it to one thing.

Last month, I decided to stop taking my birth control pill for a lot of reasons (not because I want a kid!) but mainly because it was making me super hormonal and not in a good way. So after a year of being on this specific pill, I had my first womanly time of the month or whatever you want to call it and I was dizzy and flat out lethargic. Whoa...kind of forgot what a normal period was like too...cramping and all that other stuff. The pill took care of that not to mention knowing the precise moment it was coming. Looks like my body has to readjust. Why it had to happen on crafty weekend, I have no idea!?

Tomorrow, I'll show you my 11 inches of scarf. I haven't touched Newton and the exchange has to remain a secret...for now.

Hope you all had a great weekend with your own version of stitch-ass.

Until next time...

Courtesy of *the Boy*

Happy Friday everyone! Oh my, am I looking forward to the moment 5pm rolls around. For some reason the song "School's Out For Summer" just popped into my head. Yea, I guess I feel like that except it's more like "Work's Out For Weekend"! Woo!

I'm stuck at work and I don't have my camera to share anything fun with you all but *the boy* sent me some photos so this post is courtesy of *the boy*. Remember, he's back in Rhode Island at the moment and everywhere else but here, there's Autumn where the leaves turn beautiful colors. I'm amazed by the bright orange, red and yellow leaves. It's stunning what nature can provide. Just wish we would see a little but of this here in SF. Hope you enjoy...


I have an all craft weekend planned. Stitching, knitting and sewing. I am planning on making a pitstop at my LNS, NiaH and my FYS (favorite yarn shop), Imagiknit. I think because Newton is just plain annoying me, I've decided to tackle a little knitting...not to mention I drool over everything I see Staci knit and thus have become a little inspired. I cast on to knit *the boy* a scarf I was supposed to make him last year. Nothing too hard...just a nice texture-y basketweave type pattern. Once patterns have psso and yo and mk in the pattern and require a counter...I get a little frazzled. This will be perfect. I found a pattern online for another texture-y scarf I might make for myself. Just want to scope out yarn at Imagiknit and see what my options might be. But right now, I am really enjoying the knitting!

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend filled with something that makes you happy!

Until next time...

Gigi Est Fini

Well, after posting last night, I found the perfect position on the futon in order for me to bead and see the invisible thread. Yep, I'm stubborn and kept using the stuff...mainly because the beads are scattered about in empty space. So I got a decent amount done last night and then knew I could finish today. Gigi is finished and I am *so* happy!! Here she is! The photo is a little dull since it's taken under artificial light. (photo is clickable)

Letter G (Gwendolyn renamed "Gigi") by Nora Corbett
32 count Ray of Light Belfast
Recommended Crescent Colors and Embellishments

I am super happy to be finished with Gigi. I even figured out how to stitch on the Mill Hill Treasure. Thank goodness for the Mirabilia Yuku board...they are full of great ideas and tips! Now I wonder what Nora's Letter V will look like when released...what's taking so long! It's supposed to be the next letter!

Also, I received my SBBC birthday exchange from Judith in the Netherlands today. She stitched me a Spring design and made it into a quilted project pocket. It's very cute!! She also sent a couple of healthy cuts of linen which will definitely come in handy. Thanks Judith!

Now that Gigi is done, Newton will become the primary focus. I also have to get started on an exchange and start knitting a scarf. At least that's the plan. Things change, I get sidetracked...you know how that is! I'm hoping Newton will get interesting soon...still just a big white blob on light yellow fabric. You can understand why I'm still not sharing photos on him!!

Well, better get cracking! These gifts aren't going to make themselves. Have a great rest of the week!

Until next time...

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Night

Well, this will be a rather boring post. I don't have anything too exciting to say or show. I'm frustrated with my projects because one is taking me forever to bead and the other is pretty boring and really not all that interesting to look at in it's present state. Not to mention, I kind of have those "stomp all over it and throw it out of the window" feelings about it. *sigh*

I do have to report on my TUSAL jar though. Not the best picture but it's getting full! Letter G has really helped fill up the jar a little. Before he left, *the boy* bought me these little pumpkins and gourds and so here they sit helping to decorate the jar on my little bookshelf!
I wanted to say thanks to everyone who gave me their floor stand opinions and info. It is ever helpful. And to those who are keeping my sister in their thoughts and prayers, it's so appreciated. More than you know. I had forgotten to say that her MRI results came back and it basically showed that the cancer was contained and there was no spread. Relatively good news, I think. Her surgery for her lumpectomy is next Monday. Please keep those good thoughts coming!! :)

And seriously, if you haven't visited Missy Ann for her 13 Days of Halloween yet, go now!! She's got lots of spooky fun up her sleeve!

Ok, I'm off to bead or stitch or maybe even stomp on Newton. We'll see what the outcome is.

Have a great week!

Until next time...

13 Days of Halloween Starts Today!

Missy's 13 Days of Halloween Starts Today. Go check it out and see what ghoulishness fun she's planned for us!

I Totally Forgot...

...what a PITA it is to attach beads on with "invisible" thread! Wow, I think the last time I beaded anything, other than the trim on an ornament, was a couple of years ago. I'm at the beading part of Gigi and on Wednesday night I was so excited because I thought that maybe...just maybe, I'd finish Gigi that night. Whoa...was I wrong! It took me a couple of hours to attach about 30 beads! And I had to get all the tricks out...lap stand, Mighty Bright light, magnifier plus turning on all the "flood lights" in the living room. Yep, still couldn't see a damn thing. And this is how far I got. She'll be the focus tomorrow when I have the time to stitch during daylight hours.
So, since I had to put Gigi on hold, I've been stitching on Newton. He is basically a complete restart and since I decided to start with boring Blanc this time, I don't have an interesting enough picture. Newton is for my friend Claire who actually had the baby yesterday! Welcome to the world Baby Andre! And Happy Birthday to both of them! Baby Andre was born on Claire's Birthday so they both share the same happy day. And thus, I am super behind on this baby announcement project! I need to haul ass on this.

Well, if you've gotten this far, I am once again looking at floor stands. I really want to buy myself a streamlined recliner (i.e. small and non-poufy) and a floor stand so that maybe I can stitch more comfortably and faster. After a quick search, the Artisan Designs (Gazelle and Ergo) and the StitchMate floor stands stand out to me. If anyone has or had either of these, I'd appreciate hearing the good or the bad. The Artisan Designs stands seem a little more cost effective than the StitchMate so I am leading towards that but am willing to spend the money on the StitchMate if it's a superior product. Let me know your thoughts!!

Well, it's time to haul my laundry downstairs and to my parents so I can multi-task my visit. Parents to visit, laundry to wash...it's a two-fer and yes...I know I sound like I'm still in college but be soothed in the fact that I actually do my laundry...not my mom. With only one washer and dryer in the building for 21 units, it's tough getting dibs on the laundry room here!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday...go out and enjoy!

Until next time...

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Night

Wow, what a week it has been! I am feeling pretty run down and lethargic. Truly as lazy and slow as a slug. So much so that I gave myself a mental health day yesterday and I slept the entire morning away!

The weekend was a blur. I had yet again procrastinated in my sewing class and left things to the last minute. Why, oh why, do I do that?! So, for most of the weekend, I was stressed about sewing my project. Saturday, I spent the majority of the afternoon sewing my samples so I could turn them in for grading and get caught up. That was all relatively easy. Once I finished, I got ready to meet up with Claire and AM. AM was in town and treating me and Claire to dinner for our birthdays. Mine was the 1st and Claire's is the 16th. We decided to try Zazie in Cole Valley. Little French bistro that gets rave reviews. To be honest, I forget all about Cole Valey. It's a tiny 3 block quaint neighborhood hidden amongst the huge houses of Cole Valley and Ashbury Heights. Everything was delicious and superbly done. We had a leisurely 2.5 hour dinner spent eating and catching up and we weren't hurried in any way by the waitstaff. That's always nice. We left happy and by the time I got home, I had to lie down and go to sleep...so heavy was my food coma.

Sunday woke to a new day and I headed to Absinthe for brunch with another friend. Hayes Valley was hosting a Union Designer Faire and so I went to take a look around and found a wonderful tote that I have been trying to resist for months. I love the color of it...a wonderful burnt orange...just perfect for Fall! I had to cut the fun short (plus it was freezing for an outdoor fair!!) though since I had to go back home to sew. I think I spent more time restitching things and pulling my fabric from the "teeth" of the machine than actually sewing! Serious battle of the wills with the Singer machine! Ugh! So frustrating. I was all worried I wouldn't have time to finish my tee by the Monday night deadline! I was kind of right. By 10pm, I was beat and in need of a siesta on the futon so I stopped for the night. By that point, I only had sleeve hems and bottom hem to sew up. I finished those up during my "mental health" day and was able to model it for my sewing class last night. It's a basic 3/4 sleeve purple crewneck tee. It doesn't make much of a statement but seeing as I've never used a machine before the beginning of September, this is a huge accomplishment. I actually made a wearable piece of clothing! Mind you, it's far from perfect. I sometimes have problems sewing a straight line and it's a little too big in the sides but that doesn't matter much as this will be added to my sleep attire and who cares what I wear to sleep provided I don't get cold in the middle of the night. So the tee was a success...next project...pajama pants!

Here's an impromptu pic of my tee and new tote.


Last week was mentally draining so my stitching (and sewing) suffered. I'm close to finishing Letter G (Gigi) so I won't take a picture. Just a little more backstitching and all the beading left to do. I've been on a one project kick which I know gets boring for you guys in blogland.

Some exciting news...the final QFRR finally landed to its original home last Friday! Yay! In 13 months, it has travelled within the US, Canada, New Zealand and the UK. This piece of fabric is more well-travelled than I am! A huge thanks to Edgar for inviting me into the RR and for stitching on it as well as a thanks to Wendy, Carol R., Rowyn and Donna. I love it!

Quaker Style Friendship Sampler by Samplers and Such
36 ct. Lakeside Linens Vintage Light Examplar
Belle Soie Creme de Menthe & Gloriana Birch Brown (1 over 2)

Now to decide what to do with it. I am still going with my gut feeling of turning it into a small pillow for the bedroom. The colors coincide with the ones on my duvet. Now just curious if I do it myself or send it off to be finished. Decisions, decisions.

Well, that's about it for today. This week, I hope to finish Gigi, start Newton again and maybe, possibly start on a scarf. That's assuming I can find my knitting needles...they're around here somewhere!

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend and best wishes for a calm week.

Until next time...

What a Fright!

Thanks to everyone for their good thoughts and wishes for my sister. She gets her MRI results on Monday. Best to have a nice weekend and not worry too much. I have high hopes!

Last night I had a pounding migraine...the kind that feels like your head is a bottle rocket and about to shoot off at any moment. There was no way any sewing would be getting done since I'm still battling with the machine. So...comfies, ice, excedrin and a little wine eventually made things bearable. I picked up Letter G to work a little more on her perch and wings. I got a little thirsty and managed to spill water all over the project because I had forgotten to screw on the top to the water bottle. I went into a panic! Everyone knows Crescent Colors floss isn't colorfast. I was freaking out about the colors bleeding and hit it really fast with the hairdryer. Thankfully...Letter G came out unscathed from her shower but what a fright. I was having visions flash before my eyes about having to start over. Here's where I left off at the end of the night. I figured the shower was an omen that I should be sleeping instead of stitching.

Here's where she is right now. She's hard to put down. I should *really* be sewing instead of stitching. I wonder if I can resist her call tonight. Almost done...Just need to stitch the fairy, finish the wings, do a little backstitching and then the beading.
Letter G is for *the boy's* niece. I bought the supplies late last year and at this point, it'll probably be a christmas present. He'll pay for the framing and I am thinking about using this piece as a "guinea pig" to see how framing from Jill Rensel will come out. I see her do amazing things with framing and everyone raves. Plus, since it's for a little girl, I think handpainted mats will be a cute touch for her.

Well, boring stuff to finish up...more later!

Until next time...

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Night

I'm feeling out of sorts today. Don't really feel like stitching. I think it's because I had one of those days. The ones where you wake up with the alarm but fall back asleep and wake up 10 minutes before you are supposed to be at work. The kind that start with no coffee...the one thing you are completely dependent on to wake up. The kind where you're stuck in an all morning meeting with folks that kind of drive you batty and the kind where you get some scary and unsettling news.

It also doesn't help that *the boy* left last night...while I was at sewing class...wondering why I was there instead of at the airport. I'm sad...but I'm also relieved. I am super tired. I need some time to myself. I need to be a hermit but I also have this "party, party, party" feeling too. See...full of contradictions. Perhaps that means I don't know what I want.

Scary news...this makes me want to be a hermit but also makes me want to hop on a plane. See...contradictions. I received an email from my sister letting me know that she had a lump biopsy test positive for cancer. She (and the doctors) think that the lump is small enough that she can have a lumpectomy done and a short course of radiation to be rid of it. I am rather surprised. Cancer isn't really in our family history...let alone breast cancer. I suppose we were all safe but it's just a lesson that no one is really safe from anything. Her MRI is this week. I wish I could be with her and help out but things sound relatively ok that I'll just sit, hope and pray for the best. I'd appreciate some good thoughts sent her way too.

So, I think my out of sorts feelings are justified?

I haven't stitched much since my last Letter G progress report. I've made it to the fairy and as I suspected...those quarter stitches are kind of a pain. Hard to see and such. But she's a small fairy and should be relatively painless. This week will be sewing focused as my 1st project is due Monday and as you can imagine, I am very behind! Working on sewing stuff for 5 hours on Sunday didn't get me very ahead and I managed to stick myself in the wrist with a straight pin (only me!) and get an awful bruise. Who says sewing isn't a dangerous sport...ermm...I mean hobby?!

And a quick heads up. Some folks liked my "butterfly family adoption" idea to save items from going to the Goodwill. My parents returned from their four month trip to Nicaragua with some interesting finds that are not quite my style. I'm pretty minimalistic about things and after 34 years have accumulated quite a lot of Nicaraguan artsy stuff that I still have in boxes. And as people say, one person's "junk" is another person's treasure. So if you are into butterflies and chickens, stay tuned...I'll be hosting more adoptions in the near future!

Well...that's it for me today. I'll post more progress later in the week.

Until next time...

Cake Should Be A Food Group!

Thursday was my birthday. I turned 34 and it passed like a blur like any other day. But it was a nice day. *The boy* make me breakfast, I lounged, we saw the parentals and I got nice little gifts including birthday money I'm not sure what to do with and *the boy* took me to La Bodeguita Del Medio for dinner. We ordered a little less this time around but I was still ready to pass out in the restaurant from rum and food overload. Empanadas, croquetas, camarones en mojo (too spicy) and ropa vieja...everything was yum! Even the camarones...except after eating one my tongue was on fire! Thank goodness for the croquetas...those calmed the heat down afterwards!

Around noon, *the boy* sneaked out saying he had to run an errand. Mmm-hmmm....errand. He came back with this.
CAKE!!! I love cake...really, it should be it's own food group. Sometimes I go on a cake diet...and only eat cake...and somehow I lose weight despite eating lots of cake. Obviously, cake diets are not healthy but it's fun once in a while. This was a St. Honore cake...one of my favorites but *the boy* got it at my local bakery instead of making the trek to my long-standing go-to place for St. Honore. I didn't even know my local bakery made this cake! I decided to take it to my parents to share with them and minimize how much cake I'll eat. I haven't been exercising...my pants feel tight...you know the drill. Between the four of us, we devoured the entire cake in one sitting! It was yum!

The rest of the weekend has been nice...quiet with yummy meals in the evening. Yesterday, I went to a couple of morning appointments and the came home and relaxed until it was time to meet up with Claire for dinner at NOPA. We *love* this restaurant. Everytime I come here...it reminds me of the city vibe that I love and sometimes miss...and I feel happy and revitalized. The food never disappoints, I can have elderflower gimlets despite it not being on their cocktail menu and the service is beyond great. It's awesome! It's also cool because Claire and I like to share so we agree on an app, entree, side and dessert and just split everything and then walked out of their satisfied instead of stuffed and ready to roll down the street.

Tonight was filled with more relaxing, a trip back to the parentals to fix a couple of things and errands in the city. *The boy* and I passed by the spot of our first date and we decided to see if we could get a table. Reminisce a little, eat good food and be in a fun family-style place. It was like coming full circle at Capp's Corner. On our first date, we were both so nervous that *the boy* kept announcing he was nervous and barely ate a thing and I kept telling him to stop telling me he was nervous because it was making me nervous and I pushed food around on my plate. After a couple of glasses of wine, we were both more relaxed and having a great time. This time, we talked, ate plenty and then took a little walk around the neighborhood and stopped into his favorite bakery to have a little chat with the owner and have a little coffee before heading home. So far...great birthday weekend!

I'm pretty low-key about my birthday but even more so about this one. Bad year, relationship hoopla, slight hermit-mode...makes me want to hide-out and stitch a ton. I was surprised to find these goodies in the mailbox last week. I received a lovely card with little needlebook from the lovely CarolR and another card and little package from the ever-generous Edgar! And here is what was in Edgar's package. A lovely pinkeep (or pynkeepe as Edgar says) which is CarolR's SewRed design! I thought it was so funny as I was planning to stitch this up soon and now I don't have to. I love the purple and wine color scheme that Edgar picked out and it's found a special place in my living room/stitching nook. Thank you so much Edgar! I love it! Edgar's birthday is also tomorrow so Happy birthday Edgar!
And a little peek into my living room. I do this every year...for my birthday and at Christmas. I tape up the cards to my door so I can see them from where I sit on the futon. I mishmash of cards from stitchy friends, family, friends and co-workers.
So my mom, dad and *the boy's* mom gave me birthday money. I am debating whether I use the money for some semi-essentials like a new wallet and new work flats and you know, be kind of responsible. Or do I go all out on stash. I have 4 BAPs I want to start soon. Two of them are Mary Wigham and Fairy Moon which are both ready to go and fully kitted. But I also plan on stitching The American Sampler and Chatelaine TajMahal. I only have the charts for both. Birthday money would buy me the Taj kit(minus fabric) and all the silk for American Sampler (it's all super pricey) and I'd have to decide on fabric for both. I am so tempted to buy stash even though there is no way I'd be able to start either by the end of the year!! Ay, decisions, decisions.

And I've been stitching. I've been staying up super late each night working on the Letter G. I am really enjoying this so far but I think once I hit the fairy...those fractional stitches will drive me a little batty. *The boy* is amazed at my attitude about this one. I love it!! I really wonder what Letter V will look like...and when it will come out!

I'll work on it a little more tonight but I have the feeling my Tuesday report will be delinquent. Tomorrow will be an all sewing day...lots of homework. Monday is my long day (work from 8am-5pm and sewing class from 530pm - 930pm) plus *the boy* leaves Monday night too. So not much stitching outside of tonight for a few days...

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Until next time...

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy NIght

It's stitchy night and I want to get stitching. I don't have a lot of progress to show. At most, I've put three lengths in Letter G and I am itching to get back to her. She's a lot of fun and it makes me realize that I miss stitching on Mirabilias so I am putting Fairy Moon back on my project list and hope to get started on her very soon. She's been kitted up for 2 years now...just waiting. But first, I have to get through Letter G and Newton and one more exchange before devoting the rest of Fall and maybe part of Winter on stitching on some serious BAPs...Mary Wigham and Fairy Moon. Talk about contradictions in stitching!

The weekend was a blur! So fast and then back to Monday. Most of the weekend was devoted to finding the right materials to frame my mom's gift, framing and wrapping it. Throw in some errands, housesitting, visit to the local school festival which is literally in my backyard and a date night with *the boy*. We went to see Psycho at the local classic theater and have a nice cajun meal. It was nice and it was my first time seeing Psycho. That Norman Bates is one creepy dude! It was a packed weekend and I didn't have time to get ahead in my sewing class so I am *so* behind!!!

My parents arrived from their trip safely and I talked to my mom and she *loved* the gift. Yay! She was very touched, said she cried and that the gift was "better than diamonds"! Yay! Umm, but diamonds were not an option! I'm just happy that she liked the gift and I think that my amateur framing job worked out nicely. I went to Aaron Brothers because I just wanted a regular frame she could display on a table versus the wall. I found one I liked but despite the design size being 4"x7", the 5x7 frame was to small. WTF?! So I had to upgrade to an 8x10 frame but my fabric barely covered the front widthwise(about 1/16th of an inch too short) in order for me to lace it so I had to improvise. I went to Joann's looking for lace and couldn't find any suitable lace but I found tan crochet lace trim and that worked out great and seemed fitting since my grandmother tatted and crocheted. This was my finished product.
Not bad, huh? Took me forever though. Finishing takes me forever. Kind of like sewing...in class last night, I was wondering why my sewing was coming out all jacked up. Took me 30 minutes to figure out that the presser foot (or whatever the heck it's called) was up so my fabric was dancing all over the place which meant my stitches were all over the place and messed up. 30 MINUTES!!! I'd have finished my sample if I had my head attached. Are you laughing? Yea, I'm laughing at myself too...it's ok.

42 more hours until I turn one year older. Time has flown this year! I am treating myself to a 4-day weekend (because working on your birthday should be illegal) so that I can stitch and sew my booty off. I cannot wait! I have a ton of sewing homework to do (see scenario above to understand why) so that will be my focus but Letter G is hard to resist. I hope to have made great progress on her.

Have a wonderful week!!

Until next time...

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday...and I am hoping she likes the gift I made for her. She won't see it until she comes back from her trip on Tuesday. Both my parents are September babies. My dad's was earlier this month and he's getting a fax machine for his birthday. That's boring...I know. But this is the exciting and pretty stuff!

BBD Red Sampler Freebie
32 count Lakeside Linens Vintage Light Examplar
WDW Lancaster Red, CC Clay Pot and GAST Antique Rose

I am really happy with it! I tried to correct as much as possible...especially the bottom border, the flower border and that seven. This was made in tribute to my maternal grandmother who passed away in 1994. She was 90 years old. I think it's fitting that because of spacing issues, I moved the 8 to the third row and kept the 9 and 0 by themselves on the fourth row. I didn't plan it really. Once I finished it last night and looked at it, I was all "hey! She was 90 in 1994 and lookie there...it all adds up!" I suppose that's kismet in a way. My maternal grandmother was the only grandparent I ever knew. All my others passed away before I was born or could even remember. Almost every summer, my mother would pack me up and we would go to Nicaragua to spend 2-3 weeks visiting family. I got to play at the beach and play with all my aunts, uncles and cousins. My grandmother was very much the matriarch of the family. She kept all of us in line and loved us all so much with her warm and wonderful heart. When I was young, she'd sometimes come to the States to visit. I remember her making tons of little yoyo's and making lovely crocheted doilies. The craftiness passed onto my mom and me. With her passing came very heavy hearts. Even the parrot would still scream "abuelita", waiting for her to yell back. I had planned this little tribute for Mother's Day but I got sidetracked. I thought my mom's birthday would be just as fitting. *The boy* and I are heading to Aaron Brothers and Michael's to see if I can find a suitable frame for it. I hope so!

Happy Birthday to Mom!

Happy Accomplishment!

Way back when...at the beginning of the year...I made a list of goals. This has been a bad year overall and looking back on my goals...I can already see that I went off track and will not get to some of the things I thought were important or at the top of my list in January. And it's ok...things change and so do priorities. But there has been one thing that has been a ball and chain on my ankle year after year...

and now...

I am happy to say that I am 100% completely and totally debt-free! DEBT-FREE!

Wow!

That's the first time I can say that since the end of high school. The lure of having a credit card during college and then student loans to help me pay for college and then car payments to help me pay for the car that got me to work and then real-life expenses coming at me during bad times made me turn to credit cards again. Student loans (Private Jesuit schooling is expensive!), car loans and credit card debt have been brought down to zero! Yay! It hasn't been easy but I was always very diligent about my payments and rarely ever missed a payment and the diligence helped and I have great credit!

Being released of this burden feels great and comes at a perfect time. I am looking at the possibility of my paycheck becoming a little smaller over the next few months due to possible furloughs. I wish they would just tell us now. I hate waiting!! But the announcement of how bad the furloughs will be will not happen until November. But with no debt, that means I can save. Like actually have some bills to put in savings and keep there because I.don't.need.it.now.

I am so happy! I am hoping to be careful with my spending especially as I am in my "expensive" part of the year with many birthdays and Christmas but I think I'll be fine.

Goodbye debt! Hello savings!

Until next time...

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Night

Well...I'm a raving hormonal witch today so I will spare you guys the bitching, moaning and whining tonight...cuz really...I can barely deal with myself! It's just one of those weeks...or at least shaping up to be one. But it's Tuesday and I have my stitchy report to submit. I am *still* working on Red Sampler.
I think that I've either become the slowest stitcher ever or I am just *that* busy. I'll say I'm busy...last week was fairly disappointing considering all the relationship hoopla and that has kind of run into this week along with the intense desire to be anywhere other than work! The photo above was taken before I started stitching for the night and I've finished up the 4th line but then had to rip out the 9 and 0 to add a smidge more space and change the color to something with more contrast. Oof...long names are a killer! I'll probably finish this up over the next couple of nights and frame it this weekend. Just in time for my mom's birthday...this one is #79 but don't tell her I told you guys. She'll get all upset about how I'm blabbing to people about how old she is.

It's also that time of the month! TUSAL time! I'm late reporting but the photo of the jar was taken the day I was *supposed* to report on it. It still looks the same despite contributions to it. I wonder if *the boy* is playing with my orts when I'm sleeping! Well, that's it for today. *The boy* has been yelling at me to go to sleep for the last 15 minutes. Something about how I should go to sleep early so I don't wake up all tired. Yea, yea, yea...going to sleep early. What a concept. I think sleeping early and work are both over-rated. Now to figure out how to win the lottery. Its thoughts like these that are important in life and keep me up late!

Have a good week everyone!

Until next time...

Vacation - Day Four to the End

The rest of my time on the East Coast was not as great as the first three days. Things kind of went downhill and I kind of wanted to go home early.

Day Four was supposed to be RISD day. We had found online that the Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design had a textile and costume collection which included some samplers from the Mary Balch School. I was excited to be going. We got there, paid the $20 admission and walked all over that museum...and you know what? I didn't see such a collection shown anywhere! After asking a handful of employees that didn't know anything about what I was talking about, I was finally told that even though they have the collection, it is not on display. Yea...waste of time and money. I think that if they are going to boast on the website that they have all these fantastic items, they should also state that said items are not on display and that a request for private viewing will need to be made in order to see the collection. So note to anyone looking to see some Mary Balch School Samplers, RISD has them but a request would need to be made weeks in advance to the curator in order to actually see them. I was quite disappointed.

After that, we went back to the house and waited for the mom to get back from work so that we could take a trip to AC Moore. I'd never been to one since there aren't any here and I wanted to check it out. On our way there, we saw a child get hit by a car. It happened so close to us that it could have been our car that hit the child. It was scary...and fast...and kind of set my mood for the rest of the day...and my mood wasn't all that great after RISD. Who lets kids wander around by themselves? Cross a busy street without adult supervision in a not so good area? This child was small...maybe six years old at the most! And he just ran into the street...didn't even look to see if a car was coming. Amazingly, the child was able to get up and limp to the curb while his mother finally came out of their house only to scream at everyone "what happened?!". Perhaps she would have known what had happened if she had been supervising her child! Everyone else but her was trying to make sure that her child was ok. Once we saw that the situation was being handled, we went on our way to AC Moore and dinner at a local spot for clam chowder and clam cakes.

Day Five was Boston. Boston seems to be a city with great architecture and history but between *the boy* getting lost repeatedly despite him saying he knew where he was going and being stuck in a car in a walking town, Boston wasn't that enjoyable. I'd like to go back sans rental car and just walk the city and take public transportation. The drivers and pedestrians in Boston are crazy! The traffic, crazy drivers and pedestrians just walking right out into the street contributed to my blood pressure sky-rocketing and us just leaving out of sheer frustration! Seeing traffic accidents happen in front of me didn't help matters any after the scene the night before. Seriously...not the best impression Boston could have left on me. Plus $9 for 20 minutes of parking is just insane. That was the parking fee in order to park the car near Faneuil Market. Boston definitely is not a good siteseeing place to go to with a guy on crutches! I do have pictures to share for Boston. We took a Duck tour and that is how I saw most of the key sites in Boston and we got photos of a lot of great things. I think I'll show the photos in a separate post.

Day Six was supposed to be South Shore day but after the total bust that the last two days were and it being the Friday of Labor Day weekend and the newscasters telling everyone to go to the beach because the weather was supposed to be fantastic, we decided to stay close to home and kind of hibernate. So I stitched and relaxed and we ran a few errands and had a big family dinner with loads of pasta with clam sauce and literally...like 30 pieces of italian pastry and cake! It was yum! This was our final night on the East Coast!!

Day Seven consisted of packing and getting ready for our flight that evening. We had to head to Boston Logan airport on the early side to allow time to return the rental car, catch the shuttle to the terminal, check in and get through security. We allowed way too much time and had to hang out at the airport for a while! The flight took forever (seemingly) but we got home safe and sound. I know there is plenty of crazy in my neck of the woods...it is SF after all...but this is the crazy I am used to and can handle! I was very happy to get home.

It's now 2.5 weeks later and truth be told, I don't feel like I had a week long vacation! How does that happen. Back to life's daily grinds...work, housesitting, classes, relationship hoopla. Ugh, can't wait til my next vacation!

Vacation - Day Three

So back to vacation stuff...

Day two was lazy and basically consisted of me being in jammies all day, talking to the mom and trying to stay awake. I was really tired. At some point, I pulled out the Snappers and started my reconstruction of the border.

Day Three was fun. We made the drive to Plymouth, MA to see Plymouth Rock and The Mayflower II and stop off at a couple of stitching shops. It was a beautiful day. We started it off eating at Wood's Seafood where I had my first lobster roll ever!
It was yum. Lobster roll, some fish chowder and a diet Coke and I was ready to face the sights!
See! Lobster for $6.99 a pound! You can't find that on the West Coast...


I made the requisite stops at Plymouth Rock which is a lot smaller than most people would think!
As I was walking about and getting my act together, *the boy* would snap a kabillion photos of me. Many have me sticking my tongue out at him because I hate having my picture taken and can act like I'm three once in a while. This photo cracks me up...it's not a good photo but it's me in motion. It's also the only sneak peek of me that I've ever posted on the blog. I like being mysterious and all that jazz!
These swans were hanging out nearby...I think they are swans...
I love seeing these horse-drawn carriages at touristy locations. I had to take a snap!

Then we walked over to the Mayflower II and it was an awesome looking ship.

I walked around and then got all upset that it cost $10 to get on the ship. *The boy* seemed puzzled that I didn't want to do the whole tour but seeing as he was on crutches and I wanted to save as many pennies for stash shopping, I made him stand there and tell me the story of the Mayflower seeing as he's a huge history buff and from the East Coast. So he told me the story and it sufficed and I went souvenir shopping instead. Many may not think so but I have my priorities in check...souvenirs and stash over history tour! LOL On the main street, I found a great candy shop and came out of there with Charms Sweet and Sour lollipops! I love these suckers...I bought them by the fistful as a kid much to the disappointment of my dentist and my dad's wallet! I can't find these suckers anywhere near me though so I was happy to find some as well as some sour powers. I loved that candy shop! I didn't really find any souvenirs though. That's ok. We got into the car and drove the short distance to Sampler Needlework in Old Historic Plymouth.
It was a cute shop tucked away on the second floor of a shared building. There were lots of fantastic samples hung on the walls as well as a nice little framing nook. I peeked over to see what works were being framed and it all looked fantastic. This shop was decently stocked considering it's size. I was trying to be good and was looking for things specific to New England seeing as I can stock myself pretty well otherwise and what struck me the most was a simple needleroll pattern specific to Rhode Island...with apples, violets, roosters and maple leafs...all things supposedly specific to Rhode Island. I've never made a needleroll before so I thought this would be a good practice piece and souvenir all-in-one. Plus, these patterns are done by a designer in Plymouth who hasn't yet started selling them on the web. In fact, I think they were exclusive to Sampler Needlework for now. There was a needleroll pattern for most of the New England states. New Hampshire's appealed to me more but since I was technically visiting Rhode Island, I decided that was the one I should buy.

We left Plymouth to go to Middleboro. There was this cross stitch shop I was interested in checking out. This is an example of how you shouldn't let the guy obtain the details. I had asked *the boy* to call to check on hours and I remember him telling me that the store opened at 11am and I guess I just assumed they closed at 5pm. I got to the shop at 250pm and from what I could tell...it was a fully stocked shop. I was getting excited and looking through the chart bins and kind of making a mental tally of what charts I might pick up when the owner came up to me and told me she had to close the shop and I had to leave. I was rather put off...and she didn't really say it all that nicely. I told her I was sorry...I thought that the shop was open until 5pm but she told me that on Tuesday, they are only open until 3pm. I left without buying a thing and frankly, I probably wouldn't go back despite it looking like a nice shop. I just wish the owner would have told me she was closing in 10 minutes when I came into the shop. It would have saved us both some trouble as I would have just left...I can't look around and shop in only 10 minutes! I called the shop to try and check on their hours...they don't have a website or any hours listed on the web and they now have Fall hours on their phone line which means they are closed on Tuesdays all together. I find this very odd. So I left feeling rather put off and stranded in the middle of *I don't know where the hell I am* because *the boy* went to go gas up the car and let me shop in peace. He quickly turned around to get me and bought me an iced coffee and a donut to sooth my ruffled feathers. So out of the whole trip, the only stash I bought was that Rhode Island needleroll pattern!

That's another thing...there is Dunkin' Donuts everywhere!!! I had a lot of iced coffee (which is nowhere on the level of my beloved Peet's coffee) and donuts (not as good as Rolling Pin). I thought it was funny that the folks there are devout about their Dunkin' Donuts. Their coffee isn't that strong. And considering I need rocketfuel (aka Peet's) to get moving, I was always in this half-sleepy state...well, at least more than usual. I remember that *the boy* made me go in by myself to grab coffee and juice. I like my coffee regular...no fancy milks or foams or syrups...maybe once in a while, but for the most part, I like regular coffee with a little cream and one Splenda. I walked in, tell the girl I'd like a large coffee and she asked me how I would like it made. Errmmm, what? So I had to go into this whole thing about how I just wanted coffee and don't they have the cream and sugar out somewhere? Apparently, coffee culture is very different on the West Coast than on the East Coast! The girl was nice though...she explained that regular coffee at Dunkin' Donuts already included cream and sugar and if I wanted to do it myself, I had to order it black. Errm, ok. Is there even a Starbucks here?! Uh...nope! I didn't see one single Starbucks but there is Dunkin' Donuts on every block! *sigh* I just learned to say light cream and light sugar so my coffee wouldn't become this weak yet sickeningly-sweet mess.

Heading back home from Middleboro, we hit insane traffic...people in MA and RI drive like maniacs! I thought driving habits and traffic was bad here...oh no....MA and RI has NorCal beat!! We made it home in time for dinner...the mom made ham, mashed, rabes and bread and I got to meet the aunt. The aunt was a hoot!

So it was another good day with a couple of glitches.