Things that you do when you don't have a phone or internet: Part One

Copper-stealing vandals destroyed a phone junction box in our area, so all of my neighbors and I woke up Saturday morning to dead telephones.  And because our only options for the internet rely on the telephone (Verizon DSL or dial-up), we lost that, too.

This whole copper theft crap is getting out of control.  This is the second time in a month that an entire town in our area has lost phone service for several days because of thieves stealing copper from the telephone poles.  I just don't get how someone can do that sort of thing without giving any thought to the welfare of other people.  

You know, for Dave and me it was only an inconvenience, because we have our cell phones. But how many of my older neighbors don't have cell phones?  Or have a phone but can't get a signal? With the hills and valleys, that is relatively common here.  And if there had been an emergency? It could have been tragic.

And I'll tell you what else - if scrap dealers would stop buying the stolen copper, the problem would be solved.

But anyway, without the magnet of the internet drawing me in every few hours (Who am I kidding? Every 5 minutes), I was able to zip through a few finishes.  To be fair, I was kind of at the place where I had several projects that were close to completion anyway - they just all came together over the weekend.

So, what do you do when you don't have a phone or the internet?

You finish an ornament.

My walking buddy adopted a stray black cat this fall, so you know exactly where my mind went when I saw this design.  I love these sweet little Brittercup kitties. 

Tomorrow - Part Two

The December SBQ

Many stitchers really kick it up a notch over the winter holidays.  Christmas, Hanukah,  the New Year, Kwanza - whatever holiday you choose to celebrate usually means that we’re stitching something gift or holiday-related.   Tell us your best story about some holiday stitching.

Another SAL update

Here's where I left off after a bit of stitching on Tuesday.

I'm finally at the end of a busy work week!  This weekend will see me shopping for window coverings.  (It's only taken me 10 years)  And I'll probably pull out the rest of the holiday decorations, except for the things that go on the big tree. 

That means I'll be digging around in the dormers.  After my summer adventures, I really hope that I don't find any little mouse friends.

Remember, I post the monthly SBQ on the first Monday of the month, which will be this coming Monday, Dec. 6.  I didn't want you to think I forgot aboutcha...

Last day of NaBloPoMo

And I've managed 25 posts in 30 days.  Not perfect, but not bad overall.

I've put the finishing touches on my November Favorites page.  You all are so inspiring! 

Is anybody else sick of turkey?  I've eaten leftover turkey so much in the past few days that I think I'm growing a wattle.

Tonight I need to finish my book club book:  The French Gardener.  It's so NOT my style of book.  But I'll finish it because I'm a book club member, dammit, and how can I criticize them for not reading my book if I don't follow through on their book?  I think I need a break from this club for a couple months. 

They are gone...

And I am tired.

And I'll get the house in order again and then guess what?  They'll be back.

I only worked one day last week, so I have loads of job-type catching up to do. 

I sure would love a cozy chair and a cup of coffee and some time to stitch!

Santa has arrived!

Well, actually six Santas!  I've already received the Santa charts I purchased from the ebay seller.  I paid for them on the 23rd and had them in my hand on the 27th, and there was even a holiday thrown into the middle there!

So I've more or less rounded out my collection of the PS Santa cards with this order, and I also picked up the Kris Kringle leaflet (PS # 62).  Last year Carol stitched one of these Santas for me and I've wanted the leaflet ever since.  There are still two cards that I'm missing.  One I don't particularly care for and the other I honestly don't remember.  So I'm happy!

Anyway, I said that I'd tell you the seller's name after I received my order and decided that it was a good experience.  So I think I can safely recommend  Handmade N More over on ebay.  Maybe you'll find something that's been on your wishlist?

The SAL continues

I'm a little late showing my progress here, what with the holiday and all of its preparations.  Tuesday I barely managed 30 minutes, but on Wednesday I needed to calm down a little and this was close at hand, so LLL got another 30 minutes.

I hope that you all had a lovely day yesterday, whether it was out and about with lots of family or curled up cozy and quiet in your house.  My daughter and I went to the local Turkey Trot early in the morning yesterday.  For one reason or another (mostly that it was raining and I kept waffling about going), I got there 5 minutes late.  As in AFTER the start.  Yuck.  So I had to run the first half mile even to catch the end of the pack of walkers.  Through the rest of the race I moved up into near the middle of the walking pack, but I have no idea what my time was.  I literally walked through the chute and directly to my car so I could get cooking!  And after running the first half mile, my time wouldn't have been anything meaningful anyway. 

Well, the holiday Candied Sweet Potato discussion went exactly as I said it would.  I just sat back and smiled.  And in Wednesday's post I should have mentioned that my MIL is a great person.  She's 84 years old now and so she's bound to have her quirks.  And all in all, she's a very good sport when we tease her.  But she's fun to write about.

My mother, on the other hand?  More drama than you'd ever imagine.  I won't even go there.

Today is turkey soup day.  Yesterday I had two turkeys.  We decided to try a smoked turkey from a barbecue place, so on Wednesday I had picked up this giant sized, fully cooked and smoked bird.  But on Thursday I also roasted a turkey breast, just in case nobody liked the smoked turkey.

The result?  They all liked the smoked turkey well enough, but preferred my traditional roasted turkey.  Although I think that the smoked turkey would have been good if it had been served at a party maybe, with cold salads and snacks.

So anyway, I'm making soup from the roasted breast, and I took the wings off the smoked turkey and put them in another soup pot   I'm not sure how the smoked turkey will cook up as soup.

Do any of you know?  Have you made soup from a smoked turkey? 

Pitt vs WVU at 12 noon.  Besides being the one game that I try never to miss, it also means a couple hours out of the kitchen and off my feet!

Go Pitt!

Mental preparation

 First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who is celebrating tomorrow!

I love Thanksgiving.  I really do.  I'm not crazy about the shopping part, but I love cooking the meal and I love to dress up the table and of course...I love to eat.

But I still have to mentally prepare for the arrival of my extended family.   It begins with me understanding that no one will offer to bring anything, but that when they arrive, they'll offer to "help".  In O'Neil Speak, that means that they want to make the gravy but nothing else.  Then great numbers of people stand around the stove to supervise the stirring and random tossing of the flour.  There will be cries of "That's too much salt!"  or "Well, I don't do it that way," or "Turn up the heat," or "Turn down the heat." Whether two of them come - or six - or eight - it's always the same.  And they create a huge mess in my kitchen.

Well, the joke's on them this year, because I've already made the gravy.  I fried up a couple turkey wings and made my usual pan gravy and I guarantee you they'll be flummoxed. I'll put them to work buttering the rolls instead and then they can all argue about the proper way to butter rolls.  And they can't make too much of a mess.

Oh, I need to back up a little bit.  My MIL will bring her candied yams and no one will eat them.  The dinner conversation will go exactly the same as it has gone for the past 27 years:

MIL:  Doesn't anyone want my sweet potatoes?
Family:  Murmur, murmur, murmur.
MIL:  Gosh, doesn't anyone like candied sweet potatoes? 
                            (side note - I like them, but hers are truly awful)
Family:  Tense silence.
MIL:  David, won't you eat some candied sweet potatoes?
My husband:  No. 
MIL:  Why not?
My husband:  I've never eaten your candied sweet potatoes.  I don't like candied sweet potatoes.
MIL:  You won't even try them.
My husband:  I don't want them. I have never eaten one in my entire life.
MIL:  Well gee whiz, nobody's eating my sweet potatoes.


And just because I'm in a holiday kind of mood, I'll stop there.  But trust me...that was the short version.  It'll continue on, even as we're clearing the dishes and putting things away.  And it'll ratchet up again when we're making plates to send home with people, because once again, everyone will decline the offer to take home candied sweet potatoes.

Ah family.  Gotta love them!  And 25 years from now, I can't wait to read what my daughter-in-law is writing about me in her blog!  I will fully appreciate the justice of the situation. 

Have a lovely day tomorrow, everyone!

Misbehaving

My decision to pull back on my needlework buying hasn't been exactly successful.  I'll tell you, the only way I'll be successful at this is if I stop going on line.  Period.  No email, no blogs, no ebay.  No online activity at all.  Because otherwise, it's like saying that I'm not going to eat any chocolate, but all the while I'm swimming in a pool of it.  So I'm doomed.

Anyway, I was awfully bad today.  There I was, lurking around ebay and I found an ebay seller with several of the Prairie Schooler Santa cards that I needed to round out my collection.   And they were actually reasonable.  Like under $3.00 each and shipping was just basic postage for one combined package. Really.  Really.

After I receive my package, I'll tell you the seller's name.  In case any of you all who read here from time to time need a PS fix....



 

It was a long day on the road today

At least it sure felt that way.  Too many errands to run and stops along the way home from my daughter's college.  At least I had the good advice of a stitching friend, (Linda...when will you start that blog, girl?)  who told me that Olive Garden sells their soups to take out by the half gallon.  So my last stop was at the Wheeling Olive Garden to buy a half gallon of Minestrone soup to bring home.  I put it together with a salad and some frozen rolls and that made my life so much easier tonight.

And that's all for tonight.  Tired, tiredness.

Evidently I'm not the only one

So, you're all 'fessing up now about your hot pad issues, huh?  I was very happy to know that I'm not the only one running around like a maniac saying, "Don't put that hot dish on the table! Get a hot pad!  Oh...you want to know where they are?  Well...um....I don't know."

I found some inexpensive pads at Big Lots.  Not terribly attractive, but they'll do the trick and I was tired of shopping.  My shopping attention span (for things other than needlework) is about...Oh wait.  It's over already.

I get to bring my darling daughter home from school for the holiday break tomorrow, and that means that the boyfriend will be here for at least a few days, too.  It weirds me out a little, but there are so many things about having nearly-adult children that weird me out anyway.  In other words, Dave and I are adapting.  Accepting the weird as the new normal.  And it could be worse.  We like him well enough.  It would suck if we disliked him.

Then my son will be home for the holiday on Tuesday and that means some belly laughs and great conversation.  It also means that my fridge will be emptied.  And the couch won't see the light of day.

So the Thanksgiving countdown continues.  Most of the shopping is finished, except for buying some of the things that need to be last minute or else they won't be fresh.  Salad greens, mushrooms, etc. The china is ready and the crystal is dusted.  And in a few minutes I'll start cooking.  What I've learned over the years is that the Thanksgiving meal is the tip of the iceberg.  I still have five other dinners to prepare.  And lunches?  Dude.  Go to Subway.  It's only two miles away. 

So right now I'm starting meatballs and a chicken casserole.  But first, let me show you what I was stitching last night.  I'm very nearly done.

Last night's stitching

It's another dreary day.  Thank goodness I'm addicted to collecting very bright stitching lamps, or else this photo would be awfully gray.

I left off stitching in mid-leaf last night.  Why did I do that? 

Today my Thanksgiving job is to dust off the china and crystal and make sure I have enough serving plates and bowls.  And to go to Altmeyers for some extra hot pads.  I never think about them until I'm hunting around for them at 4:55 for serving a 5:00 meal. And then I only have, like, three and I'll probably need five. 

So if having enough hot pads is the only thing that goes right on Thursday?  Well, I'll still consider the meal a success.

Feeling much better tonight

It felt like I spent an eternity in the dentist's chair yesterday, although it was really only two hours.  Still, I felt the effects of my little yellow pill all day.  I wasn't tired - just in slow motion.  And kinda stupid.  And this morning it felt like I had a hangover.  Ah well,  I still think the medicine is worthwhile. 

I feel so much better tonight, and stitched on my PS Santa for a couple hours. 

I'm getting into the Thanksgiving Countdown starting tomorrow.  So much to do, but I think I have enough time.  Of course, those are my famous last words.  We'll see what song I'm singing on Wednesday night...

The dentist is not my friend

I have a really long dentist appointment this morning, and because I'm a total wimp, I'll take some happy pills so that I don't get all crazy in the dentist's chair.  A few years ago I would have judged the heck out of anyone who needed to do this.  But now?  I just don't care.  They can try all of the soft music or TV distractions they can muster.  After a certain amount of time I'm just toast, so I'm glad for my little pills.

Am I the only one to think this, but why is it that every time I go to the dentist or doctor for one thing, it turns out to be something else and the treatment is way more complicated than I'd expect.  And the treatment is worse than the original problem?

Yuck.

Stitching a little, shopping a little

Here's my Tuesday SAL progress on LLL.  At first I was second guessing my green choice, but as the thread played out, I decided that I liked it again.  It's just a little more subdued in color than I originally though it would be.

I'm using Belle Soie silks colors Old Crow, Poison Apple and Herb Garden.  The fabric is PTP Heritage.

I worked on Rise and Shine a bit before we headed out to Youngstown on Saturday. And I even ironed it for you to get rid of the embarrassing wrinkles.

And then I worked on a small gift in the car over the weekend, but it's not photo ready yet.

So - the Youngstown Ohio Hobby Lobby? Kind of a bust.  Has HL changed, or did I just not notice that they are much more heavily into home decor than other craft stores?  I came away spending only a few dollars.  Seriously - under $10.00.

My goal was to find a Mighty Bright floor lamp, but their craft lamp section amounted to one Ott floor light (that I already have) and a couple of the old style Ott folding lamps. 

OK, so I left with a Christmas apron and a couple of small easels, but no worries, because there was a big Joann's around the corner and (miracle of miracles) I actually had unexpired Joann's coupons in my bag! 

Well now, Joann's had the lamp, but it was marked the ridiculous price of $124.99.  Any stitching shopper who knows her lamps knows that this lamp retails for $99.99.  Now, with my 40% off coupon at Joann's, that would have come to $74.99, but that inflated price really burned my butt.  And in fact, Amazon is selling it for $66.99 with free shipping.  So I walked out without it.

So the quest continues.

In happier news, we had a fabulous meal at the Youngstown Carraba's Restaurant.  Why the Carraba's people chose to skip over the Pittsburgh restaurant marked is beyond me.   They've put restaurants in Philly, Lancaster and then whoops!  No restaurants until clear over in Youngstown. 

And then the next day we drove to Vermilion to pick up some crazy-huge stereo speakers, but somehow our timing was off and we arrived in Vermilion an hour early.  So to kill some time, Dave wanted to take a ride into the downtown area and see Lake Erie.

So there we went, la, la, la, riding down wee little Main Street on a Sunday at lunchtime and I was thinking that this is the kind of town where nothing is open on a Sunday.  So we were seeing the water ahead of us, when suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I spied something and yelled, STOP THE CAR! 

It was a sweet little needlework shop!  And it was OPEN.  On a SUNDAY! So I visited  Clare's Stitching Post.  You know how sometimes you see a sign or a Yellow Pages ad and it has a name like that and then you discover that it's really a knitting and yarn store. Or (worse yet) a place that does custom machine embroidery?  And you go away all bummed out.  I was completely prepared to be sad, but Clare's is all about cross stitch.  It's a new shop, and it's quite small, but she has lovely things.  And new things, which was really nice.  Some little shops just have the same-old-same-old.  It's like they won't spend the money on new merchandise until the old stuff is sold and I totally don't get that.

But anyway, what a neat little town!  Besides shopping at Clare's (where I bought LK's 2010 snowman, along with threads and fabric), I did some damage in a candle shop and a chocolate shop, and I had an excellent cup of coffee at a sandwich shop. 

It was a great day...

Really, turkeys?

It's this close to Thanksgiving and you parade through my front yard like that?

Tonight is Live, Love, Laugh SAL night for Joy, Karen and me.  Stitching pictures tomorrow!

Thank you, everyone

I wasn't as specific as I should have been when I wrote my post about thankfulness. My dad died in 2007, but my post made it sound like he had just passed recently.  I'm so sorry if I alarmed or misled anyone.  I have a bad habit of thinking that you all can read my mind and know exactly what I mean all the time!

Regardless, Thank you to everyone who sent me messages of condolence after reading my story.  Are the people who read my blog only the most considerate people ever?  I think so...

 

My answer to Thankful

There are so many times when I’ve been thankful for my ability to stitch.  There have been some really button-busting moments, like when my brother, a grown man, cried when I gave his baby son a simple and sweet sampler.  There have been some blue ribbons and red ribbons at fairs.  I know this is very vague, but there have been times when stitching has made me feel connected when I was in a disconnected state of mind.  And there have been times that my stitching has opened a world of new friendships for me. 

But there is one time that stands out in my mind, front and center, so I’ll tell you about that.  Back in 2007 I was scheduled to go to a cross stitch retreat, but my dad had just died.  And I mean just.  We buried him on a Monday and the retreat started Thursday.  So I was really raw.  A wreck.  I didn’t want to go, but my husband told me that maybe it would be good for me, so I went. (Love that guy.  He can be so smart.)

What a blessing.  I can’t tell you how peaceful it was, sending my needle in and out and listening to the other ladies talking.  I didn’t have to be….anything.  Just a stitcher.  And just like the constant motion of the needle, I could feel that life went on again.  It may not have been the same, but it went on. 

So I’ll always be thankful that my stitching brought me to that retreat and gave me peace while I was there.

Dave's addiction

It all started so innocently.  My husband wanted a 1960's man-cave (thank you very much, Don Draper).  And this man-cave needed the perfect stereo system.  And now it's been a two year quest for this, that and the other component. 

Often I'll ride along to some of these distant towns.  I'm one of those lucky women who can stitch in the car, so there's that. And if I go, I can be guaranteed a really nice meal and sometimes some shopping of my own.

Today will take us near Youngstown, Ohio and that means a trip to Hobby Lobby!  Oh Baby!  If it's as big as the one I visited in Tulsa, Dave could be in serious trouble.  He's a good sport though, and even printed off his own 40% off coupon.  You know, in case I need to buy more than one thing.  You can stop laughing now.

Welcome to Wrinkle World

Here are two pieces I've been working on lately.  And they're terribly wrinkled because I didn't press them before snapping the pictures.  The sun is so elusive at this time of year, and so when I see the sun I run for the camera.

First up...the 1994 PS Santa card.   He'll have his hat on soon.  At least now he has a face. Stitched on 19 ct. linen with 4 strands of DMC

And next is La D Da's Rise and Shine. I'm enjoying this a lot. Not only because it's such a happy verse to stitch, but because it uses three simple colors.  Wonderful.  Stitched on bittersweet linen with two strands WDW threads.  The photo has a rather blue cast to it.  Not quite right, but you get the idea.

It's time to start planning my Thanksgiving meal.  Turkeys are easy enough...it's the side dishes that get me.  Not that I'm not good at them...just that I'm bored to tears with them.  On the other hand, my family doesn't eat very adventurously.  I just have to find a happy compromise.