"Saying Grace" is a controversy around our table. Our daughters' friend join in the competition as well. I do not know if this is common or if our daughters' behaviour is spreading. They argue over who asks the blessing, which blessing and the pronunciation of "Amen." They even bicker on whether the blessing is "said" or "asked." I am glad they say the blessing though. Today I heard the Chipmunk singing to her dollies, "Lullaby, and goodnight, may your supper be blessed."
Well, what started this summer as a blog dedicated to two of my hobbies (gardening and cross stitch) has now been taken over by homeschool. Where did I get all that time this summer? I still hope to garden and stitch, but have rearranged my priorities for the school year (and beyond?). My husband and I have 2 daughters: For privacy,I will call them Nutmeg and the Chipmunk. They each have dozens of nicknames, but these will serve here. Nutmeg just turned seven and is in first-and-a-half-grade. She enjoys swimming, ballet, drawing, writing secret messages, and listening to great books on her ipod. The Chipmunk is three 1/2 and is hanging on the back of my chair repeating "I want chocolate milk!" over and over in different voices. My husband says she laughs like a chipmunk. Maybe he knows. She certainly scampers all over faster than I can keep up! We live in a small town in the mountains, and we drive all over for ballet, swimming, and music. I do not think I could define my homeschooling philosophy. Nutmeg is much more organized than I and helps keep me on track. Her schedule curriculum is something like this
First Language Lessons2, Saxon 2 Math, Prima Latina, Explode the Code, and The Story of the World 3. Science is the hardest one to figure out right now. That should be a whole other post. We are experimenting with other products: Spelling Workout B, Wordly Wise, a geography program, etc. I really learn alot from the curriculum message boards at TheWellTrainedMind.com, and hope to contribute something to the homeschooloing blogosphere in my own small way.
The middle design is one my parents bought at an auction
in Kansas years ago. The other two are my mom's.
Michele
It has been a long time! These are some pictures I took at my mom's house a few weeks ago. I meant to post them then! The first picture is one of the first ones I did years ago. The second picture is my mom's "welcome wall." And the third is a sampler she did with our birth dates and my parents' wedding date. I have many more pictures to blog, but with homeschool, I am running short of time. I have been dealing with my three-year-old's philosophy of life this morning: because Bella's stuffed animal was sitting in a chair, that meant she (Bella)
was in the chair first and so of course Mary Margaret should have to move.
Michele
I have been working on 'Sunlit' by Blackbird Designs. The fabric and colors are so beautiful. It is a real pleasure to stitch. 
Last night (while watching 300), I finished 'Against Every Sin.' I cannot wait to start something new, but feel a bit overwhelmed. Now that homeschool has started up again in earnest (did it ever really stop?) I wonder if I will have as much time to stitch as I have over the summer. My mom and I went a bit crazy ordering from Stitching Bits and Bobs. They are having a sale until this Wednesday. I ordered 'Trix and Treats' by Blackbird Designs. I would like to start something from that. And I just won 'Pretty Pumpkins" by Homespun Elegance that Tanya listed on ebay! But for this morning, it is back to math... Does teaching Mary Margaret (6 1/2 years old) to cross stitch count as 'school' for the Georgia attendance records? It would have at one time, that's for sure.
Michele
Today is very foggy. I could not see anything but white out the windows this morning. So I thought I would share some pictures of my warm, apricot roses. They are 'Abraham Darby', 'Pat Austin', and 'Tahitian Sunset'.
Now, off to church!
Michele
I finished the 'Goodwill' thread pack this morning and then started on the 'Home is Where Your Flowers
Grow' design also by Little House Needleworks. I may try to work on 'Against every Sin' this evening. I find it uncomfortable switching between 2 strands on 28 count and then to 1 strand over 35 count. I much prefer the latter. My husband took the girls to the park today, and when they came home my 6-year old drew me this lovely picture. I wish I could post pictures to show you how beautiful my girls are, but - you know how things are in this day and age - have to be careful!
I hope everyone got a lot of stitching done today!
Michele
When you see a random number somewhere - digital clock, HWY number, etc. - do DMC thread colors flash before your eyes? This happens to me all the time. I just saw that it was 5:22 and immediately the silver-green of DMC 522 flashed before my eyes. Is this normal for a stitcher or does it mean I need to put down the sewing for a minute or two?
Michele
My mom and I bought several of the LittleHouse Needleworks thread packs - several each! The are hard to resist. I started 'He who seeks good finds goodwill.' I am not thrilled with the 'Barrel Cactus,' but I love 'Camoflauge.' This is for my purple and green bathroom. The pictures do not do justice to the beauty of the 'Beneath the Sunlit Sky' pattern or the sumptuous 'Sea Fog' linen. I cannot wait to start on that. The last picture is the Britty Kitty design. I have been trying to take a good picture of our black cat, Merlin. Merlin is apparently not interested in blogging. He is a little out of sorts right now anyway. Apparently, he jumped in the bed with my mom three times Tuesday night and was pushed out twice. She suffered him to stay on the third try, but still his dignity was injured.
Michele 
Yesterday, my mom and I went to a Christmas in July party at the Dogwood Patch which is the local-est needlework shop around. My mom spent Tuesday night with us and then we loaded up in her car and headed north to Hiawasee
. My husband drove us and then took the girls to a beach area at the lake. We had a wonderful lunch at Michaelee's and then came home to check out our stash. The first picture is a hollyhock in my front garden. The second picture is the view of Lake Chatuge and the mountains from the Dogwood Patch's front door. The third picture is the gift I got in the gift swap - 40 count silk mesh! The last picture is a Brittercup ornament I did last year. I bought an autumn Britty Kitty design at the shop. My mom has not been 'in' to cross stitch for a while. I think she was a bit overwhelmed by the bounty at the Dogwood Patch!
I really, really love looking at the neighborhood and village round robins. I would really, really love to be involved in one - or more! If any are starting up, please keep me in mind! Until then, I will continue enjoying all the ongoing ones. What creative stitchers are out there!
Michele
I tend to get a bit wimpy when the chart calls for non-cross stitches. I can handle satin, eyelet, French knots and rice stitch, but the others intimidate me. 
This lovely Moss Creek design calls for many specialty stitches. That is why it has remained unfinished for a year. And I have finished most of them. But I just could not finish the rest. The second picture is the 'Against EverySin' that I started last Saturday. I am stuck on the fly stitched door. I like to just zip through cross stitches, but I know the special stitches are worth it in the end. I may need to host a 'finish it now' challenge. Hmmm.
Michele
A couple of years ago, my grandmother and I went yo-yo crazy. My 'Mimi' is very competitive, and she would actually call me late in the evenings to tell me how many yo-yos she had just finished and check on my progress. We never finished them into anything until a few months ago. Mimi, who has always been into crochet, 
began making doilies with the yo-yos. I really like them. She likes to mix all the colors together, so I sorted the combinations I liked into plastic baggies for her!
Michele
Good Morning! This is my progress on Sheephish Design's 'Against Every Sin.' It is a pleasure to stitch! The colors are beautiful, and I love stitching with one thread. The next picture is 'Baby Bug Ball' by Shepherd's Bush. I had it ironed and ready to go to the framers when I noticed I was missing a rose button. I never manage to take my things to the framers so this was quite a blow. I was actually in the car with it when I noticed it. This one will go in my younger daughter's room where there are lilac walls.
Michele 
Here are some freebies that I have stitched recently. 1. La Chatelaine, 2. Catherine's blog, and 3. La-D-Da.
The first two I found on the Web by reading all of your cross stitch blogs!
Michele
This weekend, I started 'Against Every Sin' by Sheephish Designs. The pictures I took inside look orange, but the colors are incredibly delicate and beautiful. I posted some pictures of other SD designs I have cross stitched: 'High on a Hill,' An ornament form Just Cross Stitch (maybe the eighties), and 'Forget-Me-Not Sampler.'
Michele
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