Lickedy-Split!

This was a fun and quick design! I cannot wait to do something with it. I was thinking about this Stone and Thread design while I stitched "Bloom Where You Are Planted."

It would look perfect on this wall in my kitchen with garden-themed pictures and cross stitches.

I could use it on my traditional sampler wall as a funky counter point.

It even looks good with the tea service (in desperate need of polish!)

I recommend this design no matter what your decor; it fits in with everything.

Oh, it feels good to finish something! Just the little pick-me-up I needed!

Tiptoe Through the Tulips

Yesterday was Buttercup's last day of dance camp. The moms were invited in to watch the last 30 minutes of class. Nutmeg took dance camp also, but they did not have a parent day because "they are big girls now and need to work." I was a little sad about that...

The little girls were definitely working hard! I doubt that I could do the "passe and hold."

She just looked so peaky, and no wonder. She has a 100 degree temp this morning. Nutmeg has been sick since Wednesday.

I cannot start a cross stitch project and work straight through with no new starts. That would be like starting a book and finishing it all at once or like taking everything out of the pantry and then immediately putting it all back. What madness that would be!

So I made a new start yesterday on Birds of a Feather's "Bloom Where You Are Planted." I am using the DMC colors becasue they are very pretty. I could not get a good picture, but trust me! The stitch count is 65x66, so I should finish this in no time, right? Hmmmm...we'll see. Little girls are calling me, and I did take all the books off of two of the homeschool shelves this morning....

Around the homestead...

I am a homebody.

Seriously.

I spend a whole lot of time driving little girls to their activities, and then reward myself by piddling and footling around my house. My cross stitch corner is a rather messy area in the family room. On my left, is one of the two larger bookshelves in the room. I painstakingly arrange the books in a sort of chronological order. Louisiana Man strongly disagrees with my 'system,' but since I am the one who constantly re-shelves the books... The second photo shows the shelf at my eye level where I tend to stash things I have looked at or need to look at.

I have several friends who ask me (often, repeatedly, constantly) why I don't just get rid of the books after I finish them. Finish them? Who can say they have 'finished' the works of Shakespeare or Jane Austen? Can one plumb the depths of Homer? Can one drain the cup of Thomas Hardy and cast the 'finished' book in the give away pile? Why would anyone ask an English Major why they keep 'old' books? Seriously?
Last night we played a game of Lego Minotaurus. Surely this is much more important than going out to the mall or a movie. Childhood summer memories should be full of game nights with thunderstorms and popsicles, although cleaning Buttercup's popsicle off the Lego board was tricky.
Here is some stitching progress. Although I always travel with my stitching basket, I am most comfortable stitching in my own home with the lamps I am used to. I always feel self-conscious about leaving bits of thread behind me at someone else's home or business.
I potter around in my garden several times a day. This year I decided to let the various cucurbita vines ramble at will. Here they are taking over what was some okra and both a leaf mold pile and last year's compost pile. They are so glossy and strong, I will leave them be.

This buxom beauty is 'Cuostralee.' This is the largest tomato in my garden right now, and I wanted to document it before those nasty hornworms and blister beetles are tempted.

Home improvement projects around here are sometimes few and far between, but I finally have a towel bar for the main floor bathroom. She-Girl the Barbarian, I mean Buttercup, delicately wrenched it from the wall. I found a black fleur-de-lis towel bar at Ho&&y Lo$$y, and I spray painted it cream. I hope Louisiana Man can hang it up today.

Buttercup's room needs some attention. I know her room has gotten out of hand because she is trying to take over the family room with her games. Well, at least it proved to be a good opportunity to showcase some of my grandmother's afghans.

So you see, there is more than enough to keep me engaged here. The trick is finding time for this stay-at-home, homeschooling mother to actually stay home!

Random Bits of Real Life

It has been a while since I have posted, so here are some random images to give you a picture (ha ha) of my real life. I posted the above picture for my grandparents. That gorgeous green tomato is 'Goldman's Italian-American.' My granny (hi, Mimi) thinks it is the ugliest thing, but I absolutely love it! Mimi, show Pop this picture so he can see the tomato in the middle cup is starting to root.
Well, I was hoping to have this project all stitched up, but it is taking longer than I expected. You know how you look at a project and think, "I can have this done in 4 weeks," and then a week later, "This is huge! What was I thinking?" then the cycle begins again with "I can finish this up in a few more days."
I bought this lamp yesterday at Ho$$y Lo$$y. I always wanted a lamp with a big, fat bow, but I decided this one looked pretty classy. I just cannot stop looking at it!

The above picture is not particularly classy, but I said this was going to be about Real Life! I do not know why the cat was in the toilet paper package, nor do I know why the toilet paper package was in the parlor. So there you go.

Why is Buttercup dressed in a hot dragon costume on a 90 degree summer day? Why is there a light saber on the floor?

We spent the weekend at my parents' house. This is Buttercup's "world-famous, sit-down dive."

Buttercup and my mom spent a lot of time in the sunroom making paper dolls.

How does your life look lately? ;)