Argh! Having trouble posting pictures!!! Do you see them?

I am having so much trouble with Blogger!!! I guess everything changed, and I missed it. I used to upload pictures from Picassa. Now I cannot find the blog button. When I post pictures, there is a divider band between each one, and the pictures are still on top of each other!!! Is there some weird little imp in my computer or has anyone else had problems? Anyway, over the weekend I visited my WIP basket. I was shocked! When I start something, I am usually so excited and think it is the most wonderful design in the world and calculate how soon until it is finished. Then, somehow, it winds up in the WIP basket. I looked at WIP after WIP thinking "Why in the world did I ever put this down?" I took pictures of some of my favorite finds. The above picture is by Little by Little. I have no idea when I started it or why it was cast aside. I LOVE the color combination. I worked on it last night and really hope to finish it up. As I was stitching the inner border, I thought how nice it would look done in satin stitch. Around midnight I glanced at the chart and noticed it actually called for satin stitch!! I decided not to rip out my evening's work though. The next picture is an actual finish! This is 'Anonymous Women' by Sheepish Designs. It is actually their first design and the work of Little by Little designer Cindy Bradford. Very fun piece!
'Anonymous Women' was published in 1985 the same year as Margaret and Margaret published this design. I found it in my mom's stash and began it as soon as I finished AW. I got a chuckle when I noticed the dates! Here is a lovely WIP by Nostalgic Needle. This was in two editions of Just Cross Stitch a few years ago. I started it the day I saw it. The colors and designs are beautiful. How could I put it down??? Wow! This is by With My Needle. I started this during the early phase of my Scottish Sampler passion. I think it was the band of queen stitches that stifled my passion. I hope you enjoyed some of the highlights from my WIP basket. I hope to get this HTML thing straightened out soon! Michele

"The House of the One Gable"

Snow days are vacation days here in Georgia. I may live in a higher elevation (the battering winds attest to that (We have moved to yet another Wuthering Heights!), but a few falling flakes unfit me for work let alone, snow on the ground for a week! That being said, I have stitched to my heart's content this week! It has been a good long while since I have done this much needlework. (Yes, Mom, your grandchildren have been fed, and I think they have had a bath or two.)
The above picture may not look like grand progress, but it was a pretty intense bit of stitching. It was more intense because I was listening to Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The House of the Seven Gables." Sometimes I laughed out loud, and sometimes my heart beat fast and my needle flew faster! Agnes' house has only one gable, but I think she is better off than the inhabitants of that well-gabled house.

I wanted to show you my coffee nook. I was so happy to find that this house had a butler's pantry! It looks a bit sparse because I share the space with my husband who is always on the look out for gratuitous bits of Frou, as in frou-frou, or is it froo-froo?
You may have noticed that I am not the type who rushes out and frames or otherwise finishes my work. I am sure there is some psychological name for that as well as a financial one! ;) One day, I want Paulette's coffee freebie to grace this space. (it is upstairs with a piece of foam board cut and ready for the stretching)

This ancient piece does hang in the pantry. I still love it.

I wish you could join me for a morning of stitching and coffee!

Snow Days

I have marveled at the bright reds and greens on Scottish samplers for years now. Those are certainly cheery colors on snowy-cold days. I have made some progress on 'Agnes Scott' by With My Needle while listening to the wind try to out-howl the children. This is more snow than the girls have seen in their lives, and they are thrilled to be living in a neighborhood with young boys across the street. We have had to put a stop to them chunking ice at each other more than once. I suppose they were thinking, "If snow ball fights are fun, then ice chunk fights must be terrific!" Hmmmm...

This is NOT normal winter weather for us! I want them to enjoy it as much as possible while staying as dry as possible. Hot soup and cornbread is the perfect fare this week!

Sugar, Stitching, and Snoozing

Sunday our church ladies group had a baby shower for MommyLawyer. Here is a picture of the beautiful cake! There was so much yummy food! We played the "dirty diaper" game. I melted candy bars in diapers, and everyone had to guess!

I started Tanya's "Pride and Prejudice." I thought I would just change the colors to ones that I had on hand. Somehow I have messed the borders up, and they aren't meeting up. I have laid it aside for a few days. Maybe after stitching a few Christmas ornaments I will be able to figure out my mistake.

This is my progress on "Agnes Scott." I am fascinated by the color combination!

And who doesn't love a good nap?

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

Here is my progress on Agnes Scott. I need to put it down and finish up Phebe Tree.

Here are a couple more kitty ( and Buttercup) pictures - I could not resist! They are bright spots on this gray, rainy day!

Agnes Scott

This is my start on Agnes Scott by With My Needle. I wanted you to get an idea of its size!!! Any guesses on when it will be finished? It is an absolutely lovely reproduction Scottish sampler featuring many design elements common to that region. I know that last year I wrote that Dutch samplers were my favorite, but Scottish samplers have now stolen my heart. There are many common elements between Dutch and Scottish samplers, my favorite being the illuminated alphabets.

Here is a red and green grouping in my front room. I think Agnes would be overpowering in this small room. Also I would have to completely redo this grouping which would mean begging my usually easy going husband for more nail holes. He was mild when he saw me bring two more beasties into the house this week compared to the stink he would raise about more nail holes! Apparently I "compromise the structural integrity of the house" when I make and then change wall groupings.

And here is a gratuitous shot of two stinkin' cute kittens!