Well, Bummeroonietoonies!!!

We had all intentions of going to see our sweet grandchild and of course Kevin and Shannon, too, but with Gustav out there and not knowing what his stupid plans are, we decided it would be best to put it off. I don't want to be out of town if our house needs to be boarded up, and if my dog is at the kennel, etc. So unless Hannah decides to follow Gustav and come into the Gulf, we will be going next weekend. I'm totally bummed, as I was really needing some "neck sugars". My favorite thing is to bury my face in Kaylabugs neck and just soak up all those kisses. I wish I could bottle them for when I'm not around that precious baby.

My Bob went up in the attic for me and brought down all of the things I had saved of Kevin's. Oh Lordie.....I literally saved everything. I'm washing stuffed animals now for the babies and can't wait to get their room set up. He's going to paint it a soft yellow and then we can kinda go with whatever color we want. I got an AWESOME crib from freecycle (and he's going to paint it, and we'll get a new mattress). That way when the kids come to visit, they will have their room and the babies will have theirs. I have a pack and play thingee that we've been using for Kayla, but she'll be able to move to the crib and Carter (who is due January 20) can sleep in the pack and play for awhile. I also have a double bed headboard, footboard, and frame (just need the mattress). I'm getting excited about finally having that room something besides a junk room.

Soooo, since the plans have totally changed for the weekend, I suppose I'll put some more things on ebay, do some sewing for Kayla and do some stitching on my exchanges.

For the rest of you that are in the path of Gustav, stay safe and we are praying hard.

Hugs, love and be a friend,

Carolyn :)

Howdy!

Firstly, (is that a word?LOL) thank you all for your sweet comments and emails. Lately I've been making more and more blogging friends, and I'm loving it! :) Ahhh, can ya feel the love? LOL

Secondly, I wanted to share the exchange that I did for Carol S. for the SBEBB Biscornu Exchange. It is called "Three Emblems" by Papillion Creations, and I stitched it with GAST Purple Iris on 32ct. Silkweave Solo. This is the second time I've stitched for Carol, and I've enjoyed it both times. :)



This is the entire exchange, including goodies:



I'm sending off another exchange tomorrow, but since my partner has not received it, and she does read here, that would be rude, so you'll just have to wait. neeener neener

In other news......I'm watching the TV to see if Gustav or whatever the heck his name is is going to come down my street. This is the main reason I hate living where I live. Every summer we have to go through this. I know there is no utopia, but I bet there is some place better than this *** hole. Praying that he just poofs, because I surely don't want to wish a storm on someone else, but he's not welcome at my house, either.

Now for some really good news for me. You can imagine me doing the Snoopy happy dance, because that's what I'm doing. I'm going to see my Kaylabug this weekend!!! WOOOOOOHOOOOO!!! My gosh, I love that child and miss her when I'm not around her.
She has two teefies now and is probably walking. Kevin said she "sorta" is. I have no clue what "sorta walking" is, but I guess I'll find out this weekend. College started back for he and Shannon on Monday. He's taking a full schedule and also working full time at a restaurant called "The Melting Pot". I've never been there, and probably never will because he says it's real expensive....like sometimes $100.00per meal. I'd choke on every bite! I would love to see him in action, though. He gets really good tips, so he's probably doing some major, uhm.....what's the word I'm looking for? hhmm.... Anyway, he said that people are requesting him, so that's a good thing. I don't know how they do it all except they are way younger than me. They have everything figured out where Kayla doesn't have to go to daycare. Either Kevin is off, or Shannon is off, or a couple of times a week she goes to her great grandmother's house. Shannon will graduate in May (BS in Nursing) so that will help quite a bit. I think Kevin is on the 15 year plan! LOL Not really, but gosh it sure seems like it sometimes.

Okay, I've rambled long enough. I know most of you left 300 words ago. Maybe that's why I don't get alot of comments. Nobody is ever still here at the end. I'll try to shorten things up a bit and see if that works.

Have a most wonderful evening, day, morning wherever you are and always remember to be a friend.

Hugs and love,
Carolyn :)

Happy Sunday, Friends!!!

Before I go any farther into this post (most of you know mine tend to be sorta long!), I want to share the wish that I granted for sweet Leena that she has told me she has received. She requested anything autumn with any finish, so I chose a chart by JBW called "Autumn Harvest" and stitched it on 32 count fabric that I dyed myself and the fibers requested (GAST and WDW).

Here is the top:

Here is the inside:

I had such fun stitching and finishing this for sweet Leena and I hope she enjoys it. I've also finished two more exchanges this weekend (one has been mailed and the other will be mailed on Monday), but I can't share them with you yet. Soon, my pretties, soon! :)

I have four exchanges due in September (what was I thinking?) and then I'm done for awhile. I may do some personal exchanges, but I have some things (like a new baby sampler for my grandson due in January) that I've bought for myself that I really, really want to stitch.

I've got to de-stress when it comes to stitching. I get so wrapped in exchanges because they are just so dang fun, but when I keep collecting things for me and never have the time to stitch them, I feel like I'm defeating my purchase. So I'm taking a little sabatical, except for my Christmas Ornament Exchange. I also want to have time to do more RAKS and gifts. It's just so fun to send someone something in the mail when they have no clue something is coming. :)

I'm also on an ebay kick......I am clearing out big time. If you are interested in checking out my auctions, here is the link: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZcarolynljtx

If the link doesn't work, my ebay name is carolynljtx. I'm going to be adding a "lot" of samplers, sampler kits, Halloween "lot", Christmas "lot" and lots more. I have got to get some of this cleared out. It's all in perfect condition. I've just come to the realization that I'll never be able to stitch it all, besides the fact that my tastes have changed dramatically over the last several years. Also if you are looking for something in particular, please email me. I may have it and would love to trade with you (fabric and fibers only, please....I have enough charts for twelve lifetimes).

I am also going to be having some giveaways on here. I don't have alot of readers, so those of you that are faithful will have a better chance to win! More on that later.

Now......on to my feelings. I just love all of ya'll. When you are sad or hurting, I am sad and hurting. When you are happy dancing, I'm right there with ya doing the Snoopy dance. My blogging/online friends have become such a huge part of my life that I can't imagine not having them. Even though I don't get many comments (what's up with that??? I KNOW you've been here? LOL), I still have made so many wonderful friends and love reading other's blogs and getting inspiration and motivation. You are all such a wonderful group of people. I find myself not blogging unless I have pictures to share. That's really not the way to do it, so I'm going to try something different. Plus I HATE the way my blog looks. I want to have those little pictures of my work on the top, but don't know how to do it. Anybody want to help me have a purdy blog? Nothing fancy, but this WHITE business is driving me nutso.

I will wait until next time to tell you what else I'm up to. I love secrets! But for now I'm off to list more ebay items. We can't walk in the computer room. So far I've done pretty well. Not tons of money, but a little to help out, which is what I'm after.

How can I feel so strongly and love people I don't even know?? I don't know, but I do. Gosh, I'm sappy today! Have a wonderful weekend to all my blogging/online friends, and if you are new to my blog, email me or comment and I'll come visit you, too. I'm way behind on my blog reading/commenting. I plan to try to get caught up this week on reading and commenting. I promise!

Love and remember.....be a friend,

Carolyn :)

Great Mail Day!

Well, after reading everyone's comments on my last post, it seems like I had everyone sobbing. I promise that was NOT my intention. I was just writing from my heart. Thank you for your comments, though. It's so nice to read them and they mean so much to me.

On a GREAT note, the mail lady was my BFF this week! She brought two exchanges to me, and I'm just itching to share with you!

First I received this most wonderful mattress cushion from Karen on the MAW board. I had wished for one, and she did an excellent job in both stitching and finishing. She says this is her first one, but.......it sure is perfectly done! I LOVE it Karen!!!

Here is the front:

Here is the back:

My camera didn't capture the lovely colors, so you might want to check Karen's blog to see better pictures. I'm in love with it!

Next I received a GORGEOUS biscornu from Goldie from our SBEBB Specific Finish Exchange.

Here it is in all it's glory:

Here is the entire exchange with all the goodies she included! She really spoiled me gooooood!

Again, the coloring is not good on the pictures, but maybe she will have better pictures on her blog.

I think in an earlier post I told ya'll that I was doing a major listing on ebay. Most of my auctions ended yesterday and some end today. I've had several people asking for my ebay ID name, so I'll share that with those of you that are interested. I'm carolynljtx. Glad to meet ya! LOL

I plan to be listing a LOT of items in the next few weeks until all of my extras are gone. I have way too much, and this is the easiest way for me to handle it vs. trying to make lists that would take forever and three days to type up. LOL I did pretty well this week, and hope to do well next time, too. I have Bob's hospital bills to pay! I'm totally on the wagon until they are paid. I feel guilty buying stash when I have those hanging over my head. So it's an incentive to sell some of my stash to get them out of the way, and then maybe I'll treat myself with some new stash. :)

Well, today is a busy day for me so I better get going. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Thank you for visiting and commenting. As I've said to you so many times, it means alot to me.

Hugs and stiches, and as always.....be a friend!

Carolyn :)

Thursday Thoughts...

I can't believe that Kevin and Shannon will be celebrating their first anniversary tomorrow. It just seems like yesterday that I was sitting here in this house feeling all sorry for myself because I wasn't there.....that they just went by theirselves. Gosh, where has the year gone??? The older I get, the faster they fly. At this rate, I'll be 100 next Friday. LOL

Now I have Miss Kaylabug that has totally stolen my heart, and another one on the way. I was looking at Kevin's baby pictures (of which there are probably 3000....okay, he was an only child, so we took pictures of every time he moved!) the other night, and tears just streamed down my cheeks. Honestly it seems like yesterday that he and I were little buddies. He would say "Mommy, let's go on a date", which meant go to McDonalds. He would draw pictures of me doing things around the house (of which I have saved EVERY one....Lordie), and told me he wanted me to live across the street from him if he ever got married and that I could just walk in whenever I wanted. My how times have changed. He even locked his bedroom door when he got older. LOL I guess it's just hard to realize that he's a daddy....my baby is a DADDY??? And a darn good one, at that. I love watching him with Kaylabug. She loves him so much, and he will change a poopie diaper just as fast as anyone else. I never thought I'd see THAT day.

I miss them and want to visit them soon. Bob is on call this weekend, or I would have packed up my dolls, dog and dishes and headed that way. I need a "little family" fix. I don't know if I have ever written about this before, but forgive me if I have. I wrote to Kevin as he was growing up, and I'm so glad I did. I would tell him what he was doing (rolling over, starting to crawl, etc.) and how I was feeling. I wrote to him when his Dad was killed in an accident when Kevin was nine years old and it was just he and I. We became a team. I feel so blessed that he was such an easy child to raise (except the mouth when he became a teen.....oh. my. gosh. HORRIBLE). He was very protective of me. It was funny....he's 10 years old and protective of me? LOL I guarantee you though, he could have handled something if he had a baseball bat in his hand. You ALWAYS go for the knees!!! LOL

Gosh, talk about rambling. I would imagine by now I've lost most of you. Back to my writing to Kevin. I wrote to him and gave him the journal when he graduated from high school. I doubt he's read it, but I know he will someday. Boys are so different than girls about that kind of thing. Everytime I would read it, I would cry. Not from sadness, but from just the remembering all the wonderful times we had. Kevin was a miracle to me. I was on fertility for nine years, had four miscarriages, so when he finally arrived, he WAS a miracle. I was only blessed with one, but God knew what he was doing. Had I had four kids when his dad was killed, I probably would have lost my mind. I nearly did anyway. Five years later, God brought my Bob into my life. So I've been blessed with two wonderful husbands. :)

Okay, enough of all the memories for one day. Actually they are mostly all wonderful....just bittersweet. All of you parents can relate, I'm sure.

Have a wonderful Thursday, and remember to "be a friend".

Hugs,
Carolyn :)

Happy Tuesday!

Well, I don't have any pictures to share with you, but I felt like writing. It's cloudy outside, and I'm literally doing a rain dance hoping we get some. My beautiful garden doesn't look so beautiful anymore. We were on water restrictions for awhile, so we weren't able to water like it needed. Oh well.....the joys of living on the Gulf coast of Texas. NOT! I want to move away from here so bad. My dream has always been to live somewhere where there are four seasons. Maybe one of these days.....

I'm in a huge organizing mood. I've been putting things on ebay, craigslist and freecycle and have only just begun. I have TONS of things that I will be listing on ebay. I've given away lots of things, but my tastes have changed dramatically and I just keep spending my time organizing things that will never get stitched, which is a huge waste of my time. I'm not stopping until it's all gone.

One thing that you may not know about me is that I'm an organizing freak. There. I said it! I love to organize things, especially my stash. I'm a bit OCD about it, I suppose. :) I'm the Rubbermaid/Sterlite/whatever brand is one sale freak, too. I will NOT store anything in a regular box, just like I won't have regular hangers in my closet (Mommy dearest! LOL). I told ya I was weird about some things. Oh, one more thing - I'm a major, and I do mean MAJOR list maker. Okay, that's all of the confessions for today. More to come..... LOL

I have overloaded myself with exchanges this month and I'm trying to get them all finished. They are from several boards, and I do NOT want to be late on any of them, so I'm doing "power stitching". I'm not as fast a stitcher as alot of people are, and I'm EXTREMELY picky about what goes out of this house with my name on it. I have so many things I want to stitch for myself. I think I will work on those for awhile after this month. Also, I need to stitch a baby sampler for my grandson who is due in January. :) Lots to do....

Well, time to stitch for awhile, and then back to my listing on ebay and organizing.

Have a blessed day, and always remember to "be a friend".

Carolyn :)

P.S. For any of you that wonder about the "be a friend" part...I told that to my son every day of his life when I let him off for school or when he got older and drove himself, I told him that as he walked out the door. "I love you Kevin, and don't forget to be a friend". Since Kevin is no longer here with me anymore and has his own family, I'm passing it on to ya'll. I think it's good advice, don't you? Thank all of you for your comments and emails. They are so important to me, and literally make my day. See ya next time! :)

So much to share with you....

First of all, I'm way behind in posting pictures, so please bear with me. I've got a huge project starting either at the end of the year or the first of 2009 that I've been working on (sorry, can't share about it yet), and that has been my main priority lately.

Here is what I sent to Carol for the SBEBB Redwork Exchange. It is "Quaker Diamond" by Hillside Samplings mounted on the top of a box. I hope you enjoy it Carol. :) This was my first attempt at this type of finish, but it won't be my last. I really enjoyed it!




Inside of box:



This is the entire exchange:



This next picture is the ornament that I stitched for Staci for our ornament exchange group. I hope you enjoy it, Staci. I enjoyed stitching it for you! :)



Then I received my wonderful Redwork exchange from Joanne and this is the lovely pinkeep that she stitched for me. I just LOVE pinkeeps!!!

Front:

Back (I love this fabric!):

And the complete exchange full of all kinds of wonderful goodies!



Thank you for everything, Joanne! I love it all!!! :)

Last but certainly not least, I received a LOVELY hardanger heart from Cathy B. as a thank you. Cathy, your work is lovely. I would so love to learn to do hardanger, but the fear of cutting my work has held me back. Maybe one of these days I will overcome this fear and give it a try. You do beautiful work and it is my one and only piece of hardanger that I own, so it's very special to me. Isn't it lovely? Thank you very much!



I will have a few more pictures to share in the next week or so after they have been mailed and the recipients have received them.

Those of you that know me well know how I feel about my little buglet, so I MUST share a picture with you. Actually I have several I could share, but I will just choose one this time.

Miss Kayla waving to you:



This baby girl has totally stolen my heart. I guess when baby Carter is born in January, I'll have to share, but I have no doubt I will. A baby boy. Yipppeeeee! Maybe he will play baseball like his daddy did..... or maybe he won't. Whatever either of them do, as long as it's legal LOL, I will support them 100%.

Well, time to watch Tony win the race and do some stitching. I literally need to do some power stitching this next week.

Thank you for visiting and commenting. I love my blogging friends so much! Becky, I'm glad to see that you are feeling better and back to the blogging world.

Hugs, and always remember to be a friend,
Carolyn :)