Sunday, December 16, 2007

Long time no post!

But the good news is Hubby finally has a job & he is on the computer all day, most every day! Yippee! To celebrate, I bought more Needle Necessities threads! Gotta love it!

I have finished my holiday stitching and only have one piece left to finish finish.
The grandkids, EGA, ABWA, friends and friends grandkids all got the same thing:
The presentation:


Ornament for JCS 2007 Ornament issue.



I have been stitching on CDC, but no new pictures to show yet.



It has been a busy couple weeks at our house with Holiday parties and the hurry hurry run run of the season. I love seeing everyone and the yummy food and wonderful conversation, but, miss my quiet t-shirt no bra evenings at home! **No photos of this** thankyouverymuch!
We spent the Friday night & Saturday at a beautiful beach resort an hour south of here. Hubby is a Shriner and one of his clubs had a great party Friday night. The rate the resort gave us was too good to pass up, so we stayed, which allowed us both to indulge in the libations! The bummer was the weather. It rained sooo hard Friday afternoon, Saturday was rainy and windy. But it was still nice to get away and relax and we found some time to enjoy the beautiful beach! Kind of seems like an oxymoron to this Kansas girl... beach/enjoy/December!

Here is our room!


A view of the beach Saturday morning


I have to say I took this same picture with my phone & sent it to family digging out of the ice and snow in Kansas and Oklahoma with the caption to "Stay Warm"....

The main course from dinner Friday night


And desert! A Yule log! The meal was delish!!!! And the presentation and attention from the wait staff was first class!


As promised some Christmas decorations:

My Santa collection



The tree in the living room. The ornaments on this tree are either all glass or all metal. I'm weird.....



I need to get a photo of the tree on the lanai. That one is all the fun stuff... Wizard of Oz, OU football, Dallas Cowboys football, McDonald's, Shells, bells, Rusty Wallace, Santas.... I discovered that I basically have NO stitched ornaments. That is going to change this year!

Finally, this is the ornament I received at our EGA Christmas party this week. It is ceramic and has a peyote band. I love it. Created by our own Peyote Princess Melissa!



One last thought...
I just love the holiday decorations around town and want to share this picture of the A.C. Freeman house with you. Our Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce is located here. The main floor is restored and open for tours. This beautiful home greats you as you come over the Peace River Bridge into Punta Gorda. It is 1 block west of my office. Don't you love the porch??? I'm longing to spend a lazy afternoon stitching here!



Bed time!
Stay safe!
Merry Christmas!
xoxo
~~Martha~~

Monday, November 26, 2007

A picture.....




is worth a few hundred stitches!
I couldn't wait!
I will try to get better pictures as time goes on.....
The rest of my stitching is toast....
Happy Monday!
xoxo
~~Martha~~

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Thanksgiving Weekend Update

Where did the 4 days go?
I am not ready to go back to work tomorrow....

Hope you all had a wondertastic holiday with family & loved ones.
My birthday was Wednesday, so the holiday festivities started early! I received flowers at work from my dear stitching friends Marleen & Eileen! They are beautiful and really brightened the day. Lots of cards and phone calls with well wishes too!
Hubby bought me roses. My recent trip to Treasure Island to stitch with Susan was my "official" present from DH!





We spent Thanksgiving day with our dear friends Pat & Richie. All the turkey & ham & sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes and green beans and pie and cake and fun you can imagine! There were 13 of us at the table.



Our pre-dinner entertainment was their grandson RJ and his magic spoons!



I did not go shopping Friday. There is not enough money or bargains in the world to get me out to the stores on Black Friday! We had friends down from Michigan for dinner on Friday. I fixed a big pot roast with gravy and mashed potatoes and mixed veggies and my Moms Cherry Jello for desert. Not sure where my camera was, but no pictures! Oh, I also learned how to drink gimlets.... so that could answer where my camera was!

My DH had a wonderful time all week teasing me about a big surprise trip on Saturday. The only things he would tell me:
1. Dress like I would if I was going out goofing off on Saturday with friends..
2. Not to make any plans for Saturday.
3. Be ready to go at Noon. (He had a commitment Saturday morning at the Shrine).
I asked all kinds of questions. Where are we going? Do I need to pack a bag? Are we going alone? Have I been there before?.... He would not answer any of my questions. If you know Bruce, this had to be very hard for him because he is not good at keeping secrets, or anything for that matter, from me!

Noon came, he was home from the Shrine. I'm ready to go. He is outside doing something in the garage. I'm waiting.... wondering.... Then he comes in & says he has to tell me something because he can't find something..... OK, I ask, what are you looking for? His reply, "Your stitching bag..." My reply "I thought I didn't need to pack a bag"...... so I hand him my stitching bag. We get in the car & leave! My surprise....




Dinner & stitching with Bill & Ruby! I couldn't think of a better way to spend an afternoon! Bill & Ruby fixed Port tenderloin, a yummy pear/lime jello salad & my very favorite black eyed peas, sweet potatoes and my very favorite red velvet cake!
We had a great time visiting and looking at cross stitch books! I think I made a half dozen stitches~ nothing to show you on that end as I am still working on my Christmas stitching~ But...... you all know I have been lusting after Ink Circles CDC.... Cathy at Golden Needle ordered some of Ink Circles Charts after I showed her their website... Last week when I was at the shop, I picked up my threads for the project, but did not see the chart yet. I didn't ask.... It's a good thing.... because look what Ruby & Bill gave me for my birthday!!



Now if I could just get this Christmas stitching done I could start CDC! I'm think I will go work on it now!
Enjoy your week! Think happy thoughts! I'm going to stitch.... I just have to start CDC!
xoxo
~~Martha~~

Thursday, November 22, 2007

A Thanksgiving Poem

"Twas the night of Thanksgiving, but I just couldn't sleep.
I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.

The leftovers beckoned. The dark meat and white.
But I fought the temptation with all my might.

Tossing and turning with great anticipation
The thought of a snack became just infatuation.

So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door.
And gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.

I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
pickles and carrots. beans and tomatoes.

I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
'Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.

I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.

But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees...
happy eating to all - pass the cranberries, please.

May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes 'n gravy have nary a lump.

May your yams be delicious, may your pies take the prize,
May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off your thighs!

But most of all let's be thankful for living ….
and may you and your loved ones be blessed this Thanksgiving.

xoxo
~~Martha~~

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Susan Greening Davis, Treasure Island Part 3 & Golden Needle Stitch Night & Happy Thanksgiving!!



I have to share my good fortune! Susan always has a fund raiser for Breast Cancer at her retreats. I was lucky enough to win one of the goody piles! This lovely little Spool Doll was in the prize basket I won. Isn't she sweet?? Ok, I'm done tempting you with photos from Treasure Island!



Golden Needle Stitch night was this week. Cathy organized a stitchers tree for the local Symphony of Trees and here it is! Lots of us stitched these lovely ornaments. I did a quick rough count & think there are approx. 90 hand stitched Christmas balls on the tree!



Our Golden Needle Stitching group!



I spent the weekend putting up my Christmas decorations! I know it is early, but I have plans for next weekend (don't ask me what because dear hubby said it is a surprise!)& wanted it done! This is my collection of Tom Clarks People at Prayer & it stays out all year. I will post Christmas photos AFTER Thanksgiving!

Hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving Holiday! You are ALL my blessings!
Thanks for being there!
xoxo
~~Martha~~

Susan Greening Davis, Treasure Island, Part 2



This is the inside for the Shaker Box~~Stitching Smalls.




Saturday evening, after the trip to the LNS, we went down the street to Sloppy Joes for Supper!



Sunday morning, we enjoyed breakfast in the courtyard of the hotel. I'm stumped... I can't think of an "s" word for breakfast..... But Stitchers sure do like food! Breakfast was yummy. This is the first time I ever had creamed eggs & I'm planning on serving them at my Christmas morning breakfast! I googled creamed eggs & it sounds quite easy!



Sunset on the Gulf Saturday night.



Stitchers Sitting in the Sun. This was after **lunch** (more food!) on Saturday.

Susan Greening Davis



My weekend at Treasure Island, Florida studying with Susan Greening Davis was wonderful. This is a picture of the Shaker Box that will hold the Smalls that Susan designed. The items that go inside the Shaker Box are a needle book, Scissor Holder, Tape Measure and Needle Guide.
As always, Susan & Sally provide a funderful class at an awesome location!




Here are a couple of our Smiling Stitchers!!



Ohhhhh Ahhhhhhh.... Stitchers Stash!



Serious Stitchers!




Silly Sticky Stuff Stitchers!!

The weekend really was great. I always enjoy my class time and my visiting time. Sometimes I get the 2 confused!
Nicole (Island Breeze) sat next to me. She is such a doll. She lives near the hotel, so was our tour guide for a trip to the 2 LNS! Thanks tons Nicole!!!
I also got to spend time with my stitching friends Marleen & my adopted Mom Eileen. My roomy was nice, she didn't complain that I snored....really loud!

For more photos see Nicoles blog and my next post!

Sunday, November 4, 2007

November



I am in awe at how fast this year is flying by!! Holly cow!
It was a beautimus fall weekend on the Florida Gulf coast. Sad to see the pool temp drop to 75, but wonderful to turn the a/c off & open the house!

I hosted my stitchy friends today (my DH calls it my "hen party")! It's such a treat to be able to do this. The highlight of my month. This is my reward for cleaning house!

The fist photo is a little something our mystery guest stitcher finished this afternoon! Do you know who she is? Can you tell her style???


Here are Louise & Sara. Sara does the most awesome thing with that counted canvas stuff! I'm ashamed to say I did not get a photo of her recent finish. Louise is also a counted canvas expert, but, she was working on linen today



Meet Jessica! This is the Jessica, daughter of Deb aka Lavender Rose. It was such a treat to have her come stitch with us. Nicole (Island Breeze) is trying to move out of the picture!



And Malinda and Deb. If we would have stitched as many words as we spoke, ALL our UFO's would be done now!





TaaaDaaaah! Here is Cathy of The Golden Needle and..... our guest mystery stitcher, designer and teacher extraordinaire..... Susan Greening Davis!

I'm missing pictures of lots of the ladies. We had Charlotte, who made a desert called "Death by Carmel".... it was soooo good, Ruby brought mushroom gravy and some yummy orange/ginger carrots, Mary Jane, God love her, she comes to these things and only eats fresh veggies...., Jessica, Deborah, Queen Patti who was stitching a beautiful hand painted canvas with really cool stitches. Eleanor brought coconut/chocolate/raspberry cookies and cheesy sauce for the baked taters. Nicole, from Island Breeze was busy giving her headless sheep a head! Louise made apple pie, Gigi & Edith our newest stitchers, Malinda made the best chili, Sara brought pumpkin cheesecake, Cathy & Susan. We had baked potatoes and all the fixings you could think of to add to them. Gigi & Eleanor brought their finished tassels from my tassel class & they are beautiful!

The day always goes way to fast for me. I love these ladies & it's such a treat to spend some quality stitching time with them.

I'm off to Treasure Island next Friday for the weekend. I am spending the day Friday in another office to observe and see how they do things. Friday night is class with Susan Greening Davis, as is Saturday, Saturday night & Sunday. I'm looking forward to this retreat and some time away. The Thunderbird Inn is right on the beach. I'll take lots of pictures.

Thanks for all your kind comments. I wish you all could come to my hen parties!
DH is hungry, best go heat him up a left over baked potato!
Stay safe!
xoxo

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Peyote



Ok, the "rule" is I must work on my peyote bracelet at EGA.... soooo, here is this weeks progress! Only another 3, or 4 inches to go!

Our EGA "Dress as a Stitch" night was a hoot....





We had the following stitches present at the meeting:
2 Queen stitch
A Box Stitch
A Lazy Daisy Stitch
A Long Armed Cross Stitch
A Feather Stitch
A Chained Feather Stitch
The Frog Stitch rip-it rip-it
A Sheaf Stitch
A Half Stitch
Hardanger Stitches

I almost finished 3 more Christmas ornaments this week. No photos as they are gifts! Hehehe...


And.... I am honored to have received the "you make me smile award" from Teejay and from Deborah (find links to their blogs on my side bar). Thank you ladies! I'm supposed to pass this award on to others who make me smile.... You all do! Thanks for your support, encouragement & most of all welcoming me to the blogging world!
Once I figure out how to make these links work on my posts.... I'm so techno challenged!
Off to bed. It's going to be another busy week, but one week from today is Steamy Sunday Stitching! I can't wait!
Be safe & don't have too many tricks or treats for Halloween!
xoxo
~~Martha~~

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Tassels Anyone??



Whew.... I think all 15 students had a good time & enjoyed their tassel lesson! No one yelled at me and no one left the room crying!
This is a picture of my international student! She came all the way from England to take my tassel class.... (Ok, she happened to be coming to the area on vacation at the same time....) Carol taught us all how to make our own hand made cording, without using the battery powered twisty thingy that I use. Her cording is nice and tight and beautimus! Thank you!!





My studious students! They worked soooo hard! I hope I get to see all their finished tassels. The color combinations were awesome. Every time I went to the fiber & bead table I found another color combo I **must** do!




Sweet Anita, she is making the most fun color combo... my favorite slimy limey green with hot pink beads!

Another class will be planned soon. We think right after the first of the year. Watch this site, and Goldeneedle.com for details.

On the stitching front. I became very bored with Nepi today, so I started another Christmas ornament, cut the fabric for They Came from Afar, 2 more Callie quilt blocks and 2 Multiplication Tables. I now have a basket full of started or ready to start projects. What is wrong with me????

Enjoy your week! It will be a busy one...
xoxo
~~Martha~~

Friday, October 19, 2007

Had to share....

My 2 day meeting for work was awesome! It's really wonderful to network with others who do what you do. I have to share a story....

My job is customer service. I'm the Senior Branch Office Administrator (BOA) for an international investment firm (Edward Jones). We sell stocks, bonds, mutual funds, cds, annuities, life insurance, long term care, banking services (credit cards/money market/debit cards/mortgages).... all the stuff that makes most peoples eyes glaze over (including mine!). I'm responsible for everything in the branch office, with the exception of soliciting orders. Our office structure is, for the most part, one broker (Financial Advisor) and one BOA. My FA is also the Regional Leader for Southwest Florida. Because of this leadership position, and the fact that we are a very productive office, we have an additional BOA. I serve, informally (only because we have not set up a formal program....yet), as a mentor for the new BOAs in our area. I'm a life line/phone-a-friend/supporter/encourager, kinda like the mom! Several years ago, we helped another new FA get started in the business by giving him a place to work in our back room, teaching him the business, supporting, and providing some accounts to manage. He has since moved on to his own office and is doing quite well. He hired a new BOA 9 months ago and I made a point to call and introduce myself to her on her first day in the office and encouraged her to call me if she every had questions or needed support or encouragement. She called me.... lots! But that's ok. I meant it when I reached out to her. She was always so sweet & thankful for everything. No big deal, I'm just doing my job, a job I love with an awesome company. If one succeeds, we all succeed....

One thing we do in our community each month during the school year is we honor 2 senior students at the local high school as "Student of the Month". It's simple, We asked the principal to give us the name of one female and one male student who has shown good citizenship/stewardship qualities. The school will give me some background on the student, why they were chosen, what they like about the High School, what their future plans are... I print up a certificate on certificate paper, put it in a $3 frame from WalMart, we go to the High School, make a big deal out of these kids, present the certificate, meet the family, take a few pictures and go on about our day. I love SOM day, because these kids, usually, are not the star athlete or the high honor student or the one that gets the lead in the play. They are "just" kids... It always just feels good...

Are you tired of reading yet? I'm sorry, but I want to give you lots of background, so you can understand why this is just soooo awesome! You might want to stop now & get a tissue before you continue.

Our company mission / goal is Customer Service Excellence. How can we make a difference in our customers lives? How can we motivate them to come back? How can we get them to refer their friends and family? How can we retain them?

This was the discussion led by my FA yesterday afternoon. Part of his presentation was this video: Johnny the Bagger

***Please stop reading and watch this short video now.... tissue handy....***

After the video, my FA told the story about one of our Students of the Month from several years ago. A young man name Robert, with Down Syndrome. Robert made a difference with his fellow class mates and the school administration. He was recognized because he went out of his way to help those with disabilities in the class room. be it tieing some ones shoes, giving them a pat on the back for accomplishing something, holding the door, encouraging, offering a smile ... After the award presentation, we went to meet the families. Roberts grandparents came from Canada to see their grandson get is certificate in the $3 WalMart frame..... because they wouldn't miss is for anything....because Robert made a difference in their lives in ways on one could ever imagine....

Tissue?

At this point in my FA's presentation, the lady sitting across the isle from me leans over and grasps my arm and sobs.... "That is MY Robert, My son"......
I'm toast... We are both standing in the middle of a room with 45 women & one man... sobbing.... The lady? The new, 9 month tenure BOA from earlier in this story, my mentee....

Of course, this is the point where my FA says, "Martha, can you come up and update us on the BOA mentoring program"..... Sure....sob... ok..... sob.... I said, to him, and the group.... "I just learned this, the young man you just told us about, is the son of our very own Katherin".... sob.....sniffle..... you should have heard the collective gasp from the room.... Amazing...

I composed my self, somewhat...sniffle....sob.... gave my little talk on BOA mentoring and why it is important to the new BOA's, the seasoned BOA, the Firm, and most of all the clients... Couldn't have had a better lead in if it had been all planned.... had more than half the room volunteer to do what ever they could...

Isn't it funny how, at the most unexpected times, things can come full circle???


Go get a tissue. I'm all out!
xoxo
~~Martha~~

P.S. Tassel class tomorrow! Details following....

Monday, October 15, 2007

Some Stitching!



Jamaica Deb is finished... except for some buttons around the sun. Not sure I will get them, or, make some more french knots! I loved the colors in this Sunflower Seed chart. Stitching on the Midas Cashel Linen was an added bonus!




Forever Yours.... by Cedar Hill. I am only lacking the words. I thought I had every GAST. Guess what one I am missing.... Verigated khaki. The hearts were fun to stitch. I think **one** of my most favorite color combos is khaki and red (DMC 221). I'm anxious to finish this and then try my hand at finishing this in a pinkeep style that I can hang on the wall (if that makes a whole lot of sense!). Will let you know how that little experiment goes!



I started Lynne Nicoletti's Neptune Poseidon last night. I'm stitching "Nepi" on Silkweavers 28ct Lugana "Splash". Love the name. This one will take me a while.

My next start will be From The East. Thanks Teejay for your kind words! I'm going to stitch this as one piece. I'm off to Golden Needle on Saturday to teach my tassel class, so I will get the fabric I need for this, along with the GAST for Forever and.... I'm sure more stuff too!


I tried to get a photo of my peyote bracelet I'm working on at the EGA stitch-in, but I can't get a decent photo. I will keep trying. I think I only have 3 inches done, so this one will take a while. Oh.... speaking of EGA... our second October meeting is "Dress as a Stitch".... We are to each dress as a stitch... It's been fun trying to come up with different ideas. Dress in black and white, be a nun stitch... Wear black leather & carry a whip & be a whip stitch... Ruby said she was going to dress as an away knot and just not come...

I'm off to Sarasota FL for a conference (work related) Thursday & Friday. I'm looking forward to being out of the office and getting to network with others in my position. I have a presentation to make Thursday afternoon. Once I get past that it will great!

Fall is in the air. The pool temp was down to 85 degrees F. yesterday afternoon. I'm looking forward to the end of hurricane season. Stay safe! See you next week!
xoxo
~~Martha~~