HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

GOTTA LOVE MY GAL MAXINE......HAPPY HALLOWEEN YINZ SPOOKY GUYS!!!

DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL!!

....cause it's still me but with a different face. I decided to break out of the purple red thing I had going on and get a little seasonal. I love when people change their blogs with the seasons and I thought I would give it a try....again....and again....and yet again!!! Yep, it took awhile but I did it! Still have to tweak it a little but at least I got this far.
As for craft pics, well unfortunately the 4 things I'm working on are going places and haven't got there yet so I can't show them due to rules and regulations of the exhanges and also peeking eyes!!! So, hang in there and I'll be showing them soon!
So, enjoy the autumn leaves and I'll catch yunz guys later.....

Great Exhausting Weekend...

We had an exhausting exhilarating exciting weekend!!!! And our bones are feeling it too! Our weekend was called "Church without Walls" and what it consisted of was canceling church services for the weekend.....and instead, going out into the community and giving of ourselves and our time! We all wore purple t-shirts that read, "I don't go to church...I AM the church!" Everyone gave a few hours of time between Saturday and Sunday to projects such as cleaning up trash in the downtown area as well as weeding near the railroad tracks. Some worked right at the church itself cutting down trees and painting windows or working on the Kids Kloset (clothes donation.) The Sweetie Man and I chose to work at the local Massa Harbison Park (aka...the site of the Girl Scout Little House). Take a minute and read a short story about Massy Harbison and her connection to our community.
Anyway, we were elected to "sling mud" from one of four park pavilions in the area. For a sneak peek at our fun weekend, check out the pics below....

First off is Sweetie Man and myself shoveling mud and cleaning the floor of a pavilion....

That's Sweetie Man using the blower to clean up what was left after shoveling.....
Even the kids worked ........
and played................
The Mayor of our City even worked, probably harder than most everyone.....
That's me and my pastor who was digging a trench to keep the mud off the pavilion we just shoveled out.....WHEW!
We're actually not permitted to burn in the City limits, but hey....we had the Mayor working with us....

It was truly an incredible weekend. There's a great log cabin on the property also that I remember having sleep overs with the Girl Scouts when I was little...we used that for breaks and lunch...which was needed for all.
Actually, that wasn't all to my weekend....give me a couple of days to rest up and I'll let you know what I did on Sunday (does 7 hours of cross stitching sound fun???? It was!)
Till next time, yunz crazy guys.....

Birthday weekend...

Sweetie Man and I wanted to celebrate his birthday away from it all so we went camping up to Bear Run Campground near us. It was a beautiful weekend and so nice to just be all alone for awhile to just be our crazy selves! The kids (son and DIL) joined us for dinner on Saturday night which was really nice...especially since they brought an Ice Cream Cake!!! So for your enjoyment....our CAMPY BIRTHDAY WEEKEND!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.......

......THE ONE AND ONLY "SWEETIE MAN"!!!!!

ALSO KNOWN AS "PEPPERMAN", "BIG EDDIE", "HOT ZONE ED" AND MOST IMPORTANTLY...... MY HUSBAND!!! (for the 1st year ever and the rest of his birthdays to come!)

May you have a wonderful day, Mi Amor, and many many more wonderful healthy years to come...with me of course!!!

¡feliz cumpleaños

Autumn's in the air....

For your viewing pleasure...presenting what I do in my spare time...
First off we have some WIP's. This one is the Village of Hawk Run Hollow....not seeing alot of the light of day is it? At this rate I should be able to finish this in about 20 years....

This one is the adorable penquin (can't tell you but if you are a cross stitcher you may know what this is going to eventually be....spying eyes are viewing my blog!!)

Everytime I take a pic of this JCS Owl Halloween ornie,it comes out blurry...maybe it's possessed!!!

This little number is for an Autumn Exchange I'm doing and it's by The Trilogy. I have a cute idea on the finish but shhhhhhh it's a secret!

Another blurry one....but it is the Brittercup Puppy ornie for my son's dog. I changed the colors since he has a chocolate lab. Now I have an ornie for every dog and cat in the house! (wonder if Brittercup makes rabbits and turtles)
Now for the good stuff...this is a picture of my hard working daughter-in-law painting their room in the house but wait.....

She single handedly turned this ugly floor.......

....into this!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And it gets better....she turned these ugly colored walls......
.......into this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
.....and THIS!!!!!

And she bought this for the beginning renovation of my house!!!! (they are lamps...how cool is that!)

Oh, yeah.....did I tell you that THIS is a picture of my son HELPING his wife?????? (um...check under the Transformer blanket!)
No, not really, they have both been working their butts off to make my house a HOME!!! Plus they are going to school full time....doing some internet work for spending money and my daughter-in-law is starting modeling classes on the side! I get tired just talking about it!!! I don't seem to remember having that much energy at 21! We love them both and they are fun to have around. Being they too are newlyweds, we try to give them as much space as possible. I even told them to do whatever they wanted to the house as far as decorating and painting...I think they are doing a good job!!! Thanks so much you two!!! It's really an incredible change....Hey, I've been helping out a little when they let me!

Well, that's about it for now! Getting cool here in the 'burgh...so till next time yinz crazy guys!!!

More stitching time....

Okay...here goes...if you want more stitching time, check out this video. The less time you spend peeling a hard boiled egg, the MORE time you have to stitch. Remember....you saw it here FIRST......

HOW TO PEEL A HARD BOILED EGG

Till next time, yinz crazy guys!

Perky is good....

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Site

Found this one over at Kare's Blog....nice to see you back, Kare!!! Like Kare...I wasn't on the online dating service either!!!

DANGER...DANGER....

....DO NOT OPEN THIS MAGAZINE UNLESS YOU HAVE A FEW GOOD HOURS TO SPARE!!! I made the mistake of opening it at a not so convenient time.... and became late for something else! GO FIGURE!!!
As usual I want to make everything in it....and tell me if you do this....I go throught the whole magazine thinking I saw everything....pick it up a hour or so later and say to myself, "Hey, self...I didn't see THAT ornament." I do this over and over again....is this a sign of old age???? Then again, the magazine looks new to me each time I read it....I could do that!!!
Next...found this on Kari's Blog....I think I may have done this before, but it's still fun...and amazingly accurate if I do say so myself....enjoy!

What Lucy Means

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You are a very lucky person. Things just always seem to go your way. And because you're so lucky, you don't really have a lot of worries. You just hope for the best in life. You're sometimes a little guilty of being greedy. Spread your luck around a little to people who need it. You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising. You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Now THAT's what I call....

.....YELLOW!!!
I love yellow...I used to like blue...and sorta like purple....but I LOVE YELLOW!
Was recently in a Yellow Exchange with my Yahoo Group and lo and behold this is what I received from Jeannie...all in this Yellow Bag....

....can you believe this???

...and there was yet more...it wouldn't all fit in the picture!!!

Thanks so much, Jeannie...loved it all...You did an awesome job!!!

Okay...now back to the business at hand....unfinished cross stitching! Well, I am making progress with this owl (sorry the pic is fuzzy!) but this is the second ornie I'm working on from the JCS Halloween mag. (still have to finish the first one into an ornie) The pic in the magazine was nice but when you actually stitch it, it really is a cool ornament!

I won't be able to show this one much longer...with the progress I'm making I don't want spying eyes to see it all...and you know who you are. Again...the picture does not do this lovely little guy justice! He is just too cute in person!
Ok, so I haven't made too much progress on the Village of Hawk Run Hollow but it's moving along. I've been jumping around alot with my WIP's and this one hasn't been jumped on too much lately as you can see!
So, with all those pics, it's off to bed for a little more stitching then to sleep as tomorrow is a big day! My cross stitch store called and said that the JCS Christmas Magazine is in...woo-hoo!!! The faster I fall asleep...the faster that baby gets in my hands!
Till next time, yinz crazy guys....

My stitching gal pals...

Thought I would take some pics of some of the talented gals I cross stitch with once a month. I've gone on one retreat with them at a B & B which was tons of fun...and hope to go on more. Mostly I remember laughing so much with them, it actually hurt!
These first two pics are the back room ladies where I sit....

These are the front room ladies. It's a great cross stitch store about 3 minutes from my house which is why you can see all the beautiful framed pieces as well as all the goodies to buy.

I was working on this little ornament from the JCS Halloween issue. This is the second one I've started. I love each one...can you guess which one this is?

Now, being our group meets in a cross stitch shop it really is hard to resist buying something, so being I needed some colors for some of the other ornaments, I of course had to buy some of these fall beauties to add to my stash....
And aren't these buttons just the coolest things....I have no idea what I'm going to use that orange pumpkin for, but I just could not resist buying it!!!
So needless to say our fun-filled evening ended till next time! Because we all enjoy stitching so much and can't wait to get together, we're going to meet again for a stitch-in at a nearby Panera Bread in a couple of weeks. I think we're officially addicted. If you live near me, come join us. Email me if you are interested and I'll give you the where's and when's...the more the merrier.

With that, I'll end here with some beautiful morning glories I found on the side of my house. I planted them last year and not being a plant expert, was excited when I found them growing like crazy again this year! (hey, I'm a stitcher not a gardener...what can I say!)


So, till next time, yinz crazy guys.....

Great Stress Diet....

This is a specially formulated diet designed to help women cope with the Stress that builds during the day:

Breakfast
1 grapefruit
1 slice whole wheat toast
1 cup skim milk

Lunch
1 small portion lean, steamed chicken
1 cup spinach
1 cup herbal tea
1 Hershey's kiss

Afternoon Snack
The rest of the Hershey kisses in the bag
1 tub of Hagen-Daaz ice cream with chocolate chips

Dinner
4 glasses of wine (red or white)
2 loaves garlic bread
1 family size supreme pizza
3 Snickers Bars

Late Night Snack
1 whole Sarah Lee cheesecake (eaten directly from the freezer)

Remember: Stressed spelled backward is desserts.
Now this is what I'm talkin' 'bout, yinz crazy guys......

Some progress...

My penguin is coming along wonderfully....if it weren't for the fact that someone introduced me to Thread Heaven...I'd be cursing that glittery thread!! It's not a 100% fix but it helps.

Finally finished the first of the Halloween Ornies in JCS. Only finished stitching. Can't find the spider unless I order it online so I just may make my own from polymer clay.

And this...well this is my Village of Hawk Run Hollow...not much done but it's a start. I saw the newest one that I think is called the Shores of Hawk Run Hollow. I just love all of these patterns.

Sweetie Man is away right now and one of the places he was going was going to be in the path of Ike but the storm took a slight turn and his plans didn't have to be cancelled...that means three weeks without him. My son and DIL keep me company and are doing an awesome job re-decorating the livingroom. I told them to do whatever they wanted in there...am I crazy?...probably, but they have alot of great ideas and I trust them. Anything honestly will be an improvement....and I'm not real picky when it comes to home decorating....just make it light and bright and cheery....but then again...if the Sweetie Man is there it will be! (ahhhhh...don't forget, I'm still a newlywed!)
Okay...till next time yinz crazy guys....

You know you live in Steeler Country...

......when your 125 lb mastif/lab has to have his own Steeler collar....

....when you have to pose with your 125 lb mastif/lab wearing your very own Steeler vest....

.....when it's not unusual to ask to have black and gold Steeler colors when you get your nails done...

.....when your cat could care less about football (ah, what does he know, he's sitting in a suitcase...probably thinks he's going to the Cleveland game!)

...when your Pastor informs you that he'll be playing a You Tube video on the Steelers before his sermon....Steelers You Tube

So, with that said, enjoy your Football Sunday and a few free hours of stitching while watching the game. Till next time, yinz crazy guys.....