Giveaway

A friend, Mel, has reached over 150 followers. She is celebrating by having 2 giveaways. Check it out at http://epicstitching.blogspot.com/
Have a great day!

Some exchanges

I did about 5 exchanges recently, a mailart, (my first), a First day of Summer exchange, Summer Ornament, magnet, and 4th of July exchanges. I cant show the mail art because I am waiting for the recepient to receive her mailart. Since I did such a lousy job taking pictures of the mail art I got, I will re take them as soon as I buy new batteries.
This is the ornament I made for Debbie Jo for the I-Love-Crossstitch Yahoo group. It is from Stoney Creek and stitched on Charles Craft 14ct Grasshopper aida.
I restitched the sun and watermelon on Sassy's Fabbys Blue Lagoon aida material and made them into magnets. The magnets were for Mary from Krafterskorner yahoo group. She send me 2 magnets too with a package of M&M's. Good thing they where shelled because I put them behind my laptop. When I opened them to eat them, the chocolate was a liquid delight, lol.
Debbie Jo send me this cute ornament, in return, with three beautiful threads from Carrie's Creation threads. They are beautiful.
In my ILCSing yahoo group, there was a First Day of Summer exchange to celebrate the first of summer on June 21. I send to Vickie H in AR. I got this little tote bag and put foam stickers on the bag. Inside I put in a romance book, a Sue Hillis pattern, another pattern I can't remember material and some threads. Unfortunely, her puppy got hold of one of the threads, and destroy it.

My partner, in return, was Debra S. She send me a plate with a watermelon and cherry on it, a garland of leis, 2 charts: Pickle Barrel Design Freedom and Cherrywood Designs That Kind of Stitcher and a cute frame keychain. We both are in KraftersKorners group too and we end up being partners for the 4th of July Patriotic exchange. Debra send me Ursula Micheal Design Stars and Stripes. I can not wait to start it and I will be sending it back to Debra so she can stitch too. I send her a few DMC threads in red, white, and blue, a fat quarter of patriotic material, ribbon ( cupcakes on white with blue and red confetti on the frosting) , flag stickers, and I stitched Lizzie Kate Let Freedom Ring into a wall/door hanger. The picture is on top of this post.

I am working on a summer piece from a freebie kit exchange and a quilt block for a friend. They have to get done soon and than I can go back to my ABC Lessons and Fairy Queen. I havent worked on them like forever and they are calling for me. Maybe I will get to one of them this weekend, since Nascar is back on this Sunday.

Many hugs,
Vicky

One Day Country Gal and Next Day City Girl!

Don't you love the title of this post? It is so true when I spend my 2 days with my friend, Rich. Tuesday morning my aunt comes picks me up at 830 but we didn't leave here until almost 930(waiting for my nurse). It is almost an hour to Branford from Waterbury plus my aunt's GPS took us on the back roads. My aunt would have gotten lost without it and its a wonder she didn't have one years ago. As we were waiting for Rich and his mom come down from their room, a guy came up to my aunt and asked her if she can bring him to down the street. He missed his taxi and had a business meeting he had to go. My aunt said yes which shock the heck out of me. My aunt can be very dramatic at times and will think of anything that can go wrong. The guy did seem harmless and he was, thank goodness. I did call her a couple hours later to make sure she got home okay.
From Branford, we went to Mystic, and yes, the same town, Mystic Pizza, the movie with Julia Roberts, was set in. (in case wandering minds wanted to know). The town is close to Rhode Island state line. First we went to Equinox for lunch. Oh my goodness, I order the Thanksgiving sandwich, which is turkey and stuffing with a side of onion rings. The sandwich was so thick, it was like 3 inches tall. The bread alone was very thick and combined the 2 slices, was a good inch and half. It was totally amazing, the kind of sandwiches you see on the Food Network.
After lunch, we went to Old Mystick Village, which is a collection of stores and restaurants, plus a movie cinema. This is where I was the country gal for the day. It was almost stepping back in time where there was no cars or technology stuff. There was a church, which had a clock that chimed on every hour and a meeting house, plus a windmill. There was a lake in the middle of the village with lots of ducks and wooden paths and bridges. The last time I was here in 2005, a couple months before Rich left CT to lived in Florida. At that time, there was stores in a lot of the buildings and just before the economy went bonkers. Today, some stores had closed down including a craft store I was looking forward going again.
First store we went to was Raining Cats and Dogs, dedicated to all cats and dogs. It is an awesome store for pet owners, which includes Rich and his mom, who owns a cat each. Between the both of them, Rich had to bring the packages to the car, plus Rich had bought a garden flag with the pole and he didn't want to carry the pole with him the whole day. Rich's mom went to the silversmith while I went to sit on a bench. Rich came back and we were talking a bit when his mom came back and dragged him back to the silversmith. Apparently, they were closing their doors because the owner was retiring. Their sales were fantastic and his mom bought him a couple of rings at a very good price.
The next store was Franklin's General Store. They sell the best fudge in the world, well at least in New England area. They sell preserves, jams, jellies, relishes, Vermont cheddar cheese and lots of other stuff. One of the items I got was popcorn on the cob. You put in the microwave and it pops off the cob. I gave it to my dad because he had been on a popcorn kick. I had to get some fudge which was very good. They can ship the fudge to you except in the summer. So I have to wait until September if I want to get some more.
I went to Taylor's Sports Shop while Rich went to Imagine store. His mom went to another store. Imagine store is novelites from the 60s and 70s. Rich is obsessed with this era. I had to check out the Nascar stuff in the sports store, hence the pic of 88 shirt flag, lol. Everyone met up at the sports store, and Rich's mom wanted to go to The Country Store and I wanted to go to Munson's Chocolates (CT's best chocolate store). They went back into the sports store and I walked to The Country Store to meet them there. Well, they went to Munson's looking for me and found me in front of the other store. Rich and I went to Munson's and as we were walking there, we went by the North American store and we spotted cacti growing outside. Now, this is Connecticut and cacti does not grow in our moisture climate. Rich went inside and was told, in the winter, they dig up the cacti and bring them inside and replant them in the summer.
After Munson's, we went to have supper,since it was around 5 pm. We went to The Steak Loft, which is in the village too. Rich and his mom both order the cod and I had BBQ chicken and ribs. Their dinners were a disaster, with the fish not tasting right and the potato was ice cold. My food was piping hot including the mashed potatoes. They had baked potato and steamed veggies with the salad bar. Their fish dinner was taken off the bill and manager came to apology too. I think the chef should have because it was his mistake.
Rich took be back home to Waterbury. He came inside, while his mom waited in the car, and we made final details for the trip to New York City. That was my day as a country gal.
I went to bed around 9 pm. I wanted to take the first train to Stamford and it was straight through with no transfers. I had to wake up at 330 am and leave by 415 to catch the train downtown. About half an hour I went to bed, the electricity went off. I use a mask at night and the mask stopped working when we lose electricity, which also meant my alarm clock went off. When my mask stopped working, I woke up. I got up to get my cell phone, which has an alarm in it, and set the time. By than, the electricity went back on. I reset my alarm clock and went back to sleep. Around 130, the electricity went off again. This time it was off for an hour and I was sleeping lightly because I couldn't sleep good without my mask. The power came back on and I put my mask on for a good solid hour of sleep, which I needed. My brother had stayed up until 330 and woke me up so I could leave on time. That was very nice of him to do that and I didn't expect that from him.
This started my day as a City Girl. I used my wheelchair to go to NYC because I knew it will be easier for me plus my doctor wanted to use it too. I stopped at Dunkin Donuts for a coffee on my way and I caught the train on time. I was in Stamford by 730 am. The station had a DD too so I got an ice coffee, plus a donut, went to plug my chair to charge up while I waited for Rich. I, also, brought with me some stitching and I got a couple hours of stitching. Rich and I met and we got our tickets to NYC. We were in NYC by 11 am. I have been to New York City before, but everytime I go, I am always amaze by the amount of people and how tall the buildings are.
We got to the station and we were going to take the subway. I was kind of looking forward to the ride because I never took the subway before. However, there was no elevators for me, just escalators. So we went to the info desk to find out about the buses. All buses in NYC are wheelchair accessible. We found out we were only 5 blocks away from the theater, so we walked. Or I should say, Rich walked and I rolled, lol. We found the theater but we had time on our hand, since Mary Poppins was not starting until 2 pm. Instead of crossing the street to get to the theater, we just stayed on Madison Ave and at the end of the first block was Ruby Tuesdays.

w Ruby Tuesdays is Rich's and my favorite restaurant. We will go to one every time we went shopping in the malls while Rich was living here. He says the Ruby Tuesdays in Florida sucks. I dont know because I have not been to one yet. He said it was very fitting we found Ruby Tuesdays plus it was for my birthday too. The food was good, the atomsphere was busy but pleasant, and Rich would gawked at our waiter when ever he could. The poor waiter's name was Rich, too, lol. Across the street from Ruby
Tuesdays was Red Lobster. I loved the lobster sign they used at the top of their door.
We went to the theater, and still had some time. So we went to the wax museum next door. That is where we took pics of Johnny Depp, The Rock, Micheal Jackson and Nicholas Cage. Nicholas Cage did not come out good because he was behind the glass and the buildings were reflecting off of them.
Rich took out the tickets for Mary Poppins, gave me my ticket and we went into the theater. We stopped by the souvenirs counter and Rich got a program ( he collects them) and the music cd. I got a coin purse that was a tiny version of Mary Poppin's sachet. It is so adorable. We went into the theater and Rich asked the usher where I can charge my chair. I figure since I was not going to use it for 2 and half hours , it might as well be charging. We walked to our seats, which were front rows sides on left side of the stage. Right below us was the orchestra, which was awesome to see so close.
We chatted and looked at our playbills, and waited to started. The first notes started to play and the musical of Mary Poppins started. If I had to summed it up in one expression, it will be "WOW!WOW!WOW!" The tricks were so awesome and I loved the music very much. I love musical anyways so this up my alley. There was in one song, Bert started dance-walk up the side of the stage and was upside down dancing. It was amazing. We were so close to the stage, we saw the strings, but to the kids in the audience, they did not see them and you can hear them get excited. Even the adults appreciated the trick too. When they got to the finale, I got up and clapped with the music as they were dancing and singing. I just loved it so much.
Thank you so much Rich! It was one of the best birthday gifts I could ever get! I loved and enjoyed every minute of it.
After the musical was over, we got our pictures taken with a cardboard figure of Mary Poppins. We headed back to Grand Station. We saw the Chrysler Building at a distance and we were walking by the NYC Library. I wanted to go see it. I was disappointed the Adult Circulation was located at another building, too far to go, but it was very interesting. The security was so tight too. They checked your backs as you go in and out. We stopped at McDonalds for something to eat for the train ride back. We got on the train. Rich got off in Stamford, where his car was. I stayed on until I got to Bridgeport, transfer over, and got to Waterbury a little after 9 pm. I put my mp3 on with Mary Poppins playing, and I got home around 1030. I wished my brother a happy birthday, since it was his birthday and I went straight to bed. I was exhausted plus I had to be up by 9 the next morning for my doctor's appointment. That was my day as a City Girl.

If you reached this part, thank you so much for reading my long post. I just had such a great time with Rich, I just had to blabbered it all out. I have more pictures of my two days in my album, just click on here. Next post will be on stitching stuff.

Many hugs,
Vicky

I am still here!

I am still here. I dont have any pictures. I am having trouble downloading my pics on the computer. The camera and the program is new so I have not figure it out. I did it once and I will again. I do have some finishes for exchanges and I received some too. I went to see Mary Poppins in NYC on June 23 with my friend. We had a blast and I am telling everyone I saw Nicholas Cage, The Rock and Johnny Depp.

The reason for me missing in action was due to my lyphomedema in my leg. It has acted up when I was in Texas in January and I developed a wound then. It has not healed yet. This last month it has been staying the same with no improvements. A few days before I went to NYC, it was just getting worse. I knew it and doctor did too but I still went. My friend have brought the ticket a few months ago and the only way I was not going if I was in the hospital. I paid for it when I got back because the leg was showing signs of infection. The doctor put me on antibotics and I made myself to rest my leg more. Thank goodness for the laptop because it saved my sanity since I couldnt stitch the last 2 weeks. The leg is on the road of mending now and I just have to be more strict with myself for doing activities. I did started going for physical therapy but I dont know how it is going to help. All they are doing is doing a soft muscle regimen. The therapist just puts her hands in front and back of my legs and moves them in a ciracular motion so lightly that I cant feel it. I just dont get it but I am going and maybe I will see an improvement.

My dad had knee surgery for a torn cartilage on June 10. It was a one day surgery and he was home about 1pm. He did laundry that afternoon because he was feeling good. The next day he felt it. He thought he will be home for 3 weeks. When he went for check up a few days after the surgery, he found out he wont be back to work into August. He is going for physical therapy too. He is doing good and going fishing tomorrow.

I will have pictures up in a couple days hopefully. I will refigure how to do this.
Have a good day.

Many hugs,
Vicky

A Finish, Birthday and a Winner

I want to thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday. Thank you! All of your wishes helped made my day very special. It was very beautiful day and I went shopping but I did not get anything special. I did find some good deals on some dye coloring at Rite Aid Pharamacy, of all places! They had purple and taupe only but that is okay with me. Later my dad took me out to The Painted Pony in Bethlehem, CT. My cousin works there as a bartender and she was so surprised to see us. Her face was priceless but she was able to chat with us for a few minutes to catch up on family news. I had ordered a strawberry banana diaquari. Oh my goodness, it was so huge but so yummy. I dont think I drank half of it that is so huge it was. Dad told me the diaquari was not charge on the bill. I didn't feel guilty of not drinking majority of the drink. The staff sang "Happy Birthday" to me when we got our deserts.

Friday my Aunt Betty and Uncle Fred from Cape Cod came down for the weekend. They stopped by to give me some gifts. There was a huge box, and 3 smaller boxes. I was told to open one of the smaller boxes which was a dark pink nightgown, printed with roses, very pretty. I was, finally, could open the big one before opening the other two. The big one was an Acer laptop! Yes, I have a brand new laptop. I am so jumping with joy! I was getting to know my laptop this weekend. I just love it. The other two boxes was a Norton program and a wireless router.

Saturday night, AB, UF and Aunt Terri took me out to dinner at The Curtis House in Woodbury. It is one of the oldest inns in Connecticut and has a lot of history from the revolutionary era. AT gave me a new digital camera which I started to use right away. It is a GE camera with 14.1 megapixal. I didn't know GE made cameras. I took a few pictures of the waiting room, which had quilts all around the room. One of my favorites was a memorial table with USA flag quilt and 2 pictures of soliders who were from Woodbury and lost their lives in the war. It is so touching when you see something like that and brings you back to reality so fast. I put a few pictures up on this post.

On the stitching front, I do have one finish. I just have not been stitching that much this month. I have doing more reading and listening to music instead. I guess that is better than just sitting in front of a TV and doing nothing else, lol. The Stitcherhood came out with a new freebie pattern. I stitched it on Raspberry Twirl 32 count lugana, and using DMC threads 327, 937, 3806, and Gentle Arts Orchird. I could see this as a pin pillow.

Now for the winner for my Birthday giveaway. I was really overwhelmed on the reponses I received. All together there were 124 entries. The winner is Cathryn of Cathryn's Place. Congratulations Cathryn! Thank you everyone for making my birthday very special!

Have a great stitching day!

Big 40 Birthday Giveaway

My birthday is on April 21, and I am turning the BIG 40!!! It is so hard to believe I am turning 40 because I sure do not feel old. In my mind, I still feel like I am in my twenties. Age is just a number. I could never understand why people get depressed when their birthday comes around. Age is going to happen and there is nothing you can do about it. Why not just embrace it and celebrate with your family and friends. As you can tell, I am not depressed of turning 40. I am curious what my forties will bring to me. I am hoping for good health and lots of love. And lots of abundance of stitches for my future projects.
I have met so many stitchers through the internet since 2003, i.e. yahoo groups, blogging and Facebook. Turning 40 is a one time thing, I want to celebrate it with all of you. What better way to do that by having a giveaway. I sure hope you like the package I put together. First let me show what this birthday package will contain to intrigue you. Here are the items.


It is a green shade but the picture is making the color gray. It is a 28 count evenweave with the size of 18 X 26 inches.

Lighthouse Welcome by Imaginating

Prairie Grove Sunflowers with DMC floss

Six skeins of Gentle Art Limited Edition Threads

Spring colors
A pair of gray stork scissors

From My Big Toe, the Frog Fob.

There are three ways you can get a chance in winning.
1. Comment on this post only if you want to be in the giveaway.
2. Become a follower on this blog.
3. Mention this giveaway on your blog. You will need to make a separate comment by providing your blog address.

The deadline to get an entry in the giveaway will be on my birthday, April 21. Around 9 pm EST, I will announce the winner and the winner will have to connect me within a week to claim the prize, or I will pick another winner after the week. If you have any questions, please ask since this is my first giveaway too. Good luck everyone!

Spring is here!

Spring is here! Yesterday it was gorgeous in Connecticut. I have been reading other parts of the country were getting the nasty weather, SNOW! Here, the sun was out and birds were singing. It was just so beautiful. Our landscaper came to laid now the flower beds. I went to the mall to meet up with a friend and we went window shopping. Of course, we went to Micheal's and I got a 10X13 frame for $5. I picked up a few threads that I was running low . In general, my friend and I had a great day!


Since it was the first day of Spring, I was able to open my First Day of Spring exchange package I had signed up for in the ILCSing group. The exchange was from Karin H from Las Vegas. She send me:

Trail Creek Farm Easter, The Carrot, Lucky, Spring
The Sweetheart Tree Just Ducky Fob Designs by Jodi Evans Kitty Love
Annalee Waite Designs Flower and Bee Kit
A package of each of mini scented pens and highlighters
A beautiful natural card

All of the patterns are so pretty. I cant wait to use them. I had to open all the pens and highlighters to smell them, lol. Thank you so much Karin!

Lizzie Kate ABC Lessons
Update #2

In the stitching front, I do not have a finish but I have been stitching on my ABC Lessons and He's A Flake. As you can tell, I am changing some colors on the flake pattern and added some metallic gold to the bow. It is going to look cute when I am done.Little House Needleworks He's a Flake wip

I hope everyone has a great weekend and try to enjoy the weather, if you can.