Saturday, November 14, 2009

Busy busy busy......

I know, I know.  It's been a while.  But it's been busy around here!  For one thing, the girl child was home for a week for her midterm break.  Which always means much more to do, for some reason.  It also makes about $50 difference per week for the grocery bill -- I guess because it means there are two extra mouths to feed?  (No, the girl child doesn't have two mouths, she has a boyfriend.)  Then the boy child was -- well, I'll save that for later. 

Before that news, ta dah!!!  Paradise Lost is finished!!!   Yay!




I'm going to tease you with little pics first.  :D









And finally, a very bad picture of the whole thing.




And yes, I'm very bad about ironing too.  :D   Anyway, I used 40ct Light Examplar from Lakeside Linens with the called for NPI and Gloriana silks.  Oh, and it's by Plum Street Samplers.  And about those trees, Paulette.    The only tree I enjoyed stitching was the one on the right.  That one was fun.  The others were torture.  lol!  Wellllll, I guess the little one wasn't too bad either.   But don't you just love this design?  I do!  I'm very happy to have it all finished too!  Thanks for such a great piece, Paulette!

So back to the busy busy stuff.   The week that the girl child was home was also the week of Halloween.  Here are the boy child and his friend in their Red Bull can costumes.  Unfortunately it was pouring so they had to wear plastic rain capes.  (The father type managed to cut the boy child's head off.)




It's hard to tell, but they did a really good job.  Too bad it was raining.

Also during the week of the girl child's midterm break, the boy child had his final rehearsals and the concert for the Area All State Orchestra.  You may recall that he has to do this NYSSMA audition every year (Yes, little boy, you have to do it every year till you're a senior.  When you're a senior, it won't matter anymore.).   So he did well enough in his audition to be 4th bass (out of 12 basses) in the Area All State Orchestra in our area of NY state.  I think this is a very hard area to compete in -- some of the best musician students in the state, IMO.  And boy, did it show in the concert!  It was definitely the best concert I've heard in a long time -- of the concerts that the boy child has been in that is.  Excellent!  Amazing!  I really enjoyed it.  The concert culminated in movements 11 and 12 (the Lullabye and Final Hym) of Stravinksy's Firebird Suite.  Had to mention that so you'd know just how good these kids were.  So beautiful!

Now to torture you, you get to see pictures of the Area All State Orchestra with the boy child as the featured musician. 



This is the whole orchestra -- 184 members, I think.








Do you see him there?  With his long hair?  lol!  Can you tell I'm proud?   Anyway -- moving on!

So finally, right at the tail end of the girl child's midterm break, the refrigerator stopped working.  Just stopped.  That was it.  The food rotted, and we had a whole slew of garbage bags of untrustworthy food.  So sad.  Now I'm going to sound like an advertisement, but I was astounded to discover that Sears was very efficient for a change.  I called them to see if they had the size of refrigerator we need (we unfortunately have a very tiny area where the fridge goes, so there's no choice -- no fancy fridge for us, just a teeny tiny one).  I was immediately connected to some lady in Alabama (I think that's where she said she was) who knew exactly what was in stock in the local warehouse from which deliveries would be made to us.  She ran through what was available (not much in that size!) and hooked me up with one to be delivered asap -- and on a Sunday too!  I called on Friday late in the afternoon, almost evening, so I was duly impressed.  Refrigerator bought and delivered without having to step outside the house!  So anyway, I spent the better part of this past week stocking the new fridge up with new food.  Fun fun!   It would be so much more enjoyable if it were one of those fancy smancy refrigerators.  And a fridge that was a whole heck of a lot bigger.  Oh well. 

The boy child and his father are currently out in the rain -- well the boy child is anyway.  He and a bunch of friends are at yet another paintball scenario event, this time somewhere up north.  Me being a worrywart momma, I didn't feel safe having the boy child riding in the car being driven by one of the teenage boys who I don't even know.  So the father type generously volunteered to drive the boy child.  I told you he's a wonderful father type!  So I'm here at home by myself.  Which is why I finally got PL finished.  lol! 

I hope you all have a great weekend -- what's left of it.  Thanks for stopping by.  I love reading your comments!

37 comments:

Chocolates4Breakfast (Terri ~ Boog) said...

WoW! Congratulations, Margaret. Your PL is stunning! I just can't take my eyes off it, to quote Scarlet O'Hara! The colors in this one are so fun and the animals are just so special. And don't you just love Eve's dress?! Yep, Paulette did something special with this one - that's for sure. Great finish!

I picked out your cute son immediately! Congratulations to him - what an honor.

I know you loved having your DD home - what a treat!

Have a great rest of the weekend, Margaret!

Siobhán said...

Woohoo Margaret!!! PL is fabulous--I am so psyched for you, that it's finished! I can't wait to see what you decide to work on next.

Congratulations to your son--I loved the orchestra pictures! The Red Bull costumes were cool, too.

Cathy Lloyd said...

FaBuLouS Margaret! I am so darn jealous! I haven't taken a stitch in mine yet...maybe today...I have it all ready to go...needle and all!

Congrats on your darling boy child and his awesome talents! Enjoy! They go away very soon!

Catherine said...

Paradise Lost is beautiful! I hope to one day purchase the pattern and stitch it as well.

Congratulations on your sons accomplishment!

Can't wait to see what you stitch next!

Nancy said...

Congratulations on such a beautiful finish! Your Paradise Lost sampler is wonderful.

Congratulations to your son, and you have every right to be proud!

xeyedmary said...

Gorgeous PL finish! And what great kids- congrats on their achievements, too! (I know what you mean about the extra $$ on the grocery bill when they come home for a break!)

samplerlover said...

Hi Margaret,
Congratulations on fishing PL. It is a stunning sampler and I can see why you love it so. I love all the different trees.
Love the photos of the boy child. I know how very proud of him you are.
We can relate so well with increases in grocery bills when the boys come home. My DH claims with one of my sons that it was cheaper when he lived at home lol. - Sandra.

Laurie in Iowa said...

Your Paradise Lost looks fantastic Margaret! I love all the close-up snaps you took of the various sections of the sampler. Congrats to the boy child on his being a member of such a prestigious orchestra. It's ok to be one proud Mama.
You are so right, my Emma comes running towards me when the camera comes out and Owen runs and hides in his crate. I'm able to catch Owen unaware at times and cherish each good snap I can get of my sweet boy.

valerie said...

OMG, Margaret..PL is stunning! Seriously...you have turbo needles! Love the A&E and Eve in this piece...plus all the different trees are cool looking.

Teehee...I ordered a lot of stash and PL somehow managed to fall into my shopping cart. lol

I love Firebird Suite...congratulations to your DS on his orchestra accomplishment. How wonderful!

Tanya said...

Woohoo, Margaret I love your PL! Congratulations on finishing it so quickly.
I can see why your are so proud of your son. Congratulations to him too!!

Liz said...

Hi Margaret, what a great newsy post, don't you just love a good chat? I love your stitching, adorable and of course your boy child is adorable too! Proud is good, boasting is good too!!
Hope your weekend has been a good one.
Lizzie
XXX

Vonna Pfeiffer said...

BAM! Done! And it is beautiful!!! Congratulations dear Margaret, you've beaten everyone in blogland with this stunning finish :)
And HURRAY for the boy child. You have every reason to be very proud of him :)

Brigitte said...

Wow! Whata piece. Congratulations on a wonderful finish. I know about stitching trees, I'm not too fond of it but they look so great when finished. The colours of PL are gorgeous.

Isabelle said...

Your Paradise Lost is just fabulous, Margaret .A very nice stitching :-)
I understand how you must be proud of your son : I am exactly the same with my dear son Gaël.
Have a great week-end
Isabelle

Katrina said...

Paradise Lost is gorgeous, huge congrats on the finish.

Loved all the pics of your DS too :-).

Melissa said...

First, I have to tell you my heart went a pitter patter...at the concert. I so miss those concerts when my son was involved with them at school. I'm so glad yours is continuing, and well, he's super talented! Long hair and all!

The PL is just beautiful! I just love Priscilla as Eve, don't you? ;-)

Deb said...

Margaret - PL is amazing! As always you're such a fast stitcher, and it looks wonderful! I love the colors and everything about this one! Now what are you going to stitch? I always love seeing what you come up with and how fast you get them done!

What an honor for your son!!! I picked him out immediately! And what a bummer about the rain on Halloween! I like his costume.

And having DD home I'm sure was a great time, but Lord, $50.00 of increased food! Yikes!

And that's good to hear about Sears and their service - but not your refrigerator dying. How exasperating to lose all that food.

corinna said...

hooray for the finish
gorgeous
and hooray for children who make us proud
and for new appliances

Unknown said...

I always love reading your posts!

Congratulations on a beautiful finish! This A&E is just wonderful - all the colors and the lovely trees. Of course, I haven't stitched them yet - I may come up with a different adjective then.

Your son is so cute and what a talented guy! How impressive that he was chosen to play in the All-State Orchestra - I bet it was incredible!

How frustrating to have your fridge go out - but what a blessing to find another one so quickly.

I look forward, as always, to seeing what you start on next!

Enjoy your week.

Bertie said...

Congratulations on your PL, and on 40 count as well, have not done that for a while, it is beautiful.

You are very lucky to have such a talented son, looks all very professional and can imagine you enjoyed that very much.

mainely stitching said...

What a GORGEOUS finish! Congratulations. And your son looks so accomplished there in the orchestra! I'm LMAO over the Halloween picture, as the father type in this family has a tendency to take the same sort of photo. LOL!

woolwoman said...

Why of course you are proud of you son - he is such a cutie and apparently very talented too. OH MY - PL is just gorgeous - I have not started mine but I sure would like to. We had similiar situation some years ago needing a frig immediately and we did the same thing - ordering from Sears and having it delivered sight unseen - very good experience. Can't wait to see what's next in the stitching basket? Mel

Michelle said...

Your finish is so beautiful!!! Congratulations. Curious as to what you're going to work on now. Love the Redbull costumes too!

Lisa said...

PL is incredible! Pauletette is one talented gal!
Eli is such a cutie patootie! and what an accomplishment! I'd be a proud mama too!

Karoline said...

Congratulations on finishing PL, it's gorgeous

Giovanna said...

Congrats on finishing Paradise Lost, it's spectacular! It doesn't seem that long ago that we were begging Paulette to see more than just a few teasers, lol. Look forward to seeing what's up next...

Love to Stitch said...

Wow!! Tremendous job on PL!! It looks outstanding, and your teaser pics were fun too. Cant wait to see what frame you choose for it. I am glad you enjoyed stitching it, and cant wait to see what is next for you!

Nicole said...

Sorry, I'm so behind on commenting! Congrats on finishing Paradise Lost! It turned out great! I can't wait to see what you are stitching now! :)

Congrats to your son (loved his costume)! :)

Melissa said...

Congratulations on finishing PL Margaret! It's just beautiful.

Edgar said...

Congrats ont he PL finish - stunning. The more I see this the more I really want to add to my stash.... great snaps of the orchestra - congrats to your son!!

Anonymous said...

I love your finish of Paradise Lost. You are one speedy stitcher!

And I love the orchestra pic! Your son looks like a serious musician!

Paulette said...

Hi Margaret!
I'm a little late in the blog game here. Been away from reading them for a while! But wanted to say your DS in absolutely adorable, whether in a Red Bull can costume or a tuxedo! :) I'm happy your DD came home, but I definitely feel your pain on the grocery bill... although she has no boyfriend to help blame that on. LOL And your PL - stunning! You did a fantastic job in record time! The trees about sent me to the insane asylum. Ugh.

Paulette

Loraine said...

Congrats on your finish! I love this sampler, and can't wait to do it!
Fun to read about your talented son! Take Care.

Valerie said...

I love your Paradise Lost. I have never seen this before and it is so beautiful I want to stitch it myself! I really enjoy reading your blog...you have so many gorgeous projects, many of which I have purchased for myself! Thank you for sharing...oh BTW, you must be proud of your son...I am sure the concert was amazing!

Cari said...

Margaret - Your PL is absolutely fantastic. You are such a talented stitcher (and blogger). I always look forward to reading all about you and your wonderful family. I know you're very proud of your children...as well you should!! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Big Hugs...

Solstitches said...

What a spectacular finish!
I absolutely love your Paradise Lost. Congratulations!
Well done to your son too.

Margaret

doris said...

Gorgeous, gorgeous Paradise Lost. I'm so motivated, but other projects are taking up my time.

Congrats to your son.