See Jane cross the finish line.....

Yup, she's done.  (I find I'm typing "yup" a lot these days.  Comes from IM'ing with the boy child.  lol!)

Jane Philpott Sampler by Shakespeare's Peddler

40ct Homespun Linen (Lakeside)

AVAS and NPI called for

She's a beauty.

Her border is a bit wonky so my pictures always look like they're crooked!

I looked back and found that I started her at the beginning of August.  Jane did a good job keeping me entertained during all the trauma of taking the boy child to college and getting used to the empty nest.

I won a giveaway from Donna of By the Bay Needleart fame.  I got to choose one of her latest releases, and I chose this one.

I love Donna's series Birds of a Funky Feather.  Now I have all 4 that have come out so far.

Thank you, Donna, for the giveaway!

I did pick up some framing over the weekend, but I haven't unwrapped the pieces yet.  I want to keep them safe until I can hang them up.  I want to hang them in here.

That's right, the girl child's old room.  We started painting yesterday.  Got most of the work done too.  Lots more detail work to be painted and prepped though -- that picture rail has to be done for example.  (Thanks again, Carol, for telling me what that rail thingie is!)

Mia quite enjoyed the painting.  We had two of the windows open, so she just sat in the windows, gazing on the world outside and wondering what in blazes we were doing.  lol!  And she didn't walk in the paint trays even once.  :D

I think it'll be a while before the sewing/craft room is finished.  We'll take it slow but sure.

Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a wonderful week!  Enjoy the first day of October!

See Jane run?

Here's Jane.

Just one more big flower motif and the over one verse to go.  Sigh.

Love the bottom motifs with the big flowers.  And the sunburnt Adam and Eve.

I cheated on the snake.  It's supposed to be satin stitched I think.  Sorry.  Didn't do it.

I was wondering just now where Mia was.  I found her here.

Which makes sense since she'd done a bra pad run earlier during the night.  (Bra pads are one of her favorite toys.)  Where is this, you say?

It's the girl child's old room.  Mia is sleeping on an old futon which we'd put down on the ground for the girl child to sleep on the last time she visited.  The room is sad looking and abandoned.  We are thinking about painting it, which is the only thing stopping me from turning it immediately into my sewing/stitching room.  Ah, a room of my own for my sewing and stitching!  But paint.  To paint.  Hmmmmmm.

And we need a bed.  Quick.

Thanks for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

Getting better? TUSAL and a prize

Jane Philpott is slowly coming along.  I feel I'm stitching less with the boy child not here and Mia being clingy.

Getting to the good parts at the bottom.

Still a long way to go though.

It's TUSAL time.  The TUSAL is a fun sort of SAL, no effort required.  Here's my ORT jar among some of my pretties, including a Nicol Sayre doll.

I also won a giveaway that Marty of Carriage House Samplings was holding.  Here is my prize, one of Marty's new release charts, Cats' Eyes.  Very cute!

Thanks for the giveaway, Marty!

Mia and I are slowly getting used to having the boy child gone.  There are good days and bad days.  Mia has become my sleeping companion as well since she can no longer sleep with the boy child.  She has slowly learned that I am not a night owl like the boy child was this summer, and that I will not get up at 3 in the morning to play.  lol!  But she's still an early riser, so we have restless nights.  Slowly getting better though.

There's still a lot of this going on too.

The boy child is doing well so far and survived his first week of classes just fine.  He's slowly learning the routine and meeting other students, learning to pay bills, and live on his own.  We do text and IM a lot too, which I'm glad of.

Not much heard from the girl child, but she's settling back into her job and apartment just fine as well.  Also making decisions about life.

There's definitely a chill in the air these days, which is nice.  I will leave you with Mia trying to snuggle in for warmth.

Thanks for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Missing the boy child

Jane Philpott is slowly progressing.  I'm pleased cause the border met up nicely.

That's always a relief!

In other news, I seem to have joined an SAL!  I've joined late, so I'm behind in posting about it, and am still waiting for my supplies to arrive.  But here is the project, the Susan Singleton Sampler from the Scarlet Letter.  (Picture taken from Scarlet Letter website)

She's just so gorgeous, I couldn't resist joining!  I'm doing this SAL with Terri, Deb, Sandra, Marsha, Gabi, and Suzanne.  We'll be doing it over a 2 year time span and will post every 3 months.  I think it's a good way to be able to look back and think that I started this SAL when the empty nest became a reality.  :D  Thanks, ladies, for letting me join the SAL!

The empty nest.  Well, we had the girl child around for a few days so that postponed the inevitable.  It was nice to have her around, get some good girl talk in, and see how life was going with her.  Then the girl child left for her apartment so she could pack and take off for a weekend in Washington State, to visit her best friend from college.  Lucky thing.  She's been doing her thing on Instagram so I've been following her travels and feeling very envious.

So yeah, the empty nest hit Thursday evening.  So far so good.  I think it's going to take some getting used to for both the father type and I.

But I think the one who misses the boy child the most -- or at least as much as I do -- is Mia.

She's been very very clingy, obviously confused by the boy child not being here.  Her night time routine is totally changed and she has been letting me know it too.  Apparently the boy child, night owl that he became over the summer, was playing with Mia during the night when the silly thing would meow and ask to be played with.  So Mia is missing her playmate and has been lonely at night.  She's been waking me up during the night, and early in the morning.  I think it's slowly getting better.  Last night she just wandered and bothered me a tiny bit, but mostly slept close to me in her favorite chair.  She usually sleeps with the boy child -- I guess I'm not a good substitute body to sleep on.  :(

So yes, Mia is missing her boy child, just like me.  Luckily, she will deign to cuddle with me at least during the day.  Unfortunately, she's so big these days that she doesn't fit very well.  lol!

Yup, that's my lap.  lol!

So the empty nester (at least one of them) and the Mia are missing their boy, big time.  But we're surviving.

The boy child starts classes today -- so exciting!  He's excited and nervous.  I'm hoping he loves it all!

Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a great week!  Go Murray!!!

Almost time......

Not much stitching these days.

Just a tad.

Been busy getting supplies and clothes for the big C day.  College for the boy child!  Yikes!

I did get something special in the mail though.  Vickie of A Stitcher's Story had a giveaway and I won.

I won the lovely Brightneedle chart which she had stitched.  (You can see pics of her finish here.)   (Darn the postman -- he always folds large envelopes and creases my charts!!)

Vickie also sent me something else too!  Inside the cute pawprint wrapping paper was this.  Such beautiful counting pins!!

Aren't they gorgeous?  Thanks so much, Vickie!  You're a sweetheart!

I'm counting down the days now to moving day and the start of the boy child's college years.  Did I say I was nervous?  Um, yes!  It's also exciting though.  And it's nice cause my sister and family will be pretty close by in case he needs anything.  And we have a place to stay when we visit him too!

There won't be many more of this kind of picture after this week.

Do you think Mia senses something?

Nah, she's just weird.  lol!

Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  I always love visiting with everyone!  I hope everyone has a great week.  Enjoy the US Open (tennis)!  For those in the path of Isaac, I hope he passes you by and you stay safe.

stitching, celebration, and TUSAL

First off the stitching.

Jane is a pretty girl.

The big bird in the middle doesn't look so stranded and alone anymore.

Jane wanted to butt in on the TUSAL picture too.

My TUSAL never looks very different.  I should start collecting just for the month, but then I'll need to look for another ORT container.  Hmmmmmm.

The girl child (I really need to find a new name for her -- she's an adult now!) came home for the weekend to celebrate her birthday with us.  We took her out to dinner and we managed to stuff ourselves with yummy food, and yummy dessert.

Yum yum!

Had to show you how cute my boy child and Mia are.  When the boy child grabs Mia at just the right moment, she stays sleepily on his lap.

This time, she also sleepily proceeded to give herself a cleaning session.

So cute!

Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a great week!  Less than 2 weeks till we take the boy child to school.  Yipes!

Summer days

Been stitching.  In between worrying sessions and supply shopping for college.

Jane is a pretty girl.

The big flowerpot just about threw me for a loop though.  Don't know why.

The boy child is slowly healing.  The healing hasn't stopped him from getting out to rehearse with friends for a Springsteen tribute show at a local cafe.  The father type and I enjoyed the show.

The boy child played both his double bass and bass of course.  Did a good job supporting the band as usual.

A contemplative moment during the show.

The Olympics are over, lots of supply shopping is accomplished.  Still have to do the clothes shopping and get a few more supplies for the boy child.  And teach the boy child how to do laundry and clean a bathroom.  :D  Trying not to melt down before the big day.

Mia has just been relaxing, of course.  Being Mia.

Thanks for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

Getting antsy

I can tell I'm starting to worry about the boy child and college.  I almost forgot to do a blog post!  I couldn't settle down last week on anything to stitch, but eventually I decided on this.

Jane Philpott Sampler by Shakespeare's Peddler

40ct. Homespun (Lakeside)

AVAS and NPI called for

Here's what she looks like -- picture from the Shakespeare's Peddler blog.

And if you want to see some wonderful pictures of Anne's progress on Jane, go here to Anne's blog, Doll's Musings.   It's her fault I had to start this one.  Anne's Jane is just gorgeous!

You can tell from the title that it's getting closer and closer to college.  And I'm already a basket case.  I'm making lists, starting to get supplies together, planning, etc.  Definitely not ready for this!  

The boy child is doing well.  His wound is finally starting that speedier healing process the doctor had predicted.  I still wish the wound would heal faster, but it is much more satisfying to look at it and notice a difference from day to day.  Now to get the boy child moving on getting ready for college.  :D  I'm giving him a break this week though -- he has rehearsals every night this week and a show to put on with his friends at a local cafe on Thursday night.  Should be a fun show.

Mia has noticed a difference in the boy child's healing as well.  She's much less cautious around him -- although still being careful of his wound.  And she seems happy to tolerate the boy child grabbing her once again -- I think she missed it when he wasn't able to do it!  She even started falling asleep in his arms once!

Silly girl!  She's still a lazy one though.

Thanks for stopping by and saying hi.  I love visiting with you all!  Have a great week!