Catching up!!

It has been a long time since I have blogged.  There are several reasons for this.  One is that I have been busy.  A graduation/vacation, lots of work and some stitching.  I have been reading blogs and reading my group posts etc.  Just not blogging myself or commenting or posting.  Life was taking too much time away from my stitching and that is where my priorities were lying at the time.  So, I think we will try to catch up from where we left off.  This is very picture heavy so you might want to grab a drink or a snack...or both.   At the end of May, I took a trip to Maryland for my nephew's high school graduation.  I spent 3 days with him and we had a ball.  We went to his graduation, had frozen yogurt after the ceremony while he went out to celebrate with his friends.  We went to the Amish Marketplace in Laurel, MD and had a good time.  We really didn't go many places but we just had a good time.  Of course, he did have to bring up about the time I almost spilled the popcorn when I took him and a friend to see Finding Nemo when it first came out.  Well now I have one on him.  I took him to the bank and went to pull up to the window but he directed me to the night deposit box.  Once he realized it we had to back up to the drive up window.  The woman inside was laughing and we were laughing.  It was great and I had a chance a week or so ago to conveniently bring that up to him....so we laughed again.  I sure miss that kid sometimes.  So here is a pick of the graduate and myself.  He is attending Community College now.

While visiting with him, we were discussing what the rest of my vacation plans in Pennsylvania would be.  I told him that I would be visiting our Aunt.  He told me how he wished he could see her.  Soooooo,  on that Sunday, we got in the car (my sister who came to MD with me from PA, my nephew and myself) and drove to my Aunt's house.  I had called my cousin the day before to see if they would be there and told her that we wanted to surprise my Aunt.  And we did!!  After visiting with her for a while, it was time to take him back to Maryland.  My brother in law had met us at my Aunt's to pick up my sister and my nephew and I went a couple of towns over to pick up the friend that I would be staying with for the week.  She went along back to Maryland with us so I would not have to drive back alone.  We had a great time.  

While in Pennsylvania for the week I enjoyed visiting with my best friend since high school.  I am getting old. We have been friends for over 35 years.  We had a good time.  A pool party for her son's birthday and Memorial Day, Some breakfasts out (she works swing shift so we had limited time together so we made the most of it.), Fun Days at the park, and the trip to the airport when I came back to Vegas.  I also visited with some of the State Troopers that I used to work with and visited with some of my Aunts and Uncles.  

But in the course of my blog, I visited Just Cross Stitch in Lederach, PA.  Here is a picture of Carolyn, the owner.  And a picture of the charts that I bought there.  I bought a few magazines also but they got mixed in with my others before I remembered to take a picture.  

 That same evening after visiting Just Cross Stitch and having dinner with my Uncle and Aunt, I stopped at AC Moore on my way back to my friend's home.  I didn't take any pics of the items I bought there but it sure was fun trying to get everything in my luggage to fly home.

I also visited the Frame shop in the small town where I grew up.  Grace of Gracefully Framed was very gracious by staying open for me to browse even though I showed up 5 minutes to closing time.  I was taking Meari's box finishing class and wanted to see if I could get some mat board that was the excess cutouts from their framing pieces.  Grace was nice and allowed me to take a picture of her with some of her cross stitch supplies.

 Of course, I had to buy some stash there too.  Here is what I bought. 

So, I spoke of Meari's box finishing class earlier.  I had a great time learning the proper way to finish a box with a cross stitched piece with this class.  Thank you Meari!!  I know I will be using this finish in the future.  The box that I made is going to my Brother in Law in PA.  He had asked me about getting him some playing cards from different Las Vegas Casinos.  Well, if there is more then one deck, then they need to be stored in something.  So, here is what I made.  

After this one was finished, I joined a Summer Ornament Exchange.  Here is what I made for Lynne in Minnesota.  I can't seem to find the pictures that I took of the ornament Lynne made for me.  I know I took some but I went back through the pictures and can't find the.  So, I will have to take some more and make another post.  It is so cute, the flip flop ornament that she made for me.  

Ok then I took some time and took a class that I needed to take for my continuing education classes to renew my massage license.  After that was all handled (which I have 2 more classes to take for 2 more upcoming massage license renewals),...

I needed a birthday present.  I found the perfect pattern for another box. It is a freebie pattern from club-point-de-croix.com.  

  The fabric for the inside of the box was one of the fabrics in a fat quarter pack that I got at AC Moore during my vacation.  

And while I was finishing the box, I decided to completely finish my Namaste piece by Ink Circles.  The stitching had already been finished but I needed to really finish it.  I wanted to give it to a friend/colleague/fellow massage therapist that has been so good to me since I met her here in Vegas.  I plan on making another one for myself  I just love this.  

Now if you are still with me, I commend you!!  This had been very picture heavy.  I hope you all are getting your stitchy things finished or if not finished, at least some stitches in them.  My next project is a Halloween piece for a private exchange.  I would love to say that I will post pics as soon as she receives it but we all know that Life just gets in the way.  But I will say, that I will try my best.  Now I will leave you with a picture of what my furbabies have been doing, while I have been busy.  I would have loved to get a picture of Lil Bit last weekend when I was finishing my last projects.  She climbed up on the table and laid on my supplies and was watching and occasionally sniffing my progress.  But she was between me and the camera, and I knew she would move if I tried to go get it.  Anyway, here are my kids!   Have a great week!!   Nancy