Snow on the last day of November

I thought the above piece I stitched earlier this year was appropriate because it is snowing here in Kansas City. The above design is a Barbara Ana design stitched on Stitched on Jazlyn 28 count Opal Blue Breeze with DMC floss. I think it may be one of her free designs.

I wanted to write a little considering it is the last day of the month. I went over to Mom's after work yesterday and ate turkey leftovers. It really put my girls into a schedule tizzie. Someone pooped on the front room floor last night while I was sleeping. Shame on my big girls!

I did share my color choices for the Prairie Schooler yesterday. I had forgotten what it is like to stitch with the Olde Willow floss. That stuff gets fuzzy fast and the fibers separate easily. I don't know which cotton floss they use for their base, it might be the JP Coates. I think Works Dyed Weeks uses Anchor and GAST uses DMC. Anyway I love the colors Olde Willow has but I think they use cheap floss for it's base, which is unfavorable in my stitching book.

I have had 9 calls today in 7½ hours. It has been slow. I have Pride and Prejudice here to read and the Sunday paper. I have spent a lot of time watching the PUPPY CAM on USTREAM. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shiba-inu-puppy-cam# These pups are so cute and I have been watching them here at work for about 3 weeks. They start going to their forever homes next weekend and I am going to miss them.

I must stop at the grocery on the way home. Girlz are out of dry food. Can't have that for what shall they poop on the floor while Mommy sleeps tonight?

I also found a fun fabric site called FABRIC. COM. They have nice fabric and the prices aren't bad.

Well that is about it from the Lilac Thicket. Happy December to all!

Shame, Soup and Stitching

Okay, how is this picture associated with Thanksgiving? Well it is titled "Ham and Turkey".
We see the squeaky toy turkey leg, the other is the Ham! I didn't have ham for Thanksgiving, I had a delicious turkey and all the trimmings at my Mom's! My girlz had a lot to be thankful for, I gave them an extra beating, yes 4 beatings instead of the usual daily 3! Everyone needs to have an extra serving of whatever they love, and my girlz love their beatings.


Yesterday I make turkey and noodle soup with the turkey carcass that I brought home with my mother's blessing. I also watched 2 movies, "All That Heaven Allows" from 1955 with Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson AND "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". I really enjoyed the former and the latter was okay but predictable.


Well Wednesday I spent a great deal of the day putting together my wish list blog. I also went thru all my fabric and over-dyed flosses picking which I wanted to use for the Prairie Schooler "When Witches Go Riding". I didn't want to have to purchase anything to stitch this and I really like my choices. I am stitching it on a 28 count Cashel linen in "Taupe". I chose 5 Olde Willow colors, 1 GAST and 1 Dye Is Cast color. Dye is Cast is no longer available but Brenda had great colors. Here is what I chose and for what:

Olde Willow
American Quaker Gold (DMC 420)--leaves on tree
Society of Friends Gold (DMC 898)--Grass and pumpkin stems
Octagon Blue (DMC 898)--Most of the words in the verse
Black Cat (DMC 3371)--Silhouettes of moon, owl, cat & pumpkin in top banner, border, witch, fence, stars, fence
18th Century Rose (DMC 3826)--Inside top banner, pumpkins in grass
Gentle Arts Sampler Threads
Butternut Squash (DMC 422)--Moon, pumpkins in grass, windows in house
Dye is Cast
Hearth (DMC 3857)--House, words in verse

Of course everything is subject to change but I really like the way the colors are laying down on the taupe fabric. I have a bit stitched and what is there looks great. I do need bigger Q-Snaps though, the ones I have are about 4 inches to short both ways. When I get a bit more stitched I will take a picture and post it. I have to thank Shepherd's Bush for inspiring me to change it.

I don't have much else to gab about. I am NOT shopping for Christmas. I hate what this society has done to Christmas. I am enraged that a Wal-Mart worker was killed by idiots trying to be the first to get a "bargain" and I am furious that Wal-Mart did not take the safety of it's employees seriously. I am not a litigious person but I hope this young man whose life was stolen from him has family that sue, sue, sue Wal-Mart!! I hope that security camera's capture this incident on camera and that a lot of Wal-Mart murder shoppers go to prison. Shame on us!!!!

Well until later this Lilac Thicket resident will get back to work.

New Blog, Thanksgiving and Overdyed Floss

I am so excited with all the fun stuff I have found on the website "Cutest Blog on the Block". It is really fun to play with all the backgrounds and blinkees and such. Since it is free I can change the background as often as I want. With over 300 backgrounds you could change every day of the year if you wanted.

I created a new blog called Stitchy Poo Gal's Needlework Wish List. The link is to the right. I keep a list of everything I want and then forget what it looks like. So I went out on the web and saved the pictures of each item on my wish list and then I created an entry for every item I want with image, designer and title. I want to go thru each entry and explain what it is about each design that I like and how I see it finished or who I can foresee it would be enjoyed by. Of course I went to the Cutest Blog on the Block and found the perfect background for it.

I have decided that this blog is just for me, no one really cares about my stitching or my thoughts, as I am just an ordinary person. My life is ordinary with all the joys and sorrows, dreams and disappointments, questions and journeys. I want this blog for myself, to enjoy and play with. If not another human being reads or looks at it, fine. This Stitchy Poo Gal is living this life for her final reward, and that doesn't lie on this earth.

Monday morning my dearest friend Marilyn came into work and we each shared our God moments on Sunday. Her's occurred in church with smoke from the burning incense forming into the image of 6 angels rather than disseminating about the room. She wasn't the only one who noticed it but she knew they were "Gift Angels" sent to Bless all there. It was an amazing miracle and she knew I would believe every word she spoke. Our Lord is amazing and these were God's small workings that Marilyn and I experienced but they were and are huge to us.

I have pulled out all my over dyed floss and will sit down and try to find the right colors for "When Witches Ride". I pulled out some brownish fabrics, I really want something a little darker but will dig further.

The sun is shining brightly outside. It will be a gorgeous day. Tomorrow my family will be enjoying a Thanksgiving dinner that Mom is cooking. My brother and sister in law will be spending the day with her Mom, so it will be a smaller group than normal. Brother did get one deer and is wanting to get some more. He as multiple tickets according to Mom.

Well may all who read be Blessed and remember how fortunate that our ancestors chose this beautiful country to come to! Remember that Thanksgiving is a religious holiday as it commemorates the Pilgram's seeking a place where they could worship freely and without persecution. God Bless us all and God Bless the United States of America. God Bless all the troops that will not be home this holiday like my cousin Shaun who is in Iraq. With a thankful heart I will leave you here from the Lilac Thicket!

Overdyed Version of "When Witches Go Riding"

The above image is from Shepherd's Bush Blog (http://shepherdsbushblog.blogspot.com/). On the blog it says that it is stitched on dark 28 ct fabric with over dyed threads. I love the look of "When Witches Go Riding" from Prairie Schooler, stitched this way. It says no buttons were added. It does look much different than the picture on the front of the leaflet which is below. I couldn't see any info on how to attain the kit from Shepherds Bush. I think I may be able to find substitutions myself but I am such a copy cat!

I really don't have a lot of gab, but saw this version of a design I like and had to share it on my blog.

I was very upset about a personal issue that threw me into a tail spin. It dealt with my ex-husband. Well last night when I went home from work I talked with my mother and then did some crying and then laid down and spoke with God. I had some dreams that were revealing and wondering if they were messages from my Father, opened up my e-mail this morning and saw a message that left no doubt. I receive a daily spiritual message and the title this morning was "God Hears You". It left me in wonder and so today everything definately makes sense and I have my answer. I sure do love peace of mind.

If I were home I would be stitching or trying to figure out the overdyed threads to stitch the Prairie Schooler piece with. So instead here I am at work surfing web sites and snacking on the things I purchased at Quik Trip. I have my Sunday newspaper and am trying to wait until after lunch, which has been consumed already, to open the Falling Star and delve into the depths of left winged thinkers. Yes, my mind will be SO opened that my brains will fall out.

So until I glean something that I wish to share I will leave the sweet and soft Lilac Thicket!

PS--Okay, I found this yummy sounding recipe on a wonderful blog called No Place Like Home. Here is the addy: http://kellishouse.blogspot.com/ . I want to make this on Wednesday when I am off.

Apple Butter Spice Cake

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

3/4 cup apple butter (found in the jam section of your grocery store)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup wheat germ or quick oats

1 cup sour cream

2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray or grease one 9"x13" pan. In small bowl, prepare the topping by mixing together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and chopped pecans. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In bowl of standing mixer, blend together butter and sugar; add eggs and beat well. Add apple butter, vanilla, wheat germ or bran cereal. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with sour cream; mix well after each addition. Pour 1/2 batter into pan, sprinkle 1/2 the topping over top. Pour remaining batter and top with remaining topping. Bake for 40 minutes.The best part about this cake is the brown sugar topping on top and in the middle!

Penniless in Cool KC

I am feeling down in the dumps today. I was paid and it is a blessing all bills are paid however I am broke. Oh well, I have a roof over my head and food in the cupboard, gas in the car and my girls have kibble.

I watched 3 Netflix movies. I really enjoy Kung Fu Panda and the message it had. Kit Kittridge, An American Girl was inspiring too! A great movie for young girls and since I am 51 going on 6 I enjoyed it. My Man Godfrey was good. Carole Lombard and William Powell starred in this 1936 movie. That was fun too!

I haven't been feeling up to snuff the past few days. I feel like I could lay down and sleep forever. No stitching has been done, shame on me. Back to work tomorrow. Can I curl up in a ball in the corner?

Since I am really gab-less I will sign off from the Lilac Thicket for now!

Villainy & Movies

God Sunday Morning! No that isn't a type -o, isn't that what Sunday is, God's Day, a good day? I would love to be in several other places besides work, but, I am Blessed to have a job, one that pays well! The above book is one that I want to purchase. I was listening to Coast to Coast AM as I do every morning when I wake up and dally about getting ready for work. Well this morning author Nina Burleigh was on and she was talking about this book which deals with the forgery of Holy artifacts. You may remember recently the controversy about the Jesus Ossuary? It is fascinating to me. I dislike people lying and trying to hoodwink for profit but it is especially distasteful when it deals with their spiritual icons. Come payday this is a book I want to purchase.

I have done a bit of stitching on my Bootscornu but that was Sunday. I meant to pick it up yesterday when I got home from work but due to issues at work I was to agitated to concentrate. I watch a silly Eddie Murphy movie called Norbit. What a talented man he is, playing 3 different characters!

Sunday I finally watched the 3 Netflix movies I had received over a month ago. I watched Journey to 10,000 B.C., Tortilla Heaven and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Tortilla Heaven was cute and the villain turned out to be working for Jesus, not Satan, like I surmised. Forgetting Sarah Marshall might have been okay it it wasn't for all the sexual innuendo and the male frontal nudity. The premise was good but it could have been better without all the sex stuff. Journey to 10,000 B.C. had been a documentary on A&E and it was interesting.

The next 3 movies I should be getting are Kung Fu Panda, My Man Godfrey and Kit Kittredge, American Girl. I hear Kung Fu Panda is cute. My Man Godfrey is the 1936 version with Carole Lombard and William Powell. It was on TMC one evening and I fell asleep at the beginning so I want to see it all!

Well, not much stitchy poo stuff today at the Lilac Thicket but maybe tomorrow. Have a God Sunday!!

A Stash-A-Roo Bargain

$5.00 purchased all the above designs! What a great deal if you like Helga Mandl and Barbara Ana's designs. They are having a Christmas SAL and it is open to everyone! All you have to do is:

1. Email Helga at hmandl@yahoo.com with your name and email address

2. All payments will be done through PayPal. Use xanaru@hotmail.com with Christmas SAL in the subject line

3. Your book will be delivered via email as a pdf file attachement. Be sure your email accept attachements.

I have my favorites picked out to stitch! I look forward to starting one after I finish my Bootscornu. Oh by the way I got my e-mail from them quite quickly after sending my payment. These 2 ladies are such a joy to deal with. Helga had a cute Christmas ornament in the on-line stitching magazine " The Gift of Stitching" this month. Here are their web sites so you can enjoy their talents.

Helga Mandl-- http://free-pu.t-com.hr/hmdesigns/

Barbara Ana--http://www.freewebs.com/barbara-ana-designs/

The sun has been peeking in and out today. It is a fairly warmish day outside. I have been stitching, suduku'ing and talking with Mom!

No real news from my Lilac Thicket today. I really was so excited about the Christmas SAL designs I had to share. Happy Stitching!!

Mom, Pumpkin Dump Cake & Good Night

Good EARLY Morning! I woke up and visited the little stitchers room and the girls thought it was time to get up and go outside and visit the little puppies facilities. I was wide awake and so I thought I would blog.
I took Monday off because it was my Mother's 72nd birthday. Since my mother doesn't want anything but time with her children I spent the day with her. I got there at 9:30a.m and stitched on Bootscornu while Mom and Auntie Sue kabitzed over the latest card making project they are working on. About 11:30 I began mixing the pumpkin dump cake (recipe follows) and Auntie Sue left at noon. I had taken deli meat and cheese over with her favorite bread, sour dough, and we had a sandwich and talked. While the pumpkin dump cake cooled she dragged out all her wonderful Tuesday Morning bargains she had found for her cardmaking and we properly oh-h-h'ed and ah-h-h'ed over them. We then had a piece of the most wonderful dump cake and then moved to the front room to watch the redecorating programs on HGTV and kabitz about what we liked and didn't like about the projects. At 4p.m. I gathered my stuff and buzzed home. I really enjoyed my time with my Mom and she enjoyed her gift of ME!
Pumpkin Dump Cake –TF
1 (29 oz.) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves
1 package yellow cake mix or spice cake mix
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9”x13” baking pan. In a bowl, mix everything except last 3 ingredients. Pour in pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over top of pumpkin, then sprinkle nuts over mix. Drizzle butter all over nut & mixture. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Edges will be light brown. Good served warm or cold with Cool Whip or Whipped Cream. Note: I prefer it warm. Just zap in the microwave. I used 3 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice instead of the cinnamon/ginger/cloves. I used a spice cake mix instead of the yellow.
I found a really neat website called The Cutest Blog on the Block. http://thecutestblogontheblock.com/ They offer 288 different backgrounds for your blog and they are really easy to use. They remind me of scrapebook page backgrounds. I really had fun looking at all of them and trying to decide which to use. My monitor at work is much bigger than my monitor at home so if you have a smaller monitor you won't see as much of the background on your blog.
I will sign off for now here at the Lilac Thicket and maybe try to fall back asleep. Sweet Dreams!

Wish list, vomit and attitude

New item is on my Wish List. I was reading the Stitches 'n Things newsletter and Little House Needleworks has a booklet out that combines free designs it has offered. The 4 gameboards they offered are in that book. Yes I must have!! I also like the Cathy Jean Designs "Button Ups" but they are not on my list. I like the style rather soft and old fashioned look. The Quaker Halloween designs from Workbasket are interesting too. I am really not a big Quaker genre fan but these are, as I said "interesting".

I am tired of the regurgitation of the same old designs, they get done to death until you want to spew on them. Examples: "Sprinkle (vomit)", "(Vomit) Row", "Snow(vomit) of the Month", "(Vomit) Double Flip-It", "(Vomit) Tree Ornament"-you know the one-vomit written out with it's mirror image to form a tree. Designers do the same thing over and over until they lose their novelty and delight. I suppose when your creativity begins to wane you re-hash old designs and freshen them up to create "Vomit". I suppose they think stitchers everywhere will flock to their designs and overlook the fact that it is a old stale idea with a different color or motif. No wonder the interest in cross stitch is lessening. Perhaps a refreshening in creativity is needed, take a look at the innovative French stitchers. All I have to say is WOW!!! When some American designer divas freshen up than maybe interest will be invigorated or perhaps they need to get out of the business all together.

Designers whom I love Barbara Ana, Helga Mandle, love the Sweetheart Tree, The Cricket Collection, Prairie Schooler even Monsterbubbles, the Haberdashery! I could go on with fresh and novel ideas!

I did stitch a bit on my Bootscornu last night. I also went out to a site called "findagrave.com". Okay I am not a ghoul but I did at one time work my family tree. This is a cool site with 27 million grave sites. Sometimes there are pics of the headstone and cemetary. You can volunter in your zip code to go out to cemetaries and take pics and upload them onto the web site when someone requests a pic.

Well here I am at work and I am not in the mood for attitudes today. People really get their shorts in a wad about the silliest of things. Let's save that attitude for really important things in life. Well enough from the Lilac Thicket for today.

Leaves and Bootscornu

My front yard is a sea of leaves! I have 2 old maple trees and they are almost bare of leaves. I love watching the wind blow them around. Whirlwinds of leaves swirl around and leaves go tripping down the middle of the street. All the leaves sounds like an autumn wind chime. The squirrels are digging thru the layers of leaves looking for food and I saw a squirrel climbing up the tree with a comical amount of leaves in it's mouth to line it's nest. I love this time of year. I love to hear the leaves crunch under my feet and I love the smell of them.

I have started Bootscornu and you can see my progress thus far. I have decided to use the glow in the dark DMC for the little bit of white in the boot, candy corn and I think it will be brillant in the ghosties!

I don't have much gab today. I have been feeling a little down and out. Mom and sister are not feeling well either. Sissy has a virus and I think Mom and I are dealing with sinus issues.

I hope you are enjoying your Autumn stitching and until next time, chins are up here at my Lilac Thicket.

Sports, Sparrows, Shawls and Simplicity

I tried to find a finished piece that spoke to the season of family, blessings and nostalgia. The pic is a block I stitched a couple of years ago and it is a collection of motifs from a Marquior SAL.

I worked a few stitches in my Bootscornu while I watched Gwenyth in Jane Austen's "Emma". It was only the 27th time I have seen it. Gosh I love Miss Jane's stories!

Well I still have a yen for fried potatoes. I went home last night and didn't eat a thing. I was up at 4 this morning, dressed and ready to go to work by 4:30. By 4:45 I was wandering around Quik Trip. By 5:15 I was at work, I don't start until 6:00. Darn time change.

Gosh I went to Patterns On-Line.com and really stuffed my wish list. They are now carrying San-Man Originals. The newsletter said they are adding more of her designs each day. I don't think she is designing anymore and maybe all of her designs will be available there. I love being able to print off designs without traveling to my LNS. I have 57 designs in my library there and 17 designs on my Wish List.

All the talk here is about the Chiefs, "What's the score?" Well right now they are ahead but I am pretty confident they will find a new way to lose before it is all over and done. Now I do care about our Kansas City football team but I am tired of them losing all the time.

It looks beautiful outside. On the smoke deck we have a herd of house sparrows who live in the bushes and everytime someone goes out there they are there looking for hand outs. I have seen them land on the table and hop over to a person and squawk at them and wave their wings. It is so funny.

I have decided I love shawls, I remember them from the 70's but all the women in Jane Austens stories on the big screen have the most beautiful shawls. I have a shawl which I haven't worked on in a year sitting at home in a bag. I need to finish it so I can waltz around my life with a wonderful shaw. I also put some knitted shawl patterns on my wish list at Patterns on Line. I noticed some of the shawls are rectangular, triangular and square which are folded over to make a triangle. I want a shawl, I already have the pearl earrings which I have had a while. When I first saw the mini series "Clarrisa" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101066/plotsummary) I had to buy some. I am such a copy cat.

Yesterday I was going thru the Simplicity patterns site on line (http://www.simplicity.com/) looking at the new patterns. I have lots but have purchased them all when Hobby Lobby has them on sale for 99¢. I really like the styles which are right out of my high school days, bell sleeves, tunic tops, empire waists, jumpers. I even saw a pair of fringed moccasins in a catalog. Love it!

Well I think this is enough for one day. I can't believe any readers could stand anymore titilation from my jet setting life! God Bless from my Lilac Thicket

Ghosts, Pirates, Harry, Gas & Muffins

I just wanted to see if this blog would upload an image from my Flickr account and it did. The mittens are a creation of mine from a contest I entered. The name of the mittens are "It's Snow Cold". I did some stitching on Bootscornu last night but I turned out the lights so no Trick or Treaters would knock. I sat there to watch my Ghost Hunters and really hoped that I would be able to stay up close to 4 or 5 hours of the Live broadcast. Yes I am a lightweight, I lasted 1 hour 45 minutes. Fortunately, they are having a recap and the results of this Fort Delaware investigation next Wednesday.

Woke up to a thick fog which probably would have been more appropriate last night! So far the work day has gone quite quickly. I have been thru my e-mails and checked out new needlework stash. Most conversations here at work bore me. There are a couple of people who I enjoy talking with. I don't like to talk about other people or partying or shopping (unless it has to do with needlework or thrift shops).

I have decided who I am going to vote for president.......Harry Truman! Yes, we need his straight forward talk and action! I wonder what he would think of our political leadership today?

Gasoline is really down. I saw it for 1.87/per gallon yesterday in Independence. I never thought it would come down that low again. I heard someone on the radio this morning saying we only have enough oil in the ground for 10 more years. I wondered how this person could say that. Scientists have no idea where oil comes from, if it regenerates or is finite, so how could anyone with any intelligence say there is only 10 years of oil left on this planet? One of the outer planets (I don't remember which) has a sea of oil on it, so, with so much unknown about this petroleum product you would have to be a fool to predict when it will run out.

I really want to fry up some potatoes and onions tonight. Doesn't that sound good? I love fried pototoes, well potatoes anyway they can be fixed. I look like a potato.

I added some Sue Hillis pirate designs to my wish list. Gosh I adore the pirate Santa. I would really like to stitch up "Pillage & Plunder" for my brother Rick!

Some really yummy sounding muffins at http://quietrest.blogspot.com/ . The recipe is entered on October 31st and it is called "Muffins That Taste Like Donuts". Doesn't that sound good! I want to try those along with a recipe for Chocolate Cream Cheese Muffins which is notated below. A team mate at work made them and said they are a big hit at her house.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Muffins

Combine and beat:
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
pinch salt

Beat in separate bowl:
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. vinegar
1/3 cup oil
1 cup water
1 tsp. baking sodaFill tins 1/3 full of chocolate. Drop large spoonful of cream cheese filling in each. Cook 20 minutes at 325 degrees F. Makes 12 delicious muffins!

So I think that is all for today. I wish I was home at the Lilac Thicket but I am here at work. God Bless! Happy Stitching and baking!