The Wild Sight by Loucinda McGary

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


First off the Kindle edition has some problems with formatting. I tried not to let the bother me, but I have to admit that I think this would have been a much more enjoyable read if it hadn't been an issue.



Otherwise, this was a good solid mystery/romance with some paranormal elements thrown in for good measure. I liked the mystery more than the romance, I felt that the author could have developed it a bit more than just pawning it off as "instant lust/love" I mean that has it's place, but then I like things to develop a little more than it did. The rest was good. The mystery/suspense part was well written with a few twists that kept me guessing what would happen next.



Like a lot of the books I read for pleasure this isn't a hard book, won't make you think too much, just enough to be pleasant and enjoyable.

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So, since I've promised to blog more often I realized that this was sitting in my drafts and needed to be published so here it is. I'm sure Jackie and I are having a fantastic time and much stitching and knitting has been accomplished. Yeah, that's probably what's happening.....

The rumors of my demise are false

I am alive, and doing relatively well. Life has been busy with work and life. I realize that's not a perfect reason not to blog, but it's the only one I have. A lot has happened in the last 3 months or so and since I don't have a ton of time right now I'm going to give you the very, VERY quick update and then hopefully find some time to do more in the next couple of weeks. So here are the highlights:

• Got a contracting job back with the company I've been with the last 3 times. I really like working there and this is a nice challenge. So far I've enjoyed it and learned a lot. It's through the end of the year so we'll see what happens after that. 
• I've been to Atlanta 3 times and Charlotte once. The Atlanta trips were a mixture of business and also some pleasure during my birthday weekend. Charlotte was all about family. 
• I really haven't finished anything on the stitching front. I'm very close to having the Mermaid done. The picture below is the latest and taken with my iPhone so not the best, but you get the idea.

•  In other stitching news, I took another class at the needlepoint shop in Atlanta for my birthday and started another large needlepoint canvas. I'll show pictures later.
• In non-needlepoint stitching news...well all I can say is I've been stitching. I can't really tell you what all I've worked on and if I've even accomplished anything. I can say that I've made great strides in obtaining stash. GREAT STRIDES. I'll have to do an entire post on that, so for pics and info you'll just have to wait. Needless to say I've been trying to stimulate the stitching economy practically on my own.
• I have no knitting news to report. I've been in the knitting doldrums. It's been so gastly hot that I couldn't even think of picking it up. I do have a few things on the needles and a pair of socks I really want to start so we'll see what happens.
• Health wise, things are pretty good. Some days better than others. The RA seems to be in control, just have days where I have almost no energy, but those aren't too often. I did have to go to the dermatologist the other day. I had him remove a mole from behind one of my ears and he also took a spot on my leg. Neither are suspected of being cancerous, both were just annoying. The one behind my ear sometimes was being irritated by some earrings and the one on my leg was being caught by my razor so my very nice doctor said they were both going away.
• Upcoming events include a very busy fall. Our EGA chapter is having an open house event the 2nd Saturday in October with a program about Bargello work. Then two weeks later they and our Sampler Guild are hosting a wonderful teacher, Ellen Chester, for a day long class which is completely full! Then the next weekend, (first of November) I'm meeting my DF Heather in the Atlanta airport and we're headed to Mesa, AZ for the weekend and a great class from Jackie de Plessie called Chocolat. THEN 2 weeks later I'll be back in Atlanta for a 4 day class with Tony Minieri called Antique French Ribbons. And at some point I'm trying to find a weekend to meet DF Jill in Tallahassee for a weekend of FSU football. That's enough to make you tired right there! Plus there's work to pay for all the fun. More on all of this later
• This weekend DJ Jackie and I are headed far, far away (ok, it's really only a couple of miles away from my house) to Camp Blanding for a retreat. It is mainly quilters, but I'm taking all my stitching and even some knitting to work on. My goal is to touch each of my current projects for my 2011 challenge. I've taken before pictures and I'll take some afters. We'll see if I make any progress. I'm also taking my bag of ornaments that are stitched and need to be finished. Maybe, just maybe I'll manage to finish one or 2 of those. We'll see.

Ok, that's way more than I intended to write. I hope there are still some people out there who check in with me occasionally to see if I'm still around. If so, thanks for sticking with me and I'll try to do better! Until some time next week....good stitches all around!

Books and a Contest

A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'd heard about this series for years and finally decided to look for a copy of the first in the series. Thankfully I found one at a local used book store and I'll be looking for the rest. Brother Cadfael is a wonderfully written character, not to mention the story is good. The good brothers of Shrewsbury Abbey are off to obtain the bones of St. Winifred from her resting spot in Wales and the adventure is on. Brother Cadfael came late to the monastic life, but the lessons learned prior come in handy to help solve the mystery of who shot Rhisiart, the prominent landowner and vocal opponent to the moving of St. Winifred's bones. A short book, but a great read. I can't wait to hunt down the rest in the series.


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And now for the contest. The ever wonderful Edgar is celebrating his 4th Blogiversary with a give away. Even if you don't want to enter you should take yourself over to his blog (Blacksheep's bit of the web)  and view the beautiful stitching. I also look forward to his estate sale finds and info on great movies, oh and the occasional baked treat is always nice too! 

I'm sorry I haven't posted pictures of any stitching lately. This week was the first at my new contract job and it's been busy from the beginning. Nothing like diving in and going straight to work. That also means by the time I'm done in the evenings I really haven't felt like doing much of anything. I have managed to knit on the surprise gift I'm making but that's about all. Tomorrow is Sampler Guild so I promise I'll stitch and make some pictures!

Tonight some friends are throwing a dinner party for my parents to celebrate their anniversary. Even though it was almost 2 months ago, they decided to have a get together and celebrate now that my mom is feeling a bit more herself. They are all close to my parents and I'm sure we'll have a wonderful time together tonight, as we usually do. I might have some pictures from that as well.

Hope you all have a wonderful evening and enjoy some fiber goodness!

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I thought this would publish Friday night, and it didn't, so I'm going to let you in on another contest. Deborah over on Cranberry Samplings is having a give away. So click the link and see if you want to put your name in the hat.

Books, Books, Books!

Obviously I needed to catch up on my book reviews since I've been away from the computer for a week. No really great reason why except that I took a break while I waited to receive the computer I'll be using for my new contract job and can get back to earning some real money. I've even been lax about reading blogs this week, but I'll be catching up this weekend and hopefully will be back to normal after Easter. For now, enjoy some reviews of books I've read lately. It's a bit of a hodge-podge, but then my taste in reading materials is pretty eclectic.

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The Ship in the Hill by William L. Sullivan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


(Disclaimer: Won through Goodreads "First Reads", signed copy from author.



Another book I'd like to give 3.5 stars to if I could. I loved how this book blended the excavation of an actual Viking ship and the lives that the women found in the ship might have led in the 800's. Weaving some of what really happened, myth, legend and good old fashioned imagination the author brings to life the story of Asa of Agthir and the fictional Dr. Kirstin Williams. I think the author did a great job of taking the Viking legends and sagas handed down through time and used them as a starting point to flesh out the characters from the 7th century in the novel.



What I didn't like about the novel was how the people in the 20th century were "linked" to the people in the 7th century. I realize it helped to move the underlying plot, but seemed a bit contrived at times. But it didn't bother me too much, since it's a technique I've seen used by many a romance author who write stories that involve "time travel" (even though this book didn't).



All in all I enjoyed this book, it was interesting and well written enough to keep me reading well into the night. Plus I feel like I learned something about a part of the world that I didn't know that much about and it made me curious about Viking lore and history.


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The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The first in a series of mystery novels set in Africa finds Precious Ramotswe setting up shop as a "Lady Detective" after her father's death, definately not something anyone thought she would do with her inheritance. Along the way we learn about Mma Ramotswe's life before becoming the first lady detective in Gaborone. The main mystery surrounds the disappearance of a young boy from a small town in the region, but throughout the book "smaller" mysteries, which really aren't mysteries in the traditional sense of the word, are revealed. Through it all Mma Ramotswe's down to earth intelligence and good sense shine as she helps those who come to her for assistance.



I'd really give this one 3.5 stars if I could. It's a fairly easy read, not too taxing on the brain. I liked that the author stayed true to the setting, giving me as a reading more insight to the area and the people. I'd like to read more of these and will probably try to get them from the library.

Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure I got this one free from Amazon on my Kindle. Too lazy to check and see.

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Enchanting the Lady by Kathryne Kennedy

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Some romance, some fantasy, some magic, some Victorian England and a hot man who's a shape-shifter...what's not to like? I have to admit that I thought this was more a YA book until I hit the first hint of sex and realized it was meant for adults.



This wasn't a challenging read, I had most of it figured out pretty quickly, but it was interesting and fun, and just what a friend likes to call "good brain candy".



I liked Felicity, the main female character. She has spunk, even though it seems she's almost invisible to everyone until she meets Terrence Blackwell, a shape-shifting baronet who is also a spy for the royal family. Terrance can't seem to forget the beautiful woman he can see through the spell cast by relic-magic, the type of magic that killed his brother. Terrence is a were-lion and his character reflects his animal nature, which made sense and made the story even more interesting in my opinion.



The author does a great job of describing an alternate Victorian England that is filled with magical peers and were-animals, where even the buildings aren't what they seem. This is the first in a series that I downloaded from Amazon when it was offered as a free promotional and is no longer offered free. I liked it enough that I'll be downloading the other books in the series soon since this really gets a 3.5 in my book!


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I started a new knitting project, but I can't show it off yet. It's a present for a friend that I'm fairly certain reads my blog. Also, I haven't taken any pictures. I do have some stitching updates that I need to blog about so be on the lookout for those. 

HallowEden Happy Dance

Can't believe I've actually finished another piece but...well....I have! This was one I started with my DF Jackie when we were on our retreat in February. We'd purchased it while in Arizona at The Attic's retreat in January. I loved stitching this piece and can't wait to decide on a frame and get it on the wall.

HallowEden by Plum Street Samplers

I love how Adam has a leaf but it takes a pumpkin for Eve! It's stitched on 40 ct Purely Primitive Newcastle with the called for Crescent Colours floss. I did do some creative cutting with the Candy Corn used for the pumpkins so they didn't turn out too yellow. I also used Brandied Pears for my first and last initial in the alphabet.

That's all for today. I'm still waiting on all the paperwork to be completed so I can get started learning what's going on there. Until then I'm getting some things done here at the house although today was a bit of a loss since I had a migraine almost all day. Hopefully I've got it under control this evening and won't have any more problems with it this week. Thanks everyone for stopping by and leaving comments I love reading them! Have a great evening and Thursday.

Lots Going On

No really, there has been. There was the Clay County Fair, two Jacksonville Symphony concerts, a quick visit from my aunt & uncle on their way to summer in Michigan, oh and I got an offer for a contract through the end of the year that sounded very interesting and I've been getting all the paperwork for that done. But ya'll just want to see pictures.

Let's start with how mom and dad's anniversary sampler turned out when framed.

An Emblem of Love by Ellen Chester of With My Needle

It's so hard to get a really good picture of this since I ended up putting it under glass. The colors really don't show through in this picture as deep and beautiful as they really are. There was a small problem with the frame so it was ready until the Tuesday before our county fair started, which was the last day you could enter things in for showing. Mom, Dad and I went to the framers to pick it up and then take it directly to the fair grounds. Mom said she almost cried then, but didn't thinking if she did I would as well as the mother and daughter team that do our framing. It's now hanging on a wall in our house and they both really love it. Plus I did manage to keep it a secret, neither of them knew I was working on it.

Speaking of the fair, I took a few other things and did well in the ribbon department.

Left: Entries and ribbons awarded, Right: in exhibit hall

As you can see I took Traditional Elegance, Little Green Acorns, An Emblem of Love, Peacock Pinkeep Drum and Linen Sewing Book (entered as one item) and my Traveling Woman shawl. I'm pretty happy with the results.

Since I last posted I also finished La-D-Da's Briar Rabbit.

I love how this turned out and can't wait to decide on a frame. I think I know what I want but not positive. It will end up on the same wall as A Stitcher's Row. I finished this in record time, mainly because that's all I stitched on. I started on March 28th and finished it on April 7th. Crazy right? And I had to stitch the majority of the bunny twice since I messed it up and couldn't figure out how to make it work without ripping and restitching.

I'm not sure why I'm on the kick to only stitch on one thing at a time but it's continuing with HallowEden. I'm really close to having it finished and picked it back up after I finished Briar Rabbit. Here's a peek as of this morning.

I hope to get this one finished at least by the end of this week. We'll see. Last week I was asked to return to ING as a contractor and jumped at the opportunity. It's with the same group I worked with last and I'll be doing something a bit different. I am hoping all the paperwork gets completed and my computer arrives soon so I can start working. Yep, I'll be mainly working from home again which is another reason I jumped at this job. I like working from home, I have a home office so it all works out really well. Plus have you seen the price of gas? It's 33 miles from my house to the office in Jacksonville and my truck gets like 15 mpg on that trip. Ugh! Not having to go into the office every day is really nice, not just because it saves me some money, but time as well, those 33 miles take almost an hour to drive. So I don't have almost 2 hours of drive time every day or the expense of the gas plus a job that sounds interesting with a group of people I like. Just a great blessing.

I'd like to also thank Lee for including me in her March Favorite Posts. What an honor and so unexpected. If you've never checked out her blog run right over there and enjoy. And be sure to see what other bog entries were her favorites last month, she always finds some great posts!

That's all for now, I'm headed to a meeting a church that I'm hoping won't last too long. Hope everyone has had a great week and has been getting some time with your fiber project of choice!

SBQ: April Question

Do you keep records of your finishes?  We are so lucky to have so many record-keeping tools at our disposal to record our accomplishments.  So if you do, what recording methods do you use?  What do you think is important to record when you've finished a design? 



For years I used a program called CrossMagic to keep track of my stitching patterns, projects that I've started (and finished), floss and silk threads. Unfortunately the owner of this program hasn't made any updates so it doesn't work on my newest laptop. For now I managed to upload the pattern and project data to Excel so I can keep it up there until I can maybe build a new database for me to use. This final part could take awhile. I've taken a beginning SQL class online but that was a year ago and since I haven't really used it a lot I've probably forgotten most of it. I figure I can get a good book to help me remember and get it all worked out.