And more Derbyshire..

Isn't this a fine prospect? Another photo courtesy of Beautiful Britain.

And another great giveaway...

of surprises!! Check out Patti's blog to see how to enter. :)

Because I love all things Irish and you might too..

Micki is having a great giveaway at her blog! Lovely Irish things! I do hope to visit there someday. It seems my link is not working so to go to Micki's blog click the "Irish Muses" button on the right!

Better picture of Big Bee, Little Bee!

I went outside and took some more.. in this one I think you can see the true fabric color a bit better...
I think I am going to ask my dad if he can make me a pretty wooden box with a lid I can insert this in.. I think that would be so pretty!

Big Bee, Little Bee

It's finally finished! I was able to go get the last beads I needed today. However, I realized today that I used the wrong size braid for the gold stitches.. what do you think? Does it look too bulky? I'm wondering if I should buy the right one and re-stitch..
This was done on a really pretty fabric called Desert Sky(I think) by Sugar Maple Fabrics. The lighting in my house really does not do it justice; I will try to remember to take a picture outside soon.

Some Fourth of July pics!

We found a little bit closer spot this year without having to sit in the crowd at the mall(where they launch the fireworks.) Most of the pictures of the fireworks were taken by dh- I also took a couple of pics of the sky before it got really dark- it was so pretty!

The Everything Austen Challenge

Stephanie is hosting a really cool Jane Austen challenge- click the title of this post or her name to check it out! As I am a die-hard JA fan, of course I am going to participate- I probably would even if there wasn't prizes! tee hee.. Anyway, I am officially listing my six Jane Austen things-to-accomplish:

1. Read Pride and Prejudice (again :) )
2. Read Emma (again :) )
3. Cross-stitch "In the Kitchen with Jane Austen" by the Sampler Girl
4. Cross-stitch "Sense and Sensibility Sampler" by the Sampler Girl
5. Watch "Sense and Sensibility"
6. Watch "Emma"

Stash Mail!

Tammy and I did a pattern swap, and look what she sent! The rose covered box is a collapsible ort box, it is so neat! I should've left it folded up for the picture.

Marshmallows roasting on an open fire...

Oh wait, that's not how it goes is it? LOL Oh well, it's the summer version. ha ha! DD had a friend over tonight and we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. I won't post a picture of said friend until I have her mom's permission, but here are some others in the meantime. DS wasn't that interested in it so I didn't get any pictures-he didn't care much for stretchy marshmallows but he liked the Hershey bars!
I also took a rather blurry picture of our honeysuckle that grows wild in our yard, a flower from the tree in the back of the neighbor's yard, and our dog Wolf, who sadly is having a pretty hard time these days. :( Does anyone know what the fuzzy flowers are? And how do you put text in between pictures instead of all in the same place?

Derbyshire

I found this picture at Beautiful Britain of Arbor Low in Derbyshire. I can see why Jane Austen picked Derbyshire as the location of Mr. Darcy's estate. What beautiful countryside!

The Moon

“The moving moon went up the sky, / And nowhere did abide: / Softly she was going up, / And a star or two beside.”
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Prairie Schooler Santa

I thought I would never finish this! I thought I did last night- then tonight realized I stitched the pear in the wrong color. Then realized I forgot to stitch his mouth. Argh! Stitched on unknown fabric- instead of DMC I used Gentle Art Oatmeal and Blue Spruce; Weeks Dye Works Sand, Garnet, Schneckley, and Swamp Water; and Six Strand Sweets Fruit Punch.

A finish and an "almost finished"

Here is the Lizzie Kate finish I finished a few weeks ago. I gave it to my friend last night so now I can post it. :) And here is "Magic" without the buttons, but the stitching is finished. I will have the buttons soon. My new snowman project is "Home is where the snow flies" by Val's Stuff. Snow doesn't fly much at my home so I'm not sure what that means.. ha ha!

Sharing the cuteness

My dear friend Mark sent me these- pics of his fur (and feather)babies.. aren't they sweet?

Progress on "Magic"

I am really excited about this one.. I just love the fabric and the way it looks with the colors for the design.. I am hoping to finish it this weekend. Click the picture for a close-up. :)

pool party!

Yesterday we went to a pool party for a friend of ours' daughter(who happens to be friends with our kids. :) ) A fun time was had by all! Here is a pic of my kids.. not a great one of Hanna but in all the other pics she had swim goggles on. lol This was taken by my friend Wanda- the mom of the birthday girl.