The Weekend Is Here!

So the weekend is finally here and I have no plans whatsoever.  It is Saturday morning and I am just sitting here with nothing to do. I have no errands to run, nothing pressing that needs doing, no groceries to buy...Hmmm....the possibilites are endless....

I am still recovering from a pretty bad cold, but feel good enough to enter the world.  I was thinking about sitting and stitching the day away, I do have my Crosstitch Challenge to think about....still got 14 projects to complete.  I also just realized that the new movie One for the Money came out yesterday.  And I love Janet Evanovich and the Stephanie Plum books...so that is an option.  I also would like to get a few things done on my ever present to do list.  Not pressing things, but things that in time I would like to get done. 

So, as of right now, still don't think I know what I'm gonna do.  What is everybody else doing this weekend??? Whatever it is, I hope its a good one!

Random Kitty Picture-Oreo and Apollo

My first IHSW (International Hermit and Stitch Weekend)

A few days ago I came across a blog that talked about the International Hermit and Stitch Weekend.  It happens on the third weekend of the month and you stitch as much or as little as you can or want.  I have been sick over the weekend, but I managed to stitch a lot since I was just sitting at home.  I really enjoyed knowing that I was participating with lots of other stitchers around the world in our favorite hobby. 

So here are some pictures from my stitching weekend.

My start on a RR

PW A Quilt For All Seasons June

Alphabet Heart Finish

I Love a Rainy Night.....

It has been a cold and rainy day here in NC.  I have a horrible cold and am glad that I have the weekend to recover.  I was smart enough this morning to make some Savory Winter Soup in the crockpot before going to work.  It was great to come home to the yummy smell of the crockpot.  I made a grilled cheese and the soup was amazing!  Check out a picture. 

Savory Winter Soup

So, this is my first blog post.  What to say.  First off, I hope this blog allows me to share with others the things I like to do and how I like to spend my free time. 

Currently, I love crosstitching and that seems to be my main hobby.  I am currently doing a Crosstitch Challenge 2012 on my facebook crosstitch group.  The challenge is to choose 15 projects, new or WIPs and for the first 15 days of January, to work on each project. I did that....then the rest of the year you work to finish all 15.  I actually have 16 projects and I did work on all of them except one during the first 15 days of January. 

 I also enjoy cooking.  I just got a new stove about 1 week ago and I love it.  It is one of the flat top stoves, in black.  It's amazing!  I like trying new recipes whenever I can.  I also just got a bread machine for Christmas and am starting to experiment with making fresh bread.  I have made bread several times the old fashioned way, but wanted something easier for times I am too lazy to make it the old way!

I like to make my own homemade cards.  I use some rubber stamps and embellishments to make all kinds of cards for my friends and family.  I don't make them too often because I have so much stuff it takes me forever to get it out and forever to clean up after making my cards.  I have also started making ATCs, which are Artistic Trading Cards.  It combines my love of crosstitch and card making. For those of you who are unfamiliar with ATCs, they are baseball sized cards that you can put a small crosstitch (or anything else for that matter) on and embellish it with glitter, stickers, whatever your imagination can come up with.

I also make jewelry, but it has taken a backseat recently to crosstitching.  My favorite bead store closed awhile back and I haven't been beading much since then.  I still enjoy it and know I will get back into it with time.

Birdwatching and gardening are my other hobbies, along with reading and watching movies.  It is a little too cold for gardening right now, but a great time for staying inside with a good book or movie.  I just got a Kindle for Christmas and am really liking it so far. 

I hope you enjoy reading my blog and I hope to make some new crafty and cooking friends!!