April 4-5, 2009

I was home all weekend with nothing really to do. Did I put in lots of stitches on Don't Bug Me? Nope! Not a cotton' pickin' one! I watched the Last five movies in the "Love Comes Softly" series on Hallmark Channel. The newest installment to the saga was "Love Takes Wing." I have to admit that the first two movies are my favorite of the series.

So today, Sunday, I still couldn't get excited about DBM. I couldn't even make myself pick up a needle and work on it. I saw the writing on the wall. It's happened before. When I am not excited about a project I stop stitching. Period. It can last days, weeks, or even months.

I was heading into another stitching slump. To stop it in its tracks, I started a new project. I know I said I wouldn't start anything new until my gameboard was finished, but it was either that or not stitch at all. I couldn't risk that so I began working on "Patriotic Hearts & Sampler Stitches" by Sekas & Co. The chart and Waterlilies flosses were a birthday present from Kathy Y, a friend from Heirloom Stitchers. It's full of embroidery stitches in addition to cross stitch, so is providing enough variety to keep me motivated.

April 2, 2009

After getting three hours of sleep my alarm woke me up in time for Kasey and I to get to her grooming appointment. I decided to take her to an actual groomer instead of just getting her a bath this month because the cottony "fuzzies," as I call them, have grown down the sides of her legs and have cropped up behind her ears. She looks like she has a lion's mane. Because of her delight in and addiction of rolling in leaves, she comes inside with a veritable forest still clinging to her! It's gotta stop!

I went to the library on my way home to pick up two books I had on hold and then returned to the house. After reading email and watching television for a couple hours, it was finally time to go pick up my Punky.

We will NOT be going back! This is the same groomer who did a wonderful job on Kasey 2 1/2 years ago, but this time she did too much. I wanted her to take the "cottony fuzzies" that have appeared on her legs and behind her ears. You can clearly see and feel them; they're on the outside of her legs and behind her ears and they're almost stark white.

Instead, she trimmed Kasey ALL OVER! She even cut her tail, which was about 9-12" long, to about 3-4". She cut all the curls from around Kasey's neck, cut the feathering on the back of her legs, and cut the hair on her sides and belly! None of her hair, besides her tail, is more than 2 inches long! Plus, she didn't get rid of the fuzzies on the sides of Kasey's legs! They've just been clipped to about 3/4". I think the fact that they clipped her ears is the most visible; I hate it! Her ears used to flow into the hair on her neck and now they're delineated.

I almost screamed when I saw my poor girl! I wasn't going to let Kasey know she wasn't the prettiest girl in all the world, but I am T-TOTALLY TICKED OFF! It's going to take months for her hair to grow back out, and even longer for her tail to get back to its normal length. I've included "before" and "after" pictures for you.

I know alot of people won't see a big difference, but having worked professionally with dogs for half my life, I see every little nuance. She's still a gorgeous girl, but her cut detracts from her looks. To me, it's sacrelige to cut a dog's tail short when it's grown out long and flowing. The same goes for ears.

Okay, enough. I'll just get worked up all over again.

So, stitching...Yes, I did some today. I finished the first leaf and did the second one today. I did a total of 10 1/4 stitches today! *groan*

We went to our usual Thursday afternoon stitching group at the Barnes & Noble cafe' and had a very nice time. Yarn workers in this area are getting ready for the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival, which is the same weekend as the Ocean City retreat, so it was a popular topic for conversation around the table. I really enjoy all the chatter because I learn alot. I've heard of a few different yarn shops in the region that also sell needlepoint or cross stitch items. As you can see, I did more talking and listening today than actual stitching.

I have to tell you, too, that I think I've figured out the problem with the floss in my Sweetheart Tree kits: I think it's dried out. It's getting more supple and softer as it's handled, so I think I'm going to hang it in the bathroom and run the humidifier for a little while this weekend. It's been sitting in the bag in my stash cabinet for over a year. I bought all my Sweetheart Tree kits at the same time, so maybe that's why all of the cotton floss has the same feel.

I received an email from Sandie Vanosdall of The Sweetheart Tree in response to yesterday's post. I apologized to Sandie in case I offended her and let her know that I do alot of "thinking out loud" here on Crossed Purposes. This is what she had to say about the WDW and DMC she uses to kit up her designs:

I 100% guarantee that we do not do a thing to the floss used in our kits to change the feel of them - this is exactly the way they come to us from DMC and from Weeks. We use those 2 fibers for certain reasons.....DMC is the #1 most available fiber(worldwide) and it is available to us on a "cone" which contains 1000's of yards of floss. Weeks has a great color range and is also available on a cone - plus I've come to know the owner of Weeks quite well and want to support her when I have a design that works well with one of her colors. I do use other fiber companies as well...Caron Collection, ThreadworX, DinkyDyes, Crescent Colors, etc....whatever works best with the design is what we will specify and use. Since we kit SO many patterns it's obviously easiest and most time efficient for us to pull the floss off of the cones rather than try to unwind and separate the floss from skeins.

OMG, CONES! Thousands of YARDS of floss! How cool is that?! Can you imagine? You'd NEVER have to buy floss again! I want my own collection of cones!

But seriously, I very much appreciate Sandie's email. I was thinking further about the drying issue and I think I could have stated things a little better in my post. I didn't mean to insinuate that TST was doing anything to the floss; what was in my head was "what is happening to it that it feels this way? I know how DMC and WDW feel when I buy them, so there has to be a reason this is occurring." I sincerely apologize for any offense I caused.

Sandie also said:

I wish you could see how this is done and perhaps I'll photograph our gals in the process of making kits someday and post it on our website so you and other stitchers can see how kits are made

I told her I'd love to see that; it'd be really neat. What do you think? I'm still thinking of all those cones y'all and I am SO jealous! I think I'm gonna go to bed and dream about a room of 'em.

April 1, 2009

I tell ya, it was just another day full of stitching for me! NOT! I don't know what's going on, but I just don't seem to have enough time in the day to stitch, especially on dialysis days.

Today was April Fool's Day. I almost forgot until I noticed an article online about ESPN playing a joke on NASCAR fans. They said right in the title that the article was a joke, but obviously some people are selective readers. Apparently ESPN reported that President Obama was going to make Chevy and Dodge pull their sponsorships of the NASCAR series and people started screamin' bloody murder. ESPN pulled the article from its website and apologized, saying they went too far. In my opinion, it's not their fault some people are too stupid to read an ENTIRE article before they start raising a fuss. I don't think it was funny, though, because it very well could come true if GM and Chrysler need that sponsorship cash for their "trimmed down" operations. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

Oops, sorry. This isn't a sports blog, I know! Back to the stitching! I did almost a whole leaf on The Sweetheart Tree's Don't Bug Me. I found TST in the 2007 fall Online Needlework Show and fell in love with the look of their designs. I especially like the purple band samplers and the Teenie Kits. The problem is, I thoroughly dislike the feel of the fibers included in all their kits. They're stiff somehow, and they don't improve much after applying Thread Heaven thread conditioner. With my dry hands, running these fibers through my fingers is very unsatisfying. What's mystifying to me is the fact that they use DMC and Weeks threads for the most part. I'd really like to know what they're doing to them to take them from soft cotton to a stiff hunk of thread. Has anyone else noticed that?

I apologize for digressing again, but I think it's the feel of the fibers that is slowing me down on this project. I also think that it's the reason I have at least four more Teenie kits in my UFO pile. Since I've started them, I have to get them finished, but I really don't enjoy stitching with the threads like this. I'm seriously considering using my own DMC and buying the Weeks needed to complete these, it's that bad! Only problem is, I really can't justify spending money on the fibers when I have enough on hand to stitch the project. Am I just being too picky?

You may or may not have noticed, but I've added a new logo to the sidebar of my blog. It's for The Stitchers' Village. This is a new "global needle arts community" courtesy of Jo and Janie, owners of Dinky Dyes & The Cat's Whiskers Design Studio respectively. If you haven't visited, I highly reccommend. TSV is just getting off the ground, but there are monthly newsletters, contests, classes, and even a forum to chat with other stitchers from around the world.

As I was clicking on the different buildings to see what each contained, I was directed to Janie's Site The Cat's Whiskers Design Studio and saw the information for a fund-raiser she created for victims of the Austrailan bush fires. It's called Bushfire Kitty. For a donation of US $3.50, you, too, can recieve a .pdf of this cute fireman kitty. Please consider stopping by Janie's site and making a contribution. The kit to stitch Bushfire Kitty is available from any of the stores in TSV.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox and done typing for now. Have a great day tomorrow!

March 31, 2009

I'd love to be able to tell you that I put in hundreds of stitches today, but the fact is I'm right back where I started. Literally!

With Debi cracking the whip, I went through my stash to make a list of UFO's. I'm ashamed to say that there are 16 projects left unfinished. Some are from my abandoned 2008 Stitching Challenge and others are projects that frustrated me in one way or another so I put them aside.

I chose one of the Challenge pieces from last year as my next project. I promised myself that I would not start any new projects until both A Stitcher's Companion and Stitches, Stars & Stripes were complete but I have no desire to stitch on my gameboard at this point in time. Keeping to my promise, I've gone back to my UFO's. I feel good about getting some of these done, so I may finish more before going back to SS&S.

This is Don't Bug Me by The Sweetheart Tree. As I said, I'm back to where I started. Before going to sleep this morning, I stitched two of the leaves in the lower left corner. When I picked it up this afternoon, I realized that both of them were one row too high. That's what I get for stitching after 4am; I know better! After frogging I was in no mood to stitch right away so I just set the QSnaps on my Ergo.

Kasey woke me up this morning at 11am after I went to sleep at 5:00. I didn't have any real errands to take care of today but did get dressed in order to venture out to the library this afternoon. I read all the books I had checked out and went to get more. I always have to have a book going because I sleep better if I read for at least a few minutes before turning out the lights.

Because I only got six hours of sleep, I started nodding off this evening. I took a nap and woke up hungry. After looking through my choices in the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry, I decided to make another Shepherd's Pie. This time I used ground beef instead of chicken and it was just as yummy as my first two attempts. A day full of excitement, huh?

November 24, 2008

As I was working on Friendship and saw how fast it was stitching up I realized that I may have another finish tomorrow! If I'd known I could stitch it in 2-3 days I would have started it long ago! When I saw it in a SAL it seemed people were taking weeks and weeks to complete it and everyone was complaining about the verse. I've always done my over-one stitching using the Continental stitch so that the thread doesn't go behind the fibers of the material. I think the verse was the easiest part for me to do.

All of the leaves and back-stitching are done, except for one last spool of thread. I chose to do the "ad-vanced" option of using padded satin stitches for my thread spools. I'm not sure why it's advanced when it's just a straight stitch, but whatever floats your boat. It's easier and faster than doing the x's for the thread on the spools, too. I wanted my spools to look like real spools of thread and this stitch certainly accomplishes that

Kasey woke me up at 10:00 this morning and then didn't come when I called her half an hour later. I was worried so I got dressed and put on my coat to go find her. As I was walking out of the carport and calling for her again she came running from the direction of my neighbor's house. Of course I was wide awake so there was no getting back to sleep at that point.

I am constantly thankful I discovered the online stitching community. No only has it provided me a lifeline to the outside world and some of the closest friends I've ever had, but also the generosity of other stitchers continues to amaze and humble me. I received an email on Friday from Marl B of Indiana. She said that she has a special interest in my posts because her son also lives in Annapolis. Marl wrote to tell me that she saw the Handblessings charts on my wish list and had them for me. The designer, Eileen Gurick, is in several guild chapters with Myrl and they are friends as well. She told me that she was driving through Annapolis on Sunday and would be leaving the charts with her son and gave me the information to pick them up from his work.

Since I couldn't get back to sleep anyway I decided to ride over to pick up the charts from John's work. I was flabbergasted when the bag was handed to me. Myrl had mentioned something about her son mumbling, as she watched him put the bag in his truck, about what color suit to wear Monday to match the purple stitching bag. Purple stitching bag?! Yep! Myrl found a set of clear thick plastic bags with purple nylon straps. There's everything from a little cosmetic case to an 18x18" tote! These will be great for keeping future WIPs clean as they all zip closed.

But that wasn't all! It wasn't just the charts I wanted! Myrl included the fabric and fibers to stitch them! There was the 18ct mono canvas, already on stretcher bars, for Autumn Whispers and the Lugana for Stitching Nut. As if that wasn't enough, Myrl was able to convince Eileen to sign the charts for me! That is SOOO cool! My first ever personalized charts!

Myrl, I cannot thank you enough for these wonderful gifts! Have a safe and happy trip to Ocean City and enjoy your time "Down the ocean."

After getting only a few hours of sleep I was exhausted around noon and decided to go back to bed. I was also feeling the effects of a sour stomach and was afraid I was coming down with a stomach bug. For me, sleeping is the best way to heal and my family says they can tell when I'm sick because it's the only time I stay in bed. Since I knew I was going to sleep through the afternoon I called my dialysis clinic to inform them I wouldn't be there today.

I slept until after 5:30 this afternoon but felt much better upon waking up. The feeling of my stomach revolting on me was gone so I went back to work on Friendship. I was hoping to have it complete but didn't quite get there before midnight.

I've shared pictures of Kasey several times recently so I had to be fair to my boy. Here is my stitching assistant, Mr. Chetter-bug, sitting on me so I can't get away from him. You'll notice he's also trying to hide the tv remote. I'm all the time having to pull it from under His Highness. His eyes really don't look that evil but his pupils are so large they always reflect when I take a picture of him. The red-eye remover doesn't recognize such a large area so it won't work for pictures of Chet.

Finally, I know you've been waiting to see what I come up with for today's freebies, so here you go:

Gran's Stitch Niche has some beautiful free designs but beware! They're BAP's!
http://stitchniche.50webs.com/patterns2.html

Erynne's blog is full of free charts. Make sure you stop by to take a look at her offerings.
http://be-stitched.blogspot.com/search/label/grille%20gratuit

November 23, 2008

While I was stitching last night I looked over to Kasey's couch and saw my Punkin' Head sleeping. She just looked so cute, I couldn't help but snap some pictures.

I caught her mid-yawn but the corner of my tv table was in the way of her nose. Around here she's known as our Big Baby. Doesn't she look it?

Since we're approaching the Holiday Season I thought I'd share some of the freebie sites I've collected over the past year. I will post two new links each day. Enjoy!

I've done two of her designs in a row so here is a freebie from Linda Lachance of Northern Pine Designs. You purple fanatics will love this one!
http://www.northernpinedesigns.com/freedesign.html

There are assorted-themed designs to be found here, including some very cute Christmas motifs.
http://www.joannesanderson.com/page2.htm

I forgot to stop at midnight for my picture so this was taken at 1am. I completed the letters on the second line of text after midnight. I've seen this in a SAL and it seemed that everyone complained that this design took a long time to stitch up. I don't seem to be having that problem. The leaves and spools of thread are already half done and I've been backstitching them as I go so there's even less to complete after only just one day. The over-one stitching is a bit tedious, but it's moving right along.

November 22, 2008

I continued working on Hinzeit's Fancy Mini Block USA after midnight. I tried going to sleep around 1:30am but finally gave up when I was still awake at 3:00. Since I was wide awake I went back to stitching on USA. After sleeping from 9am til 4:30 this afternoon, I started on USA once again. At 8:07pm I put the last stitch in and I was done putting the charms on by 8:30. USA is my 45th stitching finish of 2008! My total stitching/sewing finishes for this year is up to 55 now. I'm still not sure how I will finish-finish it, but I'm happy to have another project completed from my stash.


This is the beginning of The Sweetheart Tree's Friendship. I've had this kit in my stash for quite some time and decided to stitch on it because Friendship is one of the things this time of year is all about. I think I'm going to frame this so that when I finally move into my apartment, I can put it in the foyer. The verse that is stitched over-one in the middle is "Friendship is the thread that binds two hearts together" I love it, and it's so appropriate for me. I'm very excited to see this stitched up. I may even try to find another finishing technique to make it even more special. Suggestions, anyone??

October 15, 2008

Here are the two panels of my nametag along with the backing board I'm going to put between them. I've glued two layers of quilt batting to each side of the backing board. I put everything together just like you'd attach the panels of a biscornu, with the exception of starting one side in the middle and the other in a corner.

The directions the Victoria Sampler cyber class used for finishing this piece seemed alot more complicated than my method. They wanted you to attach each panel to it's own backing board by gluing it to the side that didn't have the batting on it, then glue the two sides together and use some kind of piping to hide the seam. I can tell you from experience that trying to center these little panels on the backing board was a major PITA! It just didn't work. I ended up stitching 2 1/2 sides together and slipping the backing board into the pocket I made. I then completed whip-stitching the two sides together using the Orchid backstitched borders. I alternated the purple beads with opalescent clear Mill Hill petite beads, picking up one before each stitch.

I stayed up all night and finished my nametag at 6am. This is how it turned out. I had a little scare when one corner almost totally frayed, but my beads cover it. I used Fray Check, but I guess I didn't leave enough fabric outside the Orchid border.

I still didn't want to go back to all the yellow of Baby Kasey so I picked up one of my old Challenge pieces that was started early this year. This is Lavender Luminesence by The Sweetheart Tree. I last worked on it all the way back on January 7th. I decided that I'd stitch one area at a time, rather than use the steps the instructions tell you to stitch in. There was just too much jumping around the way you're instructed to do it. It was much easier working from one motif to the next by staying in the same area. I completed all the backstitching and specialty stitches on the right. Now there's just 3 more of each to go, plus all the beads and charms.

March 18, 2008

I was determined to finish In the Land of the Free before I went to bed. I put the last bead on at 4:30 this morning. That's my 8th Challenge finish for the year, and my 12th finish overall! I'm trying to force myself out of the stitching slump I've been in and think I've made great progress towards that goal.

This evening was the Heirloom Stitchers meeting at Provinces Library. Carol Boyer invited me to join their group back in December, but I got sick. I was in the hospital for the January and February meetings, so this was the first one I was able to attend.

Uncle Wes drove with me, because the meeting was from 6-8:30 pm and I can't drive after dark. He dropped me off at a few minutes before 6:00 and went to Arundel Mills Mall. There were six of us stitching and one member even brought two grocery bags filled with stash she wanted us to go through and take home what we wanted. So here are the charts I picked up:

Terra Australis by Dinky-Dyes Designs
We Gather Together by With Humble Heart
To Thine Own Self be True by With Humble Heart
Meow by Angel Stitchin
Quaker Mini Treats by Samplers and Such
Ladybugs and Bumblebees by Country Cottage Needleworks
Morning Berries by Little House Needleworks
Kathleen by Indigo Rose
Praise Sampler by The Sampler House
Mother & Child by Forget-Me-Not in Stitches
Stitch Sampler by Charlotte's Web Needleworks
Women are Like Teabags by Sweetheart Company
Queen Mary's Garden (Kit) by Liz Turner Diehl, Inc.
Keychain kit by Creative Vision Design

I'm most excited about Terra Australis, because it's part of the Quilt Block Series by Dinky-Dyes. I just received Southern Stars, which is part of the same series and plan on stitching them as soon as my Challenge is completed.

I loved sitting around with other stitchers and chatting about our pets and families. I've never stitched with anyone before and it was a very nice interlude. I worked on Pocket Sampler: Dad until I ran out of my strand of floss. I forgot to put the flosses back with the chart after I finished making my stash list, so I didn't have any other floss with me. DUH!



Luckily, I stuck a couple kits in my stitching bag so I worked on Lavender Luminesence by The Sweetheart Tree. Time seemed to fly, though, because 8:30 arrived without us realizing. There are a couple of us who plan on taking our own unwanted stash to next month's meeting, so I'm sure I'll come home with more goodies, but I also plan on giving away some of the things I'll never stitch.

March 17, 2008

Wow, three days in a row! Dare I call the slump "ended?" I went back to In the Land of the Free during dialysis today. I felt bad that I put it aside, but I felt bogged down working on it. I think finishing PS: Mom helped get my stitching juices flowing again.

This is zipping right along! I took this picture at 12:30, because I was zoned out on stitching and midnight came and went without me noticing. Look! There are beads on it already! The end is near! It's turning out even prettier in person than the picture, so I'm very excited to see this completed.

When Uncle Wes came up to go to bed tonight he asked me what Kasey did to her head. I told him I had no idea what he was talking about and he said she knocked it on something. Apparently she hit something with that Punkin' Head of hers, because she's got a raw spot the size of a nickel. I cleaned it with peroxide and put some antibiotic cream on it, but there's not a whole lot else you can do.

My theory is that she hit it on the dining room table. I know something happened in there while "the kids" were home alone, because one of the placemats was on the floor when I got home. I'm wondering if Chet didn't bring a mouse upstairs from the basement and "lose" it up here. He's famous for doing that. The last time, he dropped a live mouse on my foot while I was eating dinner!

March 7, 2008

At dialysis today, I continued working on In the Land of the Free. I made more progress on the bow above the heart, but it doesn't look like it's going to be done by tomorrow.

March 5, 2008

I worked on the bow above the heart while I was at dialysis today. I didn't get a whole lot done because I was watching tv. I would like to have this finished by the weekend so I can work on Debi's small stitched exchange piece, so we'll see what happens.

March 3, 2008

Today at dialysis I worked on the heart of In the Land of the Free. I got the white stripes and the cable stitching done and started on the innermost outline. I'm hoping to be able to finish this by the end of the week so I can start stitching on an exchange I need to send out as soon as possible.

Today is also Chet's 14th birthday! To celebrate, I split a packet of soft food between him, Piper Kitty, and Kasey. They only get soft food a couple times a year, so they really enjoyed the treat. I know he doesn't know it's his birthday, but I do! Besides, he's my baby, so I can't ignore his special day. I got Chet from a co-worker 10 years ago because they couldn't keep him. He has brought so much joy and laughter into my life. Here's a picture of my Chetter-buggy watching over me in my chair.

I also forgot to thank Kathy Bradford for the wonderful RAK she sent. I no longer have to have a plastic bag beside my stitching chair because I have a gorgeous Dolphin Snip-it jar! Thank you, Kathy! Kathy had hip replacement surgery today, so please say a prayer for her.

February 29-March 1, 2008

Continuing on my newly-started stitching roll, I'm still working on In the Land of the Free and made significant progress. This is my first Sweetheart Tree project that I've tackled. I have several more in this year's stitching challenge and seeing this one coming along makes me want to stitch on the others even more.

February 28, 2008

I started stitching again on Wednesday and finished My Very Bestest Friend by 4 My Boys at 1:52am. I feel so much better! My eyes aren't getting blurry anymore and my ability to concentrate is returning. This, more than anything, has my spirits up and my faith that everything will be okay restored. I know it won't make any sense to non-stitchers, but I'm sure my stitching friends can sympathize with that feeling.


After getting some sleep, I started working on In the Land of the Free by The Sweetheart Tree. This kit called to me because of the message it contains, "We live in the land of the free because of the brave." I don't think anything says it any better. My brother served ten years in the United States Army, and I'm stitching this for him and all the other brave men and women who serve our country.

Catching Up to February 22, 2008

It's been a long time since I've been able to update this, so I'm going to have to make one entry to bring y'all current. The days seem to blend together into one long day when you're in the hospital so the only way I could tell them apart was to take a picture of my progress, at midnight, whenever I stitched.

So here's how my stitching went while I was in the hospital and Heritage Harbour Rehabilitation Center:

January 30: No Matter WhatJanuary 31 February 1February 2: A Finish & Work on Hinzeit's Mini Block Stitch February 3: Mini Block Stitch by Hinzeit Designs (FINISH!), Cabin in the Snow by Hob-Nobb Designs









February 4

February 5 February 6 February 7 (FINISH!) February 12: In the Land of the Free by The Sweetheart Tree February 15: In the Land of the Free & My Very Bestest Friend by 4 My Boys

February 16 & 17

January 7, 2008

I knew I had to wake up early today, so last night I shut down the computer in preparation of going to bed. Then I made the mistake of picking up Lavender Luminesence and stitching on it. After about twenty minutes of backstitching the leaves and vines, it occurred to me that I was getting awfully close to the bottom of the fabric. So I measured, and, you guessed it!

RIP-IT! RIP-IT! I had to frog the ENTIRE piece, so all my previous progress is null and void.

Therefore, instead of taking Deftly Wrought with me to dialysis today, I took Lavender Luminesence. I re-started itin the middle this time! I stitched my first Rhodes Heart today, and am quite pleased with it. I think I'll continue stitching from the center out, as that's what I'm used to doing and I'm more comfortable with that method. I know the directions say to start from the outside and work in, but none of the steps overlap, so I'm safe. Anyway, it's re-started and I'll continue on it later. Tomorrow is UFO day, so I'm dragging out A Bird for All Seasons. I'll tell you all about that story in tomorrow's post. G'nite!

January 5, 2008

I was able to get some stitches in on Lavender Luminesence today after getting through several hundred group messages and running some errands.

When I woke up this afternoon, I went to my friend Tiffany's house to drop off some Beef Stroganoff and Cheesy Beef & Broccoli dip. I'd had cravings for both, but there's no way I can eat all of it by myself. Her kids love my Beef Stroganoff, so they were more than happy when I dropped it off.

Tiffany's son, Jerrard, went to PetSmart with me to carry Kasey's dog food. I knew better than to try to get it myself, especially since Uncle Wes isn't home to carry it in the house for me. Jerrard even poured it into the storage buckets for me, so I didn't have to worry about that big bag being in the livingroom until Wes gets home.

While we were at PetSmart, I saw that they still had a large selection of Christmas dog toys, so we picked up some of the larger ones for Kasey. Yep, Kasey's Santa is a cheapskate! She waits until the toys are 50% off! It's not as if Kasey minds, though. She was standing right in front of me to grab each toy after I cut the tags off. You can see more pictures of her playing with them, just look in Webshots.