It's Official...

We are officially on the down hill slope toward Christmas! It just hit me that half of 2009 is GONE! In the record books. Finito. Over. Bye Bye. Which means the days are getting shorter and fall will be here sooner than we think, to be quickly followed by snow and HO HO HO!

Just thinking about Christmas puts me in a giving mood. Hosting a Christmas in July stitch-in has also had me thinking a lot about Christmas lately. So, in the spirit of Christmas, I've decided that I'll have a mystery giveaway every month between now and Christmas. You won't know when it will be or what it will be. I'll ask the oracle at Random.org to tell me my lucky day for each month and one of the commentators (?) [persons leaving a comment] that day will receive a little present from Country Fried Stitches.

It's a real pleasure reading the comments you leave me and I pledge to do better about commenting on the blogs I enjoy as well. At last count, the list on the left was nearing 100!

Hope to hear from you real soon!

Things we love

What is it about these thorny little fellows that captivate so many stitchers, myself included?

We do love our thistles, don't we? There is even an online compendium of thistle patterns over at Thistle Needleworks.

Well, you can imagine my surprise when I discovered this wee one on the dog walk, not far from my house. I imagined they only grew in Scotland. I've walked this same walk with the dog for the past 10 summers and have never seen it before, so I believe it's a volunteer.

Ceud Mile Failte, little volunteer!

My first ATC

I think I could really get into these little ATCs.

We are having a guest artist visit our EGA meeting tomorrow night to tell us more about this hot phenomenon in the fiber arts world. They are so small that you can't screw one up too badly (although my peacock feather is more than a touch "wonky"), and they go really fast.

I do think I'll try my hand at some more after I get a little commitment stitching done.

fun Fun FUN!

My "Fair Share" (photo heavy)

Well friends, I outdid myself at the MS A&CF today! First, let me set the stage. (cue the song birds) It was a beautiful morning drive through the foggy mountains of WV. I arrived at the fairgrounds around 9:30ish, Starbucks ingested and in full gear, shopping bags over my shoulder. The temperature was perfect, humidity low for the first time in months, gentle breeze blowing and plenty of clouds to buffer the summer sun. Deep breath in..........Aaaaaahhhhh.

Now, let's get down to business. THE HAUL (btw, before you see these pictures and think I've gone off the meds and my OCD has hit warp speed, I buy duplicates for presents for my all-too-fortunate sister and others):

The FOOD STUFF

ThistleDew Farms honey products, yummy fudge, award winning BBQ sauce

The WOOD STUFF

hand crafted cherry wood from Allegheny Treenware, LLC

The POTTERY STUFF

mini bowls intended for doll houses but make great beading bowls for stitchers!


The EXQUISITE STUFF

lacquerware plate by Linda Tong
This square plate really dazzles the eye. 24 carat gold, silver leaf and black lacquer. A little elephant, owl and hummingbird begged to come home with me also. How could I say no?

The MISC STUFF

luxurious soaps, lampwork bead, Literary Calligraphy cards

sleigh bells for the front door during the holidays, and more gifts for b/d's and Christmas

As you can imagine, I spent the better part of 5 hours shopping, grabbed some crawfish nuggets (don't judge until you've tried them) and fresh squeezed lemonade before departing the fair grounds......with 2000 other people. It took 100 minutes to go 3 miles, seriously. Oh well. Small price to pay for such good stuff. Speaking of price to pay, you know how the calories you consume on vacation and on your birthday don't count? Well, while I was waiting to merge into traffic and adding receipts, I decided that money spent on handcrafted things doesn't count either. Suffice it to say, I've had a superb day!!!!

Yes, but what's for dinner? How about a little tossed salad, grilled chicken, sugar snap peas, and Kim Crawford sauvignon blanc. And for dessert? Super sweet black cherries.....YUM!

Happy Independence Day!

4th of JULY.....the best holiday of the SUMMER!!! With it's fireworks and fireflies, hotdogs and hot dogs (K9s), lemonade and lemon meringue pie, need I go on? I've always had a wide patriotic streak, but many moons ago, after my first visit to Philadelphia, the Constitution Center, Independence Hall, etc, I discovered a deeper appreciation for my freedoms, my country, the servicemen and women of the armed forces, and honestly, my government. As stinky as the system can be from time to time, IMHO it beats everything else out there, hands down. So go grill something, wave the red, white and blue, thank a veteran, write your Congressman, and watch the fireworks!

For this truly is the land of the free and the home of the brave!!!