Monday, April 18, 2011

Waiting for the other shoe to drop.....

Before I get to the title of this post, I have to say TA DAH!!!


Ann Grant by Shakespeare's Peddler
40ct. Vintage Sand Dune
mix of AVAS, NPI, Gloriana, Threadgatherer, and Belle Soie
(all called for fibers)

Isn't she pretty?


I did use AVAS 3745 for the dark areas of grass instead of Belle Soie Chocolat -- just because they're similar in color anyway, and I hate the striping effect overdyeds give.


And I used Gloriana pecan for the dog and bunny since the Belle Soie Baguette was too close in color to the AVAS 3431 that was used for the pathways.  (Also didn't fill in the windows for the same reason.)

But isn't it pretty?   :D


I do love her!  But I'm also glad to be done with her!  She was a big one!

Ok, now to the title of this post.  Seems this year has been one thing after another -- power outages, flooding, propane tank problems, -- there must be something I'm forgetting.  Well, add this weekend to the list.  First off, poor father type is sick.  One of his periodic mysterious fevers, along with bad cold symptoms.  Ugh.  

But then the doozy.  We had strong winds and rain on Saturday and overnight into Sunday.  After one big gust of wind Saturday, we heard a very very loud crash outside and knew it wasn't a good thing.  Well, it turns out one of our neighbor's pines that borders our properties lost a huge part of itself, and the branches/trunks fell directly toward our house.  We were extremely lucky -- we only lost a windowsill off one window and the gutter got a bit damaged on the house.  We're hoping the AC unit is ok.  But the fencing around our old swimming pool and the swimming pool itself are destroyed.


Hard to tell from the pic, but the pool is totally squished.   And the fence that the pic is taken through -- well, it's squished too.


See how lucky we were?  It could have been a lot worse!  So anyway, I have a feeling this whole year I'm going to be holding my breath, waiting for the next thing to happen, whatever it may be.  Sigh.

Oh, I forgot to mention -- we were also under a flood warning this weekend.  lol!  Thank goodness the basement stayed dry.  Knock on wood, we won't have anymore flooding down there!!!

In other news, yes, the boy child is still busy.  He has his trial run -- or practice session -- with his piano accompanist for his NYSSMA audition later today.  I'm hoping it goes well.  The boy child isn't as ready as I'd like him to be (his audition is on April 29), but hopefully he's ready enough for the accompanist to be able to rehearse with him!   It's spring break this week, but the boy child has to practice, practice, practice!  Plus he needs to work on his SAT prep, and study for upcoming AP exams.  Argh!  His orchestra concert in NYC is the same weekend as his NYYSMA auditions as well.  College searches?  Visiting colleges?  What's that?  lol!  No time!

Here is the boy child in a contemplative moment with his favorite companion.  (Mia is sitting on his leg.)


Aren't they cute?  :D

Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  I love to read your comments and visit with you!  I'll leave you with another pic of Mia.


Have a great week!

Addendum:  Forgot to say -- it's a fairly safe bet that you'll need two skeins of AVAS 3745 if you're stitching this project.

82 comments:

Deborah said...

Ann is truly beautiful! I love the colors that you used. You were very lucky. It could have been so much worse.

BrendaS said...

GORGEOUS finish!!!! Seeing yours makes me want to start mine:))))

I think you are very lucky with your storm damage, it could have been so much worse and someone could have been hurt.

Cute pics of Mia and your son.

Rita said...

Gorgeous sampler!!

Sorry about the storm damage. Reminds me of when the kids and I evacuated to a friend's house during Hurricane Ike. The storm turned and it was actually worse at their house than it was at mine. Towards the end of the storm, a huge tree blew over on his wrought iron fence and made a huge noise. Luckily only his fence was damaged...but it came close to the house (on the end where I was sleeping).

What will you stitch next?

Siobhán said...

Congratulations on your BEAUTIFUL finish, Margaret!! Ann is wonderful!

I tend to look at the glass as half empty, but this time I'll look at it as half full and say PHEW! I'm glad that your house escaped the tree, even if the pool and fence didn't fare as well.

Jean said...

Boy that sampler went fast, but she is beautiful. It seems odd to say, I'm glad, and then say your damage could of been worse, but I'm glad. We had the rain and wind here in the DC area, but the tornados went further south. Hope you don't get too soaked up there. What's Mia going to do when boy child goes to college? you'll have to get her a friend.

Catherine said...

What a beauty Ann is!! Congrats on her finish! This last round of storms was certainly scary - glad no one was hurt! Let's hope that is the end of all your troubles!!

What sweet pics of Mia and your son! Good luck to him with all his things - he's certainly a busy, busy boy!

The Queen's Stitch said...

What a beautiful finish! I'm glad your family and home are safe. : )

Bertie said...

Wow Margaret you did this sampler in record time, yes I was timing it LOL.
Ann is a beautiful thing:))
You were extremely lucky to escape most of the tree in your house, I would go hysterical I'm sure!!
Go boy child listen to your mom, practise makes perfect-)
Mia is as usual her purrfect self:))

Edgar said...

What a gorgeous finish!! Congrats!! Glad there was only small damages and nothing too big.

Jo Ann said...

O.K. Margaret, I showed the picture of Ann to my sweetie and he wants to know if all your meals are delivered and what time the maid gets there. He was impressed-as I was- at how quickly you got 'er done. She is beautiful.

Glad the damage was no worse than it was and no one was hurt.

Picture of boy child and Mia are great as always.

What's next ?

Love visiting your blog. Always a treat.

merumo said...

OMG, are you really done with her already? Congratulations! I just can't believe you stitched her faster than the light!! She is absolutely gorgeous!!! Limo says hi to Mia. I wish I could take a nap with them right now... Zzzzzzz

Chocolates4Breakfast (Terri Malinovich) said...

Gorgeous and unbelievabley fast finish, Margaret! I love your changes and I just think the whole piece is stunning. Congratulations!

So glad there wasn't more damage to your place - it has been a wicked weather season!

Good luck to your son with all his upcoming commitments.

Katrina said...

Ann is completely gorgeous!!!! I can't believe you are finished :-). You have turbo needles, LOL.

Glad the damage wasn't any worse!!! Hope you get everything fixed soon.

Alisa said...

Gorgeous finish! After admiring your Creation Sampler and not being able to get it out of my head, I did finally order it and am waiting anxiously for it to arrive so I can get cracking on it. Now I may end up having to doing Ann Grant also!

I'm glad to hear that luck was on your side with that storm damage. That was scary close!

Tanya Willis Anderson said...

So gorgeous!!! Woo - hoo, now THAT's a finish.

Tanya

doris said...

Ann is too, too pretty! Congrats on another big fat finish.

We have a rule in our family, Margaret. We never say "What could possibly happen next?" or "It can't get any worse". I'm so glad your family and house are safe. Whew!

Valerie said...

Margaret - Congratulations on a breathtaking finish! Ann Grant is beautiful! The tree is amazing and I agree with you about using AVAS 3745 for the dark parts of the grass...I too hate the stripe-y effect of over-dyes (especially in antique reproduction samplers! IMHO!)

I am so sorry to hear about the tree incident but I am glad that nobody was hurt. We had TERRIBLE storms here in VA on Saturday. Lots of downed trees and flooding here too. Glad that the basement stayed dry for you!

I know that boy child must be exhausted! I remember those days of junior - senior year in high school. It was go, go, go, go ALL the time! I wish him luck with practice, his concerts, SAT prep and especially his AP exams!

I hope father type is feeling better soon AND I hope things calm down for YOU very soon!

Terri said...

I love this sampler! You did a great job on it!

I'm glad the tree didn't cause more damage and that you are all okay!

I love the Mia pictures - she is a cutie!

Anonymous said...

you make a great job, congratulations!

I love your little Mia!!!

Doris

http://2miaou.over-blog.com/

Isabelle said...

Margaret, many congratulations on your Ann Grant Sampler : really gorgeous !!
what a storm damage but fortunately you don't have too much damage on our house : I think you feel really anxious with this bad weather.
My best thoughts :-))

Annie said...

Ann looks fantastic. That is just the perfect fabric color to show her off.

Sorry about all the damage. Sometimes it's hard to be in a frame of mind to think you are lucky that it wasn't worse. You still have a lot to deal with. But I'm glad you are all safe.

robindefender said...

Beautiful sampler finish!

So glad no one was hurt in the storm. There has been damage all around here in NC. What a scary storm system that was!

Cari said...

Oh Margaret...Ann Grant IS pretty!! Just beautiful work from your talented fingers. I don't like the stripey effect of the overdyed silks either. You can see on the dress of the Garden Glade lady that I sort of stitched it in circles. Still doesn't stop me though as I love stitching with silk.

I'm so very, very glad that you all survived that storm. Gosh...what if the tree had come down right on top of your head and stitching fingers? YIKES

Hoping father type is feeling better, BC gets all is activities successfully accomplished, Mia gets her minute by minute snuggle time and that you are stitching up a storm. HUGS

Kim said...

Ann is so beautiful!!! Once again, such a quick finish, you zoom thru those stitches, lol. So glad you and family are safe from the tree damage. The boy child has alot on his plate right now, I wish him the very best~ Oh and sweet Mia, she adores him~

Andrea said...

Your Ann Grant is just gorgeous Margaret!! Love it!!

So sorry about that tree doing all that damage. You've got a great attitude about it though, and you're right, it could've been worse. Hope that's the last thing that goes wrong for you all this year! And hoping your hubby feels better soon!

xox

Marjorie said...

Ann is just gorgeous! Sorry about your run of bad luck this year...things can only get better, right? Hope your hubby recovers soon too.

Meriem said...

Magnifique Sampler, bravissimo

♥marylin♥ said...

no it's not already over I do not believe it but how do you do?? I'm in love with all your embroidery more beautiful than the others! and how fast it's unbelievable!
marylin your friend of France

Susan said...

Congratulations on Ann!!! She is beautiful.

Glad everyone is ok from the storm damage. Tornados south of here- 55 miles. We were lucky?

What are you going to work on next?

Happy Stitching!

valerie said...

Ann Grant is beautiful! Wow, you were very speedy stitching her up! Sorry to hear about the tree...how terrible but at least it's just minor damage and no one was injured. Hope the Father Type is feeling better! It does seem to be one of those "what's next" type of years. This year of the bunny isn't starting off as lucky as I had hoped! *hugs*

Ellen said...

Another incredibly beautiful sampler for your collection.

Glad to hear that you all survived the storm with minimal damage.

So--what will be your next sampler start?

Deb said...

Ann looks wonderful Margaret, and now you've put me to shame. I haven't touched mine in quite a while. I'm going to be interested in seeing what you pick up next. But she's a wonderful finish. Such pretty colors.

Can't believe that you've had more things going on at your house. Thank goodness the tree incident wasn't worse! And I hope that Dave is feeling better soon. With the weather the way it is, it's a wonder we're not all running around with fevers and colds.

Nicole said...

Oh Wow Margaret!!! It turned out gorgeous!! I can't believe how fast you finished!! I'm so sorry about the tree. :(

barbara said...

Oh boy, that's some excitement! I'm so glad that your house wasn't damaged any worse, but I am sorry about the loss of your pool and fence. Hoping the father type is soon fit again!

Ranae said...

Wow!! Ann sure is a sight to feast eyes upon. You really stitched her up fast.
Sorry for the mishap with that big branch
Sounds like the boy child is busy, busy, busy,
keeps him outta trouble ;)

Sweet Sue said...

Congrats on this beauty:) Enough of the funk at the Sampler Lover Household, need some sort of cleansing or feng shui at your house.

Glad you're all ok.

xoxo

woolwoman said...

Gosh Margaret - I'm so glad that falling tree did not do even more damage to your house - we have 13 huge oaks on our lot and I am always scared we are going to have one fall on our house - we already had the episode of one of our trees falling and crushing the neighbors roof and putting holes - that was very frightening. Now on to the fun stuff - Ann Ann Ann - what a beauty she is. So what lovely is your on list next ? Hope your week is a good one and you get the tree issue squared away soon. Melody

Hazel said...

Oh wow amazing finish! Well done you. x

Teresa S. said...

I just got the last of my AVAS silks on Saturday for this one. I REALLY want to start her--so, so pretty!

Nancy said...

You are one fast stitcher...Ann is beautiful!!

Glad that tree wasn't any taller! You were lucky, it could have been so much worse.

Great pictures of your son and Mia. Enjoy your week!

Julie M said...

Beautiful finish!

Thank God that tree didn't do more damage! The storms have been incredible this year. So far my area has managed to miss the worst of it but like you I'm just waiting cuz I know it's gonna happen at some point!

marly said...

Ann is gorgeous and I can't believe how quickly you stitched this! I love everything about it. Hopefully you won't have any more storms. We lost our best friend and best man 26 years ago in an F5 tornado right below our house. We shudder every time those storms appear. Right now in PA - I'm gathering wood to build an ark.

Liz said...

Sooo glad you escaped huge damage, it could have been so much worse. What a fabulous finish, it's really lovely Margaret, hope your father type recovers soon...
Lizzie
xxx

Jackie's Stitches said...

Sounds like you really have your hands full this week! We were hit by a tornado 2 years ago and thankfully the insurance part was almost stress free. Hoping the term "old" swimming pool means it won't be much of a loss?

Ann Grant is stunning! I particularly love the tree and was happy to see a close up of it. I don't think anyone is a faster stitcher than you.

You know, you're not going to be the only one that misses him when he goes away to college. What is Mia going to do???

Berit said...

Wow! At least you avoided the flooding. :/

What a gorgeous new finish; I fully approve of your colour substitutions, lol! Good job on leaving the windows out, too! :D

Good luck to BC--a busy spring to be sure.

Speaking of spring, it's a tough time for allergies and Mystery Under-the-Weathers; hope FT is feeling well soon!

Laurie in Iowa said...

No, Ann is NOT pretty, she's gorgeous. Congrats on another awesome sampler finish Margaret.
Oh boy... so sorry you're having to deal with the storm damage... but so glad it didn't hit and squash the house.
So, what will you be stitching next?

samplerlover said...

Hi Margaret, Ann is really gorgeous. Congratulations on finishing her so fast. I shall look forward to seeing this one framed as well.
I am so very glad that nothing serious happened to you and your family when the tree came down. Sure there is damage but can always be repaired. Damage to people isn't so easy to fix.
Good luck to the Boy Child with all that he has on his plate at the moment. Sounds quie a lot and I hope that The Husband Type is feeling a lot better soon. - Sandra.

Karen said...

Holy cow, Margaret, you guys are lucky! Thank goodness it was just a pool and a fence -- yikes!

Ann is absolutely beautiful. Your stitching just amazes me, to say nothing of your stitching speed! You go, girl!

Melissa said...

Congratulations, Margaret, Ann is indeed a beauty! You are so speedy!

Glad you guys are ok despite the damage.

The "children" look very cute together!

krayolakris said...

She's gorgeous! Love the sampler. Glad you didn't get hurt during that storm. Precious little Mia & her "brother"...so sweet!

Sue said...

Ann Grant is so stunningly beautiful. What incredible stitching you did on her. So sorry about the damage to your pool and fence, but like you said, fortunate the tree didn't go through your house.

Sharon said...

Fantastic finish! Congrats!

Cathy Lloyd said...

Your Ann is so beautiful! So glad you guys are safe and sound...but so sorry for your pool! :( Mia and the boy child are darling as usual.... Tell the father type to feel better soon from your stitchy friends! Congrats on such a beautiful finish!

Sylvia said...

Your Ann is fabulous!!

I am so glad that the tree did not hit your house directly! Sorry that you are having to deal with all these thing. I really hope the rest of the year is quiet in regards to your house!

Melanie said...

Oh no! Sorry you got hit so hard by those storms. :(
What a bummer. Soooo glad it wasn't your though.
Gorgeous finish, btw!!!

Giovanna said...

Congrats on finishing Ann, she's a beauty! Glad nobody was hurt by the tree, it sounds really scary.

Carol said...

Such a gorgeous finish, Margaret! Congratulations--you always pick such lovely samplers to work stitch...

What a relief that no one was injured and that your house didn't suffer more damage from that darn tree. My husband is always worrying about one that is too near our house; perhaps it really is time to cut it down...

Anonymous said...

Margaret, Ann Grant is elegant and charming. Love everything about her!

So glad you only had minimal damage this weekend. Blessings to you - kelley

Vonna Pfeiffer said...

Ann is totally, completely, wonderfully perfect! I love it so much Margaret! Gorgeous!!!
And I'm so sorry to read about the tree falling on your property...that is a mess for sure...so sorry....

Sally said...

Oh wow Ann is stunning and so very very pretty! I had not realised from the picture on ONS' how beautiful she is!

Sorry to hear about your storm damage but so glad it wasn't worse.

Michelle said...

Gorgeous gorgeous finish! I can't believe how fast you whipped another huge sampler out!!!! I do hope that your series of unfortunate events has come to an end. That Mia has really changed all of your lives, hasn't she?

KarenV said...

Oh Margaret, you're not having much good luck at the moment, are you?! At least no-one was hurt and you must be long overdue for your share of some good luck now.

Gorgeous finish too, you're so speedy with your needle and thread! :)

Patty C. said...

Gorgeous Finish !!

Natalia said...

Oh Margaret, Ann is absolutely beautiful !!!! You have stitched it so quickly... so what's new?? LOL !!!
I am so glad you and your family are safe. Hopefully things will change soon and the weather will start behaving.
Good luck to your son !!

Littlebit said...

My goodness, Margaret! You guys have really been plagued by "stuff" this past year!! I'm so sorry about that tree and your pool and fence and..and..insert hug.

Your Ann is absolutely fantastic!!!!!! Omg..what on earth will you do next???

Melody said...

Congrats on your beautiful finish! A big project!

I'm glad to read your storm damage wasn't any worse...That can be really scary.

Kellie said...

Beautiful finish! Ann is truly gorgeous. I have that chart in my stash waiting to be stitched. Sorry about all of your storm damage, but so glad all of you are safe and sound.

Dona said...

Your Ann is just beautiful, Margaret! And stitched in record time. Thank you for the heads up on the AVAS 3745.

You guys have had such a rough winter! I'm glad there wasn't as much damage as could be, but hope Spring arrives quickly and gives you guys a break.

Love the pictures of Mia. What a sweet kitty! Almost as sweet as Miss Kitty (lol)!

Tanya said...

Ann is gorgeous!!! I have that one ready to go too. Just waiting for classes to get over. I have your dh is feeling better now. Sweet picture of your son and Mia. I am sorry to hear about your damages.

Sherry said...

Ann is just stunning. What a wonderful piece. I am not much of a pink person but this may change my mind.

You really got hit bad. We have had alot of bad storms lately too.

Karoline said...

Ann is just gorgeous, congratulations

Sorry to hear about your storm damage, that was a close run thing.

Lois said...

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous is Ann!!!! Congrats on a wonderful finish. Oh my, you were so fortunate you didn't have more damage to the house. I can totally get why this year you're feeling like it's one thing after another!

Leneslines said...

Thanks for your comment on my hexies. I guess that in my minds eye I envisioned it with the original grandmother's flowers. Should have listened to that eye:) I might do the long ones with smaller hexies, think that will look more right.

Susan said...

Margaret, I am way behind on my blog reading and commenting, but I've enjoyed seeing your progress on Ann Grant. It's a gorgeous sampler and I think I'll be using my "frequent buyer" card at Shakespeare's Peddler to acquire it.

Good luck with all your son's activiites! I remember those days all too well and occasionally miss them. Oddly enough, though, we are busier as "empty nesters" than when we were running to all those high school activities.

TeresaB said...

First I'm so glad that no one was hurt and that the damage wasn't worse. These storms have been terrible and left a lot of damage in their wake.

Now to Ann! Oh my goodness she's beautiful. What a fantastic finish. I know you're so proud of her and you should be. Congrats!

Loretta a/k/a Mrs. Pom said...

Ann is a stunner; love the color way. I love it when you post pics of the house and neighborhood. Mystery Man was in your burb this week and called me at the hospital to give me the general rundown on the neighborhood.

Cathy B said...

Margaret, your Ann Grant is beautiful! I love the colors of that sampler. Do you think you will be stitching Ann Sandles? It's calling my name!

Hope the week got better for you. All this crazy weather everywhere; when is it going to end?

Have a nice weekend!

Joy said...

Ann is BEAUTIFUL! Didn't you just start her?

I will be keeping good thoughts for you...no more bad news!

Happy Easter

BlackCat said...

It's just beautiful! Nice job. Love the pics of Mia the cat.

Margaret said...

the 81st comment was short and sweet so mine is too. Great work, and go boy child go wishing the best of everything. Music makes the world go round.

Paulette said...

I'm so sorry about the storm damage, Margaret. :( But I'm so happy for you and Miss Grant! Absolutely breathtaking!

Paulette

Solstitches said...

What a glorious finish! It's been too long since I visited here and now there is much to see!
So sorry to hear of the damage to your property- glad no-one was hurt.
Margaret