en-us Nucleus CMS v3.32 � Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss /nucleus/nucleus2.gif index.php?itemid=84 Inspired Needle News Hopefully I can get this page to redirect you, but in the meantime, you'll have to click on the above link or type the addy in yourself.

See you soon!

Cathy]]> General index.php?itemid=84 Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:00:03 -0400 index.php?itemid=82

I was only 20 minutes late to the shop and Pam followed closely behind so it wasn't a disaster, but all this was to say, "Why weren't we notified?" Such frustration! There are very limited routes that cross over the Canal and River and if you don't have a GPS at your disposal, you'll be calling your husband like I did to find out where to go next. I decided I was going to call the Village of Lemont and voice a complaint about the lack of information regarding the bridge closing, so I went to the website to look up the phone number. Here is what I found:

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The "news flash" would have been so helpful if it had been posted at the foot of the bridge yesterday! A customer of mine and her friend came from the Northwest suburbs this afternoon and tried to follow the detour signs. An hour and a half later, they were closer to the shop, about 10 minutes away, when the detour wanted them to head South on State Street. Luckily, they didn't follow the sign or they would still probably be driving around!


On another note, I'm in the process of setting up a new blog. I've been having problems interacting with Blogger and Wordpress blogs and they don't link properly to mine. I'm going to try to bring over all my posts to the new blog and when it's all ready, I'll switch the addy the website points to so you get redirected to the right place.

That's all for now, folks! Thanks for listening!

]]> General index.php?itemid=82 Thu, 9 Jul 2009 23:29:17 -0400 index.php?itemid=79
A suggestion was made to have an Open Stitch Night twice a month, perhaps on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. Opinions? Would you be willing to come to both nights? How do you choose which night to attend? Any other suggestions?

Thanks to those of you that did come out tonight. I really enjoy these evenings as it's my chance to see what everyone is working on and to catch up with friends. I hope you did not mind the "coziness" and that you will come back again next month!

null]]> General index.php?itemid=79 Wed, 8 Jul 2009 00:36:45 -0400 index.php?itemid=77 Laura's drawing, I was the lucky recipient of the mag. I would love to return the favor and will hold a drawing a week from tonight, July 9th to pass along the issue. If you'd like to be included in the drawing, please leave a comment.

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Good luck!]]> General index.php?itemid=77 Thu, 2 Jul 2009 20:06:09 -0400 index.php?itemid=75
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Happy Independence Day!

Cathy]]> General index.php?itemid=75 Wed, 1 Jul 2009 23:09:49 -0400 index.php?itemid=69
Here's what I've been doing the last week: we went for a very long walk through the Waterfall Glen forest preserve in search of the elusive waterfall. It wasn't really elusive but yours truly seriously miscalculated the distance of the waterfall from our house! After walking 4 miles, we realized it would be another mile and a half before we reached the falls. Sorry, no can do. There wasn't enough time and Stefanie's feet were starting to hurt her. So, we turned back and hobbled home. Every chance we could, we stopped to admire the wildlife. Froggy-went-a-courting can be see out on the log:

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I remember that song from when I was a kid. On long car trips, my Aunt would sing, "Froggy went a courtin' and he did ride, um hum, um hum...." Now everytime I see a frog, that song runs through my head.

We also happened upon some toddlers out frolicking in the pond:

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But, as in any adventure story, there has to be a villian. We saw a sneaky snake hiding in the cattails, hopefully just taking a nap. We didn't bother too much with him; just snapped the pic and went on our way. We hoped he wasn't waiting for a chance to munch on some duck for lunch!

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Since arriving in Chicago, my niece, Stefanie, has been stitching her little heart out. I sent her "Mermaid Sampler" by Shepherd's Bush a few months ago but she hadn't started it yet. She was afraid because it was on linen and she had only stitched on aida. Here is her finished sampler, specialty stitches and all:

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Stefanie takes to stitching like a fish to water. It's wonderful to have a young lady to teach to pass along this art. After all, someone has to inherit all my stash when I die, right? Here's a close-up of the mermaid. She is really cute. Stefcha, you did a great job!

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We just stopped for breakfast so it's time to get back on the road. Have a great weekend, everyone!
]]> General index.php?itemid=69 Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:25:02 -0400 index.php?itemid=67
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Lately I've been having a problem with being on my feet all day at the shop. I was blog hopping on Monday morning and came across a blog that had a link to the Crocs website. My DH has a pair of Scutes slip-ons and those are the ultimate in comfort ~ like walking on pillows. I think all Crocs are rather unattractive (putting it nicely) and had never considered a pair due to that reason. Browsing the website, I saw a pair called Malindi that would look really cute with crop pants. I have been wearing my Nike's to the shop to save my feet but even those fall short on comfort some days. At only $30, I thought I'd give them a try. So, DH and I headed on out to Dick's Sporting Goods to look at the Croc's they had in stock. Right away, I didn't care for the Malindi style, but I did find Olivia which were ok looking and comfortable, too.

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I purchased a pair of Olivia in brown and put them on in the car. I wore them the rest of the day and my feet did not feel tired at all! I think I would have worn them to bed if not for that "no shoes on the bed" rule that I have! They were warm and cozy and there is definitely no "break in" period as with all other new shoes. The only thing that is a bit bothersome is that my feet feel sweaty after just a few minutes. Seeing that I've had them on all day today and my feet and legs are not sore from walking around the shop says quite a bit. I am sold on Crocs. Ok, I won't wear them for our next night on the town, but for a general purpose, I-need-comfortable-shoes kind of day, the Crocs fit the bill!

I hope you all had a pleasant long weekend and got lots of stitchy things done!

]]> General index.php?itemid=67 Tue, 26 May 2009 16:17:56 -0400 index.php?itemid=64
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More to write as I want to update you on my relaxing weekend with the kids! .....to be edited.... Ok, I'm back! We had such a glorious day in PA on Friday while folks back home were dragging out the canoes and dinghies. The weather was perfect; 74 and sunny. By the time we reached Erie, it had cooled off somewhat but still nice enough to head out to Presque Isle State Park. This peninsula is a fun place to go to walk, bike, hike, swim, skate or drive. There were several groups of people having picnics on the beach and our little group was skipping stones!

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We searched for shells and feathers and came away with a pretty good haul.

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We marveled at the vegetation and drank in the beauty of this natural, national landmark.

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The kids had fun; we had fun. All in all, it was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

null]]> General index.php?itemid=64 Tue, 19 May 2009 21:41:16 -0400 index.php?itemid=61 Ranae was in the shop last weekend and purchased some R&R linen, "Americana Blend" for a chart she wanted to work on, I've been mulling it over in my mind about what I could stitch on that fabric. When we pulled the 32 count fabric, we ooh-ed and aah-ed over the very cool blue/green color. It was not quite what she was expecting but we both really liked it and she left very pleased with her selection. She will have to refresh my memory what chart the fabric was for, but I think it was a La-D-Da.

This week I've been in a very patriotic mood. I changed out the display in the front window and now there are lots of Red, White and Blue themed charts in view. One new chart that has come in the shop is "1776" by Carousel Charts. null
Getting ready for my long weekend, I wanted to cut linen and pull fibers to stitch this design. The chart calls for 16 count Fiddler's Oatmeal Light Aida. Now I like linen. All kinds. I didn't want Oatmeal, Antique White or Cream fabric and was thinking that the design would lend itself to a blueish fabric. So I turned to my fabric cabinet and started looking and my fingers fell upon, yep, you guessed it, Americana Blend! I pulled the 30 count I have in this color and it is certainly blu-er than the piece that Ranae got, but I like it equally. I always marvel that I can look at something day in and day out and not really see it, but let someone "discover" it and suddenly, I see it in a whole new light! That's what I love about stitch nights. I like to see what others are working on. They always lend inspiration and while I may not choose to stitch what someone is working on, I may get new ideas just from seeing their current work-in-process. Here's my "before" pic. I'll post progress pics as I can.

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I'm heading out of town for a long weekend. The shop will be in capable hands. I'm very torn when I have to leave town as I really want to go, but I know I'll miss out on what is happening around the shop. I hope the gals take notes and let me know what I will miss! Take care and have a great weekend!]]> General index.php?itemid=61 Thu, 14 May 2009 19:04:16 -0400 index.php?itemid=59
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Had a good Mother's Day. Did some grocery shopping after church today then out for a quick Chinese lunch. My favorite for Sunday afternoons! Cleaned up the house a bit, did a load of laundry and started packing for our trip this weekend. DH grilled me a steak for dinner and we had cucumbers and fresh mozzarella again - not that I minded one bit! I hope you all had enjoyable family time this weekend and were treated royally!]]> General index.php?itemid=59 Sun, 10 May 2009 23:50:47 -0400