Sunday, September 30, 2007

Good Monday Morning to you!!!!

Ok... so I am posting this on Sunday night.... I am just so durned excited!!! Monday, October 1st is my debute on The Primitive Gathering website & it is such an honor! Please, take a look at all these talented artists and their stunning offerings!! (the link is on the left)

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While you are there... be sure to sign up for the Autumn Gift Away. You could win one of many fabulously-prim prizes!

Also.... I would like to give a BIG THANK YOU to my friend Deena. She is the webmaster for Primtiive Gatherings, the leader of our Ebay group, and the one that has added the 'frosting' to my picture trail(link is also on the left). I updated it the other day... but it was really like just plain ol' chocolate cake - yummy... but needs more sugar. Now it has the 'sweetness' added to it! Oh ya.... Deena's web name is SweetAnnee. Be sure to visit her web site... you will be D*E*L*I*G*H*T*E*D!

http://www.sweetannee.com/

Friday, September 28, 2007

I have a serious confession to make......

I am so addicted to candy corn! I can eat it by the bag full!!

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The very BEST way though.... is to make Fall Trail Mix! Here is what ya need....

1 (or 2) bags candy corn.... remember Brach's is the BESTEST
1 medium size bag of plain M&Ms
1 jar of dry roasted peanuts
1 cup of raisins

Now... how fattening do you think this is? It is just soooooo yummy though!!!

My son loves to pick the M&Ms out and only eat them.... that is okay with me ~ because that leaves more of the candy corn for me!

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Fall is officially here!

Isn't it great?! Sunday was the first day of Fall & it was in the 90s here. That wasn't so great! We spent the day at the Renaissance Festival in Bonner Springs, Kansas. We did have a fun family day.... but were ready to get back to the a/c! Now, this morning when I got up it was only 47 degrees. The high this afternoon is only going to be in the upper 70s. Now that is just perfect to me!

I have been keeping my fingers busy. Saturday I finished hooking a mat for my Primitive Gatherings debut. Then, for the 2 hour car ride on Sunday, I started another cross stitch. It is now ready to be assembled today. My good friend Sher gave me some green linen that arrived in the mail yesterday.... so last night, I started yet another cross stitch. Because the linen is green.... it makes a yummy Halloween back drop. Thank you Sher!!

Here is one of the cross stitched pinkeeps that I recently finished. It is listed on Ebay now. :) (the link to my Ebay listings is on the left if you want to see)

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I added a hanger to it so it can be displayed on an old cupboard or peg hook. (This blue linen was also given to me by my friend Sher! She is so good to me!)

Friday, September 21, 2007

I did it earlier than planned....

The 'Punkin and Holly' pattern is available now on Ebay or through email with me directly. I picked them up from the printer today and had time to get the listing done. Now.... I am going to get busy on the 2nd in the series!!

Here is the link to the listing...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140160599583&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=004

Or... you can search Ebay id ~ primitivebettys :)

Smiles,
Betty

What is on the list today?

Trinity just got on the bus to head for school. So, I am taking a lil' bit of a breather before diving into my daily routine..... a little exercise on the elliptical (no, I haven't reached the 45 minute mark yet.... 20 minutes is enough!!), maybe some house cleaning and laundry (aarrrgghhh), and hopefully LOTS of hooking, punching, and stitching! I have a small rug on my frame that is about half finished. (Maybe it will be done by the time my head hits the pillow tonight.) I have an eye appointment that will take a big chunk out of the afternoon.... so there will be a little magazine time.

Speaking of magazines..... why the heck do I get so many? It seems I am quickly becoming a magazine-o-holic! I have subscriptions to Country Sampler, Merchantile Gatherings, Create and Decorate, The Wool Street Journal (my FAVORITE!), Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion, Sampler & Antique Needlework Quarterly, and Food & Family (a freeby from Kraft). Believe it or not.... there once were more. I have let some run out! Although.... there is one more I would like to add to my list ~ Early American Life. It is very hard to make time to read them all! 'Picture' reading is great fun though!! geeezzzzz - right?!

Hey.... before I end this note, I have a new needle punch pattern coming out! It will be listed on Ebay very soon ~ maybe by Sunday evening. It is for a couple of very fun-n-folky dollies. I have plans to do a whole line of these patterns. So please, stop by my listings to take a look.

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Also, on October 1st ~ I will have items listed on The Primitive Gathering website. I am so honored to be a part of this talented group!

Ok.... time to get busy here now. Have a glorious day & spend it doing things you love!

Smiles,
Betty

Sunday, September 16, 2007

This is my Parent's bedroom!!!!!!

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I am so proud of my Mom & Dad! They have done it again! If memory serves me right... this would be their third magazine showing. My parents have lived in several homes over the years & truly enjoy decorating and gardening. Each home has been better than the last. My Mom has an eye for style ~ and my Dad has an 'eye' for my Mom. :)

This magazine, 'Country Victorian' is a Winter 2008 Special for 'Country Almanac' and is on sale at newsstands now. My parents have about six pages of photos in this one. (The largest magazine spread yet for my them!)

http://www.countryalmanacmag.com/

If you look real close on page 26, there is a picture of Trinity when he was a baby ~ but you would probably need a magnifying glass to see it! Also, on page 23, you can see a needle punched bunny that I made Mom for her birthday last year (2006). It is on a shelf in her garden room. Oh how proud I am! LOL

What does my house look like ~ you might ask? While Tony and I would love it to be magazine perfect ~ we know it is not and probably never will be. We do love our home because it is 'home'. We have mix-matched furniture and plain-painted walls.... along with our icky green carpet (you can see that in the last post!). We also have three boys, 2 indoor cats, 1 outdoor cat, and 1 little dog that is always hiding somewhere! Someday..... maybe when my parents stop decorating their home - they can come here and help us with ours. I would prefer ours be on the primitive side though. Until then ~ I can just be proud of my parents for their accomplishments!

Saturday, September 15, 2007

This is clean?

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Believe it or not.... yes - this is clean.... well sort of!

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At least I can see the floor - even if it is our icky green carpet! The other day I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with my 'to-do' list & was suffering from 'artists-block'.... straightening up my mess was just what I needed!

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At least for now... the wool is folded on the shelves & grouped by color. My books are on the shelf & my multitude of magazines are piled neatly on the floor. My clutter is still cluttered..... but hey - I gotta be me!!!

The photos are a little blurry - you can't see the dust that way! LOL I have many many many things to get caught up on. At least now I have somewhat of an organization. Oh... I also wrote down my 'to-do' list. Now I have a starting point!

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Isn't this beautiful?

My copy of the pattern came in the mail yesterday & I can't wait to stitch this one.... of course, I have to add it to my growing 'To Do' list. (Look at that velvet penny rug it is sitting on too! Wowzers!)

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I was so thrilled when I came upon the web site for Carriage House Samplings.

http://www.carriagehousesamplings.com/index.htm

If you don't know.... I live in a small town - close to a larger college town, but don't have many places here for buying supplies & patterns. We do have one great quilt shop that I do enjoy getting fabric from..... but there isn't anything here for buying stitching supplies & patterns. When I came across the pattern.... you should have seen how quick I got on the phone with credit card in hand! Kathy was so nice to ship my order fast.... and the patterns are put together so professional with clear instructions.

So.... what is on your 'To Do' list? I have rugs to hook, stitches to make, punches to poke, and patterns that need to be drawn up & taken to the printer so I can offer them to you! All this on top of the daily routine.... speaking of.... it is time to go walkin' on the elliptical now..... I have been a bad girl & have let it collect dust for the last four days. Time to get back on track!

Many smiles to ya! :)

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Fall is on its way!

We were lucky to have a few pumpkins grow this year. Remember we live in the country.... last year we discarded our jack-o-lanterns by our brush pile & some of them decided to return this year. They aren't grand by any means ~ but cute as a button they are! They are early too. We have about 5 ripe ones with no more on the vine. I guess we just get to enjoy them at the beginning of Fall this year.... and can go get a few more from the store for Halloween. Trinity & I also planted some gourd seeds. We were hoping to have lots of colorful treasures..... but neither of us have much of a green thumb. We will just have to make a little go a long way.

Today I decided to use our pumpkins & gourds for photo props. Last night I put the finishing touches on a few needle punch pieces..... a cupboard pillow & these darling dolls.

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The dolls were inspired by a pattern of Carriage House Samplings. I thought they were so unique..... always looking for something different to do with my punch needle!

I listed the pillow & dolls on Ebay tonight.... but really need to get busy getting things ready for my Primitive Gathering debut on October 1st! :)

(remember to search Ebay id primitivebettys)

Enjoy the changes of the season.... my smiles to you.... Betty

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

This is good ~ right?

Ok... this is good for me right? Recently I bought an Elliptical like this........

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I am trying to get past the feeling of this being an Out-ta-kill-me-machine!!! It is here in the house.... no excuses about taking a walk with it being to hot or too cold out. No excuses about not riding the bike because we live out in the country & taking it to town is too much of a hassle. No excuses about not going to the gym because I am too shy or they want money for me to join.

You should know ~ I hate to sweat, exercise, or eat right. Ya Ya Ya.... you know ~ all the things we are suppose to do for our health. Growing up, I was always the last one picked for dodge ball and stood out in right field ~ day dreamin' like Lucy when I was suppose to be watching the ball in softball. (The team I played on was called the Illusions ~ that in itself is a joke!) I love to eat anything sweet & feel that french fries (or any fried food) should be a part of the food group chart. My daily allowance of water is in the form of Diet Pepsi..... apparently another big no-no. (My oldest stepson says that diet sodas lead to memory loss..... or was it the youngest that said that? humm....)

It seems now that as I am getting a little older ~ that those bad habits are starting to catch up with me. I don't feel I am about to kick the bucket & am not breaking the scale.... but the commercial about the badonka-donk butts & thunder thighs feels appropriate for the way I see my body changing. And have you all heard of 'matronly' arms? Yup.... got those now too.

A couple weeks ago, my buddy Tammy of Skip to my Ewe, posted on her blog about the 5 Centers of Wellness. It was just a day or so later that I bought this mid-evil death machine. The first day, I was able to stay on it for about 5 minutes. Wooohoo! Right? Well, I am happy to say.... it is not collecting dust & today I reached my 35 minute goal. By next week, my new goal will be 45 minutes a day for 5 days a week. It is a step in the right direction - maybe.

I have been trying to eat a little better and have one or two 12 oz bottles of water in place of my soda per day..... but I am not gonna give up my french fries completely!!!! No way - no how!!!

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Please vote in my pinkeep poll.....

Hello my friends! As you know.... I seem to have this fascination with pinkeeps. I have made them with needle punched & tiny cross stitched tops. They have been filled with a variety of different things..... from sand, raw wool, rags, sawdust & crushed walnut shells. I have never used regular poly fill - because I know this will dull your needles.... and it just isn't old-tyme enough for me. It would be great to have your opinion on the filling. What do you like? Please tell me!!! You opinion matters to me & will help me with my stuffings!! LOL

Here are a few of the pinkeep that I have listed on Ebay right now. One is filled with crushed walnut shells and the other two have sawdust stuffing.

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You can see all the pinkeeps listed by searching Ebay id.... primitivebettys or clicking on this link...

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZprimitivebettys