Hoosier Stitchers Retreat

The Hoosier Stitchers Retreat was held from Oct. 22-25 in Mitchell IN. I had a great time seeing, talking, laughing, learning and stitching with everyone again. Here are a few of the pictures I took.
Katie's Biscornus (not sure if I spelled that right) Class. Picture---Deborah, Katie, Barb & Marie. Coleen did her dying class. Picture of Pam, looks like serious surgery. LOL!

The first part of the retreat I stitched on Crystal Tree. I got as far as I could. Forgot to bring the beads and ribbon.

Just for fun we had a Dirty Santa Bag game. Picture of Annette going through her bag.

Some of the pretty dyed material and floss from the dying class.

Coleen and I gave a class on Stitch Counters or Thread Counters.
Deborah, Pam, Marcia, Coleen, Julie,Laurie, Nancy, Barb, Marie, Terri and Annette.

Picture of all the pretty stitch counters or thread counters. And some made frogging needles or ripping needles.

Picture of my ripping needles and stitch counters.

Picture of Barb! What a silly girl.

There was a door decorating contest. And the winners are Annette, Katie and Janet.

Picture of Coleen giving Janet, Katie and Annette there winnings for the door decorating contest.

After stitching on Crystal Tree until I couldn't stitch any more. I pulled out the Garden Fairies and started stitching on them again. I had the first one done but wanted to finish the other three and add the beads. As I finished each fairy I called out "I have a finish!" It feels so good. LOL! While stitching on these fairies some of them reminded me of people I know from the ILCS group and the HS group. The first one reminds me of Milly, the next one reminds me of Kim, the third one-I was having trouble with and just couldn't figure out who it reminded me off. I thought I had the third one finished called out my "Finish" then realized I hadn't stitched the fairies hair, it was on another page. LMBO! So, after finishing the hair on the third fair. Coleen said it was Annette. I just had one more fairy to go. Stitching and stitching on her I could not think of anyone that reminded me of her. Until...

Coleen leaves the room and returns looking that this! So the last fair reminds me of Coleen.

This picture is of Janet and Annette working on finishing projects, Jean and Debbie surging the dyed material and Pam ironing the material.

Coleen gave a class on how to make crouched necklaces. Picture-Coleen, me, Marcia, Anne, Shirley. Annette and Katie were working on finishings. I hadn't crouched since I was 8 years old so I really had to concentrate. LOL!

Picture-Anne, Coleen, Laurie, me, Shirley and Marcia with our necklaces.
Picture of my crouched necklaces. On the way home I stopped by my Mom's and gave her the fall color one. She loved it. A day after the retreat my MIL stopped by the house and I gave her the other one. On my drive home I stopped at two Big Lots (that is where Coleen had found the thread for the necklaces) and one of the Big Lots had a few skins left so I bought more to make in the future. When I was almost home I stopped at WalMart in Rochester and bought the hooks I need to make the necklaces.

Pictures of the show and tell table.

Just a few hours left at the retreat and I did get all the fairies stitched!!!
Milly, Kim, Annette and Coleen.
This was our last meal together at the retreat. A few had already left and I didn't get my group picture. Thanks to all the wonderful cooks in this group, I gained a few pounds over the weekend. LOL! Thanks to Coleen and Shirley for organizing.
Since I had been home Dara had been waiting me to make her a beaded necklaces for her name tag in Health Careers that she is doing through the school. I finished just in time for her to start her job shadowing.

Dara had also been waiting me to make her a key chain fob, so I got that done too.

And last but not least a Christmas quilt for Kayden.

I am here!

Where do I start...

Work started to pick up after Labor Day. Picture of me removing old liner.

Someone had asked how the spiders where put together, so I thought I would show a picture of all pieces that are made before it becomes a spider. Put the wires through the beads, cut of extra wire and curl the ends. Then shape the spider legs.

I made 10 Christmas spiders, enough for Dara, Dylan, Kayden, my Mom, my MIL, my four sisters and one for myself. I also made 5 Halloween spiders one for myself and one for each of my sisters. Then I been working on beaded Christmas ornaments and I even made my own pattern. I call it Diamonds. Kayden's SpiderDara's SpiderDylan's Spider

Soon after Labor Day, Bob stopped by our landlords house to pay our rent and when she answered the door she told him that she was selling the house and that she would be showing the house tomorrow. To call her when it was a good time.

That was a Sunday, we were fixing dinner when someone was at the door. It was her with a family to look at the house. Good thing I keep the house pretty clean. Anyway the next day there was a message on the phone that she sold the house and we had until the end of the month (Sept) to move and wanted to know about the damages done to the house. There are no damages done by us, we had told her several different times about the leaks in the roof, leaky basement, windows and other things. But she chose to do nothing. That gave us 9 days for pack, find a place and move.

We started packing things that we don't use everyday and putting it in storage. Picked up the paper daily and got a list of all the landlords to call for houses that would be available. Started looking at houses...Oh my I can't believe the bad shape that most of the houses we looked at are in!!!

Thought we have found something 2 different times, one something else got the place and the other one when we went to sign the agreement they asked us about pets.

Two days after her message on the phone that the house was sold we received a letter that said if we weren't moved out of the house by the 1st of Oct. we would be arrested for trust passing. What she was trying to do is illegal in Indiana. But I am not a fighter, just don't have the energy it takes to put up a fight. So, we kept looking and looking trying to find somewhere to go.

We had three different people tell us we would stay in their basement. LOL!
Oct. 1st no one showed up to arrest us.

Oct. 2nd my Mom called to tell me my Aunt Jeannie had died last night.
Oct. 5th Was Aunt Jeannie funeral. She looked good, as my Aunt Linda she looked like she did a few years ago, before all the pain and worries of life had set in. That eve we got a call that a house was going to be available the following Saturday. We had already filled out the paper work and we have been approved.

Oct. 7th Bob and I were on our way to Granger for a hot tub service call when my cell phone rang. It was a guy that owned the first house that we called about when all this mess started. He had called us back before and told us that the house was taken. The deal fell through and wanted to know if we were still interested. We were able to go look at it that day. It is a smaller house, but in much better shape. We filled out the paper work and he said he would call us the next day.

Oct. 8th it was late afternoon and we were on our way to South Bend for a pool closing. When Bob's cell phone rang. I was the guy about the house we looked at the night before, he said we had been approved and wanted to know when we wanted to meet to sign papers, etc. We met that eve and started moving things that night.
Front of house.

Back of house.

This was a very stressful time for me, there was days that I found myself just crying. Glad it didn't happen when anyone was around. I would hate to have added to anyone else that was stressing over this.

Bob called our old landlord and told her were would have everything out by Sunday night (Oct. 11th). We almost had everything out. But a few things left to get Monday. Bob called her again to let her know and she said "Well the new locks are going on at 3".

Working, moving, unpacking, trying to get things out of storage, taking care of the family and ...I started a new job Oct. 10th. It is a part time Saturday and Sunday nights. I am a corn sorter. LMBO!!! Sounds like an easy job, right! NOT! The first night was rough, the corn comes on a large belt and you are suppose to get the corn that is not shucked and put it on the belt that is above your head. But I made it through the night and returned the next weekend. I told myself that I could do this job part time, but I don't think I could ever do it full time. I can't believe how many people like that job.

Oct. 13th was Brandon's birthday and by the weekend I realized that no one had made him a cake, so I made him one and we sing Happy Birthday to him.

Very Cherry Cake & Cream Cheese-Cherry Frosting

Oh this is a good one! Kayden had to have a piece every night. LOL!

1 C butter-soften, 1 3/4 C sugar, 2 TBS maraschino cherry juice, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 3 C cake flour, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 C whole buttermilk, 5 egg whites-beaten until stiff, 1 C finely chopped maraschino cherries. Garnish with cherries.

Oven 350. Spray 3-9" cake pans & flour.

Large bowl-beat butter & sugar with mixer until fluffy. Add cherry juice & vanilla beating until combined.

Sift cake flour, baking powder & salt in med bowl.

Gradually add to butter mixture, alternating with buttermilk, beginning & ending with flour. Beat until combine after each addition.

Gently fold in beaten egg whites until mixture is smooth. Stir in maraschino cherries.

Spoon batter evenly into pans. Bake 20 to 25 min. Let cool 10 min. Remove from pans & cool completely on wire racks.

Cream Cheese-Cherry Frosting

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese-softened, 3/4 C butter-softened, 1/4 C maraschino cherry juice, 6 C powder sugar.

Large bowl, beat cream cheese & butter at med speed with mixer, until creamy.

Slowly beat in cherry juice until smooth.

Gradually add powder sugar beating until smooth.

Spread Cheese-Cherry Frosting between layers & on top & sides of cake. Garnish with cherries.

Oct. 18th Comcast was suppose to hook us up at the new place and no one showed up.

Oct. 21st Comcast arrived!

Hope that life gets back to a normal grove soon. Still have over a quarter of a storage unit full of stuff to move to the new house. It is getting harder and harder to find a place for everything. I have lost my office-craft room. The dinning room is the office now.

So much more to talk about but running out of energy.

I haven't stitched, beaded or sewn since the move.