Well, I think I am officially 25 (close enough anyways) ... I believe I was born around 11 am in the Naval Hospital in Charleston, SC. I was a very convenient baby :). At times it's so hard to believe that 25 years have gone by (which I'm sure is something my parents are saying today). There have been a lot of changes in the past 25 years. I don't have too much special planned today. For yet another year, DH is not here for my birthday (nor will we be together for his). Such is the military life, however. I was very blessed to have a card that he left for me and an e-mail waiting for me this morning from him. I have had many wonderful wishes already today ... nothing like a call from my "neighbor" this morning to wish me a happy birthday (the girl who's living next door to me during SWOS ... and when we are at sea as well).
I have been stitching and wish I could share my progress on "Thank You for Serving" but I forgot to bring the cord to download pictures from my camera to my computer. So until I can figure out a way to down load pictures or until I get home in about 2 and half weeks, there will be no pictures. I'm working on it and might be able to get some sooner. I've also been working on my Summer Celebration Squares for the Fair Square Exchange. I need to finish those by Monday to be on time ... I know I'm cutting it close to the wire ... don't worry Monique, I'll let you know if they are late but they should definitely be out by next week.
I'm still looking for two more people to sign up for a PIF. I have been impressed with the range of places people are visiting from. I'm hoping some more of the first time visitors will leave notes, but don't feel obligated. I would just love to know what leads people here.
Until next time ... Happy Stitching!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
PIF
Well, I've been going back and forth about doing this for months. I finally decided to sign up for a PIF on Paula's blog. I figured I could do three (some of the other ones with more people just seemed out of reach at this point). So ... most of you know how this works. The first three people that leave a comment that they want to participate will receive something homemade from me sometime between now and Independence Day 2009. All you have to do is do the same for three more people and keep paying it forward.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
The Last 15 Years
Here's a meme that I got from my friend Jill.
Here's the deal. Think back on the last 15 years of your life.What would you tell someone that you hadn't seen or talked to for 15 years? How would you sum up your life? You get 10 bullet points. A list of 10 things to summarize about you. At the end of your list, tag 5 more people and send on the love.
1. Well first off, in 1993 my family moved from Annapolis, MD to Tarpon Springs, FL. Little did we know at the time that this would be our last move for quite a bit of time (prior to that we had moved about every two years). My dad had resigned from the Navy and went into the reserves, as well as starting Adams Atomic Engines. I started school at my third (and last) elementary school that fall.
2. 94 - 97 I went to a magnet middle school for advanced math and science. During that time I was swimming and playing softball. Of course those were the awkward pre-adolescent years ... I think I have blocked out a lot of that time period.
3. In 1997 I started high school at a brand spankin new school (it was the second year that it was open) so there were no seniors that year. I was doing International Baccalaureate (another magnet program) which consisted of a lot of college level courses. High school saw me swimming on the school team, playing softball my sophomore year (winning the state championship) and participating in Mu Alpha Theta (a math competition team) as well as other various activities.
4. I graduated on June 5, 2001 and 24 days later reported to Annapolis to begin the fun that is known as plebe summer at USNA. That summer was the first of many that I would celebrate my birthday somewhere other than home.
5. At the Academy I studied Systems Engineering ... which eventually cumulated in doing a Trident Scholar project my senior year. I focused on determining the angle of approach of a target using a reconfigurable array of sonar sensors. Thus began my interest in underwater acoustics and sonar.
6. My four years at the Academy was also a great time of growth in my faith as a Christian. I got involved in OCF and met my core group of friends from the Academy. These are the friends that I can talk to after long stretches and pick up right where we left off. I also met my husband there and we started dating our senior year.
7. In May 2005, we graduated and were commissioned as ensigns and second lieutenants. About a week after graduation, my husband proposed to me in Central Park (we had stopped in NYC to see Wicked on our way home from a wedding at Holy Cross).
8. At the end of the summer, I headed up to Boston to work on my masters in Mechanical Engineering at MIT. A few months later, DH headed down to Charleston to begin the fun known as nuke school. We got married during the two weeks between Nuke School and Prototype on April 29, 2006. Afterwards he moved to Saratoga Springs, NY (which was a little bit closer). The best though was when he was in Groton for 3 months for Submarine Officer Basic School since we could visit every weekend.
9. In Jan 2007, DH finished up SOBC and moved down to VA. He flew out to meet his sub for the last month and a half of their deployment. He returned at the end of May ... I flew down to VA to close on our house and be there for homecoming. I graduated in June and reported to my ship two days later.
10. DH and I are currently doing the dual military thing. He is on a fast attack and I am on a large deck amphib. I can hardly believe that I have been aboard my ship for a year. DH left on deployment recently and I will be shortly. So far God has blessed us with similar schedules for the most part. We have settled into the area and are looking forward to having more time to explore it. DH just recently qualified in submarines and I will be heading up to RI for my school this weekend and should be qualified by the end of the month.
I think I am going to leave it open to those who would like to participate and not actually tag anyone. My past fifteen years have included a lot of growth since it covers the time from 5th grade to a year out of grad school. I hope you enjoy ... thanks for reading.
Here's the deal. Think back on the last 15 years of your life.What would you tell someone that you hadn't seen or talked to for 15 years? How would you sum up your life? You get 10 bullet points. A list of 10 things to summarize about you. At the end of your list, tag 5 more people and send on the love.
1. Well first off, in 1993 my family moved from Annapolis, MD to Tarpon Springs, FL. Little did we know at the time that this would be our last move for quite a bit of time (prior to that we had moved about every two years). My dad had resigned from the Navy and went into the reserves, as well as starting Adams Atomic Engines. I started school at my third (and last) elementary school that fall.
2. 94 - 97 I went to a magnet middle school for advanced math and science. During that time I was swimming and playing softball. Of course those were the awkward pre-adolescent years ... I think I have blocked out a lot of that time period.
3. In 1997 I started high school at a brand spankin new school (it was the second year that it was open) so there were no seniors that year. I was doing International Baccalaureate (another magnet program) which consisted of a lot of college level courses. High school saw me swimming on the school team, playing softball my sophomore year (winning the state championship) and participating in Mu Alpha Theta (a math competition team) as well as other various activities.
4. I graduated on June 5, 2001 and 24 days later reported to Annapolis to begin the fun that is known as plebe summer at USNA. That summer was the first of many that I would celebrate my birthday somewhere other than home.
5. At the Academy I studied Systems Engineering ... which eventually cumulated in doing a Trident Scholar project my senior year. I focused on determining the angle of approach of a target using a reconfigurable array of sonar sensors. Thus began my interest in underwater acoustics and sonar.
6. My four years at the Academy was also a great time of growth in my faith as a Christian. I got involved in OCF and met my core group of friends from the Academy. These are the friends that I can talk to after long stretches and pick up right where we left off. I also met my husband there and we started dating our senior year.
7. In May 2005, we graduated and were commissioned as ensigns and second lieutenants. About a week after graduation, my husband proposed to me in Central Park (we had stopped in NYC to see Wicked on our way home from a wedding at Holy Cross).
8. At the end of the summer, I headed up to Boston to work on my masters in Mechanical Engineering at MIT. A few months later, DH headed down to Charleston to begin the fun known as nuke school. We got married during the two weeks between Nuke School and Prototype on April 29, 2006. Afterwards he moved to Saratoga Springs, NY (which was a little bit closer). The best though was when he was in Groton for 3 months for Submarine Officer Basic School since we could visit every weekend.
9. In Jan 2007, DH finished up SOBC and moved down to VA. He flew out to meet his sub for the last month and a half of their deployment. He returned at the end of May ... I flew down to VA to close on our house and be there for homecoming. I graduated in June and reported to my ship two days later.
10. DH and I are currently doing the dual military thing. He is on a fast attack and I am on a large deck amphib. I can hardly believe that I have been aboard my ship for a year. DH left on deployment recently and I will be shortly. So far God has blessed us with similar schedules for the most part. We have settled into the area and are looking forward to having more time to explore it. DH just recently qualified in submarines and I will be heading up to RI for my school this weekend and should be qualified by the end of the month.
I think I am going to leave it open to those who would like to participate and not actually tag anyone. My past fifteen years have included a lot of growth since it covers the time from 5th grade to a year out of grad school. I hope you enjoy ... thanks for reading.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
As Promised
As promised ... a post full of pictures. First up, DH's stocking. As you can see, I'm almost done with the bottom part of the stocking. I hope to start work on the top part of the stocking before I leave for deployment. I don't think it will be done by this Christmas (I'm not going to take it with me) but it should be done by next Christmas.
Next up, the quilt that my sister made for our wedding. The two middle rows have pictures from our wedding. I will have to get a close up of the square in the bottom corner that has the date embroidered on it. She did a wonderful job and I have finally hung it up in our bedroom.
Wedding Picture Quilt
Made by Brianne with love
Fair Square Round 7
Design: Inspired by "Signal Flags and Ship's Wheel" (Judith Brown)
Fabric: 32 ct French Country Latte
Fibers: DMC
Yep, I finished it today ... here is "find you song" all complete, signature and all. Now it just needs to go to the framers and then hung on a wall somewhere in my house :)
Design: "find your song" by My Mark Designs
Fabric: 32 ct. Wichelt Natural Linen
Fibers: DMC 806 and WDW Santorini
The last two pictures I'll leave you with are "Liberty Lights" and "Thank You for Serving" all kitted up. I started "Thank You for Serving" tonight, but don't have any progress pics for you. I am stitching it for my Grandfather who served 20 years in the Army. I may stitch it for others as well, I'm liking it so far.
Have a wonderful week! Happy Stitching!
Next up, the quilt that my sister made for our wedding. The two middle rows have pictures from our wedding. I will have to get a close up of the square in the bottom corner that has the date embroidered on it. She did a wonderful job and I have finally hung it up in our bedroom.
Wedding Picture Quilt
Made by Brianne with love
Here are the squares that I made for Sue W. for round 7. I decided to go with a nautical theme since I'm in the Navy and Sue works for the VA. The flags in the corners spell out our initials (DM and SW). They are delta, mike, sierra and whiskey. I'm glad to hear that Sue likes them. The ship's wheel in the middle is a modification of a design.
Fair Square Round 7Design: Inspired by "Signal Flags and Ship's Wheel" (Judith Brown)
Fabric: 32 ct French Country Latte
Fibers: DMC
Here's a non stitching related picture. Last weekend I went to the Surface Warrior Ball in Norfolk, VA. Here is a picture of me and my roommate all dressed up :) I treated myself to having my hair and makeup done.
Yep, I finished it today ... here is "find you song" all complete, signature and all. Now it just needs to go to the framers and then hung on a wall somewhere in my house :)
Design: "find your song" by My Mark DesignsFabric: 32 ct. Wichelt Natural Linen
Fibers: DMC 806 and WDW Santorini
Have a wonderful week! Happy Stitching!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Teaser :)
Well, I have been stitching since my last update ... I just haven't taken any pictures yet. I plan to do a full post with pics tomorrow night. I found out today that Sue W. received her squares for Fair and Square round 7. I can't wait to show them to you ... and explain them. I'm glad to hear that she likes them.
Other than that, I have been working on "find your song" and DH's stocking. I have been rotating between the two for the past week. I have decided what I'm stitching for Monique for the summer round of Fair and Square ... I just need to go pick up the require threads for it. I am almost done with the bottom of the stocking and should be moving up to the top soon. The problem I found with my original way of working on the stocking is that my threads would get mixed up (since I kept what was left over since it would be used again in another part) and the light colors are really hard to distinguish from each other ... even in a great light. That's what I get for the weeks and months in between working on the project.
I'm almost done with "find your song" ... only three more musical motifs and two letters to go. It should be finished by tomorrow and then just needs to go to the LNS for framing. So look out for pics tomorrow! Have a great night!
Other than that, I have been working on "find your song" and DH's stocking. I have been rotating between the two for the past week. I have decided what I'm stitching for Monique for the summer round of Fair and Square ... I just need to go pick up the require threads for it. I am almost done with the bottom of the stocking and should be moving up to the top soon. The problem I found with my original way of working on the stocking is that my threads would get mixed up (since I kept what was left over since it would be used again in another part) and the light colors are really hard to distinguish from each other ... even in a great light. That's what I get for the weeks and months in between working on the project.
I'm almost done with "find your song" ... only three more musical motifs and two letters to go. It should be finished by tomorrow and then just needs to go to the LNS for framing. So look out for pics tomorrow! Have a great night!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Songs, stockings and quilts
Well, it has been a little while since I have posted. I haven't been doing a lot of stitching until lately. I did finish my Fair and Square exchange for Sue, just need to get it to the post office and send it to her. I hope she enjoys it ... it should be waiting for her when she returns from her vacation.
I started "find your song" by My Mark Designs on Friday. I finally got the fabric for it. This was the design that I asked for inputs on the fabric due to the floss that I would be using. I decided to go with a natural linen. It's looking great so far (I think). Thanks for all of the inputs. Monique is the designer and also my partner for the summer seasonal Fair and Square exchange. Still trying to work out the design for her squares.
I have also had a chance to work on DH's stocking as well. I have finished up the green in the bottom part of the stocking and started on the yellows. There is some definite progress ... I just need to sit down and designate times to work on this. It has often gotten pushed aside for other projects.
I have two projects that have been kitted up ... "Liberty Lights" designed by Erica Michaels Designs and "Thank You For Serving" by The Sunflower Seed. The first was an extra goodie from Heather as part of our 4th of July F&S exchange. I picked out some linen from my LNS and as I am looking at it realize that I picked out the exact linen that the model was stitched on other than the count (I have 32 rather than the 30ct it was stitched on) - R&R's Dark Expresso. I just realized this today ... though I've had it for over a week. The second design is one that I saw at my LNS on Friday and decided to get everything to stitch it while I was there. I am planning on stitching it for my grandfather ... and probably a few others in my family as well depending on how well the first goes. The model is stitched on a yummy R&R Apply Brown Bindy which is hand dyed. I am looking forward to both of these projects.
Here are the lilies that grow in our front yard. Unfortunately they are past their prime now and are started to drop their flowers. They were pretty while they last thought.
And as a final though ... I wanted to showcase some of my sister's work. She made this quilt for me as a graduation gift when I graduated from college. The picture is from prior to completion but is just missing the outer border. She also made my husband and I a wonderful quilt for our wedding ... unfortunately I don't seem to have a picture of it. I finally bought some hangers for it this weekend and was able to hand it in our room ... so I will get a picture of it in the future and show it to you. Have a great weekend!
I started "find your song" by My Mark Designs on Friday. I finally got the fabric for it. This was the design that I asked for inputs on the fabric due to the floss that I would be using. I decided to go with a natural linen. It's looking great so far (I think). Thanks for all of the inputs. Monique is the designer and also my partner for the summer seasonal Fair and Square exchange. Still trying to work out the design for her squares.
I have also had a chance to work on DH's stocking as well. I have finished up the green in the bottom part of the stocking and started on the yellows. There is some definite progress ... I just need to sit down and designate times to work on this. It has often gotten pushed aside for other projects.
I have two projects that have been kitted up ... "Liberty Lights" designed by Erica Michaels Designs and "Thank You For Serving" by The Sunflower Seed. The first was an extra goodie from Heather as part of our 4th of July F&S exchange. I picked out some linen from my LNS and as I am looking at it realize that I picked out the exact linen that the model was stitched on other than the count (I have 32 rather than the 30ct it was stitched on) - R&R's Dark Expresso. I just realized this today ... though I've had it for over a week. The second design is one that I saw at my LNS on Friday and decided to get everything to stitch it while I was there. I am planning on stitching it for my grandfather ... and probably a few others in my family as well depending on how well the first goes. The model is stitched on a yummy R&R Apply Brown Bindy which is hand dyed. I am looking forward to both of these projects.
Here are the lilies that grow in our front yard. Unfortunately they are past their prime now and are started to drop their flowers. They were pretty while they last thought.
And as a final though ... I wanted to showcase some of my sister's work. She made this quilt for me as a graduation gift when I graduated from college. The picture is from prior to completion but is just missing the outer border. She also made my husband and I a wonderful quilt for our wedding ... unfortunately I don't seem to have a picture of it. I finally bought some hangers for it this weekend and was able to hand it in our room ... so I will get a picture of it in the future and show it to you. Have a great weekend!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Good Mail Day!
Got home from work, open my mail box and this is what I found:
Squares from Sue W., my partner for Round 7 of the Fair Square Exchange
Along with a whole bunch of goodies:
And I also received the threadholder that I ordered from Studio Twenty along with a Vickie Clayton set of silk thread as an extra goodie. Plus I just found out today that Monique (of Studio Twenty) will be my partner for the Summer Season Celebration round of Fair Squares. Can't wait!
Squares from Sue W., my partner for Round 7 of the Fair Square Exchange
Along with a whole bunch of goodies:
And I also received the threadholder that I ordered from Studio Twenty along with a Vickie Clayton set of silk thread as an extra goodie. Plus I just found out today that Monique (of Studio Twenty) will be my partner for the Summer Season Celebration round of Fair Squares. Can't wait!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)