Sharing my life and love of cross stitch. Thoughts about this and that.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Pillow Cases

First a disclaimer. I did not make this pillow case, nor is it my photo. Due credit goes to Carol on the 123MB who made this wonderful pillowcase, and the photo is linked from her Carol's Photobucket album.

On the 123MB I've been drooling over the most wonderful pillow cases made by some of its members. I've got the itch to make one or two, for myself if no one else. I use 5 at a time and for gifts ... Wow! Understand that the last thing I sewed was a cat carrier pad cover (over an piece of old matress pad) about 15 years ago, and before that most likely that little pick gingham apron I made for my then 18-month-old DD. She's almost 39. I have a Singer that is older than she is, and some clunky pink thing her Dad once gave her back in high school. The bottom tension on both is atrocious, which is the primary reason I threw up my hands and screamed in utter frustration. I haven't used either since. But for a pillow case, I MIGHT consider pulling one out. How creative and fun can this get?? Here's a couple of links to excellent YouTube instructions.


Sausage pillow case with hidden French seams  (it looks easier than it sounds)

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Christmas Greetings Bookmark

Count: 27w X 113h
Finished Size     14/28 ct 1-7/8w X 8h in
                         16/32 ct 1-5/8w X 7h in
                         18/36 ct 1-1/2w X 6-1/4h in

Use 2 strands of floss for crosses and backstitch
Use 1 or 2 strands of Kreinik Braid
Use 2 stands for simple French Knot

This pattern will fit a Charles Craft Bookmark, or make your own out of your favorite fabric with lace or rickrack as an edging, if you so desire. Back with felt. Choose your favorite shades of red and green. Overdyes in muted tones would be lovely. Perhaps a Kreinik gold braid? Back stitch the letters. The little dots are French knots. If to be used in a book, do NOT substitute beads for the French knots.
Copyright 2004, All Rights Reserved
LMc Designs / Bits of Floss

Download and use are subject to the Copyright information on the right side of this page. Please respect designer's Copyright.

I'd love to see your finsihed Bookmark!

Merry Christmas, all!!

LindaMc 2010

Monday, December 13, 2010

Check out My Christmas Freebies From Earlier Years


Click on Christmas in the Tag Cloud on the bottom right for charts.



Sunday, December 5, 2010

Another round of computer problems, which I myself managed to troubleshoot. Only took 12 hours. More apologies for my utter brain block on design creation. I haven't forgotten. Sooner or later an autumn and perhaps a Halloween design will be posted, probably at least 6 months late! I don't understand the artistic block. Sometimes I have so many ideas I can't get them all done. Had a good Thanksgiving with family. My daughter has plans for a large Christmas gathering, however my elderly parents announced on the way home from Thanksgiving dinner they were skipping Christmas. Too much confusion and hullabaloo for them. I did a wee bit of over one stitching before Thanksgiving - my only project in months. I needed to get it in the mail 2 weeks ago. In October I was at the Alzheimer's Walk and yesterday at the Jingle Bell Run in Fort Worth. Not as a participant but as a radio operator. I've done no Christmas shopping. The only thing on my list is the traditional calendar for my DD. The extended family has thankfully given up giving gifts to each other. We either already have everything we want or need, or the needs far exceed a simple token present.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Hard Drive Crash - AGAIN!!

A ham radio friend managed to fix it, so I've not lost any MORE data AND he managed to get my DSL WORKING AGAIN. I've been stuck with dial-up since January 26th!! Now I can get back to the rest of my life, including DESIGNING! Thanks for you patience.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

As Real Life is Wont to Do

It sort of got in the way of my designing plans. Please be patient. Thanks.  -LindaMc

Monday, August 9, 2010

Poll Closed Early - Fall Wins!

Thank you everyone for voting! Fall is the clear winner! I've got something in mind so check back in a week or two. Oh my, I've got an idea for a Halloween freebie as well! Because there is some sort of glitch in the poll counter, I've decided to close the poll early. Again, thank you for voting and check back soon. -LindaMc

Friday, August 6, 2010

Poll for new freebie

In honor of my 10,000th hit, I'm giving my visitors the opportunity to vote on the theme for a new freebie. The poll closes Monday, August 9th. If you'd leave a comment on what you'd like to stitch as a fall, Halloween or Thanksgiving freebie, I'll include some of those suggestions as best I can. Thanks!

WOW!! 10,000 hits!

I started the blog in April, 2009. I figured a few people would stumble across it, primarily because I occasionally post freebies. But 10,000 hits!! Believe me, my life is much more dull and occasionally much more interesting than anything I post here. It frequently seems like that Chinese curse "may your life be interesting." But I'm quite sure no one really wants to read about it.

THANK YOU for all your visits! I think to celebrate, it's time to design another freebie! Stay tuned.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Prairie Schooler Stitching

It's been months since I stitched anything, but when the new Prairie Schooler releases came out a couple of weeks ago I was off to LNS to purchase October. Kathy at Stitch Niche was already sold out and was reordering. So I brought home a February release: Signs of Spring. I loved the little mini card! I quickly discovered my eyes just would NOT handle the symbols used and ended up just recharting them so I could see the dern symbols. My Group vent ended up with a reply from Nancy about symbols being her bugaboo. I can understand her dilemma, but for me it was a NECESSITY. I've already stitched rooster, chicken and ducks. I think I'll do the sheep, or maybe the double rabbits, but I'm not fond of the bigger rabbits. I'm stitching on 14ct aida that must be a blush. I've had it soooo long I haven't a clue. I'd stitched the minicard back in February on that and it looks nice. Not particularly happy with the newest results, but I'm not starting over at this point. I've discovered that even the slightest bit of stitching is killing both hands, which is likely why after a surge of stitching in January & February, I haven't stitched anything since. Now that I've found the memory card reader, I can start uploading some photos - at last! There's a new freebie on the PS site - the 2008 minicard Snowman.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Once Upon a Time I Wrote a Book

Well, actually I've written 3 of them. The first two barely past chapter 2 or 3, though #2 is still up there in my head somewhere. The last I wrote is several hundred paperback-page equivalents, in about 20 long chapters. That last one had promise, but it includes a bit of a mystery and since I don't read mysteries I couldn't figure out who done it nor why, so I skipped that chapter and wrote the last 2 instead. A year or so later, I figured out who and why, but I never went back to write the prose. It suddenly occurred to me the other day that I had probably lost it when my hard drive crashed in January. Yes, BUT I'd saved it twice on 3.5" floppies. Those I still have. After a scare with having to convert from Word Perfect to Word, I got it copied to my new hard drive. In doing so I learned just how long ago I wrote it: 1991-1992. THAT long??

EIGHTEEN YEARS!

Yet I remembered every word as if it was just last night I typed thought on keyboard. Turns of phrases that still linger in my brain, little scenes and quirky characters of no importance that I wrote just to see if I could. A warm and soppy ending that no matter how many times I read it, I still get warm & tender tears.

EIGHTEEN YEARS!

I knew at once that it is a story I could not write today. That was almost 1/3 of a lifetime ago when I was at one of those cross-roads in life. My daughter had gone off to college a year or two before. I was ready for and looking forward to new experiences. That was back when I still had certain expectations and dreams that still had a chance of coming true. But, they never did. I am at a much different place in my life now. In some ways it was interesting going back and remembering what was going on at the time. In other ways depressing to realize all those years had passed with so little to actually show for them, dreams and expectations from 1992 that never materialized or came true. And never will. Somewhere along the way they simply disappeared into the mists of some alternate universe for some other Linda to achieve and enjoy. In this one they just disappeared. Many with torrents of tears. Others with resignation and the knowledge that most of us are not the masters of our universe, merely bits of star dust that drift aimlessly on the solar winds seemingly forever. Some are fortunate to land in fertile lands and flourish and experience fully. Some bounce from rocky outcrops to sterile soils, from no where to plant even a tentative toe to getting knocked about willy nilly. Somewhere along the way I simply quit dreaming. At times just getting through each day became the only goal I could hope for. Nowadays, it frequently seems my only goal and hope is to get through one major hurdle or crisis before the next one hits.

It was interesting to read my book again, but it's left me in such a out of time/out of place mood that I wish perhaps I had not. The inevitable next crisis hasn't helped.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Fathers Day, Patriotic Charts & General Stuff

Belatedly! There's a quick Father's Day chart in my Freebies, as well as several red/white/blue patriotic charts from last year.

Have not done any stitching at all in past couple of months. My hands & eyes just bother me too much at times. I have read a couple of books recently, something I rarely do any more because of serious eye issues that cause my eyes to tire and go blurry very quickly. But it was nice doing that once again - for a change.

The resident raccoons have produced their newest litters. I love seeing the still-nursing but rapidly growing and now solid-food eating kits the Mamas bring to my patio in search of handouts. In fact, one of the mamas will lay on the patio nursing them. It looks like one huge ball of fur! She has a den somewhere around the yard. Guess she's too lazy to gather the kits and go home to do it. While the kits wander a bit to nibble on kibble, she'll lay on her belly eating whatever is within her reach. It is sooo funny.

Photos: I have so far been unable to d/l promised photos to computer. Good thing I have a 4BG memory card. Eventually.

I accepted a custody case a couple of weeks ago. A fact situation completely in my client's favor has already turned south and the case is going to be several times more complicated (and thus far more expensive) than I originally could have anticipated. I swore after my last custody case 3 years ago (actually 2 at the same time), I would never do one ever again. I wish I had listened to myself.  I only took it on as a favor to a friend. I will never get paid for the time I've already put into it - and it's just getting started.

My brother called this evening on his way home from the airport. He'd been in NYC with an orchestra playing for some upscale anniversary party whose guests included The Donald & Michael Douglas. He's played so many of these types of affairs it's just all in a day's work for him. He was more interested in finding some well-known local eatery he and my DD ate in when they both happened to be in NYC at the same time a couple of years ago. He just found out he'll be playing back-up for Alicia Keys on the BET Music Awards  June 27th. Now that my VCR has completely died, I've got to figure out how to record on my DVD. Wait, I've now got a VCR/DVD combination (which I finally set up after about 18 months of just sitting in the box - until my solo DVD player died a few weeks ago - the separate VCR quit working at least a year ago.) Don't ask.

The Office of Emergency Management contacted me earlier this month offering to pay my registration fee and parking to  attend a 3-day State Citizens Corps Conference in Dallas next week, being sponsored by VOAD (Volunteer Disaster Assistance) and the Citizen Corps, among other emergency and disaster volunteer groups. Should be really interesting. See the agenda here: 2010 State Citizen Corps Conference

Now if I could only get the OEM to actually hire me.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

I went storm spotting !!

Didn't need to chase. It came to me!!

Did  you notice in my previous blog that nothing had happened in North Texas despite predictions and I think I said nothing was on radar. Uhhhh.... Things change dramatically - almost instantly!

See my EMVolunteer Blog.

I have photos ... I really do ...

of a couple of recent stitch finishes (the stitching is finished anyway), and my absolutely beautiful orchid, which surprised me earlier this spring by sending up a bloom shoot then bursting out in the most beautiful display of orchid colored phaelanopsis I have ever had the privilege to witness in my own window. The photos are still in my camera ... but soon.  Knee is better. I haven't been back to doctor. After 4 or 5 weeks of staying off it I recently managed to get around the super Wal-Mart - slowly - and even for a while without favoring it - but it made itself known all to often and is still a problem. The only stitching I've done in the past month is on a small Kooler possum hanging from a branch. It says "playing possum." I'm going to replace that with "Hang in There," do a simple ornie finish then hang from the light above my bed. My thumbs continue to give me such a time that it's a few stitches and I'm asleep. Past couple of weeks I've spent a lot of time monitoring radar,  Weather Channel, Wunderground, local news, etc. So far DFW has just been dern lucky to have dodged the bullets that have been focused on the south and Oklahoma, with such devastating results. My best to all those affected by the recent outbreaks of severe weather and tornadoes! 

Oh, and I spent ANOTHER 2 hours on the phone with AT&T and Dell yesterday once again trying vainly to solve the problem with my DSL, which I've been paying for but haven't been able to use since January. It might be a software problem, like the ethernet driver. After 45 minutes the tech at AT&T said I'd have to call their ADVANCED Tech Support - at $115 minimum. Then sent me an email asking me to confirm my problem had been resolved. And while Dell has free driver downloads, apparently I'm going to have to PAY them to tell me which one is the one I need. Or it could be something else entirely, and even a new ethernet card might not work.

In the meantime, I finally learned that my house is cell phone dead zone. I've always had issues, but now it just won't work at all!  I SOMETIMES can get a network connection standing in the middle of the driveway - for a couple of minutes then it goes dead. Even the fancy new loaner from T-Mobile wouldn't connect.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

A Volunteer of the Year

I do volunteer work with the Arlington Office of Emergency Management and am a member of CERT (Community Emergency Response Team.) I was invited to an appreciation luncheon on Monday. In the past these have been for all volunteers and after work, so I found a noon lunch sort of odd. I almost didn't go. I have been hobbling for the past month due to an apparent torn cartilage in my knee so I've been carefully staying off my feet as much as possible with the intent that it will heal without surgery, which for me is simply not an option. I even cancelled the MRI which would only confirm whether or not I needed surgery, and since that's not an option why waste that $334 up front payment.

Anyway, the walk from car to Office really wasn't something I really wanted to do.  However, I was fortunate to find a parking spot right in front of the building and was very surprised to find only 6 volunteers were invited. The head of the Office of Emergency Management then announced that rather than name one CERT Volunteer of the Year, because we all contribute in such different ways, we were all named Volunteers of the Year and received a Certificate of Appreciation. The entire staff was present, and the woman among them had cooked the enchilada type entres and the guys chipped in for rice, beans & chips. 

After lunch we were told we would each be featured in the City's online newsletter. Here is THE LINK to mine.


While staying off leg, and because my computer is still giving me problems, I took the opportunity to do a lot of stitching, finally finishing a Christmas gift from last year, doing a bit of work on the project for my new SIL, and in a 3 day marathon stitching session, stitched a Marjolein Bastin bit for myself (eventually I'll get a photo of it.) In fact, I did too much stitching and have aggravated the tendon in my thumb, which previously caused "trigger thumb" and required a steroid shot to eventually heal. OWWWWW!!!  Not doing THAT again, so I've had to quit stitching - again. Using the computer mouse aggravates thumb as well. So other than sit, watch TV and eat too often, I am totally BORED.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

In Their Ducky Best


Something small and cute for whatever. Enjoy.

Also check out last year's Easter freebie "He Lives" .

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Do Some Well-Meant Comments Catch You Off-Guard?

I was at Wal-Mart Saturday to buy a power strip. I was meandering through the towel aisle when a woman asked if I knew where the children's towels were. I admitted I didn't know anything about children's towels, thinking something larger than fingertip but smaller than bath. Apparently they are full size with cute appliques. I commented it had been a long time since I'd had a child to buy for, and she said something about future grandchildren. Now there's where I made the mistake. I should have just smiled and nodded. Instead out of my mouth comes "I won't be a grandmother." A look of "oh my, what have I said" crossed her face. So I quickly added, "My daughter decided a long time ago not to have children." Something about surely not. But I assured her I had had about 15 years to come to terms with that reality. She murmured something sympathetic and we parted. I think I made it about 5 steps before my eyes totally welled up with tears. At least I didn't burst out sobbing in linens.

I had such wonderful grandmothers, both who passed by the time I was 20. I still miss them very much. I had been looking forward to being a grandmother since DD was in junior high. I even started a cross stitch Peter Rabbit quilt way back then. Twenty-five years later, those stitched pieces still sit in a plastic bag waiting in vain to be turned into a special grandchild quilt. Learning that DD didn't plan on ever having children was like taking a good hunk of what I thought and planned my future life would be and applying a hatchet to it.


I would have made a wonderful grandmother.

I thought I had, but obviously I've never really come to terms with it.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Computer : ( Spring??? Stitching : )

The hard drive crash has just left me totally deflated and depressed - as if I wasn't already depressed enough. I'm still on dial-up. Just loading the compose Post screen here on Blogger took almost 2 minutes. I can't visit other blogs because of the time they take to load. I mostly now just check email, do the occasional jigsaw on Shockwave.com (I play Minesweeper or Spider Solitaire while I wait for it to load), read a few posts on 123MB, pay ebills and that's about it for the internet these days. I didn't even turn it on yesterday.


The last day of winter it was 72 degrees. The first day of spring I had 1/2 inch of snow!! I decided it was appropriate to be out and about in 34 degrees with a 25 mph north wind and went to Joann's for floss.

On the 10th, while I was looking for the new bird feeder that had disappeared the same evening I put it out, I discovered a dead raccoon just beyond my patio. I was fairly sure at the time and because I have not seen her since, I've sadly confirmed that it was my favorite little gal, the one born and raised in my back yard who always seemed to be happy and smiling as she sat beside the step and used the step as her table to eat from. She had the most sweet and genteel manners. Yes, I cried. I am going to miss her. I could not see any fight marks. When Animal Control arrived, I asked about possible rabies, but was told unless other raccoons were dying it was unlikely. While he was here the lady up the street came down to see if she could get a large animal trap. Something big had killed her cat within the last day or so. (We've had coyotes in this urban neighborhood before, and I lost my sweet Charity to a large predator 3 years ago myself.) Consequently, later that same evening I was shaken when I found and treated a large puncture wound in Brulet's head (my neurotic flame point Siamese.). At first I thought I was treating yet another Henna scratch (she's very territorial and uses Brulet for batting practice) when I found instead a fresh bite from something bigger than a house cat. I kept him in most of the next 2 weeks just to make sure neither of us had been exposed to rabies. Though I looked carefully for other bite wounds, it was 3 or 4 days later when I noticed the lump on his ribcage which he would NOT let me near. At first I thought it was a broken rib, but when the lump got bigger I realized it must be an abscess. If necessary, I would have taken him to the vet, but it has since opened, drained, and is healing well.

I've been keeping the cats INSIDE as much as possible. Henna, who eats and sleeps and gets her exercise by taking out her frustrations on Brulet, doesn't mind. Brulet has driven me CRAZY wanting OUT OUT OUT!!! Even if I check around for frantic cat before I open a door, he can zip past before I can stop him.

I've been to 2 all-day severe weather / tornado conferences the past couple of weeks. If I had to do it over (and was even just 15 years younger), I skip the law degree and major in emergency management instead. Back when I was having to make life choices, that wasn't even a degree field. If the degree was offered locally, I might consider it even if there is no possibility of ever actually working in the field. I know the staff at the local Office of Emergency Management. Except for a perhaps 40 year old manager, the avg age of the rest of them is between 30 to 35. I'm still hoping to go storm chasing with one of the RACES guys.

I have been stitching on the fishing trawler from Sea Scenes that I'm making for my new son-in-law. It's taking a LONG time because I just can't keep focused while stitching on it. I've made no attempt to redesign what I had started for the wedding project for my DD. I'm just too bumfuzzled. A couple of weeks ago I stitched and simply finished the new Prairie Schooler freebie (now hanging from a push pin in the wall above my bed), and yesterday I spent way too much time stitching a small cat sampler just for the heck of it. I'm going to redesign a couple of the cats to look like Brulet and Henna. One already looks like Timmy, my long-term "stray."

One day I'm going to d/l photos from my camera and post some SMALL ones.

Happy spring!

Friday, March 12, 2010

A small Hurrah!

I FINALLY located my scant back-up disks - from May, 2004. I know I tried to make another a year or so later, but ran into so many problems with Dell's Roxio disk maker I never bothered again. HOWEVER, I did recover some old professional and client files, some older family photos - which I am VERY relieved to have back, and a few of my oldest cross stitch charts. I am not happy that my Calendar data files were completely missing. And the BU disk that I know I tried a year or so later is totally blank.

Still on 28.8k dial-up here. My kindly older neighbor had spent an afternoon d/l drivers from Dell to try to help solve the modem issue. Because I was busy trying to get other stuff to work, reconstruct (as in re-type starting over from scratch) missing professional and client Word docs, and resigned to snail's pace dial-up, I waited about a week before I was ready. I set aside 1/2 a day and loaded the CD. It was totally blank.: { I hadn't the heart to tell Mr Cantu, so waited most of another week before I called to find out if perhaps he brought me the wrong disk. His wife answered. She was in the waiting room at the Hospital - he was in emergency surgery  I expressed my deep concern, but nothing else.I did buy some flowers after I understood he was to be at home, but I don't think he's home yet and flowers are waiting to be hand-delivered.

Almost all my time is spent trying to reconstruct financial information I lost when Quicken totally failed to read the back-up disks that I so rigorously kept current. I did use Pattern Maker to rechart a couple of my small LMc Design charts that I found a print-out of . My only solace in this awful experience is that I've developed a very deep appreciation for a generous neighbor and that I have SOME records after all. Only, now that I see what I did and accomplished up to 2004, I can't figure out what I've done for the past 6 years - which feel like they have simply vanished with little if anything to show for the passing days. It's very disconcerting. and depressing.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

FINALLY but .....

I've edited since original post. Those of you who have had hard drive crashes already know the utter frustration and despair when you realize everything is lost. Those of you don't: BACK UP YOUR DATA NOW!! Then pray that that works.

NEVER AGAIN!!  If your hard drive ever crashes just throw the computer away. Buy a new one with every program you need or ever wanted PREINSTALLED and have someone ELSE load all your previous data.

1) I've lost everything. The stuff my neighbor managed to retrieve is 99% unintelligible computer code.

2)  I tried but was unable to install new hard drive myself (couldn't get screws out), so gracious neighbor assisted. Numerous problems with software, hardware and peripherals!!  I've been unable to reinstall the financial data I have religiously backed up every time I've used that program. Just the thought of having to re-enter years worth of check register data is so daunting I can't bring myself to even start that horrendously long & tedious process. I've spent days and days in UTTER FRUSTRATION.. All those personal tweakings to Word and other programs  I have managed over  the past 20 years  have disappeared. I can't remember how I even did what I did to accomplish such. Among other things my speakers aren't working, and computer doesn't recognize ethernet card so I am without DSL for the time being and am back to dial-up. .I have FINALLY reconnected to the internet after 4 full weeks - but only at 28.8K. !!DARK AGES!!

Sadly. all my cross stitch patterns and designs are gone. I've reinstalled Pattern Maker but I would have to recreate everything from scratch. Don't know that after 20 years (the original shareware version came out about that long ago) I'm up do recharting anything, I have a 3 or 4 year old CD that I once used to back up all my data. I'm too fearful that it won't work either to even give it a try. At this point in time the amount of actual data I've got on this computer would comfortably fit on a 5-1/2 inch floppy. BTW, I still have those stored from my 1998 computer. Perhaps I need to install a 5-1/2 inch drive! Wonder if there are any left?

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Well, SOME data recovered

but not much. Whatever it may be fits on a 4.7GB DVD disk. Only I don't have a DVD drive. My Dad volunteered to transfer to CD's for me. I bought a new hard drive (the smallest readily available these days is 160GB, replacing a 40GB drive which was only 1/2 full to start with), and while I'm sure I can I still haven't sat down to install it. I think just the thought of having to format then reinstall whatever programs I have has me just too depressed. I had to do this once before a LONG time ago, rebuilding the entire computer from mother board up. At the time I told everyone I'd learned more about computers than I ever wanted to!! And it was just a 100MB model. I think I dread really finding out just how much I HAVE lost. I'm told there are a lot of .jpgs and some things the guy didn't recognize, so I'm hoping my calendar stuff and all my Pattern Matter files are still there. Did I mention that I had all my business and financial files on there as well. Since I'm a lawyer, or have been for far too long, all of my form files, many client files, etc. and if I have to retype 40 page divorce decrees and all that verbage that goes in a will and trust ... you will hear me SCREAMING!!

I'm really sick to my tummy over this!

But on the I guess "bright side" I'll be helping at the EOC (Emergency Operations Center at the Office of Emergency Management) on Sunday for the NBA All Star Game. Will be interesting, though  my shift is 6am til noon. Doubt I'll be answering THAT many phone calls for them. Trying to decide whether to just stay up all night or go to bed really early!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Computer still in Shop : {

I'm so upset that I may have lost everything so I am grasping at any straw that the data can still be retrieved. So far no good news. Still trying to get hard drive to work. I've been out shopping, but I don't NEED a 160GB hard drive when I've got probably less than 10GB of data!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Still Sans Computer

Using my Dad's - very limited access, however. Plans for new hard drive on hold as my almost 7 year old system may not handle the gigantic leap in speed and memory. I'm still using 256 Ram when now it's in the gigahertz. : (  I still don't know if ANY data from old drive is recoverable, and if so is likey to be expensive. : ( Can't stitch. Too depressed.
REPEAT - GO BACK UP YOUR DATA!!  NOW!!!!!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

HARD DRIVE CRASH

I've apparently lost ALL of my data, including my cross stitch designs not already uploaded. Don't ask why no backup!

GO DO A BACKUP NO MATTER HOW TIME CONSUMING AND IRRITATING THE PROCESS MAY TURN OUT TO BE.

LindaMc

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

"You're Special" Bookmark Freebie

I had forgotten I had this one for Valentine's as well. The first is 119w x29h. If that's slightly longer than you like, the second is slightly smaller at 111w x 29h. Chart correction on first: there's an extra x in the inner border directly below the letter "C".  Delete it. Please remember all downloads are subject to the Copyright information on the right. Please leave a comment if you do. Thanks! Be sure to set your printer to landscape to print the chart. Enjoy!






!! Happy Valentine's Day !!





Saturday, January 23, 2010

Valentine Freebie

A bit of variation on a theme. I suggest using your favorite red or pink overdye!! Perhaps the outlines in red and the heart and cross stitch filling for the letters in a lighter shade or pink? On 14/28 or 16/32 counts the top design (59w x 39h) fits a 5x7 large needlework card with the rectangular opening. On 18/36 count it will fit the small  needlework card. The second design should fit those with oval openings - I think. If someone could let me know, I'd appreciate it. 





Happy Valentines Day!

PS: The url on the charts is no longer valid.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Will this ever be GONE???

Another week (week 3) and I'm still dealing with whatever virus got me! Rash from antibiotic allergy was so bad I had to get a steriod shot. It's not as red but it's 4 times as itchy!

Friday, January 15, 2010

Whining - Still Sick : [

Go throw more $$ at a doctor and pointless tests, or tough it out?? With laryngitis, I can't even call to make an appt. Sheesh!! This is RIDICULOUS!!

SUNDAY UPDATE: Went to urgent care clinic. I've got a touch of pneumonia.What's worse, is that the antibiotic prescribed for pre-dental ingestion that I never used and was stupidly desperate enough last night to take one of - has left me covered in an itchy red rash today. Good thing I only took one of them. For pre-dental stuff I was supposed to take all 4 of them at the same time. Can you spell E R ?

Friday, January 8, 2010

First Post of 2010

What does it portend when one lays down for a nap on New Year Eve feeling just fine and dandy, and wakes up 2 hours later with questionable voice, it goes downhill from there, and one is just plain sick for the entire first week of new year? I guess I'm going to find out. : [

Please don't touch your computer screen. All this coughing might just digitize and expose you.

Low temps in the teens last and next 2 nights. I'm really worried about all my wild raccoons!! Wish I had a heater in the garage and I'd leave that door open for them.
Photobucket