I Won!!

I won the Blogoversary giveaway from Cathey on her blog Pumpkin Patch & Co ! I won $50.00 to spend at Handcrafts Online. Mary Kathryn has a very nice online store to shop at. Even though I have my own store too, Beach Cottage Stitchers, it's still fun to shop in other places as well!

Thank you so much Cathey for your generous gift!!

Just A Quickie Update...

I have been trying to get some stitching in this long weekend and have accomplished a little bit. I did get some quality knitting in. I'm making an afghan for a friend so I can't show a picture yet. But below is my Prairie Schooler 1994 Santa wip. I really tried to finish it but life gets in the way...sigh...

And my Brookes Books Yahoo group Summer House Challege wip. I haven't done alot on this one yet, just the roof. I just love stitching houses and it's great stitch so far. The challenge for me is just going to be finding time to stitch LOL. They already picked a winner for this challenge. Next is the Fall Challenge. I bet that house will be adorable also.



We had some of our kids and thier friends over for Labor Day. We just BBQ'd in the backyard. Nice & quiet, just like we like it.

Blogoversary Giveaway Winners!!

We have two winners! Holly was at doggie day care so my co-worker, Peg, picked the lucky ladies. That's her below with her hand in the cup LOL. Those are all the names she's picking.

I decided since it was my blogoversary and my birthday on the same day that I would pick two names for the givewaway. The two lucky people who get to pick anything they want from my ONS are: Tina Schroer (no blog) and Charlene Ogle of Needle in Hand blog . I will notify them by e-mail. CONGRATULATIONS LADIES!

Thank you to everyone who signed up for the Beach Cottage Stitcher's Newsletter. I'll be letting you know upcoming sales and specials. And remember you can still get 10% off of your first order.

Also yesterday I received a package in the mail from Donna who is in the Fellowship Crossings Group with me. We are doing an exchange called the Summer Outings Exchange. She made an Autumn towel, a purple flower sachet bag, a bookmark and a 2010 Christmas ornament. She also sent alot of DMC floss with a DMC chart book and some very nice notepaper to write all those thank you notes on. Thank you Donna! I love them all!



And from the ILCS yahoo group for the birthday card/floss exchange I received all these different kinds of flossies and nice birthday cards. Thank you everyone!!

Another Blog Giveaway...and if you haven't signed up..

Belinda from Samplings from a Blue Ribbon Girl is having a milestone giveaway on her blog. She is celebrating 200 followers! Also on this blog, see the post below, I'm having a blog giveaway to celebrate my Blogoversary and birthday! So if you haven't signed up, there's still time. I will be picking names on Wednesday Aug 18!.

My Blogoversary Giveaway!! 5 Years!

Hi!
In just 12 days it will be my Blogoversary! (It will also be my birthday, what a coincidence) I've been blogging for 5 years. Just in the past few I've been the most active but who's counting? So I'm having a Giveaway. The lucky winner will get to choose ANY ONE item from my store at: www.beachcottagestitchers.com. The rules are: 1) Leave a comment here AND go to my website and sign up for future sale newsletters by leaving your email address and your name. (Register in the customer service tab) You do not have to give any other info if you don't want. This is so I can send upcoming sale newsletters out to whoever wants one. If you do not want to be included in the newsletter, that's ok, just leave me a comment on THIS post and give me your email addy there. 2) If you post a link on your blog to this giveaway then you can pick out 2 items! Whoohoo!! Don't worry, I will not be giving any one's email out and I won't be filling up your inbox with 'junk'. That's so tacky!!
So on August 18, I will have my sweet Holly-Pie snif out a name for the winner.
Good Luck and thanks for playing!!

This is what I found in my purse when I was getting ready to go to work this morning. I just couln't resist sharing..

"Take me too!"

"I'll be good!"

Haha, He's just such a cutie-pie! Excuse the messy desk! Creative minds you know...

My New Baby...Sailor

I got a new baby! His name is Sailor. We love all things nautical so the name fits! He seems to like to sleep in my purse. I suppose so he can go with me everywhere.

This is his first sight at Holly! Actually Holly is more afraid of him! LOL But last night they were playng and slept together. He is only 2 months old and very tiny and skinny. I got him at the shelter yesterday. More pics soon...

Blog Giveaway!!

Debbie at The Thread Gatherer is having a givaway to celebrate 300+ followers! Stop by and see her cute blog. @ http://threadgatherer.blogspot.com/

Slow Stitchy Update...

I've been slowly working on my Summer House by Brooke Nolan. Well not even stitching slowly, but just can't get to it. I removedthe photo due to copyright issues but yuo can see the chart if you sign on to Brookes Yahoo group

And I'm working on a Prairie Schooler Gingerbread Santa (I made up my own name for him)

And someday it will look like this:

I've been gathering and sorting my Mom's china and household items with my brother getting it ready for an estate sale on Friday. She had so many little trinkets and things. Some little old ladies will be thrilled when they find all the treasures. LOL Oh...I truly look forward to when this is all settled and life can be routine again.

We are getting a new roof tomorrow. All the little critters in the neighborhood will have to go find a new place to party 'cuz this place is closed! LOL

A New Start and New SAL

I removed the original posting of the chart Summer House due to copyright issues.I didn't realize someone could make a copy of the chart from my blog and that's against the copyright laws. You can sign up on Brookes books yahoo group if you'd like to stitch it.

This "Summer House" chart is the new SAL that I have started. I know.... I already have a million other projects that need are screaming to be finished, but I NEED a new start. I am very slowing coming out out my cocoon after my Mom's death and I just needed to begin something different. And besides I just CAN NOT resist a house design. Houses are my very favorite thing to stitch. I will try promise to finish these! Does it sound like I'm trying to give myself permission to do another project? LOL This SAL is from the BrookesBooks yahoo group that I belong. It is the first of 4 seasonal houses. Oh Boy! 3 more!!

Also yesterday I went through my huge 'current, current' WIP basket and got myself re-energized, yes, like the bunny, to get myself moving on all these cute, adorable, I just have to buy this, dusty charts that have been so neglected. I'm going on a schedule to stitch a little bit everyday. I have been so busy with creating The Stitcher's Island and coping with my loss that I haven't stitched anything in months.

This weekend my DB and I are driving to No Cal to meet with my other DB and DS to empty out Mom's storage and go through all of her things. I'm not sure if we are going to bring it ALL back and have a huge estate sale or just donate to something and get it over with. She had so many little figurines and knick-nacks and furniture that my siblings already living up there don't want. I guess we will bring it home with us.

So now I must keep my promise and get back to my stitching now...

Black & White

I just love this picture of my family at my DS & DDIL's wedding. It was such a lovely night. The camera caught my youngest DS on the right unprepared for the camera. He's not as grumpy as he looks in the picture LOL
I have not been in the mood for stitching in a while. Due to my Mom's passing, I just can't get into it. I know it takes time to get back into a routine again.
And spending every waking moment putting new items online for the store which you can see will here by the way. I'm just not satisfied with the way it looks so if you visit often it may change in appearance. I have so many cute and great things items to add that I think the Internet will get filled up LOL  
DH took everything out of the garage over the last weekend to get ready for the huge yard sale we are going to have this weekend, he stacked it all up in the backyard to organize, then caught the weather report, RAIN!, then he had to put it all back in. Poor guy.
Anyway back to work...hopefully I'll get my stitching mojo back before I forget how to stitch at all.

My Family

I want to thank each and every one of you who posted such nice thoughts and prayers and wishes on the passing of my Mom. This means so much to me  to know that you thought of me during this really hard time in my life. My whole family gathered together this past weekend to celebrate her life. We shared our love for her with great memories, pictures and tears. It was so wonderful to have everyone together at the same time. This is the picture of my family as we all got together.

My Mom

Joan Helen Gilliland, my Mom, passed away on 5-4-10. Her little body just couldn't fight anymore. I can't believe she is gone. I guess it's true when people say you really don't understand until it happens to you. I can't think straight, can't finish anything. You know people don't live forever but you are never really prepared. And I live 300 miles away from her, my sister and brother live close to her, so it's got to be worse for them. Going to see her everyday. I am posting pictures of a happier time when we all got together for her birthday.  

My Mom was the most caring and sweetest Mom. She cared so much for her family. She had a wonderful life, a great husband, 4 kids. 10 grandkids, 4 great grandkids. She loved to go shopping and make us wonderful dinners. She loved Christmas and holidays and birthdays. She just made everything special. I hope I could be just a little of what she was to everyone. She loved to have family parties, so that's what we are doing this weekend. All the family is getting together at my brother's house and celebrating Mom. It will be very hard not having her there. We will have to special toast in her honor, a vodka martini. She couldn't have many, due to her health but it was her favorite little drink.

I miss you Mom ~ God Bless You

The Stitcher's Island is open for business!!

The Stitcher's Island is finally open for business!! I have added some products and gotten the website loaded for business. I have so much more inventory to add, so I'll be very busy uploading it on the the site as well as purchasing new designs.

I'm very excited to finally get this going. You can see my story of how this was obtained by going to the website The Stitcher's Island and reading the 'about us' page.


I hope this is a great success!!!

What's been going on...

I just had to post a bit on what's been happening in my life because if I don't then I'll forget! LOL
We had a yard sale last week and we made $650.00! DH's boss gave him alot of furniture and one lady bought it all.
I have been sorting through the contents of the store we purchased for our 'soon to be stitching store' , which by the way is still un-named because I can't make up my mind. I have been it seems like constant contact with Intuit customer service for web site design/shopping cart help. They are so helpful and very patient. I am not the most educated person when it comes to html and all that other razzamatazz so I'm sure they have my e-mail address pinned up on some board as the 'pain of the month call'.


My DDIL had a beautiful tatoo painted on her arm of a jellyfish that she designed. And at the botton of the jellyfish tenacles are 3 stars which she wrote in the names of my 3 other children. It's actually really beautiful. She said she always wanted siblings so she wanted to honor them. So sweet. I'm not a tatoo person myself but I have to admit that this one is really pretty.


On a health note, I have back issues. I've been living on Aleve for years. If I wanted to walk or do anything I had to take it. No other med worked. And I have been hearing bad long term effects of it. I have Arthritus, scoliosis and sciatica. No cure, only pain managment. Pretty painful when I try to do too much. I have to lie down to let the pain go away. And lately it had been getting worse so that after I got off work and drove home, but the time I got inside my house, I needed to go lay down again. Well, this was not how I wanted to spend the rest of my life. MY DH is younger than me (shh, he doesn't know...LOL) and I try to keep up with all of his energy but it's been harder & harder. So my Dr. Sharon, who refuses to give pain medicine, told me to go to physical therapy. I didn't like it and it didn't help anyway. So I decided to take things into my own hands and back. As soon as I come into my office everyday, I set my timer for 20 minutes. then every 20 minutes I walk around the office, we have a circle to walk around. I walk around it and outside for Vit D for at least 400 steps each time. I have been doing this for about a month now and I can say proudly that I have not had any kind of pain med in 4 weeks!!! I'm guessing the sitting around all day is what makes my back hurt the most. Even long walks hurt me but the short ones more often seem to do the trick. My co-worker does it also and my employer thinks it's great, no more sleepy girls in the office!

Not much stitching due to my new job after my regular job of getting the store opened.

A Birthday Giveaway!!

A birthday giveaway! Vicky on her blog is having a birthday giveaway. She is turning 40 on April 21. Happy Birthday Vicky!!! That was a great year for me and I hope it's a great year for you too!!

A Quickie Update

In all my craziness in the past month or so I forgot didn't have time to post pictures of the nice things my group buddies have given me. First here's what Pam Kifer sent me for our St Paddys Day Exchange from ILCS.  So many cute things to embellish and stitch up. Thank you Pam!!

And my Anonymous Angel (AA) from my Fellowship Crossings group I received 4 Peanuts Coffee Cups and an angel to hang in in car. My favorite cup is the Lucy one, because I'm grumpy until I can find my coffee. Thank you so much my AA!

Stitchy Store Update but no stitching :(

This has been an exhausting week for me & DH. It was was filled everyday by 8 hrs of regular work then going to the needlework store to pack it up until about 10 pm every nite. Such hard work but it will be worth it in the end. (I hope). My DH won't even let me lift a box due to my back condition. But I sneak some little ones in while he's not looking. LOL.  Yesterday as I took a break, I was glancing through some of the old booklets and charts she had. I found leaflets and charts for knitting & crochet in books dated 1931, 1932, 1935!! They were in great condition too. People in those days used to dress so elegantly. My idea of getting dressed up is ironing my jeans! LOL I wonder if anyone would want to buy these? I'll post them on ebay someday as see what happens.


And this weekend my brother & I are driving up to see my Mom who is declining quickly. I'm not looking forward to this trip at all. I don't want to see her this way and I don't think she will know who we are. She will not be able to go back home to her house because now she needs constant medical care.
And a good friend of our family died a few days ago. We all grew up together, so this was really a shock.
He was only 49, I believe. They live in the same area where my brother & I are going so we will stop by to see them also.
Well, back to work. I still need that paycheck so off I go.

THE SHABBY STITCHER

This is the name of my new LNS I'm opening soon:
 The Shabby Stitcher. Cute?
Well, DH & I have been working ourselves to the bone getting this LNS we bought packed up and ready to move. We've been at it since Saturday morning non-stop. This cute little old lady had SO much stuff. Great things, old things lots of things to treasure and lots to donate. I should have taken a before picture of how it was crammed full of goodies. But it's been fun!  We will be moving it this week and then the inventory begins. I'm not going to carry everything she had, so maybe I'll post a 'blog-yard sale' to thin out what I don't want.
More to come.....

My First Award!!

I received this very nice award today from Meari. THANK YOU MEARI! THIS IS MY VERY FIRST AWARD! It's so nice to know people are reading my blog. I just love the comments I've gotten on all of my posts.
And now for the rules (I'll just copy Meari's because she stated it so well):


The rules are simple:



1) Accept the award. I gladly accept!


2) Thank the person who gave you the award Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!!!


3) Add a link to the person who gave you the award. See link above


4) Put the award on your blog. See above in case you missed it   LOL


5) Write 10 things about yourself others might not know about you. Hmmmm, see below


6) Pass the award on to 10 others. Find 10 well deserving people




10 Special things about Cyndi:


1) I just purchased a needlework store and I am in the process of re-opening it :)
2) My DH's nickname for me is  "Love" . And today is our 8th anniversary!!!
3) My first car was a 64 T-Bird and I still miss it.
4) I love ice cream almost as much as cross stitch
5) My vocal cords are paralyzed so I have a funny voice
6) I love sailing on my brothers' boats
7) I love margarita's 
8) I went on my sister's honeymoon with her (along with the rest of the family) to Maui
9) This is the first time in my whole life I haven't had a kitty :(
10) I am very fussy about where I eat. No fast food chairs for me! Ambiance is everything!


And now 10 lucky people:
1) Kathy (Kathy's Stitching and Other Comments)
2) Terri Terri's Cooking Fun)
3) Marjorie (The Pumpkin Patch Stitcher)
4) Nicky (Farm Girl Stitching)
5) Linda (Linda's Creativity Works)
6) Rene (Rene la Frog's Ramblings)
7) Janaina (Stitcher in the Green Bikini)
8) Lynda (A Cozy Little Place for Stitching)  
9) Teresa (Quiet and Relaxation)
10) Dawn (Golden Angels Works)