What Do You Do After Finishing Up a BAP?????

That is what I've been asking myself the past couple weeks.  What do I do after Ann Medd?  But first, I have to thank everyone for all the wonderful comments you made concerning Ann's finish.  I was absolutely overwhelmed!  All your comments made it so worth me finally finishing her up and I thank you so much for each and every one of them.  I was just blown away!  And I hope that maybe one of you will have your own Ann Medd adventure too.  Even though she's large, she was an easy and fun stitch.  I do have her back from the framers, but I can't get a good picture of her and will do that as soon as our crazy, overcast skies clear up and the sun's at the right angle!!   My husband, sampler enthusiast that he is (NOT) asked me where I was going to put her.  HA!  Do you know what I was thinking at that point about where to put her???  You probably do so I won't say it.  LOL  Seriously, she WILL be residing in the stairway with ATS.  Finally some company for ATS!!

After I was finished with Ann, I didn't know what to do.  It's just like reading a really good book, and you don't know what you want to read next.  I really felt like starting something new - I thought that I deserved it!!  Going back to a WIP for me felt like trying to get my kids to eat vegetables - I don't wanna do it. But I did and picked up Ann Grant.  She lasted a night.  I picked up Susanna Lane.  She also lasted a night.  Then I picked up Elizabeth Clayton, and she whispered softly and said, "Pick me - Finish Me!"  So I have worked on Elizabeth.  She's not quite done, but I'm getting to the fun part - Adam and Eve:

Not a lot of progress for a couple weeks - just a lot of wording and the borders.  But now comes the fun part - a little more lettering and then that fun couple in Eden and the scene around them.  Shouldn't take me too long (I hope)!

No sewing has really taken place, unfortunately, - well a little, but I've only completed two blocks out of the 16 required for my Civil War Chronicles BOM, and nothing on the Farmer's Wife.  But a little bit of antiquing has.  A while ago, Terri posted a little sewing machine that she had found in an antique shop.  This made me remember that when I was young I had a small Singer sewing machine, but didn't know where it was.  So the hunt was on.  Did I find it?  No.  I'm sure that it's packed in a box somewhere.  I thought it was in a couple trunks that I had brought from my father's, but I didn't have the keys.  I eventually found the keys stuffed in the back of my husband's workbench (where else?).  But no sewing machine - some cool vintage things that I'll show at some other time, but no sewing machine.  So during this time of trying to figure out where the machine was, I hit the antique store and score!!!!

Not in too bad condition and a good price.  The shop was having Thrifty Tuesdays and 20% off any purchase!!  So this baby came home with me.  Since that time, I've found three more through various places and I'll post those at a later date.  But I thought it would be so much fun to have a variety of these machines lined up in.....where else??  My sewing room!!

I also found another flower frog:

Another amber frog.  This one joins two others in my collection:

My husband just shakes his head every time I come home with another one.

The only other crafty thing that I've come across lately is some wonderful things I found on a blog.  The blog is Me and My Stitches, and the girl that makes these wonderful things is named Julie.  Being a sucker for anything stitchy or quilty, I had to purchase a couple of her things and I love them:

The pendant and earrings I bought for myself, and Julie, sweetheart that she is, sent me the scissor fob as a gift.  There is a link on her blog to her jewelry website and I know that she would love to hear from you.  She has some wonderful things and some quilt patterns too, so give her blog and website a look!! Julie and I have struck up an internet friendship of sorts.  She calls me Satan!  The reason for that is that now I have her on the hunt for little sewing machines!  With her living in Iowa, at least we won't be fighting each other at the antique stores!!

The only other thing that has been going on worth mentioning (you don't want to hear about all the errands I run all the time), is that my daughter finally has been able to give up her glasses (she had a lazy eye which was corrected with glasses) and got her braces off.  This was a monumental day for her because she feels that she is no longer - in her terms - a geek.  I think that she looks so beautiful (and way too old - sigh):

Ignore her attempt at trying to look like she's one of Eminem's possee!  Just look at the smile.  I think it's a gorgeous one!!  And one more picture of her and her favorite canine:

They are great buddies!  He follows her around like a shadow.  And he is looking much better now that his hair has finally grown out a little bit.

Well, that's all I have for now.  Not too much.  But thank you all once again for the wonderful comments you left me.  It really warmed my heart and I think it was because of some of you cheering me on, that finally got me to finish Ann.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!!