I’m in countdown mode! you know like a kid at Christmas waiting, waiting, waiting! From the day that your magazine arrives with the class choices, to the day that you send in your class wishes, to the day “that letter” gets here to say what class you got, the anticipation builds. And the anticipation continues!

Two weeks from today I will be sitting in class at the ANG, the American Needlepoint Guild Seminar in Anaheim, CA! It really is a long trip for me and am not sure that I can handle it. Seriously I am only kidding! as it will probably be all of 90 minute drive for me. See in Southern California we talk time, not miles.

I have been going to seminar since 1997 when my first one was in Memphis at The Peabody Hotel with the Peabody ducks. And was immediately if not sooner hooked on the whole experience! I have only missed 2 since then when work got in the way…you know the nerve of work.

So what class am I taking? This Imari Collage Sampler, the 2nd one in the series by Debbie Steihler. I have never taken class with Debbie and I am so looking forward to it. I hear she is an absolutely wonderful teacher and at the same time so very entertaining and downright funny! I know working with her on projects for Needlepoint Now, she sure was a dream…so let me repeat myself I am really looking forward to my class.

Though, it is a break from my comfort zone of a painted canvas as I venture into charted work on Congress cloth no less! Or Nué, Silks, composite stitches are all music to my ears, so I am sure I will be fine. Plus I will be in class with Elizabeth and Pat and Kristen and Debbie! We have already apologized to Ms Steihler ahead of time, you know just in case.

Seminar is the whole experience of soothing the stitching soul and all other parts. Being with special friends… Elizabeth, Pat, Donna, Debbie, Kristen, Sue, Nancy, Dale, Brenda (and shhh, that is THE Brenda Hart!) running into old friends and faces, the events, the exhibit, the auction, the sightseeing, the opening and closing banquets, the shop and bookstore. Making new friends, learning new stitches and techniques, stash enhancement and so much more!

Yes Dale, I do read your blog too and by the way can’t wait to see you! Lets talk about spell check and I want to apologize NOW about my spelling…see when I press the spell check button on my blog, it doesn’t do its job anymore as it is always telling me “No spelling errors found” comeon, lets get real…I know that I am not that purr~fect that day after day no spelling errors. Well that’s where the problem of the blog taking its vacation as when we, well I mean Laura installed the upgrade, that’s where the problems arose. The upgrade was uninstalled and everything was just fine. But no spell check. So I am thinking that if I copy paste everything into a Word document, spell check and then correct. So in the meantime if you see any spelling errors, I apologize now.

Okay back to seminar…that is the first part of my vacation and stay tuned for what’s coming up right after that!

AlleyCat was bird watching yesterday. You do realize that the chair is there just for the cats and they do share it with me from time to time!

The greens are not so green on parts of the golf course these days. Water is a precious resource and especially more so since we had so little rain this last year.

and until next time…keep on stitching