Wow, wow, and wow again! That cross-stitch is fantastic! I can not imagine ever having the patience to do something like that (and not have it blood-stained). You are truely an artist.

Fantastic.

Me, I'm boring. ;)

Diann

Aww Dianne, don't say that, there is no such thing as a boring person, we all have a story to tell, even if we don't think that story is interesting. You may think your life is boring, but think about it a minute, if you do, I'm willing to bet the 2 cents a week I make at work that you have something interesting to say. Be it working people or stay at home moms/dads, we all have a life and that life has all kinds of twist and turns. This is coming from someone who has been on both sides of the fence. Ps, if I actually had a life, do you think I'd have time to do my cross stitch, lmao.

Wow Choc - are you ever talented!!! This is very interesting and I hope lots of people respond. I'm really busy right now and have a dear friend that I haven't seen for 17 years visiting so I don't have time to look up pictures of what I do at the moment, but I will later. I've only been able to briefly check the forum for the last week. As we speak I'm having a minute to work with some pictures I took last night of a bear wandering through the garden. My flash didn't go off so I'm trying to get the pictures so you can at least see the bear. She squashed some hostas flat so look for a post later about squashed hostas.

I have many of the same interests as you, reading, pets, astrology, and other plants and nature in general. I am also an artist. I've been doing mostly mosaic lately. I'll post pictures when I can. I hope by then others have written about and shown their areas of specialty. McTavish

Chocolaties, LOL, Trust me, in my family boring is a good thing. :) We have so much to do with the acreage we live on that we rarely get anywhere else. Ok, what do I do??? I collect things. I collect Christmas ornaments. I collect antiques (usually big heavy stuff that's a bear to move.) Of course, I collect hostas, daylily, lilies, peonies, poppies, etc... For a while this afternoon I was out collecting black walnuts (got two pecks and three five gallon buckets full.) We are owned by three very spoiled cats. I like to read, mostly biographies. :)

Diann

I have NO talent so I have no pics to post of the things that I've made. Oh, wait a minute, I do crochet. I make crocheted fetal demise blankets and send them to hospitals for the grief stricken moms & dads to wrap their dying preemies or still born babies in for their final minutes together. I also crochet baby afghans for the new mommies in my church.

During the summer I love spending time at my camper which is near my boat. I enjoy just sitting on my boat at the marina and watch boats go by, boating around the Lake Erie Islands and of course I really love to fish!
I also enjoy shooting, especially my 9mm. (pretty good shot too) lol

I'm very politically minded and try to keep up on all that stuff. To say that I'm an Ultra-Ultra Right Winger would
be a good discription of me. Friends say that I'm sooooo far to the right that it's probably hard for me to make my car make a left hand turn. LOL.

During the winter months my backside and sofa bond in front of the TV screen. I love watching true story movies.

I enjoy reading, but it makes me sleepy. My favorite music is oldies (60-70's) and Comtempery Christain.

I am a wife, (same hubby for 38 yrs) mother of 2 and grandmother of 5. Spending time with my grandkids is the joy of my life. I own a spoiled rotton toy poodle and a much loved, but mentally challenged chihuahua and 3 disobedient cats. I used to raise small exotic animals. Did that until the government made it impossible to do any longer.

I work fulltime as a LPN charge nurse.

And I love hostas!

Hi Choc,
I like to do knitting, crothet and crosstitch also. I have had some trouble with the stitching due to the bifocal syndrome!!!! Just finished knitting a diagonal blanket for my first grandchild who is due in January. Now I'm on to the hooded sweater.
I love to read also and would be very interested in how to download the books on tape. I've borrowed a few from the library in the past. Koontz is great. I also like James Rollins and Janet Evanovich is a hoot.
My newest passion is card making. My family (8 brothers and sisters plus...) are all enjoying and anticipating what the card will be for the next birthday person. Just made one for my Dad that said "Whoopee De Doo your're 82!!!
I use my pictures(another hobby) in some of my cards and have become the official photographer for my nieces and nephews for their games and marathons. I try to get a picture of the finish line banner and the contestant of the day,running toward it. Then I take pictures of them all sweaty and smiling happy that they actually finished without barfing! KIDS!! Two of the girls are going to be in the New York Marathon running for Freds Team(cancer research).
Glad to say that I have a retired house husband who pretty much pampers me and gives me time to persue all the pastimes that I enjoy.
Gabby aren't I!!!
Thanks for listening
Von

I wish I was talented enough to be able to do something like that Chocolate! But here's some of my story...

Hubby and I are volunteer trail guides at our local state park. We especially love the winter months, not only because we have more time (no gardening), but it's less crowded and the scenery is beautiful and even more so if we've just had a snowfall...


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There are numerous canyons with waterfalls (if we've had enough rain) that turn into interesting frozen formations...


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and there is greater opportunity to see some wonderful wildlife like this Pileated Woodpecker...


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and Bald Eagles


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We spend many a day at the park either hiking or working in the information center.
We are also keepers of 5 cats, three of which are rescue cats, so our inn is pretty full right now.
...And of course I spend a great amount of time anticipating what will be put in next years garden, lol!

That's all folks!


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Janet

In the winter months I love to read, I sew costumes for the high school musical, I do some embroidery but not with the talent shown earlier in the posts. I dabble in genealogy and scrapbooking, walk,cross country ski or snowshoe with our German Shepherd and Golden Retriever, and try to discourage the bunnies from pruning my shrubs. I coddle my spoiled house cats who look at me as though the snow and cold are my fault. I do more cooking, trying new recipes and oh yes search catalogs and the internet for more must have plants, esp. lilies, daylilies and HOSTAS.Oh yeah, I even get my house cleaned!

Wow Janet! Fabulous photos!

T

Hey Choc,I love your pic of the night-blooming cereus! I had one when we lived in Florida,but it was a different type. My DW bought me a small(about a foot tall) Cereus cactus,and shortly after,I planted it in the back yard,behind our pool. Well,when we moved here,it was about 15 feet tall and still growing(unless the new owners got rid of it)! One summer night a few years ago,I counted 32 blooms on it in one night! I have some pics of it,but they are all 35 mm. photos. I have no talent to speak of,I just wanted to tell you about night-blooming Cereus. Our neighbors had one like yours,on their screen porch,in a hanging basket. Phil

Choco you really amaze me! You are so talented girl!! Hmmm, what am I going to do in the Fall/Winter months?? Well, other than the full time job I'm going to order hostas for the Spring, watch football Forced to do this because of my BF), go to as many antique shows and craft markets as I can find, knit and crochet, learn to sew (I'm looking for old doll patterns), paint watercolors, of course pottery, take photos in the local wildlife refuge, find time to join this forum, and go on a diet. LOL! If I accomplish half of this I'll be thrilled!!

lol Phil, I got mine at a flea market for 50 cents as a few leaves and now every few years I have to cut it back to 8 feet tall to fit in my house, I have to bring it in, my winters are too cold for it. Some day I'll find the pics of my orchid cactus, another tropical, blooms all winter for me.

Janice, I am in total awe of your pics, like WOW, bit time WOW. Now I Know the area your are in, they wouldn't happen to be taking in the Hocking Hills area? I ask because I have told you grew up in Columbus, but did go to the Hocking Hills area many times and those pics remind me of that area. But then again, being where you are, they could also be other areas, you really do live around some wonderful natural beauty. But then so do I, I'm not all that far from Hinckley, that is where the hosta dog and I like to hike the most, such wonderful sandstone formations.

Sassy, you do such important work with your crocet, I couldn't imagine having to be a parent knowing their child was going to die and having just a little something to wrap the precious thing in during it's last minutes. Please keep up your work, you may never get a thank you, but you know how much the little things matter in your heart.

Mc, looking forward to your pics of the mosaics when you have time. Just got to remember to check the ot post for this post, lol.

Von, I have a passion for photography too and like you, always seem to end up being the photographer for events. It is a hobby I would like to pursue more, I don't have a fancy camera, but I think my pics turn out fairly well. We won't even go into the needing glasses bit to do my cross stitch, sore spot there, don't you hate getting old, lol. And Woo Hoo on the first grandbaby.

And tick, boring is sitting in front of the tv all day, you have a life so you ARE NOT BORING!!!!!!!!

Hostaholic, now sewing is something I have never got into, I can sew, have a sewing machine, just not my thing. But great you do it for the kids, they need all the help they can get in these school productions.

Uhhh, Choco, I think you meant to say "Janet"! She's the one with the wonderful pix!
And, I agree, they are just so beautiful! What a wonderful job, working in such a place of
natural beauty!!!

I've enjoyed reading this thread! :o)

janice

A fellow cactus lover here....although mine are mainly hardy cactus. It's just too fun to "surprise" people when they see a cactus garden in Wisconsin, especially when it's in full bloom.

What a fun post! I love everyone's photos. I've often wondered what others do in the winter when they can't garden. I weave in the winter. My goal this winter is to figure out how to weave a scarf with a hosta leaf pattern in it - we'll see how that goes.

That rug is really cool and would look great in my kitchen! :-)

Oh "flowers", I am really impressed!! I love the scarf AND the rug!
How clever to use men's ties! Did you originate the idea of the rug??

There's clearly alot of talent being revealed on this, the "lighter side"! :o)

janice

Such talented and interesting folks here! I really admire those that have the talent...and patience, to do things like needlepoint, knitting and weaving. I love items like that, but have to resort to buying mine from local craft fairs.

Chocolate, the pictures are from Starved Rock State Park right here in north central IL on the Illinois River. I feel it is one of the most beautiful spots in our state and am so lucky to have it close by. It's where I go to "get away from it all".


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I really enjoy getting to know each of you a little better!

Janet

Thanks for the kind words. I heard of someone weaving a tie rug and thought it sounded interesting but I had never seen one so I just thought I'd give it a try and that's what I came up with.

You never know Teresa, maybe Santa will deliver rugs someday too!! LOL