Can you Say Tomato?

Our garden is bursting with tomatoes! We also have cucumbers, acorn squash, peppers, onions, some herbs and glorious sunflowers, the mammoth variety with edible seeds.

Yesterday I picked Grape and Cherry tomatos. I just love to pop them as a snack, so much so that I think I am going to turn into a tomato! On Labor Day, I picked all the ripe slicers and Craig, my DH, and I made and canned salsa. Craig grew up canning. Every year his mother would can tomatos and who knows what else and now Craig think we need to do it too. Now, if you haven't canned before, I will tell you it is a LOT OF WORK. Of course, I read all about canning before we started so I was "prepared". Well, all that did was scare the bejesus out of me because of all the potential botulism issues! So yes, I did get a bit, oh how shall I put this, irritable at one point. DH had to reassure me that he knew what he was doing, that he had done this many times before, and nothing canned had ever made him sick, etc. Then he gave me a glass of something to drink (which tasted suspiciouly like wine, but I didn''t dare grumble any more) and what do you know after a few minutes I was in a much calmer space.

On the stitchy front, I am using Tomato Sampler Thread  to stitch Lizzie Kate's "Boo Club".  I finished the Monster section last night and have only two sections to go and then I'll be happy dancing!

In the background on purple fabric is a design from "Mostly Ghostly" by Waxing Moon Designs. I started this project a couple of years ago as a gift for someone, who shall remain nameless at this point. There is a reason that it has taken me so long to finish up this fairly simple design (besides the solid white ghost and the sign background - boring!), there are two cats in the design and the person that I am stitching it for has two cats and I wanted stitch the cats to look like her cats. Aaahhh..I know, cute. But that's how I roll.  The charted cats are both black, and one of hers is black so that was easy, however, her other cat is Siamese. And yes, it did take me two years to redesign the other cat as a Siamese. Actually, the redesigning took about 15 minutes using Pattern Maker Pro, it was the procrastination that took two years. I plan to finish it up as soon as Boo Club is history.

Noteworthy news:

• I joined a Blackbird Designs, "Tis Hallowe'en" stocking exchange.  As soon as my partner lets me know which stocking she prefers, I'll squeeze in time to stitch and finish one of those.
• I have a hugh crush on the new "Jenny Bean" sampler from Shakespeare Peddler. Scroll down to see this beauty. I gots' to have it!!!

Hope you're having a great week and enjoying fresh tomatoes and other goodies from the garden (either yours or someone else's). And so I leave you with quote from the little old lady next door, bless her heart, "Toodle loo!". (Yes, she really says this. It's so cute!)