Big News and a Finish

I finished the Shepherd's Bush Scissor Fob twice. I did a fob for my scissors and a fob for my mom. When I was home and my mom saw the finished Trilogy Heart fob, she did her best to talk me out of it, LOL. She then told me she needed not a couple, not a few, but "LOTS" of fobs for her house :-). Her birthday is in May, I thought it would be fun to send her box with a dozen or so fobs in it. I think if I did one a week or so, most of them would only take a day to stitch and finish, I will have "LOTS" by the time her birthday comes around.

I am happy I have a bit more time on my hands, the fall time frame for our trip suits me a bit better. I have lots more time to prepare for Megan’s graduation, we will have so many visitors for that. And honestly, I am still a bit off of my game with everything that happened with my dad. Speaking of which he went to see the ENT this week, the doctor said it could take several months for his voice to come back. The nerve endings are irritated or damaged. Otherwise he’s doing great! All in all I feel very blessed and I am so thankful for how things have worked out. I said an extra prayer in church this morning :-). Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Belated Valentine Gift

I made this fob as a gift for a Valentine's exchange. I was a tiny bit late getting it mailed but it's finally arrived at it's destination. It's from the Trilogy Cardiology chart. I love this series of designs, they make great fobs.

My DH and I are going to see Breach and then we are having lunch at the Japanese Steak House, yummy! In between I am working on PIF pieces and exchanges. Hope you have all had a nice weekend.

Wonderful Mail Surprise

The day I left to go to my parents I received the most unexpected surprise from my friend Jacque. It's a gorgeous hanging piece, I just love it! It came at the absolute perfect time, I was calling back and forth with my parents and making flight arrangements. It made me smile which I definitely needed :-).

I got home last week, I am back in a routine, such as that is, LOL. My DH has had some very encouraging interviews and hopefully he will choose a position in the next couple of weeks and then he retires, we go to Europe and our DD graduates from high school maybe life will settle down a bit after all that, LOL.

My Dad is doing great, he gets better each day and is feeling very good. His voice is still not back but you can hear tiny improvements. He will see an ENT next week, but his cardiologist said it may take a bit of time since the vocal cords are bruised. I am so thankful he is doing so well and things are getting back to normal for my parents.

I am working on Round Robins, PIFs and exchanges right now. I want to get all those things finished up and mailed this week, well except for the exchanges. I do want those things packed up and ready to go on the appropriate dates :-). I am a bit off the 10-25-50 challenge right now, actually I am rethinking the whole thing, LOL. More on that later...

Have a great weekend! It's a long one for us, my DH is off Monday for the President's day holiday :-). We are planning on seeing a movie, going out to lunch and just generally relaxing.

A Finish and an Update

I've been madly stitching on BBD Bluebird's Message the last couple of days, my mom has a space all picked out for it on her 'wall' :-). I wanted to have it finished before I go home so I am pleased it's done. My dad is doing very well and other than his voice still being gone, he is feeling better every day. I will fly home tomorrow afternoon just in time for the weekend. My family has told me they are ready for me to be home, I think things are a tiny bit crazy there, LOL. The next big thing on the horizon is my DH's retirement from the Air Force in March, then we have a trip to Europe planned, my DD's graduation from high school in May and somewhere in there my DH will start a new position. Generally, life is going to be crazy until the summer time. I am sure stitching will be my sanity. I've decided not to set any goals for February except to do at least one PIF piece and get started on two exchanges for the USEBB group. I am going to stitch on whatever I please other than those few things.

Dad is Home!

We brought my Dad home today! He's doing very well and couldn't wait to get back in his own house. He was dressed and ready to go within 15 minutes of us arriving at the hospital this morning. He actually feels very good since they got all the tubes out of him. Only tiny problem is he's lost his voice, they think his vocal cords are bruised from being intubated for the surgery. Hopefully with a bit of rest and a little time it will come back on it's own. Thank you all again for your thoughts, prayers and emails, they've meant so much. It's been such a blessing for us. I will be heading home on Friday, I think by then my parents should be at the point they can manage without me and my DH and kids have told me they are anxious to have me home :-). I think they've realized how much I do to keep all their lives running smoothly, LOL. This is a cute picture of my parents from last year, they took a trip to Europe.

I have managed to get a bit of stitching done, it's very theraputic when you are sitting in hospitals all day. First I finished up a Valentine exchange piece. Sadly that is going to be late arriving at it's destination :-(. Now I am working on BBD Bluebird's Message. It's very cute and will be staying here when I go home. My mom has assured me there's a spot for it on her wall :-).

Surgery is Over

My dad had a quadruple bypass this morning, he had 8 blockages in 4 arteries. He did very well, the heart started beating as soon as they took him off the pump which is apparently is a very good thing. Today is sort of a lost day for him, probably a blessing :-). He will not be conscious until tomorrow. The doctor let us see him, my mom was very sweet, fixed his hair for him and held his hand. He will be in ICU for the rest of his hospital stay, we hope we can bring him home in 4 or 5 days if he does well. We are home now so my mom can get some rest and we will call every hour or so to check and see how he is doing! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!

Dad's Surgery

I got up yesterday morning thinking it was going to be a normal day. My sister called to see if I knew when they were doing my dad's angioplasty, my parents had decided to tell me after it was over so I didn't even know he was getting it done. I live a couple states away and they didn't want to worry me? Not great and they won't be doing that again. My dad had an ECG done a few weeks ago as a part of his pre-op for a knee replacement. It came back funny so he did a stress test, he's had a couple of funny ones but they didn't think it was anything. Monday the cardiologist recommended he have the angioplasty to rule out anything. Long story short he's having a quadruple bypass tomorrow morning. Lots to be thankful for, they discovered it before he had a major heart attack, his heart is otherwise very strong, he has good doctors but it's still very scary. He's only 65 years young and never had any symptoms so this is all very unexpected. Luckily I was able to get very cheap tickets so I flew home yesterday afternoon. I was actually out the door at 2:oo yesterday afternoon. I love this picture of my dad, he was in his early 20's here. Please keep him and my mom in your thoughts and prayers!

Another PIF and Goals

I got a gorgeous beaded scissor fob from Karin in the mail yesterday. The really neat thing is she made the beautiful red and blue heart shaped bead herself. Thank you so much Karin!

I so appreciate all the great advice I got on goal setting from everyone. Karen and Chelle even posted their perspective on organization and setting goals on their blogs :-). I love to "think out loud" and getting so much feedback is wonderful. I am realizing I can be organized and accomplish a lot without being so wrapped up in my daily "to do" list. I've also decided Karen and I must have been separated at birth we are so much alike, LOL. The long and short of it is I am going to have some overall goals. I want to meet my timelines for exchanges and gifts, I love participating in exchanges and stitching gifts. I also want to finish some of my UFOs and I do like having a list of projects I want to work on over the long term. I am just not going to plan quite so much of my day in respect to what I am stitching. I want to leave room to change my mind :-). Speaking of which, the new BBD loose Feather is in my hot little hands and I am going to stitch it as soon as I finish a PIF and an exchange piece I am working on.

DT Sampler Game Board WIP

My DT Sampler Game Board is coming along nicely :-). I had a few missteps, I didn't care for the linen I had originally purchased. The weave was too "loose" so I ended up pitching it, literally, in the trashcan. I pulled out a beautiful cut of 28 count lambswool instead. I also wasn't crazy about a few of thread conversions so I made a couple of substitutions. Now I am happy, happy with my linen and fibers and I am making progress :-). I've set it aside to work on a Valentine exchange and a PIF challenge piece.

I've been thinking about setting stitching goals every month, it's just not really working well for me. I love making lists but then I feel obligated to cross things off. I am a little compulsive about my list, LOL. It's a lot of pressure and sort of takes the fun out of things. For instance, the new BBD loose feathers is winging it's way to my house and I really, really want to start it but technically it's not on my list for this month. What's more it's not on my list of 50, not that I can't make adjustments... :-). I am not sure how to make progress without setting goals, but there's a part of me that just wants to stitch what I want to stitch and see what happens. Maybe I should not be so specific about the which and when and be a bit more general, I'd like to finish two pieces this month and make progress on a couple others or maybe I should just work on what I feel like working on at the moment? I'd be curious to know how tied you all are to your goals, rotations and lists?

My First 2007 Finish

My Bent Creek Spring Snapperland is done! I am thrilled with how it came out. I change the colors in the border, brown flowers aren't my thing, so I did them in WDW Sweetheart Rose and GAST Antique Rose. I also changed the chicken coop section. My grandmother always lived in a house in the country and kept chickens. Some of my fondest childhood memories include staying with her and collecting eggs. Once I found a snake in the coop but that's a whole different story, LOL. I wanted to remember my grandmother, Audie Pearl, by stitching a cute little old lady with a bun and a dress. She was just the sweetest person.

I am on to Drawn Thread Sampler Game Board. I have joined a Stitchalong and I need to stitch four blocks :-). It is suppose to be a very cold weekend, temperatures aren't getting out of teens and we are expecting snow, good excuse to stay home and stitch. We are planning a relaxing weekend in front of the fireplace, lots of movies, games and hot coffees. My DH has been mumbling under his breath about moving to Florida for two days, LOL. I hope everyone has a nice weekend!

A PIF Received

I received the most gorgeous Pay It Forward gift from Cathy, a hardanger fob and doily as well as a very pretty piece of linen and skein of silk. I was thrilled because I've never tried Hardanger and now I have two intricate, beautiful pieces in my collection. I've already put the fob on a pair of scissors I received from Adana at the SB retreat. Thank you so much Cathy, it was such a nice surprise :-). I love opening my mailbox and receiving an unexpected package. I think this PIF challenge was such a great idea and I am so glad I have the chance to participate. Now I need to get busy and start surprising a few ladies myself!

Happy New Year!

I can't believe it is 2007! I love the new year, the possibilities of a fresh start, making resolutions, and for me, a chance to get organized :-). I always make a few promises to myself and most years I manage to keep one or two of them, LOL. My stitching related resolutions are:

1. Continue the 10-25-50 challenge. I've put my 50 pieces on the sidebar of my blog. All I can say is thank goodness for birthday's and Christmas's. I will be asking for stitching stuff. I've allowed myself a few exceptions, the BBD Loose Feathers and hard to find, OOP charts, and limited edition pieces.

2. Stitch every day, I am very blessed to be a homemaker with lots of time to call my own so I should be accomplishing a lot more than I do :-).

3. Finish at least three of my UFO projects, the pieces that come to mind right now are SB The Promise, SB Victorian Sampler and DT An Open Heart.

4.I doubt I will finish it this year but I am going to work on ATS a few times a month. My friend Vicky convinced me to continue stitching it over one and we are going to work on it together twice a month. She's stitching it over one too. To be sure I don't waffle I'm giving the over two start to Vicky's mom, Danya, to stitch.

5. I want to finish at least one ornament each month.

6. I would like to frame at least one or two projects a month. I have several pieces stored away that need to be on my wall.

My goals for Janary are (amended 17 January):

1. Finish block 2 on CHS Village of Hawk Run Hollow.
2. Finish BBD Summer House (over half finished with this one too).
3. Finish Bent Creek Spring Snapperland (I am 2/3 of the way done) (finished 12 January).
4. Work on Frances Burwell (my Christmas start) (I have the first 4 bands finished).
5. Work on Sarah Moon (my New Year start) Worked on her 1 January, that's it).
6. Finish one of my PIF pieces :-), I have four to do, still room for one more!
7. Do two squares a week on DT's Sampler Gameboard, I am participating in a stitchalong with several other ladies, DT Sampler Gameboard Blog (coming along nicely, as of 17 January, I have 6 blocks done and a nice start on the border).
8. Finish Valentine Exchange piece.
9. Work on ATS (worked on it 16 January).

I wish everyone a wonderful, blessed New Year with lots of finishes! I am hopeful as always I will be the person God created me to be, keep at least some of my resolutions and get lots of stitching time :-).

A Few Finishes!

December actually turned out to be a very productive stitching month for me. I stitched my mom's Christmas present, several ornaments and gifts and a couple of scissor fobs for myself.

My mom's "wall" is now graced with CHS's Maria P. Oliver. She did tell me she needs at least three more pieces to complete this display, LOL. She was also drooling over my CHS alphabet piece, I think I may manage to keep that one but only because I am stitching Long Dog Sampler's The Token for my parents 45th wedding anniversary.


I also stitched and finished several ornaments, BBD Blackbird, two La D Da, the cardinal and heart and Brightneedle's No Peeking all for gifts and exchanges:

I did HIHN's Say Your Prayers over one as a fob for my friend's jewelry box. She asked me to do it several months ago. I've put a quarter next to it to show how tiny it is:

Finally, I did two scissor fobs for myself. I stitched With My Needle Eliza's Pyn Pillow for the red Gingher Sophia's. For the pink scissors, I can't remember their name, I did Lizzie Kate Life's a Stitch over one:

I plan to blog a lot more in 2007, time sort of gets away from me, LOL. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year :-).

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I am the only one up, my parents, DH and kids are still sleeping so I thought I'd do a quick blog update before the chaos begins, LOL. I've been so busy this month finishing ornaments and gifts, getting ready for Christmas in general. My mom's gift is Maria P. Oliver, I think it's safe to post a picture, she will be opening it here in a hour or two. I am thrilled with the molding, the picture doesn't do it justice. I hope my mom loves it too.

We arrived home after much angst, we had our second blizzard in three months last week which shut absolutely everything down, As you can probably guess I live in Colorado :-). All the roads leaving Colorado were closed and there was some question as to whether we'd make it to the midwest to celebrate Christmas with our families. The highways finally opened early Friday morning and we decided to chance it and leave the state. The first 200 miles or so were not a bit of fun, but my DH managed very well and got us through safely. It was an easy drive after that, we are just so happy we made it home.

Today I am starting Frances Burwell, she's my Christmas present and has been sitting shrinkwrapped and waiting since early November. I am dying to open the box, play with the fibers and put the linen on scroll rods! I am hoping in between helping my mom in the kitchen, visiting with my sister and her family and keeping everyone content, amused and well fed I will find some time to stitch.

I hope everyone has a wonderful, happy, merry Christmas day and a blessed New Year.

Secret Stitching & Family

Since I can't post any of my current stitching pictures I've decided to post a picture of my sweet DH and our dog Shelby. She is definitely her daddy's dog, LOL. Shelby will be 14 in May, we've had her since she was a tiny puppy. We aren't certain what her breed is, only her mother knows for sure :-). The mom was a cow dog, the owner said the father was the cocker spaniel, I don't think so. She's more of a sheltie mix.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, company was perfect and food was delicious :-). It was just a very nice, relaxing day. We also managed to squeeze in a couple movies while my parents were here, the Prestige and Happy Feet. Both were very good but Happy Feet was my favorite! My mom, my DD and I shopped on Black Friday. I didn't actually buy much but it was fun to see what was out there this season. Instead I took advantage of Cyber Monday. I sat down in the morning with my cup of coffee and the laptop and did most of Christmas shopping for my DH and the kids. It's so much easier than fighting the crowds, plus I can look for on-line coupons and comparison shop. I have a few things I will need to get out and shop for but the majority of my shopping is finished.

My finger is healing nicely, I took my stitches out on Saturday. I used my Ginghers and a pair of tweezers, LOL. It is such a time bust to have to go to the hospital and wait, I just couldn't be bothered.

I have two openings in my PIF challenge. I would love to stitch for a couple more people. If someone is having trouble filling their pay it forward, maybe we could swap gifts?

I am madly stitching on Christmas presents. My goal is to have the ornaments finished and my mom's piece at the framers by Tuesday. My DH has been gone for a week or so and will be gone next week too. My DS is traveling for work next week too so that leaves my DD and me at home by ourselves. Translation, no cooking and lots of stitching time. Hopefully I will finish my Christmas pieces up and have time to do some personal stitching. I got CHS Green Tree out and put a few stitches in for my Thanksgiving start. On Christmas day I will start Frances Burwell, it's in the closet ready to be wrapped and put under the tree. I didn't even take the shrinkwrap off so I haven't actually seen the chart, linen or threads :-). On New Year's day I plan on starting Sarah Moon. I really should finish Sarah Tatum first, last year's New Year's start, but I really want to start something new that day.

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season!

What a Week and Pay it Forward!

My week started out well since my parents decided they were going to visit us for the Thanksgiving holiday. I am very excited because I haven't seen them since July, they will be here tomorrow. We got more good news on Wednesday. Our DS, who is in the Air Force Reserves and has been at school in Arkansas since March, is finally finished. He will be home tomorrow as well. We will have a full house for Thanksgiving which makes me very happy.

I really enjoy cooking, one of these days I am going to take some gourmet classes, and planning the menu for a large meal is an all day process for me. I think I've found the right combination of old favorites and a few new things. Thursday I went to do my grocery shopping which is another all day event by the time I go to the commissary, Sams, track down the specialty things I need and put everything away when I get home. I was almost finished putting things away, I just need to run the trash out that's when my week went downhill.

When I was pushing the trash down I cut my finger to the bone, thankfully I missed the tendon. Jeff, my DH, had to take me to the emergency room to get stitches. I have 9 stitches in the pinkie finger of my right hand. The only bright spot is I am left handed. Unfortunately, my left arm is also very sore from the tetanus shot they gave me. I did manage a few stitches yesterday, I had to be sure I could still stitch, LOL. Note to all, when you go to the ER for a cut, be sure you bring your shot record. I am almost positive I had a tetanus booster 4 years ago but since the doctor couldn't confirm it he insisted on giving me another one. I can't get my finger wet for 10 days, we'll have to see how that goes. The worst part is it took the medic quite a while to get set up. The cut is in a very awkward spot and she was nervous so it took a long time to stitch. Unfortunately, it took so long that the shots to numb it wore off, the last 4 stitches were not fun at all. She did offer to re-numb it but I'd already been there for over two hours so I told her just to finish it. It's going to make cooking and all awkward to say the least. I am hoping in a day or two as it closes the swelling and pain will decrease. It's a half moon cut on the side of my finger next to the middle knuckle. I am so not impressed, in the big scheme of things it is a minor inconvenience but still annoying.

I did get a little stitching done this week on Maria P. Oliver, not enough that you'd want to see a picture yet so instead here is a picture of where it will hang in my mom's house. This is my mom's 'wall' my sister calls it the 'Katrina wall', lol. I know it looks like my mom is out of space but she will make room for Maria P. Oliver and she is already talking about the next wall. Several of my stitching friends have suggested I teach my mom to stitch, I must note here my mother is an accomplished seamstress but she's not a stitcher. She'd prefer to leave that to me and I am happy to accommodate her :-). She loves her wall and I enjoy deciding which piece to stitch next for her. I have the next two or three pieces already picked out and kitted to stitch for her:

If you compare it to my smaller "wall" that goes up the stairs in my house, I need to do some serious stitching to catch up:

I have many other stitched pieces in my house, and if I pulled them together on a wall I would have a very nice display. I want a wall like my mom's without leaving bare walls everywhere else in my house :-). I have a long way to go. My goal is to make major progress in 2007, a little more time stitching and a little less time on the computer would help.

Finally, I signed up for Su's Pay it Forward Challenge. So now I am paying it forward, the first five people to sign up, via my comments section, will receive a stitched item from me sometime in the next year. After you sign up in the comments section email me at n2stitchkd at yahoo dot com so I can get your info. There is a catch of course, you must continue the gift by blogging this challenge yourself!

I hope everyone has a wonderful, happy Thanksgiving!

Chit Chat and My And They Sinned Dilemma

First I want to discuss my dilemma. I have started ATS twice and almost finished the first 8 1/2 by 11 page on both pieces, the first over one and the second over two. This is an older WIP picture, I have the cloud done too now and I am still going back and forth. I am so conflicted about which way I want to stitch it. On the over one side: I keep thinking if Vilma ever finishes And God Created, won't I need to finish AGC over one too? And do I want to do two projects that big over one? I love, love how it looks over one and I've seen it finished over one it's beautiful. On the over two side of things: It's not an issue of wall space, I definitely have room to hang the finished pieces if I did them over two, although the framing cost would be a lot. I also wonder if it's easier to see all the detail and symbolism when the piece is stitched over two. I desperately need to make a decision before I go any farther on either piece. And no, stitching both ways is not an option, LOL. I just can't make up my mind!

I had a productive week, I stitched and finished an ornament and I am almost done with my second one. Unfortunately since they are gifts, I can't post pictures but I will after they are given away. So now I only about half a dozen to go :-). I am planning on making big progress this week, I don't have quite as much in my schedule so I should have lots of stitching time. What I need to do is limit my computer time, LOL. Hope everyone has a great weekend and lots of stitching time!

Weekly Wanderings Pt. 2 10-25-50 Plan...

I've been considering for a couple of months how to be a bit more realistic about how many needlework projects I have and what I can actually accomplish in this lifetime. I've thought about going on a "stash diet", doing a two for one kind of thing, finish two projects in order to purchase one or just trying to be a bit more discriminating. I've decided to do the 10-25-50 challenge, Hastur Torres. It's a great idea, essentially I have to finish 10, 25 or 50 projects from my needlework stash before I can purchase anything new. Of course there are rules and exceptions :-).

The purpose of the challenge is to reduce the number of pieces in my needlework stash that I have not stitched.

The Rules (as modified to suit me :-):
1. Have fun reducing my stash.
2. There is no time limit- people have different size projects they would like to work on.
3. Thou shall not purchase any new patterns until 10, 25, or 50 projects have been stitched, 50 for me. Pattern size does not matter.
4. You can make some exemptions.

My Exemptions are as follows:
a. Blackbird Design's Loose Feathers Automatics
b. Autumn Snapperland Pieces, I am on auto for these also.
c. Limited Edition Pieces, this includes the Needleprint Ackworth Martha Brady and Ann Trump and any piece that has a limited availability that I feel I cannot live without :-).
d. My penance for these exemptions is I will not count Christmas Ornaments as a part of my
50 finishes.
e. I may purchase linen and thread only if I do not have what I need in my stash.
f. Finally, I may substitute anything on my list of 50 projects from stash I currently own as I desire.

5. Gifts, gift cards, trades, RAKs (stash sent by others randomly) and patterns bought with gift
money are not a violation of this challenge. Frances Burwell and the Proper Stitch are both Christmas gifts from my DH, can you tell I do my own shopping, LOL.
6. Freebies count as part of your total and you can aquire them at any point.
7. The offical start date for me is Nov 1, 2006.

My List of 50 projects:

1. Bent Creek Autumn Snapperland
2. Bent Creek Spring Snapperland
3. Bent Creek Summer Snapperland
4. Birds of a Feather Happy Hearts Sampler
5. Birds of a Feather Peace
6. Birds of a Feather Sally Spencer Sampler
7. Birds of a Feather School House Sampler
8. Blackbird Designs Be Kind Be True
9. Blackbird Designs Quaker Garden
10. Blackbird Designs Strawberry Garden
11. Blackbird Designs Summer House
12. Blackbird Designs Truly Thine
13. Blackbird Designs Tulip Manor
14. Brightneedle Lo, How a Rose Sampler
15. Brightneedle Ghosties and Ghoulies
16. Carriage House Samplings Alphabet Sampler
17. Carriage House Samplings Green Tree
18. Carriage House Samplings Hearts and Flowers
19. Carriage House Samplings Houses of Hawk Run Hollow
20. Carriage House Samplings Maria P. Oliver
21. Carriage House Samplings Stitcher's Prayer
22. Carriage House Samplings village of Hawk Run Hollow
23. Cross Eyed Cricket Acorn Tree
24. Ewe & Eye & Friends Alphabet Basket
25. Ewe & Eye & Friends Basket 1 Miniature
26. Ewe & Eye & Friends The Heart that Gives
27. Hillside Samplings Tree of Life Sampler
28. Historic Stitches John Foster
29. Just Nan Silkwood Manor
30. Little by Little Reward of Plenty
31. Long Dog Designs The Token
32. Needleprint Sarah Moon
33. Shepherd's Bush A Mother's Heart
34. Shepherd's Bush Autumn Blessings
35. Shepherd's Bush Busy
36. Shepherd's Bush Christian's Stocking
37. Shepherd's Bush Elisabeth's Stocking
38. Shepherd's Bush French Heart
39. Shepherd's Bush Happy Haunting
40. Shepherd's Bush Jillian's Stocking
41. Shepherd's Bush Reed's Stocking
42. Shepherd's Bush The Promise
43. Shepherd's Bush Thoughtful Hearts
44. Shepherd's Bush Victorian Sampler
45. The Drawn Thread An Open Heart
46. The Drawn Thread Marriage of the Minds
47. The Drawn Thread Sampler Game Board
48. The Examplarery Frances Burwell
49. The Scarlet Letter Sarah Tatum
50. Trilogy A Gathering of Hearts

I am committed now, I've put it out there in writing :-). It's a good thing there is an edit feature, seriously though it is a great idea and I really want to do this. I am fortunate to have any number of wonderful designs in my stash. Lately, I have been feeling like I am more of a collector than a stitcher and I want to be a stitcher!

Weekly Wanderings & House Haunting Progress

The Blizzard of 2006 came with a vengeance. But what a fun day, we had cider, soup, hot coffees, and played games. I got to stitch and we watched movies, all in all it was a cozy day of relaxation for us. We got 18 inches of snow, it you are particularly interested there are more pictures in my album, the link is on the left.

I am making good progress on my SB House Haunting. I really think it's a beautiful piece. I would love to sit and work on it until it's finished but Christmas is coming quickly and I don't want to be caught up in the last minute stitching rush. It makes December unbearable for me when I have gifts to finish. I usually do small ornaments to go with gift cards, participate in a few exchanges and I stitch something for my mom and sometimes my DH. I'd like to be finished up by Thanksgiving this year. I spent Thursday selecting and kitting up ornaments. Since they are gifts and exchanges I won't post a list or pictures until after they reach their new homes :-).

I am off to do part two of my post, my plan for managing my needlework stash...

Blizzard, Chit Chat and my Latest WIP

I just love this Fob and I wanted to share a picture of it. My friend Vickie made it for an exchange we did at the Shepherd's Bush Retreat. It's so gorgeous in person, the picture doesn't do it justice.

On another note, we have a blizzard in our forecast for tonight. Someone pinch me, isn't it still October? I cannot believe it, 40-60 mph winds and 5-12 inches, whiteout conditions. I've been to the grocery store to pick up a few things and cancelled my dental appointment for tomorrow. Of course the weather here is very unpredictable, we could end up with a whole lot of nothing, but just in case the order of the day will be SB House Haunting, Pasta Fagioli and Italian cornbread, oh and vanilla coffees and maybe some hot apple cider :-). Hopefully my DH and DD will be able to stay home with me and enjoy the day, it's too soon to tell. We'll have a much better feel for what the weather is going to do this evening when the storm system gets a bit closer.

I am moving along on House Haunting. It's been a bit of a pain, I had to unpick everything I did at the retreat, somehow I got my linen turned around and I was stitching in the wrong direction. Some of it was over one and I cut a thread and then had to reweave the linen. Then I started again, and was off on my counting and had to unpick a bunch of stuff again. I've decided starting in the middle is not the thing to do on a sampler. This time I started from the top middle so I am sure my count is good :-). Maybe I will add a post blizzard WIP picture!