The End of February - Already???

Well, that was quick... My little kid (who's about 3" taller than me) turned 14 Saturday. Can't believe that. And the other one turns 18 next month - DEFINITELY can't believe that :( That would make me... old, tired, and cranky... :) Here's the 14 yo at his birthday dinner at our newest Mexican eatery, Cabo's, wearing the Birthday Sombrero:


Note to self - don't just hand your iPhone over to the 17 yo - I now have 20 pictures and 3 videos of the Kid on there... Oh, yeah, I am about ready to wrestle him to the ground and shave that damn dirt-stache he's sporting, too... He was going to get a new cell phone, you know, one that actually WORKS, so I can reach him when I need to, but he came home from the music store with a new Peavey amp instead - which was smart, since his electric guitar is locked in the band room at school. But he also got new strings for the acoustic, so he could at least do that. Not sure how he's dragging the new amp onto the bus this morning to get it to school, but he was determined to do so... I'm sure all of my favorite Metallica songs will sound much better on the new amp :)

In other news, we have had WONDERFUL weather the last several days - I had to switch from jeans to shorts yesterday, and when I turned the oven on for dinner, it was actually almost stifling in the house with the windows open. BUT, it's also the beginning of pollen season, and whatever is out there right now is bad for me. Hopefully it'll rain as predicted today and wash it away - I haven't slept well for 2 nights now because of it :( I can do without a lot of things, but sleep isn't one of them...



As for stitching last week, I worked on a few things (kinda more like normal). First off, Amsterdam. I got that tower done, and packed up the kit to go back to Anne, or I could likely hang onto it indefinitely :) GOTTA GET THIS!


I also got decent progress on Tanglewood, got that branch filled in and the other one outlined. I worked on it for a bit at my monthly PINS get together Saturday, too.


Also at PINS on Saturday, I took Mary Wigham out and tried to give her some attention, but was apparently incapable of counting and/or reading the chart, so I pretty much stopped before even getting a whole length of thread in (in the right place, that is). The new color I have added on this started motif is Moon Called Sea - it's really cool. Too bad I didn't get further, so I could really see it stitched up...


And then, lastly, after I put Amsterdam up, I got out Noah's Sub, and worked on it from Thursday through yesterday. I put in several hundred yellow stitches (have I mentioned how much I don't like yellow?), and have 3 new critters - a walrus, a duck, and a gorilla :)


I still wish I'd chosen a different fabric - I love HDF linen, but it just doesn't have enough body for this piece, since it'll be solidly-stitched (eventually). Too far in to restart now, I just have to be careful to not pull too much, and trying to get the French knot eyes to stay on top - tricky at best.

And that's the progress for the week :) This week, I am not sure what I'll work on. Noah is still on the floor stand, but I may put it up - I'll decide when I get home from the 14 yo's dentist appointment today. I will be working on Lyne's sampler at some point this week - just need to decide if I need a break in between two Stoney Creek designs :) Other than that, no real plans; kinda like waiting to see what the weather brings this week - since things are blooming, I know we'll get bitterly cold again. And then in a couple of months, I can begin whinging about the insufferable heat - because that's what we do :) Just hope I get a bumper crop of irises in between ice & fire... Happy stitching this week to everyone!

Soup's On - an Update

Been a busy week here - we had 8 games in 7 days, though I only went to 3 of them, since I can only be in one place at a time. The Big Kid broke another kid on Thursday - broke his leg, just purely bad luck, from what I understand, since it's one of the games I didn't get to. The broken kid scored, so I guess it wasn't a total loss - it just sucks that he was a senior, too, and is out for the rest of the season, of course. Keeping my fingers crossed that my kids stay in one piece - it's going to be a rough couple of months.

So, here's the soup I mentioned:


A Dutch oven full of chicken noodle soup, which wouldn't have been good on Saturday when it was almost 80 here, but just fine yesterday when the sun refused to make an appearance and the wind was very cold, especially at the 9:30 game yesterday morning. Supposed to be near 70 today - we'll see. Cooler the rest of the week, closer to normal, whatever that is...

On to the stitching...

Like last week, I only worked on Tanglewood and Amsterdam. I got that 4th branch done on Tanglewood, and got the outline started on the next one up:


And then the progress I got on Amsterdam; I am planning to get this tower done, hopefully tonight, and then I think it's time to send this back to Anne, before I get carried away with it :)


Once I decide I have gotten to a stopping place on Amsterdam, I am going to concentrate on Lyne's wedding sampler and try to get that done; it really hasn't gotten but just a tiniest attention since my slump last summer, so if I can get that done, I'll feel less guilty for having it this long unfinished.

And that's the news... Happy Stitching this week to everyone!

Another Monday Update

Well, I am ready for spring. We had 3 days of rain, and some snow that I should have taken pictures of before it melted a couple of hours later, and blue skies and warming-to-normal temps since. Going to be 65ish today - fine by me. Both kids have a game today - one is early, at 5:00, away, so I doubt I'll get to that one. Don't know if I'll get to the other one, either - if it is home, then maybe. I don't know how we are going to manage this schedule this year, especially as both schools expect us to volunteer, which is going to be way easier said than done. Oh well, I'll hurdle that problem when I get to it.


On to the stitching. I managed to work on Tanglewood a good bit during the week, getting that 4th branch of that set outlined, and began getting it filled in. I also got the leaves on the right side all caught up.


After finishing MTM Monday evening, I did go to bed early, as I mentioned in last week's update :) From Tuesday on, I worked on Anne's Amsterdam kit by Thea Gouveneur, getting it started for her - she needs more WIPs. The linen it comes with is kinda weird, but once I got it into a frame and sated putting thread to it, it was totally addictive!!! I am going to HAVE to get this kit (and London, too) - working with only one strand is great! I started in the middle, working on the train station, which I was in on numerous occasions :) Not to mention it's the biggest building there, and made of this amazing red brick - you can't miss it :) Amsterdam was my only trip to the mainland; it was a beautiful, old city, and I would like to go back someday...


And that's all I did during the week (in between the 14 loads of laundry that I still don't have done - it just never ends, I swear). I will keep on on Amsterdam this week - Anne didn't have a set amount for me to do, so I'll try to not get too carried away. I do know that when I send this back to Texas, I will then concentrate on getting Lyne's sampler done - that piece suffered the most from last summer's slump, so I really want to get that done for her. After that, Purrfect Summer's Day and Knotgarden - I am on a mission to get some things DONE. Of course, the long-term projects are suffering, but if I can whittle the pile of WIPs down, that'll be better for all concerned later. Assuming there isn't a mid-year startapalooza, of course...

Well, that's the news. I'm ignoring what the calendar says about today; that was ruined for me 20 years ago tomorrow; as a result, I don't do Hallmark holidays. But if you celebrate, have a lovely day :) Happy stitching to everyone!

Sorry I'm Late...

....but I was busy FINISHING Medieval Town Mandala!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


And I took a few shots, trying to get the bead relief - not the best, but it is a hard thing to get a picture of. Start here and use your imagination :)

This really is my favoritest project E-V-E-R! So far :) And I am getting a Jill Rensel frame on it as a gift from my mom :) Started on January 1st, 2009, and worked in rotation since, finished today, February 7th, 2011, at 7:10 p.m.

In slightly less impressive, but no less important, news, I worked on Tanglweood last week for, oh, about 30 minutes :) Granted, a done MTM is kind of a hard act to follow, but someday, hopefully before too long, Tanglewood will get a fanfare of its own...


As for what's next, well, I am starting a new project - for Anne :) She sent Thea Gouveneur's Amsterdam kit, and I'm going to get her going on that, which I know will only further increase my NEED for this kit, and the London one :) Which I can get cheaper from the UK than I can here, pound rate notwithstanding. Still wish they were available just as charts...

Tonight, since I have spent the last 3 days beading my fingers to the bone, I think I'll take my book and go to bed early. I can't believe I'm saying that :) Thanks go to my boss, who let me leave at 12:30 today, so I could home and get cracking - he's a stained glass guy, he understands :) Now, the trick will be to get another project or two done before Tuscany Town or Secret Victorian Garden force their way out of the drawer.... Happy Stitching this week to everyone!

The Tease - an Update

We had a taste of spring this weekend; it was 67 on Saturday, blue skies and not a cloud, and was 70, at least, yesterday! I cleaned a few windows yesterday :) Snowmageddon a few weeks ago, and now a weekend like this - you just don't know until you walk outside :) But we're back to winter this week, a normal GA winter; it's raining today, and the high temp was 51 this morning, and 40s for the rest of the week. HS soccer starts next week, best get prepared...


On to the stitching bits...

I went to the Tuesday night stitch in at the Stitch Store, and between there & lunches during the week, I got a bit of progress in on Tanglewood. Still working on this large section that has 4 branches (3 actually, though the one stops & starts at the trunk, like 4) - would like to get the last part outlined this week, at least.


I don't know if I'll go to the stitch in this week or not - depends how tired I am by the time work is over tomorrow.

Also, of course, continuing on MTM. I got past the frog attack, thank goodness, and got the 2nd corner done Saturday - I only had a few Algerians left to do Friday night, but I had to go to bed - and then stayed up until 3 a.m. reading... But as soon as I got some chores done Saturday, I sat down and finished up those and colored that corner done (except beads - to come later):


Then I started the next one. I have found that Seether has a great rhythm for stitching - plug in the old iPod, get it at just the right volume, and have at it. Of course, I was listening to Karma & Effect, so... But anyway, I got all of the turquoise in on Saturday, before I again had to go to bed - and again stayed up late reading and writing. I got the 2nd gold in and started on the green bush thing yesterday afternoon, should have this done soon.


If I can get the 4th one in the right spot, who knows how soon I'll have this thing ready to bead? Anyway, I've got the band warming up, so when the Big Finish happens, just listen for the trumpets :)

So that's the plan for this week - keep on keeping on on MTM and Tanglewood, while everything else gets neglected :) Happy stitching this week to everyone!

A Plague of Frogs - an Update

Yes, I've been plagued - not quite in biblical proportions, but you know, even one is too much....

I worked on Tanglewood last week - it's my current lunch & travel piece. I am currently on the BIG branch, that has four (I think) separate pieces interwoven into it. Well, doing the first outline, I was clicking right long, and when I got the end, I realized I had crossed one of the gaps - and picked up the wrong side. So I had to undo all of that and put it back correctly. It only took 2 more tries :) BUT I did get past it, and then took it to my monthly PINS (Purple Iris Needlework Society) get together on Saturday, and got that pesky branch filled in, and a good start on the next section of it.


At home, I concentrated on MTM. I got the top left corner done on Thursday night (pic taken with my iPhone):


And started the top right corner. Which I then discovered, yesterday, as I had it 2/3 done, that, despite my many checks as I began it, I was in the WRONG PLACE :( I was using the wrong spire from North Town as my placement. And, since I am working in a small QSnap, I can't actually see the other side at all, or I would have picked up on it a LOT sooner. SO... I had to rip out the entire gold & turquoise section - my trash looks really pretty :( But I got the gold border started again before I had to go to bed last night - I am POSITIVE I am in the right spot NOW.


Glad I have plenty of extra fibers, to cover my colossal blunder. And that frog (or frogs) had better be gone. I tell ya, these guard dogs I have are fired - they are completely useless....

See, they are all over brown paper bags and things like that, but a frog? They just leave me to my own devices, the mangy mutts...

So, this week, I will keep on with both of these. I hope to have the energy to go to the Stitch In at the Stitch Store tomorrow night, now that Donna is hosting them - was too tired last week and the first week, and then of course, we had Snowmageddon the week in between. So maybe I can manage tomorrow :) We'll see.

Not a lot else going on at the moment - soccer tryouts for high school are this week - the Big Kid doesn't have to try out (ya think?), but will be running drills with the Freshman/JV instead. Little Kid has no idea when middle school is. I am trying to get BK to get some college apps filled out, too, so we can start getting those in. He re-took his SAT this weekend, thinks he did a LOT better, though he already met the requirements of LaGrange College where he want to see the soccer program last weekend. He has an open tryout at Southern Poly coming up, too, though not sure they have anything he needs - but he needs the exposure, so he's going anyway :) This college crap is a PITA; a stop into the AF or Navy recruiter's office would be a lot easier. That worked for me, with only one real regret; I'd do it over again, just go into it with a little more knowledge, a little less I-gotta-get-out-of-here :)


On that note - Happy Stitching this week to everyone!

The Melt - an Update

Well, as you saw from last week's update, I was snowed in on Monday; Georgia was CLOSED. THEN we got ice on top of the snow (but, thankfully, not really on trees or power lines, not by us, anyway), and we were then iced in Tuesday & Wednesday, to the point that Hall County was sitting up at the main road Tuesday morning, keeping people off of it. I did work from home on Wednesday, and after 6 hours of sitting at the PC, in the jet stream that blows through our house, I was a Karen-cicle. Thursday, we managed to get out and go to work, where I ran my space heater with abandon :) AND didn't fall and bust my ass on the skating rink that had replaced the parking lot! I would like to note that Hall County did a GREAT JOB on all the roads I have to be on, especially I-985; Gwinnett County (and I-85), ummm, not so much :( Now, if I can just get the kids back to school - they are off today for MLK, even though some counties made them go back today to get caught up (which caused a bunch of civil rights groups to get their panties in a wad). I am soooo tired of hearing "there's nothing to eat here"....


So, since I had time at home, AND the power stayed on, I stitched a good bit on Monday & Tuesday. I kept Jodie's RR out and just kept plugging away on those border boxes. I worked for hours & hours on 7 of them - and then decided I needed to do something different. So I think I got Jodie's to a good point, she ought to be able to finish it up in pretty short order (if she has time around Temptation, that is). I really think this is a great piece, and though those colors don't scream Christmas, it's definitely unique. Thanks for letting me work on it - and keep it longer, so I could devote the time to it I had planned.


So, when I decided I had to break out of the boxes, I decided to get out Starry Nights - it's been laying on top of my WIP pile, those purples hollering at me over and over. WHEN we were finally able to move around, I finally got stretcher bars for it - HL only had 1 set the time I went in for them, and so I've been working it in QSnaps since - but I can't fit the whole thing in a size small enough to fit the canvas. Somewhere along the way I finally got a handle on the two-layer chart, and worked them together. I was excited to get as much done as I did, but also sad to see I am over half-way now; it's a project I don't want to see end...


And then, yesterday, it was time for MTM to come back out; I've made it wait long enough to finish those corners. So I worked on the upper left corner yesterday afternoon, making good progress on the gold & turquoise sections:


And then, I actually go the remote for a minute, and made the mistake of flipping through the channels, until I saw Jane's Addiction on HDNet. Because, you know, Dave Navarro plays guitar. Without a shirt on. Yeah, he's hot. And I'm not even into tattoos and piercing and all that - but his tattoos realllllyy bring out his eyes, which are, ummm, yeah....


So anyway, MTM will stay out until it is either done, or until I need a break from the repetition. So we'll see :) I have my monthly PINS gathering this coming Saturday - I can't wait! I have my 2 Christmas pieces to take for show & tell, am debating taking some of the newly-framed pieces, too. And on that note, here's a little tune called Jane Says (though in this one, it appears EVERYONE is shirtless - you'll pick Dave out, I think :) ). Happy Stitching!

Snowed In - an Update

Yep, snowed in. We have at least 6" out there - which doesn't sound like a lot to, well, me even, but considering the only snow removal equipment here is allocated to keeping the big 3 Interstates (I-75, I-85, I-20) clear, well, us out here in the sticks get to stay home - and pray the power stays on! We are now getting ice on top of the snow, so tomorrow, with forecasts calling it to be colder than today, is not looking too good either - I'll take snow over ice any day. Out back:


And this is the stop sign to the main road that we can't get to - I should have gone down to the drive and taken a picture from there, so you get an idea of the slope. Cropping this down, I lost a lot of the angle. Trust me, it's all uphill from here...


Pampas grass in snow:


On to the stitching...

I had a finish, my 2nd Christmas piece is now done, and yeah, past Christmas, but hey, I'm ahead of the game for this coming one, huh? That NEVER happens :) But White Christmas is done! That box he's carrying - wow, totally fiddly :(



I was actually able to guess Paula's Mystery Start off of her floss toss (she only gave me one hint - to look at the color families. I immediately recognized the greens and the golds, and it was a process of elimination from there, based on the number of skeins of white she also had :) ), so I started one, myself, which was then guessed to be Papillon Creation's Romeo, an RAK from Mel (with Juliet) that has been hollering at me off and on ever since Walmart cleared out their DMC and I got it kitted up :) LOVE the blackwork bits :) Can't wait to get to my first Tudor Rose in it...


And I put Romeo down to get as far as I could on Jodie's RR, Angel Train, in the off chance that I was going to get out to the PO today, since it's been here well past the return date - but since I threw myself off with the sudden urge to stitch Christmas stuff this year, I begged to keep it longer. AND since I'm clearly not going anywhere today, I'm going to work on it more - all that's left is border, but those blocks are deceptive in how long they actually take.


Excuse the lumpiness of the picture - Dummy was under it, under his blankie, asleep.

So, this week, keep on Jodie's until I can get out of the house, and maybe back to Romeo, or who knows what? L&U is really hollering at me, as are Knotgarden and MTM, which is sooooo close to a finish. I did follow suit and posted an album of my current WIPs, here. Only one official UFO in there, my first of those, too, and completely unintentional. Maybe it'll get some love this year - AFTER I go see the eye doctor... Happy stitching, everyone!

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

I decided to not really do a year in review post, since, if I had actually MADE goals for '10, I know I didn't meet them. Suffice it to say, 2010 did not live up to expectations, stitching wise, life wise, or otherwise, through a series of mostly unconnected events. The highlight of the year was my trip to MI in November - THAT was an awesome weekend, and something I need to do more of in the future.

That being said, I do have some expectations for this year, which is 2 1/2 days old already. These are things, life, stitching, and otherwise, that I expect to happen in the next 12 months, god willing (in no particular order):
- Some much-needed updates and improvements to my house; paint, carpet, furniture, a good firehosing to a couple of rooms, etc.
- Projects that WILL get finished: Medieval Town, Knotgarden, Tanglewood, Starry Nights.
- Projects that OUGHT to get finished: Mary Wigham, Murky Manor, Halloween Quaker
- Projects that SHOULD get started (upon completion of any listed above): Tuscany Town Mandala, Secret Victorian Garden, Sleepy Hollow, Anatolia, Rainforest Crunch.
- Get a kid graduated from high school, and hopefully off to college in the fall, somewhere, somehow.
- Get the other kid out of middle school and into high school (for what it's worth - which ain't much).
- No more animals allowed. None. Nada. I'm putting my foot DOWN. Oh, crap....
- Finish my current piece of writing. Then probably burn it :) Or self-publish under a pseudonym (to protect the innocent)...
- Keep on keeping on at work, hoping to get it smoothed out and less chaotic.
- WHEN MTM gets done, send it to Jill Rensel to frame. Sell appropriate organ to pay for said framing (mine or some lucky donor - whatever :) ).
- More time for friends and family IN PERSON, which should be possible with the upcoming fall soccer season no longer consumed by Big Kid and his travel/managerial demands!
- Deal with day-to-day disasters a little more successfully than in previous years. Let go of what needs to be let go of, and take care of what can be taken care of - and know the difference.
- Take stuff to the Fair again - I missed the thrill of the hunt this past year, but NOT the stress of it all - but since I work better under pressure...?
- Get off my ass and get my life closer to where I thought it would be by now, even if I have to crush a few grapes (or heads) to do so.
- Continue learning new things, using new techniques, exploring more ideas in real life, not just in my head.
- Take advantage of opportunities when they fall into my lap, instead of turning a blind eye, or worse, over-thinking them to death (which amounts to the same thing). This over-thinking has been my downfall more often than not, and though I have always known it, I intend to make it not so much of a liability. Conversely, I don't want to skew the other way and give in to impulse, either. A middle ground is what I am searching for, and I think I've spotted it. Now to reach it and claim it as MINE.
- Ask for forgiveness more than permission (don't tell my kids I said that). Forgive and support more than criticize. These aren't necessarily related.

There, that's not too bad a list, and I think attainable. Mostly. Similar to years past, but I feel I have a more concrete direction this year - and hopefully that means this is the year that things fall into place the way I envision. Or closer to, anyway. I'm feeling strangely optimistic - and though, in speaking to me, you might still get that pessimistic overtone, know that inside, I've always been an optimist - but the sarcasm is just too easy, always available and wow, have I had a lot to work with in recent years :) But what you see is not nearly all that you get; deal with it - I do.

Here's to 2011 - may it be a GREAT one....

Under the Wire - Year-End Finishing

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since I posted anything - I had the damn flu the week before Christmas (first time in 35 years - and for the record, it sucked), so I lost a whole week of everything - no work, no stitching, no nothing. AND I wasn't done Christmas-ing, so was forced to go out on Christmas Eve to finish, and half-ass wrapped everything. But Christmas was had, and boys are happy for the time being. I even have the Christmas stuff down and put away already - that was when I was finally feeling more human day before yesterday.


So, Christmas Day, I felt well enough to pick up a needle, and on Boxing Day, I finished Christmas Mandala!! And now I am working on Father Winter again, hoping to get it done shortly.


The boys and I went out yesterday - gift cards were burning holes in our pockets, so off to Best Buy for even more stuff - I came home with CDs and a laptop cooling stand, and the Big Kid came home with a pile of zombie flicks, because George A. Romero is still paying his defense bill.... Little Kid is full-on geek now - he has WoW discs, and his own account, to go with his new big-ass Tb computer :) No more sharing with his brother.


So as soon as they got their BB fix, and then I got a Bahama Breeze fix, I drug them to JoAnn's, looking for fabric for the Christmas Mandala - I found a couple at HL that just didn't get it - and Natalie said she got her Perfect Fabric at JoAnn's, so I made the drive to go see what I could see. Surprisingly enough, I found MORE of the Perfect Fabric, so yes, I copied Natalie's almost EXACTLY :) Thanks for the inspiration, Natalie - it came out GREAT, if I do say so myself :)

And today, I spent all afternoon stretching 4 pieces for frames. I ordered 3 new ones, for Boo! Club, 6 Bats & A Witches Hat, and BoINK, and had one from last years still sitting here, needing done, for my RR finish, Lavender Path.

The one for BoINK came with the mats reversed, so I cannot finish this one up yet - I have the corrected ones coming, and when it gets here, I will then decide which one I like better; it's not bad now, but not what I pictured, so I definitely want to see what I had planned on getting. Here it is without glass (picking it up tomorrow at HL):





Edited to add: THIS IS THE CORRECTED MATTING, now appearing as I had envisioned. THIS ONE is the keeper :) And yes, I did clean the glass after I took this picture, and no, I didn't take the glass out before I took the new picture because it was a bitch to get clean the first time....



And here is 6 Bats - this came out perfect (aside from my stretching - I just couldn't obsess over it any more, which is why I should pay someone exorbitant amounts of money to do this for me):



And Lavender Path - I am not going to be able to get glass into this metal frame, so may be looking for a piece of Mylar or something, or this will be ruined in short order, here in the house of smoke & animals...:


And finally, Boo! Club, again in a metal frame, but this one's deeper than the one LP is in, so glass should fit, HOPEFULLY without ripping the damn buttons off, again :(


I think I went through about 300 straight pins today, and considering how many I took out & put back in, multiple times... my fingers are so sore :( AND I used my needlenose pliers half the time...

I only have one more thing to finish - my little IC Ink Spot will be made into a needlebook tomorrow, after I get back from HL with glass, and a piece of felt. I don't have any white felt here - how can that be? So that'll be my last finish for 2010.


Not quite the pile of big finishes I had envisioned for this year (Medieval Town & Knotgarden were supposed to be done - but thanks to my summer slump, they didn't happen). That's what I get for finishing two TWs last year - I set the bar wayyy too high for myself :) Of course, only one of those is framed....

Okay, off to finish eating tonight's lasagna dinner (no picture, I was too hungry to take the time :) ) and then to stitch - if I can stand to hold a needle!

Crapfest 2010

I love having the purchasing people in my hallway in late December - look what one of our vendors sent us! Cheryl & Co. Cookies - mmmmm! We obviously paid their bill :)

NO, I did not make those holes - I didn't even know this stuff was there until I was leaving my office to go to lunch. I do plan to do some damage before I leave today, though... :)