Roller-coaster - an Update

And not the Love Rollercoaster song re-done by the Red Hot Chili Peppers...

I sent my MTM to Jill Rensel in Utah a week ago Friday - it was supposed to arrive on Monday. And didn't. Not Tuesday, either. Or Wednesday, Thursday. Friday, I went to the PO with receipt and tracking/insurance things - only to be told I had to wait 2 weeks before I could file a claim. But Jill had also said on Wednesday that things don't usually get to her when they are supposed to - even though I haven't had but 1-2 issues EVER in all my time mailing needlework things around the world. But it did arrive finally on Friday. I found that out about the same time that we found our missing cat, Beanie - who never misses breakfast - except when he's locked in the garage across the street, and not in that big of a hurry to head back home when the door opens... Friday sucked, basically, until about 5:30.


Then Saturday, I was at my monthly PINS meeting when I got a text that my son's GF had flipped her car, with my son in it. They were both okay, not even a scratch, despite broken glass. Both had their seat belts on, thankfully - I guess I've pounded that into his head for 18 years, so he's not completely ignoring me... He also got a job - if we can get his life guard training paid for. Which is the other end of the roller-coaster, as I did the taxes yesterday, and we lost him as a credit since he turned 17 last year (why is it 17?) - so now we have 2 weeks to come up with over $1000 (the waiting this long is a whole other argument that I am tired of having with someone that lives in this house). And got penalized for not having enough coming out, which is nothing more than insult to injury. I think it's time for Fair Tax....


On to the stitching, of which there's not as much as there ought to be, as usual.

I did NOT work on Tanglewood - what lunches I took, I was either writing or only stopped long enough to eat.



I DID work on Lyne's sampler, all metallic hell of it :) Sorry Paula, I'd rather do those doves any day of the week than work with 2 strands of BF :) But the doves are DONE, aside from the last of the backstitching that is waiting for the surrounding bits to get done, AND I nearly got the first bell done, despite the BF (which wasn't really that bad, it just has a mind of it's own sometimes. And the gold BF is a LOT more fragile than either the white or the rainbow). Still a way to go on this thing, but it's coming along....


At Saturday's PINS get together, I decided I needed a no-brainer project (even before I knew my kid's life was almost eclipsed), so I worked on Starry Nights for a little bit, since I didn't have to leave to go to the ER. Got a little bit more filled in.


AND while at PINS, the owner of the restaurant we meet at, Loretta's Country Kitchen, and his wife, who I assume is Loretta, both came out to chat with us, and both raved over a project Jean, our octogenarian, was working on - it had roosters/chickens on it. Well, a few months back, the other Jean had suggested we look for something that we could stitch for the restaurant. I was going through a HUGE pile of old mags that she'd brought to get rid of, and found a design I thought might be cool. But then I got wrapped up in fall soccer, and then they got wrapped up in family stuff, and we hadn't talked about it any more. But after they both raved about those chickens Saturday, I went through my stash list when I got home - I knew I'd made a note about that chart maybe working for them when I saw it; it is from Stitcher's World, July 2002. I started it yesterday :) It ought to be pretty quick, since it's mostly blackwork/backstitch:


And that's it for this week. Will keep on with Lyne's sampler, and who knows what else? Happy stitching this week to everyone :)

Ahhh, Spring - an Update

It's here, the calendar says so :) We turned the A/C on Saturday, so that makes it more official than the calendar, though we did turn it on this time because it was 88 in the house and we couldn't stand it any longer, as opposed to because of the pollen and Little Kid's allergies - so far, it's not been bad, though the pines are getting ready to pop, I think :(


Also - Super Moon Saturday night - which isn't a new thing, but it musta been a slow news day, since it was suddenly all over the 'net ( and I assume Japan is all taken care of, too, since the goings-on in Libya are the #1 story now, it seems). (See, we shoulda taken care of that psycho 20 years ago.) Anyway, IF I had a camera that would allow ME to focus, I could actually take pictures of the moon - gotta get a DSLR - or buy film again (I assume you can still get it?) and takes my chances with the old Minolta...


And we're walking...

So, I motored on through Haunted Library this past week - which included almost not stitching until Wednesday - don't ask me what I was doing Monday & Tuesday, I don't remember now (CRS strikes again); I just know I was busy and sat down about 9:00, only to get up and go to bed early... The first week of the time change always has me completely screwed up. So anyway, I got the stitching part done Thursday night, and started putting beads on. And finished them Friday :) I love putting beads on:


Saturday, I made Terrie's pinkeep out of her Halloween ornie that she stitched - I think it turned out really cute, with the addition of a snake-skin textured metallic ribbon :) I bought 4-5 spools of stuff, and that was the one I liked the best, though I did have to run back to Hobby Lobby for bigger beads - I didn't have enough big ones that matched. Because I need a legitimate excuse to go to HL.


I also got a little bit of work in on Tanglewood, though I only had 2 actual lunches last week, so not much, barely photo-worthy, really...


And as promised in weeks past, I got Lyne's sampler out, and started cranking on it. I will try to work on this to completion, with as few breaks as I can manage. Or until the Kreinik in the bells (2 strands w/1 of floss, I might add) drives me right over that edge I've been teetering on :) Though, actually, with judicious knotting, I've been managing the Kreinik, even normal stitch lengths of 18" or so - we'll see if the luck holds...


In other news, my little boy turns 18 this week. How on earth is that even possible? It's been quite the journey for me and my mini-me (I don't care what anyone says, he's definitely MY kid); from colic and teething, to using his head to test the toughness of every doorknob in the place, to jumping off the 5' wall and other daredevil activities, to thousands of miles driven in pursuit of the perfect soccer game. Laughing and tickling, wrestling and playing in the water, arguing, grounding, being proud of his achievements, and embarrassing him in front of his friends almost as often as I've been the butt of his jokes. Now it's almost time for him to move on to something else, to the next part of his life. Here, son, let me help you pack :)

He hates this picture - I make sure to show it to all the girls he brings home :)

That's the news - keeping on keeping on!

Did Anyone See a Time Lord Go Through Here? An Update

Yes, it's that time of year again - Spring Forward! Bah humbug! I won't lie - I am NOT a morning person, by any stretch of the imagination. Hey, sue me. And morning at 6:15 is bad enough, but when it artificially becomes 5:15, not-so-cleverly disguised as 6:15, well then, needless to say, I am NOT a happy camper. Actually, I'm pretty much a zombie for the next couple of weeks, until I regain my usual morning torpor. Personally, I just don't see the need for this time change - I don't actually NEED more daylight in the evenings; actually, in the heat of summer, it would be nicer to still sleep while it's cool out, instead of trying to go to bed when the house has approached the Kelvin scale. But what do I know? I just don't think anyone should be mucking about with the clocks unless he's, you know, qualified to do so - with a sonic screwdriver...

So on to the stitching...

Mucking about with time myself, I went back and picked up a piece I started last year - and just seemed to have put away. Joan Elliott's Imagine was started last year, as a companion to Dream that I completed, both to be given to the daughters of a friend who passed away unexpectedly. Well, I now know why I put it down - there was a frog in it that I was unable to find, until I picked it back up on Monday night, determined to finish it. And then Tuesday, when I went to the stitch in at the Stitch Store, I continued working on it, trying to figure out if I needed to rip out the mistake or if I could fudge it. I couldn't decide, so I put it away and worked on Tanglewood instead :) But finally, Saturday, my decision was made - rip & re-do. And now it's DONE!!!


I just need to get both pieces into silver frames, and off they can go - maybe a little later in the year... And I have added several Joan Elliott pieces to the Lust List - I just like her fairies & goddesses so much more than anything Corbett puts out :)

And as noted above, I also worked on Tanglewood, of course, Tuesday night and during only a couple of lunches - too busy last week for an actual break, really. But the branch I am working on has gone really quickly, so it actually looks like I did something! This top half ought to go quicker than the bottom half did - I've already done a good part of it before (on Natalie's RR), so hopefully the flow will click right away - and well, the top of the tree's smaller than the bottom, innit? LOL Can't wait to get to the peacock again :)



I also worked a couple more nights on my Mill Hill Halloween piece, and though I didn't complete all the stitching, I am pretty close. I'd actually like to get this one done this week, beads & all, so I can then safely put it up and get Lyne's sampler out. Getting another WIP out of the way makes me feel so much better, I just want to keep getting things done....


Speaking of getting things done, or rather, INSTEAD OF getting things done, I started a new project Friday night, which was supposed to be a quickie, before I had to take out half of what I did Friday (I should have just gone to bed, but no, I wanted to keep on working past my normal time, like a bonehead). But still, once I frogged all the over-1 (have I told you what a PITA that is???), I got it about 2/3 done yesterday, and just might finish it up tonight, maybe :) It is the newest freebie from Blue Ribbon Designs, Leprechaun Lodge, which I'm doing over-1 on 28ct to make another pinkeep - since I only have fall ones, I figured I needed to branch out a little.


As for this week - finish the Leprechaun Lodge, and swing by the Lobby to get some St. Patty's fabric for it and actually finish it this week. I also have a pinkeep to make for Terrie at the Stitch Store - she did the sheep Halloween ornie from last October's JCS, and I got the stuff to make that into a pinkeep for her (I need to do that one, too - it's soooo cute!). Finish the Haunted Library. Get Lyne's sampler out and get cracking on getting it done!!! 14 more loads of laundry, who knows how many games, cooking, cleaning (well, maybe...), etc... I sure am gonna miss that hour for the next 8 months....

HEY! Where'd Spring Go??? An Update

Yeah, yeah, as soon as I rub it in about how awesome it was here the last couple of weeks, of course, winter came back (though, OUR winter is still better than winter north of the Mason-Dixon). Rain, and I think lots of it - enough to have woken me up a few times overnight. Enough to cancel a weekend of soccer (darn - NOT). And the wind was definitely from way up north somewhere - BRRRRR! Back to a regular spring, whatever that is, this week - 50's for the highs, lows in the upper 30's, lower 40s. No frost predicted, as of right now, which is good, since all the Bradford pears are blooming....

(this is a pic from last year - the sun rising, turning all the pear tress across from work all pink & gold...)

Well, as for last week's stitching, there wasn't a lot - I didn't get much i n during the week, busy with other things. I only worked on Tanglewood during a couple of lunches, but I am ready to go back over to the left side of the chart again :)


And then, I decided to put Noah away when I got home last Monday, and caved in to a Mystery Start, which is my Halloween Mill Hill trio - the idea totally stolen from Nancy's Christmas MH RR :) I have the Haunted Library over half-stitched, maybe closer to 3/4 (hard to tell with all the beads still to go on). I haven't got the GITD thread on it yet - one of the three doesn't have any, so I'll have to save some and work it in :) I have some in BF, but these kits use braid, but there ought to be plenty left over....


This week, I am undecided what I will work on - I do need to get Lyne's out, it is sitting on top of my cabinet, ready to go, before I caved to the lure of a Mystery Start :) I may get a little further on the MH piece, or I may put it away. Besides Lyne's piece, Starry Nights is also calling. Maybe I need to work in both ;) Who knows what I'll actually do? Maybe it'll be another week of lots of writing, though I actually need to do some serious spring cleaning - but need to do that when someone is home (I need a chore boy) (and not the cheesy animated one, but an actual chore boy).

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!