December goals reviewed, January goals

I'm absolutely loving working on My Stitching Treasures! It's a gorgeous piece, and the silks feel great. There are some errors in the chart, such as the name of the color to use not matching the number they give, but I can figure it out. I have a good many blocks done so far, as you can see in the pic.

Also--happy birthday to me! Yes, I'm now 37. Bleh. I'll work on resolutions for the coming year tomorrow.

Now I need to review my stitching goals for December:

HAED The Awakening--finish current page and next small page Done, plus another page
TrickORTreat--finish making it into a box, correct problems if I can Nope
Gray Cat--stitch it Done
1 ornament to finish Done
Exchanges--finish up New Years piece and stitch small piece Done
Work on HAED RR (whenever it shows up) and next Just Nan RR Done. HAED RR never showed
No new starts, other than Generosity by Drawn Thread I started my Christmas present, My Stitching Treasures

I really don't want to mess with TrickORTreat, but I'll keep putting it on my goals list til I do it. Here's what I want to do in January:

My Stitching Treasures--finish stitching it
HAED The Awakening--finish 2 pages
Love Quilts square--begin working on it
TrickORTreat--finish making it into a box, correct problems if I can
Exchanges--Work on HAED RR and next Just Nan RR; do finishing of birthday piece

I'm a little overwhelmed with all the stuff I got for Christmas and the things I've bought recently. I'm going to try to buy less in January and start writing down my cross stitch purchases. We'll see how that works.

New TV

We got the TV in today, and Matt set it up a little while ago. There's a black line going down the left side of the screen. I'm so annoyed I can't even watch the movie with him. Can't anything for once go right? I'm so bone-numbingly tired of things screwing up. I'm just sitting here and crying about this stupid thing.

And of course since we ordered it online, we can't just return it to the store. I just don't want to screw with it.

The Awakening Page 25

I finished page 25 today, which puts me at 58% done. I got to stitch a few waterlilies this time around.

I also mailed my package for the New Year's exchange on the Rotation Stitchers bulletin board Tuesday. I'm a little early--it wasn't due until the 2nd, but it's nice to get it out the door.

I have quite a few projects to work on now. My mom left me her serger so I can finish the edges of my fabric, but it's not working properly--I have to figure out how to thread it. I wanted to serge the edges for My Stitching Treasures, but I may just use fray check or whip stitch it instead.

I finally got my floss in from Wyndham today. I had already bought some of the floss since they were taking so long. Eventually I'll learn my lesson and just get stuff from Ginger's.

House guest: We picked up our friend Jon from the airport last night. We took him to Chuys, a Tex Mex restaurant in Austin. I didn't really care for my enchiladas, but I knew that was probable going in. Today we went to Dragon's Lair (a gaming store) and Freebirds (excellent burritos). Matt and Jon are playing computer games at the moment. He leaves Saturday really early.

Christmas present from DH

So I got a nice haul from Matt yesterday! I did indeed get the complete kit of My Stitching Treasures by Jeanette Douglas. I have been wanting this since I saw someone stitching it at last year's stitching camp. That box is a nice chunk of change, so I didn't want to just go out and buy it. It's just as beautiful as I remember!

Sneaky Matt actually wrote to Jeanette and enlisted her help in getting me all the correct supplies. All he had to do was pay for it, and she even arranged to get the box shipped to him! She sent him that little card saying "Matt, Merry Christmas."

You can bet I will be starting this one soon!

He also got me tons of CDs, more than I thought he would. I now have lots of '80s music to listen to. And he bought a very funny book called Eats, Shoots & Leaves, a book about the hazards of misusing commas. As an editor, I can appreciate this! The panda eats, shoots & leaves. Ow! Much different from eating shoots and leaves.

I decided to open my birthday present early since he said I'd then have more vacation time to enjoy it. I'm so glad I did. He bought me a new digital camera! I guess he got tired of my complaining about my old non-megapixel one that wouldn't hold a charge for more than a few seconds. The new one is a Canon Powershot S3 IS 6.0 megapixel camera. I'd link it, but I really don't want to know how much it cost. The pictures are lovely, as you can see. It has a nice zoom and flash, and can take little movies. I'm sure we'll have tons of movies of our pets soon.

Mom drove back to Louisiana yesterday. Matt and I had a quiet day home alone, watching the live action version of The Tick (one of his Christmas presents). We also played a little City of Heroes. Matt expected a call from his dad and uncle yesterday, but they never called. Surprising since it was his first Christmas without his mother.

I also stitched on The Awakening yesterday. Today I need to start working on cleaning up some clutter. We have a friend coming in to town tomorrow, and he's staying with us for a few days. At least Mom cleaned the house while she was here. :-)

Oh, and we'll probably get the TV in tomorrow!!!

I hope you all had a good Christmas. I'm just glad no one wound up in the ER!

Vandals: We did get in the surveillance camera, but it will not record hours of footage. It emails clips to you. Since lots of stuff moves in our front yard, setting up the motion sensor really wouldn't work. We're still trying to figure out what to do. Since it had been raining a lot, up to yesterday at lunch, we didn't have any trouble with them.

Dog: For some reason Lufy chewed a hole in one of Matt's shirts that was on the floor of the bedroom (a new one, of course). We let her sleep with us when it's cold or wet. We wondered why we had to put her out in the middle of the night to go hack! She also got very gassy yesterday, we think from ham scraps. She won't be getting those anymore. My poor girl's getting old.

Christmas eve presents

We went over to see Marty, and he got me all three parts of Barnabee's Quest by Just Nan (part 1 is shown in the pic). It was on my Christmas list. I know someone whose blog I read was doing a SAL--I'll have to look it up. He also gave me my birthday present, which was 10 mesh project bags. Wow! I said a few, but this will hold every WIP I have even planned.

I also took home a few boxes of Matt's mom's cross stitch projects (she passed away a while back). Some projects have been started, so I may finish them and give them as presents to the family next year. I also have a Precious Moments piece that she had framed. I took it apart, and the acid paper has really yellowed it. I'll soak it in Orvus to see if I can get it a little cleaner. She was also a smoker, which I'm sure damaged it.

We had lunch with mom today. She returns home to Louisiana tomorrow. I'll get a wake-up knock on the bedroom door tomorrow morning at 4:00.

Last night we went over to see Matt's family--his aunt and her children, whom he hadn't seen in years. We had a really good time talking to them and catching up. They have a bunch of children. If we do wind up having a child, they won 't be close in age. Aw. We did a white elephant exchange, and I wound up with chocolate-covered pecans (yum), mom had two Hershey's cups with hot chocolate mixes (she gave me one), and Matt got a wooden helicopter you have to put together. They went by birthdays and went from December to January, so of course I was first. That also meant I got to pick last. I traded away a thumb drive and golf cooler.

I've been working on my birthday exchange piece, and I hope to put in the last stitch tonight. Then there will just be the finishing.

New Year's exchange piece finished, part deux

I finished up my second piece for the New Year's exchange. I kept stressing about the first piece, whether it fit the theme enough, so I stitched a second piece. I made it into a cube-it, and I think it came out rather well, if I do say so myself. It's all packed up and ready to mail.

Cutting the styrofoam was a nightmare. I just couldn't get it straight. I tried a paring knife and an electric knife, but what worked (mostly) was a very sharp knife my mom gave Matt. Someone suggested a hot wire tool, so next time I'm at Hobby Lobby, I'll give it a look.

Yesterday Mom and I went to Ginger's. Oh boy. I brought my two HAED quick stitches in to be framed. I usually frame my own pieces, but I want the mat to butt up right against the stitching. I'll leave that to the professionals! They're small, so they came out to be $100 each, which isn't too bad.

I was very bad and bought other things, like the Proper Stitch. I haven't gotten to read it yet, so no idea if I'll like it. I heard lots of rave reviews.

The pic below is a graphic of the border for the Chatelaine rose quilt. I bought my fabric for it yesterday. Because of the size (26.5" x 26.5"), I had to buy a full yard of cream 32-count linen. Yes, that was $60. Ouch! The fibers and such are also going to be a butload of money. I bought whatever floss Ginger's had, but it wasn't much.

I also found some white opalescent fabric for an ornament I want to stitch eventually (a freebie from Jean Farish's website). I bought a few yards of quilting fabric, too, one for a finish and one just because it was so gorgeous. I guess it's a good thing I don't get into Austin often!

Fairy prints

My mom gave me my Christmas present early. She found these three Amy Brown prints and thought of me. She had them framed at a local shop. These are now hanging in my dining room right next to the mantel I showed you a picture of the other day. She mentioned she wanted them in her bedroom (i.e., the guest bedroom), but I had other plans.

The prints are of Autumn Daydream, Firedance, and Fire Element.

The garland stayed up for a few days at least. One of the hooks came off, and now it's just dangling. If I could get to it, I'd fix it, but mom brought lots of boxes of her quilting supplies, as usual.

We also got in our new expensive office chairs. This is going to be so nice! Matt's going to have to lug them up the stairs.

We also treated ourselves to a new TV. It's a 52-inch Sharp Aquos LCD. We ordered it from Amazon.com after looking at it in Best Buy. We did buy a new TV stand there, which is sitting in the living room unassembled. We're thinking we're going to put Matt's old TV in the bedroom, but we're not sure how we're going to get a stand that will put it high enough to see in our huge bed. His TV is old, big, and heavy. That could be dangerous.

I took Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off work, so I'm free! I also have next week off. We have a full schedule. My mom is here, so we'll probably hit Ginger's tomorrow or Thursday. Matt's work's Christmas party is Friday, and we're going to see his relatives Saturday. We have a friend from out of town coming in next week, and I hope to see Cherylann (HasturTorres) at some point next week. I'm exhausted already!

Stitching: I'm stitching away on my birthday exchange piece, which of course I can't show off. I'm also waiting for some threads for the New Years exchange I'm doing. Ugh. They were supposed to be here by now. I received my Just Nan RR, which I need to take a look at.

Vandals: A police officer came by, and we had a good long talk. He was an interesting guy and made me feel better. I haven't been quite as stressed out, but we also haven't yet ordered the camera. I think I'm going to have to lean on Matt. We haven't had any more trouble since the police officer spent a good hour parked in front of our house. Maybe the vandals (i.e., kids in our circle) have gotten the message we're not playing around. Matt figured they hit us four separate times. I still want the camera.

Toe: My toe is healing, and I can just about walk normally. I can't spend too much time on it. We went in to Austin Saturday, and the shopping made my feet swell some. It could have also been the yummy but salty crab alfredo from Red Lobster. My birthday is on New Year's eve, I hate crowds, so we decided to have my special meal early. We'll probably also eat out in town on the day, but there's no place good here.

Vandals have struck again

Sometime between 8:00 and midnight, someone cut two of our Christmas light strings. So much for the street light being a deterent. We also think someone cut a light the night before. We're going to call the police again this morning and tell him to go talk to the neighbor we think is doing it. Enough is enough.

No one else is getting their lights cut. We've had a beef with those kids for playing basketball after 11:00, but that was months ago. I know the howeowners association is sending them regular notices about the basketball goal that they refuse to put away when they're done and the garbage cans they leave out all the time. They know Matt was on the board of directors; they probably don't know he quit, and he's the easiest target. If the parents flout the rules, I'm sure the children aren't going to be any better.

I am ordering the surveillance camera. This is stressing me out so much. My eye has been twitching again, which usually happens when I'm stressed. I sit and stitch and just stew. I feel my blood pressure rise when I think about these people who don't care who they hurt. I don't want them to ruin my Christmas, but as much as I try, I think they have.

I'm sorry for the rant. I hate that this negativity is taking me over, but all I can think about is catching them and making them pay compensation. If I get them on tape, I'm pressing charges, and I'm taking them to small claims court.

Too many ornaments

Yesterday I bought some 3M hooks and put up my Christmas garland and ornaments. I prefer to have more uniform ornaments on the tree itself, which we haven't put up yet. I'm just thinking that if I stitch anymore ornaments next year, I won't have any place to put them.

I'm also waiting for the whole thing to fall off the mantle....

I'm working on an exchange piece right now. I ordered the chart and fabric but didn't know that the chart was 4 threads over two, and the fabric was 20 count. Bleh! Instead I'm doing it 2 over 1. I think it's OK, but I'm still stressing about it. I guess I won't be convinced until I see the finished product.

Computer stuff: Matt's taking today off as a sanity day. He got in new parts for his computer and will work on that. Hopefully that will fix his problems. The guys are supposed to come over for some gaming Saturday.

We're also going to Best Buy Sunday to look at HD TVs. Yippee! We've put off buying a new television for a while now.

My toe: I went to the doctor yesterday, and the broken toe is healing. It's going to be crooked, though, which feels really weird because it pushes up against the other toe. My only alternative is to have surgery so they can put a pin in it. I don't think so. There goes my foot modeling career!

Rotten kids: The kids were playing basketball in the circle again last night, after I so kindly got the city to fix the burnt street light. I need to find out the time for the curfew and the noise ordinance. I used to know it but can't remember. Fortunately they had stopped by the time we were ready to go to bed. I swear, I'm going to call the cops if they don't. I'd talk to their parents, but they don't seem to be the type to care, and I get so nervous and stuttery during confrontation. I guess I'm out of practice. I used to verbally fight all the time with my dad and ex, but that was a long time ago, fortunately.

Matt doesn't think we should buy a surveillance camera since we're hoping to move in the spring. Ugh. I really want to catch the scumbags that cut my Christmas lights. We're also having to pick up every single package from the post office because the rotten kids have broken off the keys in the package lockers. The camera won't fix that because the mailbox is pretty far away (that's another rant).

Christmas exchange revealed

Leah received my package for the Christmas exchange, so I can finally reveal what I stitched! This is Just Nan's Christmas Hearts. It's a freebie pattern, but I do like it a lot. I must have stitched that middle heart five times to get it right. I may have to stitch another one for myself--only this time get it right the first time!

I think I should have used a more glamorous bow. And maybe I'll start taking pictures with a little more interesting background like I've seen on a few blogs. That might mean getting a better digital camera (and one that holds a charge for more than 5 seconds). Hm...

I also stitched Santa Keeper scissor fob from Drawn Thread, another freebie. This is the mystery item that I used the fuzzy stuff on. I finally took a pin and scraped it across each stitch. That sure fuzzed it up. I've also seen a wire brush on a store website, but I don't know if it's worth the investment. This is one I definitely want to stitch for myself, even though I don't use fobs on my scissors. Not bad for my first stitched fob!

In her package I also sent a variety of pecan candies from a local place, a University of Texas coaster for your car, and a Don't Mess with Texas magnet.

In other stitching news, I got my stuff and started working on my birthday exchange piece. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I improvised. More on that later.

In a Stable finish

This is In a Stable by Shepherd's Bush. I finally finished off the last of the Christmas ornaments I had stitched during the year. Major HD time! I wasn't looking forward to making a tuck pillow--not my favorite thing, for some reason. I think it looks OK. I do really like the fabric I used. The gold is a metallic, which looks good against the vibrant green.

So what to work on next... I've almost finished my December goals, except for finishing up TrickORTreat, which I don't feel like working on. I'm sure I'll find something.

Vandals: Matt found that the vandals who struck Friday also cut up our outside extension cord. He's going to have to get another one at the store tomorrow. The electric company came out today to fix the street light, but they have to come back tomorrow with parts. Now that's service! I'm going to order a surveillance camera just as soon as I find the right one.

Gray Cat HD

I finished this tonight. It's a silk gauze kit (40 count) by Kreinik and was very quick. Of course, it's not centered because the instructions are wrong. Argh. I might be able to get some more framing tape and move the gauze, but that would be a royal pain. I guess it depends on how much I hate it being off center.

The Awakening Page 24

I finished this on my lunch hour, sooner than I thought. Click on the pic.

I'm happy to have finished this row. Only 3-1/2 left (haha)! I'm 55% of the way done, though it looks like more than that. I'm getting to some interesting parts, and I'm finished with all the background trees (whew!).

I think I'll work on Gray Cat now since that's one of my goals for December.

Credit card HD

Yes, we paid off ALL the credit cards! We had been working on them, but with the insurance money from Matt's mom, we paid them all off. What a nice feeling. We may be getting a bit more insurance money, but we don't know yet. We'll probably even have enough to pay off the pricey office chairs we ordered.

I was feeling very angry yesterday over the cut Christmas lights. I don't want to be that bitter person who hates everyone, but I just really wanted to make the people responsible pay. I simmered all day yesterday until Matt fixed the lights. That made me feel a lot better. He said he wasn't going to let them ruin Christmas, so I guess I shouldn't either. He used some plastic shrink wrap (electrical stuff) and worked on them for a few hours yesterday. Now lets just hope no one cuts them again. I'm going to call the city today about getting the street light fixed, and then I'm going to order surveillance cameras.

Saturday we played City of Villains with the guys. Matt's computer is giving him a lot of trouble, so we admitted defeat, and he's ordering a new motherboard and a few other things. More money. At this point, we just want it fixed.

We watched Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest last night. It was OK but not nearly as good as the first one. I stitched for 14 hours straight on The Awakening yesterday while Matt did chores (poor guys). I should finish the last half page on that row tonight. New pic soon!

Vandalism!

Like DH and I don't have enough trouble right now! DH left the Christmas lights on last night, and someone cut them in several places. We called the police, and DH talked to them. We've had problems with some teenagers in the circle when they were playing basketball at all hours of the night this summer. I bet it was them. I am so furious right now it's not even funny. The street light is burnt out, so I'm going to call about getting it fixed on Monday. Then I'm going to get surveillance cameras. I want them to pay.

We're selling the house in the spring. Period.

Generosity HD

I just finished Generosity by Drawn Thread. There are two little buttons, a tree and a birdhouse (which are apparently fragile because I had to get the tree replaced). This was such a fun, quick stitch, and it's so cute. Hm, scan's a little crooked. It's so long it barely fits on my scanner. You'll have to click the link to see a proper picture of it.

I'm thinking of making it into a big wall hanging, kind of like a big Christmas ornament--front and back laced to matboard and stitched together, with a ribbon hanger. I haven't seen anyone do it that way, but it should be possible, right? DH is taking me to Wal-Mart tomorrow morning, so I can see if there's any fabric to match. I didn't manage to get there today.

Computer woes: Matt's having a time of it. His computer crashed, and he's trying to at least get it running for tomorrow's gaming session. I know this really gets to him.

Two little Cthulhus

I finally broke out the polymer clay and made some eyes for the Chthulhu dolls. I have two finished and two others mostly crocheted. I wanted to crochet some Santa hats for them, but I don't have any red yarn. I may make a Wal-Mart run (hobble) tomorrow.

I have new respect for people who make polymer clay buttons. It's harder than it looks on TV. It was rather difficult to make the eyes match and look decent. And you can see my fingerprints in the clay! I also made some heart buttons, pink on the inside and purple along the edges. The purple's not a uniform width because I don't have a roller (or pasta machine) and had to form it by hand. I don't know if I'll actually use them; I made them kind of thick.

I'm still stitching on Generosity and waiting patiently for a bunch of things to come in. I did get my purple eyelash yarn to make some hedgehogs. It's so soft! I also ordered a bow maker because I'm really tired of my bows looking off. Hopefully it will actually work.

Christmas exchange received!

I received my exchange package from Leah yesterday! The exchange is from the Needle and Thread Bulletin Board. She said the piece is from the Cross Stitch Christmas 2002 magazine. It's stitched all in metallic braid and is really bright. I hate stitching in metallics, so I know the work that went into it! It's very cute, and I love it.

The candies are made of maple sugar. Matt is from Ohio, so he loved these. They were nice and crunchy on the outside and soft and smooth on the inside. I say "were" because the box is mostly empty now. I'm saving the rest for Matt. He'd better eat them soon!

I also received my package of 30 blocks of Sculpey clay. I'm almost afraid to open them because they're so neatly packaged.

Strange dream: I had a very disturbing dream last night. I dreamed that I was working on a few round robins, and I made a mistake or two. Then someone showed me that I had stitched "county" as "couty." She was very angry, and I said I would withdraw from the round robins. Now I've never made a mistake on an actual round robin that I know of, so this was very disturbing! I felt so bad! I guess it could have something to do with work issues (something where I didn't do what they were looking for). I was feeling very inadequate yesterday, so this all got jumbled up in my brain apparently.

The Awakening Page 23

Hm, I forgot to blog about this yesterday. I finished another page, and it seemed to take forever. That's what happens when you play computer games! I've also been dabbling in other projects, which takes time away from this. Ugh, and my shoulder's hurting from the stitching and marking my chart.

So here it is (click on the pic). I hope to finish the next half page this month.

This morning I completed the finishing of my New Years exchange piece. I hope the recipient likes it! I'll show pics once she receives it (mailing is January 1). I also want to stitch another little piece, so I'll start that soon.

Yesterday I worked on Generosity some. I really love this chart for some reason. I don't even wear wool! Or know any sheep!

I received my person's name for BeckyBee's birthday club. I ordered some items--one to stitch for her and some to give as gifts. I probably ordered something for me in there somewhere.... I really need to work on a wishlist. I'm afraid the list I sent for the club was rather short and vague.

The little Cthulus are waiting to be stuffed and have their heads sewn on. I haven't received my polymer clay yet to make the eyes. Are eyeless Cthulus scarier? Oh, and I also haven't heard back from the pattern designer who promised tech support...grrr...

Dog: Lufy's off at the vet's today to get her teeth cleaned and to get a bath. Matt had to bring her in. I miss her already. :-(

The toe: The toe's not hurting unless I flex it. The mini migraines have gone away now that I stopped taking the birth control pills (we want to get pregnant, but I was taking Meridia so had to go on bc pills again). I guess it was the bc pills doing it. Very strange...I took bc pills most of my adult life, until just recently.

December goals

I hope to do more stitching in December. I'll have a week off, so that should help.

HAED The Awakening--finish current page and next small page
TrickORTreat--finish making it into a box, correct problems if I can
Gray Cat--stitch it
1 ornament to finish
Exchanges--finish up New Years piece and stitch small piece. Work on HAED RR (whenever it shows up) and next Just Nan RR
No new starts, other than Generosity by Drawn Thread

Health stuff: I'm still getting headaches, but they're a little better. I've stopped taking the Vicodin and ibuprofen since the foot isn't hurting much anymore. I guess the headaches could be from the Vicodin, but I've never had that reaction before. It could be caffeine withdrawal (had lots of Diet Cokes Saturday), but I've never had the headaches be this bad. I could also have a virus since I was a little hot a few nights. Whatever it is, it's bad, and I wish it would go away. You would think that Vidocin and huge ibuprofen pills would knock out any headache. The only thing that helps is my two Diet Cokes during the day. Oh, and my back is starting to hurt from walking funny. Lovely.

November goals reviewed

Hm, I didn't do too well on my goals. This month I've been playing computer games a lot and not stitching as much. It ebbs and flows.

HAED The Awakening--2 pages 1-1/2 pages done
Maggie the Messmaker--work on this UFO a bit Done
TrickORTreat--finish making it into a box, correct problems if I can Nope
Gray Cat--stitch it Nope
1 ornament to finish Nope
Exchanges--ornament, HAED RR, and Just Nan RR I finished two items for the Christmas exchange and mailed it off, finished the Just Nan RR, finished the stitching for the New Years exhange, and stitched and finished a piece for a friend. I haven't received my HAED RR yet.
No new starts! Done

I'm crocheting again!

After seeing posts on Fudgey's blog, I just couldn't resist getting a few patterns. One is a Cthulhu doll, shown here sans eyes. I ordered some polymer clay, the colored kind, so I'll make him some eyes as soon as that comes in. Matt wants some for his friends, so I have three others in the works. I may also crochet some little Santa caps for them.

Hm, maybe a certain Hastur might like one as well. :-)

I also have the hedgehog pattern I mentioned earlier. I ordered some eyelash yarn, noses, and eyes for them.

My ornament exchange was mailed out yesterday. I'll show pics of that after Leah receives it. I'm also waiting on an overdue HAED round robin. I'm starting to get worried....

Convalescing: I've been stitching a little on The Awakening, though it's hard to stitch with your feet up. Both feet are swelling right now for some reason, maybe because I'm not moving them much. I'm still working, but I think I may be getting sick. I had a slight fever last night and have had a headache since yesterday that Vicodin and ibuprofen aren't knocking out. I'm getting really tired of this. It seems I get sick at least once a month with something.

My Thanksgiving Day trip to the ER

Yep, another holiday fiasco. I was mopping the kitchen, my bare foot slipped, and my toes connected with the door frame. My middle toe on my left foot was sticking out to the side, so I knew it was broken. Matt was upstairs vacuuming, and when he finally heard me and came downstairs, he said we should just tape it. Then he saw it and agreed we should head to the hospital.

Four hours later, we're home, and he's started cooking the turkey. Marty (Matt's mom's husband) was waiting on us, and now he has to wait three hours to eat. We got some food from McDonald's because neither of us had eaten (I'd had an English muffin at least for breakfast). Oh, and I hadn't yet taken a shower. I'm sure I looked lovely. Not going to shower for a while either.

The x-ray showed the toe is broken near the base, and it will need to be wrapped for 6-8 weeks. They gave me a CD with the x-ray. No driving or going in to work. At least I work at home most of the time.

At the hospital, I had to have a large wheelchair, not the regular kind for normal people. Matt tried to wheel me into the waiting room, and he just couldn't get it angled right. Since I'm PMSing, I took that to mean I wouldn't fit, and I just lost it. The foot didn't hurt nearly as bad as the mortification. I just kept crying. The doctor of course thought it was the pain and got me some Vicodin, which of course made me very drowsy. I dozed in the chair, but at least I wasn't crying.

Matt's going to be doing all the cooking, and everything else, for a while. He has the satisfaction of being right--he always tells me to put some shoes on when I'm doing chores, and of course I never do. I hate shoes!

I was planning on driving in to Austin tomorrow to see Cherylann, but that's not going to happen now. Very disappointing. I'll still get to game with the guys Saturday, at least.

Angi's RR

I finished my section of Angi's round robin today. I'll try to be lucid--it's late the night before Thanksgiving.

I chose bands from Winter Romance. She included the materials, so the Christmas colors will tie the piece together. I had to frog my name line because I miscounted. Argh, of all the lines to have to rip out--the over-one band.

I bought a crochet pattern for a hedgehog. I saw it on Fudgey's blog. I'm thinking about making some for the charity auction at work. Now if I can find eyelash yarn...

Cable phone: We got it installed today. Of course, it's not right. They installed a jack in the office, and Matt comes home and says they didn't need to. The hole in the wall is also unnecessarily huge. That stresses me out a bit.

Happy Thanksgiving! I know not all my stitching friends are in the United States, but have a happy day anyway. :-)

Maggie the Messmaker update

As promised, here's a scan of my progress on Maggie the Messmaker. I already had the sewing machine and most of the tomato done. I filled in some kitty belly and started working my way down. I know I didn't spend much time stitching this week, but this piece is just crawling. I can see why it's in the UFO pile.

So now I'll switch back to working on The Awakening for another week. I'm a little tired of that one too. I'm sure I'll get excited about it again; I usually go in cycles.

I think I've decided on what to send for the Christmas ornament exchange. I'll send it out as soon as my exchange partner is ready.

I worked a little on the finishing of my New Years exchange piece. It's a little more...challenging than I expected. Pics eventually.

Someone sniped me on the eBay auction of Just Nan Christmas charts. Oh well, I had set my upper limit on them and wouldn't have gone higher. It's just annoying getting sniped. Now I can just stitch from what I have on hand and not wait for new charts to come in. I may work on the round robin tomorrow.

I'm supposed to be getting my HAED RR piece in the mail Tuesday. Yay!

Round robins and exchanges

I received Angi's Just Nan round robin in the mail the other day. It's made up of parts of band samplers with a Christmas theme. I have one winter band sampler, but I'll see if I win an auction for some more Christmas charts. It's a gorgeous piece, and I'm just dying to start working on it. Patience!

I really should not join exchanges. I tend to go nuts. I received my person's name for the Christmas ornament exchange on the Needle and Thread BB. I couldn't find much information on her, just a few designers she likes. So I do have a special little chart by one designer that I've stitched as an extra. That would make three stitched pieces, so I might keep the first little extra I did. Decisions, decisions.

And it gave me an idea for a gift for a friend. Argh!

So today I need to venture into the dreaded Wal-Mart to get a few supplies.

I've been stitching on Maggie the Messmaker, but the progress pic I'll take Sunday isn't going to show much. I've been gaming more than anything else. We're on a roll.

Christmas buying: I've been ordering stuff like mad, and most of them aren't presents. Recently I've gotten: a new cell phone (mine's dying), shirts and T-shirts for Matt (unfortunate accident with OxyClean), bathroom mats for the guest bath and downstairs half bath (shredded in the wash), a set of expensive Henckel Twin kitchen knives (ours were falling apart, literally), and Christmas presents for Matt. I'm still waiting for more presents and new torchieres for the living room (both died at the same time). Plus, we think we've settled on office chairs (mine is terrible, and the back is falling off Matt's), but they're going to be a lot more expensive than I thought. Everything seems to break all at once. Ugh. Oh yeah, the lamp died in my sewing room too!

My button

Success! My button came out just fine, and I stitched it on this morning. Can you tell what it is? ;-)

Michelle (artbuff) mailed out the next Just Nan round robin piece, so I'm anxiously awaiting that. It's a Christmas band sampler and looks so pretty already.

2007 calendar is in!

Yesterday I received my 2007 calendar from Selina Fenech. She's the artist that did the artwork for Beauty and the Beasts QS and Dragon Soul QS. It's absolutely gorgeous!

I've switched over to stitching Maggie the Messmaker, one of my three WIPs that are sort of UFOs. Dimension kits are just not fun to stitch; nothing's straightforward about it. I'll stitch on this through the weekend and then switch over to The Awakening again. I'll scan a progress pic on Sunday night.

I finally got my paint for the button I'm working on--nothing fancy. I sprayed it with polyurethane and am waiting for it to dry. We'll see how it comes out.

I also bought a plastic bin for my ribbons, cording, and decorating items. I'm getting quite a collection!

Awakening update

I finally finished another page of The Awakening. It seemed to take forever. I'm rather disheartened by her red, blotchy face at times. Some days it looks fine to me, and other days I'm sad about it. That's the problem with stitching pieces that no one has ever stitched before--you never know what you're going to get.

Anyway, I'm 51% done! Be sure to click on the pic for a better image.

Movies: We watched Cars tonight. It was pretty good. I'm glad I bought it. It's one of those movies I'll be able to watch over and over.

New Year's exchange piece finished

I put the final stitches on the piece for the New Year's exchange this morning before work. I still need to do the finishing and a little extra piece, but I'll do that a little later (if I can stand the wait). I think it came out very cute.

A note on making buttons out of Sculpey clay: the toaster oven is deceptive. Apparently the temperature is much higher than the temperature knob would have you believe. My poor unsuspecting buttons came out black in the toaster oven! I did a few more in the conventional oven, and they turned out just fine, nice and white. I need to go buy some paint because I did not have the right color in my paint kit. This button is turning out to be more expensive than just buying it outright!

So now I'm working on The Awakening again. I plan to work on it this weekend, but of course I have some things to get done, such as the final mowing before winter (86 degrees F here at the moment), etc.

Cats: Anubis has been on a diet and has been driving us nuts with his crying. He wasn't losing weight, so we lowered the amount he gets to the minimum. Still not losing weight. We bumped up the amount a little, and now he's lost a little bit. I think maybe his body went into starvation mode. I just wish he'd lose the weight so he'd stop driving us insane!

Fuzzy stuff is fun but annoying

I received my fuzzy stuff (Rainbow Gallery Wisper) for my Christmas ornament exchange and finished the stitching. I don't know how to fuzzy it up after stitching. Matt suggested a tooth brush, so I may give that a try. So, I'll have an ornament and a little extra piece for the exchange. I may be able to finish it up tomorrow.

I've also been working on the piece for the New Year's exchange. I went to Wal-Mart and got the fabric and little things I'll need. I still have some wording to stitch around the outside, and there's an extra piece I want to stitch too. I also have to make a button with clay. I think I can do that as opposed to ordering a novelty button. Should be interesting! This should keep me busy for a while.

And of course I can't share any pics because it's secret. Argh.

The Awakening has gotten some attention but not nearly enough. Seriously, once these pieces are done....

Matt looked at the bills today and totaled up everything we spent on credit cards thus far in the year. Scary! Apparently I just had a big month of stitching stuff in October. I averaged about $100 a month, which isn't too bad. I just need to be good for a while. So how much is "normal"? Do you know how much you spend? Are you afraid to look?

New Year's Exchange

I've done it now...I volunteered for an exchange on the Rotation Stitcher's board. I think I know what I want to stitch and how I want to finish it. I've even figured out how to spend a minimal amount of money. Matt happened to look at the credit card bill. Apparently I've been ordering lots of little things that added up to $300 or so. Ouch! I'll try to be good, really I will.... It's just so hard because I really am using all the things I order.

Speaking of...I'm waiting for some fuzzy stuff for the Christmas exchange. I also ordered a few patterns to make the package worthwhile, whatever Drawn Thread patterns Ginger's has off my wishlist. Ooo, a surprise! (Check out their website; they have some cool freebies for scissor fobs.)

I also received Snowflake QS from Fudgey for being the first person to finish Dragon Soul QS. She's such a sweetie.

Funeral: Last night was the memorial service for Matt's mom. It was held in a small Lutheran church (in a strip mall!). I never realized that Protestants didn't do the sign of the cross, but when the pastor made the sign, I automatically crossed myself. I was the only one! Can you spot the Catholic?

I got to meet Matt's cousins and such. They seem like a nice bunch. They invited us to their weekly Sunday lunches, and I think Matt's going to take them up on it, wonder of wonders. I do miss my family back in Louisiana, so this could be good. He mentioned that his family always helps out, such as painting, etc. That's what my family does, so that gives me warm fuzzies.

Finished my ornament exchange piece

This weekend I finished my ornament for the exchange on the Needle and Thread BB. Of course I can't post a pic because it's a secret. I really like the ornament, even though it's not perfectly centered (argh!). Matt even helped me center it, but it must have moved a bit. He's got the eye.

I also stitched on The Awakening, but I didn't get that much done. The guys came over Saturday, and we played City of Villains most of the day Saturday.

Tonight is the memorial for Matt's mom. He's aggravated that it's taking place two weeks after her death, because a family member already had plans. Excuse me? He even considered not going. I know it will be opening barely healed wounds. He needed this a week ago, not today.

November goals

A lot of people have been setting goals, so maybe I should too. Here's my list for November:

HAED The Awakening--2 pages
Maggie the Messmaker--work on this UFO a bit
TrickORTreat--finish making it into a box, correct problems if I can
Gray Cat--stitch it
1 ornament to finish
Exchanges--ornament, HAED RR, and Just Nan RR
No new starts!

This seems doable. I've gotten a lot of smalls out of the way, but there are a few there still nagging me. But I think the bigger pieces are more important, and I need to keep a few smalls to work on when the BAPs are getting to be too much.

I've started working on The Awakening again, but I haven't been stitching as rabidly as usual this week.

The pic is of my African violets. A few others are blooming, but this one looked the best. Two of my orchids have just started opening (and all need repotting--ugh!).

New TWs!

I've enjoyed reading people's posts about CSNF. What I'm really excited about is the two new Teresa Wentzler pieces! They were taught at the event, but they'll eventually get released as charts, maybe in three months or so (fingers crossed). Delphine74 posted a pic of the Dragon Needlecase, and Dani posted a pic of the Celestial Fob (the other side was done by Jennifer Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams). Love 'em!

Yesterday I drove in to work to help out with the deadline crunch (and go to the Halloween party!). I won some handmade cards in a silent auction for charity. The photo is a sampling of the huge pile I got. I also went to Hobby Lobby to get a few things, including some nubby yarn to make a throw for Matt. It says no dye lot, but two skeins are darker than the other two. I'll just alternate.

I also bought some toys for Hathor. She just loves the little balls with feathers attached. Of course she shreds them and I find feathers all over the house.

Diet: Today we restart the diet. We ate tons of junk last week, which is our usual reaction to grief. I probably gained back all the little weight I lost. I'm too chicken to get on the scale right now. We're going to Ohio in a few months for the interment of Matt's mom's ashes, so I'd like to lose some weight by then. I'll get to meet his dad for the first time, which ought to be fun.

Siamese cat HD

Here's the second silk gauze kit I've done. The first was a black-and-white cat. I used a black background so the stitching will show up, but I'll probably use a different backing when I frame it.

I think I've gotten the hang of working with the silk gauze, so it didn't take very long to do. I started it yesterday and finished it on my lunch hour today. I still have a third cat to do, a grey one.

I'm probably going to work on an ornament for an exchange on the Needle and Thread BB, but of course I can't talk about that one. :-) I really do want to get back to working on The Awakening.

I think I'm going to ask for my two HAED quick stitches to be framed for my birthday. Of course, it won't be a surprise, but it's what I really want. I have so many unframed pieces right now, waiting for Matt and me to frame them (got the tools, wood, etc. to do it).

Matt went back to work today after his mom's passing. Poor guy.

Comments wacky again

Argh, the comments option is gone again. So many thanks to Outi for pointing that out. I've changed the settings back again; let's hope it sticks this time.

Dragon Soul QS HD

I finished it up this morning. She's full of glitter, which means stitching with blending filament, which isn't so nice. My website has a pic of the glitter (taken with my digital camera), a larger pic, and the specs. I'm pretty happy with her. I had to frog a few times, which always worries me (what else did I screw up and not catch?).

This makes two HAED quick stitches I've finished. Time for a new blinkie in my sig!

We watched all the Harry Potters Friday and Saturday, and then watched Das Boot last night, so I had lots of stitching time.

The search for office chairs: Matt heard an ominous crunching coming from his secondhand office chair the other day. It looks like the back is about to fall off. So, we went to Office Max in Austin yesterday. We didn't like any of the chairs, and all they had were the cheap ones anyway. In order to be positioned correctly (my forearms level when I type), I need a chair that's very low to the ground, so that makes it even harder to find the right chair for me. Sigh. I'll try to figure out where they get the ones at work. I didn't really want to spend $1200 right now, but if it means finally getting comfortable chairs, I'll do it. We spend a great deal of time in front of the computer, so it's worth it.

Birthday club

I signed up for a birthday club exchange. I read about it on Becky's blog. I love giving gifts, so this should be fun!

I also received my silk floss I ordered to do an ornament from the JCS 2006 magazine. With it was a Halloween freebie by Lavender Wings that I just might have to do!

Dragon Soul QS update

I finished her cheek and ear today while watching Indiana Jones. As always, click on the pic to see a better image. It's over one on 28-count antique white Jobelan and is designed by Heaven and Earth Designs.

I pulled out my Kreinik silk gauze kit of a Siamese cat and started organizing. I'll probably put a few stitches in here and there.

I'm going back to work tomorrow. Matt's still taking his mom's death pretty hard, so he'll probably be out the rest of the week. At least I work at home so I'll be with him.

Gaming: We played City of Heroes some more today, trick-or-treating with some of our villain alts.

Dragon Soul QS update

I finished the bottom left partial page today, so I'm now more than halfway done. The dragon is all done. He looks like a sweet little guy. Now I get to work on the woman's face some more, which I'm looking forward to.

This piece has a lot of sparkle. I'm afraid I've been using my good Ginghers to cut the metallic blending filament (even though I know I'm not supposed to). I definitely notice that they're not as sharp. I've had a few times where they haven't cut, just chewed a bit. Ugh, bad stitcher! I may have to get Matt to try sharpening them for me. Or I can buy a pair of Dovos and treat them right this time.

I also joined the Chatelaine Roses and Butterflies quilt. It looks like a lot of fun, and I of course love both roses and butterflies.

We're taking today off work as bereavement time for Matt's mom. I probably won't go back to work until Wednesday or Thursday. And of course we're eating junk food like crazy.

(Yes, yet another post. I've been double posting a lot lately with all the smalls finishes.)

Acorn Scissor Case HD

What's the difference between a scissor fob and a cat toy? Apparently not much because Hathor really wants that acorn fob (the squooshed-looking thing).

I don't like things dangling from my scissors, so the acorn will stay with the case. I don't know if I'll use the case, but it was just too cute to pass up. It's my first Lizzie Kate.

The stitching was problemmatic because the linen banding is attached to the case. I managed to not use knots, but it wasn't easy. I hope nothing comes loose.

Also, the instructions said to center the design, and the pattern had arrows to mark the center. Unfortunately, they mark the center of the pumpkin, not the whole pattern (the word "Autumn" is a separate over-one chart). Ugh. I should have looked at the picture rather than trusting the instructions.

Together at Christmas HD

Here is my latest ornament finish, Together at Christmas by Designs by Margret Lee. It's from the 2004 JCS ornament issue. Making the trim was a challenge. I sewed it on the machine. It doesn't look just like the magazine one (since no instructions were given), but I'm satisfied with it.
I just have one ornament left to finish, and it entails making a tuck pillow (blech). I will probably wait a while on that one.

I finished the first complete page of Dragon Soul QS. I'll take a new picture once I finish the bottom left partial page.

I haven't touched TrickORTreat in a while. Eventually...

Gaming: City of Heroes is having a Halloween event where you trick or treat at the mission doors. You can get a new costume slot on your character if you gather four costume pieces. So we've been busy doing that on our multitude of characters.

Goodbye, Mom Betty

Matt's mom passed away Friday. He was visiting her on his lunch hour, and she quietly stopped breathing. She's been sick for so long that I feel she's in a better place. Matt was prepared for it, but he's taking it hard, like anyone who lost a mother would.

I thought we'd be traveling to Ohio for the funeral, but they're going to do a memorial in a couple of weeks here and then an interment of her ashes in Ohio in a couple of months. Cajuns/Catholics tend to bury people quickly, so I'm out of my depths here.

So I'll take a few days off work to keep Matt company and help him over the grief. As with most of our grief, we've been fine at times and then crying at others. We have to continue with our lives, but it's just such an odd juxtaposition.

Merry Christmas Bellpull Ornament HD

Yes, this makes TWO ornaments I finished today (before work, lunch break, and after work)! I had ordered the brass bellpull hardware, and it's pretty heavy. If this one falls off the tree, look out below! It's Merry Christmas Bellpull Ornament by the Sweetheart Tree from the 2004 JCS ornament magazine. I have a closeup on my website.

Only two ornaments left to finish!

I still haven't figured out what the Alpaca floss is for, but I did find a cute bunny I could stitch with it.

Matt's going to visit his mom after work today. I don't really want to see her that way.

Joy HD

I finished up this ornament today. It's Joy by Erica Michaels Designs and is from the 2004 JCS ornament magazine. I almost thought I had made the pillow too small for the cross stitching. My sewing machine is running just fine once again.

Since my bellpull hardware came in, I need to work on putting that ornament together now.

My mom sent me some machine-embroidered towels. I wonder if she got a new sewing machine! I'd show pictures of them, but they have our last names on them (yes, Matt and I have different last names). Hathor promptly made herself comfortable on them.

I must be senile

So I got some of my Weeks Dye Works floss in from Nordic Needle. And I ordered some Alpaca wool by Rainbow Gallery. I remember ordering it. I remember looking at the chart and getting the numbers. But I can't remember which piece it was for! I have gone through every pattern in my stash, and I just can't find what I bought this expensive floss for. It is really annoying me. I either want to punch something or sit down and cry. I'll do neither. I'll just have some chocolate.

Did I mention I'm only 36?

Dragon Soul QS update

Here's where I am with the piece. I tried putting together TrickORTreat (by Just Nan), but I'm having difficulties. I figured I'd work on Dragon Soul for a while.

I'm on meds for the pinched nerve (sciatica). Also, Matt's mom isn't doing well. Her caregivers have said she has about a week to live. Such a rotten week, and it's only Tuesday.

Goodbye, Karma

My mom called today to let me know my dog Karma passed away. My mom was closing the gate to the backyard, Karma saw a cat, and she was off. My mom followed her in her truck, but Karma was off and running. A guy in a truck hit Karma since it was dark (6:15 in the morning). My mom said Karma's back legs were broken, and bone was poking through. Mom took her to the vet, who said they could try to fix her up, but the damage was massive. I'd spend the $3,000-4,000 it would take, but she just wouldn't ever be right again. Karma was an active dog, and I don't think that would have been a good life for her. My mom did the right thing.

This is a picture of Karma when we first got her. She was such a sweet dog. She'd never hurt a person. You could take the food away from her, and she'd never even growl. My mom was taking care of her for me because she was very aggressive to other animals (she killed a cat that got in our backyard once). She had ripped up Lufy, my dog who is much bigger than her (75 pounds vs. 55 pounds), which is why we couldn't keep her anymore. My mom was so kind to take her in, and I'm sorry she had to go through all of this.

My poor Karma girl. She's waiting for me at the bridge, and I know I'll see her one day. Now she runs free in Heaven away from this painful life. Goodbye, Karma dog.

TrickORTreat stitching complete

Here's the second side panel, which completes the cross stitching on the piece. I still have to put it together, which is fairly involved.

I didn't have time to work on anything else this weekend. After taking the anti-nausea pill last night, I slept all morning and felt groggy all afternoon. I'm just starting to feel normal again. The hip pain is somewhat better, but I may go to the doctor tomorrow. Joy.

Doctor Who: We watched the new Doctor Who Friday night. Anthony Stewart Head had a small part (he played Giles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Spoiler alert... Whom I was really excited to see was Sarah Jane Smith, the doctor's old companion! I watched her when I was in high school and was disappointed when she was just dumped. The episode explained things, and I was almost crying. The Doctor seems to be much more loving and even sexual than back in the old days. Then he was completely platonic to everyone, despite our adolescent thoughts otherwise. Sigh. Tom Baker. Sigh.

Potpourri completed

Since I received the beads today, I finished Potpourri by Just Nan. This is my contribution to Michelle's (artbuff) round robin. I ordered the charm from Welcome Stitchery in Illinois. They were prompt and even reduced my shipping slightly since I just had the one little charm.

TrickORTreat side panel

I managed to finish one side panel today, leaving one left to do.

I received my package from Ginger's today--they mailed it yesterday! I got bellpull hardware for a Christmas ornament (it is really heavy--solid brass), the fabric for Horrified, and the beads for Potpourri.

I also got my sewing machine fixed today. He fixed it in about 10 minutes and only charged $17. That's better than I thought on both accounts.

Ouch: I'm also suffering from what I think is a pinched nerve. My right hip hurts (nothing new), but the pain burns from my lower back down my right leg to my knee. I'll have to call the doctor Monday. It's making doing anything painful.

Gaming: We played City of Heroes a good bit today. I got Flora Essence up to level 40 and got her a new costume. I also played Green Goddess a bit. She finally got her mass hold. I need to get her to 32 so she can get her pet; she's only 26 at the moment.

TrickORTreat top and bottom panels

The top and bottom panels are done. Just the two side panels left to do now and the scary finishing. Ooooo...

Did you notice the ghost's pompoms? They're supposed to be orts. This is an ort box, after all.

As always, click on the pic for a better image.

Also, I got my Nordic Needle package in today. No floss like I ordered, but someone else's patterns! Argh. So now they have to reship the floss and I'll have to send back the patterns. Plus, two of the flosses are on back order. Very frustrating. I also found out my package from Ginger's didn't ship until today. I was hoping to get it today, but it looks like it won't be until Monday. I try to be patient, really...but it's hard.

First panel of TrickORTreat

Aha, finished the first panel (the middle one)! TrickORTreat is such a fun piece. The silk threads are a little thicker than DMC or NPI, so it takes some getting used to. I think I like NPI silk better than this Rainbow Gallery silk, but hey, it's silk! Which means it feels niiiiice. :-)

I may continue working on this one since I'm on a roll (and it's getting closer to Halloween!).

What happens when you have 1 bed and 2 kitties?

They both have to get in it, of course! They stayed like this for a while. I think Anubis finally got too hot with a kitten lying on him and left. Then Hathor's plan was complete and she had the bed all to herself!

Stitching: I'm alternating between Dragon Soul QS and TrickORTreat. Not much to show just yet on TrickORTreat.

I'm glad I bought a flat panel monitor...

...so that my kitten has some place to lie.

See that little black thing? It's a piece that broke off my phone charger. I just know Hathor's going to go after it. I'd better pick it up. Right now she's got a bottlecap she's chasing around back there.

Sewing machine broken

Nope, I won't be working on that ornament. I went to stitch it together, and my sewing machine is broken. The lever that lifts the foot isn't working. I found a place in town that can fix it. I'll probably bring it in Saturday.

Of course, I could finish the ornament without sewing, but I have a plan of what I want to do, and the pieces are cut and pinned. Oh well, I'll stitch on Dragon Soul QS some more.

Potpourri HD

I finished Potpourri for Michelle's (artbuff) round robin. I'm missing the bee charm, which the store said they'd ship tomorrow, and the cream beads, which Ginger's will also ship probably tomorrow. Click on the pic for a better image. This was a fun stitch, and I'm glad I'm going to get it done ahead of time.

Ginger's also has my bellpull hardware for a Christmas ornament and my fabric for Horrified. I thought about going in on Saturday, but I'll probably just buy more stuff. Oh noes! Probably just cheaper to pay for postage.

Matt's working tonight because he needed tester time. It's lonely, but I'm getting stuff done. I thought about working on an ornament finish, but Potpourri took me longer than I thought it would. Maybe tomorrow. Now let's see if I can get to sleep tonight without him in bed....

Comments

I know I set my blog to where anyone could comment, but Blogger has changed it to members only a few times. My apologies. Anyone wanting to comment, please do! I was wondering why I didn't get any comments. :(

Second pic of Dragon Soul QS

I got a good bit done this weekend. The little draggie has a face, and more of the wings are done. (Click the pic for a better image.) I can't stitch on this one as much as I can on The Awakening. I think all the grey gets to me after a while. And my forearms are aching a bit.

Oh, of course I didn't make it to Ginger's for the stitch-in Friday. The thought of having to drive home in the dark in the city doesn't really motivate me. And I'm a lazy butt on Fridays.

Received some goodies

I got Michelle's (artbuff) Just Nan RR in the mail today. I've decided to do Potpourri for it. I ordered the bee charm; hopefully it will get here soon.

I also got my kit for Summer Afternoon from European Cross Stitch. I won't be working on this one for a while, but I wanted to get it since they were discontinuing the kit.

Today I worked on Dragon Soul QS while the guys were roleplaying. I'll try to post another pic tomorrow. I mostly filled in boring stuff.

Began HAED Dragon Soul QS

I began this piece yesterday. I took the day off work today because I just needed a break. Her face looks so sweet. This one is great because it has so few colors, but stitching white on white can be a challenge.

Yesterday I got my fabric for Porcelain Nosegay and the pattern for Horrified. Of course, the fabric for Horrified is the same called for in Witch Way, and I didn't keep the little scraps I had. It would have been enough. Oh well, another for the to-buy list next time I get to Ginger's.

I also got my floss from Artfabrik today for Futurecast. Oh, and an email that my Thread Gatherer floss is on backorder. Oh well, lots to do in the mean time! I should be getting a Just Nan RR piece in soon.

Argh! Restart on Dragon Soul QS

Last night I kept looking at my work on Dragon Soul QS and thinking it didn't look like anything, certainly not like the original artwork. That's when I realized I had picked up 415 instead of 413 for the very first thread I did. I tried picking it out, but I just got so annoyed I started ripping. So I chucked it and started over. What a waste of a piece of Jobelan and at least three hours' worth of work. I was not having a good night, and not even Matt could snap me out of my mood.

I do want to concentrate on this piece, so TrickORTreat might get pushed to the side again. The best laid plans...

Gaming: I paid $10 and got the GvE expansion for City of Heroes/Villains. So now I have a jump pack, Pocket D transporter, and the sinister and heroic costume options (which look pretty nice). Thorn Goddess got a new look. :-) I was wondering what to do with her third costume. When Update 8 comes out, I HAVE to give wings to some character. I don't think it will be her, though. Might be time to remake my demon, Dame Dread, yet again.

Folk Art Topiary ornament

Ugh! I made the cording, and it's uneven. 24 twirls on one side, and 16 on the other. I'm highly annoyed but not annoyed enough to redo it. Have I mentioned I hate finishing ornaments?

I also finished the outlining for TrickORTreat. I'd take a picture, but it's tan on tan--not much to see. Now onto the cross stitching.

HAED released a free Selina Fenech QS called Dragon Soul (check her Live Journal for the pic), so of course I had to start it last night. That makes a second start for me. I'll work on that a bit tonight.

I'm going to try my darnedest to go to Ginger's stitch-in this Friday. We'll see if I can drag my lazy butt over there.

Santa's Stash HD

Yet another ornament finished! I wasn't planning to do one since I'm working on TrickORTreat, but after miscounting a bit on the outline, I wasn't motivated. This one was pretty easy to finish. I tried every bowl, cup, etc. I had trying to draw an oval, and then I remembered I could do one on the computer. Duh! I laced the pieces onto mat board, which worked pretty well.

Just five ornaments left to finish!

The HAED chat last night was completely civil, which was a relief. HAED said they could do a mockup for me if I'm concerned about how a piece will turn out. I might try that for my next piece, which will probably be Selina Fenech's Pearl Princess.

HAED also announced they're going to post a freebie tonight and have it up for only 24 hours. Exciting! Maybe it will be one I like, who knows.

TV: Eureka plays tonight! We also watched Dr. Who last Friday. I liked the old Doctor better, grumble. Matt pointed out that the new Doctor is Barty Finch Jr. from Harry Potter. Ack!

Kitties: Hathor got up on the wall next to the stairs twice yesterday. I was scared to death, scared to fuss her, scared to go near her, for fear she'd try jumping one and a half flights down. Matt finally squirted her with canned air, and she jumped away from the stairs.

Perfect Gifts HD

I finished up this ornament today. I used glue this time, which wasn't as easy as I thought. You have to hold it until the glue starts to dry, and it's hard to get it even. I think I like lacing better. I did use transparent thread, which I think worked well, when I stitched the two parts together and put on the cording. I wanted to do a floral bow, but I either need wire or wider ribbon. The cording is pretty thick, which is why I couldn't tuck it into the ornament or even tie a knot at the top. I'm pretty satisfied with the finishing but not excited about it for some reason. Fickle.

StitchinQween posted about a Just Nan exclusive called Horrified. Why do I look at these things? Of course I had to call Ginger's and ask them to put one on hold for me when it comes in. While I was on the phone, I also ordered Just Nan's Summer in the Square, which I was missing. What, I'm completing the set! ;-)

Then...I got an email from European Cross Stitch saying that they were dicontinuing the kit for Chatelaine's Summer Afternoon. Now I've already finished Winter's Eve, which is part of a set of four. I want to do the others. I could of course pass this by and then have to kit it up myself, which would cost more in the long run. So I broke down and ordered it ($70+ ow ow ow).

So I was bad and hate that I spent so much. But I NEEEEEED it. Bad, bad, bad.

The next thing on the agenda is TrickORTreat. I'm waiting on materials for a few others, so this was next (or I could have done the two silk gauze kits but wasn't in the mood).

There's some commotion over at the HAED BB. Yes, the company screws up your order a lot, but I don't know why people have to take it so personally and get nasty. I had some problems with them, but I'd rather not get so mad about it.

I've been reading stitching blogs, and I've seen the Crazy Cat Lady Exchange mentioned a few times. That sounds like me! I haven't yet tracked down what board it's from.

The Awakening Page 21

I finished another page today. I'm mostly concentrating on smalls right now, but I didn't want to neglect this for too long. My baby is almost half done!

I visited Ginger's yesterday and got the mat board scraps I needed to finish some ornaments. I also picked up Autumn in the Square and the JCS ornament issue. There are three ornaments I want to stitch from it--those by Val's Stuff, Sweetheart Tree, and Jeanette Douglas.

I need Summer in the Square to finish the set, and Ginger's was out of most of the Weeks Dye Works threads I need to do my acorn scissor case. I also need a few WDWs for the ornaments. So, I can either wait on Ginger's or try to order online. I sent an email to Threadneedle Street, so we'll see what availability and price are like.

Yesterday in Ginger's Matt said, "What about the challenge?" But, sweetie, I already finished my 10 for the challenge! lol

Concerning pets: I need to get on my soapbox for a minute. People do not need to let their pets wander around outside. Yesterday before we left for Matt's mom's, we saw a neighbor cat dead in the middle of the street. I was so sad. She was such a good kitty. She would meow loudly and come over for petting after some persuasion. Her fur was wet, so we think a dog got her. Rest in peace, poor kitty.

Hathor scared the crap out of me last night. I found her walking along the edge of the wall that runs next to the stairs. Way up there. If she fell, she could very well die. I calmly took her off the counter and then fussed her once she was on the floor. Whew! Anubis is also very unhappy with the diet. We're going to have to do dishes immediately because I found him in the sink looking for scraps this morning (and there were knives in there). Why do these kitties like to give Mommy a heart attack?

New job: I found out today I didn't get the job. I'm pretty pissed. What other qualifications do I need? I've been doing this for 10 years!!! I'm going to ask them what exactly the person they selected has that I don't. They didn't even call my references.

Work stress for DH

Matt was in a foul mood last night, and he explained that his boss was giving him a hard time for missing four weeks of work. He said no one had ever missed more than three days of work at a time, which is why they didn't know the leave procedure. I find that really hard to believe. And the boss said that when his wife is sick, he doesn't stay home with her. Did your wife ever think she had hepatitis A? The doctor specifically said that if I started running a fever, I had to go to the hospital. I am much more important to my husband than his job. And apparently when other people are sick, they still go to work. Great, they're spreading their germs to everyone else at work. It just gets me so mad that this boss thinks work is more important than someone's health. Matt wasn't faking. He went to the doctor at least three times. He had an ear infection, was dizzy, and was taking medication that knocks you out--how can he drive a car, much less get any work done? Grrrr.

So now I'm stressed out too.

Stitching: I'm working on The Awakening. I was going to work on my Lizzie Kate acorn scissor case, but it lists Weeks Dye Works threads, which I really like. Of course I don't have all the colors it takes. I hope to go to Ginger's Saturday, so maybe I can get them then. I've been finishing smalls so furiously that it's hard to switch to a bigger project until I get them all done. I still have these left to do:

Army Hummer (Love Quilts)
TrickORTreat
TW Futurecast
Porcelain Nosegay (waiting for fabric)
Siamese Cat
Gray Cat
7 ornaments to finish
Lizzie Kate acorn scissor case

Blog stuff: I got all my blog entries moved over. Whew!

Kitties: The kitties went to the vet yesterday. Hathor's still sluggish from her rabies shot. I hate seeing her like that, even though I know it's nothing serious. And Anubis hasn't lost any weight. We're going to have to cut back on his food even more. He's going to love that.

Just Nan RR block HD

9/28/06

I finally managed to grid the thing after many frogging sessions. I also stitched a block--Four Calling Birds--and wrote up my directions. I'll mail it out to Cathy (Froggingpro) tomorrow. So exciting! By the way, I'm doing Just Nan's 12 Days of Christmas Whimzi.

So that makes 10 finishes for the Challenge! I made my goal, mostly done with smalls and finishes. Here's my list:

Finishes:
French Cow -- Zebra
French Cow -- Mer-Cow
Witch Way
Flower Girls
Honeysuckle Rose
Just Nan Round Robin, Day 4 of 12 Days of Christmas

Ornament Finishes: Santa's Trimmings
Peace Tree
Christmas Jewels
Honeysuckle Rose (biscornu)

They can be seen at www.arthemise.com.

Since I still need to reduce my stash and I don't have a burning desire to buy charts right now, I'll keep going. I have 7 ornaments still to finish (I ran out of mat board) and about 5 smalls I could knock out (and not all are Just Nans either!).

Blog details: I've decided to move my blog to Blogger.com. So now I need to copy all my posts over. That may take a while.