Arthemise's (Mostly) Stitching Blog

Sophia's RR

2012-02-03T16:26:00.007-06:00

This is what I stitched for Sophia's round robin piece. Her theme is Teresa Wentzler borders, and the entire piece is so incredible. This is the second RR for this piece, and it's got more to go!

New author

2012-01-27T19:12:00.003-06:00

Felicia Day is doing a "Hangout on Air" on Google+ Monday night. The first book is Grave Witch by Kalayna Price. I've read it and the second in the series, plus started on her Haven series. I can't put them down. Granted, it may not be to everyone's taste, but if you're interested in urban fantasy, you might want to check it out. Once Bitten is free on the Kindle if you have Amazon Prime (and here I thought I'd never read a book from the Kindle Lending Library!).

Slow quilting

2012-01-23T19:00:00.005-06:00

Someone wanted to pose with Mommy's "awesome" quilt pieces.

I finally finished the piecing of the small squares for my Halloween quilt. My mom called me the slowest quilter ever, so I figured I should get on with it. The next step is to sew the blocks into rows (and then sew those rows together).

Even though I measured everything, the squares I sewed together don't align perfectly on the outer edges, though I did get the centers to match pretty well (after redoing a few). I'm concerned that when I sew the rows together, the squares won't match up because of the cumulative effect of being just a little off. Ugh. The first quilt's not supposed to be perfect, right? (I knew there was a reason I wasn't a quilter!)

Mission: Organize My Mom!

2012-01-21T08:53:00.010-06:00

I've been working on getting my mom organized for a few weeks now, doing a little at a time. That's the only way I can manage it because my mom is my complete opposite when it comes to organization. My first task was organizing her fabric. Should be simple, right? Not so much. She had fabric in boxes, scattered across her bedroom, the garage, and storage. And the boxes weren't just fabric. Often the fabric was buried under other stitching supplies and random items. Foot cream, thread, sewing machine oil, and fabric in one box? Yep.

So once I dug out all the fabric, I had to figure out a way to organize it. Some of my mom's stuff was in plastic bins, but the bins themselves were a mishmash. You really need to have your boxes match somewhat so they stack properly and look good, so I asked her to buy bins. I think she bought three different kinds because she got them at different times. Sigh. I went through her fabric and organized by type and color and tried to use matching bins. As you can see in the first photo, her quilting fabric is organized into red and pink, orange and yellow, green (two boxes), blue, purple, pictures and rainbow, and brown, beige and black. She must like green!

She also had tulle, muslin, and other non-quilting fabric that I stored separately. In the second photo, they're to the left.

Next came organizing the projects. She has some projects in progress and others just kitted. Of course, most of them were mixed in with the other fabric. With her help, I got them organized and boxed up. The small projects went into Ziplock bags and into that big bin. Larger projects got their own small bin. Oh, and we never did use those new bins she bought. Organized fabric takes up less room that crumpled fabric. I'm sure we'll use the bins for the next step in the process.

Yes, I will be policing any new fabric she buys and will put away scraps for her (she keeps everything). She just made Logan some new pajamas, so...

I'm very proud of my work, and I'm very proud of my mom for letting me touch her precious fabric and organize it for her. My next task is to organize her stitching supplies, which will be an even harder task. I'm sure once we go through her other boxes we'll find more fabric.

My mom retired at the beginning of this month, and Matt and I are enjoying the freedom. She drops off and picks up Logan at daycare, takes him to his appointments, and does more of the housework now. And as a crafter, I can appreciate that she has time to do her sewing, which mostly stopped once she moved in. I can cross stitch with Logan around, but using a sewing machine? Much harder because he wants your attention.

We're still trying to sell the house and have gotten not even one nibble. And I start going in to my Austin office two days a week next month, which means a commute, after nine years of telecommuting. That's going to be rough, but at least my mom's in town in case Logan gets sick.

Stitching goals for the new year

2011-12-31T13:00:00.003-06:00

It's that time of year again--time to consider what I've done for the year and plan what I'd like to do next year. This year was mostly devoted to finishing WIPs that I no longer loved, and I think I went overboard. I didn't enjoy my stitching as much, so I'm giving myself a rest for next year. I think finishing Magnificent Wizard, which is for my husband, will be enough of a goal for 2012.

Finished in 2011:

Gingerbread Stitching House
Gingerbread Tree Etui
Maggie the Messmaker
Rose Quilt
Skeleton Crew
Chatelaine Easter 2011 Freebie
Afraid of the Dark
By the Full Moon
Just a Little Autumn
Fa La La La La
Various band sampler round robin pieces

Works in progress:

Magnificent Wizard
A Fish Tale
Snow Faerie
HAED Eternal Promise
Zelda's Fancy Hat

I also did a bit of crocheting. I finished a scarf and a hedgehog, which I've been meaning to do for a while. I want to learn to knit too.

I started quilting a bit this year and began my first quilt, a small Halloween quilt. I'd like to finish that too this year. It's time to learn new things!

Oh, and I'm 42! :-o

Supernatural romance novels

2011-12-29T20:50:00.004-06:00

Missy Ann turned me on to supernatural romance novels, and my reading habits haven't been the same since. I never thought I would like supernatural stories set in the modern day, but they're much better than when I last tried them in the 1980s. Go figure.

So here's my plea. I'm running out of authors, or at least ones my library has. I have a Kindle, but at the rate I chew up these novels, I can't afford to buy them all. Below is a list of authors I've read. Can you suggest any other good authors I should try? Thanks in advance for any help!

Liked/loved:

Stacia Kane

Ilona Andrews

Gail Carriger

Meljean Brook

J.R. Ward

Nalini Singh

Laurel K. Hamilton

Charlaine Harris

Keri Arthur

Jim Butcher

Karen Marie Moning

Kim Harrison

Patricia Briggs

Liked and still in progress reading:

Kresley Cole

Eileen Wilks

Laura Ann Gilman

Rachel Caine

Diane Gabaldon

Didn't like:

Sherilynn Kenyon

Christmas box exchange

2011-12-28T15:41:00.003-06:00

I'm finally getting around to posting a photo of the exchange I did for Edgar for Hooked on Exchanging's Christmas box exchange. The piece is Fa La La La La by Lizzie Kate. I do exchanges because I really enjoy the giving aspect of it. It's so much fun to put a package together.

More pics on my website.

Skeleton Crew HD

2011-12-28T14:59:00.003-06:00

This year I've devoted myself to finishing old, unloved WIPs, and while I've made significant progress, I also haven't enjoyed my stitching as much (more on that when I give my year-end wrap-up). My problem with this piece was definitely the fabric. First, I didn't get the 40 count recommended. I just assumed I knew what I was doing (big mistake) and got 28 count. That made the piece huge, and it could have been so much cuter on a higher count. That's not the deal breaker; the fact that the fabric is Wichelt is. I hate how loosely woven the fabric is--see-through and so easy to deform. I know some people like Wichelt, but it's definitely not for me. Add in my horrible Gripit stand, which doesn't handle big scroll frames well because I have to use a clamp, and you have a piece I hated to stitch on, even though it's such a cute piece (in a creepy way). I'm going to do my best not to make this mistake again.

So if you've seen a negative cast to my posts this year, you might be able to understand why. I'm going to try to work on more pieces I love this year, listen to what gets me excited to stitch. Sometimes my dutiful self gets in the way of that, and I'm going to try to lock her up for a while. :)

I hope you had a great holiday. We've been having a nice, quiet few days off at home. Matt bought me Victoria Sampler's Mermaid Song, and my mom gave me enough Christmas money to buy a new K's Creations floor stand. Yay!

Band Sampler Round Robin -- Rainbow

2011-12-19T08:06:00.006-06:00

Jo's round robin theme is the rainbow, as you can tell. I stitched the bottom portion in indigo. I took bands from Jeannette Douglas' Mini Topiary Sampler 4 and used Dinky Dyes Fantasy Blues as my variegated floss. I stitched this twice -- the first time I didn't like how the outer edges lined up. I guess I should have planned better.

I hope everyone is having a good holiday season. My mom is retiring after this month, and I'm counting the days. Still no progress on getting the house sold. I think we've had one person look at the house this month. We're hoping things pick up in the spring, but it's not encouraging.

HOE Christmas box received

2011-12-11T12:55:00.002-06:00

I received this lovely box from Faye. The piece is by Primrose Needleworks. It's very delicate looking (stitched on a small count) and so adorable. I love cardinals, so this was perfect for me.

I need to post pictures of the box I sent out. I'm suffering with a sinus infection at the moment, so that will have to come later. I hope you're having a good December so far!

Hedgehog!

2011-11-27T10:50:00.002-06:00

I finally ordered the nose to finish up this little guy. Staring at me with the bug eyes. (We just watched Ghostbusters again -- amazing how many of our family sayings come from that movie.)

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! I played Glitch, started playing Star Wars: The Old Republic, and am cutting out fabric for my first quilt. Oh, and I finished up the Harry Dresden books. Quite a break.

Halloween fob received from Ina

2011-11-17T09:19:00.003-06:00

I received this beautiful Halloween fob from Ina for our exchange on Hooked on Exchanging. I like the big spider charm on the back too. I'm not sure why I like cute Halloween items so much, but it was a thrill to receive this!

I'm working on a Christmas box exchange right now. It's giving me a few minor fits, but I'm sure I can work through it.

My first scarf in a long time

2011-11-15T13:31:00.010-06:00

When I was a teenager, I crocheted my dad a black scarf. He was a policeman, and it was about the only color he could wear without looking odd. :-) Being in the South, we don't really need to wear scarves (unless you're a policeman who has to go out in every kind of weather), so I've never worn one. I think I'll wear this one. I love purple, and the yarn feels great, soft and nubby.

The yarn is one of the items I bought at the Houston Quilt Show. Jo at Dinky Dyes had one skein of purple yarn, so I had to make the scarf skinny to get it long enough.

Speaking of the show, here's what I bought:

a skein of Dinky Dyes yarn
a fat quarter of batik fabric (for an exchange)
6 large squares of Irish wool (no idea what I'm going to use them for)
a star thread keeper (for an exchange)
a measuring tape in a small tin (for an exchange)
a marking pen that fades after ironing (for an exchange)
a small container of hand cream (for an exchange)
a small purse with a horse on it
a Drawn Thread chart, Almost Halloween
a knotwork chart, Eeek!
an Erica Michaels silk gauze chart, Second Spring

I went with my mom and friend Amanda and had a great time. I'm inspired to quilt now, so my mom and I are going to work on a quilt for Logan. It has cars, buses, and trucks on it.

This past weekend was Camp Stichalot, put on by Ginger's. I was shy at first but opened up as the weekend progressed. I had a great time--more so for the people than the stitching because I didn't bring anything I was anxious to stitch. Silly me. The Austin Comic Con was also this past weekend, which is why I only got to spend Thursday through Saturday noon at the retreat. I'm hoping to go to the retreat in March too. The Compass Centre is really nice. Great food and nice facilities.

My fall pin keep exchange

2011-10-24T22:19:00.000-05:00

Sandra was my partner for the fall pin keep exchange. I mailed this piece, Just a Little Autumn by San-Man Originals, back in August. I was really worried that it had gotten lost. Whew! So glad it made it to Barbados safely.

Halloween exchange

2011-10-19T14:16:00.004-05:00

Amy was my partner for the Halloween scissor fob exchange, and she let me know that she received it (and liked it!). I stitched By the Full Moon by Ink Circles from last year's JCS Halloween issue. I stitched it over one and used some DMC Light Effects for the cording (more pics). I kept a pair of those Steweb scissors for myself too!

I'm currently working on Skeleton Crew again. I'm reminded why I hate Wichelt fabric--the fibers are too thin, and the weave is too loose. You can see through the thing like it's cheese cloth.

Chatelaine Rose and Butterfly Quilt pics

2011-10-16T16:09:00.003-05:00

We finally managed to take pics of this humongous piece today. As you can see, there's a little wave to the fabric, but it's the best we could do. I have photos of the individual blocks too (graphics-intensive page).

Halloween giveaways on their way

2011-10-16T13:40:00.004-05:00

I've selected winners for my Halloween giveaway and will be mailing those out tomorrow. I'll link to photos of the prizes so the winners can decide if they want to be surprised.

Giovanna won the spider cupcake giveaway.

Zeb, Tatyana, and Katri won the Blue Ribbon Designs giveaway. I say won, but they were the only ones to enter. Rather a letdown that so few entered, but I hope they like the piece and enjoy the package. They each get one of the packages pictured, and they'll have to be surprised about which one they get. The little lampwork beads are so neat to me, but I couldn't figure out a good use for them. Can you?

Thanks to all those who entered and read my blog regularly. It makes me happy that someone is interested in the little things I write here, and I appreciate it more than you know. Happy Halloween!

Gingerbread Tree Etui HD

2011-10-08T09:54:00.005-05:00

I finished the Victoria Sampler tree, and I just love it. Can you believe it only took a month, start to finish? I can spot flaws, of course, but overall it came out well. You can see more pics on my website. I have the chart for the church, but I'm going to do a little Halloween stitching first. Don't forget to sign up for my Halloween giveaway of a stitched piece and goodies!

Halloween giveaway

2011-10-06T21:40:00.002-05:00

Inspired by Annette and Melissa's giveaways last year, I'm doing one myself this year. Or rather a few. So that they make it to the winners in time, I'll do them all at once. One batch is from a Blue Ribbon Designs piece, and one is my spider cupcake I posted about a while back. I'll also include some goodies. If you'd like to enter, please email me at charmingtails@hotmail.com, put "Halloween giveaway" in the subject line, and tell me which drawing you'd like to enter (you can enter both but can only win one). You have through Monday. Comments will not be considered an entry but are welcome. :)

And happy Halloween!

Pincushion HD

2011-09-30T20:40:00.004-05:00

I finished the pincushion that goes with my Victoria Sampler Gingerbread Tree Etui. I think I stuffed it a bit too much, but I'm happy with it. I just have the scissor case to stitch, and then I can start on the assembly of the tree. The page I linked to above has photos of the tree before assembly and a closeup of the roses.

The move: We've gotten the house in pretty good shape, and it's going on the market tonight. After the fires in Bastrop, the housing market has seen an upsurge, so now is the time for us to sell, even though we didn't fix everything we had planned to. We'd like to move to Austin to be closer to work. Mixed emotions about selling our first house together.

Roses from the Gingerbread Tree

2011-09-24T21:03:00.003-05:00

I've been diligently stitching on my Gingerbread Tree Etui, a cyberclass from the Victoria Sampler. I love seeing Thea and watching her complete the stitches. Unfortunately I had to watch them after the live class since we went to the Hyatt on the first weekend and Sea World on the second weekend. Still, it's been a lot of fun, and I've finished stitching the four tree sides. Here you can see the roses on the four sides, each made with a different kind of stitch. I still need to bead the tree and stitch the scissor pocket before I can start assembling it. There's also a little pincushion I need to stitch.

I'm so looking forward to having this one sit next to my Gingerbread House. My chart for the church came in today too! They use a black linen for the roof, but I'm thinking of switching that to a dark brown.

Oh hey, and I think I finally found the magic button on my camera to make my closeups actually look clear!

Fall pin keep received from Sandra

2011-09-24T09:21:00.001-05:00

I received this beautiful pin keep from Sandra. It's Fall Motif from Measure of a Year by Prairie Schooler, stitched on 28-count beige Jobelan. I love the way she finished it, with some of the cute backing fabric on the front too.

Gingerbread House HD

2011-09-09T12:27:00.007-05:00

I finally finished putting together my Victoria Sampler Gingerbread House! See more pics of the house, biscornu, fob, and scissor case. I've had it stitched for a while, but I put off the finishing until I had completed Rose and Butterfly Quilt--I didn't have enough room to have both of them out at the same time. The finishing was very time consuming and had a lot of steps, but it wasn't that hard. The instructions were good, and there wasn't anything terribly tricky (much better than the Just Nan Trick-or-Treat box I put together). I'm very pleased with the results--so cute! I also redid the scissor fob that I wasn't happy with. I figured out what I had done wrong--I assumed the outline was over four threads like on the house--wrong. I also special-ordered some two-ply matboard, which made the piece thinner. Much better!

I finished this just in time to start working on the Victoria Sampler Gingerbread Tree Etui. The class for that is tomorrow, and I've been scrambling to get some preparatory stitching done on it. I'm looking forward to it. We had a trial run this morning, and Thea Dueck is great. I'm also planning to get the Gingerbread Church, but I figure I'll order it after I finish the tree.

I had planned to take a photo of Rose and Butterfly Quilt by now, but I need to get the other two adults to help me. On the day I was about to do it, the wind really picked up. That was also the day the fires started.

Texas fires: In case you hadn't heard, much of Bastrop burned. We were very worried for a while, but we look safe now. I had all my finished cross stitch pieces boxed up and waiting to evacuate. Logan's daycare hasn't reopened, so we're having to work with him at home. Not easy, I can tell you!

Anniversary: Matt and I have been married for eight years today. Best decision ever!

Diet: At long last, I'm back on track. As much as I hate eating protein, I decided to go on the South Beach Diet. It has really worked. My appetite is down to nothing, and I stuck to the diet even through all the stress of the fires. I've tried South Beach before and had mixed success. I don't remember it cutting the hunger this much. It could be the combination of the diet and the Lap-Band, I guess. I've lost 53 pounds total now. Though I have a long way to go, I'm dreaming of skinny days!

Band Sampler Round Robin - Sweetheart Tree

2011-08-29T09:07:00.004-05:00

This is Karen's piece. She chose Sweetheart Tree as her theme for the band sampler. I loved stitching on this with all the pinks and green. (Excuse the poor photo. I don't know why I can't get my expensive camera to actually focus.)

I also finished Rose and Butterfly Quilt! The beading took forever and wasn't my favorite. I need to get some helpers to help me take the piece outside and try to get a decent picture.

Still going

2011-08-12T06:32:00.003-05:00

I'm still working on the beading of Rose and Butterfly Quilt. There's a lot of it, probably more than in any piece I've stitched. Oh, and after I had beaded the middle block, the one with my initials, I realized that the designer didn't center the motif. It should have been moved to the right one or two stitches. That doesn't sound like a lot, but it looks odd once you notice it. And of course now that I've noticed it, I can't NOT see it. Argh! That will teach me to look objectively at a design before I stitch it.

Linda's round robin

2011-07-27T20:32:00.005-05:00

Here's the section I stitched on Linda's Drawn Thread piece for our Band Sampler round robin. I took sections from Summer Arbor. Fun!

I also finished the stitching on Rose and Butterfly Quilt. I'm working on the beading, but I ran out of Nymo. The beading is rather annoying to me, but I can't wait to have the piece finished so I can move on to something else. I enjoyed working on it, but enough already.

The health thing: So I got an ear infection and couldn't hear for more than two weeks. I also had to go to the ER because of severe abdominal pain (think almost passing out) and bleeding. They didn't find anything seriously wrong with me, so I guess I'm OK. No food poisoning or infections. Oh, and it was fun trying to explain to everyone that in addition to being sick, I couldn't hear what they were telling me very well. That's what you want when you have needles stuck in you and have to do things for the tests. Huh, what?!

On the weight front, the doc has put me on Wellbutrin in an attempt to treat the carb addiction. It works for smokers, so why not? I'm not eating a lot, but I'm eating junk and can't seem to stop. It's worked pretty well for the month I've been on it. If nothing else, it's giving me enough energy to work on the house. Working your butt off makes you lose weight too!

Autumn RR

2011-06-24T10:32:00.002-05:00

Here's the piece I did for our autumn round robin. (If you're interested in doing a future RR, check the bulletin board.) The other five members will each add about 1.5 inches worth of bands following the autumn theme. My bands are from the Trilogy's Autumn Line Up. I will add bands to the other members' pieces too. Their themes are Teresa Wentzler's borders, Just Nan, Sweetheart Tree, the Drawn Thread, and the rainbow. Our first mail date is July 5. I'm looking forward to stitching on everyone's pieces!

Rose Quilt block 15

2011-06-18T19:23:00.002-05:00

The end is in sight! One square left, and then it's on to the beading. I'm not looking forward to the beading, I must admit, though it will be nice to see the effect.

Matt and I are working on the house so we can put it on the market. This has been cutting into my stitching time, unfortunately, not to mention the fact that all my craft supplies are boxed up while we move furniture around in my bedroom.

Gingher Elena scissors

2011-06-11T18:58:00.003-05:00

I went to Ginger's in Austin today. I found a pair of Gingher Elena scissors, which I've been looking for for a a while. I'm so excited about this! If you need a pair, you can call Monday to get one: (512) 454-5344. She had three left. Let me know if you plan buy to one. If no one's interested, I'll post to the bulletin boards to get them sold.

So the rest of the haul... I was there ostensibly to pick up the two-ply mat board I need to finish my Victoria Sampler gingerbread house. I also picked up some beige Jobelan for a fall band sampler (sign up for the band sampler round robin here by June 15), the Trilogy's Autumn Line Up chart to go with the round robin for inspiration, and two JBW Designs Christmas ornament charts. Now I'm not much into stitching Christmas ornaments, but Ginger's had a JBW Designs trunk show, and the ornaments stitched over one are just adorable. I couldn't pass them up.

Matt and Logan played with the toys Ginger's has brilliantly put aside for that purpose, and I had myself a blast. I had so much fun knowing that I could buy what I wanted within reason. We still have tons of debt, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel. It makes a world of difference. Now to not add too much to that debt...

I'm famous!

2011-05-31T19:35:00.001-05:00

I showed off my ladybug adaptation in a comment on the DMC site, and they reposted it. I'm famous! :)

Rose and Butterfly Quilt block 14

2011-05-30T12:03:00.002-05:00

This block took a little longer because of vacation and my addiction to Laurell K. Hamilton (more on that later). The basket didn't have any backstitching in the chart, like the instructions and the other three baskets prove that it should. I asked Martina, and she said to just use the other baskets as a reference if I wanted to backstitch it. I wasn't quite happy with that answer (which is also what she said to do about the antenna for the third butterfly) -- I felt the chart should be corrected -- but I got it done. I did restitch the butterfly's antennae, and I like them better now.

Laurell K. Hamilton: I read her Merry Gentry series first, and there's sex all over the place. I then read her Anita Blake series, which began much more tame, though still violent. Then eventually this series began to be about sex all over the place, with multiple men. They say that what you write reveals more about yourself than about the characters. If so, then wow. The strange thing is that I can find many flaws in the books and really would like more story than sex, but I really want to know what happens to her characters. They're fascinating. I guess that's the proof of a good author. One more book from the library and then I have to wait on her to come out with new ones.

Cupcake critters

2011-05-30T10:21:00.004-05:00

I made the spider pincushion recently from a DMC pattern. It was the first time I had used memory thread (basically thick thread with a copper wire inside). I like it! (Matt had to point out that this is not a spider but a harvestman since it doesn't have a separate head and abdomen.) Oh, and I'll be giving away a spider pincushion in October, along with some other goodies.

I adapted the pattern to make the ladybug pincushion for my mom's friend, who's crazy about ladybugs. I think the trickiest part is finding a ribbon or cording to go around the piece. The surface is uneven -- the top is taller than the bottom, so a ribbon with no stretch just kind of hangs there unattractively.

Vacation: We recently went to Galveston and stayed at a nice (but expensive) hotel on the beach for the weekend. We finally found a vacation Logan enjoyed! We went to the Rainforest Cafe. For those of you who have never been, the restaurant is jungle themed and has animatronic animals that go off at set times. The first time the monkeys started moving, Logan clapped his hands over his eyes and refused to remove them. I was very disappointed because I love this kind of thing and hoped he would too. He eventually watched the show and even enjoyed it. Outside, a volcano spit flames and smoke, which was awesome. The food's mediocre and overpriced, but you go there for the show, not the food. We also went to Moody Gardens and saw the aquarium, which Logan actually paid attention to (unlike Sea World the previous year when he was two and a half). We took a paddlewheel ride around the bay; that took too long to hold his attention. He really enjoyed the beach and playing in the sand with his toys, even though he had to wear a jacket because it was cold -- yes, Texas in May. Weird. He didn't want to go in the water, so I carried him and waded into the waves up to mid-thigh. He clung to me like a monkey so he could watch the waves. I wish we could have stayed longer.

My husband the engineer: Matt finished his last class and is now an electrical engineer. He starts his new job tomorrow. I am so proud of him. It's not easy going back to school. I can see why he couldn't manage working 60+ hours a week and going to school. School alone took all of his time. It's nice to have my husband back. Even doing housework together is fun.

Promotion for me: I'm getting a promotion at work and will be a supervisor again. I haven't been a supervisor for about eight years because I'm a full-time telecommuter. Work is going to try to get me an office in Austin, but it's still not the same city as the people I supervise. Challenging but not impossible!

Rose Quilt block 13

2011-05-12T07:54:00.000-05:00

Not far now! I went back and added the antennae to the last butterfly I did. Martina said she had forgotten to give him any.

We're going on vacation this weekend to Galveston. I've been agonizing about what stitching to take with me. I don't want to take anything I can't wash, and I don't have anything like that ongoing right now. I don't really want to start anything new -- the desire isn't even there, which is weird. I'm on a mission to get my WIPs out of the way. But it's either start a new small or have nothing to stitch on (unthinkable). Decisions, decisions....

Gingerbread Stitching House fob

2011-05-02T09:37:00.007-05:00

I've been working on Victoria Sampler's Gingerbread Stitching House for a while, but I decided to do the finishing on the fob, which I've had stitched for a while now. It's very tiny and very cute. But am I satisfied? Not quite. The instructions called for 2-ply mat board, which I didn't have, so I used 4-ply. That made it a little bulky, which makes the stitching around the edge a little stretched and not very nice looking. I did a second round of stitches around the edge, which helped some, but it still bugs me. I should have just left the mat board out. Even with 2-ply, I think it would have been too bulky. I'm not going to restitch it, so I'll have to make myself be satisfied with it. I really wish I didn't drive myself crazy like this. I try to remind myself of something a friend once told me: If you want perfect, a machine will give you perfect. Something being handmade means it's imperfect, and that's what makes it beautiful.

Rose and Butterfly Quilt block 12

2011-05-01T10:18:00.002-05:00

Here's the latest installment. I don't know why my pictures always come out blurry. Matt tells me to read the manual, but....

Books: I made my last purge of books. So far I've gotten rid of 480 books. I'm rather proud of myself for letting go of possessions, but it does hurt. I'll get over it. I kept my favorite authors -- still too many boxes of books in storage.

Have you heard that libraries will be able to loan books on the Kindle? I'm excited about this, but I know our backwater library won't implement this for a long time, if ever. Maybe when we move to Austin it will be better.

Rose and Butterfly Quilt block 11

2011-04-22T17:50:00.002-05:00

Here's another update. I'm cruising along now that I've hit my stride with the piece. I hope I can keep it up!

And on to the good news! Matt got a job! The offer wasn't spectacular, but it's pretty good, and he really likes the place. He thinks he'll enjoy being their quality engineer. We're going to be moving to Austin as soon as we can sell the house. Of course that means we need to work on the house first. Ugh. I'll keep my current job, but I can't be a supervisor or get a promotion if I'm not in the office (I telecommute). Bummer. I need to figure out what I want to do with my career now.

Matt has a competition in Albuquerque next week, and then he has two killer weeks of school and finals left. It will be nice to see my husband again someday soon. Imagine me married to an engineer. I've joked that the engineer is the natural enemy of the technical writer. We do tend to think of things a little differently, but we also have complementing strengths. He's a good writer, but he's not artsy like I am (finally something he's not good at). And me...while my brain has to be able to organize information logically, etc., in order to be a technical writer, science and math have not been my strong points for a long time (yes, I used to be good at math a long, long time ago). Let's just say we make the perfect team. I know I couldn't imagine a better partner.

(Might be nice if he cross stitched with me...but at least he gets it.)

Framed pieces

2011-04-16T16:28:00.001-05:00

My two Jill Rensel masterpieces are in the house! And they are huge! I'll try to take some photos when I have them on the wall to show scale.

Rose and Butterfly Quilt block 10

2011-04-15T13:14:00.003-05:00

Here's the latest installment of my monster Chatelaine. The initials were a little tricky to figure out because you need to center the letters, not their little swirls. Martina had charted the M (because it's her initial, of course), but I had to figure out where to put the B. An added irritation was that I goofed on the placement of an eyelet at the bottom, which threw off the letter placement. That's right, I had to rip out over-one stitching--always a pain in the backside. But hey, it's done, and I like it!

My framed pieces from Jill Rensel should be coming in any day now....

Diet: I've been working on getting my Lap-Band to the right fullness. Unfortunately, during this last round I got overfilled. Ouch. I could hardly eat anything, and I woke up many, many times at night choking on acid reflux. Yesterday the doctor removed some of the fill, and it's such a relief. I'm also getting better restriction, so we'll see if this works.

Framed pieces from Jill Rensel

2011-04-08T21:40:00.005-05:00

Jill sent me some photos of the pieces she's framed for me. They should ship out Monday. I am so excited!

The first piece is my biggie, The Awakening by Heaven and Earth Designs. Click to get a bigger pic so you can see Jill's amazing painting on the mats. She's a true artist.

The second piece is Castle Sampler by Teresa Wentzler. This is the piece I stitched on before and after Logan was born. I actually took it to the hospital but didn't get to stitch on it (drat). I remember stealing a few minutes here and there while recovering in bed. Where there's a will, there's a way!

Jill has certainly done the pieces justice, and I can't wait to see them in person. If they're this gorgeous in photos, they'll be even better in person!

Easter cushion

2011-04-07T11:14:00.002-05:00

I made my little Chatelaine freebie into a cushion, the first one I've made of this type. You can see more pics of the sides and back. I'm pretty pleased with it, though it took longer than I thought it would. I was a little tired of stitching quite so many pink flowers! You can't see the sparklies in the fabric well, but I definitely like the effect here.

My floss finally came in, so I can work on my Halloween pieces again. No photos of those because I'm planning them for a giveaway in October. Muahaha!

Jill Rensel has a blog!

2011-04-02T15:11:00.001-05:00

For those that don't know, Jill Rensel is an amazing framer. She's currently working on two pieces of mine. I recently found out the URL for her blog where she posts pics of pieces she's done. So beautiful.

Rose and Butterfly Quilt block 9

2011-04-02T11:59:00.002-05:00

Here's the latest block. I figure that I can finish a block every two weeks if I stick to it. That's the plan anyway. My threads for my other small projects have shipped at long last, and I'm looking forward to working on them too.

Diet: Good news on that front. I figured out that my 25-year class reunion would be in 2012, and in order to be thin for it, I'm going to have to hustle. I seem to work well with a deadline, so it's really motivated me. I've begun walking on the treadmill again (20 minutes a day at the moment). I've also stuck to the diet fairly well. Eight pounds lost in the first week, so I'm finally encouraged. Your comments also helped; they were very touching. I know I'm not the only one daunted by weight loss. Thanks for the support. :-)

Easter 2011 Freebie HD

2011-03-26T20:41:00.004-05:00

This is the Easter 2011 Freebie from Chatelaine. You can find the pattern on Martina's blog. I stitched in on 32-count opalescent. I rarely use glittery fabric, but it works for this piece. I'm going to make it into a little cushion, and I'll show some pics when it's finished. I got frustrated when my other little pieces were all missing floss, so I started something new, which I'm trying to avoid (I have a lot of WIPs right now). I'm still working on Rose Quilt (also a Chatelaine) when I have time to myself.

Since my floss order still hasn't shipped after three weeks, I canceled the order and will get it from someone else. After I canceled the order, the place said they were waiting for the floss to come in. Why couldn't they tell me that right after they received the order or when I emailed them a week ago? Some things I can wait on, but some things I really don't want to. Give me the option. I guess they were afraid to lose the order, but now they've lost a customer.

I'll order from a place in Austin, the Needle Works. I haven't been there, but they ship stuff really fast. They have a lot of canvas and needlepoint on their website. I really love some of the pieces. I don't need a new hobby, and the stuff is very expensive, but I'm really drawn to it. Sigh.

Rose and Butterfly Quilt update

2011-03-18T12:13:00.005-05:00

It's hard to believe I haven't worked on this one since 2008. I think the huge size of the piece is what makes it so tiresome to work on. I found some plastic hair clips that might help. Make sure you click on this one to get a bigger image.

So of the three pieces I'm actively working on -- this one, VS's Gingerbread House, and a Halloween piece -- I'm missing one color of floss for each. I can still do some other stitching on the pieces while I wait, at least.

I bought fabric today for a table cloth for my little white table. I'll work on it after my mom gets back from her vacation next week. I'm getting rid of the plant stand, and I'm planning the table cloth and some fabric wall hangings using some frames I already had. I'll post a pic when it's all done.

Thanks for the compliments on the table. It's the one we had in the kitchen of our old house growing up. The thing is a good bit older than me. If it's as old as the other antiques, it would be around 80 years old. (It's got an extra leaf we keep in the garage.) My mom repainted it a while back. It could use a good scrub. I'm leaning toward staying with two chairs so that the tablecloth shows up better and doesn't make the space feel too cramped.

A year later...

2011-03-16T21:57:00.003-05:00

So this spring break marks one year since I had Lap-Band surgery. Sigh. This is going to be a very depressing post. Feel free to skip it. Really, I'm warning you now.

So...I lost about 40 pounds very quickly after I had surgery. I've gained a little back but have kept most of it off. Even that isn't much to celebrate because that's what I gained after I decided to get the Lap-Band. Basically I stopped fighting myself from eating because I thought the Lap-Band would be the answer. It isn't.

It's great that I'm not gaining weight, but I didn't spend all that money (20 percent of the bill is still a lot) and go through all that pain just to not gain weight. It's still a diet, which I've failed at my whole life. The Lap-Band does curb some of the hunger but not enough. I can still eat an entire meal from a restaurant. I think the gastric sleeve would have been better for me (where they basically remove most of your stomach), but the insurance wouldn't pay for it. Had I known how badly this would fail, I might have seriously considered paying $10,000 (and then given up the idea because we don't have any money).

I can still get the band tightened some more. I may try that again. It's the carb craving that's getting me. I really wish I hadn't gone off the diet for our trip during the summer. That has resurrected my addiction to carbs, and I can't seem to kick the habit on my own.

I can also try exercise. It's pretty hard on my body, but I can do some walking. With Matt's job situation, it's just hard to work up the enthusiasm to get going. He keeps getting rejected, and as we know, depression certainly doesn't help the diet situation. Food is our comfort and what we keep falling back on.

At this point I'm just tired. Tired of fighting the hunger. Tired of thinking someday maybe this will be the thing that does it for me. I'm going to be fat for the rest of my life, but I don't want to be. No matter what successes and loves I have in my life, my weight will always be the failure that counts the most and that defines me.

See, told you, depressing.

Kitchen decor question

2011-03-07T12:27:00.003-06:00

We're in the process of decluttering, packing some items, and staging the house so that we can sell the house in May. Here's a design question I have for you guys. Should I get rid of the plant stand (used to be a wine cart) or not? It's pretty rickety, and I wouldn't feel too bad about getting rid of it. What else does this part of the kitchen need? A table cloth? Pictures on the wall (and where exactly)? I can add a third chair if I get rid of the plant stand.

Maggie the Messmaker HD

2011-03-04T08:25:00.005-06:00

This piece has been the biggest nightmare piece I have ever faced. No Teresa Wentzler piece, no hardanger, no HAED has given me as many problems as this piece. It's a beautiful piece, don't get me wrong. But I had nothing but problems from the minute I started. With a TW, I can just go without reading the directions. I sort of tried it with this piece and didn't notice the different strands and half/full stitches. So I had to rip a lot when I didn't pay close enough attention to the chart. So, for the final time, let me enumerate the things I didn't like about the design of this piece:

Lots of half stitches. Sometimes I forgot which one I was supposed to stitch and did it the wrong way. Ripit!
Differing numbers of strands. Sometimes two strands, sometimes three, sometimes a blend. Again, I had to rip.
Colored chart. Same symbols, different colors -- that can get confusing, especially when you highlight the chart and have to restitch something. (I had to highlight because there was so much detail in the piece.)
Huge chart. The thing is in shreds now with all the folding.
Complicated backstitching. Given the complexity of the piece, it's hard to avoid, but the backstitching was a pain.
Poor cording instructions. I didn't even realize I was supposed to make cording until I glanced at the stitch instructions. I know how to stitch -- I didn't need instructions. Well, apparently I was supposed to intuit that I was supposed to be couching cording, not strands of thread (the diagram gave a thread count, 1, 2, or 3 strands). Again with the ripping.
Knots! Yes, I had to use knots with the cording. Icky patooey.
Aida and non-DMC floss. The standard thing we hate about Dimensions kits. I didn't sub.
Full stitches, not quarter stitches. As we know, this makes for a sloppy-looking piece. As complex as this piece was, I'm pretty glad it didn't use fractionals, to tell you the truth!

I think the key here is that you have to pay attention to every little thing you do with this chart. I stitch to relax, so that's sometimes difficult. But it's done, and I'm not going to buy another Dimensions kit. They probably aren't all this bad, but I'm not taking that chance. Of course, I still have Magnificent Wizard in my WIP pile. I think I'll save that one for later, even though I had wanted to finish it for Matt's graduation in May. I just don't think I can take it right now. So, on to my Victoria Sampler gingerbread house. I can enjoy my stitching again!

Backstitching on Maggie the Messmaker complete

2011-02-12T09:35:00.005-06:00

The backstitching was almost as bad as I thought it would be. Toward the end I was really gritting my teeth and getting it done. And no, I'm still not finished. Now I have to do quite a bit of couching. But I'm getting closer to a finish!

Family update: Matt had sinus surgery about a week ago. (Go figure, both of us needed it. Should I schedule Logan's now?) The doctor had to do more work than he had on me, and I was pretty bad. It took longer for Matt to recover, but he's doing fine now. His nose is still sensitive, but it's all healing up well. Logan's got an ear infection, a hacking cough, and a stomach bug he picked up from daycare. Poor little guy. And with all this, I'm trying to clean and fix up the house for when we try to sell it in May. Matt hasn't gotten any job nibbles yet. We're thinking it's because he's almost 40. It's very disheartening and has me worried for the future. I have a good job, but with the state's economy, I'm wondering how long even that will last. Depressing.

Fun stitching day!

2011-01-22T22:15:00.006-06:00

I had a fun day today! I met Melissa, Amanda, and Michelle at Ginger's for an impromptu day of stitching and chatting. I always enjoy these opportunities to talk to other stitchers so much. They speak my language!

I brought my Victoria Sampler gingerbread house to work on, and Amanda mentioned that Thea had another piece to go with it, a Christmas tree that she was teaching in a cyberclass. For $200. Ouch. I hemmed and hawed and did it. It's something I really want, even though I don't have the money with Matt being unemployed. But I'll try to be good in other areas to make up for it. I'm going to cancel my subscription to City of Heroes, which I don't play anymore (I love the game, but I've run out of things to do).

No work on the backstitching of Maggie yet. Soon!

Books: Amazon has a bunch of free books for the Kindle, which I discovered with Carol's help. I found a lot that I think I will like. That should help the pocketbook some. (To find them, check Amazon Popular Classics and Promos, and then sort by price. Be careful because not all are free.)

Maggie update

2011-01-20T12:13:00.005-06:00

I finally finished all the stitching! Now I need to do the part I've dreaded, the backstitching. After reading the instructions, it's not as bad as I thought, but there's a lot of it. Hopefully the next update will show it completed!

My mom offered to get a piece framed for me, so I've decided to send Jill Rensel my TW Castle Sampler to get framed. I may also send The Awakening, my big HAED piece, and pay for that myself. I'm terrified of mailing them, but Jill does such great work at affordable prices that I just need to do it.

Good news: My husband passed the FE exam, which is a precursor to becoming a PE, a professional engineer (the rest includes working with a PE for five years and then taking the PE test). I am so proud of him.

Maggie the Messmaker update

2011-01-08T09:44:00.004-06:00

According to my records, I didn't work on this piece at all in 2010, even though it was one of my goals. Time just got away from me, I guess. I put this one back to work after my last exchange piece was done and after I ran out of floss for Victoria Sampler's gingerbread house (I now have the floss, but I think I'll keep working on Maggie for now). I've made pretty good progress on it, and I may actually finish the cross stitching this month. I'm dreading the backstitching because it's a Dimensions Gold kit and has very complicated instructions. And they say Teresa Wentzler pieces are tough! I'd prefer that any day.

Diet: My weight loss stopped completely after our vacation last summer. I went back on the carbs, and they were my downfall, even with Lap-Band surgery. And for those who don't know, you still have to diet with the Lap-Band. It's supposed to take care of the hunger, but it's not working for me right now. I need to go in this month and get the band tightened.

The potty-training saga: We were so frustrated with Logan's lack of interest in potty training. We tried M&Ms as a reward. Nope. Then we tried giving him a car when he pooped in the potty. Bingo! It took him about two weeks to figure it out. Now he's wearing underwear and going to the potty by himself. Heaven! He still has occasional accidents and has to wear pull-ups at night, but we're so happy that light switch finally turned on. Now we're trying to ween him from getting cars every day....

Stitching goals for the new year

2010-12-30T17:38:00.006-06:00

I finished more than I thought I had this year, but still, I didn't stitch as much as I had in previous years. That's probably because of my renewed thirst for reading after getting my Kindle and having Missy Ann's help in realizing I really like supernatural romance. My credit card does not thank her. I've also been playing a computer game, Runes of Magic, way too much.

This year I hope to finish at least Maggie the Messmaker and Magnificent Wizard. The first is a WIP that's been around for too many years, and the other is a present for my husband that I'd like to finish as a graduation present.

Here's how I did, stitching-wise, in 2010.

Pieces I finished in 2010:

The Lady of Shalott
Legend of the Spellcasters
Frost on the Pumpkin
Quilted Bear
Barnabee's Bride
Austrian I
Moonriders
Autumn Biscornu and Fob
Three Pumpkins
Keep a Little Secret
Peppermint Twist
Noel

Current WIPs:

Spirit of the Snow Angel
Rose Quilt
Maggie the Messmaker
Magnificent Wizard
Eternal Promise
Three Pumpkins
Victoria Sampler Gingerbread House

Review of stitching goals for 2010:

Done

Legend of the Spellcasters
Lady of Shalott
Finishing of two Just Nans pieces

Not done

Maggie the Messmaker
Magnificent Wizard (make some progress)
Summer Faerie

Christmas smalls exchange

2010-12-06T11:24:00.004-06:00

Here is the exchange I sent to Paula. I was starting to get worried! The piece is part of Peppermint Twist by Blue Ribbon Designs. You can see more pics of the box. The satin-covered box was a find at a grocery-store sale after Valentine's Day this year (I wish I had bought more). I added embellishments to the piece and was really pleased with the way it came out (much more sparkly than in the pictures). I think stitching for exchanges frees me a lot. For my own pieces I like to stick with the designer's vision, even though some of the exchange pieces come out even better. I'm strange that way. I always second-guess my choices, and they're easier to live with if they're going to someone else.

I sent a few extras--coasters, a Christmas list pad, gift tags, and some candy. I love finding little gifts to go along with exchanges.

This was my first exchange to run, and I was both excited and nervous. I'm still waiting to see that all the pieces make it to their destinations safely. Fingers crossed.

Noel HD

2010-12-02T07:20:00.000-06:00

This is a Just Nan piece I finished the other day. I think I started it this year, but I felt like it sat for a good while before I picked it up again. I'm trying to work my way through my WIPs and get them down to a manageable level. Next is Victoria Sampler's Gingerbread Stitching House that I got as a Christmas present last year. I was stitching on the scissor case when I realized I didn't have the accessory pack for it. Now I need to order it and wait. Bleh.

I sent off my Christmas smalls exchange before Thanksgiving, and I haven't heard anything yet. I'm getting rather nervous....

The husband: Matt's finally getting over his month-plus cold/infection/whatever and is finishing up the school year. He's been incredibly busy. I hope next semester (his last) is better and that he finds a job. He won't have a 3.0 average, which a lot of employers ask for in people right out of college, and that's getting him down. He had to withdraw when he was younger and had a few bad grades that are really holding him back. Poor guy. He knows twice as much as the kids in his classes, to judge by their performance on projects together.

Christmas smalls exchange received

2010-11-28T16:02:00.003-06:00

Erin sent me this beautiful cube! It's such a pretty, delicate design, and the finishing is gorgeous. I love the little snowflake beads. Erin says it's Holiday Home by Elizabeth's Designs from the 2010 Gift of Stitching ornament issue. She also sent some goodies -- my three-year-old son had to open everything (and try out the lip gloss!).

I finished Just Nan's Noel, so I'll have pics up soon. The four-day break went by way too fast! I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving.

Keep a Little Secret HD

2010-11-04T15:11:00.002-05:00

This is a little pin keeper by Just Nan called Keep a Little Secret. It's over one but stitched up pretty quickly. I'd like to work on some WIPs, but I think I'm going to have to switch to my Christmas exchange piece soon. I'm running a Christmas smalls exchange for HoE -- my first. It's a responsibility, but I'm excited.

Lady of Shalott HD

2010-10-31T17:05:00.003-05:00

Done at last! I started this Teresa Wentzler piece June 2009. That's not bad at all. I've wanted to stitch this piece for a while. Alas, it will sit in my to-be-framed pile until Matt gets a job. :-)

And now a Just Nan needlecase and then a dive into the WIPs. Yay!

Happy Halloween!

HOE autumn exchange received

2010-10-31T13:53:00.002-05:00

I received this lovely fob from Lynn! The piece is Autumn Keeper from the Drawn Thread. I've been wanting to do this one for a while, and Lynn got creative with the sparkly color scheme. I really like it. Thanks, Lynn!

Autumn exchange

2010-10-29T23:55:00.004-05:00

I made these two pieces for the autumn exchange on Hooked on Exchanging for Becky. The piece is Autumn Biscornu by Barbara Ana, and the fob takes one of the little squirrels from it. I have more pics too. This was a fun stitch and took a little longer than I thought it would!

I have put the last stitches into the Lady of Shalott and will get the backstitching done tomorrow. If I can manage to do the beading while watching Logan (ha!), I may have another finish to show.

We've all been sick these last two weeks, and I'm afraid it's gotten into my chest, despite antibiotics. It may be time to head back to the doctor. Matt's been busy with school and takes the FE tomorrow -- a day-long engineering exam that would look very good on his resume. I hope he passes!

I hope you have a happy Halloween!

Lady of Shalott update

2010-10-18T07:50:00.003-05:00

So close I can taste it!

Yesterday I started a Just Nan pinkeep, the peacock one. I needed something to take with me, and the border seemed like something I could do easily. Now to do the over-one stitching -- the not-so-easy part.

Most of my stitching this month has been on an autumn exchange. I mailed it off, so I should be able to post pics soon. It's very cute. ^.^

I hope you're enjoying the fall weather. I mowed yesterday, and now I have a bad sore throat. I hope it' just allergies....

Halloween exchange received

2010-10-07T07:21:00.002-05:00

Edgar sent me this awesome exchange. Logan went straight for the candy and stuffed his mouth right after I snapped the pics. I don't know who was more excited about the package -- and I was pretty darn excited! It's the neatest box, and I can use it to store some of my other Halloween smalls during the off season.

Halloween exchange

2010-10-06T07:42:00.002-05:00

Here's the package I sent for the Hooked on Exchanging Halloween exchange. My partner was Missy Ann. The piece is one of the pumpkins from Three Pumpkins by Prairie Grove Peddler. I have more pics on my website. I'm going to stitch these for myself too at some point.

Lady of Shalott update

2010-10-04T11:41:00.000-05:00

I'm closing in on a finish. I had to take a break to work on a Halloween exchange piece, which I mailed off Friday, but I'm making steady progress on this one. The flowers were a pain, especially the backstitching. Maybe one more pic before the finish! Then I really need to get to work on a piece for Matt, Magnificent Wizard. I'd like to have it done by the time he graduates in May.

But first, I need to work on a fall exchange piece for Hooked on Exchanging. What to stitch, what to stitch....

My boy: Logan recently celebrated his third birthday. I made him a car cake -- supposed to be Lightning McQueen, but I didn't do a great job of decorating because he wanted to watch...and hit the table and bump my arm and talk to me.... This is why moms shouldn't make their own kids' cakes. :-) I'll try to post a pic at some point. He's an ornery little guy -- apparently he got it from both mom and dad. But he's sure cute!

Reading: I've gotten hooked on supernatural romance novels thanks to Missy Ann. I'm read J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series right now. Is it hot in here?

Lady of Shalott update

2010-09-13T12:48:00.002-05:00

Here she is once again. I'm a little tired of the confetti stitching, especially in the flowers, but I'm still loving the piece. She came out fine from her wash, and I'm using my old crappy stand now. I need to get to the hardware store and look for knobs.

Corrosion from my Gripit stand

2010-09-05T17:48:00.002-05:00

I just about had a heart attack when I looked at my stitching today. It had black powder on it. So far it looks like just on the unstitched part is affected. I guess I'll be washing Lady of Shalott before she's finished being stitched (and it won't all come off if past experience is an indicator, but stitching should hide it).I've had this problem before.

In 2007 I noticed black spots on the HAED I was stitching. I couldn't figure out if it was from my magnifier or the stand, though I replaced both the magifier and bolt/nut to be safe. Now I know it's the stand because I don't use the magifier anymore. My husband says the problem is that the bolt is steel, and the nut is brass and eventually gets worn away, making the black powder. I stitch a lot, so you can imagine the amount of use this bolt and nut get.

So just a PSA if you have a Gripit stand -- check your bolts. Gripit is out of business now, or you can bet I'd be complaining. I am NOT having a good day. I want to just toss the stand in the garbage and get a new one, but I can't afford it. I'll be pulling my Walmart special out of storage.

Lady of Shalott update

2010-09-02T12:14:00.003-05:00

I'm enjoying this piece a lot, but I must say it's got a lot of color changes, even more than most TWs. One page left to go!

Baking: I volunteered to make cakes for the bake sale at work later this month. I thought about making a chocolate cake and an Italian cream cake. Or maybe two chocolate cakes would sell better. I do make a mean chocolate cake! What do you think? I may also make some cupcakes, as time permits. Fun!

Lady of Shalott update

2010-08-17T12:20:00.005-05:00

I've been having a little more time for stitching since Matt only had one class this summer. He's been able to share some of the kid and cooking duties. I'm also excited about stitching again, which is a good thing!

To address some comments, I keep my TW charts, so I won't be getting rid of this one -- sorry and good luck. Also, the road on the trip -- horrible. I stitched anyway, at least until I got annoyed with the bobbing needle. I only lost it once.

Reading: I'm still making my way through Mercedes Lackey's urban fantasy series. I've also been reading Jacqueline Carey and Stacia Kane -- good but not for the faint of heart. I also did a massive purge of my paperback collection, going from four bookcases to three. It's been painful, but it's what I need to do. We'll probably sell the house when Matt graduates (we don't like the neighborhood), no matter where we wind up, and I don't need to lug useless stuff around. I'm not much on rereading books, so I am getting rid of anything I know I won't read again. So far that's four big boxes. I credit the Kindle for helping me let go.

Logan: He's entered the "Why?" stage and is already driving us nuts. We're having a few problems with potty training. They tell us he does well at daycare, but he hates going at home. I don't know what the deal is. And since he only poops at home, he's not pooping in the potty either. Ugh. Any advice?

Lufy: Thank you for your kind words. It's still hard. Last night we had a storm roll in, and the first thing I thought of was her huddled under the desk, all 75 pounds of her. I really miss my girl. The vet mailed us a card with her footprint on it. Very nice of them, but of course it made me cry.

Lady of Shalott update

2010-07-29T12:47:00.002-05:00

Here's my progress on Lady of Shalott. I did get a fair amount done this past month. I even managed to stitch on it in the truck driving to Ohio. That took some doing!

Trip to Ohio: We drove from Texas to Akron for Matt's 20-year class reunion. He didn't graduate there because his mom moved to Texas right before his senior year. Still, he did grow up with these people, and they were happy to see him. I had a really good time. It was great to meet them, and I was completely comfortable with them, something that doesn't happen often for me. I really could see becoming good friends with some of them. We also saw Matt's best friend and his old girlfriend, which I also enjoyed. Oh, not to mention one of my best friends from high school, Becky. It's one of the few trips we've taken just to see people, and it was one of the best I've ever had. I hope we can get back up there again soon. It also made me realize that my 25th class reunion is coming up. Now I didn't much like many of the people I went to high school with, but I would like to see my friends again.

Lufy: The day before the trip, Lufy refused to eat and had trouble breathing. We decided it was time to put her to sleep. I couldn't bear to watch her die, so I let the vet be there for her. I was really grateful that they treated her right. She was out of it by the time we left her, so I know she wasn't afraid. Matt and I are still mourning our sweet dog. It never gets any easier.

Chocolate cake

2010-07-17T11:52:00.003-05:00

I made this chocolate cake for Matt's aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary party. I was a nervous wreck, but the satisfaction from a job well done is so worth it. The cake is a moist chocolate liquer cake with dark chocolate frosting. I got so many compliments on it. I made two test cakes and test frosting during the week to make sure I got it right. Even the decorating came out well (though I see flaws, of course). This was the groom's cake, and another relative made the main cake. Poor thing--her frosting didn't set, and the cake looked like it had been out in the sun for a few hours. That was my nightmare, so I completely sympathized.

Matt has already requested this cake for his birthday. :-)

Oh, and in case you're wondering, the flowers are real but are in picks so they don't contaminate the cake.

Stitching: I've been remiss in my blogging, but I haven't had much stitching progress lately (computer game addiction is to blame). I have been working on Lady of Shalott, so I'll have a new pic soon.

Lufy: We had some bad news. Our dog Lufy started limping, and after taking her to the vet, we found out she has bone cancer. She's about 11 years old, and the vet said amputation would only slow it. We've decided not to since she already has trouble with her hips, and losing a leg would make that worse. With it being aggressive bone cancer, it's probably already spread. I would spend whatever it took to make her better, but there is no making her better at this point. We're giving her meds to help with the pain, and once that doesn't work anymore, we're going to have to let her go. Matt and I are pretty torn up about it. She's the sweetest dog, and we love her dearly. We're going to miss our girl. She spends her days with me while I work at home, and it just won't be the same without her.

Lady of Shalott progress

2010-06-13T10:37:00.003-05:00

Here's my progress on TW's Lady of Shalott. Those curtains took a while to do! I've been involved with an online game, Runes of Magic, so I haven't been spending as much time stitching. I've also been enjoying my Kindle. As a wonder, it's allowing me to let go of some of my paperbacks, which have been doing nothing but taking up space for many years. You can't keep everything.

I'm regretting my choice of fabric for this one. I think I should have gone for the tea-dyed fabric the chart called for. I thought it would be mostly covered by stitching, but it shows in the mirror. Too late now!

Diet: I've been doing well with my diet since Lap-Band surgery. I hear horror stories of people throwing up all the time with the band, but fortunately I have not thrown up once since I got home. I've lost 43 pounds so far. I'm averaging a pound a week -- slow but steady. I did get a second tightening of the band. My hunger is under control, but I can still eat bad things if I want to. Sometimes when I get tired or overwhelmed, I resort to the bad food again, but at least I can't pig out like I used to.

Legends of the Spellcasters HD

2010-05-16T16:29:00.002-05:00

I finally finished this collaboration piece. Teresa Wentzler did the first panel, Black Swan did the second, and Dragon Dreams did the third. It seemed to take especially long, probably because it was so detailed.

Another reason it took a while is that I've been reading a lot. Matt bought me a Kindle for Mother's Day, and I'm really enjoying it.

I'm going to dig out another WIP to work on next, Lady of Shalott or Maggie the Messmaker probably.

Weight loss: I'm 38 pounds down now. My Lap-Band has been tightened once, and it's helping with the hunger. I still need more restriction, but we're doing it slowly. It's so weird to eat a small meal and not still be hungry! I like it. I almost feel normal.

Legends of the Spellcasters update

2010-05-04T20:13:00.007-05:00

I know, long time no post. I've been in something of a stitching slump. I've been reading some good books by Diana Gabaldon, Robin McKinley, and Jacqueline Carey, and I've been playing a new computer game, Runes of Magic, both of which have conspired to take up all my time.

As you can see, I've made fair progress on Legends of the Spellcasters, though not at my normal speed. Something about the piece has been unappealing to me as far as stitching, and I can't quite put my finger on what it is. I like the way the piece looks, but maybe it's that it's by three different designers. Dunno.

Health: My recovery since the Lap-Band surgery has been going well. I had my first fill (when they tighten the band) a few weeks ago, and I'm feeling a little restriction but not nearly enough to curb my hunger. So far I've lost 37 pounds, and I can tell a different in my clothes. My weight loss is slow but consistent at 1-2 pounds a week. I think it will speed up once I get enough fill in the band (I'm at 3.5 cc; most people get to their "sweet spot" at around 7-9 cc). I get my next fill at the beginning of June. The doctor likes to do it slowly so that my body adjusts. He said 2-4 weeks between fills, but it's been more like 4 because of his schedule.

At the moment, I have an ear infection with a perforated eardrum, the first I've had in a very long time. Now I remember how painful they are and know what Matt and Logan go through quite regularly. Ouch. Apparently sinus surgery isn't going to make me completely illness free, but at least I'm not getting sick every month. (Just every other month.)

Home after Lap-Band

2010-03-23T09:36:00.005-05:00

I made it through surgery just fine. I had some pain and nausea for a while, but that eventually went away with the right medicine. The day after surgery, they made me drink iodine so they could x-ray me to see if there were any leaks. All was well, but I managed to throw up the mouthful of liquid after I got back to my room. That's been the only instance, and I'm grateful.

Right now I'm dealing with incision pain and gas pain in my shoulders (they pump your belly full of gas during surgery). Oh, and the vein where they had the IV is very swollen and painful. It's not too bad. I'm on a liquid diet for two weeks. While I'm hungry, it's not a lot, and I can manage. The doctor may do my first fill next Monday, but it depends on how I'm doing. The band has to be adjusted with saline to get it to the right tightness to curb my hunger. Right now I'm sure it's the swelling from surgery that's doing the trick.

I've already lost 24 pounds with the pre-op diet and surgery.

Edited to add: Lap-Band seems to have its own jargon terms--sorry about that. A "fill" is when the doctor injects saline into the port that's under the skin of your belly. The saline expands the band a bit, causing it to tighten around the upper part of your stomach. This reduces the amount of food that will go through the band and makes you feel full. It also constricts nerves, causing you to feel less hunger. Often you have to go through several fills in order to get it just right. Not enough fill and you don't lose weight. Too much fill and you can't eat enough or throw up. I plan to take it slow.

The health saga continues

2010-03-13T21:37:00.003-06:00

Matt was the next one on the list to get hit. Turns out what he had was not a stomach bug. He has diverticulitis. After a week of staying home from class and taking antibiotics, he's able to eat again and do a few things. This was after he got diagnosed with herpangina, which gave him a severe sore throat. Like Logan, he had two unrelated illnesses hit him pretty hard. No ER trips, thankfully.

But it looks like I'll still be able to have my Lap-Band surgery next Thursday. I'm excited and scared, which is giving me a bit of stomach upset. I've stayed on the pre-op diet for two weeks now and have lost some weight. I'm pretty happy about that. Every doctor's different, but here's what my pre-op diet consists of per day:

3 protein drinks
1 egg
1 bread
6-7 oz. lean meat
4 oz. vegetables
8 oz. fruits or vegetables

I'm ranging about 1200 calories a day. It's not as difficult as I would have expected. I think the high amount of protein has something to do with that. Someone asked why I didn't just stay on the diet and skip the surgery. If I could stay on a diet, I wouldn't be this heavy.

I'll post again after the surgery to let you guys know how it goes.

Legends of the Spellcasters update

2010-03-06T18:02:00.004-06:00

I've made fairly good progress on the piece, but I have a feeling the next panel (the Teresa Wentzler panel) is going to be a little more time consuming. I did hit a snag in that DMC consolidated colors at some point, and two of the numbers used in the chart were the same color. I emailed Teresa Wentzler, and she suggested using a blend, and that worked!

I keep having problems getting the fabric to stay aligned in my Qsnaps. I hope that doesn't cause problems with squaring the piece. It looks off in the photo but isn't quite so bad in person. I may have to go back to my scroll frames for larger pieces.

The health saga: Thursday daycare called to tell us that a spot on Logan's butt was getting red and that he had a fever. We had to take him to the ER to get the abscess lanced. He did not like that one bit and fought like a wild child. The next day he started throwing up and couldn't stop. He also had a fever and diarrhea (just wonderful since the abscess is in such a bad place). We took him to the ER again, and they gave him something to stop the vomiting, and he gulped down four small bottles of Pedialyte. He was dehydrated by then. He was also exhausted since we didn't get home til 3:00 in the morning. The doctor thinks he has a virus. We belatedly realized this must be the same thing that's going around daycare--so two unrelated illnesses and trips to the ER within two days. Today he's been pretty good, if cranky from lack of sleep, and has managed to keep everything down. I feel so bad for the poor kid...and at the same time I'm hoping I don't get it. With my Lap-Band surgery less than two weeks away, I don't need to get sick. Matt has a touch of it, and my mom came down with strep (though the doctor didn't do a strep test and she's much better today). Jeez!

Moon Riders HD

2010-03-04T18:10:00.003-06:00

I finished yet another Just Nan the other day. They're like candy! Chris sent me this chart in last year's Halloween exchange. I'm planning on making this into a tiny bellpull.

Sadly, I think I've finished all the little Just Nans in my stash that I can without buying fabric. I'll have to give it another look-through and see.

I've almost finished my current panel on Legends of the Spellcasters. I haven't felt like stitching much because I've been sick, but I think I'm back on it. Pics when I do!

HOE red exchange received

2010-03-04T12:37:00.001-06:00

Here are some photos of the red exchange Ina sent me. I love the sweet little heart and all the goodies. Logan was fascinated with the flower soap, but I'm not sure I want him smelling like roses. :-) He also appropriated the candy when we opened the package. I think he enjoyed the goodies as much as I did!

Sick again: So even after the sinus surgery, I developed a sinus infection. At least it's two months between illnesses, not two weeks like before. I also started the pre-op diet Monday in preparation for Lap Band surgery on March 18. I have to stay on it so that my liver will shrink and be easier to move during the surgery. The diet is very restrictive but includes a lot of protein, so I'm not starving too bad. I'm highly motivated too!

Frost on the Pumpkin HD

2010-02-21T09:24:00.004-06:00

This Just Nan piece was a really fast stitch. And it's so cute! I'll have to order the frame to go with it at some point.

I also started the Victorian Sampler gingerbread house. I finished stitching the tiny scissor fob. I'll probably put that together before moving to the rest of the pieces. Of course, my name was too long to fit, so I used my initials.

I also managed to take Spellcasters downstairs with me when I was watching Logan yesterday, so I got a little stitching done on that one. I'll try to take a photo tonight.

Matt's been incredibly busy with school this semester. Logan's been sick yet again, and I think I've caught it. There goes my 1.5-month record of not getting sick.

Reading: I've been tracking down the last few Mercedes Lackey books I need. I'm on the last long series I haven't reread (actually, some of them I haven't read at all), the Elves on the Road series. It's not one of my favorites, but I'm a completist.

Egyptian Sampler framed

2010-02-15T12:19:00.003-06:00

I asked for Egyptian Sampler to be framed as my Christmas present last year (though Matt surprised me with a car stereo too to replace the broken one I've had for years). I just love this piece. I consider it our wedding piece because we got married at the Luxor in Las Vegas. How's that for unconventional? And to answer your next questions, the chapel looked just like an ordinary chapel, nothing Egyptian about it. (No spinning Stargates either, darnit.)

Pics of Legends of the Spellcasters soon. I promise!

Quilted Bear HD

2010-02-15T07:35:00.002-06:00

I finished this little Just Nan piece last night. I've been wanting to stitch this one for a while. I have another bear charm somewhere, but of course I can't find it to put it with the chart. I guess that means I need to go stash diving!

I'm just going to keep plowing through the Just Nans. They're usually small and easy, and that's what I need when I'm trying to keep up with a two-year-old.

Logan found his little trike in the garage, the one we were supposed to give him for Christmas but the weather's been so bad. He played with it inside for most of the weekend, saying, "It's my bi-siscal, Mommie!" He can't quite reach the pedals yet, even though the package said it was for two-year-olds (and he's pretty tall). It won't be long til he can, though!

Barnabee's Bride

2010-02-13T16:25:00.002-06:00

Here's the piece I finished the other day, Barnabee's Bride by Just Nan. I have more pictures on my website. I've been having this one for a while. I stitched it to have a small piece I could work on while spending time with Logan. It's often too difficult to take out a large piece. I'm frankly glad to get this one out of my kitted pile. The box for the bee was a great lump in my project bag.

My current small project is Quilted Bear by Just Nan. It took me forever to find a bit of fabric for it. I can't believe I don't have any 28-count natural linen in my stash! Still, the sand linen I found looks pretty darn good. Now if I can find that extra bear charm I had....

Oh, and I finally got Egyptian Sampler back from the framer! She had to do a few adjustments--the inner mat didn't have enough showing, and the piece was far from centered. It looks good now, and I just love it. Pics soon.

In other news... Matt's been having tons of homework this semester. The poor husband has two labs, and he's just working himself to the bone. He's got really dark circles under his eyes and isn't getting much sleep. Logan and I are missing him.

HOE red exchange

2010-02-11T15:08:00.005-06:00

Kathy received the piece I stitched for her, so I can show some pics. I stitched Austrian I from the February issue of Just Cross Stitch. Yes, that's over one. It's not quite my style, but after looking at Kathy's blog, I thought she might like it. I did enjoy stitching it. I used some floss I had gotten in a past exchange--I always like putting my stash to use. I had fits with the finishing. I wanted to do something different, but it wound up being a pillow.

I haven't been blogging much lately. I haven't felt like stitching, which I know is a huge shocker. Things are starting to pick up, so I'll have more pics soon. I finished Barnabee's Bride by Just Nan , and it's about time for another showing of Legends of the Spellcasters. Stay tuned!

TMI alert!

Sinus surgery: I'm mostly recovered from my surgery. I haven't had a sinus infection since, and that is such a wonderful feeling! I also don't have the chronic halitosis which I've been plagued with my entire adult life. I suppose all those nooks and crannies in my sinuses harbored nasty stuff. It was so embarrassing--brushing your teeth, gargling, and still having bad breath! And now I'm cured, for the most part (still need to remember to gargle!). The only downside is that my voice has a more nasal tone to it (wow, I bet my French pronunciation has improved now!). It's not bad, but I do notice it. I'm learning to adjust how I talk.

Bariatric surgery: Yes, another surgery. I have surgery scheduled for March to get the LapBand. I'm hovering around 300 pounds, and I want this extra person I've been carrying around gone! I have a bad back, bad knees, bad hips. I need to get the weight off before I can add to that diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. The only thing I'm waiting for is the insurance to finish the paperwork. It's agony waiting. I just hope they get their act together before my surgery date. My eating habits will drastically change after this surgery. Some foods will be right out, like soft bread, pasta, and rice--my favorites, of course. I'll only eat tiny portions, will have to chew everything ad infinitum, and I'll be sipping water constantly. But it will be worth the sacrifice to have my life back.

Legends of the Spellcasters

2010-01-09T19:51:00.003-06:00

Does he look like Santa Claus? Because that's who Logan thinks he is. So cute.

This is my first progress pic of Legends of the Spellcasters. The design is a collaboration piece. This panel is by Black Swan. I still have the backstitching to do, plus beads, which will be after all the stitching is done. I'm working on this as part of a SAL on the TWBB in case anyone's interested.

When all I had seen of the piece was a small photo online, I wondered if those were wings above his head. Now I know they're supposed to be the eyes of a dragon.

Damier wall hanging

2010-01-08T11:55:00.002-06:00

Yes, it's another wall hanging! This is Damier, which I finished the stitching on a while back. There's a sleeve on the back with a cafe rod, in case you're wondering. The finishing has a few flaws, but I proclaim it good enough. I think I'm getting the knack of this. My mom says I need a quilting foot for my sewing machine to do some of the stitches properly, so I may eventually look into that.

I have a few other things left to finish, but I think they're going to be flat folds or cushioned matboard hangings. This latest round of sewing has also given me the urge to work on a quilt, which I've never done. I've done some applique work, which I really like. But what to stitch...during my recent convalescence, I thought of doing a quilt for Logan with all the things he likes. Cars would figure in this prominently, of course.

Pics of Legends of the Spellcasters soon.

Sinus surgery: I survived my sinus surgery, though it was very unpleasant. With emphasis on the very. I managed not to panic myself, which I'm pretty proud of. These kinds of things can get to me if I let them (kind of like when I freaked over the thought of a C-section). Recovery included lying in bed propped up on many pillows, taking much hydrocodone, and suffering through some headaches, burning nose, and regular bleeding. I never want to go through that again. I'm guessing mine was worse than normal because they found out my deviated septum was about as bad as they get. I also had an active infection, which the doctor thinks I've had for many months. Several rounds of antibiotics never got rid of it completely. Now I just have a stuffy nose, headaches I can deal with with Tylenol, and regular spitting of nastiness. Oh, and weekly doctor visits so he can vaccum out my sinuses. Eaughhh!

In a couple of months, I hope (?) to have bariatric surgery, the LapBand since that's all my insurance will pay for. I was hoping to go with the gastric sleeve (basically they turn your stomach into a tiny tube), but it's not FDA approved and therefore not covered by my insurance. After this last surgery, which was worse than the doctor said it would be, I'm not terribly eager for another round of cutting, but it's something I have to do. The sooner it's done, the sooner I can recover and function like a normal human being!

Lady of Shalott progress pic

2009-12-27T13:27:00.002-06:00

I've started working on Legends of the Spellcasters, so I figured it would be good to get a photo of where I'm stopping for now on Lady of Shalott. I'm enjoying this piece, but I'm letting myself stitch where I want for the break. I deserve it! :-)

Stitching goals for the new year

2009-12-26T01:17:00.006-06:00

Since I'm not sure if I'll feel up to writing after my sinus surgery Monday, I'll take care of my review of goals now. I didn't seem to do too well on my stitching goals this year, but I did get a lot of stitching done on Teresa Wentzler pieces, which I'm excited about. I also read a lot more this year. I have one series of Mercedes Lackey books left to read, and I can say I've read all her books. Then it's on to other favorite authors I've been meaning to read! And then there are all the illnesses. I was sick a full half the year--every month I got a sinus infection, and they usually last two weeks. That wears you down, but the surgery should take care of that.

Here's how I did, stitching-wise, in 2009 and what I hope to accomplish in 2010.

Pieces I finished in 2009:

Autumn Faerie
Winter Faerie
Spring Faerie
Medieval Miniature
Sun Dragon
Futurecast (six TWs for those who are counting!)
Royal Blossoms
Stitchie Witchie
Heart Throb
Violet Bouquet NR
Tulip Time NR
Victorial Floral NR
Sweetheart NR
Strawberry Patch NR
Wildflowers NR (finished all the needlerolls in the series!)
Teeny Tiny 'Love' Bag
My First Gray Hare
She Sells Seashells
Happy Jack
Finishing of Goblins
Zelda's Fancy Hat

Current WIPs:

Lady of Shalott
Legends of the Spellcasters
Spirit of the Snow Angel
Rose Quilt
Maggie the Messmaker
Magnificent Wizard
Eternal Promise

Review of stitching goals for 2009:

Autumn Faerie--done
Chatelaine's Rose and Butterfly Quilt--nope
Maggie the Messmaker--no, but I did make a lot of progress on it
Magnificent Wizard (work some on it)--nope
Work on more Teresa Wentzler pieces--yes, a lot
Start an embroidered knot garden--nope
Try doll making/polymer clay--nope
Make more cakes--a little

Stitching/craft goals for 2010:

Maggie the Messmaker
Magnificent Wizard (make some progress)
Legend of the Spellcasters
Lady of Shalott
Summer Faerie
Finishing of two Just Nans pieces

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T00:55:00.002-06:00

My mom gave me the little fob shown above. I don't usually like fobs on my scissors (though I like to admire them), but this one is cute and doesn't get in the way. Now helping me "never lose my scissors again" as the card promises? Ha!

We had a very good day today, me, Matt, Mom, and Logan. Logan is old enough to understand presents, so he went nuts opening them. He loved the train set my mom gave him and all the Duplo blocks and cars we bought him. (The dinosaurs weren't a hit, at least not yet). He didn't know what to play with first. He haven't given him is trike yet because it's been too cold to go outside with it. This being Texas, we just have to wait a few days for warmer weather.

For Christmas, I received one of my cross stitch pieces framed (my idea) and a car stereo (Matt's idea). My stereo has been out for years, and it's driven me nuts the entire time, especially when I have to take the long drives in to work. I just need to get it installed now! My husband is tricky and clever.

Matt received assorted CDs and DVDs he requested, plus the Maglite he wanted. I bought him two T-shirts he says he likes. It's hard to judge how much he liked them, though. My mom bought him an RC helicopter that seemed to go over well, though it's steering isn't great.

My mom wants something for her sewing machine, so I'm pitching it for that. The one thing I bought that was a surprise didn't work--a key finder. You clap and it's supposed to go off. Not so well actually.

Right now I'm taking steroids and antibiotics in preparation for my sinus surgery Monday. That, of course, is keeping me awake all hours. I catch up on my sleep during the day, which is wreaking havoc with my schedule. But at least the meds are making me feel better when I'm not dead tired.

So an enjoyable Christmas with family and simple fun. I also got to stitch in the living room with my floor stand. Logan played with a few knobs, but when he didn't get anywhere with them, he left it alone. So nice to be able to stitch with my stand again! I've been working on Legends of the Spellcasters. I figured that since I had a break from work until January 4 and was having surgery next week, I deserved a new start. I'm also participating in the stitch-along on the TW bulletin board--just getting a head start.

And lastly, I had one of my best friends from school write me on Facebook. She was my best friend from kindergarten through junior high. We had a falling out and then never talked again. It always made me so sad and resentful thinking about it. I thought I would reject her friend request if she ever sent me one. But when she did, she apologized, and that released the flood in me. I never thought it would be such a relief to hear that. She and I will never be best friends again, but that's just a little more resentment I don't have to hold onto. Yes, I'm stubborn, and it's hard for me to give up on old wounds.

I hope you all had a good day too!

Lady of Shalott progress pic

2009-12-21T22:35:00.003-06:00

Here's my progress on Lady of Shalott by Teresa Wentzler. Lots of wrinkles, huh? That's what happens when I use a small set of Qsnaps. I've started on the image in the mirror. We'll see how it comes out on this light-colored fabric.

I also received my fabric for Legends of the Spellcasters, my little splurge for the new year. I can't wait to do the floss toss and see what the colors look like.

If you're on Facebook, there's a group called Teresa Wentzler Cross Stitch SAL if you're interested. If I knew how to link to it I would. :-/

Finishing of Goblins

2009-12-20T15:24:00.002-06:00

I finished the stitching of Goblins by Patricia Andrle in 2003 and always planned to get it framed. But now that I'm rethinking what pieces to get framed (because of the cost and lack of wall space), I decided to finish some of my smaller pieces as wall hangings and such. This piece I did all myself, with only a little consultation with my mother, the expert seamstress. To some this may be easy sewing, but to me it's quite an accomplishment since I've never been much for sewing. It's growing on me. I've even thought about making a quilt. Maybe someday.

Matt hung this for me in our office. He got to decide on the paint job in this one room. It's light grey with a darker grey stripe around the room. It looks pretty decent, in case you were wondering.

I've been working on Lady of Shalott and plan to take a progress picture maybe tomorrow.

Sinus surgery: I go in for sinus surgery next Monday. I haven't gotten too scared yet. What worries me right now is not eating until after the surgery. I tend to get nauseous and have stomach pains when I don't eat. But then I'm sure I'll have worse pains after the surgery to think about.

Right now we're dealing with getting ready for Christmas while we're all sick. We have the crackling lungs, and Logan at least has had to take breathing treatments. His breathing is sounding a lot better now, though. Getting the boy to sit still with a mask over his face has been challenging. Bribes of candy work wonders, but it's probably not the best thing for him.

Incidentally, I had an allergy test and am officially not allergic to anything. I had very mild reactions to cats and timothy (not that I've ever noticed), but they weren't bad enough to qualify me as allergic. That's pretty surprising because I thought I'd be allergic to something. Awesome.

End of the semester: Matt finished another semester, and that leaves only three to go (plus a summer session). He passed all his classes, which is a relief since some classes were in question. We're getting closer to that goal of his getting an electrical engineering degree and a good job! I can't wait!

Lady of Shalott progress pic

2009-12-10T21:07:00.003-06:00

I finally finished the border. I think there may be some errors in the chart on the leaves since they were inconsistent. Not that anyone would notice. As you can see, I've started working on the drapes at the top. I still need to pull the rest of the floss for the piece.

I've also been working on the finishing of a wall hanging and managed to get it done this evening. I did the binding myself and everything! I am so proud since I'm not much of a seamstress. I need a dowel rod and some hooks and then will be able to hang it (somewhere...the walls are getting full). Pics soon!

Lady of Shalott progress pic

2009-11-30T12:20:00.003-06:00

I've been making pretty good progress on this. It's fairly easy to tote around the house. Logan's letting me stitch while he plays with his toys, so I can stitch while looking after him now.

I plan to join a stitch-along in January with Teresa Wentzler's Legends of the Spellcasters and then Legends of the Dragons. If you're interested, check out the TWBB.

Sinus surgery: Since I've had 10 sinus infections in 10 months, the ENT ordered a CT scan and then determined I need surgery to clear out my sinuses and fix my deviated septum. I'll be having it right after Christmas, which means my birthday on December 31 might be spent recovering. Oh well, it's not like I was looking forward to turning 40!

Lady of Shalott progress pic

2009-11-10T11:57:00.003-06:00

Not the greatest picture, but it shows my progress on Teresa Wentzler's Lady of Shalott. Progress has been slow because there are a lot of color changes and I haven't been using my stand.

I'm going to try to take a picture of all my needlerolls, but I need a bigger basket first.

Sick again: This is the 10th sinus infection in 10 months, so the doctor has referred me to an ENT. I really hope he can fix this without having to cut me. A few years ago I had a doctor comment that he was surprised I didn't get sick more often and they could scrape out my sinuses. I don't think I'd be as quick to say no now, but I still wouldn't be eager.

Last two Sweetheart Tree needlerolls done

2009-11-05T11:50:00.001-06:00

I finally got the last bit of ribbon I needed to finish up these last two needlerolls (Violet Bouquet and Sweetheart). I am so happy to have these all done. I started the series at the beginning of 2008. It feels like I've been working on them a lot longer than that.

Now I've been working on the Spirit of Snow Angel by Brooke Nolan, but I'm having second thoughts about the perforated paper. I've already ripped a square out when trying to tuck a tail in (fixed it, though). I'm wondering how long this paper's going to last. I don't need it to last hundreds of years, but just through my lifetime would be nice. The angels are a fair amount of work and money, so I want them to be around for a while. The paper's also taking a bit of bending with all the stitching, Kreiniks, and beading. I could switch to fabric, but then I like the paper-doll quality of the pieces. Hm.

As you may have heard, TW Designworks has closed. This makes me very sad since Teresa Wentzler is my favorite designer. I still have lots of her designs to stitch, but there won't be any new pieces, not even Illuminata, which was promising to be something spectacular. This economy really sucks.

Halloween exchange received

2009-10-28T12:43:00.003-05:00

Chris sent a beautiful Just Nan piece for the HoE Halloween exchange, plus a whole bunch of goodies. The piece is Fraidy Frog from the Sept./Oct. issue of Just Cross Stitch. She finished it as a really cute tin and did an excellent job with it. It's one I probably would have stitched for myself eventually, and now I don't have to!

She also sent the chart and a frame for Moon Riders. I've admired this chart for a while. She also sent some orange TicTacs, but they inexplicably disappeared. They are my favorite, so they didn't last long. They remind me of baby aspirin from when I was a kid. Yes, I liked them!

Not much stitching going on lately, which is so unusual for me. I pulled out Skeleton Crew and hope to put in a few stitches. I noticed the fabric's gotten warped, undoubtedly from my Qsnaps last time I worked on it. The Wichelt fabric is so loosely woven that the strands move around a lot. Bleh. I hope I can get the fabric back into shape. It's not motivating me to stitch.

Sick, sick, and more sick: We've all had a few rounds of illnesses lately. The latest one is Logan's pink eye, which had been going around daycare. The drops the doctor gave him yesterday have really helped. I'm hoping the rest of us don't get it.

Finishing of Gray Hare

2009-10-22T11:13:00.003-05:00

This morning I put the bow on a second pinkeep, My First Gray Hare by 4 My Boys. Let's see what other items I can pull out to finish up.

Finishing of Stitchie Witchie

2009-10-21T19:27:00.002-05:00

I completed the finishing of Stitchie Witchie by Brooke Nolan as a rather large pinkeep. I used some fabric and ribbon that I received in an exchange too!

Remember Zelda's Fancy Hat I was selling in a charity auction at work? It sold for $26, and the minimum bid was $25. Rather disappointing.

I'm still searching for the right colors of ribbon to finish the needlerolls. So far Wal-Mart, Joann's, and Hobby Lobby have not had what I'm looking for. I even looked online and haven't had any luck yet.

Almost finished with all the needlerolls!

2009-10-18T12:11:00.005-05:00

I haven't had much time to myself recently(my mom's away on a trip, and Matt's been studying nonstop), but I did get a little time to work on these needlerolls here and there. I just have two left to finish up. I'm missing some 1/8-inch ribbon in colors 503 and 3041/3042. I'll have to check around for them. Then I can say I've finally finished this series of Sweetheart Tree needlerolls! What an effort it was. I also need to find a bigger basket for my needlerolls. (The rest of the series is on my Sweetheart Tree page.)

I've been more in the mood for finishing than stitching lately anyway (very strange for me). I have a few other pieces I'd like to finish off as pinkeeps. Stay tuned.

In other news, my Zelda's Fancy Hat is about to go up on auction for my work's charity event. We set a minimum bid of $25. I've already had one person tell me she'll bid on it. We'll see how high it goes! I'm very excited.

Halloween exchange

2009-10-09T22:14:00.004-05:00

Marie received my Halloween exchange package, so now I can show it off. I stitched Happy Jack by Knotted Tree Needlearts from the Just Cross Stitch Halloween issue. I found this cool paper mache box at Michaels, and it's just perfect. Even the colors match the piece. You can see more pics. I had already sealed up the envelope, but I have some stickers and a cool card in there. Matt found the card for me at the grocery store. It's one of those that you tilt to see different pictures, and a cute little pumpkin turns into a big scary jack-o-lantern. The extras are a little sparse this year. I usually go nuts for Halloween, but really I didn't find anything I liked much this year.

So I'm sick again with a sinus infection or something. I went to the doctor last Friday and got antibiotics. I was feeling great. Then I started feeling bad again. Poor Matt has it too, and his eardrum ruptured. So, since I'm feeling so bad, I decided I'd better stay home this weekend. Yet another stitching get-together that I'm going to miss, this one at Jo's in Houston. I'm really disappointed. I had been planning to go to this for months. I'm going to try to make myself feel a little better by spending some money on stash tomorrow. Still, not happy about this and feeling sorry for myself. I may need to go to the doctor again Monday for more antibiotics.

Stitchie Witchie HD

2009-09-29T07:28:00.000-05:00

While looking through the Just Cross Stitch ornament preview issue (July/August), I fell in love with Brooke Nolan's spirit angels! I'm not usually one for angels, but I love these. I ordered a few from her website. I joined her Yahoo bulletin board, where she has some free charts. Stitchie Witchie is one of them. I just couldn't wait to stitch her! I'll turn this into a padded matboard ornament, I think.

Halloween argh!

2009-09-27T12:14:00.003-05:00

That's all I can call it. I was working on my Halloween exchange piece, Halloween Spot Motif Shoe, from the Just Cross Stitch Halloween issue, which I finally received after Nordic Needle was out and Ginger's delayed shipping on me twice. I stitched it on some large-count fabric I had on hand, over one. Bad idea. I put interfacing on it, sewed it together, and tried to flip it inside out. It was too bulky, and all my attempts just shredded the fabric. So the entire stitched piece wound up in the garbage, and I threw away that fabric just so I wouldn't be tempted to use it again. Argh! So now I have to figure out something else to stitch, but I think I'm going to take a break. I'm too annoyed to enjoy it.

Family outing: Yesterday Matt, Logan, and I went to the Austin Children's Museum. It was...mediocre. The baby section was too boring for Logan, and the other areas were mostly too big for him (as in he couldn't understand them or wasn't tall enough to see them). He eventually started to enjoy what he could do, but it took a while. At least I don't have to keep wondering if he's missing out. Also, he's been babbling up a storm lately, giving a good try at saying most words. There are many sounds he can't say yet, but he's giving it a go at least.