Maggie the Messmaker update

I finally finished this quarter of Maggie the Messmaker. One of my goals was to finish this piece this year, but that's not going to happen. Oh well, I still want to make some progress this year. It's a cute piece, even if it is a Dimensions kit (cough, gag).

Also, here's the promised photo of the needlerolls I've stitched. I moved them around so you can see them all.


Oh, and Anubis kept trying to get in the shot, so I took one of him. He was purring so hard he couldn't keep his eyes open. Poor kitty is on a special diet because he throws up so much (food allergies, the vet says), which makes him hungry a lot. And of course for kitties, hungry = affectionate.

Diet: My own diet is going OK. I've been getting on the treadmill in addition to working out at the chiropractor's. I thought you were supposed to just lie there while the chiropractor worked on you, but man, I get out of there sweating! Right now he has me on the treadmill (forward, sideways, backwards) and doing exercises for my back and legs. I'm getting better, but I still hurt a lot. (My bad back is a result of my pregnancy, by the way.)

Cool links

I just thought I'd share a few link. You probably know some of these.

Cute Overload -- Cute stuff
I Can Has Cheezburger -- Cute kitties
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog -- Three episodes by Joss Whedon, comic books meet musicals
Cake Wrecks -- I hope never to see my cakes here!
Typo Hunt across America -- For the editor in me

Hey, it's 8/8/08!

Celestial finishing

I finished this fob on my lunch hour. It's Celestial Sun by Teresa Wentzler and Celestial Moon by Dragon Dreams. After I sewed the pieces together, I anchored my thread firmly and then turned the fob right side out. And that's when things went wrong. My linen started coming apart. Argh! I used a little Fray Check to hold the linen ends in place and then tried my best to hide the pulled threads. It's OK, but one seam is lumpy. That really aggravates me. I guess when I use the sewing method, I need to use Fray Check on the edges before I start sewing the pieces together.

So now I have a finished piece that just irritates me. I really don't want to stitch it again. Sigh. I guess I'll put it with Needle Guardian, which I'm also not happy with. My TWs mean more to me than other pieces, and thus frustrate me more when they're not perfect.

Damier Part 7

I am now up to date on this piece! If you wonder what the second block is, Maryse said it's jam jars. I was wondering there. You'll also notice that I only have two lines to go and then the outer border. Yay!

Simone explained the missing W: apparently the old French alphabet didn't have the W or J. Bummer. I'll probably either cram the Y and Z into one block or replace the middle image with a letter (which do you think is better?). I'm an editor, and I can't have a missing letter in the alphabet. They'll take away my Chicago Manual of Style.

Traffic cone HD

I have been cross stitching, honest, but there's not much to show right now. I finally finished this crochet amigurumi piece that I've been wanting to do for months. I had to create the pattern myself, which is what took so long. I wasn't anxious to experience the trial and error I knew was necessary. I only had to restart twice, which isn't too bad. I work for a transportation agency, so I'm thinking I'll put this up at the next charity auction. I have plans for several improvements to the pattern, so I may wind up making more if they're popular.

I managed to stitch for a few hours on Maggie the Messmaker last night, and I've been working on the outlining on Damier. Something I discovered about the latter...the designer left out the W in the alphabet! Oh no! I've taken French, I know they have W in their alphabet, so what the hell??? I guess I'll have to try squeezing Y and Z together in one square; otherwise, it'll drive me nuts.

New mixer!

The big news: my mom bought me a Kitchen Aid Professional stand mixer! This thing is huge and awesome. I can't wait to try it out.

This is the cake I made at the last session of my Wilton I class. I've been just slapping stuff together in class (I'm slow--can you believe it?), but this one came out pretty good despite my hurrying. I brought it to work, and they really liked it (at least that's what they said). If you'd like to read my cake-baking adventure, check out my cake page.

Stitching: I stitched up a Halloween fob, but I'm missing a pack of beads. They should be in soon. Have I mentioned I really like Threadneedle Street? I can buy small pieces of linen for a reasonable price. I did break down and get a few (more) items. It's so hard being on the wagon!

Baby: Logan's getting bigger and bigger! We took him to a wedding, and he had a blast. He can be very whiny at times, but he was perfect the entire time. He didn't cry or scream at the wedding, though he did growl a bit (...protect us from evil...grrrrrrrr...). He was happy at the reception because he got to see everyone and ate everything we gave him (bread, cheese, mashed potatoes, even lemon). He yawned a lot since he had missed a few naps, but he didn't let that stop him. Oh, and his two top teeth are so close to popping. You can see them bulging his gums. He's been pooching out his lips lately; it's his new favorite thing. People at the wedding said he was so cute. One lady even said he was the cutest little boy she had ever seen. Of course I think so, but I'm highly biased. Once I get some pics from the wedding, I'll post one and you can judge for yourself. But don't disillusion this proud momma. :-)

Blueberry Needleroll finishing HD

Here's the fifth Sweetheart Tree needleroll I've done. Only eight more to go! I'll have to take a picture of my little needleroll collection.

I'm having trouble working on larger pieces right now. I can't keep my stand in the living room because Logan loves the thing. I have to drag it out every night I want to stitch, and often I'm not spending a lot of time in the living room anyway. So that makes smaller projects easier to work on since I can take them with me. I have the urge to do some Halloween smalls, but I'm missing some beads. Hm.

Many thanks to Lee for the links to the ort bags. Apparently they're also called scrap caddies. I'd like to make one for myself eventually, and I've though about making some to sell on Etsy. But they're selling for $10-15. That's a lot of work for not much profit. I'm still thinking of some ways to make a little extra money to pay for supplies.

Blueberry Needleroll HD

Here is my latest needleroll by the Sweetheart Tree. I finished it up between games today. I'll turn it into a needleroll soon.

Double XP weekend

This weekend is the double experience points (XP) event on City of Heroes/Villains, our computer game of choice. I took today off, and we plan to spend most of the weekend playing (minus times when Mom needs a break from the kiddo). Oh, and we recently got our fifth character to level 50, the maximum level in this game. Time to start a new one!

Matt also got me to play a game of Civilization with him. It was pretty cool, but I just don't know what I'm doing yet. That makes it a little less fun.

Stitching: I'm almost finished Blueberry Needleroll from the Sweetheart Tree. Pics soon!

I need some help here. I'd like to find a website that has instructions on how to make those arm-chair ort bags. Or maybe a website that sells them.

Mini Topiary 6 Finishing HD

Lots to talk about! On the stitching front, I finished up Mini Topiary 6 into a needleroll yesterday. I also received my goodies from Threadneedle Street yesterday, so this morning I fixed up the closure for my Boo Scissor Purse. I can also start working on my Sweetheart Tree needlerolls again! I'm missing a few of the heart charms, but I have enough to keep me busy for a while.

Cake: I took my first class Thursday night, Wilton Class 1. I didn't learn much that I didn't already know, but I was glad that I was prepared. We decorated our own cakes. Everyone finished before me, but I did a better job than most of them. Some cakes really looked bad. Mine doesn't look perfect, but it's pretty good. So, we iced our own cakes (but didn't have time to let them crust and smooth them), outlined, filled in stars, and did the border. The week after next is part two.

I had another class this morning, this time on baking. I learned some good recipes and techniques. Again, I was glad that I had some knowledge to work with. We got to sample a few cakes--yum! I'll need to try them out. I also got to browse the cake store. It was just as thrilling as going to an LNS for the first time!

Mini Topiary 6

This is a design by Jeannette Douglas. I'm going to turn it into a needleroll. I substituted for the Needle Necessities and beads I didn't have, but I think it turned out well. I also recentered a few lines.

I put a few stitches into Maggie. Perhaps if I can stop working on smalls, I can get to working on it!

Sheepies!

I had lunch with Cheryl the other day, and she gave me my Christmas present from a while back. We'd been having some trouble getting together, what with me having a baby and all. She commissioned some polymer-clay sheep since I've done a few pieces with sheep on them. Aren't they adorable? They're technically knitting markers, but I just like to take them out and look at them!

Also stashed in there is Chippy Cthulhu. Cheryl said he was for Matt, but I think I'm keeping him! He's so cute! (Can an Elder God be cute?)

Thanks again, Cheryl! I love them!

Oh, and I finished the Boo Scissor Keeper today. At least I was kind of productive over the holiday.

Boo Scissor Keeper and Purse HD

I've almost completed the finishing of Boo Scissor Purse (more pics). I'm missing some pearl cotton for the closure, so I had to order some. (And while I was ordering, I got the materials for the Sweetheart Tree needlerolls--I couldn't take it anymore! Shop--buy--spend!).

I finished the stitching of the companion piece, Boo Scissor Keeper, last night. I'll turn it into a fob in the next few days.

I received this chart off my wishlist from Carol during an exchange. Thanks again, Carol! I just love Halloween pieces.

I'm going to start working on a freebie from Jeannette Douglas as soon as I get the supplies squared away. And Maggie the Messmaker's on the to-do list at some point too.

Holiday: We had a quiet Fourth of July (other than the illegal fireworks our neighbors shot in the very dry subdivision--not that I'm bitter). Matt grilled for us, which is always great. I took a break from making cakes, which was surprisingly hard. I have my first class next week. I'm both excited and nervous.

Patriotic cake

I made this cake for a 12-year-old's birthday. They wanted an Independence Day cake since she's born on July 4th. I see so many flaws, but they all liked it. This was my first fondant-covered cake. I used the premade Wilton fondant, and boy it doesn't taste good. Fortunately there's buttercream icing under it.

I'm going to lay off making more cakes until after my Wilton Class 1 in two weeks. I can't wait!

Oh, and cake decorating isn't very compatible with stitching. After messing with coloring paste, my hands were dyed first blue and then red. Fortunately it all mostly washed off after a while, but I was scared to touch my stitching this weekend (not that I had much time).

The next finishing piece for the Monthly Finishing Challenge is a scissor pocket. I have a chart of a scissor pocket, so I'm ready to stitch this time: Boo Keeper by Drawn Thread. I think I have a suitable piece of fabric for it.

Damier Part 6

Here's the next installment of Damier. Of course, the next part just came out, so I need to catch up. The designer is going on a two-month vacation, so I'll have some time. Geez, I wish I had two months off! The French have it good in the vacation department.

I pulled out Maggie the Messmaker. I'll work on Damier again when I get bored with Maggie.

Biscornu exchange piece HD

I finished the stitching and finishing of my biscornu exchange piece. I like how it came out. This one was a challenge because not only did I have to find a piece that I liked and that my partner would like, but I had to find something that would work on the fabric I already had. I'm trying not to buy much, and I have a very small supply of fabric. All of what I have came from leftovers from pieces I stitched and from exchanges. I do have a big piece of white Jobelan for my HAEDs, but it's rather boring.

You'll see pics when my partner receives the biscornu in August. Yes, there's lots of time to work on SBEBB exchanges! Becky's taking applications if you're interested [now closed because she got so many emails].

I'm almost finished the next installment of Damier. Pics soon!

The tooth: Logan has a tooth! It has broken the skin and is very visible. Too bad I can't get a photo of it.

Matt's weather station. Matt put up the weather station I bought him for his birthday in February. He had to install a 12-foot post, which is why it took so long. It's pretty neat. I'll have to take some pics of it.

Cake!: I have another cake to make--a red, white, and blue cake for a 12-year-old's birthday this Sunday. I have it all planned. I sure hope it works!

Rose Quilt square 7

Here's the next installment of Chatelaine's Rose Quilt. The piece is huge, so it's hard to get a good picture of it. Next up is this month's part of Damier.

Baby update at 8.5 months: Logan is about to break out his first tooth; it's very close to the surface. His initial bout of upset, fever, and not sleeping from teething seems to be over, except for the not sleeping at night part. He's also creeping across the floor now. He hasn't quite figure out how to get up on all fours and move. He can get up on all fours just fine, but then he seems to be at a loss. He's also learned how to blow spit bubbles. Here's a strange bit: There's a commercial (Gamestop, I believe) that has a video game monster talking. Logan has cried every time he's seen the commercial. The sound doesn't bother him, but apparently the sight does. Poor guy.

Dinosaur cake

I made this cake for the nanny's son's birthday. I am rather pleased with it, though I see the flaws (the icing is saggy in some spots).

As for my stitching, I'm almost finished my square of Rose Quilt, so a pic will be coming soon. I'm also working on my piece for the biscornu exchange. So little time for stitching lately.

Abi asked if I have any tips on making a companion cube cake. The one I showed a while back came from the grocery store and was pretty pathetic. I have plans to make one myself, but it will be fairly elaborate.

Carol asked how I can make all these cakes while being on South Beach. Well, after I didn't lose any weight the second week, I got very discouraged and depressed. And of course went off the diet. I'm trying to be good now but having limited success.

Portal cake

The cake is not a lie!

OK, you have to know the computer game Portal to get that. I made this cake for Matt and his friends. I discovered that I like cake mix cake better, but it's really too flimsy to be decorating. The thing nearly fell apart when I moved it. So scratch it is!

Jo asked if I've gotten my stitching mojo back. I didn't lose it completely, but cakes have been taking more of my attention lately. I just don't have the time to stitch, but I work it in here and there. Oh, and I've been playing City of Heroes more. There's a new archetype that I've been spending my time on.

Speaking of stitching, I had to throw away my Daylight magnifier. I was getting black powder coming out of the gooseneck again. The clamp also cracked. So now I've resigned myself to a smaller magnifier that hopefully won't have the same problem with corrosion or whatever it is. That stuff is very scary when you're working on a huge, expensive piece like Rose Quilt that can't be washed.

Four Fat Friends HD

Here's Four Fat Friends by Drawn Thread. I stitched it over one on beige evenweave. The finishing was remarkably easy--just lots of glue!

Incidentally, this is the Altoids tin I got from Carol in an exchange--minus the chocolates!

Received my Magic/Fantasy Exchange pieces

This came in from Lisa. Beautiful, huh? I love griffons (probably my favorite fantasy animal, close to the hippocampus), and this one is from Teresa Wentzler's Fantasy Sampler. Lisa made it into a needlebook. I don't know how she got such a neat piped edge on it. The fob is from TW's Castle Sampler. The other side is the sun. I've stitched both of these TWs, but the finishing on these two pieces is outstanding. And of course the extras...blue is my favorite color, and purple is a close second, so these three skeins are pleasing to my eye. I'll have to find something to stitch with them. Maybe a biscornu for the upcoming exchange on the SBEBB?

Car cake and Italian cream cake

I made these two cakes this weekend for a cousin's birthday. He turned eight. It was a lot harder than I thought and took all weekend to make two cakes. Whew! I hope I get faster with practice.

Stitching: I started Four Fat Friends by Drawn Thread, over one, for the Monthly Finishing Challenge, which is a tin topper this month. I've almost finished the outer border for my next square of Rose Quilt, but I haven't had much time to work on it.

Chiropractor: The pain finally brought me to the chiropractor. The x-rays show that my tailbone is out of alignment, probably from when I was compensating for the big baby belly. I'm going several times a week, so hopefully we can get this fixed up soon. I'm staggering around like an old woman.

Magic/Fantasy Exchange piece

Susan posted that she received my package, so I guess it's safe to show pictures. I hope she likes it (I'm wondering). Now you know what took so long! This is part of Fantasy Triptych by Teresa Wentzler. For the back I finally got to use some neat fabric I found a while back.

This month for the Monthly Finishing Challenge the finishing is a tin topper. I have no idea what to stitch, so I have to search around. I've already looked through my charts and found nothing (I have few smalls except Just Nan, which are squares). I guess that means searching through feebies online for something that would fit an Altoids tin.

White cake with buttercream frosting

Here's the cake I made this weekend. I was concentrating on baking the cake and smoothing the buttercream, so the decorating is kind of goofy. Friday I baked a cake, but I set the oven on 450 instead of 350. Of course I had to toss it. This one turned out fine. I did wind up using the wrong buttercream frosting recipe--the one for decorations, not frosting the cake. I managed to thin it enough to frost with. Even though I made two batches, it wasn't enough really, and it didn't crust like it should have. The cake tastes a little dry. I'm thinking some bake even strips might help (you put them around the pan for even cooking), but I don't know.

Stitching: I haven't been stitching very much. It's just such a pain to take everything out for Rose Quilt and then pick it back up. My living room is very crowded with baby stuff right now. It will be even worse when Logan starts crawling and I have to pick up every last thing. I've also been down lately. My weight loss has been disappointing, especially for so early on, and there seems to be one disappointment after another (I won't list them all).

Celestial Moon

I finished this one last night. It was very quick, and I think I like this one better than the sun. The face is so cute, and I like the blue and silver. I think I'll wait to put the fob together. Maybe the Monthly Finishing Challenge will have a fob month.

I finished the finishing, so to speak, of my Fantasy/Magic Exchange piece. It's not perfect, but it's passable. I'm always my worst critic. I also pulled out Rose Quilt to work on the next square.

TW's Celestial Sun HD

I finished this one Saturday and didn't get around to taking pictures. It's Teresa Wentzler's Celestial Sun. I'll work on the other side of the fob, a moon by Dragon Dreams. I think I'm in a slump. I haven't been spending every spare moment on stitching (just most of them).

I'm working on the finishing of my Magic/Fantasy Exchange piece. I only have a few things left to do. It didn't come out perfectly, but I guess it's good enough (grr).

I need to pull out my next focus piece, either Rose Quilt or Maggie. I'm guessing it will be Rose Quilt since I haven't worked on it in a while. I think I'm not eager to work on it because it's so large and cumbersome, and because the border doesn't give me much area to tuck my tails in.

Cake: I signed up for two cake decorating classes in July. I used some "found money." I can't in good conscience use household money right now.

Diet: Yes, I'm back on the diet (grumble). I'm going to try journaling a bit and watching my caloric intake since the South Beach approach is aggravating me. I'm still going to stay away from bad carbs as much as possible (can you say CAKE?). Oh, I did win the pot of quarters last night when my name was drawn--all $8! It went into Logan's bank.

Disappointed

I went to TOPS tonight, and after a week of eating very little and sticking to South Beach (bleh) and not having any cake, I lost .2 pounds. My mom, who had at least two pieces of cake, lost .6 (she's at goal)!

So I came home and had some cake. :-(

Damier part 5

Here's the next installment of Damier. I love the little bee hive.

I also added the frog charm to my Spring Peepers biscornu. I saved over the old pictures.


Oh, I did not have to bake a second cake today. I just made spaghetti for the guys (one less guy than normal, unfortunately).

My first cake

This is the first cake I remember ever cooking and frosting. It's certainly the first one I've baked from scratch. It is rather lopsided, and frosting a cake is a lot harder than it looks! In my defense, the frosting was not as thick as it should have been. It kept squishing out from my layers and caused some slippage. The directions did say to add powdered sugar until stiff enough, but considering that my hand mixer could barely mix the stuff as is, I thought it was ready. I really do need a stand mixer. Oh, and a cake stand. Mo money.

The cake is Italian Cream Cake, and the frosting is Crusting Cream Cheese Icing. Matt said it tasted good, for all its looks. I'll have to take his word for it. I can't have any. I had to stop myself from licking the bowl! Two more days of Stage 1 of the South Beach Diet.

A friend is coming over tonight, and we promised cake. I had forgotten he didn't like nuts, so I have to make him another cake, chocolate with chocolate icing. At least I have cake mix and canned frosting for that one.

Stitching: I finished the stitching on my Magic/Fantasy Exchange piece the other day. I hope to work on the finishing tomorrow. I'm currently stitching on this month's installment of Damier and will post a picture soon. I also started Teresa Wentzler's Celestial Sun Fob. And lastly, I got in my bellpull hardware for Barnabee's Quest, so I need to work on that too.

No more Michaelisms

Our friend Michael passed away this week, and we're attending his funeral tomorrow. He was a gaming buddy of Matt's and came over almost every Saturday night. It's very sad because he wasn't even 40 yet, but he did weigh about 600 pounds. He had had a heart attack several months ago and tried to change his ways, but it just didn't work for him. This second heart attack got him. We're so sorry to lose him. He was always cheerful, always up. He was kind and understanding, even when insecure me tried roleplaying games for the very first time. Michael's friends used to razz him for his Michaelisms--off-the wall sayings that you knew what he meant but just sounded out there. My favorite was "The butt's on the other side of the doughnut now." He took all the teasing in stride and just enjoyed it for what it was, male bonding or something. We also played City of Heroes/Villains with him. Saturday nights just aren't going to be the same. The gaming group is down to Matt and his other best friend, which really isn't much of a group. So sad.

We also heard that Matt didn't get the job he applied for. He has one other known opportunity, but I really thought he had this one in the bag. My poor love. So many bad things happening this week. At least he's got me, Logan, and Mom, who love him dearly.

Happy Mother's Day

This is technically my first Mother's Day where I'm a mother. Matt and Mom tell me last year didn't count (I was pregnant). I think it does. :-P

Diet: I hit my 20 pounds total weight loss yesterday. Since I had promised myself a reward for 15 pounds but I'm not buying stuff, my mom bought the reward for me! It's the pullware I need for Barnabee's Quest. Woohoo! I've finished my first week of the South Beach Diet, eating only meat, cheese, nuts, green vegetables, and milk. I haven't been hungry, but I'm also not that fond of meat and vegetables. I could eat cheese all day, but you get bored with it. One more week and then I can start adding a few carbs back.

A new hobby: I found out that there are cake decorating classes in Austin. Yippee! I've decided I really want to learn how. We've watched so many competition shows on the Food Network. I know I won't be in that league, but I think I'd enjoy doing something creative like that. Matt did point out the irony of a woman on a diet wanting to decorate cakes. Oh well. I'll sign up for the classes once Matt's officially hired.

Framed piece from Jill Rensel

Here's the framed piece I received from Jill Rensel Wednesday. Let me tell you the story behind this piece. Matt's mom passed away a few years ago. When he was going through her Christmas items to see if there were things he wanted, he came across this piece. His mom had framed it and used a regular piece of colored paper as a mat. You can guess what happened--the acid in the paper turned the piece yellow. His mom was also a heavy smoker, which further yellowed the piece. I took it and soaked it in Orvus a few times. A lot of the yellow came out but not all of it. I knew that if anyone could cut a mat to disguise it, Jill Rensel could. I sent her the piece, and we discussed how to frame it. I pretty much let her do whatever she wanted. And here's the result! You can see a little yellowing if you really look, but it's beautiful and doesn't look bad at all. Now Precious Moments isn't my thing, but I appreciate having something of hers on the wall, as does Matt. I'm so lucky to have a husband that appreciates handwork! I think she'd be really pleased that we're taking such good care of her cross stitching. I know I would be.

I let Matt unwrap the package, and he had to make his way through layers of packing (Jill does an excellent job). He said it was just like opening a present from his mom--layers and layers of paper.

You'd think such a masterpiece would cost loads, but it was only about $150. Can you believe it?

On another subject, BeckySC gave away some extra charts, and I was lucky enough to get a bunch: My First Gray Hare, Faith * Hope * Love, Simply Thankful, and a snowman book. I'll stitch these at some point. I did get two charts I won't stitch; if you'd like to trade, email me: The Little Bee and Rebecca Gelwick 1837 Sampler.

Jobs: Matt had an interview yesterday that went well. He interviewed with several people he has worked with and who know the good job he does. There are actually three job openings, so we think he has a good shot.

Spring Peepers HD

Here's my biscornu for the Monthly Finishing Challenge. It's Spring Peepers by Just Nan. I broke down and ordered the gold frog charm because I just couldn't find any button that looked good in the middle. I am selling a few charts to make a little money, so it should even out.

I used a pale blue linen, 28 count I believe. I also used some leftover beads from a kit; they were just the right color! It's the second biscornu I've made but the first with a beaded edging. I also replaced the gold metallic for the frogs with DMC 500; they just didn't show up well in gold.

I'm still working on my Fantasy/Magic Exchange piece. Why did I pick something with so much stitching? I just hope it looks good when I'm done!

I received a framed piece from Jill Rensel last night, my first from her. I was not disappointed! I'll take pics when I get a chance. I was too beat last night.

Diet: I started the diet again seriously this week. I joined TOPS too. My mom's been a member for years and does the conventions. I had to roll my eyes at the weight-loss songs and pledges, but otherwise I think it will be good for me. I started the South Beach diet again, and I'm doing well. I made my 15 pounds total loss yesterday (which I started waaaay back), but now I can't reward myself because I'm not buying stash. Doh! Maybe when I hit 20 pounds lost.

The job front: Matt has a day-long interview today. Yuck. But we're optimistic. He also has another job prospect that we're waiting to hear about.

Feathered Friends exchange sent and received

Goldie was my partner for the Feathered Friends exchange on the SBEBB. I stitched For the Birds by Drawn Thread for her. I saw that she had a few Drawn Thread pieces in her stitching album, so I figured this was a safe bet. And I love Drawn Thread, so I was excited about stitching this piece. I also gave her the chart for Three Friends, which incidentally has birds! The three floss skeins in the picture below are ones called for in the chart too. Remember my bird pins made of polymer clay? I included the cardinal set in her exchange, plus some Burt's Bees products and some chocolate Altoids. I'm glad I bought all this before Matt got laid off!

Now let me complain a bit about making the pillow. This is the first one I've sewn myself. Mom gave me advice, but I did it all myself. It's basically two front/backs sewn together with a top stitch on the sewing machine to enclose the pillow. I learned that I really need to use a pillow form if I'm going to try to top stitch the thing closed. So I made a pillow out of batting and stuffing. I had to do the top stitching twice because I just couldn't stuff it enough without doing the pillow form. I also learned that chalk pens don't come out easily, and that unwashed fabric will bleed (learned when I took a wet towel to try to get the chalk out). I think it turned out pretty well for all that.

DMC

There's been a lot of talk on the boards about DMC since the French DMC company went out of business. DMC-USA sent out an email saying that all was well and that we wouldn't have to worry about our floss supply. Whew! I was about to go out and buy the missing floss for my backup set (I have a full set of partial skeins and an incomplete set of full skeins for when I run out [a result of my only local supplier--Wal-Mart--getting rid of DMC]). Matt said they should have waited a few weeks to send out the email so there would be more runs on floss. Evil mind.

I received my DMC color card a few days ago. It's completely gloatable. I just love touching the floss (with my clean hands). This will be really helpful when I'm substituting colors and such, not that I do it much. But for one reason or another, I've found such a card needed from time to time. The thing is huge--a fold-out of six pages. I can see why they don't find it cost-effective to produce anymore.

On the wagon: Matt has several prospects but as yet remains unemployed. I've started economizing and have vowed to buy no stash, other than current commitments like a piece I'm having Jill Rensel frame (pics Wednesday!). It's been surprisingly difficult. It's not the big purchases I miss but the small ones, like the floss and beads for my Sweetheart Tree needlerolls and the frog charm for the Just Nan biscornu I'm going to do for the Monthly Finishing Challenge. But it's a challenge, and I can do it! (Though it would be helpful if I could just win one of the drawings for a gift cerficate from the MFC!)

The editor in me: I read in Michelle's blog about the Typo Hunt across America: the story and the blog. I just love this. I'm going to have to start taking pictures of the typos I find and post pictures to my blog. It's much better than sitting and stewing, like when I'm in the doctor's office and there are typos in several of the signs in the waiting room, mocking me. I won't mention the typos I find for a living. (Now to proofread this blog so I don't set myself up for a fall.)

Remembrance Rose needleroll finishing

And here it is! This one isn't as stuffed as the others. Not sure why. I used the same amount of batting as the others. Oh well, it'll do.

Dee asked if I had any suggestions on sites with instructions on how to make a needleroll. I do! The Sweetheart Tree charts have their own instructions, but when I did the Little Lambs needleroll, I wanted to use a hem stitch. I used this Focus on Finishing class. I think for next time I need to make the margin for the hem a little bigger. It was hard to fold it over because it was so narrow. I also referred to the tutorial links given by Focus on Finishing.

Maggie the Messmaker update

Since I need to work on my piece for the Magic/Fantasy Exchange, I figured I should put Maggie the Messmaker away for now. The next time I pull it out, I'll finish the bottom right corner, which will make it 1/4 complete. This is such a slow piece for me, but I think it's going to be cute...someday.

I'll work on finishing up my needleroll today. I'm still off work sick, but I have a few lucid moments. I've started in on the coughing phase of my cold. I took Robitussin last night so Matt could sleep. I really hate the taste of the stuff.

Remembrance Rose needleroll HD

I finished this one today since I'm off work sick with a cold or something. I feel rotten, but I put in a few stitches here and there.

I think I need a few supplies to do any more of the Sweetheart Tree needlerolls, but I'll have to get those later. I'm trying not to spend anything on cross stitching right now. I'm sure I have enough in my stash to hold me for a good long while. Just working on my WIPs should keep me occupied.

Nice trip

We got back from our trip to San Antonio Sunday morning. We had a great time. The jacuzzi tub was relaxing, and Sea World was so much fun. The weather was just perfect--not hot enough to make you really sweat. The only reason I pooped out was because it felt like my feet were blistering (no exercise can do that). I got a tiny bit of a sunburn, not enough to even hurt. We thought of Logan a lot, of course--how he would like Sea World so much when he's older. We'll definitely have to take him next year.

I came home with what I thought was bad allergies, but now I think it's a cold. Just great. More work I have to miss, and I need to try to stay away from Logan.

Matt has a few job prospects, even one that said they'd hire him if the price was right. We're waiting for a call. The downside is that the job would require travel, like to China. We're not sure how much yet. That could be a deal breaker.

I'm still stitching on Remembrance Rose needleroll. I should finish it soon, if I can stay awake long enough. I did manage to get some stitching done in the hotel room. I'm also trying to figure out what to stitch for the magic/fantasy exchange. I swear I've spent so much time looking for a pattern that I could have stitched it by now. I thought of doing a section of a Teresa Wentzler, but I just can't find anything that makes sense to me. Ugh. You'd think I'd have tons of stuff that would apply, but most of my charts are large pieces and not really right for an exchange.

Bad news all around

Matt got laid off today. Apparently his former company is laying off about 800 people today. We're pretty depressed about it. At least we have my job, but Logan's college fund may take a temporary hit.

Our nanny also had a miscarriage today. It wasn't completely unexpected, but it's never easy. Poor girl. I want to just cry for her.

I had to tell her we would have to cut back on her hours some, but we'll still need her when Matt goes looking for a job.

And we're still going to San Antonio, darn it!

Little Lambs Needleroll

Here's the finished product of Little Lambs by Shepherd's Bush. I used some ribbon I scavenged from Logan's baby shower to finish it up, which I think appropriate. I just love this little piece. It's the first thing I've stitched with his name on it. Thanks so much, Carol, for sending me the chart ASAP!

I need a bigger basket for my needlerolls!

There's a discussion on the Wagon BB about the discontinuation of the DMC color cards with the actual threads on them. I've wanted one for a long time now, so I went ahead and ordered one from the DMC website. I can't imagine that a printed card would be as helpful.

Mini vacation: Matt and I took off tomorrow to get ready for our weekend getaway to San Antonio. It'll be the first time I'm away from Logan. Eek! I'm sure I'll manage, but I'll miss him.

Little Lambs HD

I finished the stitching and finishing today. I'll take a picture of the needleroll tomorrow. This is my first Shepherd's Bush piece and my first needleroll using a hem stitch. I made a few small changes and replaced the words with my son's name and birthdate. I like the way it came out, though I think I'm going to make the hem wider next time. With it so narrow, it tends to buckle a bit.

Kid stuff: We found out today that our nanny is pregnant. She may wind up moving in with her boyfriend, who lives four hours away. That means we'd need to look for a new nanny again. Bleh.

Finishing complete for Feathered Friends Exchange

This weekend I finished up the main piece for my exchange. I like the way it came out, though I did have to redo it once. Not bad since this was the first time I did a finishing of this kind. No pictures yet, of course.

I looked all over the web and found a needleroll I wanted to stitch! Where else but in Carol's stitching photos. She was so kind as to send me the freebie chart for Little Lambs, a Shepherd's Bush piece. I started working on it today. I've had the idea of putting Logan's name and birth date on it as a mini birth announcement, but I don't know yet if the pinks will make it too girly. I'll have to get Matt's opinion.

I also put a few stitches into Remembrance Rose by Sweetheart Tree and did a few sections of Maggie the Messmaker. I think I'll keep Maggie as my big focus piece for a while. It hasn't gotten any attention in a while.

Bad neighbors: This past Friday, our favorite neighbors were blaring their music in their cars after 10. The cul-de-sac was filled with cars and kids. We could hear their music over our movie, inside our own house. Matt opened the door and hollered for them to turn it down, and of course they just cursed him out. We called the sheriff's department, but no one showed up. At least the neighbors got the hint eventually and went away. I really, really want to move out of this trashy neighborhood. The ideal would be to get some land that has a large main house and a little house for Mom. Eventually...

Mini vacation: Matt and I are going to San Antonio this weekend. We're taking Friday off to prepare and relax. I can't wait!

Kiddo: Logan's current favorite thing is growling and squealing at the top of his lungs. Working was challenging today, even with him on the bottom floor with the nanny and me on the upper floor in the office. He's getting better at sitting unsupported (a few minutes here and there). He's chewing on everything in sight, though he doesn't have any teeth yet. He's very smiley too. He even smiles at the cats and dog.