Finishing of Stitchie Witchie

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!

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

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

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!

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.

Zelda's Fancy Hat finished

Here's Zelda's Fancy Hat finished! (Click for bigger pics.) I'm donating this to a silent auction at work. I was going to show pics at every step, but with everything going on, I didn't get to it. No worries, I'm going to do a second hat, so I hope to take pics then. I learned a few things along the way, so maybe this will make my own hat better!

Whole bunch of sick: As you can tell, I haven't blogged in weeks! But then I've been sick with a sinus infection for about three weeks now (Levaquin to the rescue!). Matt wound up in the hospital with rhabdomyalosis, which means all his muscles were breaking down. They gave him IV fluids and bicarb, and his levels eventually came down. There are two theories: drug interaction since he was taking meds for severe back pain or a virus (the catch-all). He's all better now. Oh, and Logan got a stomach bug (fever, diarrhea, etc.). My mom caught something the other day, fortunately after we were all on our feet. Everyone's on the mend now. Matt just needs to catch up on a week's worth of schoolwork, poor guy!

Zelda's Fancy Hat pieced together

Sewing the pieces together was really easy. The owner of the local quilt store gave me the idea of putting a piece of thick tape on the 1/4-inch mark on my sewing machine to help guide the fabric, and that worked really well. Much better than buying an expensive foot for my sewing machine! Next is basting these onto large pieces of muslin. Then the stitching can begin! I'm looking forward to that part.

By the Sea exchange from Lisa V.

Here is a photo of the exchange Lisa V. sent me for HoE's By the Sea exchange. The cute little pillow is Wee Seashore by Heart in Hand. She stitched it on 28-count ice blue evenweave and added the small shell button. Logan helped me open the package, and it took forever to get those buttons away from him. He really liked them! I'll have to make something for him using them. I really appreciate what she sent and will use the extras with a good heart! Thank you, Lisa!

Zelda's Fancy Hat cut out

I managed to cut out my pieces last night for Zelda's Fancy Hat. I'm going to chronicle my progress in case you're interested. I cut out two of each in hopes of doing the second one for a charity auction. I'm excited! Now if I could just find a 1/4-inch foot for my sewing machine.... The next step is sewing it together, and I'm not sure I can freehand it.

Missed the gathering in Dallas

First Logan got sick, then my mom, and then me. So that made me miss the gathering of stitchers in Dallas-Fort Worth yesterday. I had been looking forward to this for weeks! This always seems to happen when I have plans. I'm pretty unhappy about it. I really wanted to meet my fellow stitchers from the boards.

So instead I stayed home in bed and read a book (a good book, granted). I also managed to trace and cut out my pattern on freezer paper for Zelda's Fancy Hat. I am toying with the idea of making two hats, one for me and one for the silent auction for charity at work. We'll see how it goes. I need to get cracking if I'm going to do it.

I have a free chart up for offer. It is She Sells Seashells by Country Cottage Kids, which I stitched for an exchange. The pattern is not perfectly crisp anymore (it's plain paper), and I've misplaced the plastic bag for it, but it doesn't have any marks. If you'd like it, please leave a comment with your email address (or email me your address if you don't want to post it). I'll draw a name if there's more than one person interested.

Coming soon: a progress pic of Lady of Shalott.

Lady of Shalott

I began this in June but have only now started working on it in earnest. It is very rich looking, and I'm really enjoying it so far. I do need to work on Maggie the Messmaker some more since one of my goals for the year was to finish it, but I'm indulging myself a little right now.

Incidentally, I had a reader ask about the Barnabee's Quest SAL a while back and never got to answer (please leave an email address if you have a specific question for me). The SAL was one that a few of us did together and wasn't on a website or anything. I think everyone has finished their pieces now.

Also, Babs asked where I found the Sweetheart Tree needleroll patterns. I found them in a variety of places, and some are sold out. Stitches and Stuff has some on their website. Sorry I can't be more help.

By the Sea exchange

Nic received the Hooked on Exchanging (HoE) exchange I sent, so I can show a photo now. This is She Sells Seashells by Country Cottage Needleworks. The back of the little pillow has a pretty blue-green fabric similar to the ones I sent her. It's so nice having a quilt shop in town now!

This was a fun stitch. I replaced the Crescent Colors with Weeks Dye Works. CCs bleed so easily that I'm afraid of using them anymore. I think I used an entire skein of amber for the sand! I changed up a few colors because I'm not fond of persimmon.

Wildflowers Needleroll HD

I finished this one last Sweetheart Tree needleroll today! That's the last of the series, and I'm so relieved. While I enjoyed stitching them, they're so similar that it got monotonous at times--and I have a high tolerance for monotonous stitching!

Most of these are done on Wichelt fabric, but the color for this one (champagne) was discontinued. I chose Zwiegart putty instead. Let me just say how much I prefer Zwiegart over Wichelt. Wichelt linen is coarse and see-through. Zwiegart linen is soft and denser. It also seems to have fewer slubs. I haven't really paid much attention to the maker of linens, but the difference is so pronounced, I can't ignore it. I think I'm going to stick to Zwiegart linens from now on, no matter what the design calls for.

Warhammer: Matt and I have been enjoying playing Warhammer Online. We're not letting it get to addiction level, though. That way lies madness. Once Matt starts the fall semester (in a week and a half), we're going to have less time to spend on it anyway.

My little biter: Logan got sent home from daycare the other day because he had bitten other kids three times. We emphasize to him how wrong that is, but it doesn't seem to get through. Ah, the terrible twos.

Facebook: Matt's gone and gotten me addicted to Facebook. It's so weird seeing my classmates from high school--only older and with kids that look just like them.

Dragon Alphabet framed

Here is a picture of Dragon Alphabet all framed, as promised. This one reminds me of the days when Matt and I were dating. I'd stitch on this piece while I listened to Matt and his friends game.

Yesterday I put the last stitches on the finishing of my By the Sea exchange piece for Hooked on Exchanging. I'll try to mail it off tomorrow. I think it came out rather nice, and I wouldn't mind keeping it, even though it's not my style. I try to stitch the piece I think my partner would like, not the piece I would like. There's no guarantee I'll get it right, but I try.

Cupcake: Here's yet another cupcake. These were a request from Matt, who loves peanut butter. They were good, especially the icing, but fortunately peanut butter is not my thing. They were safe!

Strawberry Patch Needleroll HD

Have you ever liked your mistake better than the way a pattern was charted? That's what happened to me here. I mistook a square symbol for a circle symbol and put beads where there should have been dark red stitches. I thought it looked different for a Sweetheart Tree pattern to have all those beads, but I double checked even! In my defense, the ST charts are tiny, faint, and hand drawn. I did really like the effect; even my mom commented on how pretty it is. Then I saw the symbol correctly on the smaller flower lines and realized what I had done. Normally I would have ripped it out to stay true to the designer's vision. But I really liked it! So I gritted my teeth and left it as is. Click on the photo to get a better look. It's very sparkly.

This is my second to last Sweetheart Tree needleroll, and I have the fabric for the last one. I ordered it along with a chart for the By the Sea exchange, which I'm furiously stitching on. It's a little large for an exchange piece, but it was all I could figure out to stitch.

I also ordered the Weeks Dye Works for Zelda's Hat. My mom bought me a ton of different black fabrics, so I'll need to start that soon.

Futurecast HD

Here's my second Futurecast by Teresa Wentzler. In 2006, I did a blue/silver version that I called Ice. I had the idea to flip the image and do a fire version. It took me a while to find an overdyed floss I liked (this still isn't "fire" enough for me)...and then I didn't work on it for a few years. I got the urge to work on this one again the other day, and since my mom's out of town and Matt and I had full babysitting duties, I worked on this one most of the weekend.

Logan is thankfully leaving my cross stitch stuff alone, with some reinforcement, but when you're the only caregiver, it's too much work to be able to stitch for any continuous amount of time. The boy's a handful!

Cupcakes: The cupcakes I've been featuring in my blog are from the book Martha Stewart's Cupcakes. You can probably also find them online if you do a search.

Sweetheart Needleroll HD

This one was very quick to stitch. I'm not fond of the eyelets that every one of these has. There isn't much space to anchor the thread, and the eyelets rarely come out looking good since they're done with perle cotton (or maybe it's just me). One of the eyelets also had a big slub get in the way--ugh. I do like the look of the needlerolls, and the stitching itself is fun (other than the eyelets). I have two left, though I'm missing some champagne/putty fabric for one of them. I'll wait to order it once I need something else because you know I'll need something else right after I place the fabric order.

I've been agonizing over what to stitch for the By the Sea exchange for HoE. I should get my partner's name today. I usually like to pick the chart after I get the name so I can stitch something she likes. But this one only has a month before it's mailed out, which probably doesn't leave enough time to order a chart. I've already checked the LNS. I probably would have stitched the Just Nan mermaid piece if Ginger's would have had it in stock.

Chocolate chip cupcakes

I think these were my favorite so far. The cupcake is white with semisweet chocolate chips, and the icing is dark chocolate with nonpareils (like a Snowcap!). I made a batch of these and some cheesecake cupcakes for a birthday party (which I didn't get to go to because I had to stay home with Logan). They were a hit; I got a lot of nice comments after the fact. :-)

It's also time for my ort jar and the Totally Useless SAL.

Victorian Floral HD

I finished this needleroll yesterday (I'll put it together later). I had thought about stitching it on something other than white since so many of these are white, but even cream fabric had the colors washing out. The next one is antique white (almost indistinguishable from white), and the floss colors are also very pale.

Spring Faerie HD

Here she is! This one definitely took longer than the other two. I think it just had more confetti to it. I also didn't preblend my floss on this one. Oh, and there's Warhammer Online, which we just started playing....

So to talk about recent stash acquisitions... When I went to Ginger's this past weekend, I picked up Bewitching Cross Stitch. She said she orders one copy at a time, and they keep disappearing! So I obliged and made this one disappear. I also picked up an embroidery pattern, Zelda's Fancy Hat. Matt spotted it, and he knows how much I like Halloween items. I haven't done embroidery in a long time, but I just have to do this one. I'll need to go shopping for some black fabric. Also, today a pattern came in from an eBay auction, Quilted Bear by Just Nan. I have been looking for this one for a long time, and now I have it!

What to start next...I may work on Lady of Shalott or one of my other WIPs. We'll see what bubbles to the surface.

Spring Faerie update

Not far now! I should be able to finish the stitching and beading this week.

I made a trip in to Austin this weekend to pick up my reframed Dragon Alphabet. I'll get some pics up soon. I also bought a few items at Ginger's, which I'll tell you about too. ;-)

Cupcakes: It's time for another cupcake. This is marble cupcake, and it tasted great. It's very light, though I kept choking on the fine texture. You shouldn't breathe in your cupcakes!

Tulip Time Needleroll HD

I finally finished this Sweetheart Tree needleroll. I've been working on it here and there for over a month. I'll turn it into a needleroll later, when the mood strikes me.

So I now have four more ST needlerolls to go. I plan to do them all because I'm a completist. I have to admit they're getting tedious by now because they're all so similar, but I just have to look at my basket of needlerolls to know it's worth it. I think they're so pretty.

I made a small purchase recently. I bought a "beading mat" in order to make the minimum order when I needed to replace my plastic bead case (which I shattered). What came in was a thick piece of fuzzy fabric, kind of like velour. I was skeptical to say the least. I tried it today, and it's actually pretty nice! My beads don't go skittering across my desk anymore to land somewhere in the carpet (and accompanying dog fur) where they're lost forever. I also picked up a little wooden bellpull rod; I can never find those when I need them.

Recipe

Zeb asked for the recipe for the Boston cream pie cupcakes. Ta da.

Spring Faerie update and Boston cream pie cupcakes

I got a pretty good bit done this week, with the holiday. Another two weeks should do it. But Matt and I have started playing Warhammer Online, which has taken up a good bit of time lately. (If anyone wants a key for a free trial, let me know.)

Cupcakes: Last week I made Boston cream pie cupcakes, which tasted really good. I now have a good recipe for pastry cream and chocolate ganache! The cupcakes were rather messy. I think a cake is a better choice than a cupcake for these.

Spring Faerie update

She's coming along pretty well. I ran out of a color, but my mom's supposed to pick it up today.

Rather annoying news: I found a fradulent charge on my credit card this weekend, so I had to go through the hassle of canceling my card. Argh!

Cookies and cream cheesecake cupcakes

We have a winner! These cupcakes from the Martha Stewart book came out really well. Matt loves cheesecake, but I rarely have any luck with them. These mini cheesecakes have Oreos in the bottom and were really easy to make.

Also, I'm very tardy with my ort jar picture for the Totally Useless SAL. I've been pretty busy stitching on Spring Faerie. New pic tomorrow!

Spring Faerie update

I didn't manage to stitch much this past week because I was pretty sick with bronchitis. Logan's almost completely better, and I'm on the mend finally. I'm really tired of being sick every other month.

To answer those who asked, no, Hobby Lobby did not give me a refund. I didn't ask because the person who told me they used acid-free materials (some student) was long gone, and I had no proof. Believe me, I was so sick when I realized they had framed all my stuff that way. I still have four or five pieces I need to get redone. And umpteen million that aren't framed at all.

Spring Faerie update

Not much progress this week. Still working on that wing.

This weekend I disassembled Dragon Alphabet because Hobby Lobby had not framed it with acid-free materials (after telling me they did). The mat and foam core hadn't burned the fabric, but the frame had! The edges were dark yellow. I washed the piece in Orvus, and it didn't come out at all, as I expected. I brought it to the LNS in Austin to have it redone. The framer is going to use tape or something on the frame to protect the fabric from further damage. I have a few other pieces I need to get redone when money permits.

While at the LNS, I picked up Witch's Hat Scissors Case by Historic Stitches. I just couldn't resist!

I also started TW's Lady of Shalott at long last. I've just put a few stitches in, but I feel good about it.

Kid's sick again: Logan apparently picked up a bug at the hospital. He has a runny nose, cough, and fever, and the doctor said it's in his chest now. Poor kid. Oh, and yes, Mommy did get it too.

Mint-filled brownie cupcakes

This week I tried another of Martha Stewart's cupcakes. I was again underwhelmed. This one has a peppermint patty inside a hard brownie. The peppermint puffed up and split most of the cupcakes. Then it shrank as it cooled and became a hard piece of candy, rather than the soft center they show in the picture. They tasted OK, but I wasn't overly impressed. My mom's coworkers seem to like them, though. :-)

Spring Faerie update

Here she is again. Lots of color changes in that wing, so it doesn't look like much progress.

Kid update: I thought codeine was supposed to make kids sleepy, but it's just revved up Logan. We switched to regular acetaminophen, hoping that it would calm him down. He's had a little fever, but the meds help that. He's been talking more than he ever did before the surgery. Several people told me this would happen, but I really didn't expect such a drastic change so quickly. He was reluctant to even try words before, but now he's dropping them left and right. He's also going stir crazy from being in the house for so long. He'll probably go back to daycare Wednesday, so one more day of enforced inactivity and soft foods. Here's a cute pic from a few weeks ago. He's 20 months old now (yes, Gio noticed my booboo).

Snickerdoodle cupcake

My mom bought Martha Stewart's cupcake book, so of course I had to try one out. I made the snickerdoodle cupcake earlier in the week. It's a cinnamon cake with meringue frosting and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

So I have discovered that snickerdoodles have nothing to do with Snickers and that the cookies by the same name must be rather lackluster. These cupcakes were OK but nothing to write home about.

And the best part about my experiments is that my mom takes all but a handful to work with her so we don't have to add on the pounds (we do just fine with that on our own)!

Next week I hope to try the mint-filled brownie cupcake. These things aren't quick to whip up either--I usually spend an entire evening on these, just like making a cake. Sheesh.

Everything went well

Logan made it through just fine. He got the tubes in his ears, and since his adenoids were huge, the doctor took those out while he was at it. Logan's on codeine, so he's pretty wobbly but otherwise happy. He can only eat soft foods, so that's giving us a bit of hassle since he wants his normal foods. And we somehow have to keep a toddler from being active. Yeah, right.

Logan's surgery

Logan gets tubes in his ears tomorrow. I'm scared and trying not to think about it. My poor baby!

Spring Faerie update

I started this May 16 and worked on it here and there. I'm enjoying working on the faerie so far.

Organizing: I've been working on organizing my bedroom. It's amazing how much dust accumulates! I hate giving up books, but I just have so many of them that I've been purging the ones I don't like much. I saw this website on Carol's blog: paperbackswap.com. It's pretty handy, especially since the books I'm generally looking for are hard to find.

My Just Nan exchange

Gaby in Germany received my Just Nan exchange, so here it is! I did Royal Blossoms as a mattress pincushion, my first. I don't think I'd use ribbon again. The sides tended to shred right off if I wasn't careful. I had to substitute some of the beads, so those dark pink beads should have been light pink, but I like it as is. :-)

You can see more pics of the stitched piece on my website.

L&L's Angel of Summer

I stitched L&L's Angel of Summer for my mom a while back, and I know I won't stitch it again. Does anyone want the chart? Just leave me your email please. [Taken, thanks!]

Just Nan exchange received

I received this wonderful Just Nan exchange from Erin yesterday. The butterfly is just gorgeous, with the roses stitched over one. I don't think I've seen this piece before. Her blog says it's from the 2000 JCS Christmas issue (I don't have that one since I started stitching in 2001). She did a really lovely job on it.

I haven't received word that my piece has been received yet, but it's only been a week and it had a ways to go.

I should have a pic of TW's Spring Faerie to show soon. It's coming along nicely.

Ort update

I've been stitching a little but don't have anything to show, other than my ort jar for the Totally Useless SAL. I did wind up starting TW's Spring Faerie, but there's not much to show right now.

Sick again: So now that Logan's better, Matt and I got sick. It's rather mild--sore throat, phlegm, etc. However, I did have fever, which prompted a doctor's visit. Logan gets his tubes in his ears in two weeks.

Diet: I've managed to stick to 2000 calories a day pretty well. The illness has interrupted the exercise, though. As Jo pointed out, your calories depend on your current weight. A normal person's maintenance calories are probably 2000, but since I weigh so much, mine are higher. My doctor has a program that will tell you your maintenance calories; he then cuts them by 500 calories for weight loss.

Reading: To review, I've been rereading Mercedes Lackey's books. She's my favorite author, and I've read her stuff consistently since she started writing. I finished rereading the Valdemar, Elemental Masters, and Fairy Tales series, which I thoroughly enjoyed; I couldn't really remember what was going to happen. I just finished the Free Bards series. The one book that she collaborated with Josepha Sherman on is truly wretched--very sappy and overdone. I'm going to skip the Dragon Jousters and Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms books since I read them a few years ago. So next I will probably have to venture into her collaboration novels, some of which I haven't read at all. We'll see how I like them.

Maggie the Messmaker update

No update in a while because I've been working on my Just Nan exchange piece. I finished it last night, so I may try to mail it today. I had a few frustrations with it, but I think it turned out pretty well. I'd be happy to keep it. ;-)

Maggie worries me that it's a little skewed, probably because of the half stitches. I had to pull them fairly tight because with three strands they don't sit that well. I just hope that the framer can correct it. I'm getting very close to the three-thirds done mark. Another week may do it. I'm going to work on this one until my patience wears out. I saved the backstitching for last because the chart is so complicated that I wanted to be able to concentrate on just that. I usually backstitch TWs as I go because they're always straightforward--no nasty surprises.

Logan and his illnesses: A few days after the Sea World trip, daycare called me yet again. Logan had a low-grade fever, but I took him to the doctor because he just kept crying and seemed to be in pain. Sure enough, it was an ear infection. He gets tubes next month, which is just not soon enough. He's all better for now. Today is his end-of-the-year event at daycare. We'll see if they can pry him off us. Matt has his last exams for the semester today (yes, on a Saturday), so he won't be coming with us. I think he didn't really want to go anyway.

Diet and exercise again: Of course, I regained the weight I lost due to the virus. I'm starting the exercise again. The doctor set 2000 calories per day as my goal.

Maggie update and trip to Sea World

I managed to stitch a little this week, even with the trip to Sea World. I can stitch almost anywhere, but I was so sweaty and exhausted that I didn't stitch very much in the hotel room.

I'm probably going to need to switch to my Just Nan exchange piece this coming week. Once I figure out what I want to stitch....

ENT visit: Matt took Logan to the doctor last week, and the verdict is that Logan needs tubes in his ears. It may be the reason he's not speaking much yet. They're also going to take blood for an allergy test and check his adenoids. The child's been coughing and having a runny nose for a long time, despite medication. While I'm unhappy he has to have surgery, I'm hoping this will make him better. I know he really needs it, but I'm going to be a nervous wreck until my baby's all better.

Mini-vacation: We had fun at Sea World this weekend. We left early Saturday morning and came home Sunday morning. I think Logan was too young to enjoy it really. He wasn't impressed by much. We first saw the orca show, and it was a battle to get him to sit still. His face really lit up when the orcas jumped and then people clapped; he had fun clapping with everyone. We weren't brave enough to try another show, though. We also tried feeding the sea lions, looking at the aquarium, jumping in a sponge pit, and looking at the Clydesdales, which all got a lukewarm response. We tried the kiddie wading pool. That he didn't like at all. I tried to get him to walk around in the water; I guess he didn't like that the water was rather cool and that the place was so big. I managed to get him to go down the slide a few times, but he wasn't happy. I was pretty disappointed because I love the water. He also wasn't feeling great because his allergies were really bothering him. The mucus rattled around at every breath, and it was a never-ending battle to wipe his nose all day. Sometimes he rode in his stroller, but he really liked pushing the heavy thing around where we led him. We also got one of those kid leashes -- convenient but not very comfortable for him. So, maybe next year we'll have better results. There just wasn't enough for him to do at 19 months old. We might have better luck at the children's museum in Austin, so we're going to try that in a few weeks. We also need to get him used to playing in the water outside so he can see how much fun it is.

TW's Tracery Dragons released

Teresa Wentzler just announced that Tracery Dragons has been released. It won't be on Patterns Online until this Friday. Since I prefer that to a printed chart, I'll have to hold my clicky finger until then. This one will be high on my to-do list.

Maggie the Messmaker update

I made fairly good progress this week. I estimate I have about two months of stitching left, if I work on this piece exclusively, and then I can start on the extensive backstitching. I believe I can finally see an end to this piece! This is my oldest WIP and has taken me the longest to finish. I think I started it before I met DH, around 2002.

I came across the Totally Useless SAL on someone's blog and decided to join. I usually have a large pile of orts, so we'll see exactly how huge it gets.

Reading: While I was sick, I finished up Mercedes Lackey's Elemental Mages series. It's my favorite, next to the Valdemar series, which I finished before that. The next in line is the Fairy Tale series, which is made up of two books. I'm so glad I'm rereading her books. I'm enjoying them as much as the first time around.

Vacation?: We're going to try to get to Sea World in San Antonio this coming weekend, just spending Saturday night at a hotel. This will be Logan's first trip to an amusement park of any kind, and we don't know what his interest level will be. If he doesn't get into the shows or animals, we can always head to the water park section. I'm sure he'll like that.

Maggie the Messmaker update

I finally started stitching a little. Here's an update on Maggie. I have officially finished the right half of the piece. The fabric's a little off square, as I noticed when I took my photo. I really hope that's not a problem when I go to frame it. I'll have to be extra careful when I put it in my Qsnaps from now on. You wouldn't think aida would be a problem.

So we survived that nasty virus and are more or less back on our feet. I still have a bad cough, as does Logan. I lost about 10 pounds while I was sick and am fighting to keep it off. Weight like that just seems to come back so easy. But now I do understand why Logan didn't want to eat anything for so long. The virus gave us pustules inside the throat that were very painful and it took away the appetite completely. I had trouble even swallowing, and it felt like my throat was going to close up completely. The joys of having a kid in daycare...they catch everything and bring it home.

Ugh

Of course, it had to happen. People were almost better and then--

I got very sick, Matt got sicker, and my mom got very sick. Logan, fortunately, is in high spirits and not sick, other than the cough and snot, which the doctor attributes to allergies. I have a horrible sore throat, headache, fever, etc., which the doctor says is a virus. That would be why the antibiotics I got during the first doctor visit didn't work. She says Matt's sore throat doesn't look like mine, so he's got stronger antibiotics. My mom goes to a different doctor, and he said she has the flu. So it's hard for any of us to get up the energy to do the day-to-day things you have to do when there's a kid in the house. I don't even have the energy to stitch, so you know it's bad.

Did I mention I'm running out of leave time at work too? No vacation for me until Logan stops bringing crud home from daycare.

If you're waiting on an email from me, give me a little more time please. :-)

Oh, PatternsOnline has their fantasy stuff on sale in case you're interested.