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.

Violet Bouquet Needleroll HD

I finished this Sweetheart Tree needleroll today. The most tedious part was the last two rows with the eyelets. Bleh. I've still got five needlerolls left to do.

I was going to put the first stitches into TW's Lady of Shalott since I have the fabric for it (and have had it for a few years). But apparently I cut the fabric down too small! I don't know how I managed that because I always measure and remeasure. I guess I screwed up somewhere and my brain just kept screwing up the same thing when I remeasured. So...if I want to work on this piece, I will need to buy some more fabric. I may just do that since it aggravates me so much.

Update on the family: Logan's still coughing and snotting but feeling good. Matt went back to class today, but he's still not completely better. We had to take the dog to the emergency vet Saturday because she tore open some stitches. The vet put in some staples, but the dog has somehow gotten the staples out and hidden them. As Matt said, either Logan will find them, or I'll step on them with my notoriously bare feet. We've finally let Lufy come up the stairs to be with us because she was getting so distraught. She's not eating much, and we've had to cook some chicken to get her to eat, spoiled dog. My mom's finally home, which will ease the burden some. My back gave out on me yesterday, probably from carrying the boy so much. I could barely walk. After some muscle relaxers yesterday, I'm still groggy today. Whew! Is it Friday yet?

Skeleton Crew update

I've finished the second mast now. I think I'm going to switch to Maggie the Messmaker for a while. That piece is my goal for the year, so I need to get going! I'm putting off starting a new TW as long as I can because of these WIPs. It's so tempting!

Update on the kid and husband: Logan is in good spirits and just has some sniffles and coughing left over from his illness. Matt is still feeling bad and isn't going to class. I'm exhausted from taking care of everything. Whew!

Sun Dragon HD

I received my Kreiniks in yesterday and just finished the piece up while Logan was taking a nap. The sun rays were a pain--too tight and the fabric distorts, too loose and the braid goes floppy.

Matt was feverish yesterday, and today Logan's snotting and coughing all over the place. It will be a miracle if I don't catch this stuff.

Medieval Miniature HD

The beads came in today, so here's the finished product. I think I'm going to pull out another Sweetheart Tree needleroll as my mobile project.

Logan is getting better, and is very bored in the house. I try to take him for walks and such, but my back can only take so much. The dog had surgery to remove some large growths yesterday, so we're fighting to keep Logan away from her. She really wants to be with us, but having the child around her huge incisions just isn't a good idea. And of course, ouch, $800. Yes, we really, really love our animals.

Sun Dragon almost HD

Yet again I'm left waiting on missing supplies. I thought I had enough of the Kreiniks, but apparently that wasn't the case. I'm missing some sparklies in his tail and the rays of the sun. It always happens that right after I order something, I miss something else. This is another one by Teresa Wentzler, by the way. Does that fabric look familiar? It's Iris Garden by Silkweaver, which I bought a while back.

I'm having a little trouble getting another Silkweaver fabric, Days Gone By for My Stitching Treasures Accessories. I did the box by Jeannette Douglas a while back. Apparently now that Zweigart has taken over Silkweaver's fabrics, the colors are completely different, even though they have the same name. I need some fabric to match the box, so I'm going to have to figure out a substitute fabric. Argh.

Logan's been very sick. Yesterday he had a fever most of the day and cried hoarsely almost constantly. Today he's a lot better but still not great. He refuses to eat anything except a few sweets and isn't drinking nearly enough. The doctor says he has an ear infection, yet again. We're going to see another ENT soon. Matt thinks Logan needs tubes in his ears, but I'm dreading my little boy having surgery.

So, so much for spring break. I won't be getting to do any of the things I had planned, but oh well, Logan comes first. Doesn't mean I have to like giving up my free time, of course.

My First Gray Hare HD

Now that's a heading to make you stop and pause!

I managed to frog the hot pink and replace it with light pink, and I personally like it better this way. I'm not sure the hand-dyed linen is perfect for this piece, but it was leftover and I like the effect. I rarely used hand-dyeds just because I never know how it's going to turn out, even with a preview picture.

This chart (by 4 My Boys) was in a pile BeckySC sent me a while back when she was cleaning out her stash. Thanks, Becky! I thought this one was cute because Matt's forever plucking my gray hairs. I had only a few when we met, but after the kid, I just seemed to get them a lot, more than he can keep up with. My mom's family grays late, so at almost 40 I'm thinking a handful isn't too bad. Poor Matt was all gray in his 20s. We'll see what Logan gets. Maybe our genes will balance each other out, though Matt's seem dominant at the moment.

Matt also finds it funny that I'll have one long hair that's brown, then gray, then brown, etc. I guess it's my stress levels.

If anyone wants this chart, please leave a comment saying so and your email address.

Sick again: We got a call from daycare yesterday that Logan had a fever. He's coughing again too. Matt's taking him to the doctor this morning. Poor boy. It seems that daycare or the weather is keeping him constantly sick.

Gray Hare WIP

I'm a little miffed. This pattern, My First Gray Hare, gives a DMC equivalent for Sampler Threads Cotton Candy. After I had stitched the hot pink, I thought it looked a little strange with the Red Grape (red). I checked the picture, and the hot pink is actually supposed to be very light pink. I also checked the Gentle Art website, and indeed Cotton Candy is a very light pink. Apparently the DMC equivalent is wrong--way wrong. Now I have to rip out all the hot pink and replace it. I think I'll go with Porcelain (because it's what I have). Argh!

See, it's the small pieces that give me fits, not the large ones.

Medieval Miniature HD sans beads

I finished Medieval Miniature today, but I'm missing the iris beads for the flowers. I'll order them Monday. I didn't think I'd finish it this soon. I spent most of the week working on Skeleton Crew because I was a little tired of working over one. I don't normally mind, but there were a lot of color changes, which is a pain.

And just let me say that if I ever thought frogging over-two stitches was hard, frogging over-one stitches is 10 times as bad. And even worse than that is frogging the backstitching. The floss just shreds. Fortunately I only had a few occurrences of that. The piece is about 2.5" x 3", in case you're wondering. It's not called "miniature" for nothing!

Next week is spring break. Matt has the whole week off from school, but I only get the Thursday and Friday off work. It's better than nothing. I'm looking forward to having two days to do whatever I want to do--probably stitching. And then the following week my mom is going to be out of town, and with Matt busy with school, that means I'll have the bulk of taking care of Logan. He's such a cutie, but I get so tired running after him.

Diet: I've decided that I'm going to try the shots--Byetta. From what I've read online, it can help curb your appetite since your blood sugar is no longer out of whack. If I can control my appetite, I can do the rest. I've done it before. Shots give me the shivers, but it's either that or surgery at this point.

Medieval Miniature Week 1

I'm making good progress on Medieval Miniature. As you can see, I've got the knight and horse done. The castle is in half stitches, and I'll be working on that next. I have to order one of the beads.

I've gotten so many lovely comments on my faeries. Thank you! I get a lot of comments on how fast I stitch. I really don't have much stitching time available now that I have a toddler, at least not in comparison to how it used to be. I think the two-handed method helps (one hand above the stitching and one hand below); I use it when I can use my stand. I also stitch while I watch TV. It's really hard for me to watch TV without stitching nowadays.

I've been having the urge to start another TW. I plan to stitch all the faeries eventually, but I think I want to do something else next. I'm still thinking. Skeleton Crew is still on the schedule, though. Candidates are Lady of Shalott, The Enchanter, Dragon Ride, and Fantasy Triptych. What do you think?

This weekend Mom and I ran around town. We actually have a quilt shop in Bastrop now! They didn't have a great selection, but they do offer classes. There wasn't one I could take right now, but I put my name on the list for later. I'd like to take a few classes to teach me the right way to sew. I've only stitched a few things so far, so I know a few basics. I know there's a lot of basic info I don't know yet.

Diet: I've managed to stay on my diet all week, which is a major accomplishment for me. I'm basically trying to do the diabetic exchange. I've tried something new--writing down what I'm going to eat the following day. That's worked pretty well so far. The only hickup was when I planned to eat out and we wound up getting fast food. I went a little over but not nearly like what I normally would have.