IHSW Randomness

Hi Everyone!

I haven't done a randomness post in a while and my mind is such a jumble that I can't formulate full sentences. Oh look, I just did one. I'll keep this on the short side since life is terribly busy and I don't think I will be able to do a proper post with real progress for another three weeks. 

• My parents decided to go back to Nicaragua in 12 days. There is a whole slew of things to do. I stress myself out just thinking about it. 
• Besides being stressed; I'm partly relieved and partly sad. This will totally free up my time to work on personal projects like job search and apartment reorganization and redecorating, which is great. But I think that this will most likely be the last time my parents see their house and we will have the hard decision of figuring out what to do with it. That makes me teary to think about. 
• I've been too tired and too lazy to do much stitching since I've been mostly vegging out in bed. My stitching set up is in the living room. So I've been winding a bunch of bobbins while watching tv and I am almost done!
• Thanks for all the well wishes regarding my little health hiccup. I think it's fixed itself (after the dose of terrible hormones) but the doctor will let me know for sure in a couple of weeks. The stress is affecting me a lot I think. My skin is also acting up and I decided to try out acupuncture and herbs to see how that helps. 
• I still keep socially busy so I feel exhausted most of the time. 
• I bought new bedroom furniture! No more mix-matched dorm type furniture for me. It arrives in a month!
• This lady played bumper cars with me on the freeway which resulted in minor cosmetic damage to my car. I feel like I had to "convince" her to pull over to exchange information which upset me more since she is the one who hit me which leaves me to report damage and field insurance calls for a week when I'm already stretched on patience and time.
• I miss regular stitching and blogging more than you know. I know I need to find the time for it but I just feel like I can't concentrate enough.

Here's a view of the little stitching I've managed. Since the last time I showed A Very Fine Sampler, I've added some letters, numbers, two butterflies and started in on one of the many ginormous flowers. I think this middle section will take me a while to accomplish!

Also, Joysze of Random Ramblings and IHSW fame, recently started Lilac so I said that I should pull mine out so we can SAL together. Hey, a girl can hope and have high aspirations. Joyze has already surpassed me  (in one weekend...girl you stitch fast!) and will probably finish before me but that's ok. I pulled Lilac out and put her back on a scroll frame. That's an accomplishment! I even managed to put some new stitches in (the dark green ones) on Friday night before I fell asleep at 830p. 830p! On a Friday night! Since Friday was the only day allotted for IHSW, there were no more stitches. =(

I really need to find the time to sit in my stitching chair and work on her more. I really like how she looks finished. I think one of my deterrents has been the fabric. I usually use linen but this is a 32 count Lugana and boy are those holes tight! I'm assuming the fabric shrunk a little during the dyeing process. 

Well, that's all I have for today! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Much love and hugs...until next time. 

Back in the Saddle

Hi Everyone!

I do have to say that it is hard to get back into the groove of blogging when life has been and still is hectic. It's been months since I've had a proper post. One that shared what was going on and most importantly, showed some stitching progress. I wish I could say that things have worked themselves out but they haven't. I am still struggling helping out my parents. 80-somethings are SO stubborn! I've done all that I can (attorneys, bankers and doctors....oh my!) to get things where they need to be and so now it's up to them to decide a date for them to go back to Nicaragua. I assume it's hard for them to leave their house but the constant neediness is hard for me too. I juggle their stuff, working full-time, maintaining a (constantly unorganized) apartment, social life, dating (you know what they say about meeting someone when you least expect it? Yea, that happened) and stitching. I say stitching because without it, I would lose my mind but there's never truly enough stitching time to satisfy me. There have been doctors appointments for me, those pesky five pounds that won't go away and a huge desire and need to job search. A lot of things geared towards my advancement and improvement have been put on hold. I am eager to get back to it all.

When I get super frustrated. I stitch. It's therapeutic. The sound of thread going through linen. To see a design slowly form on a blank canvas is restorative. I had one small finish at the end of 2013. Here is Lizzie Kate Ho Ho Ho. If I remember correctly, it's stitched on 32 count Natural Belfast in Shepherds Bush's thread conversion. A medley of overdyeds and DMC. I plan on stitching this again in the called for color palate which is much brighter than this one.

For my birthday back in October, I ordered the Lizzie Kate Christmas Mystery and diligently stitched the first two parts. I still need to start on the third. I don't know why I set it aside but it's probably because I've been stitching more in hand lately. Sorry for the funky photo. The linen is crooked in the rod and I am too lazy to readjust it since I can still stitch fine. Priorities people!!

Apparently, I've been on a Lizzie Kate kick because my next WIP is Lizzie Kate's Snowman '10. I am so close to finishing this one! It will be a happy dance soon...once I remember where I put the embellishment pack! Does that ever happen to anyone else?

And now for my New Years Start. I decided on A Very Fine Sampler by Birds of a Feather. I'm stitching it on 40 count BOAF Barn Owl using the recommended WDW threads. I've been stitching this in hand but will probably have to move to a scroll rod and stand after the alphabet bands. I've completed almost all the alphabet bands and am really enjoying it.

Last weekend was IHSW and I signed up and managed to get quite a bit done on AVFS. I was only at the lowercase "c" in the third band and managed to complete the numbers band. Pretty good for me considering I don't get much stitching time at all but I've been in a hermity mood lately. Now if I can just motivate myself to get some cleaning and organizing done...

Well, my laptop battery is dying and I had better post this before it gets anymore delayed. I'll have much more to show you soon because I got a package delivery from the infamous and talented Jill. I haven't even opened it yet but am excited to share the reveal with all of you! I know you'll be waiting on pins and needles.

And thank you for sticking with me during these long absences. Life is still not easy but I hope to stitch and post more. I had to do a "clean slate" at the start of the year because I was over 1,000 posts behind in my feedly. Do you know that when you are over 999 posts, they don't even show you the number anymore. I am sure I missed out of lots of wonderful things and sad things and beautiful things and wish I could have shared in it all with you but I had to reset feedly to 0 because there was no way I could have ever caught up. I know you all understand. Thank you so much.

Until next time...much love and hugs.

Happy St. Valentines Day!

Hello my loves. I came across this little vintage postcard on the world wide web and thought it appropriate for today, St. Valentine's Day, because I find the saying so true amongst stitchy bloggers. I am always grateful for my little slice of blogland and am happy to have made wonderful friends and received much needed support in times of need. Without all of you, my life would not shine as bright.

Happy St. Valentine's Day!!

I don't have too much to share. Last weekend was busier than I thought it would be. I spent time in the city with friends...dinner, barhopping, brunch, lazed in front of the tv watching new to me shows (Archer and Game of Thrones) and saw Les Miserables at the movies. I do have to say that I was pretty disappointed in Les Mis and surprised about it. I was anticipating it especially after all the hype about the actors doing their own vocals and being very good so I was excited to watch it! But the vocals and acting in the first half really didn't do it for me. Of course, I was a bawling mess the last half hour of the movie. Perhaps I'm a tough judge. I've seen it so many times live plus on PBS and know almost the whole score by heart. 

Below is my TUSAL report. Lots more threads but they don't produce as fast when you are stitching on 40 count. There's some fuzzy ones there because I had to do a little frogging on Jane. Nooooo!!

Ugh, I hate frogging. But at least it was just limited to one motif and I will soon get back on track and finish the top third. I am almost done! I think that by the end of the weekend, the top third will be complete and I can finally iron the linen and shift it to the mid-section. I can't wait! So that's why there is no Jane update today.

Don't forget it's IHSW!! It's a long weekend for me plus I have stitch group scheduled. I hope to get lots of stitching done this weekend!

Until next time...

Merry Christmas + Catching Up

I wish you all the merriest of Christmases surrounded by friends, family and fun. I had hoped to come back to my little blog space earlier but as you can imagine, life just does not slow down no matter how much I think it might. It has been mostly fun and I cannot believe tomorrow is Christmas Day. It's finally here!

In case anyone was curious, I did not end up going to SantaCon the weekend before last. The weather here was terrible...40's and rainy. Ugh...terrible weather to be traipsing all about San Francisco dressed up in a cheap red felt Santa costume. So I bailed and am kind of relieved I did. Instead, I hung out with my stitching group at a friend's house, eating yummy food and drinking red wine in the warmth and comfort of a glorious home while stitching my little heart out and chitchatting. I had an amazing time and even made progress on my Pumpkins. So much so that I finally finished it yesterday afternoon. About time!!

I think it came out really cute. Stitched as directed on 32 count Antique Ivory Belfast. But wow, was it a lot of stitching!

So IHSW was stitching on Pumpkins at stitch group on Saturday. Sunday was a blur of dim sum, coffee plans and socialness in the city that by the time I got home, all I could do was lie down and stare at the tv. Being so social is tiring! I'm exhausted. :)

But I did take a snap of my TUSAL...here with my Christmas tree snowglobe.

All the threads at the top are from Pumpkins with some frogging I had to do. Thankfully it wasn't much. I am so happy that Daffycat is continuing TUSAL next year. I can only hope I am better about posting on time. I just love seeing the colors change in my jar and it's validation that I did manage to stitch even if it's not as much as I would have liked. I did realize this year that I don't have as many Christmas decorations as Halloween ones so my goal next year is to stitch Christmas smalls in between BAPs so I can put out a few more stitchy things. Looks slim pickings this year since I have no tree so hence, my ornies are packed away.
Since I finished Pumpkins, I pulled Jane Pattison out of my wips basket and slapped her on the stitching stand. I hope to stitch faster this year. I didn't take a photo since it's just more green border but that pine border sure is fun to stitch at Christmastime!

I was a lucky girl last week as I won Melanie's giveaway and she sent me some Christmas goodies!

How fabulous! A BBD stocking pattern, cute little ort container and a snowman bead. Love it all...especially the card. Thank Melanie. I love it all!

And to those who sent me cards, thank you so much! It has really lifted my spirits to receive cards and be able to post them on my door and look upon them from my stitching nest.

Merry Christmas to everyone. Thank you for your visits and friendship over the years. I am forever grateful to this blogging community for its kindness and support. Much love and hugs.

IHSW Weekend

Hi All!

Just a quick fly-by post. Lots of chores to do which is totally interfering with my stitching time. I have no idea how the dishes, laundry and mail accumulates so fast...for one person!

This past weekend was IHSW and I was lucky enough to have Saturday stitch group which means that at least *some* stitching would be had. It was nice to see all the ladies. It was a small group of us and I got to say "see you later" to my dear friend, Natasha, who is moving to the other coast. I hope the Carolinas treat her right! Good luck Natasha! I'm going to miss you!

I decided to focus on my stitched piece which is Pumpkins for Sale. This isn't that big of a piece but it seems to be taking me forever. But it's getting there...

I just love the pumpkins! I still need to do the awning, the grass, stitch the mouse and fill in the letters in the pumpkins. This will be my focus this week since I really need to move onto Christmas stitching but am too scared to leave this one unfinished and it becoming a UFO.

I also managed a few rows in knitting but it's too late and dark to attempt a photo now. I have about 20" of stockinette to stitch and then I will be finished! It's getting there too.

It was also TUSAL so I took a quick snap of my jar. I still have Halloween decorations up! But my jar is sporting a little more orange and green from pumpkin stitching.

Thank you to everyone for their wonderfully supportive comments on my last post about my break up. I'm a little sad yet I know I made the right decision for me at this time. This weekend was wonderfully mellow and relaxing. I spent a lot of it at home which is something I haven't done in months and it was nice to be lazy, stitch, watch tv and reclaim some *me* time. The chores didn't get done but who's going to get mad? I live alone! :)

I'm not sure if I will be able to post before Thanksgiving so I would like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday. I will be congregating with a group of fun single friends for dinner this year since my family is scattered and I am here solo. I'm happy I have this option since I think it will be fun. I am in charge of dessert so will be baking my little heart out Thanksgiving morn and that makes me happy. Always happy to ply people with sweets.

Thank you for stopping by my little corner in blogland.

Until next time...

IHSW Recap

Hmmm...late again. But I know you guys forgive me! I am still backlogged with all the things I threw aside for the last few months but I'm happy to say, I've been stitching a lot more. Eh, the closets can stay messier for a few more days...right?

I did not have as much stitching time as I thought last weekend though. The closer I get to the weekend, the more plans were made and next thing I know, I'm was in full blown social mode.

However, last week, I started a knitting class for the Trixie Cowl. I had seen the model at my local knitting shop stitched up in Smooshy sock yarn. Let's just say I'm the only one in the class psychotic adventurous enough to do the same which means I have been knitting my little heart out trying to keep up with the class. Holy cow! So.much.knitting! And I am still on the first phase! But it's coming along. I can't wait to get to the stockinette part so that I can see the stripey effect this variegated yarn will achieve.

Right now, I am working on the lace section and it requires more attention. I even created a little spreadsheet to help me keep track of the rows in the pattern which not only makes me the overachiever...but the nerd in the class. So far, I have 21 out of 30 inches stitched...almost there. Then it's onto the stockinette.

Since I was distracted with the knitting, I didn't stitch as much. I managed to finish the "M" pumpkin and start on the "U". Perhaps this weekend will show some more progress when I take a break from knitting.

The one dangerous thing about taking a class at a knitting shop is that I see models of things I want to knit and buy fabulous yarn that I have no idea what to use for. As much as I enjoy knitting, I still don't feel very adept at it. I'm no good at fixing my mistakes and my hands also get crampy after a short while. Does anyone else have that problem?

I have been trying to be kind to myself and allow the time to just relax and putt around my apartment. Now that the weather is cooling down and the nights are getting longer, my urge to hermit is great. This can be dangerous because I can then hermit indefinitely (outside of work; rent still needs to be paid somehow) so I am being conscious to be social. I spend one day/night a week with the beau (do I still call him that?) and so last night we went to dinner and I tagged along to his chorus practice. I really enjoyed this because while he practiced, I knit and got free entertainment out of the whole deal. Nice! The men in the chorus are very friendly and I chitchatted with a wife that always goes to the practice to catch up on her magazine reading or work on her own needlework.

This weekend is shaping up to be a quiet one and I am hoping it stays that way. There is so much home stuff I want to do. Crockpot cooking, start on big closet re-org, farmers market, knit/stitch and go to the gym. I have the feeling I will be distracted by the World Series. Go Giants! I hope they continue to play well.

I just realized I forgot to take a photo of my TUSAL jar. I'll try to remember for the next post.

I hope everyone is having a good week!

Until next time...

IHSW & TUSAL...Super Late!

Hmmm...I'm starting to wonder if I should just resign myself to the fact I will always be late and my grand goals for stitching will always come up short. Although, I shouldn't act so glum and upset about it. Fact is, I've been having a lot of fun and a fantastic summer so far. The days are long and the options are high.

I did manage to stitch a little bit on Friday night and Fairy Moon received a bit of attention. I finished the section of dress I was working on and have moved onto her hair. Doesn't look like much other than a dark brown blob but it's getting there.

And here's my TUSAL post for the month. Not very much has been added to it.

Last weekend was a flurry of activity. I saw To Rome With Love which was an enjoyable film. Classic Woody Allen...not fantastic but entertaining enough with some fantastic shots of Rome...a destination that happens to be on my bucket list. Afterwards, a group of us had a late dinner and hit the karaoke bar. It was a lot of fun. I wasn't brave enough to do my own song on the stage but I had a lot of fun singing along from my little perch at the bar. Sunday was a fun day starting off with brunch at my favorite spot along with lots of lounging around in the nearby park and then hitting a wonderful jazzy set at a local jazz club. It was a fantastic weekend. No surprise that I got very little stitching done...right?

This weekend is setting up to be just as busy...although plans aren't necessarily set in stone. I just know I won't be home much and things should be fun.

***

So I thought I would do a little recap on my little weight loss journey. I didn't start off with much to lose. The goal was 15 pounds. I just wanted my pants to fit better, feel better in general and tone up some. I haven't been able to get to the gym much since things have been quite busy and I found it really hard to find the time. I like to go after work since that's most convenient but things like alterations, chiropractor, shoe repair always gets in the way since the shops are only open until 530/6pm and I get off work at 5pm. If I stray from the work to gym journey, I am apt to forego it altogether. Shame, shame. 

Since February, I've lost 10 pounds and have managed to keep them off. Yay me!

**Ok, this is where it might be tmi for guys so I'll wait a bit for anyone who wants to hit the back button.**

I've noticed the 10 pound loss in certain areas. Areas, I'm not so happy about losing. Like my chest and bum. Hello...those are the nice parts. Why won't this weight drop off my tummy and thighs?! It's been noticeable in my face and neck (which are already skinny parts) also so I've been getting quite a few comments. Last week, I realized that my bras just weren't fitting right anymore. I was dreading having to go shopping. C'mon...how many women really like going bra shopping? Yea, I thought so. So this week, I got re-measured and tried on about a million bras to come out of it with 4 new ones in a whole new size. One in a band size I don't ever remember fitting into...ever. It's so strange. I also spent last night trying on every single bra I had and I managed to keep...drumroll...1 bra. 

Hmmm, I like seeing the weight loss on the scale but do not like spending the extra money to supplement my wardrobe. Bras are freaking expensive! I'm a little scared to lose the extra 5 pounds I want to lose because I wonder if that will mean I will need to go out and buy all new pants! Although, I do have some pairs that fit but a bit too snugly still. Perhaps, I'll be ok. 

5 more pounds...I can do it...right??

Well, time to begin the weekend. Happy Weekend to everyone! Go out, have fun and be safe. 

Until next time...

IHSW and TUSAL

Hello Lovelies...

What a busy weekend! Tons of shopping, stitch group, Maker's Faire, more shopping, Armory tour and a friend's birthday. I am pooped...and broke! I shouldn't have shopped so much but I finally found some new tanks, swimsuit and a cover up.

I hate shopping for a swimsuit but I needed a back up since my oldest one is a little too big in some parts. What is it with swimsuits though? You pay a fortune for something that contains very little fabric. Bikini bottoms are always too small which is frustrating when you're blessed with certain assets that you don't want pudging out all over the place. Two pieces are definitely made for skinny stick figures. But I finally managed to find something that was colorful, fun, fit properly and covered the stuff that needed covering.

But between this shopping trip, vacation and rent increase, I'm on a minimal spending ban til the Fall! Thank goodness I have enough stash to see me through.

So what have I been up to on the stitching front...

Fairy Moon is slowly growing. I've been enjoying the shading on her dress that I haven't moved upwards to stitch her face and hair yet.

I am fond of her and am sad that I have to leave her behind. Ten days away from her and not a stitch to be done?! How will I survive?

Maybe Jane Pattison will distract me enough. At stitching group on Saturday, I decided to start her. There are only a few stitches made but a start is a start no matter how small....right??

Jane Pattison isn't *that* small so in case I can't manage or the dogs are trying to sniff my stitching, I have some smalls I'll be taking along with me too. :)

And lastly, my TUSAL report! I found peonies at a local Trader Joe's. They are only of my favorite flowers!!

This is the last post before I leave on my trip. You all take care of yourselves and stitch lots. I'm sure I'll have lots to catch up on when I get back.

Until next time...

Catching Up...

Hello lovelies...

Hope you all had a lovely weekend whether you're a mom or not. Mine was nice, yet eventful. Life is feeling like a blur these days and most days, I barely have time to cook or stitch and it's just making me feel more worn out and crankified.

On Friday, a friend came into town and I had a nice early dinner with her and her daughter and another mutual friend. The weather was so nice, I actually wore a skirt! Dinner was nice and fab and I made it home early to stitch. And you know what?? I managed to finish Fairy Moon's wing! I thought it would take me much longer to get to that point but I did it. :) I have now progressed to some shading on the dress bodice and skirt.

Saturday was very busy with morning appointments, picking up special Mother's Day cake, lunch with a new friend, visiting with family and eating of the cake. I barely had a moment to myself.

As I was about to leave my folks...about 730pm...someone called the house. It was a friend of my little old lady friend...the one who lost everything in the fire. I was told that while shopping, my little old lady friend fell in a store and broke her femur and they had to go via ambulance to the hospital. I spent the rest of my evening in the emergency room checking in on her and helping with translation. Oh how terrible! Like losing your home wasn't enough...how she was facing surgery and rehabilitation. She had lots of visitors telling her it would all turn out ok and the surgery will go fine and trying to ease all her worries. I was back there Sunday morning to make sure there was someone with her when the doctor came around to explain the surgery. Everyone at the hospital was very friendly but who can help being nice to a sweet little old lady that keeps saying "thank you, dahling" and "you're so sweet, dahling" and "you are very nice to me, dahling". She's a riot. She says she doesn't care if she sounds like a crazy parrot as long as people know she is nice and thankful especially since her English is limited. If you can spare more good thoughts, that would be great. She will have to stay by herself in a rehabilitation center until she can get some physical therapy in and walk on her own. A local blog wrote a very nice article on her which you can read if you're so inclined.

After my stop at the hospital, I went outlet shopping to look for some warm weather clothes. I didn't find everything I was looking for but I managed to find some good deals. That took all day and boy were my feet barking after that. At least I got my exercise in!

***

More stitching stuff...a few weeks back, I asked Faye if she could make me a couple of large project bags and they finally winged their way to the left coast and they are fantastic!

I am in love with my blue paisley one and I am a big paisley fan so I am fond of the red one too. I can't wait to break one in and I think I will be stuffing one soon with this project...

What do you think??

I am not a big fan of samplers. Sure...I like looking at them but I can't picture very many in my place but there's something about Jane Pattison that keeps pulling me in. I do think it will look perfect in my living room and look how well the colors blend with my rug! My plan is to stitch it on 40count with the cottons. Here, the threads are lying on Lakeside Linens Porcelain. I am trying to match my color combo to the photo more where the colors seem to pop off the linen a bit. My cut of Navy Bean seems darker than the norm and created a more muted color scheme. Not really what I wanted. This is the lightest linen I have in my stash besides Magnolia which is too yellow. 

I haven't decided when I'll start Jane but I think she's ready...

Well, I have a quiet evening planned today so I need to maximize by cooking and stitching time. Hope you all have a nice week....oh, and don't forget this coming weekend is IHSW. Go sign up!

Until next time...

IHSW and TUSAL

Hello lovlies...how's it all going?

Things, as you can imagine have been busy busy. I don't think there is any other setting at the moment. But let's see if I can remember what I've been up to lately. There hasn't been much stitching going on. At least I don't think so...

I did finish two motifs on Mary Wigham and she is going to be put away for a little while. I can't believe I am still on Part 5 (of 9)! One more motif and over 1 wording (yuk!). It's going back in the wip basket for a spell. Oh, the two motifs I did were the big "Ackworth School" and the gold bird to the right of that one.

I also finished the stitching on Shepherd's Bush Little Eggs Pincushion. I finished before Easter but it took me until this past weekend to finally attach the buttons. I have to look in my stash to see if I have a suitable Easter or soft print to use for the backing.

I started some finishing I can't show yet. I am as slow as molasses when it comes to finishing so of the 3 pieces I wanted to finish, I only managed to complete 1.33 of them. Guess finishing will continue throughout the week/weekend although I am itching to get back to Fairy Moon now.

And lastly, the TUSAL report. I thought I would take a complete shot of what the top of my tv looks like. It has my TUSAL jar, some ranunculus that I picked up at the farmers market along my with roku and cute japanese figurines.

Wow, I am loving the new blogger template! Why did I wait so long to upgrade?! It puts pictures where they are supposed to go and I don't have to go into the html (which I don't even understand) trying to fix things. Awesome! I hope it continues to work this way!

And I thought I would request something that is a total longshot. If there is anyone out there who has Stitchmate scroll rods that they don't like or don't use, please contact me as I may like to purchase them. My order for rods was unfulfilled and I have to figure out another solution...besides qsnaps...or borrowing rods.

Well, I think that's it for me. Until next time...

Fairy Moon - Week 3 and IHSW

Hi Everyone!

I hope that a nice weekend was had by all. I have to say that some of my plans fell apart but it was a blessing in disguise. From Friday night to Sunday morning, I hermitted at home in my jammies. I think I just needed quiet time to myself after a busy week of family. I caught up on shows, stitched, snacked, relaxed and enjoyed the solitude. It was bliss!

IHSW was a total success! I had a finish, a start and more progress on Fairy Moon. Yay!

First, the finish! I finished my ornie! It's Primrose Needleworks Windows of Faith, Hope and Peace from the JCS 2010 Ornie issue. I love it. I have no idea why it took me over a year to finally finish.

Secondly, the start. I made a start on the Shepherd's Bush Little Eggs Pincushion. It's such a soft Easter design. And it looks like it will be a quick stitch!

And lastly, my progress on Fairy Moon. I'm torn between feeling like I accomplished a lot this weekend and that I didn't do enough...because the wings are massive! There is so much blue stitching to go!

That's it for the stitching news today. I did have a couple of questions and was wondering if anyone had any input.

1. Has anyone ever done a dietary cleanse before? I realize this sounds a tad hippy granola but the idea of doing a food cleanse has appealed to me for the last couple of years since I hear it restores energy and helps with digestive issues a person may have. I think the one thing that may kill me is to give up coffee for a week. I can handle anything in life...except maybe that. I've been drinking coffee since I was five. I also wonder if coffee is why my brother and I are spazs and my sister is more mellow and even keeled since she switched to decaf eons ago. Although, the lack of coffee is a huge explanation of how she can nap anytime and anywhere. I don't have that gift. I don't want to nap. I just want more energy and less digestive issues. Feel free to email me (sidebar) if you'd like.

2. Is anyone thinking of going to a stitching retreat this year and if so, which one(s)? I am doing my little bit of research and trying to figure out where I want to go should finances allow. I'm sure I don't know about all of them. The sad thing is most retreats are midwest or East Coast so it's a journey for me to go but I'm willing to make a vacation out of it.

Well, time to get a few stitches in before hitting the hay. Hope you all have a nice start to the week. I'll be back for my TUSAL report in a couple of days!

Until next time...

IHSW and TUSAL

So this past weekend was IHSW. It ended up being a busier weekend than I had planned. Of course...doesn't that always happen?! I did go to stitchy group on Saturday and it was great to see all the ladies and gab, gab away. When I wasn't gabbing, I was stuffing my face with dessert first and healthy stuff later. But I did get a little bit of stitching done on my Merry Be.

I decided to stitch this with 2 threads over 2 which means I am running out of a couple of the colors. It just seemed like 1 strand over 2 was too skimpy on 30 count linen. I really have to remember this when I buy these Shepherds Bush kits!

I pulled out Merry Be because Jingle All the Way was throwing me off. I got the reindeer stitched but when I went to the sleigh, I was stitching with orange and lime. See picture to see what I'm talking about.

Um...orange and lime sleigh. I don't get it. When I look at the cover, I know that the designer tea dyed it after stitching but I'm not sure how I feel about tea dying lakeside linen. So I am left with doing substitutions which I hate doing especially when I'm all frazzly. I did see a photo of it finished with what looks like the recommended threads and I liked it. Maybe I just need to get over it? What do you all think? I'm going to sit tight and ponder it a little more.

Here is the cover photo as a comparison:

It was also TUSAL report time. My little jar is filling up little by little. The threads from this month were from the two projects above.

Just a quick post today. I'm still peeved about the things I discussed in my last post but I'll get over it. The weather is beautiful and it's FRIDAY! I'm trying to keep things quiet this weekend and just stitch, relax, do laundry and see the Oscars (and not get annoyed with any stupid men). I'm hoping that I make it to the gym. I've fallen off the wagon and am sooooo unmotivated and I find every excuse not to go.

Hmmm, maybe if it's quiet enough, I can actually write another of the many posts that are only residing in my head at the moment.

Hope you all enjoy the weekend!

Until next time...

Randomness, a Giftie and a Start

Randomness

~I have no idea how it's the middle of February. Serious? I must be dreaming. Someone pinch me...ouch!

~I am very anti-Valentine's Day. Those on my FB can attest to the interesting cartoon I posted. So color me surprised when I received tulips delivered at work, some sweet emails from friends and a guilt-free phone call from my mom. It was a nice Valentine's Day. I hope yours was too.

~Don't start asking about the tulips. I'm not quite sure what to think. But they are pretty and brighten up my desk.

~In the past week, I've been told I have to be nicer and that I'm a cranky-pants. *Sigh* I think I'm a nice cranky pants. I say please and thank you and have a nice day to everyone. I just don't deliver all my news with ego-strokes and smiles. So I'm working on being a nicer not so cranky pants.

~I've been very domestic the past week. I made beef stew, minestrone soup and meatballs. On the last, I managed to smoke out the apartment. Do you know that smoke detectors can talk now? So not only do you have to deal with the beeping, you now have some lady yelling "fire, fire, fire" at you while you are trying to open windows and having to climb up a step ladder to try and get it to be quiet while wishing you grabbed a hammer. I'm happy that no one called the fire department because we all know how embarrassing that would have been!

I'm exhausted and scatter brained so the randomness returned. I feel like I've been running nonstop and doing all these fun things but it's been such a blur that I can't totally remember what I even did to share with you all.

I'm shopping around for new glasses. This is hard for me to do solo since I'm indecisive and glasses are a huge part of my look. I like them to be classic yet make a statement. Be a little hip and a little nerdy librarian. I am also a hard fit for the types of frames that I like. Narrow face, narrow nose bridge and most styles don't come with nosepads which I definitely need. This is where I got called crankypants. Some frames made me look like a girl version of Drew Carey. Others had bling. Some had pink on them. Some were weird colors. Some were thin wire. I got it narrowed down to two styles. Either black/clear or brown/teal. One of the brown/teals would be a complete deviation from what I normally go for. Yet, they're fun. I guess I'll decide in a week when they are all here for me to try on at the same time.

Giftie

I received a lovely surprise in the mail from Sally! Look at this cute little pincushion!
Sally is such a sweetheart. She was looking for a pattern so I let her borrow mine and she stitched this up as a thank you. I was just so happy to help. This is a bonus. I just love it and am hoping this little sheepie brings me some luck! Thank you so much Sally! Sorry it took me so long to post and share.

A Start

Well, I've barely had much time to stitch lately. Since finishing up my stocking, I've been plugging along on my new start with every spare minute or five that I can find. Here is what I've completed so far.
Here's my start on Jingle All the Way by Notforgotten Farm. I'm stitching it on 40 count Lakeside Linens Pearled Barley with the recommended DMC.

This weekend is IHSW! Yay! I look forward to this each month no matter how quiet or hectic that weekend happens to be. This weekend will be busy but I have stitching group on Saturday. Yay! I am hoping to stitch more and gab less but we'll see what happens. If you want to join in on the fun, go sign up on Joysze's blog. She does a great job hosting and bringing us all together each month. Thanks Joyzse! :)

I hope everyone is having a nice week. I'm heading to bed early tonight. I've been so tired lately!

Until next time...

IHSW, TUSAL and a Winner!

Wowzers! Thanks so much for the lovely, uplifting comments on my photo. I know...it's taken forever for me to post one but deep down at the core, I am a shy, private person. As a kid, I hid from the camera. Most of my childhood friends have pictures of me with something in front of my face (book, hand, hair) to prevent the photo.

Natalia said I have to post more photos so I am posting one more...super cheeser of a photo.

***

International Hermit and Stitch Weekend (IHSW) wasn't as successful as I had hoped. I did manage to stitch quite a bit on Sunday but didn't finish the stocking. So close though. Here is a photo of how far I got.
I only have one small band of flowers to stitch at the very bottom and then to sew on all the charms and buttons. I am close! I adore the little village and the meadow. Look at all the little sheepies! So cute.

It's also TUSAL time. It's amazing how many threads I have in my jar already. All the orts are from Sadie's stocking and the perle cotton sure does take a lot of space in my ort jar.
But that's all I managed to do. I didn't even do any finishing.

***

Yesterday was the last day of the Year of the Bunny. It was a good year. I found clarity. I found my smile and myself. I made some wonderful blog friends. I shed some of my shyness and most of my sadness. I realized I am happy to be single and even happier to make friends instead of dealing with an endless string of first dates.

I have great hopes for the Year of the Dragon. New friends, lots of fun, good health and a someone to love. We'll see what happens. You never know.

Now to the winner of my surprise. The winner is Catherine! Catherine, I think it's your lucky weekend. Go buy some lottery tickets! Please email me with your address. I hope you don't mind waiting a bit because, uh, I never got to finishing this weekend and next weekend is already going to be insanity. I'll make it worth the wait, ok?!

Well, that's it for me tonight. I need to veg with the tv a bit before hitting the hay. I've got a busy couple of days at work. I don't even think I'll get much stitching in!

Until next time...

IHSW Update

Well, I had grand plans for my weekend. I think I jinxed myself saying it would be quiet but the best laid plans oftentimes go awry. I had a little bit of a floor stand malfunction.

On Wednesday and Thursday, I decided to baste my fabric to my scroll rods so I could start my Shepherd's Bush stocking. I didn't want to do qsnaps since I can't really hold one larger than 8" for long because my neck and shoulder will lock up. And it took me two days because I've been so busy!

So on Thursday night, I finally attach the sidebars and clamped it into my Stitchmate and wouldn't you believe it...my scroll frame fell right out of the clamp and onto the floor! Since I don't use rods often, this was the first time I tried to use scroll rods with my Stitchmate since I got it and I didn't realize I needed to use Stitchmate rods/bars or have some ADP adapter. The only size Stitchmate rods I had were 16" and I needed 19" rods for the fabric. Ugh! Oh yea, and as I was doing all this, the band that keeps my q-snap adapter in place snapped so I couldn't even pull the fabric onto bigger snaps since the adapter wouldn't stay in place.

It put a complete halt to my plans! So I switched gears and just pulled out Shepherd's Bush Merry Be and got a few stitches in. I think I prefer the look of two threads instead of the called for one thread over 2 on 30 count. I am debating whether to continue with two or switch back to 1 thread for the daintier look. I always have this dilemna with their kits! Here is my small start.
But I didn't stitch on it long because my friend Mary came to my rescue! She said I could borrow whatever rods/bars I needed to help me stay on track with my projects. I passed by her house, got what I needed and of course, in my excitement put the rods into the sidebar backwards but whatever. It works, the frame stayed in the clamp and I was stitching. Here is my small start on Sadie's Stocking which will soon become Valerie's Stocking!

Since so much time was wasted, I didn't make much progress on my starts. I don't know how you serial starters do it. I can't stand everything you need to do to start a new project. Once it's started, I'm fine but I'm a spazz case before that.

Oh and here is my Hallow Eden finish. I love it!
I did run into a little issue when I took the qsnaps off. I was lazy and never took them off or put felt between the clamps so I have qsnap marks and the fabric got grimy where I was holding it. Since it's Lakeside Linen and Crescent Colors, I am worried about getting the fabric wet. So I'm debating what to do and how to get it finished. Snug frame...or cube finish. I guess no matter what, the scuzzy section will be hidden or cut off since it's not the stitching itself that is dirty. Any suggestions??

Well, that's it for today. I haven't had much stitching time so far this week but once Monday comes along, I plan to have a few "stitch ass" sessions since I will be off until January 3rd! Happy dance....happy dance! Woo!! I plan to relax, do things I don't get to do on the weekend and stitch my heart out!

Until next time...

Randomness & IHSW

Let's start off with the randomness...shall we.

*My parents have been blowing up my work phone lately and asking me if I am busy. If I'm at work, it's good to assume I am busy and that I definitely won't be patient to discuss things like the cable bill and whatever else isn't an emergency but seems to be really important to an 80+ year old! Really? When I was a kid, I had better be at the nurses station half passed out and delirious with fever before I even thought of calling them at work. If I was raised like that, then I expect that as an adult too. I'm busy and work is too in flux for them to be calling me with unimportant matters.

*After the events of the last week, I have no patience whatsoever for my parents' negative doom and gloom outlook. Ugh! Be happy you're alive. Find a hobby! Enjoy the day! Read a book!

*I canceled a date on Sunday at the last minute. I try not to be one of those. I made the general plans...lunch and a downtown stroll where the guy lived since I wasn't familiar. All he had to do was pick a place to meet. I still didn't know where we were meeting 3 hours before we were supposed to meet. Major peeve. MAJOR! I am not going to get dolled up, drive 45 minutes away, in the rain, for some guy who can't even pick a lunch place. Pick a lunch place already! OMG!

*Sometimes, it just feels right to stay in your pajamas until 3pm.

*I am dreading Thanksgiving. Let's just get it over with already! I need to decorate for Christmas. And seriously...how has November passed so quickly?!

*Why must people stand so close to you at the grocery check out? Back up lady! I'll be done soon...unless you want to pay for my groceries. Then by all means...crowd me and hand over some money!

*Sometimes words speak louder than actions. Like that guy who chased me up the stairs last night. Tell me you're a neighbor and locked out instead of being creepy, chasing me up the stairs in an effort to get into the building and scaring the crap out of me. Jeez! I'd have called the property manager to verify you lived there and let you in. Instead I wish I could have maced you.

I had a work meeting today that ensured that my job is safe but that we need to move offices. The move is not ideal as I see a personality clash with someone who works in the proposed space. But beggars can't be choosers...

*I wonder if a kind Pinterest addict/reader would send me an invite request referral thingie so I can start pinning? I heard that Pinterest fulfills those requests first... Pretty please... Edited: Thank you, Thank you...I woke up to lots of invite emails. You are all the bestest!

*And in case you were wondering...I did buy the dress.
Now to find a party to wear my new dress to!

***

So it was International Hermit and Stitch Weekend! Did you all hermit and stitch? I had a pretty hermitty weekend which was perfect since a good portion of it was rainy and cold. I changed most of my weekend plans around so that I could be lazy but I was a tad distracted with this.
I had a day to read it because it was due to the library and I couldn't renew it...again. It was a very good book although some bits were pretty trashy. The baseline of the story was interesting. American lady becomes an asset for the Resistance against the Nazi regime during WWII in Paris. I loved the bits that mentioned locales within Paris. It allowed me to reminisce and think about what it was like in the 40's, during my favorite fashion era.

And I was also distracted by this.

I have a kabillion DMC skeins to wind.
I apparently have a long way to go to fill this jammer box! Does anyone else's hand cramp up when they wind bobbins? I have the feeling this will be a slow process.

But I got a little bit of stitching in. I am still working on Plum Street Samplers' Hallow Eden. It's a little odd working on Halloweeny stitching when it's over now but I fear that if I stop, I won't finish.
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and if we don't speak soon, may you and yours have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Until next time...

IHSW October Weekend Update

Hello my lovelies...what's cooking?!

Thanks again for all the votes on my new project and being stitching cheerleaders. I think it helped this weekend. It was a relatively busy weekend with pumpkin festival and birthday wrapping and work stuff and pub afternoon and cooking. But I managed to get a lot done!

First off, I have a happy dance to celebrate. Happy happy dance dance! Woohoo! I finished Drawn Thread Almost Halloween. I just love the little motifs. I bought this kitted up so it's on 32 count Wichelt Tumbleweed with the recommended DMC/Threadworx. This linen is as stiff as a board. I can seriously fold it in the middle and stand it up like a tent. I should have removed the starch but oopsie, I forgot, in my eagerness to start the project in the first place. Thanks again to Natasha for sending me the bit I needed so I could finish.
I hit the half way mark with Favorite Spot Sampler. This is such an easy stitch. If I had had a completely free weekend, I may have managed to finish it. As it is, I think I may finish by the end of the week. Because you know, work, gym and cooking really cramp my style. lol
I'm a little concerned that the white really isn't going to show up as well as I thought but I'm going to go with it for now and figure out if I continue on with the GAST Oatmeal or sub it out for a brighter white.

And now onto my pumpkin patch. I love pumpkins! Love...they are cute and fun and taste delicious. Breads, muffins, cookies, soups, raviolis. I love pumpkin. A few years ago, I went to the Pumpkin Festival and bought myself a glass pumpkin...which I promptly broke the minute I paid for it and walked half a block. I was upset! So this time around, I was going to buy another one and hang onto the bag for dear life. I stopped by one booth and saw the orange and black one and loved it. The little black dot detail and the swirls in the orange glass. It's gorgeous up close. The old man working the booth was a flirt all eyeing my pumpkin ale (kinda weird...did not dig it) and giving me a hard time since I was sipping and not downing the beer. Uh...I'm a girl and the only thing I can suck down that fast is a margarita! We walked around and encountered 10 more glass pumpkin booths but I didn't really like the other pumpkins as much plus they were a lot more expensive. I wanted to take another look at the flirty old man's booth when we looped around and boy, was that a mistake. The black one caught my eye because the stem is fantastic and the yellow one is gorgeous up close and more reminiscint of a real pumpkin with the green stem. Oh boy, I did not anticipate buying three! As the flirty old man was wrapping them up, I pulled out my own flirt and said I should get a discount for buying a whole pumpkin patch! And I got a little one which more than paid for my beer. Sometimes it pays to flirt with the old men too.


So here's my little glass pumpkin patch. I am so in love.
Look at them stems!
I made a wonderful stew last night. I'm kind of proud of myself since I don't really cook. Bake: yes! Cook: no.

Alright...time to get a few stitches in and catch up on a little tv. Hope you all had a nice weekend too.

Until next time...