Keys in Hand

We have the keys.

The house is ours!

Excuse me because I have a lot of work to do.

It happened again

We came home late from a star party at a local metropark. We plopped the exhausted kids in bed and began to watch something from the DVR. I was a little dozy so I stretched out on the couch.

I was certain I smelled something not quite right, but Chas brushed aside my concerns.

I went to check on Kian, who was fussing in his sleep.

The smell became stronger and stronger and I was certain I was not imagining that smell which was clinging in the back of my nose and throat, acrid and slightly burnt.

When I came back out of the bedroom Chas said, "You were right."

"What?"

"About the smell."

The dehumidifier burnt itself out. Thankfully, this time, the circuit breaker popped and shut off the power to the unit. No smoke or soot flowing through the house. Just a terrible burnt electronics and metal smell that lasted a good bit of the night. No longer sleepy, my adrenaline was rushing, so I managed to finish this lovely piece after viewing the damage (one dehumidifier, hot to the touch, with a few scorch marks).

It is by the Sampler Girl and is done with none of the suggested threads on a piece of Pussywillow Lugana by the gone and sorely missed Sugar Maple Fabrics. I love this fabric and so very much wish I had much much more of it. It is a perfect neutral fabric and is simply beautiful. My plan is to frame it for our new home. Hope should be a theme for everyone, but it definitely is one for our family.

Bad day; pretty pictures

Just a rotten day at work. I was not surprised when Chas told me that the moon is full. Oof. I am really feeling like hiding under a rock. Nothing to terrible, just a lot of minor and medium annoyances that are pushing me too far. And I've had no down time at lunch this week. That just adds to my stress.

Here is a photo of the finished Stealing Oats by Brittercup Designs. I like the simple, but not cartoonish, lines. It is for a friend with quite a menagerie. I hope she likes it.



I am also posting my wip of Polar Lights by Chatelaine in anticipation of Chatelaine SAL this weekend. Of course it seems that there is only one other stitcher with me this weekend, but that is enough for a SAL.


Not much, but I finally acquired all the necessary fibers at the most recent Tour de Stitch so I am ready for anything. I think this will be my lunchtime project, even though I haven't finished the wedding gift from the August wedding. You can't tell from the scan, but I have turned the corner on the outside border.

Happy stitching.

Good Stitchy Month

In the midst of all the hoopla, I failed to mention that I finished the infamous tooth fairy pillow the night before the election. I do mean "finished" finished--in pillow form and everything. Angie was pleased to see it as she has two wobbly upper teeth.

Last night I finished Stealing Oats, beads and all. I'm under a bit of stress lately so it felt anticlimactic, but it is pretty and done. I hope the recipient likes it.

So with two nice sized finishes, will my serial starter ways pop up and lead to a new start? Stay tuned--I am hearing the siren song of several charts in my stash, but right now, there are so many of them they are drowning each other out!

The Chatelaine Board is undergoing some restructuring to make it a little less overwhelming. I am trying to establish some regular stitch-a-longs to keep us inspired and to motivate new stitchers to join in the fun. Please check out the Olympics forum for more information but here is a brief glimpse of the SALs:

Weekend Edition SALs:

1st Weekend: Marvelous Mandalas--Mandala Gardens of any type--Mini's, current classes, unfinished classes, freebies, magazine designs and older Mandala designs.

2nd Weekend: Bigs and Smalls--Quilts, mini mandalas, band samplers, freebies, any of the three month classes whether current or old. This will also include the Tree of Hope.

3rd Weekend: Sumptuous Samplers--Just what it says, the Lights series, the Illuminated Manuscript, Heritage Sampler, band samplers or any of the sampler classes (including the small cotton samplers) and charts.

4th Weekend: Boxes, Baskets, Toys and Other Designs--Everything from the Designing Ladies Series (Unicorn Box, Stitching Leporello, etc) to JOB. You could also stitch ornaments or biscornus using Chatelaine freebies or tryouts from your older classes.

5th Weekend (when we have one): Everything goes! Pick a favorite, pick a SWIP, or start something new. Whatever makes you happy so long you stitch!

Olympic Edition Sals:

Olympic Games: Sixteen days of stitching fun which coincides with the Summer or Winter Olympic Games. Medals will be awarded.

Olympic Trials: Themed or goal-setting SALs which appear throughout the year and may last for a month or more.

This coming weekend is the Samplers SAL and the first Trials, (With a Chatelaine Christmas/Summer/Winter theme) will run from November 19th through December 31st. There are only a few stitchers in both SALs so if you have a Chatelaine project that fits the themes, please consider jumping in the SAL so we can cheer you on!

I may have another happy dance or two this month. November seems to be a good stitchy month for me thus far, even with all the distractions.

Confetti all around; Streamers dance through the air

I finished colored pencils on Sunday as we returned home from our trip to PA.

And with that, I finished my first 25 project challenge, just a bit more than a year after I started it). Yes first, because I think I will dive straight in to a 50 project challenge. Yes 50. Because I want a house of our own. I'm tired of renting. And this cozy little grey house is just too small. However, I am reserving the right to purchase a few charts to celebrate my accomplishment, just not right now. But the official start of the new challenge will have to wait for it's own post--no worries that I'll have a happy dance before I start a new challenge.

I'll have pictures, oh yes indeedy, but I need Chas to download them on his computer because my computer is older than Angie and must be handled delicately in its advanced age. I have multiple floss tosses for Perphaeria's Spanish Sampler, and now I've found another silk that might work, so I'll need to take even more photos.

I need to thank Nicki because she gifted me with two HAED/Sara Butcher charts: Frog Prince [also here] (LOOK at how tall this piece is!) and Winter (I just want to dive right in those blues)

Sara Butcher is ending her license agreement with HAED so in a very short time her charts will not be available. Such a pity because I would love to have many of her designs charted (like anything on this page).

Martina has designed a series of mini mandala mysteries and I'm itching to join. I love her small designs. I want to see how much detail she packs into such a small area. I wonder how it compares to the Leporello?

Question about needle minders: how exactly does it mind needles? I love the dragonflies on this page, but if it only serves as a resting spot for needles, I should probably just make my own needlebook.

I am almost done stitching Angie's fairy for her tooth fairy pillow---now to add the words and assemble. It won't be done this month, but I hope it will be early in April.

Do you know that I have not completed a single ornament in 2008? And I've only participated in one ornament SAL. I did so well last year, but this year, I have no love for ornies. Maybe I only comfortably stitch ornaments in odd years.

Ooh, one question regarding the layout of this blog: do you see a lot of the background (green leafy bits) on the sides, or only a little? I've pondered tweaking the layout by either adding a thitd column, or by widening the columns I have. I hate to have wasted space. I'm also contemplating moving my website to save some money and reconfigure it. Not that I have a lot of spare time for all this, but it's nice to dream.

The Midi Post

I should just let the photo speak for itself, but here are the basics:



Stitched on 32 count Raw Belfast linen.
Used Kathleen's diagrams for the partial jessica windows.
Herb names stitched with SNC Forest of Greens.
Hildegarde's eye is stitched with SNC Chesnut
Gown stitched with SNC Cerise Noir, Elephant and Castle and Gloriana Rosewood NPI's for the backstitching on the gown (full conversion may be found here).
The roses are stitched with SNC Cerise Noir (I modified the jessica stitch so that they weren't quite so open).
The sheaf stitches are done in SNC Forest of Greens.
The beads in Hildegarde's basket are 684.
The beads in the vines are 297 and 125.


These are all actual photos, rather than scans. They still don't do the colors justice. You'll just have to believe me that this is lovely in real life.

I am fond of this series and can't wait to stitch the others. I am a little sad that the fourth installment (Ancient Times) will be the last. Of course, at the rate I stitch, I should be good with stitching them through 2014.

Some favorite elements are shown below.

The large herbs (I wish I had thought to add a few more as Nicki has done):























One of the flower beds ( I thought they looked awful on the chart but they are spectacular stitched):

2007: Year of the WIP Review

Well back in January, I declared that I would be a WIP slayer and I set some goals for myself. So let us see how well I did (try not to chuckle too loudly).

Of the WIPS and UFOS I had specifically identified as finishing, I managed to finish only Midi 1, Snow Crystal, QS Ballet Pigs and Stretch. Not bad, but I had hoped for more progress. Of course, I did bring a tiny life into the world and he certainly kept me hopping this year, so four finishes isn't terrible.

Of my proposed new starts, I only actually started the Mystery HAED project and ornaments each month. For a serial starter that is just fantastic.

I managed to stitch at least one ornament for every ornament SAL and I stitched during eleven of the twelve HAED Challenge SALs.

As 2007 closes, I have finished 23 projects of my first 25 project challenge.

I had 29 happy dances this year and that is so much better than the measly three from 2006. I think I am up for more SALs and goal setting to keep me motivated. I completed 18 ornaments and 11 other projects. Of those 11, only the Love Quilt Square, Tea with Jane and the Halloween Tuffet were new starts, so eight finishes is attributable to WIP slaying.

Of things projects not finished, I put needle and thread to fabric in all the projects I had hoped to finish so at least progress was made.

I'm pleased with what I was able to accomplish. A few more big finishes would have been good, but, there is always next year!

Busy Stitchy Girl

A toast--today I finished projects 15-17 of my 25 project challenge!

You can see this month's ornament here.

For my small project, I stitched a bookmark from Tea with Jane by Sampler Girl and stitched two tea cups from a chart found at My Aunt's Attic (Jane and I needed something to put our tea in after all). This is my favorite way to finish a bookmark--I picked up this idea from someone at the TWBB years ago (check the Gallery--it was either Shondratasha or KTCatt) The challenge for me was to stitch the two different sides together without going off center. I used Antique Blue Permin linen with Six Strand Sweets in Blueberry Grunt, Daiquiri Ice and Espresso. And I even used one of my platinum needles (if they only came in petites I'd be happy). It came out beautifully and I will use it on my new Terry Pratchett book as soon as I can find some time to read.

I also finished my Love Quilt Square. It looks great, but I don't want to even think about how many different colors are in that bottom section. Actually, there is quite a lot of confetti in this piece. It comes from a Cross Stitch Pattern a Day Calendar and I'm not certain I'll stitch any more designs from there. The key had symbols that weren't on the chart and the chart had symbols that weren't on the key. It required way more guessing and thinking than I really wanted to do. However, the result is cute and there are several adorable charts in there, so I may foolishly attempt another calendar design. Just not in the near future.

I hope it brings the little boy a smile. A creative mind at work suggested the checkerboard border, which looks fantastic. It's a bright red (the boy's favorite color) with a charcoal grey.

I will resume my regularly scheduled WIP slaying tomorrow. I've done a great job finishing projects this year. Much better than last year. I'm still hoping to finish one of my Chatelaine's this year though. I'll be cutting it close I think.

Just a Little Update

I have managed to take photos of Tina's book so I present the cover, interior and spine.

I loved making the book. I almost had to pinch myself to believe I was actually finishing it all on my own. Once I jumped in and started the sewing, the directions became very clear to me. I was giddy with my success. Not bad for a first effort.

I am quite proud of the spine and how well it works as a book. I used a thin layer of batting to give the spine some body and it came together fairly easily. I will say that I cheated and used the sticky back mat board to attach the batting for each piece. Also, since I have small kids, I used Aleene's craft glue rather than a hot glue gun. Angie had fun helping me glue a second layer of batting.

I wish the ribbons would make a pretty bow, but they look nice, all the same. You can see closer scans of the interior designs here and here. I have a few of Judy Odell's books, I need a few more.

The masses found in Tina's brain are not more tumors, they are blood clots. I never thought I'd be relieved to hear that someone "just" had blood clots. She is feeling a bit better. My Mom gave me Tina's new address tonight so I'm hoping to mail it by Saturday.

I won't be able to enter the tuffet contest--I ran out of a Dinky Dyes silk and no one around here carries her silks. Oh well, I intend to finish it as soon as I get a new skein so I'll post pictures of it later. Since this was to be a quickie project and shouldn't have gone past August, I plan to acquire another skein somehow and finish it in September. I love my tuffet-to-be and hope you will too.

I managed to stitch two ornaments for this month's SAL. You can see them at the Ornament SAL blog. Let me just say again: that was a ridiculous amount of beads for an ornie. It is heavy.

It's been ages since I posted a scan of Frog Prince 3 so here it is. Look: she has face and hair! I'm hoping to finish it by the end of the year. I still have a long way to go though. I'm afraid to think about how much confetti that table has. I mean, she's eating peas for heaven's sake! Peas! The world's tiniest vegetable. Sigh. And this would be why I removed the Gustafson's from my wish list: I love the designs, but the confetti is both necessary and mind-boggling.

HAED is starting to post freebies and the very first one was the Pirate Dragon by Lisa Victoria. It's a mini portion of the QS so I was thinking of stitching it rather quickly for Kian. I know I don't need another start. But to my credit, I'll at least wait until I finish either my tuffet or a bookmark UFO. Any bets on whether I can go down to fewer than 30 WIPs, SWIPs and UFOs by the end of December. Yeah, I think it's unlikely as well.

I have faithfully stitched on my Love Quilt project a little bit each day. At my current rate, I should finish it by the end of September at the latest. I ran out of one thread (seems to be a theme this month) and the new DMC skein is clearly a different dyelot, so I'll need to tinker a bt to make it look acceptable.

I'm trying to develope a rotation for my return to work. I'm thinking of focusing on WG, JG, Midi 1, Santorini and the Japanese Angel at work with a full work week being devoted to each, except that the last two would share a week. Frog Prince would be the Wednesday SAL project as well as the Angie bath project and I would still do the HAED challenge and Ornie SALs. During the partial weeks, I could stitch something else.

We have been heavy into the start of Kindergarten this week so I've had little computer time. Angie is loving school thus far, but I think it is sinking in that, oh wow, this is an everyday kind of thing. The school has lots of variety throughout the week so she won't get bored: swimming one day, computers and music another, art, gym. She is still doing Gymboree as well so at night there is very little trouble getting her to fall asleep. For myself, I wonder if I should ask the teacher more questions about how Angie is doing or just assume all is well. I'm going to miss the excitement of picking her up from school when I return to work. She's bubbling over to tell us about the fun she's had. Today she met Mr. D and he taught them dancing. Very cool stuff for Angie.

Unfortunately, her allergies are flaring and I'm not certain we will be able to send her to school. She will be so disappointed.

Kian is as handsome as ever. He's outgrown most of his clothes already and is in the six to nine month range for clothes now. I'm getting great exercise just lifting and carrying him. He is very into studying hands (his and mine) at present.

I'm just trying to savor this last little bit of leave before I return to work. Chas told me today that he has enjoyed having me home these past few months. That was nice to hear. As stressful as it has been at times, spending time with my family has been a treasure and a blessing.

Bits and Pieces

The biggie:

We had our follow up cardiology visit today. This was the big one. The one that would give us a good look at his response to the valvuloplasty. I have been anxious for two weeks about it, but today I woke feeling strangely calm, like I was in a haze (of course that could have been the Zyrtec I took last night). Chas was tense and I heard him tell Angie that she really needed to behave today because Mommy and Daddy would not be as patient as usual.

The good news: Kian's pulse ox was at 100% and his blood pressure was great. No ECG today. No Ultrasound. The doctor could hear that there was no significant change between the previous visit and today which means that the stenosis is minimal compared to what it was prior to the procedure.

We still must watch him carefully but she doesn't need to see him until the end of November. Depending on how he sounds at that time, we may need to schedule a sedated ECG at the hospital. She said that he might still need another procedure in a year or two, but she thought there was even a possibility that he won't need further intervention.

We can hope right? Thank you everyone for your support, thoughts and prayers. They have helped us immensely.

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They found some masses in Tina's brain, but I have no idea what that indicates. My Dad didn't mention it when I spoke to him last night. For those who don't read my blog regularly, Tina is my oldest brother's fiance and she is battling lymphoma. Treatments have, thus far, been unsuccessful in stoping or controlling the cancer.

I finished Tina's book Wednesday night! Tina has been moved to an apartment near the hospital so I am waiting for someone to give me her new address. It's cute. I decided against ruching ribbon around the edges because it finished better than I imagined it would. Judy Odell writes wonderful instructions. The only part I'm not pleased with is the ribbon tie. For those of you who work with ribbon embellishment, am I correct in assuming that silk ribbon just rests better than the satin stuff JoAnn's sells? The colors match the fabric perfectly, but they don't make a nice bow.

I'll try to post a picture tomorrow.

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Pompeii is officially out of reach now. Both of our cars need repairs so I can't justify buying another chart at the moment. Surely I will finish JG before Pompeii is released in a year or so.

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I'm happily stitching Snowberries for the Christmas ornament SAL. I have another ornie lined up to start if I finish Snowberries. I just need to find the conversion from SJ beads to Mill Hill, though I suppose it won't matter if I just pick beads I like. The frustrating part is that I had written a conversion when I started 'berries two or three years ago. I'm certain I saw it recently, but I can't seem to find it now. Most likely, I'll find it once I've finished beading.

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Angie is struggling so much right now. "New and different" is very upsetting for her. I ache for her. She never threw tantrums as a baby, but this summer she has pulled out all the stops. I know she just wants and needs attention, but that doesn't make it easier. I really hope that she'll be okay with Kindergarten next week. Tonight we go to the school to meet the teacher and attend an ice cream social.

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I'm trying to finish a tuffet for the Just a Thought board. I wasn't going to do it, but I found a chart screaming to be stitched. The photo deadline is next Friday and I think I'll need every free minute to complete it. I was foolish to start something new, but I'm enjoying stitching it.

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Do I dare join the Seasonal SAL? I like seasonal designs. I have Autumn Faery by TW started. I have the Autumn bellpull by Chatelaine in my stash. (Can you guess in which season I was born?) Heck, even my HAED SAL Challenge project would probably count.

It's so tempting....

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I hope you all have a happy Friday.

Happy Dance: 10,800 Stitches

Here is my piggie! Stitching commenced on June 23, 2006 and finished on July 8, 2007. I have examined her closely several times and I haven't found any missing stitches during the last few passes.

I was right, she was the quickest to finish. It also helped that I stitched her during every Wednesday SAL in May. I am now officially in the double digits for my 25 project challenge. Yay me.

She drove me a bit crazy with all the confetti stitching for the piggie herself, but I am quite fond of her! She is stitched on 32 count Belfast linen and I will never use that fabric for a HAED design ever, ever again. I love the count but I hate the uneven thickness of the woven fiber. I need to find some lugana or jobelan for my HAEDs. I used a tent/continental stitch and I think she looks wonderful. However, I plan to use q-snaps on any over-one projects in which I use the tent stitch to reduce the amount of fabric distortion. I'm hoping I can adjust it properly when I finish her into a stuffed hanging for Angie.

I'm not certain what will take her place for the Wednesday HAED QS SALs. I may alternate between QS Frog Prince 3 and QS Buttercup Kitty Fae. I'm trying to be good and not start a new HAED until I've finished another HAED design. Unfortunately, none of my other HAED WIPs are close to completion. However, if I make a good attempt to stitch during the SALs, I might actually finish another QS by the end of the year.

Happy Dance: Misadventures of a Bead Snob

I finished the Cancer Awareness Blackwork Design tonight! What do you think of my compromise? The design is stitched on an oppy lugana using Grape Slushy, Heather's Sweets and Kiwi Lime Pie from Six Strand Sweets. I started to use Mill Hill beads to complete it because MH beads are fine (or so I thought) when they are not placed directly next to one another. However, I promptly pulled out the first bead (too thin--you know how uneven the widths of the MH beads are). I had toyed with some delicas earlier and decided to use them instead. I settled on #117, left over from my GTK kit thanks to the wonderful kitting at European Cross stitch, for the purple, and #274, from a Bead Collectors Pack also thanks to ECC. I used Piecemakers size 28 so that I could really enjoy beading (note to self need more Piecemakers). I'm very pleased with the result--it looks very nice in real life.

Now I just need to gather the supplies for finishing it. My plan is to make a little book with this design and the Labrador. I need to find some nice fabric with blue, purple and green for the cover. I may even go wild and try my hand at trimming the book with ruched ribbon.

The news regarding Tina's health is not good. According to my Mom, Tina was told that either she attempt some stem cell treatment, or she only has one year to live.

I guess it doesn't hurt to hope for a miracle.

More stitching stuff

Here is the completed Angel Labrador Puppy I mentioned a few posts ago. This design was a freebie from The Vermillion Stitchery a few years ago and had been a UFO for a while. The freebie was actually a chocolate labrador but included a conversion for a black lab. I thought the conversion looked more like a grey lab so I added some DMC 310 since Tina's lab (Pepsi) is actually black. I'm still not sure I like it, but it looks nice on the scan. Oddly, one of the grey shades looks purplish in fluorescent lighting. I also chose not to stitch the bit connecting the halo to the dog. I want this to be a guardian angel for Tina, not a dog in a costume. I hope she likes it.

This is the cancer awareness freebie I'm working on as well. I think I 'll need to frog at least some of it. I tried researching the proper color ribbon for lymphoma. Some websites have it listed as lime, but another one states that this color is not recognized by the American Cancer Society (who knew it could be such a big controversy). Purple/lavender is used for general cancer awareness instead. So I started it with the purple and it looks nice. It even matches the labrador's gown. However, when my Dad came up for Angie's birthday party, he had a big lime green lymphoma awareness ribbon magnet on his car. So I've decided to go back to the lime color. I just wanted to post a picture of the purple because it looks so nice. I'm using Six Strand Sweets for this design and I have a nice lime color. I even have one that is both purple and green that I considered using. I think I'll stick with a solid color. I thought about frogging just the outer stitches and leave the inner work in purple. I don't know if if would look odd. I suppose I could do that and if I don't like it, I can just frog the center too.

In other stitching news, I am almost done with Ballet Pigs QS. I have roughly 300 stitches remaining. I tried to count them, but the best I could do was get over 100 before I became lost. It's mostly odd confetti stitches and missed stitches now. I'll need to go over it with a magnifier to be certain I've completed all the stitches. Maybe, just maybe, I can finish her by the end of June/beginning of July.

Finally, I received my sample of hand-dyed fibers by Vicki Clayton. As luck would have it, my set included blues, purples and deep reds--among my favorite shades. They are only half yard lengths so I'm not sure how I'll use them just yet, but I am curious since so many stitchers rave about them. Maybe I'll attempt a biscornu. Judy Odell was tempting us to try making one on her bulletin board, so maybe I'll give it a try.

That's all my stitching news for now. Obviously, I'm a bit more focused on Kian this month.

Photo Time

We drove to a birthday party on Saturday so I managed to stitch on my mystery project for the HAED BB Challenge SAL. I can see myself finishing the first page sometime this year. I started a bit on the second page--couldn't help myself.

I really like the HAED designs. There is something soothing about stitching all these tiny little x's to make a colorful blob. Yes I am a bit crazy.

I forgot to scan the Angel Lab puppy. Silly me, I looked right at it and forgot that I hadn't posted it yet. Oh well, I post it another time.

Additionally, here are some photos of the sling in action. You can't see the satin stitched edge because Chas didn't understand the importance of including it in the photo. Trust me, it's there. Ignore the tired looking lady in the photos: that is me holding Kian.

Isn't he handsome?

Random Bits

Chas is holding Kian while he naps so that I can play for a few moments. Since I don't think I have time for a lengthy post, you are stuck with the following burst of random thought experienced over the last few weeks.

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Kian gave me his first real smile two days ago when I went to retrieve him from the changing pad. I think he actually gave me the first smile when he was two weeks and six days old (big smile when Chas handed him to me for a feeding), but I'm not sure. Oh heck. I'll count them both.

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Angie told me that she still likes to cuddle me. I'm so happy because she is getting to be such a big girl. She's always seemed so tiny, but I am certain that she had a growth spurt after I was released from the hospital.

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Does anyone else just love the Old Spice Commercial with Bruce Campbell singing "Hungry Like the Wolf" in his best lounge act style (you can find it on youtube--my computer shut down so I lost the link[sorry])? I adore it. It makes me smile every time I see it. It also intensifies my desire for the Adventures of Brisco County Junior on DVD (one of the first shows I adored that was cancelled prematurely).

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I have completed project number 7 in my 25 project challenge: A Black Lab Angel Puppy from Vermillion Stitchery. I started it three or four years ago for my brother's girlfriend and put it aside because I didn't like the colors used for the puppy. I still don't, but it still turned out rather well. I'm not much of an angel person (well I'm not much of an angel either come to think of it), but I thought that Tina definitely needed a guardian angel while she is starting this new round of cancer treatment.

I'm going to stitch a blackwork cancer awareness design and then finish them in a sort of fold open book for her. I plan to modify Judy O'Dell's Instructions for the Grape Threadkeeper Book. I'm hoping I can do this before Tina's Birthday in June. Yes I'm crazy with ambition again.

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I very often have no idea what day it is. I've been confused going backwards and fowards for weeks now. I suppose that is to be expected since I'm up around the clock and I'm on leave from work. I don't know how I'll adjust when I go back.

Looking at that last sentence I realize that adjusting to proper days is the least of my concerns upon returning to work. I'm really going to miss spending all day with Chas, Angie and Kian. I still have several weeks of leave so I'll just enjoy them while I can.

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Chas and I both took a quiz to determine which character from Coupling we were most like. He was Steve; I was Susan. How perfect is that?

I was quite relieved because I'm actually afraid that I more closely resemble Jane when left to my own devices (the absolute lunacy of her character anyway).

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We've done so much walking that I've almost reached my third shield at the Eowyn Challenge.

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I am really missing my Chatelaines, but I can't find a way to stitch them currently. They are so thought intensive and I can only grab a few minutes of stitching each day so I'm doing simple projects.

Mind you, that does not stop the Chatelaines from calling to me. Japanese Garden and Midi 1 beckon frequently and Polar Lights, the Stitching Leporello and the Japanese Box are begging me to start them. Even Water Garden, the Amethyst Mystery, Medieval Town Mandala, Taj and Convent's Herbal Garden pipe up every now and then.

I think the Chatelaines will be my at work projects. Unfortunately, that means Midi won't be done before the new Midi starts.

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I've been trying to grow plants from seeds with Angie this spring. The bad thing is that each time we put them outside, they die. The watermelon seedlings look as though some animal went through the pot and destroyed. First the Beans, now the melons and the pumpkins. Angie is going to be so disappointed. Does anyone have any suggestions on where I could find some established plants?

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I have put a few stitches in QS Ballet Pigs during every Wednesday SAL at the HAED board this month. I am hoping to finish her in time for me to sew it up for Angie's Birthday in June. Yeah. I don't know how I'm going to do that either.

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Chas and I are slowly coming to the realization that we may not be moving for at least a year. I just haven't had time to do much with the house search process. We may need to get a realtor at this rate because I can't see how the situation will improve when I return to work.

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Kian is awake and crying (he likes his mommy very, very much) so I need to go rescue Chas.

Some Stitchery Stuff

I have managed a little stitching here and there during the last few weeks. I usually stitch while letting Angie play in the bathtub once all the scrubbing is done. I also discovered that I could stitch the baby sling while holding Kian or while riding in the car. Today I finished the sling when Chas offered to hold Kian to give me a break (Kian's a bit uncomfortable today--Let's just say I've changed shirts twice and leave it at that [poor little guy]). So a happy dance for me this month and it isn't even an ornament! For those counting (and that would be me), this is number six of my 25 project challenge.

So first, here is another picture of my SAL Challenge piece after the May SAL. I added only about three or four hundred stitches this time. Maybe by August I will have finished the first page. The rate of progress with the full crosses is making me miss the tent stitching. Oh well, it's the journey right?

The next page is a bit more interesting so I'll probably stop posting pictures when I reach it. Unless I decide to go down instead of across for the next page. I need to pick up a few more threads for this page anyway to fill in some of those missing single stitches on the right side. I think it looks nice, even if it is just a bit of background.

Next is my happy dance!

Chas and I assembled this sling when we had Angie from instructions graciously provided at the Maya Wrap site. We used a soft canvas drop cloth purchased at a DIY store and rings purchased from a hardware store. What I did not do was finish the edge of the Sling. I had visions of a variety of special stitches covering five or six inches of the end in a variety of festive colors. Then I realized that the uneven warp and weft didn't really lend itself to that idea.

So this year, I pulled it out and planned to use Caron Watercolours in a pretty green or blue, but couldn't find my stash of WC in the post fire debacle. I settled on using my collection of Caron Wildflowers since I could actually put my hands on them. I still had visions of lovely blues or greens but planned to use just a simple button hole stitch. When I laid out my stash of WF, I asked Chas for his opinion. He picked the Sandstone WF (not any of my nice blue you will note). I thought it was boring and put it aside, convinced that I would pick one of the more vivid colors instead. After looking the options over several times, I decided that Chas was right and started using the Sandstone. Then I remembered that I hate the button hole stitch, frogged it and went with a simple Satin stitch. Today I finished the last few stitches and fringed the edge. In real life, it looks wonderful. I think Kian will really like being toted around in it. He prefers to be held rather than riding in his car seat so he might enjoy our walks a bit more now.

A Final March Happy Dance!

I finished Stretch by TW today just before noon. Hooray! That is one more for the challenge! The colors are beautiful and the knotted border glows. I'm thinking of making it into a small pillow for Kian, or not. I don't know yet. There is finishing stitching and finishing. I'm okay at the first, rubbish at the second.

Then I picked up Santorini, an over one project for my Dad. Stitching over one white on 32 count white fabric made me tired so I stopped after a bit. I'm hoping to have it finished before his birthday in July, but we'll just see. I've finished the first two pages and only have the smallest two pages left, but I don't know if I can do it.

This evening I worked on Midi 1. There is still a small amount of hope that I can actually finish this before the baby arrives. A very small amount. It is coming together nicely and even if it is the only Chatelaine I focus on after Kian arrives, I still may get it done by the end of the summer.

Kian's co-sleeper arrived and it looks much better than it did on the internet. Angie wanted to climb in so we let her lay in it for a minute or two (she is still under the weight limit). She looked a little too crowded so I think she'll allow Kian to sleep there instead. I think our home is as ready as it will be for Kian's arrival.

I'm getting a bit nervous. I have so much to do at work. I'm hoping I can get it all done in time. I discovered this week that although my boss has known about my pregnancy since October, and I gave him my due date and likely length of leave in January, and I've even discussed substitute per diems with both my boss and the department secretary, they have not actually arranged for anyone to cover my docket. I may return from leave only to find that nothing actually happened on any of my cases and the warm body sitting in my chair just continued everything. I will try not to panic. I will remain reasonably calm. I'm just frustrated because I have worked so hard during the last two months, attempting to wrap up some of the more complicated matters. Oh well, what will be, will be. And if I win the lottery.....Craft Store!

I've reached the 37 week mark today. I'd like to work at least another two weeks, but it is all up to Kian at this point. I go to the doctor on Tuesday so we'll see how things are progressing.

Busy, busy, busy...

First, here is the scan of Snow Crystal by Chatelaine Designs. I couldn't wait to take a proper picture of it. You'll need to tilt your head to the right at a 49 degree angle to see it as charted.

Very pretty isn't it? I'm so in love with this design. It is supposed to be a giftie, however, I am fighting the almost overwhelming desire to keep it for myself. I keep comforting myself with the notion that I've had lots of personalization ideas while stitching it and that I'll keep a later stitched version.

We'll see whether good Holley or bad Holley wins out in the end.

The details:

It is stitched on 28 count jazlyn Meditation by Picture this Plus. I think this is the best fabric for this design as charted. I used Hi Luster PTB in Silver (PH02) instead of regular silver because it is my favorite silver PTB--it has wonderful shine in real life. I also used Thread Gatherer Silk'n Colours # 081 in Forget Me Not for the Rhodes stitches. And I confess. I tried to use Mill Hill beads, really I did. I have oodles of them and I decided to use a lavender MH rather than the recommended mauve. I did one section of Mill Hills and hated the color and the way they laid next to each other. Then I tried Delica beads in #249 and fell in love, then promptly frogged the stitched Mill Hills. They look fantastic. I received the Delicas in one of my Bead Collector shipments from ECC so that has made that little club completely worthwhile to me. A note about the beading: I know that the PTP site lists DMC 211 as a close match to Meditation. I must say a hearty "no way" to that. DMC 211 is far to pinkish to match. I used DMC 3747 to attach the beads instead.

In other stitching news, I completed stitching two more ornaments during this month's Christmas Ornament SAL and you can see them here. I'm still a bit astounded that I, little old me, completed the star. I'm still not sure how I managed that blackwork and I am even more impressed with the people who stitch the Leon Conrad Designs. I started a third ornament but put it aside in order to pull out one of my UFO's.

I started TW's Stretch when it was released (err, yes it was six and a half years ago--my head is bowed). I'm still very fond of it and I am ashamed that it is still on my list to complete because I have a ridiculously small amount of work to do on it: add a claw and finish the backstitching. That's it. I found it while searching for some Caron Watercolours (which I didn't find) from the stash I have in the garage. I'm missing a few of the DMC needed to finish it but I'm sure if I look around what I have here at home, I'll be able to find them too. I'd hate to buy new DMC for this tiny bit of stitching.

I've also done a bit more on Midi 1, WG and tonight I may stitch a teensy bit on JG. I think I am back in love with WG at the moment--WG and I have a fickle relationship since I finished the blue silken pool in the center. However, since it is for my SIL and BIL (husband's sister), and they have been so good to us, and I have been working on it since the Fall of 2004, I would really, really, like to finish it this year. Maybe I can actually complete a few goals this month.

Why am I so motivated? I really want to be able to order Tuscany Mandala Garden when it is released.

In other non stitching news, we looked at some houses this weekend, exteriors only. Out of seven, we found two that we liked. I suppose we are too fussy. No we do not want to live a block away from the humongous chemical plant. We're funny that way. A nice one is a bit over priced at the moment, but the location is great and it has wood floors. We'll see how things go. We have much to do in the house hunting arena. I'm hoping we'll manage to move this year. Our current home is cozy and okay for the three of us. Once Kian needs to be in something other than the co-sleeper next to our bed, we will have out grown this place.

Angie is feeling better after having battled a gastro-intestinal virus last week. Her pediatrician said that it was running rampant through the area and that kids were definitely hit harder, but the adults would feel it too. Yup. Last week was a bit uncomfortable in the household. Angie has clearly lost some weight. Tonight, she devoured her dinner though. Thank Goodness.

I saw the Doctor today and everything still seems fine. The co-sleeper we ordered should be here either tomorrow or Wednesday (that has been a month long adventure as I have tried to order it from three or four different places only to discover they didn't actually have it). However, contrary to what my co-workers say, the Doctor says that my body isn't ready yet to have the baby.

My co-workers also tell me lovely things like how big my bottom is getting. I didn't really need to hear that. I wouldn't mind so much, except that the person who is saying to me seems to be trying to be mean, rather than just teasing (other people tell me that you can't tell I'm pregnant unless you actually see my giant belly). Then again, maybe there is really no good way to hear that your backside is spreading.

Kian has started exhibiting his personality. He does not like it when anything rests against my belly (unless it is Angie). He immediately kicks or push the weight away. I'm not sure what this means, except that maybe he isn't a snuggler. Also, he kicks me when I am hungry as if to say, "Hey lady, stop what you are doing and feed me!" He must be very concerned that we'll forget to feed him once he is out.

So that is life right now. Busy, busy, busy. I'm going to hop off the computer now so that Angie can play for a bit before bathtime.

Good night.

Yes a Happy Dance

In the wake of yesterday's yuckiness, I forgot to mention that I did complete Snow Crystal Tuesday night. It's gorgeous. I will try to take a picture this weekend if the light is good. Snow Crystal is too big for my scanner (time for a larger scanner) and when I get home in the evening, the twilight casts those terrible orange shadows on my photos. I'm just excited that I at last have a decently sized happy dance. Now I just need to do the finishing--I have some special plans in mind for it.

But still, a hearty huzzah for finishing the first project in my 25 project challenge. It isn't one of my larger mandalas, but at least it isn't an ornament!

I worked a little on Tree of Hope last night (because I needed it) and then switched to Midi 1. I don't think I will be able to finish Midi 1 by next Saturday, but I will be close to finishing it. A few cross stitches are left and then I can completely focus on the special stitches and beading. Yay! I loved beading Snow Crystal and if I get far enough on Midi 1, I just may start beading early to cheer myself up a bit.

I have to frog part of Stealing Oats, but just a small part and mostly because I'm fussy, not actually because it would ruin the design. I'll try to post a photo of that too (because I'm so excited about how it is coming together). I'm very fond of these designs because they are so simple, yet look so nice.

I am trying so hard to restrain myself from starting some new (larger) design, which I would normally do as a way of coping with the yuckiness of yesterday (or I would buy more stash). However, I don't want to fail the challenge this early, so I am trying to focus on the great feeling of another happy dance. With the Ornament SAL this weekend I can at least start something new that is small. If I can hold out for another big happy dance, maybe I'll let myself start something new.