I finally finished the first corner of part four! As I've said before, it's not that's it's hard or I don't like it. Sometimes I get sick of all the specialty stitches. Sometimes I get sick of the silks, too. They all seem to tangle more often. I can't finish it for a while yet anyway, cause I don't have the beads. I'll get them when the chart pack comes out and European Cross Stitch has them again. So I'm taking my time on this one.
I started Pirate yesterday after all the errands were done. We had alot to do yesterday, so I didn't get to sit down and stitch until six. I did get about 300 stitches in, though. Lots of pretty reds to come, though. I'm going to my mom's later if she didn't have a bad night at work, but other than that I'll be home all day. That'll give me plenty of time to work on it.
This was my piece I stitched for the Dragon Dreams Exchange. It's Joy from the Dragon Virtues afghan. I used the recommended Hearthside fabric, and I never will again. I didn't like stitching on it at all. My mom finished it into a beautiful pillow for me, but I forgot to take a picture before I mailed it. I'm not a good sewer, and it doesn't help that Darin broke my sewing machine. My mom, however, is wonderful.
Here's a picture of one of the models I stitched in the spring. The second one isn't ready yet, but should be soon. Again forgot to take a picture of the whole thing before I put it in the mail, so I borrowed the picture from Kat Rocha. It's called Balloonist's Prayer. It was alot of fun to do.
There's a new (to me)SBQ to answer. When you start a new work do you look for something small, do you look for another huge project or do you consider your UFOs? When I start a new project, I just start whatever's calling loudest. There's not that much planning that goes into it.
We had a busy day yesterday. Jymi texted me at six in the morning to tell me they had the exact dates for their leave. So I got up and checked hotel prices. I decided to go for a cheaper hotel, since we weren't gonna be there that much. The cheapest nice hotel was still $100 a night, which we just can't afford. Jymi had gotten paid early, so I sat down to pay the bills next. That's when I found out the power company had lost my last payment. They told me I had to get a statement from the bank showing the money had come out of my account. I had decided to take the boys to the first showing of Ratatouille, since we had the money, and the bank was right down the street. At 8:30, we left to go to the bank. After talking to a couple different people, one guy typed up my letter and printed a statement of my account showing where the money came out.
By then there was an hour and half left until the movie started, and I wanted to get there early, since I wasn't sure how crowded it would be. Not to mention trying to hold two hands, two booster seats, and their food. So I planned to get there about 10:30 (the movie started at eleven). I wasn't sure how long we would have to be at the power company but it's a twenty minute drive just to get there. So we went to Target to wait. Darin needed new shoes anyway. We looked around, and got Darin's shoes. Then we went to the movie. My sister had already given us passes, so we didn't have to pay for tickets, just concessions. There were quite a few other families, with kids about the boys' ages. The later shows would be packed, I'm sure. The boys loved the movie and the short at the beginning. I think it was the best Pixar movie in a long time. Since Monsters Inc., I'd say. They've all been cute, but this one was wonderful! It was just on a different level than the others. Tobi has wanted to see this one since we first saw the preview at Cars, over a year ago. I think it was well worth the wait.
After the movie it was back to the real world, where they were threatening to disconnect my power because they'd lost $200 of my money. By then Darin was getting tired, and it was getting to be his nap time. I wanted to go ahead and get the thing sorted though, so we went to the power company. We stood in line, and then were told somewhere else to go. We went there, and waited twenty minutes to be told this was the wrong place to deal with this, too. They had to send all my paperwork upstairs, to someone else, but she was off today. She will call me on Monday, supposedly. Bureaucracy in action. Here's hoping we get all this sorted quickly.
In the evening, Jymi called. We decided that instead of us driving out to see him, it would be easier (and he would rather) fly home. Flying out was not an option for me, because we wouldn't have a car. You have to be eighteen to rent a car, but you have to be 25 to drive it. So I canceled the hotel reservation, and for about the same price, I can get Jymi a round trip plane ticket. He'll be here for Drain's birthday, so we're gonna have a party at Olive Garden probably, with both our families. We also solved ou Transformers issue. Since Tobi and Jymi are both dying to see it, we're gonna wait until Jymi's here, and he'll take Tobi to see it. So now I've just gotta make it through one more month, and I get a few days with my hubby!

Labels: Gift Stitching, Jymi, Kids, Models, Movies, New Starts, Persian Iris Garden, Pirate, Real Life Sucks, SBQ

You still can't see the stitching very well. I've put in over 1700 stitches, and you can't tell. I've put it away for now though.
I'm moving on to Persian Iris Garden. I started stitching on it again yesterday, but there's not enough to bother with a pic. I hope to have one in a few days though.
I didn't get much stitching done over the weekend. I spent most of it cleaning and texting Jymi. When I wasn't doing that, I was kitting up more new projects.
We're gonna have to go down to Mississippi in August. They're only getting a four day pass when their training's complete, so there's not really time for him to come home. Ten hours in a car with two small children. Yay. Maybe it'd be worthwhile to get a portable DVD player or something.
Not much else going on here. The boys are being good. I'm taking them to see Ratatouille. Tobi wants to see Transformers, too, but I don't. I'm talking to my sister about him going with her when she takes her kids. Her daughter keeps going back and forth on whether or not she's going. So if she doesn't want to go, I'll take her and Darin to see something else.
I've been talking to Jymi, but he's not allowed to tell me what they're doing. Not that I really care about any of it anyway. I'd be interested in the language and culture, but that's about it. He does tell me often that he misses us and wants to come home. I can't wait for August!

Okay, you can't see much of the stitching in the picture. I've put in over 800 stitches and about 600 of those are 3865 on white fabric. It doesn't show up well on the scanner. I'll have to find batteries for the camera and see if that works and better. I started Dragon Soul. Since so much of it is 3865, it goes pretty fast. I'm really enjoying it.
Yesterday was Jymi's birthday. I couldn't talk to him, but I left him a voicemail. His parents took the boys for the afternoon. They went to Paw Paw's house. As long as long as I have lived in the south, I have never gotten used to that phrase. I had a nice afternoon without the boys though. I finally picked up our family pictures we had made before Jymi left. I also went to the bookstore just to look. It was so nice to walk around and just look for an hour. I didn't have any money to spend, but I love to just walk around the bookstore. I also found out how much more relaxing yoga can be when there aren't any small children crawling through you legs while trying to do triangle pose.
I would also like to brag on our new baby, Hannah. When we got her from animal control, her records said she wasn't even a full pound. She is now four or five pounds! She still needs to gain a couple more pounds, but she is much healthier. When we got her, she was fur and bones. They had cut the fur around her head because it was very tangled. It's finally growing back in. I didn't think she could get any prettier. She's also more playful. She loves watching the fish and sneaking up on Tinkerbell. She's been sleeping with me, too, since Jymi left. She's such a sweetie.
I got my new charts in the mail, too. Cascade doesn't to bad. Huge, but not to much confetti. I can't wait to start! I guess I'll go get my fabric next weekend. I can wait. If I sit on my hands. Maybe.

Labels: Dragon Soul, Family, Jymi, Kids, New Starts, Pets, Stash

This is the beginning of Ruby QS. It seems a little odd working on a quick stitch. I can already see the pattern in the wallpaper and the gold work. This one is four full pages and five partials. I'm putting it away now, and starting Dragon Soul later today.
There was another sale at Heaven And Earth Designs last weekend. This time I bought Beckon, Cascade, Goddess Of Tides, and Lotus Wood. I've decided I have to have all of Jonathon Earl Bowser's Mythic Naturalism series. I also think I should go ahead and start them all, too. I will start Cascade as soon as I get the fabric. It's 400x948, so if I'm gonna get halfway done before I die, I figure I'd better start now. So I'll buy a yard of fabric first of the month. I told Jymi what I wanted to do, and how big Cascade is. He said as long as it made me happy and we had enough money, he didn't care. He did tell me he thought I was insane for starting something that big, but he knew I was insane when we got married.
Before I started Ruby, I did finish the ground on Snow Fence. I'll start Sweetheart Fence when I need a break from the over one.
Here's last week's SBQ. How do you store your WIPs and other projects that you have kitted up? All my projects live in Ziploc bags, in my cross stitch cart. Although my wip drawers are getting too full with all my new starts. I'm gonna have to do something else with them soon.
Tomorrow is Jymi's birthday. We put a package in the mail for him Monday, with his birthday presents in it. It should get there today, but they're going out in the field again, so he won't get it until they come back. He's not allowed to take his phone either, so I can't even tell him happy birthday.
I'm starting to get anxious about Tobi starting school. I'm not sure why. I think part of it is my dad. He keeps calling and asking what Tobi's gonna need. Kathy knows already, but her kids are going to a different school. Tobi's school doesn't send out all that stuff until mid-July. Plus, since this is his first year, and we have enough money, I kinda want to take Tobi to the store and get everything myself. I guess it's silly, but this is the first time I get to do it. Just another piece of my insanity, I guess.

Labels: HAED, Jymi, Kids, Ruby QS, SBQ, Snow Fence, Stash

We spent the majority of this week in Savannah with my mom. She and my stepdad have a condo there. He was there the first two days, but had to go back to work. We had a blast.
The boys loved the pool. Rick wanted to do other things, but the boys were perfectly happy with only coming in from the pool to eat, sleep, and maybe watch a movie.
Tobi has gotten so tall that he could stand in the shallow end by himself. Jymi couldn't believe it when I told him. I have to say, the spray on sunscreen my mom had worked very well. After four days in the pool, Tobi is still paler than paper. Darin and I didn't get much sun either. I wouldn't mind a little tan, but I was told alot of sun wasn't good for my tattoos. Rick goes to the tanning bed at least once a week, and his tattoo is so fuzzy, I still haven't figured out what it's supposed to be. So I wore alot more sunscreen than I used to.
It rained one morning, so we went to the mall. The boys didn't want a toy, but they were very excited when Grandma offered to get them a book. They looked at the books all through lunch and the drive back. By the time we got back to the condo, it had stopped raining, and we had to go to the pool.
I started Snow Fence while we were down there. The whole four days, I only got in about 250 stitches. Most of what's in the picture, I did today. I plan to finish the ground before I go to bed.
I got my fabrics and the chart for Garden Fence today. I'll start Ruby as soon as I finish the ground on Snow Fence. I may alternate between over one and over two projects.
I went to court this morning. My mom was watching the boys, so we went out to breakfast first. Then she took the boys to the park, while I went to court. I was a little bit terrified. After an hour, an officer called my name, and I had to go to a different judge. I'm glad, too, because he was much nicer than the other judge. When it was my turn, I explained the situation. He saw that I had gotten the tags fixed quickly, and he said it was dismissed. I didn't have to pay anything. I was grateful and happy on the way to pick up the boys.
Tobi's gone to bed now, so I can get back to stitching. Have a nice weekend!

Labels: Family, Jymi, Kids, New Starts, Snow Fence, Stash

Here is Merlin And Arthur where I left off on Friday. I didn't stitch at all this weekend, but I plan to start Snow Fence today. I will have to wait for fabric Garden Fence. I'll be doing Snow Fence on 28 ct. Crystal Dwarf Cashel linen, one of the new colors released in February. I'm also gonna start Sweetheart Fence soon, on Crystal Whimsey. Both are Picture this Plus fabrics, as are most of my hand dyeds.
Here's the SBQ from last week. What has been your most challenging project and why? A number of pain in the ass projects spring to mind, but none of them were really hard. I guess Darin's stocking, The Music Room by Better Homes And Gardens/Cross Stitch And Country Crafts would be my most challenging. At that point I had done my nativity scene (where the only thing difficult was working with metallic threads) and The Lovers (which was big, but it was all cross stitch/quarter stitches and backstitch). So Darin's stocking was my third project. It used almost every type of Kreinik thread. It had a ton of lazy daises, straight stitches, French knots, blended threads, and couching, none of which I'd ever done before. Plus I had to attach jingle bells and a tassel to the top.
I go to court Friday. I'm getting more nervous about it everyday. At least it's on payday, so if I do have to pay a fine, I'll have the money. The police officer said the fine was $150, so that's not too bad. Wish me luck!

Labels: Merlin And Arthur, New Starts, Real Life Sucks, SBQ

Here's my progress on Merlin And Arthur. It doesn't look like much but I haven't worked on it much, either. I've only worked on it three days since my last picture. I think after today, though, I'm gonna move on to something else. I'm not sure what, yet, though. Probably Persian Iris Garden.
I ordered fabric for Pirate, Dragon Soul, and Ruby. It won't come in until after next payday, so I'm still being good on that front. I've got all three kitted up, ready to go.
I've also got Garden Fence waiting for me, and the buttons should be on order. They're also holding a piece of Monster Green and Twisted Peppermint Pink by R&R Fabrics for me. I've already got a piece of Monster Green, but they were marked down to five bucks each. I also bought DMC Light Effect Fluorescent and Tropical colors. I don't know what yet, but I'm gonna do something really obnoxious and bright with those colors and fabrics.
I also want to start Transcendeffervesence and Tending The Dragon Sleep, but I'm trying to resist. We'll see how long that lasts. Maybe a week? I was looking through the Transcendeffervesence chart yesterday, when Darin ran by with a shoestring. Which brought Hannah running out of the kitchen, jumping into my lap, and onto my chart. Her claws poked a few holes in a couple pages, but nothing major. It's still readable. That was after, while doing yoga, Hannah tried to climb up my leg. I guess she thought it was tree pose. I've got some very nice scratches on my side and legs now. She and Tinkerbell are still mad because I treated them for fleas, I guess.
The boys are doing better. Jymi got to call early yesterday, because he had a root canal. So they got to talk to him. Mostly he only gets to call after ten. We're going with my mom to her condo in Savannah one week. The boys are very excited about going with Grandma to the swimming pool. There's also a day where children of deployed guard members get in the zoo free. They're very excited about that, too.
I have good days and bad days. If it's not better in a couple weeks, I may go to the doctor to see about antidepressants. It's a step I don't want to take, but the bad days are pretty bad. The only reason I can drag myself out of bed at all is because the boys need me. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, though.

Labels: Jymi, Kids, Merlin And Arthur, New Starts, Pets, Real Life Sucks, Stash

My May goals were finish the model, SAL, and work on Tobi's stocking. I finished the model, and another one. I participated in three SALs. I did work a little on Tobi's stocking. I also started Merlin And Arthur and Invariance.
My June goals are pretty simple. Stitch on something, enjoy, relax, repeat.
I've totally blown up on the project challenge. I bought another four HAEDs (Pirate, Dragon Soul, Impossible Love, and Transcendeffervescence) at the Memorial Day sale, and a discontinued one I found at Gryphon's Moon. Then I saw a thread on the board about Meredith Dillman's Gemstone ACEOs. All the ones she's finished are beautiful, and Tobi's birthstone (November, Topaz) is my absolute favorite. Only Ruby has been charted so far, but I had to have it. So I'm a bad girl, and a stashinite, but Jymi got paid today. Before I bought Frosted Fantasia and Ruby, I paid all the bills that were late, and all the current ones that were due before next payday. There is still plenty of money left, too, for groceries and for Jymi to get anything he may need (definitely new shoes). So I don't feel bad treating myself. As I've said before, I fighting the addiction to stash acquisition and cancer sticks, and stash is much less harmful to my (and everyone else's) health.
I've been working on Invariance. You can almost see where the darker shade of navy is forming the tree limbs. I'm almost to the one percent point, but I'm ready to move on to Merlin. I may go ahead and buy fabric next payday and start Dragon Soul, Pirate, and Ruby. It would make for a nice variety of colors. Dragon Soul is one of the largest HAEDs I own (fourteen by twenty), but the key looks odd. It's such a big piece, and it's only got ten colors. While Ruby will be a little over six inches by almost nine, and has three pages of color keys.
To add to my stashitis, Raise The Roof has released and new fence. I have a piece of Willow, and a piece of Highland, both of which would look fine, but this may be my opportunity to finally buy a piece of Kermit! I'll wait until next payday for that, too, though. As for the challenge, I'll try again when I'm somewhere close to a finish. At the moment, it may be Christmas before I finish anything.
We got cards for Jymi when we got groceries, and today we finally had money to get stamps. So I sent him some so he could write us back, and some envelopes in an anniversary card. June 9, will be the seven year anniversary of when we started dating. I also got a sheet of the new Star Wars stamps for Tobi. I'm not sure what to do with special stamps, but I'm thinking of getting them framed or something. Right now, I've got them hidden. The boys think they're just stickers. Tobi's been asking for them since he saw the poster at the post office. They even had a standee of C-3PO and R2-D2 that lit before they came out. It was gone when we went today, and the boys were a little upset.
I guess that enough babbling for today. With Jymi gone, my life's gotten more boring. I stitch and watch TV. I hang out on the computer. The boys and I play Candy Land and Hide And Seek. We read Green Eggs And Ham. We go outside and play with the dogs, but since we're all a whiter shade of pale, we can't stay out for more than fifteen minutes at a time before we start turning pink. That's pretty much it. Not terribly exciting, but it's comfortable for us at the moment. Another week or two, and we'll all go stir crazy. Then we'll do something everyday.

Labels: Goals, Invariance, Kids, Merlin And Arthur, New Starts, Project Challenge, Stash