My November goal was to finish all the cross stitch on Tobi's stocking. Didn't happen, but it is getting there. I've got a small model, so Tobi's stocking is on hold. At this point though, I don't think I could get it finished and put together by this Christmas anyway. I will have it done by the next Christmas, though. I really mean it this time.
My December goals are to finish the model and work on Tobi's stocking.
The model shouldn't take too long. I haven't worked on it near as much as I should, but it goes fast when I pick it up. I've been taking it with me to stitch on in the car while I wait for Tobi to get out of school. Although, I have to admit, one day this past week, I was so tired, I took a nap in the front seat instead.
I decided to take the boys to my dad's house in Virginia for Thanksgiving. We drove up Wednesday. Eight hours in a car with a four-year-old and a six-year-old. I was ready to scream by the time we got there. I had given in to listening to Halloween songs. Anything to get them to quiet down.
Thursday, we got back in the car and drove two hours to my aunt's house in Maryland for Thanksgiving dinner. Her grandson was there, too, and he and my boys had a blast. Tobi couldn't remember his name to save his life, but he's still asking when we're going to go see his, "friends in the yellow shirt," again. We drove back that evening.
Friday, I was so tired, the boys stayed at my dad's all day watching movies. My dad had to work. In the evening though, we drove through our old neighborhood, to see if there were any lights up yet. The boys loved the few lights we saw.
Saturday, I took the to The Children's Museum in Portsmouth. They had a blast! They have a whole pretend city. All the exhibits are so cool and so much fun, that even the adults forget they're educational! We spent a couple hours looking at everything, pushing every button, and looking at everything! That evening, after my dad got off work, we went down to see the light show on the boardwalk. The boys oohed and ahhed over all the lights.
Sunday, we went to the Navy Exchange, and I bought some Christmas presents for Jymi and the boys. They had some Thomas The Tank Engine Lego sets, where I haven't found them anywhere around here. So I bought one of each set they had for Darin. After that, we went back to my dad's for lunch. Then we started back home. Another eight hours in the car. At least this time, the boy slept about halfway. It was only after I stopped at a gas station to make sure everyone had their own blankies, stuffed animals, and pillows. I also had to make sure their pillows didn't touch. My children are obnoxious.
I picked up most of my framing today. One had somehow gotten the wrong frame. My print of Dragon Soul is gorgeous! It came out beautifully! I will post pictures tomorrow. It's almost bedtime here, and I'm ready for it. Have a nice weekend!

Labels: Family, Framing, Goals, Holidays, Kids

I'm typing this on my new laptop! It was an early Christmas present! Jymi's jealous because my dad had told him about it, and mine's nicer than his. I'd tell you all the technical stuff, but I don't understand any of it, and it bores the hell out of me! All that really matters is that it works, and I can play my Sims games on it!
My dad also brought me a router and anew camera, since Jymi took the old one. He took u shopping, and spent an obscene about of money on back to school clothes. He did the same thing for my sister. He also gave us each money for new tires, since we both needed them. He also bought us a new PS2 since our last one died, and we had to sell the PS3. So I was out of excuses to not buy Tobi Harry Potter And The Order Of The Pheonix. We had a great time, and my dad loved spoiling all the kids.
Jymi's leaving the country today. The phones and internet are down where they're going, so it'll be at least two month before I hear from him at all. That's gonna make it even harder.
The boys are acting out because they miss him, and Darin's going to get worse when Tobi starts school. Tobi starts one week from today! It's a little scary for me, but Tobi's very excited, now that it's finally August. We're having a sleep over tonight, since it'll probably be the last chance this summer. They should be here soon, so it's time to set up the slip and slide and order pizza!

Labels: Family, Fun Stuff, Jymi, Kids

After two weeks of not stitching at all, I finally picked up Cascade again! The picture's not very good. There's at least fifteen shades of brown in there, not that you can see them. In real life, you can almost tell that the black blobs are the top of the tree. I'd try the camera, but Jymi took it with him. My dad got me a new one for Christmas. He's coming down in a couple days, and bringing it then.
I'm moving on to Angel Of Capricorn, next, but I won't get much done for the first couple days. I plan to start it today, but my dad's coming tomorrow. He's taking both me and my sister shopping for clothes for the kids. We're going to the outlet mall an hour away, so it's going to be an all day thing. He's going home Wednesday, but my niece and nephew are going to have a sleep over that night. I was supposed to babysit all night a couple weeks ago, but I couldn't sleep at all, so it didn't happen. I offered to have a sleep over to make up for it. We're gonna order pizza and watch movies. Darin got a slip and slide for his birthday (see picture), and they'll play on that. I also found Pixar Monopoly at Target, and had to buy it! My kids are too little to play, though, so I'm looking forward to Chris and Alex coming over to play.
Darin's ear infection is better now. He finished his medicine yesterday. He's gotta go back to the doctor again in a couple weeks, for his regular check up and shots. Fun.

Labels: Cascade, Family, Kids, Real Life

It was a wonderful four days. We spent Sunday with his family. It was outside, and very hot, but still fun. Jymi said he didn't want to spend everyday with his parents, but I didn't really think he meant it. On Monday, though, they called, asking us to dinner. We had just sat down though, so we didn't go.
They kept hinting at doing something Tuesday, but he kept telling them we were going to the movies. We saw The Simpsons (very funny, if nonsensical, like the show) and Harry Potter (after seeing it the second time, I've decided it was pretty disappointing; there's nothing to except the battle at the end). Then we bought Darin's birthday presents, and brought them home. When we got home, Jymi's parents called his cell. He knew they wanted us to go to dinner again, and didn't answer. They called the house phone, my cell, and Jymi's cell again before giving up. Jymi waited until we went to Dairy Queen before the last movie, at eight, before calling them back. He wanted to talk to them about Darin's birthday, but not in person. After DQ, we saw The Bourne Ultimatum. It probably would've made more sense if I could remember anything from the first two.
After that we came home, and wrapped presents while we watched Shaun Of The Dead (the best zombie movie EVER!). We had watched Hot Fuzz (also very good) a few days earlier, and it put me in the mood to watch Shaun. You almost have to watch them together; they sorta play off each other.
Yesterday was Darin's birthday. My "baby" turned four! We had pizza and cake at my mom's. Darin had a blast, and got a ton of presents. Then we had pizza for dinner at Jymi's aunt's. He had fun and got even more presents. I think I will spend the rest of my life picking up puzzle pieces and Hot Wheels. He also got some cash, which was his favorite present. He didn't want anyone else to touch his "dollars".
I took him to Target to spend it after we said good bye to Jymi this morning. Afterward we went to my mom's for awhile. I didn't want to go home. I'm still not sure I want to be here. I did decided to treat myself to Selina Fenech's QS Dragonfly. When I downloaded it, though, it was the wrong QS Dragonfly. That'll be fixed soon though. I decided to start it for the new start SAL on the HAED board later this month. Like I need a new project!

Labels: Family, HAED, Jymi, Kids, Movies, Stash

I've started Oriental Courage, but with just black thread, I got bored kinda fast. So I also started Kitty Love by Dinky Dyes Designs. I'm really enjoying this one, but I need one more color. I need another skein of another color for a different project, so I'll order those soon. I hate to just order two skeins of thread, and there aren't any shops nearby that carry Dinky Dyes.
Speaking of Dinky Dyes, look what I got as part of my model payment! All the new Dinky Dyes silks! I especially love Black Opal and Parrot Fish! Bright colors! I also got all the new Cross Eyed Kat designs, and a quarter yard of Picture This Plus Legacy linen. I'm think With Cat For Comforter would look great on the Legacy, and my grandmother would love it. Not to mention the fact that I can't wait to start it!
Of course, I would've been much happier about this package if it weren't for what happened just before the mail came. A debt collection agency called asking for James, saying he owed $1800 on an insurance policy he canceled! After freaking out and crying on the phone, the person I talked to said she'd email the records. I had no idea about any of this! When I looked at the email, the "James" on the paperwork had a different last name. I called the person I had talked to, and told her this. She asked if we lived at the address she had listed, and it wasn't us. So that was a small heart attack over a wrong number.
I get a day off from the boys today. I'm getting new shoes, which I've needed since April. Jymi wants me to send him a PSP, and getting that, packing it, and going to the post office will be so much easier without the boys! Afterwards, my mom is making homemade chicken noodle soup! I mean homemade, too. She makes the noodles herself! I know how, but Jymi and Tobi won't eat it. It's too much work for just me and Darin. The last time I made them, Darin was only two months old, and Tobi was two years old. When I turned away, Tobi tried to feed his noodles to Darin! Which would've been fine, if Darin had been ready to eat solid foods! So when my mom makes it for us, it is really special!
I have also paid all the bills, on time, for the first time on over a year! I'm alot more excited about that than is probably normal, but it is a big deal to me. Not to mention the power company found the $200 payment they lost.
I also bought more HAEDs. They're discontinuing some of their artists, and they were on sale. So I bought Life Force and Love And Magic. I couldn't just buy two charts, though. I'm a little embarrassed to admit how many I bought, but please keep in mind, I was VERY happy about paying off all the bills. Plus new stash and new starts are helping to keep me off antidepressants for a while. That being said, I also bought Matrix, River Genesis, Riddle Fisher, Hansel And Gretel, Wizard Of Oz, Earth Song, Magic Place, and Warmth Of Home. I think I have a problem.

Labels: Courage, Family, HAED, Kids, Kitty Love, New Starts, Real Life Sucks, Stash

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

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

Jymi's gone for real now. He got to come home and spend Wednesday night with us. We took him to Columbia yesterday. He had to be there at six in the morning, which means we had to get up at 3:30. We got the boys dressed before they went to bed, so all we had to do was put their shoes on. That way they got to sleep a little later (until four). We dropped him off at the armory, and the boys and I had breakfast at Waffle House while they packed the buses. we went back to the armory, and had some time with Jymi. All his friends were amazed by how much Tobi looks like him. Jymi's parents got there about eight. They had to be in formation at 8:40, so about ten minutes before that, Jymi started his goodbyes. He hugged Tobi, and Darin hugged me, and it turned into a group hug. Then he hugged his parents and his sister. I got my own hug after that. Suffice it to say it was a good thing I brought two packets of tissues. Then there was a ceremony, and they got on the buses. Jymi texted me so I'd know where he was on which bus, so we could wave goodbye. That was when Tobi (and all the other kids there, too, it seemed) started crying because he missed his daddy. I picked him up and hugged him (which I can't do often, he's fifty pounds), and told him I missed Daddy, too.
I keep going through it in my head again and again, and it always makes me cry. It's the last time I'm gonna see him for at least two months, though, and I don't want to forget a second of it. He called me last night to let me know he was there. He talked to the boys a little, too. Tobi has changed his mind. Daddy is no longer fighting robots, but skeletons instead. Darin is the ultimate mama's boy, and hasn't really noticed yet that Daddy's gone. When it's been a week, and he still hasn't seen Daddy at all, he'll be upset. I could sure use any spare hugs.
I started Invariance. At this point it doesn't look much different from Merlin And Arthur. I'm really enjoying it, but I haven't been able to work on it more than an hour and a half each day. My eyes have been sore. Plus I've been a little depressed, and that has lessened my urge to stitch.
I've considered trying a new rotation, but I don't know if I'll stick to it or not. I was going to start it the first of June, but now I'm thinking to hell with it. I'll work on what I want, when I want. It's what I end up doing anyway. When I'm sick of Invariance, I'll move on.
I mailed my Dragon Dreams exchange, but I forgot to take a picture of it finished. I had to mail it to England, and it cost twenty bucks! Yikes! I haven't gotten mine yet.
I also have two SBQs to answer. How do you choose a project for an exchange? Do you pick solely on what you know of the taste of the recipient or are there other reasons you pick the piece you do? I usually try to pick something I already have all the materials for. That probably gonna sound cheap, but it's more that I want to get started right away. I've only ever done two exchanges, though.
If you could only stitch one more piece what would it be and why? That's a hard one. At the moment, I'd say Impossible Love. I think it's gorgeous, and I've always loved it. Plus it would take a long time to do, and I could extend my stitching pleasure! Of course, it'll be something different next week.

Labels: Family, Invariance, Jymi, Kids, New Starts, Real Life Sucks, SBQ

I got a wonderful surprise Saturday afternoon! Jymi called and told me he was going to get to come home for a day! He came home Saturday night, and he didn't have to leave until this morning! We took the boys to see Shrek The Third, and then had dinner with Jymi's family. We hadn't planned to tell them he was back for a day; all the good-byes had been said, and Jymi didn't want to do it again. His dad called to invite the boys and me to dinner for Jymi's grandfather's birthday, and Jymi answered the phone. So we saw them all again. The boys loved the movie and dinner, and I loved that we all got one more special day together.
I worked on The Castle Saturday, after Jymi gave me the good news. Before then all I wanted to do was sleep. Not bad for only a couple hours.
I didn't work on anything for the Black Swan SAL. I had better things to do on Sunday (see above).
Today I will work on The Castle again, but first I've gotta go to the post office. My Dragon Dreams exchange piece is going to be almost a week late going in the mail. Another picture coming soon!
I also want to thank everyone for their hugs and thoughts. I was pretty depressed in my last post, but I'm feeling better now. I know he's safe right now, and will be while they're training. That will help my mental health for a couple months.

Labels: Family, Jymi, Kids, Movies, The Castle

See this black blob? It's 263 stitches, and about two and a half hours work. It's also smaller in real life. I started Merlin And Arthur yesterday, for Jymi. I told him this would be a major project, but I don't think he really understood until he saw it last night. I told him all the details, and how big it was going to be when it's finished (about twenty-one inches by twelve).
I'm hoping to buy at least Invariance on Friday. I bought fabric for both projects Monday, and kitted them up. I'm all excited! Or insane. Take your pick.
Hannah went to the vet Monday. He said she'd heal very well from getting fixed, and he was happy that she'd put on some weight. You can no longer feel every single bone in her body, but she still needs to gain some more. She likes sleeping with Tobi, and last night we found out she's much quieter that way. She and Tinkerbell chased each other all night.
Today is Jymi's last day at work. He's taking tomorrow and next week as vacation time, to spend with me and the boys. So no blogging and not much stitching the next week. Tomorrow we're going out with his parents for my birthday. Friday we're going to my mom's for my birthday. Saturday, one of Jymi's work friends is throwing him a going way party. Then there's things we need to buy, stuff to do. It's going to be a busy week.
To add to that, I'm going to go see Spiderman 3 Monday, and if it's not too scary, Jymi and I'll take Tobi to see it. Other people can't really help me, because Tobi isn't scared y the things most kids are. My sister was scared of the flying monkeys in The Wizard Of Oz, and I was afraid of the witch. Tobi's scared of the Cowardly Lion. The graveyard scene in Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire didn't bother him a bit, but the grindylows freaked him. When we bought Prisoner of Azkaban for his third birthday, and the werewolf went into the woods, Tobi said, "Where the doggy go?" Darin says he wants to see it, too, but I don't think he'd sit through it, scary or not. Darin can watch the rain for hours, but he's not into TV or movies, with the exception of Spongebob and The Upside Down Show.
So the next time I post will probably be after my husband is gone. The computer is conspiring against me anyway. It keeps playing songs like Leaving on A Jet Plane, Stellar, Anti-Gravity Love Song, and To Be With You. Hope everyone has a nice week, and a happy Mother's Day.

Labels: Family, Jymi, Kids, Merlin And Arthur, Movies, New Starts

Jymi's at drill this weekend. He got his orders. On May 18, he has to go to Columbia, until May 21, when they leave for Mississippi. They don't have global orders to go to Iraq yet, but they have a couple months of training in Mississippi. It's just a technicality. At least this time, he'll still be here for my birthday. When he went to boot camp, he left a week before.
I thought I had finally made peace with it. I mean, I've been crying about this since November! You'd think I'd have dealt with it all by now. At least he'll still be safe while he's in Mississippi.
So I guess I do have some stitchy news, because today is definitely a new start day. I'll start something small, and depending on when Jymi gets home, I may go get a piece of fabric to start a HAED or two (or three or four or eight). I've got at least twenty pieces of hand dyed fabric, but noting plain. Since they're fully stitched, I don't see much point on putting it on a more expensive piece. When I do the Kitchen Witches, I'll probably them on a hand dyed so I don't have to stitch the background. I may even get a custom piece. If I can't get the plain fabric today, I'll get it Monday.
I may go to my mom's, and raid her stash. I want to ask her to go to court with me anyway, since Jymi will be gone. I'm a little scared, and I don't want to go by myself.
My Uncle Jim came to to visit for Mother's Day, and his daughter is coming in this week, too. She's flying, while my uncle rode his motorcycle all the way from Denver. That's a long ride. We went to see him yesterday. The boys always make up to him so much, and he's having a very hard time with his son. So when the boys love him so much immediately, it helps make him feel better. I feel bad for my sister's kids, though. They've got Uncle Jymi, Uncle Jim (my stepbrother who lives a couple hours away), and Great Uncle Jim, visiting from Denver.
The picture is Jymi and Darin, playing with the keyboard last Christmas.

Labels: Family, Jymi, New Starts, Real Life Sucks, Stash

I did finish stitching the drawers on Tuesday. It took me all day, as bad as I was feeling, though. That night, I went to bed at eight, and told Jymi I wasn't getting out of bed until I felt better. I got up at 10:30 Wednesday morning, and I did feel much better. I got out of bed just in time for my sister to call, with the exact same symptoms.
I started my Dragon Dreams exchange piece that day. Sorry, no pictures, yet. I don't like the fabric, so it took awhile to get into it. Especially since half my stitching time the first day was spent frogging. It's going better now, though. Another day or two, and it'll be finished.
My mom's going to help me finish it, but she had her gall bladder out last week, so I'm not gonna ask her about it for awhile. I've got plenty of time. She's doing well, just very tired.
We had a little extra money this weekend, so I was finally able to finish paying off my last frame. Sorry about the photo; it was the best I could get. You can see Darin's fingerprints, where he wanted to help me hang it up. I wanted it framed in the same fashion as my other fences, but it was kinda hard. With Spooky and Nautical, I knew what would look good, and when I picked the mats, they "popped". Nothing really popped with this one, but these came close. I can take home Nautical Fence anytime I feel like going down there and asking for it.
Here's this week's SBQ. If you had $500 to spend on stitching-related items, what would you buy? As many quarter yards of Picture This Plus Cashel linens as possible. That was easy. That's it for now.

Labels: Fabric Ramblings, Family, Framing, Gift Stitching, New Starts, SBQ, Tobi's Stocking

In my last post, I mentioned I was going to rent a car to go to Virginia. Guess what I learned. You can't rent a car without a major credit card, and if you manage to, you still have to be twenty-five to drive it. I was so ready too scream! I understand why they have to do it that way, but it's still irritating.
So we had to wait until Jymi got off work Thursday night, and we borrowed my mom's car. We left Friday morning, and got to Virginia around lunch time. We couldn't afford to go the Marine Science Center, like I planned, but my dad bought the four of us tickets to the circus (he had to work, so he couldn't go with us).
It really was the greatest show on earth, but not because of the clowns or elephants. The best part was watching the boys. We had great seats (they're normally the floor seats; it's a basketball arena) We were in the second row, and close enough to smell the elephants. We were also close enough Tobi got to shake hands with the star clown, which made his day. Darin had fallen asleep by then. They both loved it, but it started at Darin's normal bedtime. He fought it as long as he could, but he fell asleep during the second half. Everything was wonderful.
There were only two problems; everything was so expensive and PETA. My dad gave us some money to get the boys souvenirs, and they each got a light up thing, and they were $39! I told myself the money was going towards the elephant sanctuary. Now I have no problem with PETA's ideals. I am all for ethical/kind treatment of animals. Handing out information on the treatment of the animals in front of the circus is fine with me; I will read it over. When they start handing out comic books that show elephants being hunted and tortured to my very small kids though, that's a different thing. When they are scaring the hell out of my children, that is no longer a peaceful protest. I'm glad I flipped through it before I let them have it.
We got our car, and left Saturday morning. It was a long trip back, especially since we had to stop by my mom's and my sister's before we could go home. Our new car is a 86 Honda, and it's butt ugly. It's was in our price range though, and now I have a car during the day. Which is great, because I don't have anything to feed the boys for lunch, but I can go get groceries.
I've made some progress on Persian Iris Garden. This is going to be last picture of this one for awhile. I'm getting sick of it. I can make good progress when I can make myself work on it, but I never want to. So I think for the moment, I'll focus on Tobi's stocking during the week.
I keep wanting to start something small as a break from all my bigger projects, but the first thing that comes to my mind in Merlin And Aurthur. How's that for a small project? I have kinda decided to start something small once a month, just to break the monotony. I've also halfway decided that this project will be one of the Stitch Every Holiday series, but I can't pick which one. I could either start with the beginning of the series, the beginning of the year, or do whatever month it is. I guess I'll see which one I have the most threads for already.
Yesterday was the Black Swan SAL, and here is Jymi's stocking. I didn't get much done, but I didn't pick it up until nine. We spent Sunday cleaning, unpacking, and relaxing.
Today, after I get some groceries, I'll work on The Castle. I've got plenty more rocks to stitch.
Before I go, here's last week's SBQ. What is the smallest count fabric you have ever used? Did you stitch over one? Conversely, what is the largest count fabric you have ever used? The smallest I've used is 36 ct., and I have one that has to go on 40 ct. to fit in the frame I want for it, but I prefer 28 or 32 ct. I have stitched over one on 25 and 28 ct. I also stitched on 32 ct., and that time I was supposed to. The first two times, I didn't know I was supposed to stitch over two. The largest I've used is probably 14 ct. aida, unless you count over two on 25 ct., which works out to be 12.5 ct. Isn't math fun?

Labels: Family, Jymi, Jymi's Stocking, Kids, New Starts, Persian Iris Garden, Real Life Sucks, SBQ, The Castle, Tobi's Stocking

I've been doing lots of green things lately. Here's A Wee Bit Irish, which I finished Tuesday, while waiting to pick up Alex from school. Actually, I finished the last shamrock while in line. Once I got home, it seemed silly to stop, since all I left was to backstitch the letters. So I finished it up that afternoon.
Wednesday, both Chris and Alex stayed home from school, and Leon asked me to sit with them, so he could go to work. That was one miserable day. Chris and Alex spend the day in quarantine in Chris' room, per their dad's instruction, trying to keep Tobi and Darin from getting sick. So while I have to play waitress and nurse to them, I also have to try to keep my boys halfway quiet and entertained. By noon, I was sick of watching Noggin with the boys. For those lucky enough to not know what Noggin is, it's a TV station that shows preschool shows from six in the morning until six at night. So after lunch, I went into Kathy's room to watch some grown up TV and stitch. I did finish In Every Nest. When Jymi got off work at 4:30, he stopped by and picked up the boys. Then Chris and Alex could come out. So the three of us played cards until Leon got home.
Thursday, I had asked Jymi to wake me when he left. Leon was going to call me early to let me know whether the kids had gone to school. Jymi leaves at five in the morning. So he woke me, kissed me good bye, and reset the alarm clock for a couple hours later. Does my hubby know me or what? At 5:30, the phone rang. I get up, cussing about Leon calling this early, and it's Jymi. He tells me to look out the window; it's snowing! It wasn't snowing at our house yet, but it was within ten minutes. By the time Leon called, two hours later, there was six inches of snow on the ground. If you click on the picture, you can see it was still falling at the time. It doesn't snow here often, and they cancel school if there's even a chance of snow. Leon asked if I would come over and babysit. I didn't want to drive in all that snow, but I offered to let them come over. Leon said that was fine, but by the time he got here, he'd changed his mind. Chris has asthma, and is allergic to cats. So Leon was worried about him staying all day at my house. He got there and asked if the kids could borrow a couple movies to watch in his office. His theater doesn't show kids' movies. They only show independent/serious/award winner movies. He was hoping that by taking them with him, he could get out early. I was so happy to not have to babysit, since the kids had given me their flu.
That's also why I haven't been around lately. I haven't really been on the message boards, or commenting on blogs. I've been so wiped out, it's all I can do to check my email and bank account. I've been reading, and I am interested; I just haven't had the energy to type out comments. Sorry.
Friday, most of the snow was gone, so I did have to babysit, all day. Leon told me he was going to try to come home after a meeting at two. At seven, Jymi had called me five times, asking if I was ever coming home. I love those kids like they were my own, but by the end of the week, I was sick of them. I agreed to watch them for a few hours after school, not all day, everyday.
I've been working on Irish Coffee. I didn't do my usual SALs this past weekend, because I was still feeling bad. I didn't want to work on something I really had to think about. So I'm almost done with it. I'll do the handle and backstitch today, and finish it tomorrow with the Whisper and button.
Everything I've worked on the past week has been on green fabric. It kinda looks blue in the picture, but the fabric for A Wee Bit Irish and Irish Coffee is Crystal Highland, and yellowy-green.
The last model I stitched had some issues with the mail. It finally got there yesterday, like a week and a half after I sent it. It usually only takes a few days. The good news is I can show pictures next week of my two models! Yay!

Labels: Family, In Every Nest, Jymi, Kids, Models, New Starts, Real Life Sucks

I've been working on lots of stuff. I finally finished part three! I knew a new model was on it's way, and I expected it Thursday, so I stitched all day to finish the last carpet. Then it didn't come that day, so I worked on In Every Nest.
I've just got one chick left! I worked on it until the mail came Friday. As soon as it did though, we had to go visit Jymi's parents. The three kids (Tobi, Jymi, and his sister) all played video games all evening. Darin was very funny. They have three dogs, Skip, a male papillion, Maddie, a female papillion, and Maya, a husky mix. Skip is the oldest, and he doesn't take to small kids the way the others do. He's my buddy, though, and we played fetch until he was too tired, at which point he got in my lap and went to sleep. Darin and Maya are both scared of each other, because Maya's a big dog. She's scared of him, because the first time she saw him, was Halloween, when he was green with an extra head and a tail. She still doesn't know how to handle him. Maddie though, loved Darin, and vice versa. They played fetch and keep away for hours. At one point, Darin laid down and played dead. Maya and Maddie licked his hands and ears until he was giggling.
Saturday was my brother-in-law's birthday, and he had gotten tickets to a basketball game. So I babysat Chris and Alex. Alex got a little mad. We were playing Monopoly, when she decided she was bored. So Chris came over and wanted to take he place, and he won. Chris and I watched The Ant Bully while Alex went in the other room to watch Garfield. I didn't have high expectations, but it was cute. Gross, but cute. Then Alex wanted to read her new library book to me, so I let her. While she read, I got a little stitching done. She did wonderful. She's in fourth grade, reading on an eighth grade level.
Sunday, I was lazy all day. I got up at eleven, and showered. I got groceries and Jymi and I spent the afternoon watching the first season of Ghost Hunters. I did get to stitch after Jymi went to bed. Now I need to get back to the model. I will finish it this week.

Labels: Family, In Every Nest, Models, Movies, Persian Iris Garden

This post will include a recap of my 2006 stitching, 2007 stitching goals, December accomplishments, January goals, and my one night stand (no, not that kind,as a coat check girl at a party).
At the beginning of 2006, I had four projects started: Toys And Games Room Stocking, Avatar, Skeleton Crew, and Dragons By The Fire. I did finish Skeleton Crew. The others are still waiting for me to get around to them. I also started and finished five Mother's Wisdom charts, twenty Christmas ornaments, (four Dragon Dreams, twelve Lizzie Kates, two Cross Eyed Kats, one Raise The Roof, and one Monsterbubbles, for an exchange), five shop models, eleven designer models (released as four charts, one hasn't been released yet), four for gifts or exchanges, and twelve for myself or my family. I also started, but haven't finished, In Every Nest and Persian Iris Garden.
The totals: I started the year with four projects, I started another fifty-eight, and finished fifty-seven, ending the year with five works in progress.
My goals for 2007 are pretty simple. I want to finish (in no particular order) Toys And Games Room, Avatar, Dragons By The Fire, In Every Nest, and Persian Iris Garden. I also want to start and finish Brittercup's Antarctic Penguins: Penguin Family for Darin. If I finish Persian Iris Garden, I will start another Chatelaine. I'm not sure yet whether it will be Taj Mahal or St. Petersburg, but probably the latter. When/if I finish both stockings and the wizard, I want to start Merlin And Aurthur for Jymi. I also want to participate is The Castle SAL, every weekend when possible.
Speaking of The Castle, here's what I got done on the first day! All twenty stitches of it. I only managed to get in a few minutes, obviously. The picture on the right is to better show the fabric. It's 28 ct. Crystal Mercedes Cashel linen from Picture This Plus.
My goals for December were to finish the model. Plus start, finish, and ornamentify the new Dragon Dreams Christmyth ornament, sew Grandmother's butterflies into pillows, pick a project to stick with until it's finished, and kit up The Castle for the stitch along on New Year's.
The model's finished, along with the Wyvern. I had issues with the sewing machine, so the pillows didn't get made. They did get yelled at, though. I'm working on part three of Persian Iris Garden, but I'm switching when I finish this part. I did get The Castle all ready to go.
My goals for this month are to participate in The Castle SAL every Saturday and the Teresa Wentzler SAL every Monday, finish part three, and then pick another project.
I babysat my sister's kids Friday, and afterword, since we both needed to drive up to Charlotte, we decided to ride together. She had to stop by her husband's theater, because they were getting ready for a big fancy New Year's party, and he needed to try on his tux jacket. We all went shopping, first for Leon's tux stuff, then to spend the gift card Jymi gave me for Old Navy. On the way home, Kathy was telling me about the party. They had senators secretaries calling trying to get tickets! They were all sold out very quickly. Then she asked me what Jymi and I had planned. Jymi and I usually just hang out and watch a movie. She asked if I wanted to work at the party, since it paid ten dollars an hour, with ten hours guaranteed. She said it would just be bussing tables, and making sure everyone had champagne for the toast at midnight. Jymi and I talked about it, and I decided to do it.
Saturday, she kept the kids, so Jymi and I could go to dinner and a movie. It was good for both of us, to help keep us up late, so we'd be ready to stay up late the next night. She was working, too. So we had a nice dinner at Olive Garden, and then we went to see Casino Royale. Jymi's a big Bond fan. I enjoy them every once in a while, because I have to be willing to be bored for an hour before they get interesting. I did enjoy it though. It was nice to have some quiet time together. We had to wait an hour for a table at dinner, so we had some time to just talk.
Kathy picked me up at about three, Sunday. We had to drop her kids off at our mom's, and then drive up to Charlotte. At five we had the meeting, where everyone was assigned jobs and told the rules. Leon told us, "This is going to be a very high class crowd. So if you see any having sex in the auditoriums or using cocaine in the bathroom, to let me or one of the other managers know immediately." That kinda freaked me out, but I have to admit it didn't really surprise me. I didn't want to be the one to find someone using drugs. I was assigned to coat check with two other people, and once the rush had died down, I was to go inside and bus tables. I was the only person assigned to coat check who actually showed up there once the people started coming in. That was fine with me though. If I had to stay outside all night hanging people's coats and giving them green bracelets (to tell who was over twenty-one, so the bartender wouldn't have to worry about IDs), that meant I wouldn't have to worry about to "high class" people with drugs in the bathroom.
They had a photographer to take pictures of everyone as they came in, and also to get some candid shots. There were quite a few with Leon (one here and here), and a couple of me (here and here), but Kathy managed to not get her picture taken. At least not that I've found. If you want to see more, go the calender, December 2006, Ballantyne Village New Year's party. They have several groups.
They even had fake paparazzi to take pictures and scream when the people came in. At first Kathy or Leon would come out every hours or so and ask how I was doing. I'd ask them to get me a Sprite (the soda, beer, and wine were free, but I don't drink much), and told them I was fine. Kathy told me on the way home that she had been worried about me because they had alot of assholes upstairs, where she was helping with one of the pay bars. We didn't really have much to deal with. Around eleven, we had a few groups of teenagers show up and ask what the cover charge was. We had to explain that this was not a club and all the tickets were sold out. One tried to steal one of the green bracelets, but the bouncer saw him take and kicked his butt back out. They stopped checking on me at eleven. They had to get the champagne toast ready, and clean up the mess the drunks were making.
After midnight, everyone started to leave. I didn't know I'd get tips for bringing people their coats, but I made $25. We also had to hand out papers with the numbers of the cab companies, and make sure nobody left with alcoholic drinks. There was another girl who'd been taking tickets before midnight to help give the coats back and pass out papers. Right after midnight we had a small problem. A woman had gotten champagne dumped on her from one of the balconies, and was very upset and wanted her money back. We found her a manager to talk to, and then she came and yelled at us some more. I understand why she was upset, but we couldn't do anymore for her than we already had. We took her name and number, and one of the managers will take care of it when they had more time.
Around one, we did have the one and only real asshole. I saw a girl in tears talking to the police officer, and her boyfriend walking away angrily. From what I gathered, he had hit her just before coming out. He then yelled at the police officer. He started to leave, but then the police officer told him to go. Of course if it was what the officer wanted, he couldn't do it, and he tried to come back up. The officer stood in his way, and the man tried to throw him down the stairs. After that he was arrested. Everyone kept saying how stupid the girl was for not wanting him to go to jail. I didn't think of it that way, though. I felt so bad for her, knowing she was going back to a man (and I use the VERY loosely) who treats her so badly. She will spend so much time in pain over him, and she may never get out of that destructive relationship. He was the only one who acted like asshole out where we were, and I didn't have to deal with it. Thank goodness!
All the customers were gone by about two, and then we had to clean up all the broken balloons and glasses. We were supposed to be there until three, but it was closer to four when we finished. I got to take home a peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake, and some balloons for the boys.
Kathy drove me home, and it was about 4:45 by the time I got to bed. Jymi was sweet and let me sleep until 1:30. Then he made me stay up for the rest of the day, because he knew if I went back to sleep, I wouldn't sleep that night. He was very sweet, watching the Absolutely Fabulous marathon I'd recorded the day before, even though he doesn't really like it, because he knew I'd stay awake to see it. He enjoys it, and laughs, but it's not something he'd watch of his own free will. It wasn't until both boys and Jymi had all gone to bed (at 11:30) that I got to start my Castle. Of course, I didn't get much done, since I had to find the right size Q-Snaps, the book, the middle of the fabric, and by then I only had time to get one length of thread before it was no longer New Year's.
I hope everyone had a happy New Year, and have a great 2007!

Labels: Family, Goals, Holidays, Movies, Persian Iris Garden, The Castle, Work

We've all survived Christmas. The boys got a nice haul. For their one early present, they both picked the one from my dad. Tobi went for the DVD/game shaped one, and Darin went for the one in penguin paper. Shouts of "Star Wars" and "Thomas" filled the house. Tobi got Attack Of The Clones, completing his Star Wars DVD collection. Darin actually got Percy, to go with his Thomas The Tank Engine Lego set. The boys decided that Jymi could open a present early, too, so they him their gift. When I told Jymi I couldn't get what I'd planned to, he guessed I'd gotten season five of 24. I told him no, because technically, that's what the boys got him.
That night, when I took off my shirt, Jymi noticed my bra had a hole in it, and told me to open a specific present. Inside the shoebox he wrapped, was a gift card to Old navy so I could buy some new jeans and shirts, and some cash, so I could finally buy some new bras. The best part of it was, he promised not to come or ask me to take the boys, because he knows I'd end up spending it on them. I went last night to spend the cash. Let me just say now, Victoria's Secret sucks. All their bras run small. I did find some that fit at another store, and with all the sales, I saved almost as much as I spent. Friday, I'm driving up to Charlotte to spend the rest.
The boys had a wonderful Christmas. They were amazed to see all that Santa had brought! Darin was excited by his books, and Tobi was over the moon about all his Star Wars guys. It's now his "Star Wars collection." Jymi's parents gave him even more Star Wars Galactic Heroes. He still need Yoda, and then he's got everybody he loves. I wish they made a General Grevious.
When Darin opened his Diego playhouse, he really got in the mood! It was the first time he's ever torn the paper off that fast! He loves it. I'm ready to return it. It's the only present they got this year that requires batteries. Tobi got an Imaginext castle, which Jymi decided was really cool while he opened it. Tobi's going to take his Christmas money and get the dragon to go with it, and some more people.
Darin was all about his bath time pirate ship. Tinkerbell likes Diego's playhouse, too. She keeps walking through it, and chewing on Mama Jaguar. I gave Jymi a copy of Eldest. He loved Eragon, but he hasn't wanted to spend the money on the hardcover sequel. When I wrapped it, I noticed it was a special edition. It has all these extras in it, including a list of all characters and places, a preview of the next book, a picture of the cover, and some other stuff. He was really pleased, but now he wants to reread Eragon first.
The "boys" got me my favorite present. It's a charm bracelet. It's got two little boy charms, one for each of them. They remind me so much of my boys. They're standing, smiling, with their hands in their pockets. I can see my boys doing that, only it's scary when they do it. When they do it, I know they've done something else, and I have to o see what they've broken, drawn on, or put the cat in. Between the two boys, there's a heart, for Jymi. It was so sweet.
The picture is just my obnoxious cat, hiding in my blanket. We had a nice time at Jymi's grandparents. The boys made out like bandits. Once again, shouts of "Thomas" and "Star Wars" filled the room. The boys loved everything, even the clothes! In fact Darin's favorite present was the Buzz Lightyear pajamas. He insisted on taking all his normal clothes and putting them on. Jymi was a little disappointed. He was hoping for more gift cards, so he could get a Wii. He loves everything, though. Jymi's grandparents gave me a beautiful bracelet and earrings to match!
On the way to his grandparents, Jymi scared the hell out of me and the kids. He decided to take a dirt road, that's usually shorter. Unfortunately, it was raining, and there was a huge puddle. Jymi tried to drive through it, and we hydroplaned, which was very scary since the woods are very close to the woods. We got through it fine though, no accident, no injury, just a small heart attack. As soon as we turned off the dirt road, though, the car stalled! The engine had flooded. We tried for about fifteen minutes, to get the car started. Jymi, then called his dad, and when he got off the phone, he tried the car one more time. Of course, then it started. Thank goodness!
After Jymi's family, we went to my mom's. My niece and nephew both loved their presents. The boys got even more stuff. They got nine movies, if you count the two copies of The Little Mermaid as one movie. We're giving one to my sister's kids. My mom knitted me a hat (white thing in the picture), and crocheted me a purse (blue thing in the picture). It's from the Happy Hooker book we got her for her birthday. She made a red one, and decided to give me one for Christmas, but that I wouldn't use a red one. So she started a black one for me. I came over for something, and saw the red one. I told her I'd like one in blue or black. So she gave the black one to my sister, and ordered more of the special nylon yarn (she had to special order it from Mexico) in blue. I love it! All in all, we had a wonderful holiday!
My grandma also had an exciting day! She told her chiropractor about her foster children one day. He told his friend, who's a reporter for the local newspaper. He came out to the house to interview her! After the interview, he said it was such a heartwarming story, they were going to put it in the Christmas edition! Come Christmas day, she was on the front page! She was so embarrassed by all this fuss! As she said in the article, "Babies are babies. They need love." If you want to read the article, here's the link.

I have been stitching on part three of Persian Iris Garden, while I try to pick my next project. I still haven't decided. I am not really planning a one at a time thing, so much as a one at a time until I get sick of it and move on to something else. If anybody else has an opinion, I'm still taking suggestions.

Labels: Family, Holidays, Jymi, Kids, Persian Iris Garden

Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, and happy Kwanzaa! Happy any holiday I forgot, too! I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday!
Today is our first day off in forever! The last few weeks, even on Jymi's day off, we've had a hundred other things we needed to do. So the last few days, we've been at each others' throats! He's exhausted from work, and I'm stressed out from spending ALL my time with the kids and worrying about their insurance. I love my kids, but ever once in a while, I need a break! By some freak of nature, Jymi got today and tomorrow off! So last night, my sister watched the boys, and Jymi and I went to see Eragon. Jymi's read the book and said it was okay, but they left out most of the things that made the book so great. I haven't read it, but I probably will when I run out of Gregory Maguire books (two more after I finish the one I'm on). It was nice to be just the two of us, even if it was only for two hours.
On the way home from the theater (or at least on the way to Kathy's), we stopped at Best Buy, to finish our Christmas shopping. I had planned to get Jymi's sister a gift card, so she can get another game for the Wii she's getting (she's getting so much, I don't want to hear about how we owe Jymi's parents money this year). Jymi had planned to get one for Kristi, and his cousins, too. They're not kids anymore, but they're both younger than him (one's younger than me, the other's a few months older than me), so he wanted to include them. That was fine with me, so we got three. Then, when we got home, I had to go out to the grocery store for some Christmas cards to stick them in, and some wrapping paper for two more Santa gifts for the boys. It was all 50% off, which was great!
I came home to find the boys in their room, with their faces pressed against the window. When I got out of the car, I could hear them screaming, "Mommy's home!" I brought everything in, and Jymi went in and said, "Yes, Mommy's home, but it's time for bed. Go to sleep!" I went in to say good night, and had to re-tuck them in. I usually do it, the same way every night, and Jymi doesn't know my way, which to the boys is the only way. They (especially Darin) can't go to sleep if their blankets are in the wrong order, or if they're missing Teddy (Darin's favorite teddy bear), Wolfie (Tobi's wolf who "keeps the monsters away"), and Puppy (Darin's otter, and, no, I don't know why). After that, I wrapped the last two of the boy's presents. The only thing still not wrapped in the TV, and we're not going to wrap that.
Today we are not doing a thing! Jymi's in our room, watching a movie, relaxing. The boys are watching Blue's Clues. I'm also being lazy, playing on the computer! Just a nice, relaxing, lazy day. Before bedtime, the boys each get to open one present.
There's no time to relax tomorrow. We're getting up, and opening presents. Then we've gotta give the boys a bath. It's easier to bathe the cat. Then we're going to Jymi's grandparents for Christmas dinner/lunch, and to open presents. Then we go straight from there to my mom's, for another dinner and presents. By the time we get home, it'll be bed time, for all of us. It'll be fun, but it will also be exhausting!
Hastur- I would love to do a SAL for Dragons By The Fire! I'm doing the Teresa Wentzler SAL on Mondays, and the Castle on Saturdays, but any other day is good for me. Please continue to help me pick! All help is appreciated! Happy holidays! God bless us, everyone!

Labels: Books, Family, Holidays, Jymi, Kids, Movies

Sunday, right after Jymi got home, I went out to get trash bags at the grocery store, about two miles away. Jymi called me halfway there, to tell me his father was in the hospital. I hurried home, and Jymi left. He hadn't been feeling well, and he got to work that night, and was going home, complaining of chest pains. The others there wouldn't let him drive, and called an ambulance. His blood pressure and blood sugar were both very high, and they decided to keep him overnight.
Monday, we took the boys to my mom's and both of us went to the hospital. Jymi's mom called us on the way there to tell us they were going to do a heart catheterization in the afternoon. We'd only been there about ten minutes when they came to get him, because they had an opening, and they could do it earlier. Once they prepped him, it took them two hours to start. They told us it would take an hour. Another two hours later, the doctor called us into the conference room. He said Jymi's dad had three blockages, in two arteries. They put in two stints, and he'll have to go back in again for the third.
He had to stay another night, but he finally got to go home yesterday afternoon. When Jymi got off work we all went over to see him. He's feeling better now, although last night he was a little down because he had to miss his lodge meeting. The boys gave Pops (it started as joke, but the name stuck) a big hug and asked if he was still sick. They're three and five, so we didn't go into anymore detail than that. Jymi and his mom went to go get his medicine, and some dinner. Neither them or us have had time to get groceries this past week. The boys kept Jymi's dad pretty entertained. Darin kept playing fetch with two of dogs, and Jymi and Kristi played video games. It was some James Bond game, and Tobi kept kicking Kristi's butt. It was pretty funny, considering my five-year-old son kept setting his twelve-year-old aunt on fire. He had never played before, but he was so much better than her. He had so much fun, too, and was laughed so hard, you could help but laugh, too.
This has all been very hard on Jymi. He's been snippy, and had completely lost his sense of humor. This is all understandable, but a little difficult. My method of coping includes babbling, and making jokes to keep my mind off of it. He's feeling better now, too. It's all worked out okay now.
Needless to say I haven't had that much stitching time this week. I did get alot done last night, though. I'm almost finished with my model. The shop called today with a stocking someone wanted finished. I know I could use the money, but the idea of stitching someone else's stocking, from a Dimensions kit, with all that mixed up thread, aida fabric, and someone else's stitching (I had to rip out most of The Lord's Prayer I did in a similar situation) just made me want to cry. I turned down the offer. I've got enough to deal with right now without a project I really don't want, and I'm looking forward to finishing something of mine. I'm not starting any new projects (except models) until I finish everything I've got started. I know it can be done, even by me. For now though, it's lunchtime on Wednesday, which means we get to order pizza. Yay!

Labels: Family, Jymi, Kids, Models, Real Life Sucks