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

I received my Dragon Dreams exchange from Sally! It's a gorgeous flat fold and a fob. She also sent me the Runekeeper chart/story. I feel kinda bad now. Mine's not half as nice as this.
I spent four hours on Invariance, Friday. I got another four hundred or so stitches in, not that you can see much change. They're having another sale at Heaven And Earth this weekend, and Jymi does still owe me a chart. I may have to get the new Selina Fenech, Pirate. I've been waiting for that one. All those reds would be a nice change from the blue projects I usually gravitate towards. Today I'm working on Jymi's stocking, and tomorrow's The Castle. After that though, I'll either go back to Invariance, or work on Tobi's stocking. I'd like to get it finished by the end of summer.
We're all doing okay with Jymi being gone. Tobi and Darin seem to be adjusting well. They get talk to him when he calls to tell us all goodnight. I'm getting better. I've started sleeping again, which is always a good thing. I don't have much appetite. Yesterday I had lunch, and gum, and that was it. I could stand to lose quite a few pounds though, so I'm not that worried about it.

Labels: Gift Stitching, Invariance, Jymi, Jymi's Stocking, Kids, Stash

It's been a heck of a week. I've had more of the ups, but the downs were pretty freaking low. Tuesday, we got a letter about a meeting to discuss the "imminent deployment." At drill this past weekend, they were told they'd probably be leaving around the middle of May. This first they've mentioned it in awhile. I was really getting my hopes up that he wouldn't have to go. I'm taking it better than I thought I would, but I don't think it's really hit me yet. I'm not really talking about it much. The class/lecture/informational session is going to be so much fun, what with me not wanting to talk about it.
Darin's been sick. He's had a cough, and one day a fever. He's better now, but Tobi's got it. I think they've just got what I had last week. It caused Jymi to worry I was pregnant again. I was tired and nauseous, and I had to put nacho cheese on everything. So now Darin doesn't have any more symptoms, but he's still very whiny. It's understandable, though.
There's good news, too, though. I finished my exchange piece and started my new model. I haven't worked on it much, though.
Someone knocked on our door, and offered Jymi $60 for the wrecked Nissan. Then Jymi sold his Xbox 360 to a friend from work. I had already paid all the bills, so we decided to get tattoos. Jymi has been wanting another one, and I've wanted one since I was ten. So I spent most of Thursday looking online for ideas. Friday we went, but we didn't find anything we liked there. We had found a few things online, but you have to pay to download them, and we figured what we wanted was so common, they'd have something similar there. So we decided to pay for the ones we'd already found and come back next week. I don't want to settle on something that's going to be on my body forever. So I spent most of Saturday online, looking at designs, and reading about the process. I guess knowledge really is power, because I'm not afraid anymore. Still anxious and nervous, but the big nasty ball of fear that was in my stomach is gone. So I'm glad we didn't get them Friday. I've found three I love. I've picked one to get Friday, and another one to get Friday, depending on how much the first one costs. The other one I'll get some other time. So all that was three days of stitching lost (two days on research and one at the tattoo parlor.) Kathy's already agreed to babysit next Friday, so we're all set. I''m really excited, and it's helping to take my mind off of everything else.

Labels: Gift Stitching, Jymi, Models, Real Life Sucks

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

Since Jymi took last Monday off to be with his dad, he got this Monday off, too. There's a safety rule about having to have one day off out of every seven. So I took the model to the post office, and then went to Michaels to see if I could find a fiber optic tree. All they had were eight foot trees. They were half off, but they started at three hundred dollars! If I'm gonna have a tree that big, it's gonna be real. So I went across the street to Target, and I found one. I mean one. I got the last green one they had. They still had plenty of silver ones.
After lunch, I took the boys to see Santa at the mall. When we got there, though, Santa had just left for his lunch break, so I let them play in the play area. I never thought of my boys as particularly well behaved, but they were compared to most of the other kids there. They'd come up and shove Tobi and Tobi wouldn't do anything back. He wouldn't even say anything mean, and as big as Tobi is, he could've taken any of them if he wanted. I was very proud him. He played nice with all the kids, no matter how they treated him. Darin didn't want to play with the other kids. That's my boy, the loner. They were very excited to see Santa while we were in line, but when they were next, they got shy. Once they got up there, though, Tobi started telling him that he wanted Cars, the video game. They got their picture taken, but the scanner still doesn't work.
In the evening, after dinner, I put on A Muppet Christmas Carol. Jymi was on the computer, and got his current Netflix movie, and was going to watch it in the bedroom. By the time he finished what he was doing on the computer, though, he was "sucked in" to the movie, and he enjoyed it, too. Tuesday, we watched the original How The Grinch Stole Christmas. The boys sat entranced, while Jymi and I discussed the pros and cons of each version. We both like the original better.
Yesterday, Jymi stayed home again, because he didn't feel well. Tobi didn't feel good either. So I went out and finished our Christmas shopping. All we have left is something for Jymi's sister, and she's already getting so much. She just getting a gift card for Best Buy. I had planned to get Jymi a James Bond boxed set, but they were out of my price range. I did find something else for him, but I can't say what. He keeps trying to figure out/find it, and I wouldn't put it past him to check here. I put it in another box, so he couldn't guess from the shape. I also put in plastic bags, so he couldn't shake it. I had gotten Alex a bouncy ball maker for her present at Michaels, and also the last color I need for The Castle. I took the ball kit out and stuffed the bag in the box. When I went to bed, I remembered the thread, which I had left in the bag! Jymi told me to write it on the package, because he'd forget. So we now have a present that says, "To Daddy, Love Tobi and Darin," in one corner, and, "My thread is in this box," on the other.
I had planned to go to the DMV to try to figure out the car stuff, and I stopped at the bookstore, since I finished Son Of A Witch. It was very good as long as you remember that Liir is not Elphaba, and he's also never had any guidance at all. He doesn't know what to do with his life, and is just struggling to survive each horrific event, until he knows what to do. I'd read lots of bad reviews, but I really enjoyed it, maybe because I can relate to Liir's aimlessness, and the way he finds purpose to his life.
At the bookstore, I got Mirror, Mirror, and decided to see if they had No, David!, one of Tobi's favorite books. Lately, they've been more interested in books, but the only one they ever want to read is Alphabet Soup by Scott Gustafson. It's a good book, but every page is like a tongue twister. When I'm really tired, that's not a good choice. When I got to the children's books, they had a big display of Dr. Suess books. They were three for the price of two. So I got The Cat In The Hat and Green Eggs And Ham for Darin, and The Lorax and No, David! for Tobi. I am very eager for Santa to bring these. I can almost recite Alphabet Soup in my sleep.
Darin found a purpose for Jymi's whip. It's Tinkerbell's new favorite toy. She'll keep playing with it for an hour after we've quit. She's such a funny, psychotic, little kitty.
Here's the answer for those of you who couldn't find the happy dance. I finished it Tuesday night. I tried to be crafty yesterday, but it just didn't work out. I got some fabric to finish Jymi's grandmother's butterflies, but then the bobbin on the sewing machine ran out out on the first seam. After an hour of fighting with it, I figured out how to wind a new one. It was exactly how I tried the first time, but it didn't work the first time. So I started hand doing it. I had a small tantrum, and found that then the stupid machine wanted to work. So I ended up having to re-wind the bobbin on the machine. Jymi thought this was hilarious. He's very lucky I didn't throw anything at him. Then I couldn't re-thread the machine (it's borrowed from my mom). After another hour of fighting with the stupid machine to try to get it threaded right, I gave up, and had another tantrum. The boys were in bed, and it was just Jymi, laughing at me, so I started yelling obscenities at it.
I also got the word that my ornament exchange has been received. It's Feliz Navidad, by Monsterbubbles, from the 2006 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue, on 28 ct. Midas Jazlyn from Picture This Plus. I made some changes to suit what I had on hand, but I think it came out well. I found a pretty tin at the grocery store, and filled it with a bag of Ghiradelli special holiday chocolates. They come in peppermint bark, eggnog, and spiced cinnamon with nuts. I bought us a bag of the peppermint ones to keep here. I also sent some floss, and a calender. My grandma gave me some calenders charities have sent her, and I put one in the package, since we don't need eight calenders. I should stop writing about it now though. Thinking about the chocolates is making me hungry. I guess it's close enough to lunch time.

Labels: Books, Gift Stitching, Holidays, Jymi, Kids, Ornaments

I ended up sleeping most of Thursday away. I went to take a shower at seven, and could barely stand up. I figured it was time to finally go to bed. The boys got up at nine, and they came into my room and watched cartoons until I got up at eleven. They both took naps in the afternoon, and I took another nap at about three, for a couple hours. I then tried to go to bed early, but felt sick, as I always do when I haven't had enough sleep. I ended up staying awake until about midnight, when I felt better.
Friday, we had our annual shopping spree at Steve And Barry's. The boys and I each got a new jacket, since theirs from last year are too small, and I haven't had one in years. I've always just swiped Jymi's or worn a sweatshirt. We always get some new t-shirts there, too, since they have some funny one. The one in the picture is one we got for Tobi. It's actually an adult small, and a little big on him, but they didn't have it in kid's sizes. It's not as big on him as you'd think. We'll be buying him adult size clothes by the time he's seven. Jymi and I each got a shirt with an Irish flag, (since we're both of Irish descent). I found one with a witch silhouetted against the moon, that said, "Wicked Witch," that I had to have (probably influenced by my recent reading). Tobi freaked out that saying I couldn't buy that shirt; it was evil.
We then went to dinner with Latonya and her sons. Tobi loved talking to them, and he even won a game of checkers. We took the scenic route home, to see all the Christmas lights. As soon as we got home, though, I had to go back out to Target. Jymi told me on the way home his dad's family's Christmas was Saturday. Thanks for giving me plenty of notice! This year they were just doing presents for kids, so we had to get something for two of his cousins, and his cousin's baby. The two older ones we just gave cash in a card, because they're teenagers and everything they want is expensive. I bought some Peek-A-Blocks for the baby though, since she's only one. I made an effort to find something cool to her without irritating Jymi's cousin and his girlfriend. Then we get there, and the give my boys a mini pinball table! Next year, I'm buying his daughter a drum!
Darin was very sweet at the party. Tobi played mostly with the big kids, but Darin and the baby played together all afternoon. She wanted to play every one-year-old's favorite game, Throw It On The Floor To See How Many Times They'll Pick It Back Up. Darin picked it up and gave it back to her every single time. When it was time for presents, Darin was handed one of his first, and gave it to Trinity. Her dad was the one handing out presents, and he had to find one for her before Darin would open his. As much as he liked her and playing with her, he got very upset when she wanted to play with the train he got. He always got something else for her to play with, before he took his train back.
Then we went to Toys-R-Us, for some Santa shopping. Evidently there was a huge sale, because everyone in the world was there! I spent more time in line than I did fighting through all the people trying to find what the boys wanted. It was the first time in my life I ever thought to myself that I hate Christmas. It bothered me, because I love Christmas. I hate the crowds, the traffic, and the people who seem to think the only way to show their loved ones they care is by going into debt. I also got pretty mad at the people in the middle of the toy store, with six kids just with them, cussing at every other word. Does it not occur to them that maybe they should be more careful of what they say? I did mange to get the boys what they wanted. I'm gonna take the Christmas money they got from Jymi's grandfather and get them some more figures for their castle, and maybe another set of Star Wars Galactic Heroes for Tobi. He got Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 for his birthday, and I got most of his other favorites yesterday (Chewbacca, Anakin, Obi Wan, and Darth Vader, along with the others who come with those guys, C-3PO and Count Dooku, I think). His last favorite is Yoda. He'd probably like a Han Solo, too, but he's not as important. We were going to take the boys to see Santa, too, but by the time we got out of the toy store, Jymi and I were both out of patience. We did see a Santa and reindeer driving by, playing Christmas carols. Tobi and Darin waved and they waved back. We'll take them to really see Santa next weekend.
I got my ornament exchange Friday, from Vicki! She sent me Dragon Dreams' Not A Creature Was Stirring ornament. I love the finishing. She also sent some overdyed threads, some DMC in black, white, and ecru (colors every stitcher always needs), a card, and a chocolate bar. Can you guess why the candy's not in the picture? For once is not because my obnoxious children stole it! I also got an American flag button, from Canada! I didn't get a chance to mail mine until Saturday, but it should get there next week. When it's there, I'll share a picture!
I'm almost finished with my model. Just a few more days. So I should probably get my lazy butt off the computer and fix lunch, so I can start stitching!

Labels: Gift Stitching, Holidays, Jymi, Kids, Models, Ornaments, Real Life Sucks

Here's pictures of the pieces Jymi's grandmother gave me. The one on the right is a close up of the date. I needs a wash and an iron, but it's been folded in her closet for twenty-one years! It's very cute, but not something I'd ever stitch myself. I'm not gonna be able to get it framed until April, but I'm already choosing in my head. I'm thinking probably just a plain medium wood frame. Maybe (and that's a big maybe) a blue mat that looks like denim. It might look cute, but it may also be too much, and darw away from the picture.These are the butterflies. Jymi still hasn't fixed the scanner, so I took seperate pictures so I could zoom in as much as possible. The pictures still don't do them justice.
Here's the back of the first one. Even the backs are beautiful! My over one backs don't look anywhere near this good.
The computer's back to normal now. I have more time for stitching again. I hope to finish my model by next weekend.
We didn't make it to the toy store. Jymi was too tired. We'll go next Saturday. I'm gonna be exhausted. I also have to go to my mom's, the post office, and the DMV that day. I have to go to the car insurance office, too, if I can find the time. Fun. Lots of hurry-up-and-wait places. I may have to treat myself to a new book, because I'm about halfway through Son Of A Witch. I will be done by then, so I'll just add the bookstore to my list, and not tell Jymi.

Labels: Books, Gift Stitching, Models, Real Life Sucks